Hello Reader,

Do you ever feel like you deserve food as a reward?

Have you taken the time to really sit down and think about your relationship with food? People throw this term around a lot.

But have you actually thought about it?

Are you eating to fuel your activity?

Are you eating for energy?

Or is your eating out of habit or boredom?

Is it emotionally driven?

Are you turning to things that are high sugar, fat, or salt?

These foods activate the reward pathways of your brain.

I teach clients to take foods off their pedestals - to help get them away from using these foods as “treats” or rewards.

When we think about rewards - there is the anticipation of the reward that sends out a little dopamine hit. You get the rush - before you actually eat the reward.

Then again, when food hits your stomach, there is a second release of dopamine.

Our body remembers this, and this shows up as cravings.

So what triggers your cravings?

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The key to stopping this cycle is that you need a pattern interrupt.

Write out and regularly reread your goals.

Why do you want this?

What are you working towards?

What will it take?

Write out a plan.

What are all the healthy habits that you want to be implementing in an ideal world? Having a plan - even if you don’t follow it - gives you a direction to work toward.

Explore non-food rewards. Make an actual list, so you don’t have to come up with these in the moment.

We are hard-wired to want high-fat, sugar, and salt food because, in the old days, they were the most nutrient-dense options. But now that we have engineered foods designed to want you to keep eating and buying them, we can’t depend on our innate sense to tell us what to eat. And as we’ve adapted, so have the food scientists making ever increasingly palatable foods to keep us hooked.

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But remember, you are not a victim.

You can take charge of your food choices.

I like to start with eating a balanced diet and designing a healthy plate properly. When I ensure that I am getting all the right macro and micronutrients, I know that when I am craving something, it is NOT due to malnutrition. And in some cases, it will turn off the craving siren entirely just because I am meeting my body’s needs.

When you learn the Why behind what your body needs, you can prioritize fueling it and making those nutrient-dense foods more enjoyable. You become the food scientist!

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One of the reasons I profess a holistic approach to mastering your nutrition is because ALL of your habits affect your eating. If you are getting enough sleep, if you are getting enough outside time, mental stimulation, too much or too little, movement, social connection - everything in your life will affect your eating habits. That is why I like to ensure everything looks good - I know when everything is functioning in harmony, sometimes your overeating will follow suit. It’s all interconnected.

Want to do a deep dive into everything that matters - The Big Dial Movers of Health?

👇 Check out my YouTube Video on that.

Watch the Video!

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Paying attention to everything that matters with your health is not a one-time thing. It’s a lifestyle. That means you can’t just hit your protein targets for a week and expect that to change your life and cravings.

By no means do you have to be perfect, but achieving success most of the time is kind of important.

The other thing to realize is that often foods high in fats and sugars, and carbs can put you on a blood sugar rollercoaster. If you aren’t careful, you might continually search for the next food to make you feel better and end up in a cycle of eating foods that never level you out.

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Is your lower primitive brain being hijacked by habit?

Your brain has taught you that acting on the urge will make you feel better - because it has in the past.

Practice a brain huddle — Check-in with what is going on.

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Urges are temporary. Feelings only last 90 seconds; after that, it’s just your brain perpetuating the memory of that feeling. So you do NOT have to act on the urge. They are just signals in your brain.

Think of your human experience as a rushing river - the urge to eat comes in, don’t think on it; just let it wash over you and pass you by. You want to be in balance with the natural world - overthinking your behaviors and striving to control them can backfire and perpetuate your thinking about them even more. Think balance rather than getting caught up in the urges.
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Do you want to fall prey to the whim of your habits or be present and make choices that are your own and not based on past behaviors?

Food is FUEL. Not reward. Or stress relief or punishment. Yes, enjoy it, by all means. But try not to make it a reward - especially when your goals are weight loss.

Until next time,

Morgan