Do your cravings control you? Find out how to flip the script.

Are you ready to kick those cravings to the curb? As is true in every battle, the first rule is to know your enemy. But so many of my patients get this confused — your enemy isn’t low willpower.

Your enemies are actually leptin resistance and dopamine. Now I know you’re probably thinking, “What are you talking about, lady?” 

Let me break it down for you…Leptin is a hormone that tells you whether or not you have enough stored energy to get things done. I call it your “hunger trigger,” because when its levels get too low, you start to crave food. 

And that trigger worked well for thousands of years — until we started eating a diet overloaded with carbs. Because when you eat too many carbs, your body gets massive doses of leptin…So, over time, you become leptin resistant, and your brain stops receiving the “I’m full” signal. And that’s where the cravings begin…You start feeling powerful urges for more carb-based, leptin-loaded foods, like cookies and bagels — even though you may have eaten only 2 hours before. But leptin is not the only hormone working against you, there’s also dopamine, which can make you want to eat, not because you’re hungry, but because you’re bored.

And guess what? You can get hooked on dopamine from alcohol, sweet foods, dairy — even your phone! Basically, if it makes you feel good, it can cause a spike in dopamine.  

But I think Lindsay describes her battle with dopamine best… 

“The cravings I had, I think were really sort of everything, sweet, salty, wine.  But I think it was boredom, honestly, because, you know, I really enjoy food and drink in general…And especially during the pandemic just, it's like my one joy.”

 But when you can understand your enemies and how they work, like Lindsay did with the Bone Broth Diet, you can really start to make a change…

“With the current state of the world, a little bit of weight had crept back on, and I just found myself falling back into some not great habits and was feeling a little sluggish and, lots of sugar, lots of drinking. And I really needed a reset just to kind of get rid of some of those cravings”

Just like Lindsay, I think we all can agree that our cravings can really get a grip on us sometimes — even I get caught up in pasta once in a while! But, if you don’t keep your cravings under control, they can end up wreaking havoc on your body, just as they did to her. 

“I was bloated. My stomach was not feeling well, I wasn't sleeping well. My skin was really broken. I knew also that it was my eating habits and just too much sugar. It was kind of getting a little out of control.”

There’s good news, though! By replacing those heavy carbs and sugar with healthy, filling fats or clean protein (like Bone Broth!), you’ll notice your cravings subside substantially — just like Lindsay’s did! 

But what if your cravings don’t seem to be going away that easily? Well, this fact that I learned long ago may help you put things in perspective:  

The average craving lasts only 3 minutes.

3 minutes...Think about it, you can withstand just about anything for 3 minutes. 

So, my recommendation is this: try doing something other than giving into your craving. That could be anything from drinking a glass of water, to distracting yourself by doing a chore, getting out of the house, or calling a friend — just for 3 minutes.

And trust me — even with these tips and tricks — things won’t change overnight…Like Lindsay, the key to beating cravings is simply to build a healthy, balanced lifestyle. 

And remember, as long as you’re following a clean, nutrient-rich diet 80% of the time, it’s perfectly okay to indulge in a little “fairy dust food” the other 20%!  

Sending you my big Italian kiss,