If you are consuming poor quality carbohydrates on a regular basis, yes, you will crave them. What is happening is your blood sugar is being manipulated  dramatically by the simple sugar in the carbohydrates you are eating. Consume simple carbs and blood sugar rises; then with in minutes it falls;your cravings are actually drops in blood sugar, which you then think you need to fix by eating more carbs.

If you are trying a low carbohydrate approach to weight loss you need to understand these facts. The more technical term for carbohydrate withdrawal is “keto-adaptation,” because the body is adapting to the state of ketosis that results from eating fewer than sixty or so grams of carbohydrates a day.  This reaction is why some who try carbohydrate restriction give it up quickly. Carbohydrate withdrawal is often interpreted as a ‘need for carbohydrate. It’s like telling smokers who are trying to quit that their withdrawal symptoms are caused by a ‘need for cigarettes’ and then suggesting they go back to smoking to solve the problem.

If you can persevere, and get through the first few days of consuming only high quality carbohydrates, your blood sugar will stabilize, and you will no longer crave them. (The number of servings you require will depend on your goals, ie weight loss, diabetic control, maintenance of weight, etc)

Some examples of healthy carbohydrates are:

brown rice products (crackers, pasta, rice cakes, puffed cereal and of course brown rice)

sprouted grain breads

sweet potatoes

squash

quinoa

amaranth

millet

buckwheat

¼ c exra virgin organic olive oil

¼ c balsamic vinegar

¼ c maple syrup (REAL)

¼ c Dijon mustard

1+ tsp crushed garlic

About 30 calories (condiment) per Tablespoon

You may double or triple if you like.

Keep refrigerated.

Caesar

3 Tbsp lite mayo

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 oz water

½ tsp salt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp lite parmesan

About ¼ is 35 condiment calories.

Satiety (suh-TIE-uh-tee) is that wonderfully pleasant feeling of fullness you get as you eat, when you’re no longer hungry but aren’t overly stuffed or uncomfortable. You are just satisfied beyond desire. The more satisfied you feel after a meal, the less you’ll eat later. So how do you increase satiety without eating more calories?

No. 1 tip to stay fuller longer is to lean on low-density foods. Calorie density refers to the number of calories per gram of food. Foods that are high in calorie density contain a high number of calories per gram; foods that are low in calorie density contain a low number of calories per gram. Calorie density is the key to feel full without overeating.

When you eat too many calorie-dense foods, you’ll end up consuming a lot of calories to fill your belly. If you focus on low calorie density foods, you can fill up on fewer calories because low-density foods contain a lot more water and fibre , which adds weight and volume to the food, but no calories.

Just drinking a glass of water along with the meal does not provide the same degree of satiety. Research, including a year-long study at Penn State University, has shown that to reduce hunger and boost fullness, the water has to be in the food. Why? Because there are separate mechanisms in the brain to control hunger and thirst. If the food you eat contains the water, it will stay in the stomach longer while the food is being digested. Beyond that, there is also the psychological component of eating food versus drinking water. When you eat food, even water-rich food, you get more sensory stimulation because you have more food going through your mouth and you’re eating for a longer period of time, both of which help you feel more satisfied with your meal.

So, what foods contain more water and fibre? You guessed it; vegetables!! Fruit also does, but fruit is also much higher in sugar, so try to stick to lower glycemic fruits, such as berries, apples and citrus choices. Consume as much vegetable as you can, accompanied by a lean protein source, and a quality starch choice….

More food will increase your metabolism so that your body WILL burn fat and not store it; not enough food sends the message to your brain that you are starving and you will store fat!!! Furthermore, you will burn lean! So, you will see a loss on the scale, but it is not the right stuff! This lost lean will be gained back as soon as you consume more calories…..and the yo-yo cycle begins…compromising your metabolism which will make it hard for you to lose fat every time you try!

Here are just a few easy things to incorporate into your lifestyle to make it healthier:

1/ Get a minimum of 7 servings fruit and/or veg per day.

2/ Of those, be sure that you get 1 c blueberries at least 3x per week, or 1/2 c daily will do!

3/ Aim to get at least 20 grams fibre per day.

4/ Eat within 30 minutes of waking; try to get at least 3 food groups.

5/ Eat fish at least 3x per week.

6/ Buy organic/local whenever possible.

7/ Drink pure water, at least 1 litre per day.

8/ Get active at least every second day for at least 30 minutes.

9/ Get at least 7 hours sleep per night.

10/ Smile more, hug more, give more and laugh more!

http://tappedthemovie.com/

http://www.canada.com/health/Brain+scarring+help+explain+obesity+battle+study/5915284/story.html

Leptin and appetite

Your appetite is regulated by a hormone called leptin, which is produced by fat cells.
Leptin actually drives your behavior. It is a messenger. It communicates with the hypothalamus in the brain to control appetite. Normal levels of leptin send the message to stop eating. Conversely, if you are starving, with low levels of leptin in your body, you will prioritize finding food to eat, and will feel hungry. This mechanism would have helped our ancestors to survive when food was scarce.
When the hormone was first discovered in the 1990s scientists thought it might be a cure for obesity. People were injected with extra leptin, but they did not lose weight. Why not? It seems that when our bodies produce excess leptin, or are given extra, they become resistant to it. Scientists do not yet know how we become resistant to the hormone. However, when people become obese (and have high leptin levels), they may become resistant to the hormone’s messages to the brain. They feel as though they are starving, driven to eat more in the same way as a person who has low levels of leptin due to starvation.
Leptin is involved in more than appetite control. Low levels of leptin, affect the body’s fertility, and ability to enter puberty. There is research showing leptin is also important in the proper functioning of the immune system.
Remember, you might feel that you are choosing all your behaviors, but there is also the chemistry of your body, your hormones, which drive your actions. If you are obese, you may be leptin resistant, and this could be affecting your appetite so you feel hungry even when you already have enough fuel on board.