By Try this if you have endless cravings and a sweet tooth.
Most of my weight loss issues resulted from having a sweet tooth.If I could choose a meal or dessert – no doubt dessert would be my first choice without question. Those days are long gone, of course – as I would have been struck by illness had I continuously eaten as many treats as I once did. Although I regret competing in bodybuilding shows because the weight gain caused me a lot of anguish – it taught me self-discipline with food. Following my strict bodybuilder diet (as dreadful as it was) helped shape the healthy person I am today. One of the worst parts of the weight loss journey is those endless cravings for all the wrong foods. At times, I felt that my cravings were deliberately trying to sabotage my wonderful weight loss mindset, We all have different food weaknesses, and mine was the consumption of sugary treats. Sugar was the hardest habit to eliminate. When you spend your life getting high on sugar, finally having the courage to cut out that sucker is mighty hard. It took me nine hard and long months to do so! If only I knew just how powerful spinach was – I would have changed my initial strategy and, as a result, rid myself of the endless sugar cravings. Spinach contains something special for us dieters and non-dieters alike. An extract called thylakoids (in spinach leaves) decreases hunger by a whopping 95%. That small extract could lead to an increase in weight loss success by up to 43%. Overall, this leads to better appetite control and a decrease in snacking.
You could use this strategy throughout life and keep up with any sneaky weight gain.
Researchers uncovered this finding by studying 38 overweight women they monitored for three months. Each morning, before anyone ate breakfast – they were to have a green drink. Half of the women were given 5g of spinach extract, and researchers gave the other half a placebo. No one knew which group they belonged to, and they were all given the same instructions to eat a balanced diet of three meals a day, and they were not to go on any diet. When the study ended, those in the control group lost 3.5kg, while those who took thylakoids lost 5kg. All the women in the thylakoid group said they found it very easy to stick to a three-meal-a-day schedule, and none experienced any cravings. One key success factor for these obese women was feeling satisfied with the food eaten and suppressing cravings.
Since most people live on a Westernised diet, and processed foods are broken down so fast, our intestinal hormones don’t get a chance to send those satiety signals to the brain.
Instead of feeling satisfied and full from the food we just ate, we feel empty and hungry. That’s why processed food never satisfies your hunger for too long. However, when we eat green leave membranes, digestion slows down to give our intestinal hormones time to release the right signals to the brain, which brings on feelings of fullness. To promote satiety, we have to eat those foods which promote slower digestion. These foods include whole grains, vegetables, protein, good-quality fat and carbs. Over the long term, this will help you sustain weight loss and provide energy and stamina. Thylakoids provide that extra feeling of satisfaction by extending the process of digestion. If we eliminate unhealthy and unnecessary snacks daily, we are on the right path towards creating better habits that sustain and promote weight loss and maintenance.
Key take away
Although this study mentions thylakoid extract – you can get the same effects by eating foods rich in thylakoids.Here are some of the richest sources
- spinach (of course!)
- kale
- lettuce
- cabbage
- collard greens
- mustard greens
You will not only lower your appetite when eating these foods but gain a whole lot of health benefits in the process, such as:
- protection against heart disease
- protect your eyesight
- reducing your risk of developing type two diabetes
- increase vitamin K for healthy and strong bones
- lower blood pressure
Add these wonderful vegetables to your daily food intake for their anti-cancer and health benefits. Why not make weight loss maintenance easy by eating more greens and spinach? It’s as easy as adding them to every meal. Find out more about thylakoids here. Download your FREE Fat Loss Recipe book here
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