Do you find yourself yo-yoing between managing your cravings then falling off the wagon big time?
Imagine what it would feel like to have all that headspace back, no more obsessing, no more fighting the little gremlins in your head! It’s rarely ever just about your weight, but you could release all the guilt and the shame, and instead be free. What would you do with all that time? Where would you channel your energy?
On a normal day, you may feel like you are in control, but on the days that are a little crazier than usual, you find yourself bingeing on carbs, including chocolate, pasta, potatoes etc… Did you know that there’s a biochemical reason for this?
I’m going to share with you the biochemical solution, so that you can quit bingeing and beating yourself up.
What is driving your binge eating?
You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that stress, plays a part in this. The reason is because of the relationship between two hormones, cortisol – the stress hormone – and insulin, the blood sugar hormone. It’s why willpower is futile in the face of a carb craving! You’re experiencing a biochemical reaction, because carbs convert into sugar, so your body is literally screaming out for sugar because your blood sugar has plummeted due to the cortisol!
Why?
When you’re under psychological stress, blood sugar can dip drastically, causing your body to crave getting back to a neutral state. And when I say crave, I mean, literally crave “quick-release carbohydrates” like bread, cake, donuts, ice cream, pastries, pizza and pasta. So that when you eat those things your blood sugar balances very quickly, what is known as a blood sugar spike.
What’s wrong with that?
The problem with this scenario, however, is that it then drops equally quickly, creating a rollercoaster effect for both insulin and cortisol! So you need to keep eating starchy or sugary things, and that is a recipe for a health disaster!
Remember – a psychological stress can create a physiological stress, and a physiological stress, such as the dip in blood sugar, can create a psychological stress! It can be a vicious cycle!
And that’s not all it can impact! Apart from your waist line, and your increased cravings, you may even suffer from the dreaded waking at 3am, so it’s a sleep disruptor too. If you’re currently experiencing this regularly, it may well be a symptom of a blood sugar imbalance.
So, how can you stop this cycle?
Balancing blood sugar is one of my starting points with clients who are dealing with stress, cravings and binge eating, and sleep issues. Here are a few simple ways that you can do this:
– Eat more good fat and protein, so you reduce your starchy carbohydrate intake – this can be plant-based, so think of adding more nuts and seeds, nut butters, and vegetables.
– Eat 5 – 6 small meals that contain Protein, Fat and Fibre, spacing them out every 3 hours
– Intermittent fasting. You could think about eating within an 8-hour window, and fasting for 16 hours. This is my Go-To. It was pretty tricky the first few days, but I was under the guidance of a naturopath while on a retreat, and by the end of my 8 day retreat I had said goodbye to being “Hangry” (hungry + angry!). And you can to, with the right guidance!
Other things to consider
Remember – these are general guidelines, so what works for one person, may not always work for another. Each of us has a unique biochemistry, and it’s wise to eat and live in a way that matches your individual biochemistry!
Cravings may sometimes even be driven by nutritional imbalances, due to either poor nutrition, poor absorption or food intolerances, so that’s also something that is worth looking into. Therefore, it’s always best to:
– Work with a provider who can supervise any changes that you make to your diet, to ensure you’re getting the right balance of Protein, Fat, and Fibre, as well as all your Phytonutrients and Antioxidants.
– Check for any nutritional imbalances, absorption issues or intolerances with a provider that knows what they’re looking for
– Start working on cleaning up your gut health to rule out any absorption issues. If you haven’t yet got my Good Gut Guide, you can download it.
You can let me know how you’re doing when you’re a member of my online community.
