The key to controlling your weight in the long run is to reset hypothalamus activity. Our bodies are programmed to accumulate fat reserves whenever possible, and this instinct served us well long ago. When humans depended on hunting and gathering for their food, the reserves of fat that they had built up when food was plentiful could be the difference between life and death.

In modern society most countries do not experience vast differences of feast and famine because a suitable amount of food is available all of the time. Our bodies have no real use for the large fat reserves that we store. In order to communicate to our bodies that we do not need this extra reserve, we must reset hypothalamus function by carefully planned healthy eating.

It is important to recognize that not only is the number of calories eaten important, but so is the form of those calories. Fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are all used in different ways by our bodies, and there are differences in how the excess calories from those sources are stored by the body. By carefully selecting the sources of our caloric intake, we can reset hypothalamus reactions to work in our favor instead of against us.

The hypothalamus gland is located within the brain. It performs various functions, one of which is regulating appetite. The hypothalamus creates signals that indicate when we are hungry and when we are satisfied. One problem that can occur is that the signal for being satisfied has a built-in delay. So it can take up to 20 minutes before the body realizes that enough food has been eaten. To try to compensate for this lag, you should concentrate on eating slowly so that you don't continue to eat after you are actually full.

Fat contains nine calories per gram, more than twice the four calories per gram found in proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, while any healthy diet requires some fat consumption, you need to be very careful to limit the total amount of fats you eat. What fats you do consume should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Quality protein is always a good choice, because it deters hunger longer than carbohydrates, is needed for healing and tissue building, and is converted to fat very slowly.

Carbohydrates are likely the most critical to resetting the hypothalamus to avoid building fat. Simple carbs, like those in syrups, honey and table sugar, are absorbed almost immediately and causes cascades of hormones and triggers the hypothalamus to start storing fat. Complex carbohydrates, like those in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are absorbed much more slowly, and more importantly, do not start the fat storage process. By not over stimulating the hypothalamus, unwanted fat storage is avoided.

A diet that is geared toward normal weight maintenance will typically rely on proteins, whole grains and healthy fats while avoiding simple sugars. healthy eating is really the only way to dodge the ancient need of the hypothalamus to save fat for times of famine.