Nothing is worse when it comes to sabotaging your weight loss goals than cravings. One minute everything is going good, and the next minute.... BAM! ... cravings come out of nowhere. If you're like me, you try to white knuckle it and power through, but the next thing you know, your mouth is having a party, knee-deep in “taste bud entertainment” that leaves you uncomfortably full and feeling guilty the morning after.
Sadly, these cravings will continue until we clean up our eating enough so that our palates adjust. Until then, we won't crave the right kinds of food like a big green salad or stir-fry. Did you ever notice that that we always crave the processed carbs that are high sugar, salt, and fat, like pizza, chips, or cookies. And, if food isn't your go-to, you most likely reach for wine or some sort of cocktail instead.
Wanna know why we crave the wrong kind of food and what you can do to prevent them?
Craving Sweets
Most sugar cravings are caused by an imbalance or lowering of our blood sugar levels. When we don't start our day the right way, eating the right kind of food, like having a Complete Protein, and eat the wrong kind (like processed carbs), use milks that are sweetened (like almond milk in our coffee), or overeat on seemingly healthy fruit, we wind up spiking our blood sugar levels. This is especially true if you skipped the Complete Protein and/or fiber to slow blood sugar release. By drinking the Complete Protein Shake we block blood sugar fluctuations and help keep our blood sugar managed, which is why it blocks hunger and prevents cravings .
Without protein or fiber to blunt or block blood sugar, our insulin levels rise to shuttle glucose into cells to use for energy. Subsequently, blood sugar levels plummet. When our blood sugar levels plummet and become low, it triggers our body into thinking it needs more fuel, and the quickest source of fuel is sugar. That’s why sugar cravings appear. It's actually a built-in life-saving function that our body has to protect us.
That’s why, even though you might only eat or have a tiny taste of a sugary food or a processed carb, and the next thing you know, you're craving more, even if you feel full or you have that awful sugar feeling. These foods, even if they are seemingly healthy, break down quickly, which elevates blood sugar levels. This is followed by the sharp drop that sends you looking for more sugar. Even fruit can do this to sugar-sensitive people if it's not eaten with a protein or fiber to blunt sugar levels. Just because a food is healthy doesn't mean it won't spike blood sugar levels, or you can eat as much as you want. Eater beware!
Another reason most people crave sugar and carbs is due to the lack of sleep and/or rest. If you start off with low energy, then your body will adapt by begging for quick energy throughout the day. If you give in to its cravings, it becomes the perfect storm for poor eating choices, setting up a vicious cycle of overeating and killer cravings.
If You Crave Salt and Fat
Sugar cravings are usually connected to a physiological need for a quick energy boost; salt and fat go a bit deeper. Most of us see these foods as “comfort food" or fun "finger food.” They are more of an emotional trigger or connection, especially if you need to chew or crunch, which is a telling sign that your stress is now making you feel anxious. The chew/crunch is a way for you to release that excess energy. It's easy to see how taking an exercise break could help provide a better release, but when your feelings take over, they often win, UNLESS you have a strong plan in place.
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy? I Can Be!
We tend to create the perfect storm when it comes to our cravings, also known as the not-so-healthy Habit Loop.
If you're like me and food is your favorite form of entertainment and your go-to when you're stressed, then you have most likely done it too. We create a not-so-healthy habit loop when stress and/or boredom send us reaching for comfort food. Sadly, most of us choose the wrong kind of food and reach for those that are usually low in fiber or protein, causing our blood sugar to spike. Only Complete Protein has the ability to work this easy. It's science, and no, juicing or store-bought smoothies WILL NOT DO THIS, despite what their labels say. Try it for yourself and see.
You know the rules of science: what goes up comes back down. That's how we create the perfect storm when it comes to blood sugar crashes, leading to weight gain and a vicious cycle of poor eating choices. In turn, a quick fix of a salty or fatty snack can then lead to a sweet, sugar-filled one. And you know how this story ends.
