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Why Do People Gain Weight on Psych Meds?
People gain weight on psychiatric medication due to increases in appetite and craving for carbohydrate rich food, decreased physical activity due to sedating effects of the medication, and changes in metabolism. Types of Psychiatric Medications There are four main types of psych meds. They are antidepressants, antipsychotics, sleeping pills and minor tranquilizers, and lithium and other mood stabilizers. We’ll give a brief definition of each of the types. Antidepressants are psychiatric drugs that are licensed to treat depression, sometimes they are also used to treat anxiety disorders, phobias, or things like long term pain. Antidepressants work by boosting the activity of particular brain chemicals. This includes noradrenaline and serotonin, neurotransmitters…
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What to Eat on a Low Carb Diet
On a low carb diet, you should be eating lots of lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, berries, unsaturated fats, and carby food substitutes like low-carb tortillas if you’re really craving carbs. Carbohydrates, AKA carbs, are a type of macronutrient. Macronutrients are the types of nutrients that your body needs in large quantities that it cannot make itself. The other types of macronutrients are protein, and fat. Carbs are made up of sugars, fibers, and starches. They are primarily found in grains, vegetables, fruits, and milk products. Your digestive system breaks down carbs into glucose, or blood sugar. Your bloodstream absorbs glucose and uses it as energy to fuel your body. There…
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Is Low Carb Healthier than Keto?
A standard low carb diet tends to be healthier than a keto diet. Some of the reasons for this are that a keto diet is much higher than a low carb diet in unhealthy saturated fats, the keto diet is more extreme about carb consumption so nutrient deficiencies are more likely, and the “keto flu” tends to be worse than short term symptoms from a standard low carb diet. What are Carbs? Carbs are short for “Carbohydrates”. Carbohydrates are a type of macronutrient, the others which are protein and fat. Macronutrients are the nutrients that we need in larger quantities that provide us with energy. Carbohydrates are made up of…
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What to Eat Instead of Bread?
Instead of eating regular bread, you can eat special commercial store bought low carb bread, “cloud bread”, or low carb tortillas. You can make sandwiches with lettuce, or portobello mushrooms, or grilled eggplant, or just generally eat more protein or fruits or vegetables to make up for the bread. Although there are multiple reasons why a person may not want to eat bread, I will assume, for the purposes of this article, that the reason is that they are following a low carb diet. There are many reasons that a person may want to follow a low carb diet. They are very popular especially for weight loss reasons. But before…
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Who Should Not Go on a Low Carb Diet?
Pregnant women, children under 18, and people with certain health conditions should not go on a low carb diet. Carbohydrates are a type of macronutrient, they are one of the three primary ways that the body takes in energy. The other two are fat, and protein. Carbs are starches, fibers, and sugars that are found in grains, milk products, fruits and vegetables. Every day, carbs provide energy for the central nervous system and muscles. The digestive system breaks down carbs into glucose or blood sugar. The bloodstream absorbs the glucose and uses it as energy to fuel your body. There are different types of carbs, two of the main ones…
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Why do Depressed People Gain Weight?
Depressed people gain weight for a variety of reasons. These taking antidepressant drugs that cause weight gain, emotional eating, decreased interest in physical activity and exercise, increased levels of cortisol and inflammation, and increased appetite and craving carbs. Depression is a common and serious mental illness. Globally, about 5% of adults suffer from depression. It negatively affects the way that somebody feels, the way they think, and the way they act. It can greatly decrease a person’s ability to function. Symptoms can be mild or severe or anywhere in between. Some symptoms include: feeling sad, losing interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much, increased…
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Can You Lose Weight on a Low Carb Diet Without Exercise?
It is possible to lose weight on a low carb diet without exercise, and dieting is actually more important to losing weight than exercise is. Calories and Weight Loss Basics Weight loss ultimately comes down to calories. Calories are the energy in food. Your body always needs energy, and uses calories from food to continue working. Energy from calories fuels every action you take. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat all have calories, but no matter where they come from, the calories you eat are either stored in the body as fat, or burned as energy. Stored calories stay in your body as fat until you use them up. You can do…
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Which is Better High or Low Carbs?
There has been evidence showing that low carb diets are better than high carbs for weight loss, evidence that high carb diets are better, and evidence that they are roughly the same, so it is difficult to say conclusively which is better. What are Carbohydrates? Carbohydrates (carbs) are a type of macronutrient, the other types of nutrients are protein, and fat. Macronutrients are simply nutrients that your body needs in large amounts to function. Carbs are made up of sugar, starches, and fiber. Your digestive system breaks down carbs into glucose, or blood sugar. The bloodstream absorbs glucose, and uses it as energy to fuel the body. There are different…
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Is a Low Carb Diet a Good Diet?
A low carb diet is a good diet that can result in rapid weight loss, and has many health benefits, although it may also have some negative effects. What are Carbohydrates? Carbohydrates (carbs) are a type of macronutrient, the other of which are fat and protein. Macronutrients are the nutrients we need in larger quantities that provide us with energy. Starches, sugar, and fibers are carbs. The digestive system breaks down carbs into glucose, or blood sugar. The bloodstream absorbs the glucose and uses it as energy for fueling the body. There are different types of carbs. There are both complex carbs, and simple carbs. Simple carbs are digested quickly…
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What is the Healthiest Way to Eat Low Carb?
The healthiest way to eat a low carb diet is to eat lots of vegetables, not eat too many trans and saturated fats, include a small amount of healthy whole grains. You should listen to your body, and if you are having severe side effects, increase the amount of carbs you are eating. Carbohydrates are a type of macronutrient, found in certain foods and beverages. They are made up of sugars, starches, and fiber. Your body breaks down carbs into blood sugar, or glucose, and your bloodstream absorbs the glucose and uses it to fuel the body. There are multiple different types of carbohydrates, some of which are considered to…
