By Shana Lynn Yao

“As an adult, we now have LOTS of information at our fingertips. When is too much information too much? And how do we decide, manage it, and then incorporate it into a customized plan that works for our individual needs?”

Hungry. I spent what feels like my entire life, always feeling hungry. I remember as a child, going out to eat with my family and eating my dinner AND my brother's leftovers, dessert, and then sometimes still being hungry when we would get home. When my mom would bake a cake or cookies, I would cut a slice and then another, and eventually half of the cake would be gone - and that was breakfast.

I'm not sure if that would be considered an eating disorder since I wasn't ever overweight, didn't have health issues at that time, and I didn't spend time obsessing over it.

Until I was in high school.

In high school, I started to see the "popular" girls - they had long thin legs, flat stomachs, and lots of friends and boyfriends. I started to read magazines, and see the ultra skinny models - looking all pretty and perfect and acting like THAT was normal. And I started to feel very ABnormal.

So that became the life I lived for the next 40 something years. Watching what I ate. Dieting. Binging. Not eating. And STARVING. I spent my life always feeling hungry. And becoming consumed with watching people eat - literally obsessed when I would see someone eat a chocolate chip cookie (my personal favorite) and then going home to my slim fast shake.

But now as an adult, I'm so much older and wiser, and most importantly, well educated on the subject of holistic health and wellness, human biology, psychology, and understanding human behavior. Using the information I have learned, I discovered hacks - what I call #biohackingsuccess - little tricks in your dietary consumption and your behavior that can literally change your life.

Eating To Live

Today I am so much older and wiser and after spending the last year really perfecting the process, I realized something really important - I had become so good at hacking and perfecting my biological dietary needs, that I had actually lost my enjoyment OF life.

If you are anything like me - if you are an educated action taker who has turned your life around in some way - I bet you have read a lot of books. I imagine you've tried or know of every diet on the market. And you've lived a life of "doing your best" to stay healthy. In fact, I bet you know a lot about A LOT of things, right?

But when is enough enough? Even if it is good information, when is it too much?

As an adult, we now have LOTS of information at our fingertips. When is too much information too much? And how do we decide, manage it, and then incorporate it into a customized plan that works for our individual needs?

Breaking It All Down

Research now shows that the number one detriment to our health is SUGAR. The effects are profound and the bottom line is It causes metabolic dysfunction. Eating too much sugar causes a barrage of symptoms known as classic metabolic syndrome. These include weight gain, abdominal obesity, decreased HDL and increased LDL, elevated blood sugar, elevated triglycerides, and high blood pressure. It increases your uric acid levels.

But it doesn't stop there. Knowing that sugar is bad for you is only half of the solution. The reality is, sugar is in almost everything and even if it is "minimal" or "all natural", how your body processes sugar depends on:
1. Your own body type
2. What kind of sugar it is
3. What you are eating WITH that sugar filled item
4. What your body does with the food after you eat it (i.e. starchy carbs turn into sugar after they are consumed - everything from oatmeal to a banana will turn into sugar once it is consumed)

In other words, IT'S COMPLICATED.

So rather than go into the complicated and intense conversation of how our digestion works and all of the elements of food (I'm nerdy but let's keep this real) :o, I wanted to share a few of my own personal hacks that are safe, effective, and can stop this ever present hunger.

“Because in the end of all of it - after you take care of the basic elements of eating to LIVE - you want to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE. ”

Despite all of the heavy research and things you could do, one of the most important things to remember is that you are doing all of that to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE. PERIOD.

Staying healthy only is amazing when you are having fun too (my personal opinion).

The Essentials To A Healthy Body & Life

Here are a few things I discovered that you may want to try to

CURB HUNGER - so you can focus on LIFE
GET FOCUSED - supercharge your brain cells
STAY/GET A GREAT BODY YOU LOVE - hello I'm a girl who cares how my clothes fit
LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE

1. BULLETPROOF COFEE

Thanks to Dave Asprey of the Bulletproof Diet - this one hack changed my life. Adding a bulletproof coffee or tea to your morning and loosely following the bulletproof roadmap, can help you stay focused, NOT hungry, and actually lose weight. If you have never heard about it it's worth looking into.

2. CUTTING OUT STARCHY CARBS

My mom, books, experts used to recommend eating oatmeal to "stay full" all day. As a child, every time I would try to eat oatmeal I would be STARVING 10 minutes after eating it. It never filled me and now I know why.

It's a starchy carb and starchy carbs turn into sugar in your body. Furthermore, every time you eat a starchy carb, it actually tears your intestines. And that's ok as a healthy young adult. But at a certain point, your body stops repairing itself and it turns into autoimmune disorders, colorectal issues, and so much more.

Starting my day with a customized bulletproof coffee with Brain Octane Oil and a handful of sprouted nuts and seeds keeps me focused, NOT hungry, and NOT damaging my body.

3. NOT EATING OR DRINKING ANYTHING PROCESSED

This one thing is so easy to follow if you actually just DECIDE to follow it. If you stop looking at it, stop passing by the aisles that sell packaged junk and just decide you are the type of person that does not eat processed food, you won't even be tempted to eat it, and eventually, it will seem ODD when you see others eating it.

And by the way, if it says "gluten free" that does NOT mean it is heathy... ahem to the "gluten free" cookies...

4. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE EATING HEALTHY TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE

Wow this last one is so important to remember. Because as I started this article, what I wanted to share was how TOO much information - even if it is good, and following "the rules" of life, are, in the end, to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.

So much restriction and knowledge and trying to "be your best" is really hard on your soul. I know for me, instead of watching people eat cookies and be salivating over it, I was recently watching someone eat watermelon at the store - but since I know that sugar is bad for you, I had literally banned ALL fruit from my diet.

And one day, I just got tired of "being good". Maybe eating at watermelon occasionally is not the best for me, but I don't want to die wishing I had just ate a damn watermelon when I wanted to.

So this last point is to remind you to MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN DECISIONS about what "your best life" is. Seriously. Don't listen to me, the experts or any damn person who wants to tell you their way of doing anything. Live your life. Make mistakes. Change. Try again.

That's the fun of life itself. It should be an adventure. Make it an adventure of a lifetime.

p.s. I DID buy a watermelon and wanted to share with you my first time - at age 49 - of cutting and eating a watermelon in over 20 years.