There’s always room for dessert! As soon as you take that first bite of cake, no matter how full you are, you finish the whole slice and even consider a 2nd. But when trying to lose those last 5 to 10 pounds, it’s these highly processed, refined sugars and fats that stand in our way.
When we binge, we binge on high sugar, high fat, highly processed foods. Sugar causes cravings for more sugar. Many comparisons have been made between addiction to substances and similar effects of sugar. While these don’t qualify as the same kind of addiction, fat and sugar can have the same kind of effect on our brain chemistry. And studies show that dopamine, one of our body chemicals that plays a role in our signaling for pleasure, increases in activity when we eat very palatable foods (such as high-fat foods), and receptors for the chemical in our brain decrease, limiting our ability to control the feeling and stop eating.
Eliminating or severely reducing these food items from our diet can condition our brains and bodies to stop craving them. Luckily these are not actually addictive foods and we can truly withdraw from eating the cakes, cookies, and treats that stand in the way of our goals.
Tips and tricks for overcoming sugar cravings-
- Don’t be hard on yourself: when it comes to losing weight we tend to be overly critical of ourselves and feel guilty for even the slightest slip-up. But thinking about weight loss as a lifestyle change makes it easier to face. Working to make small changes in your life takes time and it can be done. If we think of reducing the refined sugar and high-fat foods from our diet as a lifestyle change instead of a restrictive diet, we are more likely to stick with it.
- Try fruit!: after a meal, we tend to need something to feel completely satiated and we crave something sweet to end the meal, this is why dessert after a meal makes sense. But instead of reaching for the cake or cookie, try fruit. Fruits are sweet and filling, and as time goes on will feel like a natural dessert to your meals.
- Subdue the cravings: sometimes cravings for sugar and fats are difficult to control and even the replacement is not doing the trick. Eating balanced meals, high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and staying hydrated will prevent cravings. You can try adding apple cider vinegar to your seltzer water too, to mitigate the need for something sweet.
- Metabolism Masterclass!: this program promotes a diet/lifestyle around fiber, protein, and healthy fats. By following the approved food list and meal method of the program, you will learn how to substitute high sugar, high fat, highly processed foods with whole foods that will get you to feel good in your body and mind.
