How to Actually Cut Your Hunger + Cravings in Half

It's not that hunger and experiencing cravings are bad.
Hunger is a vital sign you're alive and healthy.
Cravings are a normal part of being a living, breathing, human.
But if you've been around here long enough, you knew I was going to say that ;)

*And* if your hunger and cravings are constant, out of control, and feel like a full time job you're trying to manage (on top of a full time job or school or life...) then it might be something to look at.

Extreme hunger and intense cravings don't just happen, they're a result from something you're doing, thinking, feeling, and your unique physiology (genetics).

That something could be(but not limited to): Deprivation, Too Much Cardio, Harsh Food Beliefs, and Not Enough Protein at Meals.

When I was working out twice a day for 2+ hours my appetite was HUGE.
On top of my HUGE appetite, I was depriving myself of foods I really wanted and desired. Chocolate, nope. Chips, nope. Popcorn, nope. Nope, Nope, Nope.

I couldn't have those things, I was living that caveman/woman lifestyle!

But I was constantly hungry, and constantly fighting my cravings.

I was miserable around food.

I'd eventually find myself eating allllll of the things I craved.

Stopping at one or two bites?! NEVER. I needed to eat everything and then move on with a clean slate.

This isn't uncommon. You fight and white knuckle until you just can't.

Some responses I get from women are, "Are you kidding me, I could never have 1 handful of chips, a few pieces of chocolate or 1 slice of pizza!"

I get it, I felt this way for a long time too.

I felt like I was ALWAYS hungry and ALWAYS craved carbs and sugar.

But a few things shifted in my life (behaviourally and mentally) that completely changed my appetite and cravings:

1) I stopped working out so much--specifically long bouts of cardio.
Listen, if you love it, great! I'm just sharing what has worked for me and what's helped many of my clients end their evening binges and insatiable hunger.

If you've ever trained for a marathon, triathlon, or CrossFit competitions, then you know that when training ramps up, so does your food intake.

Adding more and more exercise to your routine is not nothing when it comes to hunger and cravings. Sure, you’re burning more calories, but how many more calories are you eating later?

When you engage in long workouts, you pace. Your intensity is compromised (because it has to be) and intensity matters when it comes to hormones and physique results.

Stress hormones become elevated when cardio is mostly moderate-intensity and done for hours on end.(Think 45-60 mins on the treadmill or elliptical 5x/week)

The type, duration, and intensity of your exercise will impact your hunger and cravings.

Now, my rule of thumb is: Weights > Cardio. When I do cardio now, I keep it short and intense and not everyday. I increase my overall movement with low intensity movement like walking or cycling around town(this has way less impact on my stress hormone and appetite).

2) Proactive Treats: Eating the thing I'm craving before it's all I can think about.

When clients ask, "how do I not give into my cravings?"
My answer is something like, "you do give into them, you eat the thing you're craving."

That's never what they were expecting to hear.

But it's true!

The reason you feel so compelled and preoccupied with certain foods is because you've put them on a pedestal, and when foods are on a pedestal, your desire for that food becomes 10x stronger.

With Proactive Treats you have something daily so you feel satisfied.

How satisfied (or not) you feel on Monday WILL impact how likely you are (or are not) to binge the following weekend.

A Few of My Proactive Treats (and things that keep me satisfied): Dark chocolate, cereal, eating at restaurants often, chips and guac, and my favourite gluten free cookies from a local bakery. I don't have all of these everyday, but I usually have one or a few things that round out my meals.

3) Question my food beliefs: Sounds simple and maybe whoo whoo, but hear me out!

We all have beliefs.

We learn them from our experiences, family, friends, culture, education, etc.

These beliefs can have a lot of power over how we experience the world (and food!).

If you have a lot of stressful, limiting, and self-critical beliefs about: what, when, and how much food you "should" or "shouldn't" be eating, then it can feel really hard to have a Balanced, Relaxed, and Enjoyable relationship with food, with your hunger, and with your cravings.

What food beliefs are you upholding?
Where did you learn them?
Are they true?
Are they helpful and supportive?
Are you being extremely self critical and judgemental about your cravings and appetite?

This is where Self Compassion plays a HUGE role in moving away from extremes and learning how to navigate the middle.

If this is something you'd like more support navigating and exploring, I'd love to spend the next 5 months working together.

My 1-1 program: The BETTER Method
💪BALANCE
💪EAT PROTEIN
💪TRAIN HEAVY
💪TRAIN w/ INTENSITY
💪EAT ENOUGH
💪REST + RECOVERY...

...are the 6 pillars we move through during our time together. I've designed this program for women who want to end their all obsessive food, diet-binge, and cardio cycle, and finally build a physique without relying on extreme approaches.

I always say, if it's too extreme, it's not sustainable.

The opposite of Extreme is Moderation. That is what I help women work towards.