In the third episode of Brain Over Belly, host Rick Dunn and Dr. David Brown of Idaho BMI talk about FOOD. What to eat, when to eat, and how to eat if you want to lose weight and keep it off for life. There’s lots of “Aha!” moments for your brain to take in – from beginning to end – that will challenge what you think you know about food and dieting.
Here are some highlights:
Reprogramming the brain.
The key to solving the puzzle to obesity – and having permanent weight loss success – is reprogramming the brain. Dr. Brown uses a combination of 1) Bariatric Surgery, 2) Food, and 3) Mindfulness, Meditation, Cognitive Exercises to achieve results that are beyond expectations.
Cruise control.
Food is the main thing he focuses on in the first few months of a patient’s weight loss journey, before bariatric surgery. Why? Because the presets in the brain, as they relate to food and metabolism, have to be dealt with. People who struggle with weight have a brain that’s on “cruise control” with regard to food. They just can’t stop, even in the face of danger.
Burn fat, not sugar.
Dr. Brown helps patients train their body to burn fat as their primary fuel (instead of sugar), because fat is a cleaner fuel and ketosis is really good for the brain.
What to eat.
No carbs and no processed foods. They have little nutritional value and turn on appetite and cravings in the brain. Instead heavy up on meat and eggs. They are nutrient dense and turn off appetite and cravings in the brain.
When to eat.
Listen to your body and only eat when you are hungry. Many of Dr. Brown’s patients eat only 1x per day.
How to eat.
The act of eating is very regimented in Dr. Brown’s program because when you look at the brain activity of obese people, there are inbalances in two areas of their brain. He has his patients chew every bite 20-40x before swallowing, then take a 1 minute break before taking the next bite, because the counting and the timing increases activity in the prefrontal cortex. And he has them focus on their body’s sensory signals while eating and ignore everything else (like TV), because that lowers the activity in the limbic system.
Lots of H2O.
70% of people are chronically dehydrated. It increases stress, anxiety, cravings, and appetite. Dr. Brown’s patients drink 2 liters of water per day (64oz), slowly between meals, not during meals, because it helps turn off appetite.
Listen to your body.
Ultimately, Dr. Brown advises patients to detach from the stuff outside (counting calories, measuring weight on a scale) and focus on what’s going on INSIDE. Your body is far more intelligent than any doctor and will tell you what it needs if you learn to listen.
Total control over food.
The ultimate reward of all this hard work is total control over food. Imagine a world where you don’t feel deprived. You feel apathetic about the old, unhealthy foods you couldn’t live without. You experience food as fuel with absolutely no upset. And you are healthier, with more energy, than ever before. It’s possible with the help of Dr. David Brown and Idaho BMI.
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What have you got to lose?