Water, carbs and thoughts

A nice calm morning here so far. It is nice to sort of linger over a cup of coffee while my son does his school assignments and not have a constant coming and going of construction crew. It's also nice to be able to drink as much water as I desire and not have to worry about when the next potty break will be. I confess- I am a water addict. In the average day I drink a little over a gallon of the stuff because it is my beverage of choice. Just plain ole water, and for fancy occasions , water on ice. I am such a party animal ! And, consequentially, I know the location of every public rest room within a 50 mile radius of my home. It is a habit I got into with my last weight loss journey that has stuck for life. Water is so very good for your body for so many reasons ! I have noticed that if I slack off in water I become very brain foggy and just plain tired. Drinking a lot of water helps me to feel alert and focused.

And speaking of alert and focused, I am finally through with the "induction" phase of low carbing and I have been able to add a small amount of fruit and whole grains back into my intake. It does seem to make a big difference in my mental outlook if nothing else. One thing that good carbs does in our bodies is give a sense of well being and balance. Chemically it works out to something like glucose affecting serotonin or dopamine in our blood chemistry. I have often thought that this might be the reason why sweets are such a popular thing during the winter holidays , and comfort food is what we crave when we are under stress. In the winter the decreased sunlight affects our pineal glands, and our natural instinct is to curl up and take it easy. Our societal conventions defy this need, and our way of answering that challenge it through quick carb fixes like candy, cookies and sweets. Summertime comes, and we don't seem to have the same battle with the goodies. How many people eat too much Fourth of July Fudge or Father's Day cookies ??? Carbs serve a purpose in our chemical make up, and choosing healthy complex ones can be a good thing. I noticed the affect they had on my own body when I had my first piece of fruit (an apple) in two weeks. Instant mood elevation ! For what it is worth, I am following the South Beach diet at this time, and it seems to agree with my body. We shall see what the scale has to say about it tomorrow morning.