Kill Cravings This Valentine's Day And Still Eat Chocolate

Food cravings are the reason most diets fail. They are like pimples that pop out of nowhere. If you're like me, you'll stop at nothing to kill them off, stat!

What if I told you there’s a quicker, more effective way to kill your cravings and curb your monster appetite rather than giving into them or caving into the vending machine?

Follow these tips to instantly kill off those cravings. For more tips and tricks on how to boost your metabolism and melt belly fat, check out The Metabolism Solution, and the metabolic boosting Chocolate Diet linked below.

• Feed it First: The #1 reason we crave is due to nutritional deficiencies, and the #1 nutrient deficiency among women is protein. Your body needs amino acids to regulate serotonin which helps boost mood. Drinking the Complete Protein Shake for breakfast is the best way to provide your body with the essential amino acids it needs to stay healthy and keep your mood balanced. Prevention is the cure when it comes to killing cravings so make it a LynFit Chocolate Protein Shake and kill two birds with one stone.
• Brush the cravings right out of your mouth: In my 25+ years as a weight loss coach every person who does this trick says it works—Always keep a travel size toothbrush and toothpaste with you, and brush your teeth after meals and when cravings strike. The fresh minty taste makes eating less desirable and distracts you from obsessing about what to eat. Distraction is powerful when it comes to avoiding your cravings. Studies have shown that mint is a good appetite suppressant, and people who sniff (brushing counts too) mint throughout the day ate 3,000 fewer calories that week. That’s enough to move the dial on the scale. Just don’t be obsessive about brushing your teeth every hour, as excessive brushing wears down tooth enamel.
• Drink mint flavored water: You’ve heard me say this a thousand times, but it's worth saying again—Most of the time when we crave it's really because we're thirsty. Drink mint flavored water to quench the crave. Buy a few fresh mint leaves and drop some in your water. You can drink the minted water hot or cold. It's very satisfying and will help tame your cravings.
  Note: Always buy mint flavored water to have on hand to guzzle when your cravings get the best of you.
• Chew mint gum: Always have mint gum in your car, purse and desk to chew on when the urges get rough. Chewing gum does many things—It gives you something to chew when you really aren’t hungry but need to chew on something, and the repetitive motion sends signals to a part of your brain that controls appetite and satiety. If your brain thinks you're eating it will send signals that you're full. Unless, of course, your shut off valve has been damaged and broken (if you've gained more than 10 pounds your shut off valve is broken and damaged and will need to be retrained by sticking to your food plan). In this case, you’ll have to white knuckle it until things get better. The sweet taste also activates the release of the feel-good brain chemical called serotonin. Low serotonin levels cause cravings to pop up in the first place.
• Stress less: Stress will cause your body to release the stress hormone cortisol, which tells your brain to seek out rewards or pleasure. This is why we always crave the wrong things. Enter fat and sugar loaded comfort foods that blunt cortisol and temporarily stop stress. What you’re really craving is to feel better. Find other ways to stimulate happiness that do not including eating to help curb high-calorie cravings. Take a walk break, even if it’s to go get a cup of green tea, or call a friend until the moment passes. The quick chat will trigger a stress reducing emotional release that food can never fill. When all else fails, I hit pause and pray. I say The Serenity Prayer and place my dog in my lap and wait until the craving passes. After all, I didn't get to be 40 pounds overweight by not overeating!

For all the chocolate lovers, here's another great way to still lose 1 pound per day, while eating chocolate. It's the Metabolic Boosting Chocolate Diet (click HERE for the diet).