Everywhere I read about special teas to help you lose weight, or shakes, or pills or any other fan-dangled thing that is supposed to cut your appetite or help with curbing cravings. I’m just wondering why this is necessary?

Why do you need to stop feeling your cravings?

How is this working with your body to give it what it needs for optimum performance, weight loss or great health?

All of these signals in your body are there for a purpose. You may not know what they mean or do the right thing to satisfy them, but how is masking them and curbing cravings going to help anything?

I don’t get it.

There was one example with feedback for a popular weight loss tea, where the customer was so thrilled that it cut the cravings for her 3:00 pm chocolate munch.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love tea too, mainly herbal. I sip it often even when I feel a little hungry but not quite sure, and this satisfies me until the real hunger starts. However that is not what they seem to be advocating here. They went on to say that they didn’t need to eat anything at all. You may be thinking, “well that’s great for weight loss right? So what’s your problem?”

My problem is that your body is much smarter than you. When it sends you signals that it needs something, either by a craving or hunger feeling, it may be telling you something like this…

“Hey you! Blood sugar getting low over here, I need something to pep it up.”

“Major muscle repair going on in here after your boot camp this morning, I need more protein to keep building.”

“Super bugs flying around in this office, I need more Vit C, D and A to fuel the white blood cells to get ready to fight it off.”

And many more intricate, complex needs your body communicates to you by… you guessed it…cravings.

And generally, instead of knowing what this craving signal is all about, you dump a whole pile of toxic commercial chocolate in there. Perfect! No vitamins, no minerals, no building blocks for anything really.

So instead of giving the body what it needs to do its work, you make it even harder. Now has to process and dispose of this mess, while its original needs are still unmet.

Wonderful.

Normally the body’s response is to crave more, because what you gave it, didn’t do the trick. So this normally leads to overeating.

So now we are still not solving the body’s original problem by drinking that tea, taking that pill or whatever, we are just covering it up. Much like when taking painkiller drugs, it masks the pain, but the original cause of the pain is still there.

Short term fix – maybe. Long-term solution – no way!

You just make it worse, compounding the problem to blow up into a more major problem or disease down the track.

Step 1

So when you get a craving for something, first step, throw away the old thought pattern of needing to cover it up or fight it. It’s the way your body communicates with you.

Step 2

Step two, instead of curbing cravings learn what they mean, to help you get your best body.

In the chocolate example, at least eat the very best homemade chocolate made with awesome ingredients that actually have vitamins, minerals and good stuff that your body actually needs. The difference in how you feel after real food instead of junk food, is amazing.

Also realise that sometimes a craving for sweet things means you actually need protein. With chocolate it’s usually magnesium that the body needs.

Step 3

Step three, give your body more respect. The more you tune in to what it needs, the more it will reward you with amazing energy, strength, beautiful shape, muscles, clarity of mind and allow you to feel fantastic.

It’s time to be your body’s best friend.

Kristy x

NB: I’ve also found the diet that’s brought me optimal health and a fast metabolism based on the teachings of Dr Ray Peat. It’s called the ZEN Beach Diet. Read more here.