LINKS in MFP you want to read again (and again)

cmriverside

Exercise, Food, & The Brain Chemical Connection
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This is from stillkristi:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/53384-exercise-food-and-the-brain-chemical-connection?page=1#posts-599913

Hi gang, this is kind of long. But a couple of folks have asked me to post it. Its from my blog.

Well, I weighed in today and lost 2 pounds this week. That should make me pretty happy, right? But, instead, I am feeling a little let down, because last week, I lost 7 lbs. Two pounds is respectable. In fact, its the recommended maximum by MFP and most of the fitness gurus in the world. So, why would I be feeling let down?

Here's what I think: While my eating was well under control this week, I had a crappy exercise week. Crazy days at work, extra meetings, staying up late, getting up late, running here, running there, dryer repair guy in the house twice to disrupt my morning routine. Blah, blah, blah.

So, I did a little research - I wondered if the sporadic exercise might be somehow related to my being somewhat disappointed with myself. Here's what I discovered:
Exercise releases endorphins - the natural pain killers in our bodies. Endorphins are morphine like substances that attach to opiate receptors in our brains. So, this past week, when I wasn't exercising regularly, I noticed I didn't feel as spry - I have been dragging a little more, and feeling the pain back in my knees a little. The word endorphin means "morphine within" and I haven't been activating the morphine within like I was during the previous week. When those opiate receptors are activated, they block pain signals to the nervous system. They also produce a euphoric feeling. Less euphoria = feeling a little let down. Interesting.
I took the research a step further - What is the effect of food on my mood? In the past, that feeling a little let down could easily have been a trigger to eating the wrong stuff - getting off track and self-sabotaging. I have always wondered why I did that. This time, instead of seeking out the comfort foods, I decided to read up on the subject. I started with the definition of food addiction according to the Encyclopedia of Eating Disorders - "Food addiction is a nonmedical term that refers to a compulsion to eat specific foods, usually those that are high in sugar or starch. Although this term is used to describe intense cravings to seek out specific foods, these foods are not, in and of themselves, physically addictive in the way a drug might be. Instead, the need to pursue and consume these foods may be representative of a psychological disturbance, extreme anxiety, or emotional distress."

Ok, seems like I may be on the right track, but I really wanted it to be physically addictive, rather than representative of anxiety or emotional distress. But oh well. Next, I found a ton of research studies about the effects of different neurotransmitters on mood and the corelation between the production, release, and reception of these nureotransmitters by the brain and mood. Three neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) dopamine, norephenephrine (brain stimulants or uppers) and serotonin (brain calming or sedative) have been studied in relation to food by a number of people. Women tend to be more sensitive to changes in serotonin levels than men (note our PMS reactions and menopasual mood swings). Foods that increase serotonin are high in carbs - sugar, pasta, cereals, etc. So, I feel better. I'm not crazy. Just sensitive. Meanwhile, the other two, the chemical stimulants tend to be increased by protein rich foods. Hmmmmm.....

So, whats the take home message for me today? Pay attention to the little things, like brain chemicals! And the best way to do that, is to sweat - exercise! In the past, I would have found myself feeling let down by what I saw as a negative - ONLY losing two pounds. And, I would have then gone to the tried and true method for feeling better about myself - empty carbohydrates that elevated my serotonin levels and gave me a false sense of security. Today, whats the fix? Eat a tuna salad and get out and exercise!

oregonlady

bump:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

cmriverside

bump:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Hi, pretty girl! Long time no see, Robin.

Sunday bump.:glasses:

kellch

Bump for all the newbies :flowerforyou:
Very helpful info in here that will answer most of your questions :flowerforyou:

For others.........go to Community.....General Weight Loss and read the links that have a pushpin beside them. Very good stuff :flowerforyou:

cmriverside

all you newbies, scroll through this thread. There are new links added on as I find them....not just those on the first page.

cm

euphoria11

great links... very helpful!

here is the link to THIS thread.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/new/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

pass it on!!

euphoria11

great info throughout... I will definitely save this!

I love this site!

cmriverside

great info throughout... I will definitely save this!

I love this site!

This thread is "sticky" - i.e. it is always at the top of the "General Weight Loss" category in the "Community" tab. All the little "mousetrap" icons in front of threads mean they are sticky.

Glad you are learning! Welcome to MFP. :flowerforyou:

SHBoss1673

pretty sure this should get a bump, Sticky or no!

Loma

:flowerforyou: bump!

tucson2

Just joined in June and I'm really glad to have found this thread. Great idea! Thanks!!!

kimss

bump for later

Wishful

bump

ecrb77

thanks!

cmriverside

Everyone.....


