Tips for Dealing with Sugar Addiction & Cravings

There was a time in my life where I was living on cereal and caffeine. Thinking back it was probably the most stressful unhealthy time of my life. I was about 15 pounds heavier and was dealing with major depression. All I wanted was sugar & carbs 24/7. I knew I had to break my addiction and here are some tips that worked for me and I hope they will work for you.

1. The first thing I had to do was get my mind right. I had to look at myself and figure out why I was allowing sugar to control me. I started to set goals and complete little tasks every day. This made me feel productive and have a sense of pride.

2. I had to get out of my routine. I found myself doing the same thing everyday which meant I found myself eating the same foods and falling into the same cravings every night. I started to add evening walks to my day. I also got outside a lot more. The more I was with nature the less I found myself craving artificial foods.

3. I had to reduce my caffeine intake. I was living on a false sense of energy. I was stealing energy from caffeine to even get through my day and topping it off with high sugar foods which left me empty inside; physically and mentally.

4. I also had to increase my water intake. I was not drinking enough water. Our bodies need water throughout the entire day. I recommend starting your day off with a big glass of water and sipping water throughout the day. Water helps fight cravings and staying hydrated allows your body to have energy and function properly.

5. I then began to eat more vegetables and citrus foods. The high nutrient count and water content of these foods really helped fight cravings and help me feel fulfilled. I learned my body craved nutrients not calories.

6. I eliminated all artificial sweeteners.

7. Since I cut out the caffeine I found myself tired more often. Which was a good sign because my body was coming down from a chemically induced High. After a couple weeks of napping and feeling low on energy I actually found I started sleeping better. It is very important to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. When I get the amount of sleep needed I feel less anxious the next day and I also do not have as many cravings and my blood sugar stays stable. Sleep is very important for your hormones to function properly.

8. I stopped eating any foods that said low-fat or fat-free. I even went a step further and started to eliminate eating any foods that came in a package that were not one hundred percent natural. Remember packaged foods that have low-fat or no-fat add flavor by adding sugar. Watch out for this.

9. As I started to improve I also started to experiment with spices. I found cinnamon was my favorite to add to oatmeal and sprinkle over bananas. Play with spices see how they treat you. Many spices offer antioxidant support and metabolism boosters.

10. Move your body. You must exercise every day. This helps you stay youthful and increases your “feel good” hormones.

11. Start reading and brush your teeth early. If you are anything like me your cravings come in the evening and I found that if I would brush my teeth floss and get my butt in bed this helped me stop my evening cereal snacks. I also started to read a lot more. This also helped me slow down and get ready for bed. Of course I recommend getting my book “Stop Bullying Yourself! Read 5 pages every night to get yourself nice and ready for bed. You too can find you get more sleep and eat less sugar before bed when you have a plan.

Keep me posted on kicking your sugar addiction. If you have tips please email me under our “contact” section. I live hearing from you!