Whether you have a weight issue or not, cravings can be a bear. Cravings are incredibly powerful; and weight loss with cravings is almost impossible.
What to do? Here’s several ideas, but first, what creates cravings? Low calorie diets, low fat diets, and low nutrient diets, fatigue, stress, and habits. Sound daunting? If I eliminated my cravings, you can too.
Here’s a Big List of How-To’s:
– Get rid of your fear of fat, now. Fat satiates; and not because it fills you up, which it actually does, but Fat triggers satiety hormones – really! Fat makes our Brain say, “aaahhh”.
– L-Glutamine, an amino acid that helps build Dopamine ( an anti-anxiety neurotransmitter ). L- Glutamine also helps balance blood sugar. Anxiety and low blood sugar ALWAYS causes cravings. ( I use Biotics, and I LOVE this product. I also take it on heavy leg days, and I suggest it to all my leaky gut clients. L-GLutamine is used by muscle cells and endothelial cells to rebuild themselves. It’s a different dosing/timing than when using for neurotransmitter building.)
– Stop eating sugar and grains, which trigger hunger hormones and addiction centers in your brain. Sugar is more addictive then cocaine in lab studies. No one in your house needs this stuff. A little here and a little there? It just keeps you addicted. SUGARS AND GRAINS ARE 99% OF ALL CRAVINGS, RIGHT? No one’s craving broccoli. Stop buying the stuff. Seriously.
– Hot drinks mid morning and mid afternoon: Bullet Proof Coffee and Bullet Proof Tea: organic tea/coffee with (Kerry Gold) grass-fed BUTTER and (Biotics) MCT oil or coconut oil. This is delicious, and the fat knocks out appetite and cravings while at the same time stimulating your brain. (Ditch the Mad Scientist concoctions they sell at Starbucks, they’re loaded with sugar, artificial sugar, and chemicals.)
– 5 HTP, an amino acid that helps build Serotonin. We need level moods to not have cravings. Again, I use Biotics brand.****Serotonin builds Melatonin, Melatonin helps us sleep well. Fatigue is a HUGE inducer of cravings. I know a couple other great supplements for sleep, email me.
– L-Tyrosine, I LOVE this and have used it every day for 18 months. It’s an amino acid that helps build your catacolamines. That means it helps with energy ( among other things ), and we often drift to snacking/cravings when tired, right? ( I use Biotics)
( **** One of my favorite ENERGY/DON’T SNACK tricks: mid afternoon tea with a little MCT oil, and 2 tyrosines. It’s magic. ********)
– Digestive enzymes and HCl. (again, I use Biotics products). You might have the best diet in the world, but if you’re not breaking down your food so that nutrients can be absorbed, you’re Nutrient Deficient. Nutrient Deficient people are loaded with cravings.
– Probiotics, probiotic foods, probiotic drinks. Cultured and fermented vegetables, keifer, kombucha, and real yogurt. There’s millions more bacteria in cultured food than in any probiotic supplement. If you’re trying to improve health, use the pills along with the foods/drinks, at least initially. If your gut bacteria is out of whack, you’ll have cravings for sugar, because that’s what Bad Bugs eat. Candida is a prime example of this.
– Exercise APPROPRIATELY. If your workout leaves you STARVING, which leads to cravings, you worked out too hard. Dial it back.
– Clean your liver. Our liver plays a vital role in getting nutrients into our cells and “trash” out of our body. But did you know our livers are the BIGGEST source of calorie burning in our WHOLE BODY? Our heart and brain are next, and then comes our muscles. A slow, clogged, overworked, exhausted liver craves nutrients. Drink alcohol, take a lot of meds, eat sugar and chemical/processed foods, eat late at night, I guarantee it’s over burdened. I use a Biotics liver detox twice a year, and 2 tinctures by Herb Pharm every couple of months: Milk Thistle and Liver Health.
– Go on a Ketogenic Diet: High Fat, Moderate Protein, and a TON of greens and cruciferous vegetables. This literally knocks out cravings of any kind, honestly. Check this out for meal ideas and guidelines.
– Stop eating Processed Foods. They’re created in a LABORATORY and specifically designed to trigger desires in your brain for more and more and more. Really. McDonald’s milkshakes and Doritios are NOT delicious food creations, they’re chemical cocktails created by PhD’s to get you hooked.
– Eat bigger meals, and ONLY eat 3 times a day. Multiple ” Mini-Meals” are DUMB. They’re guaranteed to make you (1) hungry (2) have cravings and (3) mentally habituated to eating all day. Besides, “mini-meals” are a joke; studies show American’s are pretty incapable of actually having a mini-meal; in reality, the multiple mini-meals turn into “too much food all day long.”
( Moms, we have to apply the “Stop Eating Sugar/Grains/Processed Foods” guidelines to our kids; they’re sugar/carb/chemical addicts. The snacking, the cravings, the “can’t stop eating”….. we have to HELP THEM develop great eating habits. )
– Work on your habits and thought patterns. It’s all so mental, isn’t it. This is just about my favorite area when it comes to health. Our subconscious rules over the conscious, always. If your subconscious is constantly sabotaging your health efforts, get in touch with me. It’s not Rocket Science, but you’ll need a plan.
My wrap up? Eat Real Whole Foods, consume plenty of fat, eliminate addictive grains and sugars, use Smart Supplementation, and train your brain to work for you, not against you. Cravings are a sign that your body, your mind, and your hormones, are “off”; they’re not a sign you’re weak. You don’t have to be a slave to bad habits. Let me know if you’re ready for help with a food plan, habit change, or supplements. ( The amino acids need to be dosed and taken on a specific time table.)