Freda. I think it has to do with cortisol. Here is an article on cortisol that I received as part of a meditation related e-mail. Sorry no link.
A study at Brandies University has shown that the highest cortisol levels are found in older adults suffering from money stress.
Cortisol is the hormone that our body produces under stress. A little cortisol is ok - it helps regulate blood pressure and the immune system during a sudden crisis.
But when your stress is prolonged, or when you worry excessively over things like money, the cortisol in your body goes into "overdrive" and creates a state of chronic stress. In other words, when you worry a lot or "stress out", your cortisol levels can increase more than normal.
According to Prevention magazine: "Chronically high cortisol levels can cause sleep problems, a depressed immune response, blood sugar abnormalities, and even abdominal weight gain.
When cortisol spikes, it tells the body to eat something with a lot of calories--a great survival tactic if you need energy to flee a predator but not if you're fretting over how to pay bills," says nutritional biochemist Shawn Talbott, PhD, author of The Cortisol Connection."
Talbott adds, "Over the long term, excessive amounts of this "primary stress hormone" can "kill your sex drive, shrink your brain, squelch your immune system, and generally make you feel terrible."
There's a documented relationship between elevated levels of cortisol, chronic stress, and such health conditions as obesity, depression, suppressed immune system, osteoporosis, and hypertension. In high amounts, Cortisol can even kill brains cells.
But there are simple ways to reduce your cortisol levels and dissolve worries.
Here are several ways:
1. Eat at regular intervals throughout the day: Avoid skipping meals, it creates a release of cortisol in your brain and body.
2. Excessive carbohydrate intake creates cortisol release in response to constantly elevated insulin levels. Have complex carbohydrates instead.
3. Utilize stress reduction techniques at peak cortisol times: meditation, self-hypnosis, or simply lying on the floor doing belly breathing for 10-15 minutes can help to reduce stress and thus cortisol levels.
4. Get to bed on time. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
5. Avoid stimulants: Stay away from energy drinks that contain ephedra-like compounds and caffeine. Stimulants shift the body into sympathetic dominance, or the "fight or flight" mode. Stimulants can also disrupt your sleeping patterns.
Obviously it then went on to tell you the benefits of meditation, which I do, but not enough.(!)..
I have been fructose free for 7 months now, and have 'tweaked my food intake a lot. I have to watch how much bread/potatos I eat. But I do have those moments when I do feel like something sweet, & I have it, just not too much.
My partner hasn't joined me fully, only stopped drinking soft drinks, and hasn't had the money to buy choc bars lately,(thank goodness) as we're flat broke. But he has resorted to actually cooking himself a self-saucing pudding (packet mix) twice! Obviously I had to have some as well, but the next day, just cut back on everything, & kept myself busy. I do have a bite of his choc coated ice creams when he can afford them. I refuse to buy anything like this, I'd rather have eggs or chicken, so it's only when he has money that he buys these things for himself. Hopefully, as we're broke, he won't have the money to buy these things for a while, which may prompt him to lose some weight & re-think his food intake.
Despite doing this, I am still losing weight, slowly, and am now 8 kilos down. 30-odd to go!! Yesterday I got on the scales and found I had broken the barrier of the 104 kg nasty (for me), and they showed 103.6. Boy, I did the Nekked Dance around not only the bathroom, but around the bedroom as well !! What a sight that must have been to behold.(!) It's the lowest I've been for 18 years, so I'm happy happy happy lol. Also, the appetite control has finally kicked in, what a strange feeling after feeling hungry for the past 18 odd years!
It's good that you identified the problem though, and can take steps to deal with it. My way of dealing is to stay longer on the Internet than I would normally. I have just discovered a new Spiritual site (I'm a Psychic Healer) which has given me a lot of stuff to think about, so that has kept me busy, & while I'm on the Net, I don't feel hungry. I just eat when mu tummy tells me it's time to have a late lunch.
Great news about your commission, keep it up, and visualise yourself doing it again, soon, only not getting stressed about it, and it will happen, I promise you. I'll be 70 next year, so know where you're coming from, plus my late hubby, (gone now for 20 years) was an artist, & although I have been with my present dearly beloved now for 19 years in Sept, I still miss him. So, good luck with it all, keep up with the good work you're doing. You brought a lot of happiness to someone with your painting, so that's good too, yes? I'll stop now, this is turning into a book!!! lol
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