Gonna Eat a House

Ugh. The chronic hunger monster is back in full force. It's something I've dealt with my whole life. When I'm eating the right things it's tolerable and, at times, almost non-existent. However, after an Easter weekend of gorging on everything tasty including lots of sweets, I feel like I may lose control at any moment. Stay away from me or I may just eat YOU.

Okay, I wouldn't eat you...unless if you happen to be a 50% off Reese's peanut butter egg then you better hide! Those suckers are everywhere and yesterday I ate one. Why? Because it was 50% off of course and I can't pass up a good deal! No, seriously, because I have little to no control when I get this crap in my system.

So I'm back to the grind and slowly pulling myself back to the land of the living. Here's what I do to get my appetite and cravings back under control:

• I never ever EVER let myself get too hungry!

• I make sure I'm hydrated.

• I make EXTRA sure I get a good night's sleep (this was actually my problem yesterday, I slept horribly the night before).

• Okay, this next one is a little tricky. I try to make sure I don't eat too many carbs at one time and make sure that my protein and healthy fat is high (about 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carbs). However, and here comes the tricky part, I actually DO eat a little higher carbs than usual (up to 40%) and I make sure to eat them more frequently than I usually do. The reason for this is that I find my body is craving sugar like a wild animal and if I go too long without carbs....BAM! Peanut butter egg city!

• Now for the  not so healthy thing I do. I very temporarily drink extra caffeine and/or something like flavored BCAAs or Amino drinks. These are NOT healthy by any stretch of the imagination but what they do is temporarily curb my appetite until I can get this funky sugar out of my system and get back on track. I only use this one as a last resort because, truly, it is not healthy at all.

• I also revisit my fitness goals and why they are important to me, frequently. I read lots of motivational material, watch videos, listen to podcasts. This is something I actually do on a fairly regular basis anyway but, at times like this, the more the better I find. 

I am sharing this for two reasons. First, I think these methods are very effect so I want to make them available for others. Second, I want to crush to illusion that people who control their weight or resemble what others may identify as "fit" eat perfectly. We don't! I can honestly say I have never met anyone who does. I have cravings and weaknesses like everyone else. The only difference between me and someone who hasn't conquered yet is that they haven't found the tools that work for them. This is NOT about willpower. If you deal with a large appetite and/or cravings and rely on willpower you WILL fail, I promise you! It's about having a plan and keeping what's important to you in the front of your mind at all times.