It’s Monday morning, and before you even get out of bed you think to yourself, “I’m going to be good on my diet today.” You eat a good healthy breakfast, and lunch and even cook your family a good healthy meal. Then Wednesday arrives and you find yourself at your desk eating a bag of Cheetos and drinking a Coke.
What happened?!
The CRAVINGS happened.
Most of us are not prepared to combat cravings. Whether psychological or physiological, food cravings can be hard to fight! Unless you find some equally satisfying alternatives, you will find yourself in that weight loss “yo-yo” each and every time.
A major focus of The Somae Plan is to re-learn how to eat for nutrition and rise above emotional cravings. Somae teaches you to identify WHY you are eating. Is it because you are bored and watching TV? Or you are eating because you’re addicted to sugar?
Everybody is different. Some of us may be grabbing some chips from the vending machine as a result of our body's craving for sodium.
Here are 3 easy tips to avoid caving in to food cravings:
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Stay hydrated - A major cause for craving salty foods is dehydration. Staying hydrated can not only fight a craving for something salty, but keep you feeling full longer. This is why I always keep a bottle of water on my desk, so that if I see myself getting up to go get some chips, I first drink the water to try and make it go away and 9 times out 10 it works!
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Prepare ahead of time. Try to stop that the hunger before it starts by eating nutrient-dense foods that will keep you satisfied. Lean protein curbs your appetite because it contains a natural appetite suppressant called cholecystokinin (CCK). Lean meats, eggs and beans are excellent sources of cholecystokinin. If you know that the longest you can go without caving into your cravings is two days, then you need to have some things prepared and ready for you to grab. You can try putting some almonds in your purse, on your desk, or even in your car. This will allow you to not make that stop at a drive-thru on your way home and instead just go for a handful of nuts or seeds and keep you on track for weight loss!
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Have some Yerba Maté! Yerba maté is a beverage made from the leaves and stems of the Holly tree, native to the subtropical rainforests of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. Yerba Maté can be a hot or cold beverage. I usually prefer it to be cold because it’s more refreshing and it feels more like a drink rather than a tea. Yerba Maté helps to increase energy, reduces appetite, and it has more antioxidants then green tea. I take a big cup, fill it with ice, add the water, squeeze some lemon into the water then add the unsweetened Yerba Maté. I sweeten it with liquid stevia (I use is Valencia Orange flavor). It has a great citrus taste. When I sip on that all day long, I get in my 64 ounces of water, and it takes away my cravings for sweets - helping me to stay compliant on living a healthy lifestyle.
Food in our society is EVERYTHING.
If we have an occasion to celebrate such as a wedding, a birthday, or a new promotion...we eat.
If we had a bad day...we eat.
If we get dumped....we eat.
If we have an argument with our spouse...we eat.
If we are catching up with old friends, new friends, or current friends...we eat.
And sadly sometimes when we are depressed about our weight....we eat.
We need to change that way of thinking. I'm talking about the importance of eating to live rather than living to eat. Food should not be our life, our focus, or our center.
Food should be a way to fuel our bodies and keep us healthy. For many of us, food becomes another chemical that we use to medicate and cope with negative emotions. Food has become a gateway drug. It is easy to obtain and the "pushers" of this drug legally advertise it on TV and billboards and make it available on nearly every city street corner.
Here are four simple ways to improve our eating habits and avoid even a minor food addiction:
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Don't use food as a form of entertainment: Rather find new sources or outlets. When you have a bad day try taking a relaxing bath or reading a book. If you get dumped, try getting a new haircut, a manicure, or a massage. If you are celebrating something, try writing a nice note of congratulations or play games. If you are just bored, try developing a fun new hobby or develop a talent.
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Don't eat past 7 pm: Food is used as fuel for our bodies. If we eat our last meal at 6:30 that should supply us with enough energy to get us through the night due to fewer energy demands. Eating late at night is like putting wood on the fire after the coals have burned out. Instead of burning those extra calories, our bodies will store them as fat instead.
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Out of sight, out of mind. Move your temptations. Frank Herbert said, “The proximity of a desirable thing tempts one to overindulgence. On that path lies danger." If your snacking weakness is cookies, crackers, and chips - then get them out of your pantry. If they are in your pantry, you will eat them.
