If you’ve tried to change your diet but did not end up following through, or you made changes for a while and then found yourself drifting back to your original habits – I want you to listen and listen closely – You are not a failure. You are not weak. You are not lazy. You are HUMAN.
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Quick Overview of Stress and Nutrition
When you are stressed, the body produces cortisol. Cortisol creates the feeling of unpleasant emotion. The brain seeks to feel better as soon as possible and one of the quickest ways to feel better is to eat foods that are high in sugars and refined grains (i.e. the exact same foods you vowed to give up) because they cause the brain to produce dopamine.
The relief that comes from those foods is only temporary and is usually followed by an increase in stress response because 1. Those foods can send our blood sugars soaring and increase inflammation and 2. We judge ourselves for “not being able to stick with the plan.” Thus, we are stuck in a cycle that I refer to as the dance between stress and nutrition.
When We Change Our Diet
Now, say you successfully cut out the comfort foods - imagine the brain’s confusion when, all of a sudden, the stress is there, the unpleasant feeling is there, but food as a solution is off the table (literally). This creates a greater experience of stress and stronger cravings for food. When we rely on willpower, we eventually run out of energy and give in.
What's A Girl To Do?
The key becomes managing our stress, feeling our feelings, getting in tune with our thoughts and engaging in activities that create a healthier dopamine response. Yes, these take more effort up front and we don’t get the same instant gratification. But, in the long run, we get to enjoy less stress and greater health. I’m in. Are you?
Cue The Video
This video is all about the dance between stress and nutrition. Tune in, learn why you are not alone in the struggle to make behavior changes, and then leave me a comment below! What is your greatest takeaway??
This is one of my favorites so far. It was originally recorded live on Facebook (using my laptop because my desktop decided to take the afternoon off) and has a guest appearance by Roscoe 🙂
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