Are You Craving Carbs?
Being on keto can be difficult at times, especially for women!
And if you're like most women on keto, there will come a time in your life (or heck – every month) where you body feels like it's literally craving carbs!
And no matter what you do it seems like you can't get rid of those cravings!
This sometimes happens in the beginning when you're just starting the keto diet and again during those times where our hormones are raging!
The reason why this happens is because our bodies are going through withdrawal symptoms and it comes from removing all of the processed foods, sugars and carbs from our diet.
So what are some of the signs of carb withdrawal?
They can vary widely depending on the individual but in most cases it's irritability, fatigue, lack of energy, sleepiness and even some people deal with a bit of depression.
While it may sound crazy that these things can happen to you when you give us processed foods, sugar and carbs, it's a REAL situation that many women actually deal with!
I know because anytime I've gone off diet, my body rebelled against me!
Why Our Body Craves Carbs
Believe it or not, this is your body's way of telling you that something isn't quite right and that it wants more attention!
And contrary to what most women believe, our bodies are not actually craving carbs… because the truth is we don't NEED them!
What's happening is we WANT them because they taste good and make us feel better!
When that time of the month comes, your estrogen and progesterone levels can go down pretty low and sometimes that makes us feel a bit more tired or stressed.
And let's not even talk about what happens to your body if you're menopausal or perimenopausal!
Your hormones will have your emotions all over the place!
And when most women are stressed out feel they tend to eat… and as a former stress eater I can tell you that when I eat due to stress it's not always the best foods!
So is there anything you can do about it? ABSOFREAKINGLUTELY!
All you need to do is show your body who's the BOSS! 😉
So now that you know WHY your body is craving carbs, let's talk about some tips to help you handle those carb cravings, get them under control and stay in ketosis!
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Tip # 1: Never Starve Yourself
While this may sound like basic common sense you'd be surprised to know how many women start keto and then start starving themselves like they have on other diets!
Most women associate being on a “diet” with them having to significantly reduce the amount of food that they eat.
They're used to eating bland foods and restricting everything that goes in their mouth and of course… eating as little fat as possible because as you know, for years we've been told that fat is BAD!
Well here's the thing about keto… it doesn't work that way!
With the keto diet, reducing your food and cutting out fat doesn't help you lose weight… it can actually stall your weight loss!
On keto everything is about quality over quantity!
This is where most women mess things up! The reason why is because if you restrict your calories too much and too fast, your body will go into starvation mode!
And one thing for sure is when you reduce or cut the fat out of your diet completely, your body will rebel and that's when all bad stuff starts happening!
When you drastically cut your calories, your body thinks it's being starved and that it may not get food for a while so it will do whatever it takes to protect itself!
This process will slowly start to shut down your metabolism because because your body's goal is to fight to keep every calorie you eat and any fat you have stored for a rainy day!
When your body starts shutting and slows down your metabolism, you won't lose more weight!
Honestly anything you eat can make you GAIN weight because it's during this time that your carb cravings and hunger pains increase.
This is WHY traditional diets don't work! And for most women, it's a never ending cycle that keeps you stressed out and your weight fluctuating!
Tip # 2: Eat More Protein
I've had women tell me when they got started on keto that they didn't want to eat more protein because they heard it was “bad” for them and would make them gain weight!
When the reality is, this couldn't be further from the truth!!!
Protein is literally the most important macronutrient that you can feed your body and one thing for sure, to lose weight and stay healthy – your body needs it!!!
Without enough protein, your body will lose it's muscle mass, your metabolism will slow down and as a result your body will end up burning less calories!
Studies have shown that when women eat more protein, they tend to crave processed foods, sugar and carbs a whole lot less!
So how is this possible?
When you eat more protein your your body sends a signal to your brain that you're actually satisfied and when this happens it causes you to have fewer carb cravings!
Did you know that protein is harder for your body to process than fat or carbs?
That's why when you eat more protein you burn more calories because your body has to work extra hard to digest it!
Another thing is your body needs protein to help you build stronger bones, muscles, skin, cartilage and blood.
So if you exercise on a regular bases, eating more protein will benefit your greatly! More protein will help you burn more fat, create more lean muscle which helps you build a better looking body!