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Follow a set plan or menu: With Somae you are provided with a meal plan for each of the 4 phases. This shows you what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. The meal plan provides you with the perfect balance. It is designed to take care of your body’s needs, but it also allows you to enjoy the foods you eat without overdoing or indulging in anything. The meal plan will make sure to keep you on the right track.
Remember we need to eat to live rather than live to eat. Enjoy the food in front of you. Then move on and enjoy the other aspects of life.
We pay a price emotionally and physically when we live to eat. My Somae clients are amazed at the freedom and sense of empowerment that comes as they adopt the Somae lifestyle. If you are feeling trapped by your food cravings, I invite you to give Somae a try. Your Somae Mentor will help you turn things around and get your life back sooner than you thought possible.
So you wanna be a slave to food cravings, huh? Welcome to the club! Be careful - it's that time of year and lots of so-called experts are touting "getting fit" for the new year. Here a 5 surefire ways to make sure you never accidentally become free from food cravings.
- Don't prepare - Make sure to eat at convenience stores, fast food restaurants and vending machines whenever you get hungry. Do NOT prepare your car, desk or pantry with healthy, ready to eat fruits, veggies and nuts. Having whole foods handy for whenever you get hungry is a cravings-killer.
- Don't drink water - Dehydration can be a great way to supercharge your cravings for salty foods.
- Be sedentary - Not moving and being bored out of your mind (even though you're watching TV) is an excellent way to ramp up your cravings. There's a reason so many TV commercials are food-related. It's friendly food companies inspiring you to indulge. Whatever you do, don't get up and go for a walk when you feel the cravings start. That's an excellent way to clear your mind and prevent overindulgence.
- Don't get enough sleep - The average person needs 6-8 hours of sleep a night. But you're not average - make sure you get a lot less than that if you want to continue to be a food slave. When your body is sleep deprived, it can suffer adrenal fatigue which causes hypoglycemia, excessive hunger and cravings for sweets.
- Don't take Somae Accel2 - The great thing about food cravings is that they can be so powerful. It's easy to stay addicted to food! Somae Accel2 is a very effective appetite suppressant made from only natural ingredients. Don't take it unless you really want to become free from food cravings forever.
If you are one of "those people" that would like to be free of food cravings and lose weight for the long term, a Personal Somae Mentor can help you achieve your goals sooner than you thought possible.
"I was introduced to Somae by my doctor and I had a lot of apprehension. I had tried many other diet plans that ended in disappointment.
After some convincing by my doctor and nagging from my overworked knees I made the commitment. I quickly found out Somae was not a diet plan - it was a lifestyle replacement.
One of the most surprising things was how I was eased into the program. The materials that came with the program were easily understandable and I always looked forward to the call from my mentor. In the process of phase one I already noticed the pounds coming off. The food I ate was not only healthy, but tasty.
When I got to phase 2 I noticed almost daily improvement. Somae has changed the way I think about food. I have a lot more energy, and best of all I feel like I am in control of my own weight and health.
Before I started Somae I could get out of breath walking up the basement stairs, now I look forward to a brisk jog.
I have continued in the Somae lifestyle since completing the program and I have had wonderful results. Both my mood and my body have continued to feel better and better.
I have been taken off of all of my prescription medications by my doctor. I have gone from 256 pounds with several medical issues including high blood preassure and stomach problems to 160 lbs and in better condition than I was in my twenties.
I would encourage anyone on the fence to make that leap and start their own personal journey to a better life."
The new year is right around the corner. It's almost that time of year for starting the new diet plan. The reality is that most diet plans fail within a few weeks of starting them.
Here are 5 surefire reasons your diet will fail:
- It's not sustainable. The problem with many diet plans is that they involve altering your eating habits temporarily in order to quickly lose weight. I have friends that diet this way and say things like, "I can do anything for 4 weeks." People do lose weight - but it always comes back. Why does the weight always come back? Because the way they were eating is not a sustainable long-term lifestyle. The Cookie Diet, hCG, the Atkins Diet, The Soup Diet, Pre-packaged (heavily processed) meals, etc are all examples of diets that just aren't sustainable long term. To find lasting success, your diet plan needs to be something you can sustain not for a few weeks, but for the rest of your life. When evaluating a new diet, ask yourself - Can I eat this way everyday for the rest of my life?
