Sugar cravings and starchy carb cravings are hard to push through. In fact, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s challenging to, “just say no!”
However, there is a trick you can use to kill sugar cravings. What is that secret?
Eat enough protein!
Protein is essential for you if you want to get great results. Many people have heard that they need to monitor the amount of protein they take in but very few actually track this vital macro nutrient.
The best way to make sure you get enough protein is to make a habit of eating it for breakfast.
That’s right! Eating 30-50g of protein with some high quality fats and veggies for breakfast will reduce your appetite — especially for the sweet foods — and it’ll flip your fat burning switch into overdrive.
There are two reasons this works…
REASON #1
A protein-based breakfast stabilizes your blood sugar first thing in the morning. That’s EXTREMELY important when you want to lose fat.
That’s because chronically high blood sugar levels are associated with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and more.
Let me explain…
When you wake up and eat carbohydrates for breakfast, your body turns them into sugar and your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to get the sugar from your blood to your cells.
Much like a real estate agent, insulin’s responsibility is to take the glucose (or carbs/sugar) you just ate and show it a few different places where it can live. House #1 is your liver, house #2 is your muscles, and house #3 is your fat tissue.
The problem with eating carbs first thing in the morning is that, unless your muscles or liver need glucose — as is the case within 60 minutes of a tough workout — the carbs will most likely choose to live in your fat cells (house #3).
Then, guess what happens when your blood sugar begins to settle down after a big spike? You crave MORE SUGAR! And you’ll want it in the form of more carbs.
That whole process effectively traps you in a constant state of craving carbs and sugary foods and never lets your body go into full fat burning mode. Skipping carbs and eating protein for breakfast is a great way to break the vicious cycle.
REASON #2
A higher protein breakfast will reset your brain’s responsiveness to leptin — a hormone that reduces your appetite. Consistently elevated insulin levels lower leptin and leave you feeling hungrier.
That means high protein breakfasts not only put you in fat burning mode, they also help reduce your overall hunger on a mental level. Talk about AWESOME!
The habit you need to form is to eat a high protein breakfast (30-50g) generally within 60 minutes of waking (the only exception is if you follow an intermittent fasting diet in which case consume protein for your first meal).
If you do this you will have better control of your blood sugar levels and reduce your appetite and cravings for starchy and sugary carbs throughout the day.
NOTE: If you exercise vigorously first thing in the morning, eat your high protein breakfast directly after your workout and include carbs but minimize fat instead.
Here’s a few examples of high protein breakfasts you can use:
Protein Mocha – Use 30g Chocolate Whey Protein With 16oz Coffee and 1 TBSP Grass Fed Butter. Blend In A Blender And Enjoy
Eggs And Bacon – Cook 2-4 Eggs And 4-8oz Bacon And Enjoy
Omelet Or Scramble – Use 2-4 Eggs Along With Your Favorite Veggies And Enjoy
Meat And Nuts – Cook 4-8oz Meat (Breakfast Sausage Is Great) And Add A Small Handful Of Your Favorite Nuts
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Eat 30-50g protein in the morning within 60 minutes of waking. This will regulate your blood sugar helping you to oxidize more fat for fuel and will decrease your overall appetite and cravings for starchy and sugary carbs throughout the day. If you follow an intermittent fasting diet simply make sure your first meal is higher in protein and if you workout in the morning lower the fat content of your meal and add in some carbs.
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