Beat your food cravings.
Do you want to know how to beat food cravings?
In my 5 Day meal planning challenge this week one of my lessons was about how to do just this.
How many times have you announced you are going to start some kind of deprivation diet whether that is avoiding a whole food group or reducing calorie intake?
After a couple of days, you may be struggling to control your cravings.
The power of hunger is so PRIMAL you need to think of it as important to our subconscious as breathing.
Our body has a set of mechanisms, biological and psychological, to get us to eat if we are not eating enough.
When we are hungry we become obsessed with food and not eating enough can lead to cravings. Prolonged dieting can lead to malnutrition and more intense cravings.
You can’t out-think your biology
Denying your hunger can send your body into starvation mode.
Starvation has existed in just about every century so we have evolved to survive.
If you ignore your hunger by the time you are no longer ABLE to ignore it you will eat with such an intensity you can overeat, this can make you feel overfull and uncomfortable leading to feelings of regret, guilt and disgust.
Hunger causes cravings
When you are hungry you may notice you crave something sweet or some kind of carbohydrate for fuel?
Our brain, nervous system and red blood cells depend on carbs for fuel if we don’t get them our mind tries to get our attention with cravings.
Have you ever had a craving for cabbage for instance? No, it is generally bread, pasta or something sweet. If you are not eating enough carbs and calories your body will start to eat its own muscle for fuel. This, in turn, lowers your metabolism which can lead to weight gain which leads to more dieting which leads to more cravings – you get my drift!
An intense craving can actually just be a sign of hunger.
Being prepared and organised around Meal Planning can help us reach our Health Goals by reducing cravings and thereby reducing binge eating and increase the opportunity to choose what we eat for pleasure and satisfaction – physical and mental. We can then have a chance of finding our SetPoint (more on this next week) and actually finding a healthy balance without dieting!!
What a goal that would be to achieve!
In conclusion
We need to ensure we are eating enough so we don’t experience cravings.
Planning our meals in advance will also ensure we are getting a healthy balance of nutrients.
If you would like to chat with me about your unique menopause transition, book a Wild Well-Being call and come away inspired and motivated to begin your journey to optimal health.