Wanna know what THE MOST fattening food trifecta is? Sugar, salt, and fat are the food trifecta that scientists actually try to engineer in the right proportions to keep you and I coming back for more, repeatedly. What makes matters even worse is that these so-called comfort foods (including some that are seemingly healthy) are engineered to satisfy these feel-good hormones that keep us craving more and more. The bigger the bag, the more we eat! The more we eat, the more we buy, and...
We can stop this by stopping this. STOP letting your cravings push you around. You have more control then you think, but you'll have to put up your dukes and fight.
I've been there, so I know how this feels. It's also prevented me from losing weight until now, thanks to the System I live on. It's helped me thrive, even at 52 and counting... ;) Nothing changed until I changed my habits, and I want to help you succeed at kicking your cravings to the curb too!
How to STOP and KILL Your Cravings And Prevent Them In The Future
If you've been trying to change your mindset by pushing away thoughts of the foods you're trying to avoid, that almost always backfires, and you'll wind up thinking about food even more!
I've seen this countless times as people embark on a weight loss plan. You create a condition where you end up making your cravings more intense and end up obsessively thinking about what you can or cannot eat.
I prefer a more positive approach that I've seen work with a 100% success rate when it's adhered to and followed. It's helped thousands of people lose one pound daily... the Metabolic Boosting Lose 1 Pound Per Day System!
For the record, I didn’t name it the Lose 1 Pound Per Day System. YOU did. All of you who lost weight and emailed me saying, “I lost 1 pound a day," or some versed it as “I lost 6 pounds in 6 days.“ You referred so many of your friends that we had to rename the Metabolic Boosting System to the Lose 1 Pound Per Day Plan just so people could find it.
We aren't complaining; we're grateful! This simple plan allows you to focus on living your life versus what your next meal should be. It's planned out for you every day and doesn't require you to think, plan, choose, count macros or micros, be a nutritionist, or spending countless hours shopping or preparing foods. Heck, I prefer you spend your time walking outside.
Instead of using the old-fashioned method of watch what you eat and move more approach that doesn’t work, or by hyper-focusing on supposedly healthy nutrition (all of which I've witnessed countless people fail at), the solution is simpler. But, you do need to surrender if you want to stop this vicious cravings cycle that's sabotaging your weight loss and almost always leads to weight gain and food battles that can last a lifetime.
Don’t expect your trainer at the gym or nutritionist to understand or support this specific effort. The fact is, you won't need to see them at all once you get into this simple groove. That's what happened to me, and I lost 40 pounds, have kept it off, and my health just keeps getting better as I age. I'm fitter than I've ever been, even after turning 52!
Think about it for minute: why would you work longer hours at work if your pay was the same, or worse, you made less $? It's true for the gym and workouts too. I'm not saying you don't need to work out. I am, however, saying this easier than you think, and often times those of us who push too hard, too often, end up losing weight by reducing our workload. This is due to the simple fact that overexercising jacks up cravings more than any other behavior.
START TODAY... RIGHT NOW, and begin focusing on a specific plan like the Metabolic Boosting Lose 1 Pound Per Day Plan makes it faster and easier. If you like hard, this option isn't for you. And if you like slow weight loss, you won't like it either. This is a plan that works every time unless you don’t follow it. I've never had a metabolism I couldn’t fix!
For those of you who think this couldn’t be healthy, IT IS! In fact, it's the most nutritious, clean eating plan out there. It balances all of the best methods, and you'll have to work hard at reminding yourself that you only need 1/3 of the calories you consume.
Our bodies don't run on calories, they run on nutrients. Through smart supplement choices like the ones we put together for you in the Metabolic Lose 1 Pound Per Day System, you provide your body with ALL the nutrinets it needs to lose weight and be as healthy as you can possibly be, which also protects our immune health.
This plan is a pivot point that can help you turn your health and weight loss around, setting you up with good eating habits that also kills cravings for the wrong kind of food. Cravings will crop up at first, but as your body cleanses and detoxes, they vanish.
If you struggle with cravings for the wrong foods due to stress and anxiety, you may want to consider adding 5-HTP Lean to your daily nutritional supplement routine. It helps make you feel full and kills cravings before they begin, naturally. It works with your body to improve serotonin levels that are responsible for many people's inability to stick to a healthy plan due to not being able to control urges for the wrong foods.
