In a 12-week study, 40 women were randomly split into two groups. Each group was given approximately two tablespoons of either soybean oil or coconut oil and instructed to follow a reduced calorie eating plan and to walk 50 minutes a day.

At the end of the study the “coconut oil group” increased their good cholesterol, reduced their bad cholesterol, and significantly reduced their waist circumference (stomach fat).

The soybean oil’s group levels of cholesterol went up and they didn’t lose any stomach fat – even with a reduced calorie eating plan and walking 50 minutes a day.

Organic sources of fat like coconut oil and macadamia nut oil have saturated fat, but it does not matter because they are full of nutrition and are better for you than processed vegetable oils, like canola and soybean, that cause inflammation in your body.

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. – Jim Rohn

Cravings will come and go every day, depending on how tired you are, what stressors you have in your life, etc. The good thing about cravings is that they are normal and will eventually pass. They will also decrease in strength and frequency over time.

Here are some coping strategies that may work for you.

Learning to resist cravings

The mental activities of cravings and urges disappear over time as long as you don’t actively pay attention to them. After some time, they will run their course and disappear, usually within 10-15 minutes. It’s ok to sit with the temporary discomfort. It won’t “kill” you and will pass pretty quickly. You then can feel good about your achievement!

Remember that it’s important not give up what you want most for what you want in the moment.

Work on NOT giving in no matter how bad the craving is and it will eventually pass. All the cravings you have ever had have passed. Once you stop giving in to your cravings, you know you can and will do it again and again. And after a short time, there will be fewer cravings and the ones you have will continue to diminish in intensity. The key is to wait them out.

Another thing you can do when you experience a craving is to quickly substitute a thought or activity that’s more beneficial or fun. Take a walk or any other form of exercise. Pick up something new to read or turn on something to listen to. Reach out to me or Sandra or your accountability partner. The possibilities to substitute (and lessen the craving more quickly) are endless.

Think about and write down some possibilities so you will have a list on hand when cravings occur.

Why do some women lose weight easier than others? There are so many things involved in weight loss. It is much more than just calories in and calories out. Some of the things that affect ability to lose weight are:

– stress levels
– sleep
– hormones (estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormone, cortisol, insulin, etc.)
– food intolerances
– gut bacteria

We focus a lot on the “calories in”, which is easiest to control, but all these things make “calories out” harder to control.

You don’t have to settle for dull moods, foggy brains, flabby bellies, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, low libido, weight gain and bone loss so “common” and “accepted” with getting older.

Learning how sugar and flour effect your mood and health is critical, especially as you age. Check out my facebook page for menopausal women.

2 eggs OR 6 oz. tofu OR 1 egg AND 2 oz. chicken or 2 oz. steak
1 C. cooked rice
2 C. veggies (onions, cabbage, carrots, peas)
1 T. sesame oil
Tamari and white pepper to taste
Non-stick spray

Lightly scramble the eggs/tofu and set them aside. If using chicken, cook through, remove from pan and dice. Stir-fry the veggies with a non-stick oil spray and tamari. Add the protein and cooked rice to the veggies, top with a bit of Tamari and the sesame oil and stir.

From The Skinny Coach Solution Recipe book
You can get your own here

“I’m still very happy living with this new way of eating. It is a welcomed lifestyle change that has allowed me to live with a normalcy in connection with food. I eat appropriate amounts of healthy, simple and delicious foods. I no longer binge or crave foods like a use to. I feel very satisfied and content and do not feel like I’m missing out on anything. Ironically, I have found that other people think I am. It is interesting to see people’s reactions and hear their comments when I politely say I don’t eat that anymore or that is no longer part of the way eat. I often see looks of sorrow or get reactions that I must feel deprived. This couldn’t be further from the truth, yet it is very difficult to convince people of that. I know that is not how I feel but that may be a feeling they are identifying within themselves.

It made me realize that when you are in a dysfunctional relationship and you start to make healthier choices or changes, people don’t know what to do with it when they are use to another way. It makes them feel uncomfortable. Since I have changed the dynamics of the foods I choose to eat and the relationship with my food, it seems to make others feel uncomfortable. And that is ok. I know how I’m eating is healthy physically and mentally.”

-Maureen

A diet containing roundup tolerant genetically modified corn (GMO) can cause tumors and organ damage and lead to death in laboratory rats, according to research published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology. The rats’ diet reflected the kind of exposure to genetically modified food that humans, who eat genetically engineered food, should expect. In other words, it was the type of and amount of GMO that you eat when you eat GMO corn.

Try to do your body a favor and do not eat anything that is genetically modified – especially corn.

