Shop Until The Pounds Drop

Many of us are defeated in our weight loss plans before we get to the grocery store check out.  Once you have a lot of  calorie-loaded non-nutritious foods surrounding you at home, you are in trouble on any kind of weight loss plan.


Researchers found out why that happens.  Your stomach makes an enzyme that affects your brain.  This enzyme causes your brain to steer you to foods that have a lot of calories in them. This is a very recent discovery, but it was known some time ago that hungry people will spend more money than those with full stomachs. I had a personal adage from a while back to, "Never shop on an empty stomach." ( Compulsion from stomach hormones to buy junk food)


There are steps you can take to fight against the tyranny of your stomach over your brain. You already saw the above one, "Never shop on an empty stomach." If possible, eat before you leave to go shopping.  You can buy something to eat in a shop or cafe' that has fewer calories than other things or you can take along something and eat it before you go into the store. I have put some oat/whole wheat crackers, dried seaweed pieces, nuts, and dried fruit in a zip lock bag in my pocket and taken along a bottle of water to drink with them. The foods I just mentioned were chosen because they are nutritious, don't take up much room, I like them, and they don't have many calories. I can fit a whole meal into a small shirt pocket with those foods. If you are not used to eating dried foods, it would be a good idea to check on portion sizes first. You will get a horrendous stomach ache if you eat too much. They expand when they contact the liquids in your stomach. Eat the dried foods very slowly, chewing them well, with plenty of water and they will fill you up.


Always use a shopping list and stick to it. The displays at the end of the aisles and by the checkout stands are planned to make you buy things you don't need. This often also equates to calories you don't need. The whole grocery store is planned the same way.  There are researchers out there studying how people shop, teaching grocery store managers to lay out their store to encourage impulse buying. It is no accident that you have to go clear across the store when you only need a carton of milk. Site about watching your shopping habits
This is designed to make you spend more money and maybe get fatter


I have known about the science of encouraging shopaholics for a long time, and some of it still ticks me off. If you were not aware of this, I hope it makes you angry enough to stop falling for it. Your puny bank account and expanding waistline are not all your fault. You were pushed under that freight train of commercialism.


It is unfortunate that many readers are likely to have little idea of what to put on their shopping lists to fight the bank account slimming and waist widening effects of commercialism.  I do not wish to insult those who already know the basic food groups, etc. It would be failing those who do not know, however, if I do not do a post on such things.  Next post will be on basic nutrition.