Carb Craver

I had a restless sleep and woke up feeling lethargic and cranky; lucky husband! Sigh

Groggy with my eyes half shut I got out of bed, leashed up my Yorkshire terrier and my French bulldog and brought them out for their morning walk. When I got back up to the condo I changed into my NIKE gear, drank a glass of water, grabbed my iPod, and heading down to the gym. It wasn’t cold out and it wasn’t raining so I’m not sure what possessed me to decide to run the treadmill rather than my usual route outside?

Aware of my dysfunctional relationship with the treadmill, I entered the gym attempting to psych myself “This is a short and easy run. I can do this in my sleep. Just focus on the tunes and be done in less than 40 minutes!”

Running on an empty stomach in the morning isn’t usually a problem if I keep it to less than 10 km. But as soon as I started I felt weak. My mind wanders and I couldn’t grasp a single positive thought. With the unchanging scenery I stared at the timer on the treadmill watching the seconds tick by in ultra slow motion. “My god I can’t take it!!!” I succumbed to my negativity and jumped off as I reach the 5 km mark.

When I arrived at the office I realized I was starving and my carb craving was in full swing. I was salivating at the thought of chocolate, pastries and pasta. I don’t get these intense cravings very often and tried to recognize what was triggering them.

Why do we crave carbs?

• Going too long without eating causes low blood pressure and increase cravings
• Consuming white rice, white bread, sweets and sugar products will fuel hunger since these foods are high glycemic and low in fibre.
• Protein helps to keep blood sugar normal, make sure your  get enough
• Low calorie diet
• Poor sleeping habits and high stress levels
• Low consumption of high fiber carbs, especially if you are exercising regularly can cause cravings as well as low energy levels.

I figured that my sleepless night combined with the low calorie diet I’ve been on for about two weeks and yesterday’s Valentine sugar overload were to blame for my crankiness and my cravings. Rather than surrendering to my sugar longing I planned a healthy dinner that would curb my evil sweet tooth.  Check out my Healthy Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti Squash. This recipe is loaded with healthy carbohydrates, nutrients and protein. Yum!

PT Girl xo