I'm not on MFP very much anymore.....please add on any valuable tips and links you find. I'm sure I've missed a lot of them! This thread is for everyone's benefit. Eventually I'm going to re-group and semi-categorize these helpful links (with Mike's help/approval!)

Cheryl :glasses:

jklm

bump:happy:

cmriverside

:drinker: TA DA...another SHBoss AKA Banks tidbit of wisdom.
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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

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Hello Folks,

So often people personal message me asking me if I think their calories are correct. It seems that people think there is some magical formula that only a very few can figure out. I see so many people on here just popping in numbers and following them heedless of what the numbers mean. I feel it's ULTRA important to know why MFP (and me, and a few others) gives you certain numbers. To that end I will try to empower YOU to be able to understand the basics about calories, calorie deficits, and why we recommend eating exercise calories. With this knowledge you should be able to easily figure out what your calories should be at for reasonable, healthy weight loss. So without further ado, lets get started.

1st things first, a few givens must be stated:

-Everyone's body is slightly different. ALWAYS keep in mind your numbers may not be exactly what MFP thinks simply because everyone's bodies all burn energy at a different rate. Tweaking may be needed.

- MFP's goals wizard is a "dumb" tool. That means it doesn't care whether a specific goal is healthy and/or right for you, it just subtracts the goal deficit from projected maintenance calories. This means that even if you shouldn't be trying for a 2 lb a week loss, MFP won't care, it will still try to help you get there.

-1200 calories is a generic number. It's not right for everyone. It's a baseline minimum given out as a floor by MFP based on prior research by the medical community. NOT everyone will need a minimum of 1200, very small people can go under, and bigger people need more.


OK with those facts firmly set in your mind (please go back and re-read the givens until you have them firmly planted in your skull!), we can continue. Figuring out your perfect deficit isn't magic, it's a few simple formula's base on some basic, worldwide standards, and generally with slight modefication, will work for just about anyone who (besides weight) is generally healthy.

Here's what you need:
Height, weight, age, activity level, sex

NOTE: activity level isn't as mysterious as it sounds. If you have a desk job, and do very little walking throughout the day and don't really perform any sports or physical activities, then you are sedentary, if you do some walking every day (or at least 4 days a week) or other light activity for at least 30 minutes cumulative at least 4 times a week, you are lightly active. If you do 60 minutes of light activity 5 days a week or do some kind of sport that requires walking or light jogging (say swimming or mailman or warehouse employee) then you are active, If you do a physically demanding activity (one that makes you sweat) for 4 days a week or more and for more than 1 hour a day, you are very active (like a coach that runs drills or you play volleyball). When in doubt, go down 1 level, you'd rather burn more than you think than less.

With all these numbers you can generate your BMI. Now I realize BMI is flawed, but for what we're doing it's good enough. After years on here, and doing lots and lots of research, I've been able to associate general BMI ranges with approximate goal levels. This works for about 80 to 85% of people out there (there's always a few that are outside the curve).

So now we can figure out where your goal should be.
Go to the tools section and figure out your BMI:

Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)

With this quick guide you can figure out your goal rather easily. I know many people will say "I can't eat my exercise calories, I gain weight when I do". Well I have news for you, that's not correct. I submit this, if you eat your exercise calories and gain weight 1 of 3 things happened:
1 you were previously in starvation mode, and you upped your calories, and had an immediate weight gain, that's normal, to be expected, and necessary to get your body on track. Give it a month, that will stop, and you, once again, will begin to lose, but this time, in a healthy manner.
2 you incorrectly calculated something, either your exercise calories, your calorie intake, or you put in to large of a goal. Go back and check all your numbers.
3 you haven't given it enough time to work. This site promotes HEALTHY weight loss people. Healthy weight loss doesn't happen in days or weeks, it takes months and years. Each change you make in how you eat needs a month or more to work, be patient, give it time. It will happen.

And to everyone who has a trainer that doesn't agree with eating your exercise calories. I also submit this: In 90% of the cases (and I have talked to a LOT of trainers about this exact topic) they actually DO agree with this method, you just explained it wrong.
Just saying to a trainer "should I eat my exercise calories?" isn't enough, you have to explain to them that MFP already generates a deficit prior to any exercise, therefore the deficit will remain whether you exercise or not. Once you give them that idea, and you are relatively sure they understand the concept then I'll bet they change their tune.

I hope this helps, it's pretty straight forward if you've been here a while, and to you new guys, I recommend going to the message boards link, clicking on the "general diet and weight loss" area, and clicking on those first few posts that have the little mouse trap next to them, they are sticky and will always be there, and are a wealth of knowledge about this site, exercise calories, starvation mode...etc.

regards,

-Banks

Melissa_123

bump for later

Phoenix_Rising

:flowerforyou:

cherie2304

Want to keep this in my topics.