WHY YOU CAN GET ALONG ON FEWER CALORIES WITHOUT HUNGER

Most people think that if you eat something, it should kill hunger. Anything will do. What they do not realize is that different types of food composition have different effects on the body. The net effect of the Standard American Diet (SAD) is to make you tired and hungry.

Carbs, which we have known all along, make you take up water and get puffy. They will kill hunger for awhile, but ultimately, if you have a healthy pancreas, it will kick in insulin to take the sugar out of the blood that came from the carbs. After eating carbs by themselves, you get to the stage, a couple of hours later, where you could kill someone and take their food.

The unfortunate part of this process is that over a lifetime of too many carbs, the pancreas begins to OVERREACT to carbs, making you hungry after you eat them. Years of overeating carbs produces Type 2 diabetes, in which the cells are resistant to glucose, and ultimately can exhaust the pancreas.

Protein is a wonderful muscle builder and hunger killer. When you combine protein exactly with carbs, you are doing a couple of things: slowing down the insulin response to the carbs, and also reducing the number of effective calories you are taking in. If you make your diet with a higher percentage of protein, not only do you kill hunger, but, since it takes 40% of the calories in protein to digest the protein, you are reducing the net calories in your diet.

Carbs and protein together was recommended by the American Diabetic Association for some 50 years. Yes, it is a hassle to make them exactly equal each time you eat. But I would rather do that than shoot so much insulin, which only increases insulin resistance.

So, with a heart-healthy low fat diet (30 gm for most people) and balancing protein and carbs, taking 1 gm carbs and 1 gm protein for each pound of muscle mass, you are giving your body what it needs, and super-nourishing yourself on far fewer calories.

Most people I have worked with cannot believe how full they feel on the 1000 or so calories they are eating on this balanced protein and carb diet. That is because the protein is killing their hunger and slowing down the insulin response to the carbs they eat. (see my post DIET TO NORMALIZE BLOOD SUGAR, and find your sex and height. Eat the recommended targets of fat, protein, and carbs daily to lose weight and normalize blood sugar.)

So, yes, you can get along on far fewer calories, and not be hungry. Food composition is everything.

PROTEIN COCOA TIP

From feedback that I have received about making protein cocoa, it seems some people, at least, are having problems getting the whey protein to mix properly.

The best tip I have is to run the water you want to heat up through a coffeemaker. This way, the water comes out at a temperature of 180 degrees F. This makes for a hot cup of protein cocoa, but the most significant thing about it is that the water IS NOT BOILING. It is water that is too close to the boiling point that makes the whey protein clump up into objectionable lumps.

Another tip is to put the whey protein dry powder into a cup, then add the hot water slowly. (I also add reishi mushroom to the protein powder, it makes a great nerve soothing cup of cocoa.)

Don't let a bad experience with mixing whey protein stop you from learning what this marvelous food can do for your body. My daughter calls this the "gumption test."

MY FAVORITE WHEY PROTEIN FLAVORS

I think about the time, long ago, when I had just been introduced to chocolate whey protein. What a yumy way to make hot protein cocoa (just stir chocolate whey protein into hot water and add stevia or splenda to taste.) And then, I learned to make a Reese's Shake with chocolate whey protein, cottage cheese, water, stevia, peanut butter, and ice (see my Reese's Shake recipe). I thought I had died and gone to heaven, to have these treats every single day and to have them be mostly protein!

But, then it suddenly dawned on me that I could expand those ideas to other flavors.

My current stash of whey protein includes:
Banana Scream Whey - Champion Nutrition
Vanilla Whey - MRM
Strawberry - Champion Nutrition
Tropical Delight - Champion Nutrition

There are lots of other manufacturers out there that make great flavors. Just try to get 30 to 45 gm of extra protein daily, along with the carbs you eat.

THE DIET AND DIABETIC MEDICATIONS

Once you actually start hitting your target numbers, you find out a couple of things:

1. Your glucose meter will plunge.
2. You need to work with your doctor to reduce your diabetic medications.

This is victory! You are now hitting your target numbers and being super nourished on far fewer calories. Your hunger is gone. Your tiredness is gone. And your A1C will be much lower as a result of hitting your targets.

It is so simple. Use food to manage blood glucose. What a concept! I am being facetious, of course, but this is your opportunity to learn how badly the Standard American Diet treats us. We don't need all the extra fat, carbs, and calories, in fact, that is what is making us sick.
And we DO NEED the extra protein to help manage blood glucose. This is what the American Diabetic Association recommended for fifty years. A balanced protein and carb diet manages blood glucose all on its own. Now the supplements that lower blood glucose can really work.

So, congratulate yourself, and stay free. Your doctor will be amazed. And you will be losing weight, feeling great, and getting more energy from day to day.

Martha

BLUEBERRY SHAKE

This is the season for blueberries! Not only does the blueberry shake taste great, but it is packed with antioxidants. You can use any fruit in this basic recipe, but blueberries are a wonderful treat!

BLUEBERRY SHAKE:

1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese
1 cup water
stevia or splenda to taste
1 cup blueberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein

Blend all in a blender. Add one cup ice and blend again.

Fat 3 gm, Carbs 30 gm, Protein 30 gm

CHICKEN TOSTADAS

CHICKEN TOSTADAS
makes 6 servings

6 Mission Low-Carb Tortillas
PAM cooking spray
1 lb cooked chicken breast
2 cups refried beans
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped onions
shredded lettuce
3 oz grated cheese

Spray tortillas with cooking spray and bake for 5 minutes at 425F, or until crisp. Debone chicken and chop. Spread refried beans over cooked tortillas. Add chicken, salsa, cheese and lettuce. Add chopped onions.

Fat 9 gm, Carbs 28gm, Protein 33gm, Fiber 12gm

LEARNING TO LOVE NUMBERS

I have many people that ask why we need to get so exact that we need to count grams of fat, protein, and carbs. The answer is surprising: by learning to count, we get the freedom to use any food we want, as long as we hit the target numbers. Rather than talking about "eat more protein, and cut back on carbs" - we find many ways we can "cheat" on the diet, and still hit our targets. For instance, Blue Bunny makes a really good sugar free ice cream, and sometimes I want that after dinner. As long as I am hitting my targets, it is fine!

The other reason to learn to love numbers and logging is that it teaches you where your fat, protein and carbs are coming from. After one year of logging, I know exactly how many carbs and protein grams are in my best loved foods. And I can plan around that and hit my numbers.

Most people cannot believe how great they feel when they are hitting their targets. So, logging, and learning to hit targets is a necessary step. You will be a different person, a Ph.D. in food, and your body will show it!