Tip # 3: Eat More Fat
YES! You read that correctly! In order to lose weight on keto you need to make sure you're eating enough fat!
Remember when we were younger, we were taught that eating fat was a bad thing?
Truth is it's now been proven that eating fat is not only good for you but that it's also beneficial in helping you burn more calories and lose more weight!
Did you know that your body needs fat in order to produce hormones? And that when you restrict the amount of fat you eat, it can cause your hormone levels to drop?
Did you also know that eating fat will significantly lower your craving for carbs and sugar? The reason why is because fat is extremely filling and satisfying!
In fact, eating a diet that's high in good fats and protein (while simultaneously reducing carbs), can lead to a significant amount of weight loss and can also help change your body's composition!
Did you know that many of the negative effects that are associated with eating fat actually only apply when you combine it with carbs?
YEP! That's right!
Fat is really only bad for you when you're eating them with carbs!
So if you're trying to lose weight following the keto diet, don't skimp on the fat!
I'm here to tell you that by cutting fat you won't lose more and your body will actually suffer!
Tip # 4: Eat More Frequently
Were you aware that eating smaller meals throughout the day, every couple of hours, is one of the BEST way to keep your carb cravings at bay?
The reason why is that it helps with keeping your insulin levels more stable throughout the day. This is important because when your insulin levels drop it will send a signal to your brain that you are hungry and that's when those carb cravings kick in!
For example, instead of eating 2 – 3 large meals a day you can break them into 4 – 6. To accomplish this you don't need to make more food. Just break them down into more meals!
A sample of eating 4 – 6 keto approved meals a day may look like this:
Meal # 1: 2 Slices Of Bacon & 2 Scrambled eggs
Meal # 2: 2 Ounces Of Cheese & Small Handful Of Almonds
Meal # 3: 1 Grilled Pork Chop & 1/2 Cup Of Cabbage
Meal # 4: Pork Rinds With Hot Sauce
Meal # 5: 1 Grilled Pork Chop 1/2 Cup Of Cabbage
Meal # 6: 1 Ounces Of Cheese & Small Handful Of Almonds
As you can see, eating 4 – 6 small meals a day doesn't require any more work. It just requires a little more planning!
And eating several small meals a day will not only keep your insulin level stable but it will also help you prevent those carb cravings in the first place.
Tip # 5: Drink More Water
I'm sure by now you're sick and tired of hearing that you need to drink more water but believe it or not there's some real truth behind this information.
Sometimes we “think” we're hungry when in reality it's our body telling us it's thirsty!
Where you aware that drinking more water can actually cut your carb cravings to almost nothing?
I know that sounds crazy but it's true! Water helps you stay full! And when you're full you tend to have less cravings for carbs or other unhealthy foods!
So how much water should you be drinking? Go for a gallon!
It may sound hard to do but here's a simple way to make sure you get a gallon of water in daily.
Start each and every day with a full, one gallon sized jug filled with filtered water. And create lines on it like the picture I have below. This will serve as a reminder that every hour you need to drink enough water to get you to the next line!
Not only does this keep you visually focused on drinking your water each day but it also helps to keep you accountable!
Now if you get to a point in the day where you haven't met your water goal, you simply drink up and catch up!
Looking at the gallon of water and trying to figure out HOW you're going to get it all in each day may seem doubting!
But after a while not only will you get use to it but your body will to! And not only does water keep you full and starve off those nasty carb cravings, but it will help all of your organs, bones, skin and tissue too!
Have you tried any of the tips that I've shared above? If so then please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!
If you're not already doing keto and you're ready to give the keto diet a try then sign up for instant access to our 7 Day Keto Quick Start and I'll show you how to get started!
Oh and one last thing… if you haven't joined our KetoCoach Community, click here and join us now!
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Hi! I'm Pam Peebles and I started KetoCoach because I wanted to show other women all the benefits there was to living a keto lifestyle! Having used the keto diet to correct some of my own health issues, I knew that more women needed to know about it! Now my mission is to show as many women as possible how they can take control of their health, weight and life by following a simple system and to continue to grow our ever expanding KetoCoach Community!
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