Sugar Addict Fighting for a Healthy Life - Help!!

Hi. I just joined and a good way to beat the sugar cravings is to not eat anything with sugar in it for five days. Force yourself to not eat sugar. You will find that after 5 days the sugar cravings will be gone. It worked for me anyway. Good luck.

Congratulations on your decision to fight this addiction! What a hard addiction to break, but you CAN do it! Your body will start thanking you once it has more distance from your recent sugar intake.

1) Eat a piece, or a few pieces, of fruit in the morning -on an empty stomache. (Don't overdo it and don't eat it quickly: enjoy it)- It will give you something sweet to transition to that is healthy and full of natural vitamins and minerals to support your system during the transition.

2) If you're also hooked on sugar drinks, replace them with something that will give you some type of flavor that is a healthier alternative -Ex. Coconut water or lemon water - to give you that semblance of sugar you can sip on throughout the day. This way you don't feel as deprived. Don't wait or buy 1 at a time. Get your home ready by having a supply of what you will need when the temptations hit hard.

3) Increase your intake of natural vegetables and lean protein. These foods are loaded with the vitamins / minerals you're body needs to keep satisfied. (There are super easy ways to do this - keep it simple!)

4) Study, study, study: "What causes sugar cravings" - I believe (but look it up) that a deficiency in calcium and magnesium (whose assimilation in the body is disrupted by sugar intake) is a major cause of continual sugar cravings. There's just so much to learn the way our body process things and it could be as simple as eating more foods that have certain vitamins/minerals or taking a supplement.

5) Essential Oils?-These have made a huge difference in my life. I can sleep after years of not being able to sleep due to the proper use of them. There are essential oils out there that help with satiety. If you decide one day to follow this route, start small and use only reputable oils -not the ones sold in the store that are diluted and mixed with other things. I use a combination of Rocky Mountain Oils, Young Living and DoTerra. All these companies are supposed to have quality oils but do your own research.

6) Try to stay away from events, places, and even people (at the beginning) that are loaded with sugar stuff. You don't need to be tempted! Use that time to learn more and FOCUS on what to do and what to eat instead of what you cant have. This is your season in life. It's okay to say "no" so you can focus on your health. Dedicate time to it.

7) Take steps to meet and include people who are like-minded in bettering their health habits. Build a support system if possible. Seek out places and activities where you can see others who are taking positive steps to improve their health.

7) Sleep - Get your full night's sleep under control. Lack of sleep dehydrates and makes you hungrier!

8) Exercise - Even if it's walking in one direction 15 min and then turning around (this is what I do and my scale keeps moving in the right direction). Keep your body moving, but don't overdo it.
Hint: when I was an aerobic queen in my younger years my appetite increased tremendously. Everything in moderation. Some aerobics, some strength training, some stretching.

9) Ignore fads and any "extreme" recommendation. Your body will respond to baby steps.

10) Slow down and develop awareness. When are the cravings most extreme? What is happening during that time? Take steps to correct triggers.

11) If you have a bad day and cave - accept it, learn from it, and get right back on track the next meal.

I wish you the best of luck!

My wife treats sugar like I treat alcohol: 100% abstinence. She does a program for it like AA, which really helps with support, accountability etc. Sounds extreme, but she's been off sugar for 15 years, I've been off alcohol for 20 years. Sugar lights up the same part of our brain that heroin does, and some of us just are not able to moderate. Otherwise; weigh and measure everything you eat, eat only a prescribed food plan from a nutritionist. If you're eating real food, you wont be hungry. Be aware of trigger foods; bread and pasta is like a gateway drug to sugar. Look into glycemic index and glycemic load; it'll help you pick foods that won't spike your blood sugar levels.

Change sucks, it's uncomfortable, but you'll do it if you're driven. You'll have to mourn the loss of that sugar hit, and that will suck too, but that voice in your head rationalizing for the next will cookie will go away. And then you'll never want to go back.