It’s not about starting another diet; it’s about making a lifestyle change!” Lifestyle is the buzz word right now as people are becoming painfully aware that diets have a dark and dirty under belly. Unfortunately, while we may hear it every day it doesn’t change the fact that when you wake up tomorrow, and start eating 1200 calories a day and exercising like Peyton Manning you feel like you’re on a DIET.

Allow me to clarify what the difference between another diet and having a true and meaningful lifestyle change. Your body has been on one diet or another since you were born. Whether it was the ‘junk food diet’, the ‘I’m in college and eat Top Ramen diet’, or the ‘I’m pregnant, step away slowly diet’; either way it’s a diet. It’s a conscious decision to eat a certain way every day- that literally is all a diet is.

Think for a moment the first time you tried something; for instance, your favorite ice cream- once you started eating that ice cream, once you realized you liked it and it made you feel good, you started eating that food repeatedly. Therefore, making that ice cream a part of your diet. Once the ice cream became a regular part of your diet, it became a lifestyle change in which you now eat ice cream almost every day. You can see through this chain of thinking – a diet decision became a lifestyle change before your very eyes.

Of course, that leads to the next thought- which is how can I make healthy food that will make me thin, healthy and happy a lifestyle change. There is good news and bad news. Our brain is very clear about what it desires, if you consume something that rewards your pleasure center you will crave that thing… Potentially a lot. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that you can train your brain that healthy food, while it may not light up your pleasure center right away, still makes you feel good and right If you eat good wholesome food every day, and you never get stomach aches or bloats from rich food, or indigestion from fatty or greasy food, and you feel light and energetic, your brain will get that message. That means that you are always speaking with your brain, you are constantly trying to communicate.

If you tell your brain and body that the best you can do is light up that reward center- it will take what it can get. But, if you tell your brain that these certain foods can make you clearer, give you less headaches, and allow you to be at your best- your brain will hear you!

So, the truth of the matter is that everyone starts a ‘diet.’ You can’t escape it, if you are eating in a way that is making your fat and sick today, you will have to start a diet if you want to be thin, and healthy- there’s no trick. But once you start that diet, once you (and your brain) really believe that this diet food is rewarding and making you feel good- you will start to crave good food!! Believe me, today I crave yummy creamy yogurt with cooked apples and cinnamon- and my brain believes me!

“I’m thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.” – Alex Elle

Menu planning is everything. You might not want to make a food plan, but it is very important that you do it anyway.

Why?

When you don’t have a food plan and you want to lose weight, you REQUIRE yourself to use willpower.

The best way to make a healthy choice when you’ve had a bad day is with a menu plan. You’ve made a decision ahead of time to have your own best interest in mind.

Without a solid menu plan made ahead of time, you will have to FORCE yourself into doing what it takes to lose weight. And, you RISK taking the easy way out without a menu plan!

On those days everything seems to be going crazy, you’ll be so thankful you know what you are going to eat. It’s one less brick in the load!

1 banana
3 oz. silken tofu
Nutmeg to taste

Place banana and tofu in blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate 8 hours, Sprinkle with nutmeg just before serving.

From The Skinny Coach Solution Recipe book
You can get your own here

“Last weekend I had a yard sale and got rid of several sizes of clothing (and made a little money)–and now I’ve got a cleaned out closet and some new, skinny clothes!  The compliments just keep coming, and I feel so good.  Now when someone asks me if I miss such-and-such a food, I say, “Yes, but not as much as I like being skinny!”

Especially nice are the compliments from my often critical in-laws, who just can’t stop talking about how great I look.  My mother-in-law says that I’m prettier now than I was when I got married, and my father-in-law says I’m looking like a young woman.

I love success!  Thank you, Tiffany!”

-Becky

Listen, a desire is just a feeling. It will pass whether you act on it or not. As I have said a million times – NO MATTER WHAT – you are not giving into that urge. PERIOD. Maybe you will be a little uncomfortable…so what? It is also uncomfortable to overeat. It is also uncomfortable to unbutton your pants because they are too tight. It is uncomfortable to have heartburn from overeating. Craving a cookie, candy, ice cream, etc. is just a feeling and it will pass. Once you accept that it is ok to be uncomfortable, then we can move on to how to spend the time until that urge/craving/desire passes.

If you are eating The Skinny Coach way, then you will have enough protein, enough food, and feel content. But if you still have a craving…here are a few tips on how to stop sugar cravings:

-Do 10 jumping jacks
-Sing a song
-Call a friend
-Take a shower
-Run to the mailbox
-Scream to yourself, or out loud, NO! and every time your brain goes there again, scream NO!

Whatever you do, don’t give in! Every time you give in, you are teaching your brain that you are weak and have no power. Every time you control your behavior you LEARN; your brain learns to control itself; the cravings will disappear.