User Post: 10 Tips to Quit Sugar
We know that sugar harms our health, that it is addictive, that it causes inflammation, weight gain, mood swings, and is even the favorite food of cancer cells. But how do we break free? I was a hardcore sugar addict for over 10 years. I lived the pain of sugar addiction, suffering from depression, terrible mood swings, yo-yoing weight, and low self-esteem. In 2006, I kicked my sugar habit for good.
Here are ten tips that helped me give up sugar:
Add self care. Before you attempt to eliminate anything from your life - even something negative, such as a sugar addiction - it's important to add to your life, so that you are operating from an overflow, not a deficit. Eliminating sugar will create a vacuum; better to fill it with something positive - self-care - than something negative - self-sabotage. Have a good book to read, to fill the hours you might have spent eating ice cream in front of the TV; take on a hobby instead of baking. Treat yourself like a precious object to temper feelings of deprivation.
Keep your blood sugar stable. Eating breakfast, protein with every meal or snack, low GI foods, and at regular intervals will stabilize your blood sugar, so that your moods and energy are at an even keel. Much of the time, I craved sugar because I was hungry (I was always trying to limit my eating because I was always trying to lose weight). Eat enough so that you feel satisfied, and regularly enough so that you feel stable, and you won't crave so much junk. Don't wait until you're starving to eat: you'll almost always eat too much or make poor food choices.
Treat yourself like you're in detox. The first week of sugar abstinence is hard, when the cravings are at their most powerful. Be kind to yourself: this is not the time to tackle a large project, to implement lots of changes, or to work overtime. Why do people go to a spa when they're detoxing? Because they need extra support. Likewise, give yourself extra support. Go to bed earlier. Take naps. Cook simple meals (and don't make the same mistake I did: don't cook meals for your family that have ingredients in them that you are trying not to eat. Don't make sugar abstinence any harder than it needs to be.) Give yourself tools to make the first week easier: buy sugar free, precooked food from the Whole Foods deli if it keeps you off the sugar. (They list the ingrediants in their dishes so you know what you're eating.) Break up your routines so that you're not in your normal rut of eating sugar: if you normally have ice cream at night with your Tivo, brew a pot of tea instead. Or go outside and enjoy the spring weather. Call on others for support and encouragement.
Don't focus on weight loss. While weight loss is usually a natural consequence of giving up sugar, don't make it your focus. It's better to channel your energy towards one goal at a time. Furthermore, when we're trying to lose weight, we limit our food intake. The result? Hunger, which can easily lead to a sugar binge. Put aside your weight loss goals for now and focus on getting sugar free. Then, when you've achieved sugar abstinence, you can work on losing the excess weight. Weight loss is the side effect of loving your body and freeing yourself from food addiction; not the focus. You might be delightfully surprised to see how much easier it is to lose weight when you're not eating sugar in the first place.
Know your true value. While yes, your body may be sugar sensitive, and while, yes, you may gorge on sugar, you are not defined by your behavior. You are not your addiction. While I think 12 step programs have value, I don't endorse the idea of "once an addict, always an addict." You can honor your body's needs for nourishing, whole, sugar-free foods without berating yourself. Picture yourself free from sugar. Believe that you can live a life free from sugar addiction. Focus on healing; not on the problem.
Create a supportive environment. For the first month after I gave up sugar, I asked my family to hide the few sweet foods we had in the house: raisins, granola, and dark chocolate, so that I wouldn't seek them out and eat them. I avoided certain aisles in the grocery store, movie theaters, and abstained from any baking. Later on, when I was in the habit of not eating sugar, and no longer physically craving it, I was able to be around sugar without succumbing to temptation.
Be a detective. Give yourself time to experiment. Use your body as a guinea pig: what foods make you feel good? What foods make you feel bad? How did I learn that dried fruit affects me in the same way that refined sugar does? By observing my body after I ate it. How did I learn that eating tortilla chips makes me crave sugar? By observing my body. How did I learn that legumes, lean meats, and nuts satisfy my hunger and give me stable moods? By observing my body. Here's how I eat: a deeply satisfying whole foods diet of lots and lots of vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, and small regular amounts of protein (legumes and animal protein.) I eat fruit in moderation and grains like treats. I feel wonderful eating this way. It's what keeps my weight, mood and energy stable. But you may need a different solution. I know people who have given up sugar who eat vegan or vegetarian. Find what works for you.
Give up fake sugars. I know this is a tough one to follow: many women rely on Diet sodas when they're craving something sweet. But in my experience, aspartame, Nutrasweet, Splenda, and even low carb sugar products (protein bars that are "low sugar") don't quell sugar cravings, but increase them. A study at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio found that a person's risk for obesity went up a whopping 41% for each daily can of Diet soda. When you stop eating so much sugar, your taste buds change. You enjoy the natural sweetness of foods, even in things like almonds and carrots, and the sweetened foods are actually too sweet for your palate. For sugar sensitive individuals, I've found it's actually easier to stop eating fake sugars and real sugars. This is because once you stop eating the sugar, your physical cravings go away.
Just start over whenever you slip and fall. You don't have to wait until the next morning, or succumb to the thinking that says, "I've blown it; I might as well have some brownies to go with it," when you slip up and eat sugar. Giving up sugar is hard. It's ingrained in our holidays, in our meals, in our society. Be kind to yourself when you mess up, and get right back on track. Create a positive affirmation to use: "I am resilient," or "I am starting over," when you make a mistake. Have some protein, make a cup of mint tea, and brush your teeth. Then remove yourself from your food source: take a walk, call a friend, go outside, go to the library. Do something to change your environment so you can switch gears.
Forgive yourself. I felt terrible shame about my sugar addiction. Releasing that shame was like lifting an enormous weight off my psyche. We are all imperfect. If you have food issues, offer yourself self-acceptance. All those times you gorged on sugar? Recognize that you were doing the best you could, and that as you know better, you can do better. Sugar addiction is not a character defect; it's a symptom of a lack of self-care skills. Most of us aren't taught how to care for ourselves in healthy ways, which is why we seek comfort in food. The good news? Healthy self-care can be learned. It's something you get to practice, everyday. What a gift.
For more support to give up sugar, join my kick sugar teleclass which begins May 6th. I also have a free ebook, Overcoming Sugar Addiction, available for download on Firstourselves.com.
Karly Randolph Pitman is a writer, speaker, workshop leader, mother of four, and the founder of firstourselves.com, helping women create physically, emotionally, and spiritually nourishing lives. Learn how to transform your life with self-care by signing up for her free monthly newsletters including the Staying Sugar Free newsletter, full of tips to help you create a nourishing life without sugar.
[photo credit: Getty Images]