The Metabolic Weight Loss system, along with the additional help of 5-HTP Lean, provides a natural way to healthfully lose weight and manage your weight long term. It makes it easier to reduce your caloric intake when used consistently, the way all healthy eating habits should be followed. It's a lifestyle versus an on/off-again cycle that also contributes to unhealthy habits. #weightlosswithbenefits
It's the BEST, BETTER Approach
In addition to giving the Metabolic Boosting Weight Loss System a try, there are other strategies that can also help.
First and foremost, eat a minimum of five green vegetables every day and make sure you're getting enough of the clean, complete protein and essential fatty acids. Don't forget about fiber that your body needs, which is, by definition, a well-balanced diet. This system makes it easy to do that as it's all built-in!
When your body gets the specific nutrients it needs, and you’re able to maintain healthy (lower) blood sugar levels, then you’re much less likely to experience intense cravings. You'll also be able to lose weight... a pound a day, in fact!
So, the next time your cravings strike, STOP and notice what's really going on. Is it mental or physical, or does your body need a nutrient boost, like a delicious Complete Protein Shake? Or, maybe you've been thinking you're doing right by your body -- following a keto style diet that's too high in bad fat and too low in good omega 3 fats. Choose the healthier options instead.
Here Are a Few Examples that Won't Stop Your Weight Loss
If you’re craving salt, try something naturally higher in sodium like shellfish, shrimp, or celery (dipped in our Omega 3 Asian Dressing... it's beyond delicious).
If you’re craving chocolate, try a Chocolate Truffle Complete Protein Shake. And for a more robust chocolate taste, add Sinful Chocolate Sauce to it. This combo is delicious, cold or hot. We love it frozen with a Magic Chocolate Shell made with Sinful Sauce on it. This has been my family’s go-to comfort food during the pandemic. We actually fight over who ate the last bit; it's so good and good for you. It delivers 10 grams of prebiotic fiber and a whole host of nutrients, making it the most delicious way to get your vitamins and minerals every day.
It's better for you than a multivitamin or plain old cacao powder, as it has an ORAC score that's higher than kale. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. In simpler terms, it's a method of measuring the antioxidant capacity in foods.
The cacao/chocolate used in our Sinful Chocolate Sauce makes the Top 5 list! It's the perfect go-to when it comes to preventing and killing cravings.
If You're a Fatty Food Craver
If you're in the habit of consuming fatty foods, break up with it now!! The more you repeatedly do something, the more you'll crave it. If you have a fat-filled dessert after dinner every night, make it healthier (like Sinful Sauce magic shell on top of Metabolic Ice Cream) and factor it into your day. I keep dinner all vegetables because it leaves room for dessert, and now at 52, my body needs the protein, so it's a dessert I should have daily and not skip. How good is that?
If you refuse to give up your fatty dessert, then save it for the weekend UPZIG meal and limit it to once a week. Don't kid yourself into thinking that it's unlimited, since you only have it once a week. It all adds up, and the scale never lies ;)
If you still struggle with stopping no matter what you eat, you may feel better going for walk instead of sitting down to watch TV. TV triggers cravings and couch eating for lots of people. The only way to prevent it is by doing something else, like going for walk, painting your nails, or better yet, call a friend.
With healthier options and behavioral modification approaches like these, your cravings won't stand a chance. They can't sneak up on you and take over because you have more control than you think. Swap out your bad habits for good ones, and you've already taken control!
If you need help rebooting your habits, I’m here to help. Email me at support@lynfit.com. I’m happy to help! And make sure you check out the Top 5 most popular go-to recipes anytime your cravings show up. And remember that grabbing a prebiotic, fiber-filled Lean Bar works too.
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Lisa Lynn, Clinical Metabolic Nutrition & Fitness Expert. Best known for her 18+ years as Martha Stewart’s trainer, who was responsible for Martha’s over-50 amazing physical transformation that caught the attention of Dr. Oz, leading to her many appearances on the Dr. Oz Show. Lisa is not just another trainer; she herself lost 40 pounds and has kept it off, even with a sluggish thyroid and menopause.
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