‘I shed more than a stone at 46 - cutting out three foods for just two weeks helped me quell all my cravings’

Despite being a healthy weight most of her life, the mum-of-two discovered gradual changes in her body as she approached her 40s.

She claims a two-week detox - which involved cutting out gluten, sugar and carbohydrates - helped her take control of her cravings.

“I lost roughly 20 pounds (1st 6lb) in about four months,” said the slimmer. “This can be difficult to do if you’re like me, in your 40s, and your metabolism isn’t what it used to be.”

No matter how many times she tried to eliminate her extra body weight, Stephanie failed to shed pounds for five to six years.

Part of the problem was a shift in hormones, which meant that the methods that had worked for Stephanie when she was younger, no longer had effect.

“My metabolism is slower at 46 than it was at 26 and it will continue on that path the older I get," she said. “It’s not as simple as eat less move more, as it used to be when I was younger. A lot of work goes into it."

To get back on track, Stephanie knew she had to eliminate the sweet tooth that was causing her to cave into unhealthy treats.

“Starchy carbs, refined sugars and inflammatory foods keep our bodies in a constant state of inflammation," she said.

“For two weeks, I cut all starchy carbs, that means bread, pasta, cereal, crackers and cookies and all of those things, refined foods that included gluten.

“You basically want to eat as natural as possible but you also want to eat a good ratio of protein to carbs."

She went on: “Because you eliminate trigger foods that keep you in constant cycles of blood sugar spikes and crashes you’ll find after a few days of eating protein, veggies, good fats, you more easily eat when you’re hungry and stop when full.”

During this phase, the content creator decided to drink her coffee black, adding that dinner would consist of lean protein and non-starchy vegetables, or complex carbohydrates.

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“During this first two-week period, the main thing to focus on was no refined sugars, no starchy carbs, or gluten,” she added.

This reset gave Stephanie a heightened sense of control over her food cravings. She eventually allowed herself a few treats here and there, to help make her diet more sustainable.

“Because I had those two weeks, I just found that I didn’t overeat, I didn’t have the cravings I had before,” she explained.

Her experience is a testament to the fact that swapping refined sugars for whole, complex carbs helps quell cravings and eliminates the unpleasant side effects of eating too much sugar.