“Stress is the enemy of self-control, and your cravings are not about willpower.” – Leslie Duffy

If you’ve ever found yourself halfway through a bag of chips or surrounded by Oreo crumbs, wondering what just happened, you’re not alone. Your cravings aren’t a sign of low willpower or weakness; they’re driven by shifts in estrogen and dopamine, and amplified during perimenopause and menopause. That “treat yourself” moment of comfort is actually one of the ways your body is trying to self-regulate.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why your cravings feel so hard to resist and how you can take back control without relying on willpower or giving up the foods you love forever. We’ll talk about the dopamine–estrogen connection, the cues that trigger cravings, and how low dopamine can push you toward food, wine, shopping, or scrolling for that quick hit of feel-good. You’ll also learn how stress magnifies cravings, what emotions often hide underneath them, and how to start catching yourself in the moment so you can choose differently.

I’ll share my strategy for creating a plan to calm cravings, replace them with healthier dopamine boosts, and develop your own “treat yourself” menu that supports your body instead of sabotaging it. You’ll leave this episode with tools you can use today, and the relief of knowing this isn’t about discipline, it’s about working with your brain and hormones to create real change.

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Your Takeaways

How stress and hormones team up to fuel cravings

The cue–reward cycle and how to break it

Why food feels like comfort, connection, and survival

Awareness: your first weapon against cravings

Simple swaps and small wins to rewire your rewards

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Grab Leslie’s Resources

FREE PDF: Natural ways to increase dopamine levels (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ygZxPSHEVRca7pb37Og8qaaGMR1py7vl/view?usp=sharing)

Mini-Course: CALM the Cravings [Use discount code: HSS15 for 15% off!] (https://stan.store/leslieduffycoaching/p/calm-the-cravings)

Book a Wellness Shift Strategy Call - Your first step toward feeling clear, capable, and in control of your health again (https://calendly.com/leslieduffycoaching/wellness-shift-strategy-call)

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Mentioned in this episode

Estradiol and the reward system in humans (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352154617302735)

Hormone sensitivity predicts the beneficial effects of transdermal estradiol on reward-seeking behaviors in perimenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10568486/)

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Connect with Leslie

Connect with me and learn more at LeslieDuffyCoaching.com (https://leslieduffycoaching.com/)

Send me a message and follow me on Instagram @LeslieDuffyCoaching (https://www.instagram.com/leslieduffycoaching/)

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube @TheHormoneShiftShow (https://www.youtube.com/@TheHormoneShiftShow)

Check out Leslie’s favorite things: Amazon Storefront (https://www.amazon.com/shop/leslieduffycoaching)