- It's not doable. Whatever your diet plan, make sure that is something you can comfortably do on a daily basis for an extended period of time. If it requires eating only one type of food, spending a ton of money on pre-packaged meals, if it requires elaborate preparation, or activities that are way outside your normal routines - beware. The reality is that you will not keep doing it long term. An effective diet plan consists of planning and preparing meals in a way that is simple for you to do that doesn't break your budget.
- It's not enjoyable. If you want to lose weight long term, you must exchange the way you eat today for something healthier. You are eating the way you are today because you like it. You enjoy eating the way you do. You prefer certain types of foods. They give you pleasure and comfort. They can also make you fat. In order to maintain a diet plan for the long term, make sure it is something that you enjoy. If you don't like it, I guarantee you won't stick to it for very long.
- No accountability. Most people are great at setting New Year's resolutions and they are also great at not sticking with them very long. Old habits are very hard to break. Altering the way you eat is one of the most difficult habits to change for the long term. Most diet plans fail. One of the main reasons is that we stink at holding ourselves accountable for our behavior. Have you ever set a goal to go running in the morning? What happens when the alarm rings? You press snooze, right?And pretty soon, you say to yourself, "I don't feel so great today, I'll go running tomorrow." But what happens when you're meeting a friend to go running?You get out of bed right? Because you don't want to let your friend down. We're okay with letting ourselves down, we've done it so many times before. But we're not okay with letting a friend down. Studies have shown that long term diet plan success involves two factors: keeping a daily journal of what you eat and having a personal coach or mentor. Whatever diet plan you choose, make sure you are journaling your food intake every day and find a coach or mentor to report to that can help you stay accountable.
- Lack of support. Following a new diet plan is not easy, especially for emotional eaters. Stress, frustration, depression, and bordedom eventually raise their ugly heads and we find ourselves eating our old standby comfort foods (ice cream, chocolate, deep-fried twinkies) to deal with our negative emotions. During those times, it really helps to have an advocate, a friend, a coach, supporter who is there to help us sort through those negative emotions and focus on our goal. And if we indulge and gain back a few pounds, that support person helps us get back on track right away rather than falling completely off the wagon for 6 months until we can regain the motivation to start over.
The Somae Plan is a lifestyle approach to weight loss and health designed and recommended by doctors nationwide. A Personal Somae Mentor teaches you a simple formula for eating real foods that you can buy at your own grocery store. Clients lose an average of 35 pounds in just the first 90 days.
Ready to learn more? Fill out the form to the right and a Somae Mentor will contact you to answer your questions and discuss your weight loss goals.
Think about the last time you bought a soft drink, or a fast food meal, or a bag of pretzels or a even a gallon of milk.
Have you ever thought about what the motivation of the food manufacturer is? Specifically? Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did xyz company make this bag of pretzels?”
The answer is obvious: to make money. Even though it is obvious, most of the time we never think about it that way. We are sucked in by the images of deliciousness on the packaging or the marketing messages on the label that declare that the product is fortified, sugar free, filled with antioxidants, enriched, all natural, etc.
The truth is that every word and picture and color on the food package is designed to entice us to buy it. Millions of dollars are spent every year testing and studying marketing messages and packaging designs to see which message/design combination sells the most.
Selling food products is not a bad thing – far from it. Food companies make our lives easier and richer in many ways. As consumers, especially those overcoming food addiction, we just need to have our eyes open and remember why food companies exist.
Marion Nestle, a well-known professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University said it best:
“Food companies will make and market any product that sells, regardless of its nutritional value or its effect on health. In this regard, food companies hardly differ from cigarette companies.”
Here is a nutrition industry insider comparing food companies to cigarette companies. Overcoming food addiction can be just as difficult, and perhaps more so than overcoming addiction to other substances such as cigarettes or alcohol.
That is a sobering thought. As consumers, we need to become more aware of what we are putting in our bodies. Over the past 30 years, America has placed its trust in food manufacturers, grocery stores and restaurants. The result is an explosion of obesity and disease.
Trusting others with our health, especially those motivated by keeping their stockholders happy, is not very wise.
Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta said, “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
Food companies may become our friends - when they earn our trust. All of us would benefit from carefully reading the labels of the products we are feeding to our families.
As Marion Nestle said, “To satisfy stockholders, food companies must convince people to eat more of their products or to eat their products instead of those of competitors.”
To do this, food companies spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising to convince you and your kids to buy their products.