Stop the Secret Cause of Weight Gain and Indigestion + Fortify Your Body’s Prevention Team with Spore Probiotics
We all indulge a little too much a certain times throughout the year: birthdays, holidays, promotions, weddings, happy hour...and the list goes on.
Straying from your normal diet – and gravitating toward all those delicious sugar, fatty foods – can leave you feeling bloated, gassy, and sluggish but still craving even more treats and packing on unwanted pounds…the dreaded weight gain cycle.
You may be doing your best to resist all the temptation, but the cards are stacked against you.
There’s a secret cause behind those “bad food” cravings… sparking the impulse to eat one more cookie, have one more helping or one more glass of wine…and on and on. And despite the heartburn and other nasty GI consequences (like leaky gut) you suffer, the culprit – bad gut bacteria – will persuade you eat even more.
Luckily, there is a simple way to stop tackle that bad bacteria before it starts problems: Fortify your gut with beneficial spore probiotics, so you can enjoy seasonal feasts in moderation without suffering the consequences or setting off a weight-gain spiral.
Quick Answer: A hidden driver of holiday overeating, weight gain, and indigestion is an imbalance in your gut bacteria. When bad bacteria outnumber the good, they send signals that ramp up cravings for sugar and fat and switch off your "I'm full" cue, so you eat more. Rich, fatty, sugary foods then bring on heartburn, gas, bloating, and other GI upset. Beneficial spore-based probiotics can help by supporting a balanced microbiome, which is linked to fewer cravings, better satiety, and calmer digestion. Fortifying your gut with quality spore probiotics may help you enjoy seasonal treats in moderation without setting off a weight-gain spiral.
What Is the Secret Cause Behind Holiday Overeating?
The secret villain behind holiday overeating
The hidden driver is your gut bacteria. When bad bacteria outnumber the good, they send signals to the brain that boost cravings for sugar and fat and turn off your sense of fullness, so you keep eating.
If you struggle to conquer food cravings and the impulse to overeat, you’re not alone. Millions of people face that battle every day, and blame themselves when they don’t succeed.
But, as it turns out, there’s something else in control here: the bacteria in your gut.
Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria: some good, some bad, and some truly destructive. And even though they live in your intestines, their signals reach all the way to your brain. They use those signals to get you to eat the food they want – and when the bad bacteria in your gut outnumber the good, their signals to eat sugar and fat overwhelm you.
Those bad bacteria
- “hijack” receptors in your brain that change your food preferences and the way you eat
- turn off the “I’m full” signal so you keep eating even when you aren’t hungry
- manipulate your mood so that you’ll feel happier after you eat sweets or fatty foods
But you can shut those bad guys down with minimal effort – all it takes is a daily dose of a high-quality probiotic. When your gut is fortified by an army of strong, healthy bacteria (probiotics), you’ll stop craving cookies and cake and hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. You’ll be back in control of what and how much you eat… and that can make a huge difference to your long term health.
Can a Short Period of Overeating Have Lasting Effects?
Little indulgences have weighty consequences
Yes. Research suggests even a few days or weeks of overeating can have lingering effects on weight, mood, and GI health, with some participants in one study not returning to their pre-study weight for years.
Turns out, overeating for just a few days – just one holiday season – can have long lasting effects on your weight, your mood, and your gastrointestinal (GI) health. Researchers found that overeating high-fat, high-calorie foods for just two days resulted in people
- Sleeping more
- Feeling hungrier
- Craving more carbs
- Feeling sadder
And another study found that overindulging for four weeks brought long-term effects on weight and body composition… even in people who weren’t overweight to begin with. Study subjects who agreed to limit physical activity and overeat unhealthy foods (including burgers, fries, and pizza) gained an average of 14 pounds during the 4-week period, but that was just the beginning.
After the study period, they returned to their normal diets and activity, but their bodies didn’t:
- Six months later, they’d only dropped half of the weight they gained during the study
- A year later, they still hadn’t gotten back down to their pre-study weight
- 5 years later, the group had gained back more weight (an average of 11 pounds!) and still had about 10% more fat mass
That’s years of weight issues triggered by just 4 weeks of overeating!
And it all starts with an imbalance in your gut bacteria, when the bad guys take over, calling for even more of the sweet and creamy holiday foods they need to flourish… regardless of how much trouble those foods cause you.
Why Do Rich Holiday Foods Cause GI Upset?
Rich foods trigger GI upset
Flooding the GI tract with fatty, sugary foods can leave you feeling uncomfortable and gassy. Even a few rich treats can bring on heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, bloating, and gas.
No matter what kind of shape your GI tract is in, flooding it with fatty, sugary foods can leave you feeling uncomfortable, gassy, and tied to the bathroom.
