Overcoming Sugar Addiction

Here's a link to WebMD's 8 quick tips and 5 long term tips for curbing sugar addiction:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/13-ways-to-fight-sugar-cravings

Here's my experience with each of their tips, based on my personal trials, and I'd love to hear how, and if, any of these worked for you!

"Give in a Little," they recommend only having a little piece, or single bite, of the food that you're craving. I think--as number one on their list--this is an epic fail. You wouldn't tell an alcoholic to just take one sip, would you? How about a meth addict to only take one hit? This method DID NOT work for me at all, ever. I had a dietitian once say that "research" indicated that people really only crave the first bite, which is where the logic for this comes from. This might be true for some people, but for sugar maniacs like myself? I've never, ever had a giant slice of double chocolate cake in front of me and not finished it. And I've never, ever only taken the small "sliver" of cake from the platter. Never. Will power be damned, just don't do it. Eat an apple.

"Combine Foods," they recommend dipping a banana in chocolate or adding something sweet to an otherwise healthy snack choice. This has worked for me 25% of the time when the "sweet" item was self limiting: like honey in oatmeal, for instance--when you can't really add more because you're at Panera and they don't let you. But don't buy the Blue Diamond Dark Chocolate Roasted Almonds, because you'll eat the whole package in three days. Or three hours. This one sounds like too much temptation, but it's possible if you're a rock star.

"Go Cold Turkey," they recommend going cold turkey on azucar. Pretty straight forward. This is the only thing that worked for me. Period. It IS hard. It IS drastic for those really addicted to sugar and I DID feel like crap, dizzy, sweaty and GRUMPY as all get out. I wasn't kind, I wasn't articulate and I wasn't capable of handling any kind of stress for three days. But I drank a lot of water and I did it. And it worked. And it felt so good to get over that beastly hump. I'll do it again if I have to--but I'll pay the bills, ramp up my Netflix and send the kids to their grandparents for the weekend first.

"Grab some gum," they recommend chewing gum to avert sugar cravings. Sure. Try it. It's recommended for morning sickness too, but I still barfed for twenty weeks. But you can give it a shot. I end up chewing piece after piece until I get a cavity and my dentist sends a kickback to Wrigley--plus most chewing gum has artificial sweetener in it which just annoys me. The "fake" sugar movement roots itself in sweetness, when super sweet stuff just tastes gross and artificial. Sugar addiction is more than having a sweet tooth.

"Reach for Fruit," they recommend eating healthy sugars instead of refined sugar. YEEEESSS!! This is totally going to work! It works EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. Bananas, apples, oranges and grapes are staples in my house. Plus, they have a bunch of other great stuff like antioxidants! But here's the clincher: IT IS STILL SUGAR. It's not a freebie. You can eat too much sugar this way too. Just be careful.

"Get up and Go," is their recommendation for distracting oneself from a craving through physical activity, I'll admit, this one is tricky. For me, this seems to be time-dependent, not intensity dependent, but I can see it swing either way. This works for me when I take a long (30 minute or more) walk outside, but it doesn't work if I do 15 air squats or a few push ups or jump-n-jacks. But simply wandering out of the house for 30 minutes to stroll away from a sugar craving isn't always an option with two young kids in the house. So, it totally works for me when there's time and opportunity for it to work. But try the high-intensity burst--it might work for you.

"Choose quality over Quantity," is their recommendation to chose one really decadent snack to savor over a long period of time. My answer: Yeah right. You're kidding yourself if you think you can do this and not drive to the corner store two hours later and buy a Snickers. I totally will become a raging sugar monster after slowly savoring a decadent delight when that high dwindles. Bad idea. (Although, in the defense of this item, I have been able to do this when out to eat with colleagues, but not at home and in "real" life).

"Eat regularly," is self-explanatory and very effective for me. I know that huge gaps between meals means ONE thing for me: savagely demolishing the-first-thing-I-see...and when I"m really hungry, I only "see" a cream cheese danish and coffee cake. Plus, there is something about maintaining insulin levels and preventing highs and lows. I'm not a dietitian or doctor, but that's also important in preventing sugar cravings.

"Skip artificial sweeteners," is their first long-term strategy. I totally agree. They're gross and they don't address the real problem of sugar addiction/craving. I will admit that some high protein bars like "Quest" and "Think Thin" don't bother me, but mostly they all taste too sweet.

"Reward Yourself," is a vague recommendation of theirs. Here's my two cents: Sure! Reward yourself! But first, isn't the weight loss reward enough? And second, don't reward yourself with a bearclaw. Just don't.

"Slow Down," is a recommendation to reflect on what you're actually eating--to be mindful--and to plan. Another too vague recommendation, but I'll say that when I really reflect on when I have a craving, I am better able to avoid it deal with the real problem, and be successful. This is a great recommendation for the LONG term, as it's designed, because it helps build mindfulness, and I am constantly trying to build this foundation. In contrast, I have found that trying to think myself out of eating the Cinnamon-Sugar Bagel with honey cream cheese when it's sitting on my plate makes me feel guilty, and I promptly follow it up with a nice cherry smoothie. Focusing on failure never helped me, but getting the gears spinning before the breakdown does help a lot. Also, it is true that when I PLAN my meals in advance, I do much, much better.

"Get Support." Yes. Post here. Call a friend. Text a joke. Read an inspirational story. But don't go to Pinterest OR Facebook. No. No. No. You'll only feel bad for not making an 18 tier birthday cake for your four year old and that you're not on vacation like everyone else. In bikinis. Drinking Pina Coladas.

"Mix it Up," is their suggestion to not get married to one technique because your coping strategies may change over time (this is liberal ad-libbing), but different strategies may work at different times. Generally, I'd say this makes sense, but consider the chaos of constantly trying different things when you're in the thick of sugar Hell. I've tried using a lot of different techniques and I've found that I respond well to a consistent few: cold turkey, self reflection, distraction and planning. I have also experienced failure from trying too many things at once. If you tried every one of the 8 quick tips above at the same time, you'd be having the first bite of a snack, fruit, and one decadent dessert too. That's not going to work. That's just relabeling addiction as dieting.

The gum suggestion reminded me of another morning sickness remedy that DOES work wonders about 75% of the time: brush your teeth and then drink really cold water. It helped me then, and it works most of the time now. And my dentist has fewer recommended procedures.

@DisneyDude85, for sure!