Weight gain is so much more than calories in = fat. This is why operating in a severe caloric deficit is so dangerous—we are actually destroying our bodies’ natural metabolic functions and confusing the hell out of ourselves. Knowing about our glucose, aka blood sugar levels, gives us newfound control over how and when we eat, and how to curb wild cravings and stay on track.
We talked to none other than Jessie Inchauspé, aka Glucose Goddess, biochemist, and author of Glucose Revolution, to share a little of what she knows a whole lot about.
“Many people who are trying to lose weight get confronted with an enemy: cravings. But actually, if you’re experiencing cravings, trying to will your way through them is a recipe for a lot of pain and not much success. Instead, we need to look at the root cause of the cravings, which is often unsteady glucose levels,” Inchauspé explains.
To reiterate, it’s not that you don’t deserve that avocado toast unless you’ve run a marathon, or need to skip lunch to meet your goals, or should be squeezing in 500 crunches to get that airbrushed-body look. It’s about thinking about food scientifically.
“If your glucose levels are spiking and dropping throughout the day, like is the case for 90% of us, your brain’s cravings center activates and tells you that you absolutely need to eat a cookie or fries (or both), right now. So here’s the solution: steadying your glucose levels. This will dissipate your cravings, bring balance to your body, and reduce hunger, and a very common consequence of those benefits is losing weight without even trying to.”
“Set a timer for 20 minutes before you eat what you’re craving. If your craving was due to a glucose drop, it will be gone by the time the alarm rings.”
“If the 20 minutes have come and gone and you’re still thinking about that cookie, set it aside for dessert at your next meal. Eating something sweet as dessert will keep your glucose levels steadier than eating it on an empty stomach, so you will avoid starting a glucose rollercoaster.”
Kill cravings with kind ingredients
“Then, try these craving killers: licorice root tea or a spoonful of coconut oil swirled into coffee or tea. Other things to try: peppermint tea, pickle juice, gum, or a big glass of water with a big pinch of salt.
If those aren’t an option and you’re going to eat what you’re craving, here are two more things you can do to eat the food without starting a glucose rollercoaster for the rest of the day.”
Sour your craving’s consequences, not your mood
“Drink a tablespoon of vinegar in a tall glass of water before.”
“Go for a 10-minute walk (or any other kind of exercise) afterward.”
Inchauspé leaves us with this: cravings are not our fault. She explained that cravings are the way our bodies tell us that our glucose levels are unsteady—it’s a cry for help, not for the high-fat or processed sugar snack that first comes to mind. When we listen to our bodies thoughtfully instead of frantically (easier said than done when hangry, we know), we can begin to heal the root cause of blood sugar spikes and crashes and start connecting to our bodies’ needs, both intuitively and scientifically.
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