How To Stop Cravings For Sweet, Chocolate & Salt

In the last two blogs (HERE and HERE) I gave you a ton of info on cravings.

Cravings are impacted by way more than food. For example, if you go for a long run you may feel great for a few hours after, but that run may be the cause of your inexplicable pasta binge at dinner later that night.

This often surprises people when they hear this; "Jade are you telling me that my early morning three mile run can cause me to overeat the wrong things later?" Yes! Unfortunately, that is exactly what I am saying.

But this is not all cut and dry when it comes to exercise. Some exercise seems to have almost no impact on cravings at all and may actually help suppress them. These things tend to be very relaxing forms of movement like leisurely walking, restorative yoga and Tai chi; basically anything that lowers cortisol.

I talked about cortisol previously and I will refrain from a biochemistry lesson here; so, just remember the two "C"s: cortisol and cravings.

Cortisol has been shown to activate the reward centers in the brain. In other words, it turns on the "I WANT SOME JUNK FOOD" regions of your brain. It also turns on the bad habit centers of the brain.

You remember the idea of trying to replace wine and TV with a hot bath an herbal tea? Well, cortisol makes you revert back to old patterns, by putting the breaks on the development of new healthier routines.

Anything that raises cortisol for extended periods of time can be a key reason you are having cravings. Here are some common things that raise cortisol:

Long moderate intensity exercise (especially when overdone)
Short Intense Exercise (especially when overdone)
Sleep Deprivation
Work Stress
Skipping Meals
Eating too much at a meal
Alcohol consumption
Grief

What you want to do is make sure that you avoid doing too much exercise. If you want to do long exercise sessions, then you will need to be smart about other behaviors to compensate for this. Some of the behaviors that can lower cortisol are:

Eating starch and sugar
Eating protein (although likely a better choice than the starch/sugar)
Leisurely slow walking
Physical affection (sex, cuddling)
Massage (even self-massage like foam rolling can do this)
Meditation
Spa therapies
Relaxing herbal teas
Time with pets
Restorative yoga
Tai Chi

In the past, when you thought about cravings, you have likely thought about avoiding certain behaviors to prevent them; but, it is far better to think about ADDING behaviors instead. It may be pretty depressing to think about not having wine or watching TV. But try thinking about how great it will be to have sex or take a hot bath. That too is enjoyable and will make you less, rather than more, likely to have cravings.

Final thoughts

The trick is to not make all this too complicated. Here is what we have talked about regarding cravings in the last few days.

Point 1: Make sure you make diet changes as easy, or easier, than what they replace. Sub a protein smoothie in place of cereal and make your only choice for lunch a salad. This is easy and requires no extra work and less thinking.

Point 2: Use specific foods that attack cravings head on. Whey protein and cocoa are two of the best. The Metabolic Effect Craving Cocoa and Craving Shake are like whey protein and cocoa on steroids. They put a serious smack down on cravings.

Point 3: Avoid behaviors that raise cortisol, and more importantly, engage in as many behaviors as possible that lower cortisol.

Was this helpful? Please let me know what you think. If you can beat cravings, you can lose weight almost effortlessly.

The Ultimate Craving Bundle

In the last two blogs I told you about the Craving Bundle. Remember, we are only selling this bundle to the first 100 people. My prediction is these slots will be gone by noon EST tomorrow.

Here is what you get:

2 Boxes of Craving Shakes (a month supply)
1 Tub of Craving Cocoa
Unlimited Access to Lifestyler's Coaching. This includes every single ME program and coaching with the ME coaches: Me and Keoni.

I hope you enjoyed the craving education.

Jade

PS Sex, rice and pedicures? They all lower cortisol

Get The Bundle HERE and if all spots are taken get the products HERE and HERE

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