Hello, Monday morning. You have just had your coffee. Maybe you had a little bit of coffee with that cream and sugar. Maybe you had some Frosted Flakes (used to be my favorite breakfast cereal because I could eat it dry!). Chances are you had SUGAR in whatever you had for breakfast and before long that sugar crash will happen, right?
I have been struggling with health issues and after kicking dairy, I moved on to being gluten free. A little bit harder and I’m still not 100%. Now it is time to move to
I never thought of myself as a “sweet eater”. More of a stress eater or even a “secret eater”. This weekend, I really had to evaluate where I was in “Giving sugar the boot!”
Hubby is trying to kick refined sugar so I figure if the sweet eater himself can do it, so can I. Refined sugar is one of many factors in a yucky, unhealthy lifestyle. So I’m going to try it!
I kicked cigarettes “cold turkey” so I am thinking that is the way to go. I am going with the “one day at a time” theme which at any given moment can be “one minute at a time”.
Sugar pros: YUM.
Sugar cons: Goodbye nutrients, minerals, vitamins. Hello high blood sugar, energy crashes, high cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.. to name a few.
Sugar is hiding EVERYWHERE — from your morning oatmeal, to the sauce on your pasta and packed into my favorite drink – WINE! Let’s be honest, are we going to give up the occasional glass of wine (or your favorite drink)? Probably not but I’m going to do my best to limit it the best I can. The keys is reading labels, so be prepared for your next trip to the grocery store to take awhile.
Did you know that 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon? YIKES! No, ladies, should try sticking to six teaspoons daily, tops. Men can have nine. It figures!
First stop is to clean out your pantry! Now, I know this is tough with kids but move it out of your sight. If you are like me, if it’s nearby, I’m going to be tempted!
FP Madisyn has some tips for us:
- Try cutting sugar out your own way, on your terms. If you want to ease into it, nothing is wrong with that!
- If you need something sweet, nibble on some dark dark chocolate. This is bitter to me so I don’t want to eat much.
- Replace processed sugars with natural sweeteners. Find one that works for you.
- Drink tea! Rumor has it that drinking something warm, like pomegranate green tea, helps mellow out your sweet tooth and calms cravings.
Don’t beat yourself up. Your friend’s birthday? Eat cake! Need a treat? Treat yourself! Just don’t let it lead to a downward spiral to eating more sugar.
The best advice is to be aware and do the best you can. Whatever steps you take to kiss sugar goodbye are positive ones.
Not sure how this will go but I am hoping that it will help with my weight loss AND help with the MS symptoms.
So, how do you kick sugar’s butt? Let me know your secret!
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 
As I’ve read, the first week of cold turkey was the hardest. We ran out of fruit around that time, though, so I really didn’t have anything sweeter than an almond. And all was good. I enjoy remembering how much I like all the varieties of savory food.
It helps me to remind myself that sweets are low-quality food. It’s OK to leave half a slice of cheesecake on the table at the restaurant; it’s not as wasteful as leaving behind some vitamin-packed veggies or protein-filled chicken.
For a while, I’d walk past the candy dish at work and make a point to look at the pretty view out the window and to tell myself “I’m strong!” Replace one habit with a better one.
I’ve read so much about cravings. What seems true for me is that I start to crave what I regularly eat when I am most hungry. So, I’ve started to keep celery and carrot sticks around for quick snacks (with some protein usually) and have some raw veggies while prepping a meal.
I was also eating a lot of sweets after dinner, more because I was tired than hungry. It helped me to find a replacement habit like dancing or web-surfing.
As far as breakfast — when blood sugar is particularly delicate and I really want a productive morning instead of a sugar crash — I try for protein with a little fat. For example, today I had homemade chicken soup and eggy bread (like French toast, with whole wheat bread and no sweetener; garlic helps.)
Apparently, cinnamon helps with blood sugar levels and fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut help with sugar cravings. A Paleo friend told me that if he feels hungry after a meal, he walks around the block. And I have read that walking after eating helps with the sugar crash (and probably discourages one from eating too much.)
Thank you Viv! These are some great suggestions and I am going to try them. Cold turkey was easy with cigarettes and when I got clean BUT with sugar, it is soooo hard. 🙂