22018 Cravings

MetCon//

*The point of this workout is to move through full ranges of motion with light weight continuously for 20:00. Movement quality and consistency is more important than a intensity and big score. Only one score counts this week!!!

20:00 AMRAP

5 Squat Snatch 75/55

7 Hand Release Push-Up

10 Box Jumps - No Rebounding 24/20

If you have a teen in teens class, have them dressed for rope climbs! 

Actual physical hunger is really easy to satisfy. Hunger Pangs or the possibly painful feeling of hunger goes away really quickly after you consume some calories. Once you get to work on digesting some substance, those feelings go away and you're good to go. 

Cravings though, are a different beast and believe it or not, they're good. When you feel like you really really want some chips or a cinnamon roll or you're going to punch a child, your body is telling you something about what you need. Yah, cravings are usually really counterproductive to us loosing fat, but they are basically our physiology transcending our will power. I think it's pretty cool that our body was created so intelligently that it tries really hard to keep us from killing ourselves. Your physiology is so strong that it'll even transcend your morality, ex. hungry enough to steal food or commit a crime to feed your kids. Cravings and hunger are great for survival, food companies though have capitalized on our physiology and create foods that really never satisfy true hunger. You wanted a cookie, and you had a cookie, but by the time you realize what's going on, you're 8 deep into a pack of nutter-butters and wanting more. When you confuse cravings with actual physical hunger it is a recipe for disaster. 

Hunger is really general, but cravings are specific. Think pregnant lady wants cereal at some random non-cereal time of the day. I'm willing to bet you've seen some cute info-graphic on pinterest that says, "If you're craving this, then your body wants that, so eat _____." That is not wrong, and could be helpful, but it's a huge oversimplification. How many friends do you have that lost 80lbs and say, "I lost it all after seeing this cute pinterest info-graphic?" That info-graphic or chart you saw in women's health is oversimplified because there isn't a category that says, you're craving french fries because your husband was mean to you, and your kids kept you up all night. Your cravings have to do with hormones like dopamine and seratonin, and life circumstances, and social pressures, and addiction, and fear-of-missing-out, and sometimes nutritional needs.

So what do I do with all of that? Slow down. Name and Identify your craving. You can first ask yourself, "why do I want this so bad?" Think of all the reasons you might want a cookie. -When I see a milk commercial - When I see a cookie at the store - My mom always made me cookies when I was sad - I crave anything I see - I tried to eat one cookie but now I want more - I haven't eaten a carb in 3 days - I've had two beers and after two drinks, I'll eat anything. The cute pinterest infographic says you want a cookie because you need chromium?? smh... you want a cookie because you spent the weekend eating like an a-hole and sugar is more addictive than crack. 

If you're conscious of why or when you're craving stuff, then you can notice patterns. You can also identify what you're expecting to gain from eating the food you want. "I think a big bowl of Mac and Cheese will make me feel comfort." Is there something else that can provide that comfort? A warm bath? A nap? A banana? How many times have you found yourself in the kitchen right before bed pounding a salty snack like crackers or chips? Crackers are for parties and cheese, not eating alone standing in front of the glow of the fridge. In the entirety of humanity, never has our survival hinged on how many cheesy fish we can cram before bed. Something else is going on. 

The crappy thing about processed foods is that they can satisfy our psychological cravings with with a mega-dose of dopamine or serotonin, but they're really easy to overeat. So you're like, "Ok great, no processed food, I just won't eat food then." Psychological cravings are only exacerbated by actual hunger. The cool thing about whole foods, is that they're really filling. I rarely reach for the sweets when I'm satisfied with whole foods because it was already hard enough to finish the plate of broccoli, eggs , and oat meal as it was. When you're staring at your hand-full of broccoli with breakfast, you can remind yourself that later on, you'll be less likely to reach for the pringles. 

You really can't control your cravings, but you can bring them into the light and examine them. You certainly can't do that with your mouth full of Ben and Jerry's, eyes rolling back in your head and saying, "yah, that's the stuff." It's too late then. Point them out, identify them, ask what you would hope to get from eating whatever it is you crave. You're still going to slip up, but the more often you point this stuff out, sooner or later, it'll turn into action.