Why CAN’T I say no to Chocolate Chip Cookies?
First a short story, one I’m sure you can relate to. Have you ever been at a social function and there is just a delicious plate of (insert your favorite dish) staring you in the face? In my case, if you’re in my office, which happens to be my home. My wife just pulled out a big huge sheet of warm yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies.
And if you are like me…you know you shouldn’t have any, because you’re trying to get leaner, you’re trying to fit into those smaller jeans that you have been keeping around since high school.
But you really want the warm cookies, and really want isn’t even the right word. You MUST have them to sustain life! Or at least that is the way it feels like lol! And as much as you fight it, you just can’t help yourself. You just keep thinking about those warm delicious chocolate chip cookies…or is that me ;-). Then once you walk by and smell them the battles is over : (. You smelled them, which means you basically tasted them, and you just have to have one or two…dozen…
Joking aside, the question becomes, why? Why is it so hard to resist the chocolate chip cookies? The answer has a lot to do with thinking and the habits we’ve taught ourselves.
The author of, The End of Overeating, Doctor David Kessler MD states, “You are wired to want it {chocolate chip cookies} and resistance is extremely hard.” That’s how he explains the impulse you feel from wanting a chocolate chip cookie that goes way beyond just having a mild interest in the cookie. You want it almost more than you want to find your soulmate.
Dr. David Kessler explains it’s very similar to being addicted to heroin. When you taste and consume foods that are high in sugar, fat, and salt your brain reacts almost like you just took a hit of opioids. These chemicals give you an extremely pleasurable feeling, they also relieve sensations of pain and stress.
Kind of makes sense why it’s so hard to stop right? This the primary reason you feel such an intense need to consume them. Your body doesn’t want to lose this “high” and wants more and more.
To make matters worse, there is a chemical called dopamine that makes you want the cookies. When you think about cookies and visualize how they would smell and taste, dopamine reminds your body how it felt to have a “cookie high.” Your body wants to repeat that pleasurable experience. In short, dopamine gets your body and brain “primed” to obtain the cookie. Dopamine causes you to focus on that desire and to seek it out with a vengeance.
Once this cycle happens a couple times guess what? It becomes a habit with a powerful trigger.
Once a habit it becomes extremely ingrained into our brain and thought processes. You are now “wired” to or addicted to it. Your brain has created a road and the cookie car is in on the fast track.
You’ve probably experienced something like this. Have you ever had an intense desire to make a run to the store only to get ice cream?
The good news is you can change this. You can actually develop new habits and create a new road inside your brain. Even though those chocolate chip cookies have an addiction factor like an opioid, you can overcome them. And by overcoming this addiction you can dramatically shrink your waistline, slim down your legs, and low and behold get into smaller jeans. Which I’m sure everyone will join with me in saying, “Hip, hip, hooray!”
The big secret on how to do this what many fitness gurus call, “Mindset.” You have to want something more than your desires for chocolate chip cookies or pizza or whatever it is. So what do you want more than chocolate chip cookies? What do you want more than pizza? If you’re like many people trying to get into smaller jeans, you want to lose weight you, want to look better, you want to feel better. Maybe you just want to get off your high blood pressure meds.
Go be awesome!
KELLEN LAKE – Yep, lol a cliff hanger lol
PS – On Friday I will be sharing a three step strategy to help you overcome your food addiction and get into smaller jeans ;-).
PSS – Order 10 Just 4 You Meals and get FREE home delivery, click here or go to www.just4youmeals.com
PSSS – See a Sweet Plantain Guacamole Recipe below.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large brown plantain, peeled and diced
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 3 large avocados, cut in half, pits removed
- ¼ medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno
- Juice of ½ lime
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Place a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add coconut oil. Once hot, add half of the garlic to the pan along with diced plantain.
- When the plantain begins to brown, sprinkle with salt and flip to brown on other side.
- Add the water to the pan and cover to steam the plantain.
- Once the plantain is soft, remove from the heat to cool.
- Meanwhile, scoop the avocados from the skin and put in a large mixing bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork. Add the onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Fold in the plantains. Chill in the fridge before serving. Enjoy!
