Are Cravings Causing You to Gain Weight?

Are you feeling like a beached Whale? Are you piling on the pounds, especially around the middle which has never happened before? It’s another one of the most common difficulties women experience as they transition through menopause and beyond.

The good news is that we can kick start our metabolism by getting the balance right in our diet and- lifestyle. Then you can lose weight without dieting in a matter of weeks!

Cravings for sweet foods is often the body’s way of attempting to communicate that blood glucose, more commonly referred to as blood sugar, levels are low. As most of us are unable to interpret the body’s message we continue to indulge in what we think our body needs, rather than what it actually needs.

Blood glucose levels drop to an unacceptably low level in those not eating regular wholesome food. It’s common for women, in particular, to crave food in their pre-menstrual week during perimenopause, when our daily calorie requirements rise by up to an extra 500 calories.

After consuming chocolate blood glucose levels rise rapidly. The brain goes on to ‘red alert’ and sends out messages to lower blood glucose levels. The hormone insulin is then released by the pancreas with a brief to drive the sugar from the blood stream back into the cells; which it does efficiently, hence that low blood sugar feeling and the merry-go-round continues.

In order to have optimum blood glucose levels we need to be well nourished. For example B Vitamins and the minerals magnesium and calcium have been shown to be necessary for normal blood control. Interestingly, we are born with a tiny amount of the mineral chronium, approximately one sixteenth of an ounce, which depletes as you grow older. Magnesium has been shown to be the most common deficiency amongst women of childbearing age, and B vitamins are often in short supply, especially when the diet has not been particularly brilliant over time.

Taking a supplement rich in chronium, magnesium and B vitamins acts as a short term ‘ nutitional prop’ to arrest the cravings.

Consuming a diet with a low glycaemic index will speed up the progress too. The glycaemic index is a name given to foods according to the rate at which they are converted to sugar by the body. Whilst refined foods are converted very rapidly, regular batches of whole grains including rye, oats, brown rice and buck wheat will help to stabilise blood glucose levels.

Eating wholesome foods little and often, and consuming the foods rich in magnesium, chronium and B vitamins which include whole grains, nuts and seeds, peppers, chillis, green leafy vegetables, chicken and black pepper will help put you back in control within the space of only a few months.

Don’t get derailed by stress. You can reduce elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol - which causes us to accumulate stubborn belly fat - by practicing regular relaxation and yoga.

Consume Mother Nature’s oestrogen - By adding these to your daily diet, you can fool the body into thinking that they are still naturally occurring in the body. Good sources include organic flaxseeds, soya and soya products, edamame beans and lentils.

And, keep dancing because exercise helps to burn fat.