Can your cravings help you lose weight?

Back when I was on the diet roller coaster, the thing I hated the most was feeling deprived and starved.  It was torturous to not eat the things that brought me pleasure.  It was also stressful planning all the meals, fitting time in my schedule for intense workouts that I hated, counting calories, journaling food and watching others eat the foods I wanted at gatherings and get-togethers.  Can you relate?  So many diets limit calories, limit the foods you eat and require hours at the gym.  Well, if you’re like me and you LOVE food, then feeling deprived of something you love, just isn’t conducive to long-term weight-loss success.  

At one point in my life, I decided I’d rather be sick and fat before I would put myself through the torture of another diet that included deprivation and starvation.  I intuitively knew there had to be a better way.  I just didn’t know what it was.  Fortunately I found the solution before getting sick and fat.  A part of that solution is deconstructing cravings.  I learned that you eat the foods you eat for a reason, and sometimes that reason is for pleasure.  Take these foods away and it’s hard to do without that pleasure.  At the time, I didn’t know there was a reason I LOVED food so much.  I didn’t realize how important it was to my feeling happy!  

Did you know your body talks to you?  That’s right.  When you don’t know that, or you don’t listen, it is constantly trying to get your attention.  One of the ways it communicates is through cravings.  Cravings are actually a good thing.  Instead of fighting them, you can pay attention to them and find out what they really mean.  Your cravings will actually lead you to weight loss!  When you learn to deconstruct these cravings and find out what your body is saying, it becomes easy and pleasurable to make healthier choices.  

If you are wondering how to find out what these cravings mean, I am going to share with you one of the best tools I teach my clients.  That tool is to approach cravings with curiosity.  How do you do this?  Instead of approaching the cravings with judgement, you ask yourself “What experience am I looking to have?” and you sit quietly for a moment and wait.  You will get an answer, and the answer may surprise you.  You will learn exactly why you are craving a specific food.  Sometimes you will actually be hungry, but most of the time, it’s really not food that you want.  It is a different form of nourishment.  It may be something like you need to do something fun, you may need more sleep or relaxation or you may feel lonely or a little down.  Once you find out what the craving means you can take action and fulfill whatever it is you are needing in that moment, which usually doesn’t involve eating.

Once I learned this tool it made it so much easier to avoid unhealthy foods.  I never feel deprived anymore and I learned so much about myself.  I encourage you to try this.  See how it works for you, and comment below and what you learned!

If you would like to learn more ways to naturally and easily lose weight and be healthier, click here now to schedule a complimentary consultation and discover what’s possible for you!

To your health!

 

Janice