Chemical mood boosters and weightloss...

Have you ever felt kind of down and just wanted something

sweet to make you feel better?  I have!  I start looking for the

Peanut M & Ms, Oreos or some dark chocolate...

Emotional eating is one of the biggest causes of OVER eating, leading to

weight gain.  And, emotional eating has a lot to do with the chemicals
...present or not present in the brain. 

How can we gets some good chemicals in the brain to help with
WEIGHTLOSS?

Our bodies actually manufacture chemicals that can help us to

...feel less hungry, and/or to eat less.

Serotonin

 is a chemical in the brain responsible for our "happy feeling".

It regulates moods, causing us to feel calmer, sleep well, and can

help keep us from "emotional" food eating. 

Eating refined carbs and sugar can actually contribute to

sadness/depression.  They give a quick boost of serotonin levels

but, then there is a dramatic drop...

Have you ever eaten sugary substances and not long after
felt like you needed a "nap"?

To maintain stable levels of the "happy" chemical in your brain, it's

important to eat foods containing tryptophan....salmon, turkey, almonds,

bananas, avocados, eggs, and also complex carbs like oatmeal or whole wheat.

There are other ways to boost your mood and serotonin levels

besides food...

Exercise  -  Sleep  -  Spending time with friends  - 

Being around pets  -  Sunlight  -  Positive thoughts.

Studies have proven...that serotonin is not only a powerful mood elevator
...but, sufficient amounts of circulating serotonin also signal feelings of fullness
and reduced appetite.  Being in a good mood can also help us to resist those

 "junk" food temptations.

What things do YOU do to help YOU resist bad-food temptations?

Do YOU have some suggestions to help us with

emotional eating/overeating?

**next week will be part II of how the right chemicals in
the brain can help us with weight loss.

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~ Slow Cooker Breakfast  ~ 

Cherry /Orange Oatmeal

4 cups water

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoons stevia  (you can add more if you like it sweeter)

2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin orange segments in light syrup

      rinsed and drained

2 cups fresh pitted cherries or frozen dark sweet cherries

1) combine water, oats, cocoa and stevia in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low

       for 8 hours

2) serve oatmeal with oranges and cherries

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~~ Ruby's Report  ~~

Treadmill - I finally reached my goal of 2 miles/6 days in a row.  I've noticed on my
exercise journal, that if I push myself one day...I'm quite a bit more tired/slow the next day.
I "beat my best" this week. One of the days I did a 7.0 incline for the whole 2 miles.

Food - I was good with my water this week.  I ate more protein.  But, I slacked a few
days on eating enough veggies.  If I eat more fruit and veggies...the pipes help to rid
my body of unwanted weight =P

Weight (loss?) - down .2.  (I was a bit sad getting on the scale today because earlier
this week, I was actually down lower than I have been in several years!). But, at least
today I was down a weee bit. 

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Won'tcha take minute? and, ...leave a comment?

How did your exercise goals go?  Did you have any successes...
...like choosing a healthy food instead of an empty calorie one? 
Maybe, you did something like parked that car further from the
store to get a few more steps in your day?
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Set a goal a "healthy" commitment/goal for this coming week,
...and report back here next Saturday...YAY!!
YOU just never know...there might be a leeetle ...

...giveaway