It takes a year atmost for an unassuming desi to become wary of calories. While some 10-20% of them are already calorie conscious right from India, most of what-the-heck-is-a-calorie desis take atleast 12 months before they are soaking wet in the world of calories, fats, 2 % saturated fat, carbs and so-so. Amidst reading Pudumaipithan and Ashokamithran books, I recently found myself trapped with a book, The Bread for Life Diet : The High-on-Carbs Weight-Loss Plan. Mind you, I’m was the kind of desi who was once throwing a big damn towards all these calories and carbs.
I have to say I’m hugely impressed with this bread for life diet plan. Written by Israeli nutritionist Olga Raz’s this is a innovative diet plan that tries to control your brain from hogging food, rather than controlling the physical YOU. By taking regular courses of light bread which has carbs, it aims to raise Serotonin levels in hypothalamus region of the brain are raised. Brain is often called as the hunger center of the body which initiates and processes the feeling of hunger. Serotonin is a chemical that influences the mood and hunger.
Raz says adopting to a diet fails for most diet-watchers because a crash-course diet usually advices low carb foods and hence serotonin levels decrease, incresing the hunger more and more. With regular carbs intake, through light bread and other vegetables, the Serotonin levels are raised and hence hunger is controlled even in the brain. The diet plan is actually dealt in detail but the crux of the plan is to intake as much as 16 slices of light bread for men and 12 slices for women. While even reading this book makes you think this is a radical idea for diet, the diet plan claims to have reduced the weight of thousands of people already. Following this diet plan, the average weight loss among healthy people is said to 10 to 20 pounds, which ofcourse may vary from individuals.
What ? Am I trying it ? Donno but the book was well written and was certainly high-carbs food for my calorie conscious desi-mind.
kirukkal.com 
11 responses to “How the brain makes you fat ?”
Now-a-days u r feeding ur blog with post apart from Maniratnam,Sujatha,Vikadan etc.,Hope this is a transition period of LG.
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does that include bread with butter / jam 😕
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LG, my 2 cents worth. I am abt 5’8″ and was at 215 lbs till abt 4 months back. I am now at 178 lbs. How? Diet, Exercise.
Exercise – alternating cardio and weight training. Cardio includes threadmill, cross trainers, rowing, cycling etc. Total distance traversed is about 7-8 miles in about 1 hr or so. Avg. heart rate should necessarily be above 155. I manage 165 these days…
Diet – Stop rice! That is the truest key!! Include atleast 3 fruits in ur diet daily. Eat lot of yoghurt, salads, and have greens atleast once a day. Diet should be at regular timings each day. Water consumption should be atleast 1.5 lts – 50 fl oz. Eat chapathis or if you are a core southie food lover – eat your kozhambu rasams with bulgar wheat a.k.a broken wheat (http://www.newstarget.com/005018.html). Morning breakfasts should be rich in carbs. High fibre, high protein and high carb breakfasts are ideal. Oats, Corn flakes with apple or any other suitable fruit. Avoid fried items, sweet items, products or stuff rich in sugar or carbs… like potato, sweet potato etc. Once you are into the low weight range, or rather in the manageable limits, you can resume your normal eating habits… only restrict it to once in a while.
Hope this was useful.
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I am a huge veggie fan & frankly I hog vegetables :). I’ve noticed that a eating a big scoop of vegetables just before dinner quashes my hunger by a considerable quotient. So long I thought it was just a big coincidence.
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read any diet book they will convince you that their plan is the best.. Atkins, south beach diet, dr.phil, low carb, high carb…
Also I cast a doubt on its effectiveness on our Asian genes – different races react to different food items in a different way.
this diet has worked pretty well for me: plenty of water and eat anything in moderation/small potions (including high calorie, high fat foods). This stops the constant craving, and periodic splurges which results when we deprive our body of the food we love.
