FITNESS TIPS: APRIL, 2010
Managing Cravings
At Flex Appeal St. Paul, we partner with Onebody to bring our clients the best in practical nutrition coaching and counseling. When it comes to getting fit and staying fit, for a healthier longer life, healthy eating behaviors are a must.
This month we�re sharing some of the strategies we teach our clients to help them manage their weight long term. There are no diet pills or quick fixes. This is nutritional personal training for busy professionals, mom�s, dad�s, seniors and the whole family.
If you have trouble managing cravings, you are likely doing one or more of the following:
- Eating too many processed and packaged foods
- Not pairing low Glycemic foods with medium and high Glycemic foods
- Going through periods of �dieting� or �deprivation�
- Not eating a balanced breakfast
If you go all day eating very little, or you consume high Glycemic processed carbs, your body will respond appropriately to get what it needs. Here are common mistakes that make managing cravings a challenge:
| Action |
Reaction |
| Eat processed foods. |
Satiety is difficult to achieve resulting in craving more processed foods. The carbs in processed foods have very little or no nutritional value. Processed foods don�t fuel your body, they drag you down. Work towards the 80/20 rule � 80% whole foods/20% non-whole . |
| Eating mostly medium or high Glycemic foods. |
Rise and fall in blood glucose (sugar) levels. Low glucose is unhealthy. It causes avoidable stress on your body, headaches, fatigue and sometimes insatiable cravings resulting in overeating. |
| Diet or deprivation. |
Nutrition is essential for all body functions like breathing, pumping blood, writing, and walking. If you deprive yourself, your body will eventually get what it needs later in the day, or the following day. Our bodies were designed for survival. |
| Skipping breakfast or not eating a balanced breakfast. |
Your body stays in the fasting mode and uses lean tissue for energy. Your body does not use stored fat for energy. Managing calories and overeating is more difficult when you skip meals. It is statistically proven that skipping meals causes overeating. Breakfast sets the tone for the entire day. If you find yourself unable to control you cravings, take a good look at what you had for breakfast. The rules apply to children and young adults! |
Note for women: PMS can bring on cravings as estrogen levels fluctuate, so do levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The body wants to keep these levels even, so it turns on the fight or flight response, causing us, to crave carbohydrates and fat. Additionally, serotonin can drop and serotonin is the brain chemical that increases feelings of contentment. Foods can trigger serotonin, as can exercise and other lifestyle factors. If cortisol, the stress hormone is high, and serotonin is low, women tend to crave simple carbohydrates and fats, usually sugary treats like candy and chocolate. This is because these simple carbs will increase serotonin quickly. It�s important to be prepared for these times and have healthy carbohydrates available to manage the cravings. Examples: bite size pieces of dark chocolate, pineapple, brown rice, sour dough bread, and dried fruits.
Call today for a free consultation. Onebody is locating inside Flex Appeal St. Paul at the corner of Prior and St. Clair.
Cathy Bassett
Wellness Consultant/Fitness Nutrition Coach
651.470.6226
www.onebodyrealresults.com
www.flexappealstpaul.com
