Confession of an addict

My name’s Tanith and I’m a cake-aholic
 
There’s another story behind that ^^^^ and perhaps when i feel braver I’ll share it!
I LOVE cake.
 
cake, cake,cake
 
It didn’t always be like that….I used to be a bit of a food facist!!
Clean eating all the way. No wheat, caffeine, dairy, sugar and alcohol.
I used to sneer at cake.
 
Who was I kidding I REALLY wanted to eat it but wouldn’t allow myself.
 
This super strict clean eating malarky wasn’t something I could do long term.
It just became another form of controlled eating and used the diet mentality.
When I was ‘on it’ i felt great, full of motivation and my energy levels were suberb!
(and a I felt a bit smug :/ )
 
I got great results from it!! I was lean and felt pretty good.
But it was short lived because at some point I would eat cake (sugar) and lots of it!!
 
I would binge like a mother funker…..
 
And so the cycle began again.
Does this sound familiar giiiiirlfriend??
 
When I went through the menopause transition a couple of years ago my eating went to hell.
 
I ate sugar and wheat all the time (gasp!!)
I felt lousy!! I was eating to make myself feel better.
It actually made me feel worse but I was in a cycle I felt powerless over.
 
Lower levels of estrogen actually make us ladies more hungry.
Now you know why you feel hungrier before your period.
 
At the end of last year once I had sorted out my high stress levels I felt
like I had the ‘space’ in my head to address my eating.
 
The excess sugar, carbs and wheat were really effecting my mood swings,
which believe me were erratic enough.
 
So instead of going on another diet I just started adding back in loads of veg, especially the leafy greens.
I also started talking a ‘green’s’ drink called Lean Greens. More about this next week 🙂
Once my body was getting the nutrients it needed my cravings lessened.
 
I kept it simple and avoiding any sparkly diets that were talking to me
(damn their marketing is good……this is the one that will work right??)
 
I didn’t feel deprived as nothing was restricted.
I still eat cake when I want but it’s not every day.
 
I prefer to make my own cakes as I like the process of baking, I find it relaxing.
I don’t usually use gluten flours as it makes my belly look and feel pregnant.
I use xylitol as a sweetener so my blood sugar levels don’t go nuts and cause further cravings.
I use almond flour which has plenty of protein and fat and keeps me fuller for longer
and again no cravings.
 
So I don’t often feel deprived and therefore want to binge.
(if I do it’s usually because I havent had enough good fats and protein)
 
There is no more guilt around food for me.
 
I have had to do a lot of ‘brain’ work around my thinking. It’s the kind of thing I teach
my peri-menopause clients.
 
Eating like this will help your moods and other menopause/PMS type symptoms.
 
Keep it simple….
Up your vegetables, up your water, up your sleep, up your time in daylight and
you will notice a difference without any effort or will power.