Month: January 2013

OMG! I Want Some Fried Chicken! The Reasons Behind Our Cravings.

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When I was younger, I remember my dad saying “Only pregnant women have cravings.” If I said I was craving something he would correct me by saying “You mean you have a taste for it?” and he’d give me that stern look that only a father could give. I assume that he associated me “his baby girl” saying craving with me being pregnant. I LOL every time I think about. Anyway, let’s move on to the real reason you’re here.

Those who know me personally know that I LOVE me some fried chicken. It’s one of the hardest things to resist for me. I never thought twice about why I craved it until I decided to make changes towards a healthier lifestyle. As much as I wanted to resist it was not easy. It plagued me so much that I decided to do a little research. What I found is that your body craves foods for one of two (or both) reasons; you have trained your body to eat what you crave, or your body is lacking something (deficiency).

I’ll get to the “lacking something” in just a moment. But, let’s be real. We all have choices to make. Where you are right now is based on all of your choices you have made at this point in life. When you make the choice to eat unhealthy foods, you are choosing to train your body to crave those unhealthy foods. You have to take control and eat what you know is best for you, instead of giving in to what your body is asking for. Honestly, once I trained myself to eat better my cravings for unhealthy foods subsided (though I do eat some fried chicken every once in a while). Check out the tips below for training yourself to eat healthier:

Tip 1: Find healthy foods that you like. Don’t force yourself to eat things that you don’t like. That’ll just give you ammo to continue your unhealthy ways. But, don’t be afraid to broaden your horizon and try new things.

Tip 2: Read the labels. Become a smart shopper. You should know that “Sugar Free” or “Fat Free” doesn’t mean that the product doesn’t have sugar or fat. These products have substitutes which are far worse than eating the real thing.

Tip 3: Pay attention to the serving size. It’s easy to over eat when you go base on your own judgment. Be mindful of the serving size, and eat just that.

Tip 4: Keep healthy snack on hand. Poor snack choices are always more accessible than those that are better for you. BYOS: bring your own snacks. So when you have the feeling to munch, you will have your healthy choices with you.

Tip 5: Eat more. I know this sounds counterproductive to your goals, but it’s not. Here me out. In an article on Webmd.com called The Truth About 6 Meals a Day for Weight Loss, it states that eating six small meals a day helps regulate blood sugar, control cravings, and keeps hunger at bay.

Now on to the “lacking something” portion. If you are eating poorly chances are you have a deficiency of some sort. A few months ago I was craving egg yolks. I decided to look into it, and here’s what I found.

If your are craving this…

What you need is this…

Here are healthy foods that have it.

Chocolate

Magnesium

Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruit

Bread or toast

Nitrogen

High protein foods 

Oily or fatty foods

Calcium

Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, cheese, legumes

Pre-menstrual Cravings

Zinc

Red meats, seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables

Read the full list @ http://www.naturopathyworks.com/pages/cravings.php  

Love you guys!

Preparation is Key!

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Make up your mind.

On Sunday September 4, 2011 I made up my mind that I needed change. I was disgusted with who I had physically become. The excitement of losing 15lbs back in October, 2009 waned as each pound came back with a vengeance. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed life, (at least I made the best attempt to make it appear that way) but I hated the part where I had to look in the mirror. The type of lifestyle we lead is a direct result of the choices we make each day. I had said plenty of times before that I was going to make a lifestyle change, but never did. I had to realize that I had to take accountability. No one held a gun to my head and forced me to eat those Cheetos (Ohhhhh how I love their cheesy goodness). I made the choice to “go to town” on all ten of those fried chicken wings. I knew I had to stop just saying I was going to do it and actually make up my mind. Have you made up your mind yet?

Determine what changes you need to make

Once you’ve made up your mind, the next thing is to take a look at your lifestyle and determine what changes you need to make. BE HONEST NOW! For me, it was a matter of overeating, and under-exercising. I loved food, and dreaded exercising (only because I was way out of shape). Seriously, BE HONEST with yourself. Go get a pen and paper (yes, right now) and write down things that you know will need to change in order to achieve your goals.    

Plan and prepare

Now comes planning and preparation. Alexander Graham Bell said it best, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success”. I don’t care how sincere you are in making up your mind nor do I care how many things you have on your list of changes. If you do not prepare, it will all be in vein. Most people fail (by my own observation) because they don’t prepare. Especially with a busy lifestyle, it can be impossible to stick to your goals. Work, school, family and a host of other obligations can easily cause you to veer away from your goals. Below are a few tips that can help you stick to your guns.

  1. Plan ahead. On Sunday, take a look at your schedule and plan your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the week. This way you are not tempted to stray away.
  2. Can’t seem to find the time to work out for 45 minutes to an hour regularly? Try breaking up your routine. Wake up 30 minutes earlier and do some cardio, and throw in some crunches, squats and push-ups before bed. You’ll feel so good when you are done you won’t even notice the minor sacrifice.
  3. Never be caught without a snack. Don’t set yourself up to fail. Carry 2 or 3 healthy snacks with you to help curb your appetite between meals. Snacking will also aid in boosting your metabolism.        

Just say no to the excuses

It’s easy to make excuses when you have a busy schedule clouding your mind. My sister called me yesterday, and during our conversation she mentioned that she didn’t get to work out like she had planned because she had a lot going on that yesterday. Her niece had a game, and she had to get my nephew prepared for school the next day. My response to her was you will either make time, or you will make excuses. My intentions weren’t to be harsh, but to be straight forward and honest. Unforeseen things happen that may throw off our day, but we often make excuses for those things we can plan for. Instead of making excuses, find a solution. Planning and preparation will negate excuses.   

Action

Now get up and get moving! On that Sunday (September 4th remember) my friend made the suggestion that I come workout on Saturday with Star 4 Fitness. It was only $5, what did I have to lose? Well the weight of course. Despite hanging out late the night before (What? It was my 25th birthday) on September 10, 2011, I threw out every excuse I could fathom and I got up and got moving.

60 Day Challenge

I want to challenge you to do the same. Take control of your life. Take action. Over the next 60 days challenge yourself to change your lifestyle. I will be blogging each week to help you through it. I can’t tell you that it will be easy, but it will be worth it. Spend the first week preparing. If you have any questions email me @ imnofitnessguru@gmail.com, and I will answer your questions via my blog.

Love you guys!