You Ever Eat A Bag Of Sun Chips For Dinner?
You have to understand. My client Jennifer didn’t mean to have an entire bag of Sun Chips for dinner.
It just happened.
The 49ers were playing.
But not playing well, and it was the playoffs!
She was stressed, stressed, stressed, and the Sun Chips took the edge off.
She had only planned to have a serving, maybe too. Certainly not the entire bag.
It all happened fast. When the chip dust settled, the bag was empty and the 49ers lost 41-6.
The Sun Chips weren’t the problem. The problem was the mindlessness.
It was the fact that one second the bag was full, the next it was gone.
It was the fact that she didn’t have control. The chips did.
It happened AGAIN, and how’d she feel?
Like a failure.
Look, I’ve been there, so no judgement. But 99% of the time, cravings don’t stand a chance against me. And it’s not because I’m more disciplined or mentally tough than you. Not at all.
It’s because I do three very boring things every single day.
1. I Sleep At Least 7 Hours/Night
John, what the hecky does sleep have to do with eating? Reader, it has EVERYTHING to do with eating.
When sleep is short, hunger hormones get out of whack.
Ghrelin (the hormone that makes you feel hungry) goes up.
Leptin (the hormone that tells you you’re full) goes down.
So you feel hungrier and less satisfied. And way more drawn to quick, salty, sugary foods.
At the same time, poor sleep drives up stress hormones, which lowers impulse control and makes your brain look for fast relief. Even when I sleep a little less than normal — say 6 hours instead of 7 or 8 — I feel it the very next day. Cravings creep in fast.
Hormones run the show. Sleep is how you keep them on your side.
2. I Eat 50+ Grams Of Protein And 8+ Grams Of Fiber For Breakfast AND Lunch
Protein and fiber do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to appetite control.
Protein increases satiety and slows digestion.
Fiber does the same and helps stabilize blood sugar.
Together, they keep hunger predictable instead of chaotic. This is huge because what you don’t eat earlier in the day almost always shows up later.
I have so, so many clients who tell me they aren’t hungry before noon.
On its own, that’s not a problem. The problem is what happens after 6pm. About 80% of them turn into insatiable gremlins, eating 2,000 calories before bed without even realizing it. No wonder they weren’t hungry at 8am! They had 1,000 calories at 10pm the night before.
And this starts a vicious cycle that’s really hard to break.
Eating at night doesn’t magically cause fat gain. But when your early-day habits create a bottomless pit, overeating becomes very easy — and if you overeat at any point in the day, fat gain follows.
I possess the “secret” to preventing this: I cram as much protein and fiber down my gullet as humanly possible at breakfast and lunch.
There’s no magic about 50 grams of protein or 8 grams of fiber. It’s just a lot of both and it keeps me full for hours.
3. I Enjoy What I Eat
Senior year of high school, my trainer and I did a keto challenge — only eating protein and fats for 4–6 weeks to see who could get more shredded. I learned two things:
Fruit is carbs
If you start a diet limiting a thing, all you can think about is that thing
When you focus on what NOT to eat, you want that food a whole lot more.
It’s like when someone says, “Think of anything except a purple elephant.” All you can think about is a purple elephant! So if you’re trying to beat cravings, find meals that fit your goals and that you genuinely enjoy.
Because if you feel deprived all day, every day, come 8pm on a Thursday, you’ll be like a tea kettle about to blow.
Help Me Help You
If any of this hit home, I’d love to help.
Fill out this quick form (30 seconds).
We’ll set up a free call, and I’ll help you map out a clear, realistic plan.
Best,
John
P.S. I swear this is the last week of Mabel pics. After this I’ll take at least two weeks off 😂
3 Steps You Can Take
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Keep learning - You can check out my other articles here. Nobody asked me to, but I’ve spent a ton of time researching everything from artificial sweeteners to saturated fat to testosterone and more, so you don’t have to.