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LG,
Good to see your blog incorporate a lot more than cinema and entertainment (not that I was opposed to it). Looks like the diet bug has hit you too. I can’t add much to this because I guess I have never dieted in my life. Exercise yes but diets no. I have to agree with Ram that genetics does influence metabolism and many of the so called “fat” people are like that because of metabolic defects rather than binge eating or eating too much. There is a lot of research being done on this. In a few years scientists will tell you that everything is carcinogenic and I guess it’s a well-balanced eating regime that benefits everyone rather than the carb, protein and fat paradigm. Did you notice that all these diet fads are released around the New Year to catch those suckers called “resolution-makers”. I’ve noticed it in my gym too that January seems to have the highest number of people. Come February and March they seem to have vanished into thin air. Another worthless argument is vegetarian vs non-vegetarian. Both have their pros and cons and I have not seen a vegetarian living to 150 or a non-vegetarian die young due to his eating habits. It’s all relative. Anyways hope we get to ruminate more on topics like these. As for the entertainment please keep them coming too. That’s your trump card. I thought it will be nice to finish with this hilarious teaser that I read on the net a while ago.
2000 B.C. – Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. – That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. – That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. – That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 A.D. – That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D. – That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root
Cheers!!!
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LG,
so how do we control eating???This is one difficult thing in the world..While for some ppl whatever the calories they consume becomes FAT..while it is the viceversa in some..oh god!!!how can u do this to ppl like me(i belong to the former one)..u in a diet..let me tell u which is affordable to most of u…eat ur routine food & drink ragi malt during morinings or night..it has the ability to burn fat and makes u hungry….then go for ur normal lunch(the secret is tht do not eat for full stomach) and then at night eat white oats which is just 64 bugs for 500gms(cant u afford it)..i tell u..u r gonna burn fat like anything..in the mornings go for a jog if u dont feel lazy..(should be a anti-lazy geek for this):)guru are u listening..
P.S::i am following this now for the past 1 month or so,i have seen very little progress..slow and steady wins the race ;););)
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‘Paramasivan’ Ajith-a kelunga. Weight kuraikkarthukku enna enna injections yelaam kuthanum solluvaaru. Lazy, did you see my Paramasivan-II mail?
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Apologize for not responding to the comments. Thanks for all the inputs. But you see, I’m even more confused now 🙂
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My 2 cents:
Being a southy, I crave for idlis/dosas and rice more.But our diet has lot of rice stuffs(high carb) and this pushed me to “slightly overweight” range in my weight scale.Started to work out in the gym from last 2 months for 1.5 hrs.Noticed a significant diff only after i changed my diet plan. Chapathi is a good replacement for indians and even a small cup of rice or idli/dosa a day would do.Go for reduced fat milk and have ruits/juices/vegetables/oatmeal and plently of water.Go for low calorie cereals/drinks
(like slim-fast) Say bye bye to chocolates/icecreams/milk products etc. Have steamed/boiled food rather than fried.
Don’t skip ur meals. Start by shedding atleast 200 calories just by workout intially.Threadmill and cycling is the best. you could see a bigggg diff in few months I hope. I’m waiting for it as i cud see some gradual changes in the shape of my body.
So GEEK, Confusion is just another sakku-pokku. Stop thinking and get set to the Gym. I lost my valuable time and gained few extra pounds just by confusing myself.I sailed in the same “confsion” boat sometime back 😉 so, entha kathai ellam namma kitta vendam 🙂
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i have been confused for quite some time. instead of trying any kind of diet, i just stuggled about what will work best for me. i love bread, and that is the one thing i cannot give up to accompany my meals. i love white bread, but it was not really difficult to switch to whole wheat, or whole grain bread. in fact, the second kind felt even tastier. i start eating a lot of vegetables, together with fish, chicken, and lamb meat. i try to get a 45 min footing together with a 15 minutes stretching exercises. I eat a little bit of everything and i am feeling great. the good news? i am still loosing weight. the secret ? eat a little bit of everything. do not deprive yourself from something you love, but take it with moderation. and oh yes, a 2 ounces of unsweetened not from concentrate cranberry juice diluted with a 28 ounces of water. one or even better two botteles of this miracle juice everyday, you ll feel great and energetic. furthermore you ll even loose weight witht that, so good luck to you all.
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