In obese people, even when the brain knows the body isn’t hungry, it responds to food as if it were.
In people with normal weight, the reward system associated with food turns off when blood sugar levels return to normal after a meal. But with obese people, the reward center stays on.
When blood sugar is low, your brain has very little activity in the area behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex, which controls reason and willpower. The result? Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry or you’ll come home with 5 jars of imported mustard along with everything else.
For obese people, the part of their brain that consciously allows them to make decisions about eating is largely turned off which perpetuates obesity. They just can’t understand why this is happening.
A plan to take in reasonable amounts of food and understanding their “hungry brain” will give them more control.
Claudia
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