Just a few cups of eggnog, a couple of sugar cookies, and an extra helping of buttery mashed potatoes with gravy can bring on:
- heartburn
- indigestion
- diarrhea
- nausea
- bloating
- gas
But the right probiotic can take on the problem from both sides: calming cravings so you don’t overindulge and helping you sidestep the GI consequences when you do treat yourself.
How Do Probiotics Help Curb Cravings and Support Weight Control?
Probiotics cut cravings and promote healthy weight control
When beneficial bacteria take control of the GI tract, they support metabolism, a stronger gut barrier, and healthier food-related signals, which can quiet cravings and overeating impulses while easing GI discomfort.
When beneficial bacteria – probiotics – take control of your GI tract, everything changes for the better. That’s because probiotics improve your whole-body health in countless ways, such as:
- improving metabolism, so food converts to energy instead of fat storage
- reducing inflammation, by quieting bacteria that promote inflammation
- strengthening your gut barrier, so pathogens, toxins, and food particles don't escape into your bloodstream
- sending healthier food-related signals, so intense cravings and overeating impulses subside
- producing feel-good brain chemicals, to spark a brighter mood
- taming uncomfortable GI effects, like bloating, gas, and diarrhea
And when it comes to hard-to-resist holiday eating, probiotics are on your side – unlike the bad bacteria that influence unhealthy eating habits. In fact, in one groundbreaking clinical study, researchers found that supplementing with probiotics helped people (especially women):
- lose weight and keep it off
- feel full more quickly when they’d eaten enough (“improved satiety efficiency”)
- feel less hungry
- experience fewer food cravings
- reduce impulsive eating
That’s exactly the kind of help you need to get through the many celebrations of the year without packing on pounds or eating yourself into a food coma!
But not just any old probiotics off the grocery store shelf can work this magic. It takes special strains to get the job done.
Which Probiotic Strains Help Combat Holiday Overeating?
Superstar probiotic strains are your secret weapon
Four clinically studied spore strains, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis HU58, Bacillus clausii, and Bacillus indicus HU36, work together to support a balanced gut microbiome, comfortable digestion, and a steadier mood.
To quickly conquer and contain the bad bacteria that have taken over your gut – or to stop them from gaining control – you need clinically proven powerful probiotics.
Four superstar strains can bring your gut bacteria back into healthy balance so you can enjoy the season and indulge in some delicious celebration foods without suffering distressing consequences. And you can find all four of these proven spore probiotics in every bottle of Just Thrive.
Bacillus coagulans really shines in this space. This potent spore probiotic has been shown to:
- reduced bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort
- decrease diarrhea and improve quality of life
- boost mood, reduce GI discomfort, and calm gut inflammation
Bacillus subtilis HU58 produces 12 defensive compounds that wipe out bad bacteria (including those that instigate overeating) and help produce feel-good neurotransmitters (including serotonin and dopamine) that boost your mood and reduce sugar cravings.
Bacillus clausii helps protect your gut and improve your immune system as well as ease diarrhea and nausea (like you might experience after a night of holiday overindulgence).
Bacillus indicus HU36 has a unique ability to produce potent antioxidants – right in your digestive tract, where you body can really use them – that can hold off heartburn and indigestion, plus help maintain healthy body fat and insulin levels.
Together, these four spore probiotics can help you stick to a healthier diet (even after 3 happy hours in a week) and shield you against the consequences of indulging in too many treats. Simply taking one capsule of Just Thrive every day keeps beneficial spore probiotics in control, so the “bad guys” can’t flood your brain with cravings and hijack your diet.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gut Bacteria and Holiday Overeating
Can gut bacteria really cause food cravings?
Yes. Gut bacteria send signals that reach the brain and can influence food preferences. When bad bacteria outnumber the good, their signals can drive stronger cravings for sugar and fat and may quiet the feeling of fullness, making it easier to overeat.
Why do rich holiday foods cause heartburn and bloating?
Flooding the GI tract with fatty, sugary foods can leave many people feeling uncomfortable, gassy, and tied to the bathroom, bringing on heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, bloating, and gas, regardless of the shape your digestion is in.
How do probiotics help with cravings and weight control?
Probiotics support a balanced gut microbiome, which has been associated with sending healthier food-related signals, supporting metabolism, and easing GI discomfort. In one clinical study, supplementing with probiotics was linked to improved satiety and fewer food cravings.
Can a few days of overeating really have lasting effects?
Research suggests even short periods of overeating can have lingering effects on weight, mood, and GI health. One study found that four weeks of overeating led to weight changes that persisted for years in some participants.
What kind of probiotic is best for supporting digestion during the holidays?
Spore-based probiotics are designed to survive stomach acid and reach the gut alive. Clinically studied strains such as Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus clausii, and Bacillus indicus are used to support a balanced microbiome and comfortable digestion.
Try Just Thrive Probiotic to feel your best today and throughout the entire year!