How to Stop Sugar Cravings from Controlling your Life and Sabotaging your Goals
This post is about how to stop sugar cravings from controlling your life and sabotaging your goals.
Gaaah - SUGAR! I’m guessing if you are reading this, then like me - you, too have a sweet tooth! Seriously, I could stare at a bag of chips all day and never take a bite - but cake, cookies, ice cream and candy are my Achilles heel. As much as I love sweets, I do NOT love how I feel after eating too much. Yes - there IS such a thing as a sugar hangover!
I’ll be sharing a TON of actionable tips for you - but first, I wanted to share some ideas from a book I’m reading, because before making ANY change - we do need to make the DECISION to change and believe that we CAN change quickly once that decision is made. As someone who struggled with sugar addiction for DECADES and now enjoys treats in moderation - I am here to say, that if I can do it - you can too. So, here are 4 things you need to think about before you even think about controlling your sugar cravings:
We must believe that something MUST change - it can’t be a “should” anymore. Ask yourself WHY you want to kick your sugar addiction - is it a MUST that you take control of this right now? or do you just feel like you “should” - the difference between those two beliefs is huge when it comes to getting the results you say you want.
We must see ourselves as the source of the change. Stopping your sugar cravings cannot come from ANYONE else. Taking ownership and power over this aspect of life is essential - no blaming your kids for “needing” cookies after school or your co-worker for plopping donuts on your desk. No one will do it for you - so YOU need to take control.
Believe “I CAN change it” - if you don’t believe you can change, WHY BOTHER?! You can read all the tips I provide, but at the end of the day if you label yourself as someone who cannot control your cravings, then that is who you will be. Decide right now and heck say it out loud! “I CAN stop my sugar cravings from sabotaging my goals.” (I know how corny this sounds - but it totally works. So go hide in the bathroom and say it a few times!).
Decide what you DO want, so you have something to work towards. Are you working towards some weight loss goals? Do you have a health condition that you want to control with diet? Have you seen family members with illness or even die from their unhealthy lifestyle choices? Decide what you are moving towards in life, so you can leave behind the habits that don’t serve you. - Tony Robbins “Awaken the Giant Within”
Now that you’re in the right mindset - let’s go! Check out my 11 tips below - these are tried and true tips from my own experiences and REAL WOMEN in my nutrition bootcamp. Busy women and moms who made the decision to change and try new things as they work towards their goals!
11 real life tips to stop sugar carvings
Keep a food diary and note how you FEEL after eating too much sugar - it took me writing it down, but I realized too much sugar (and aspartame) both give me a headache! I also noted that I often felt lethargic and achey the following day after binging on sugar. Just being honest and realize those negative affects can have a huge impact on your decision to change!
Note your mindless habits that lead to eating excess sugar - for YEARS, I used to grab a Twix bar at the grocery store or Target checkout! It was mindless and not worth it. Instead be intentional with your sugary treats. For example, going for our favorite ice cream in the summer is 100% worth it. We are making memories and I order a kiddie size cone. My sweet tooth is happy - I’m not “missing out” and its a fun routine we have on Thursday nights at the lake! Am I creating special memories snagging that Twix bar in the checkout line? Heck No! If I’m really hungry, I can have the healthy snackbar I keep in my purse.
STOP restrictive dieting! Seriously - just STOP. Telling yourself you “can’t” have certain foods AT ALL for an extended amount of time, often just makes you want it MORE. Instead - I follow an eating plan that INCLUDES treating myself in a mindful way. In my opinion, severely restricting calories and food groups is not a sustainable lifestyle (of course, unless under the guidance of a medical doctor for treatment of a medical condition). When I’ve tried extreme diets - it lasts about a day and then I’m already craving the “bad” foods even more. So its time to stop the nonsense and instead find sensible ways of eating the foods you love while still working towards your goals.
Make sure you are full + satisfied with healthy choices. Cravings can hit when we are actually dehydrated - so make sure you are drinking LOTS of water and filling up on veggies, lean proteins, and fiber-filled carbs. You are much less likely to go crazy in the cookie jar if you are genuinely full on healthy foods.
Stop buying treats. This is a huge one - because if you don’t have cookies in your cabinet or ice cream in your freezer - you CANNOT eat it! So instead of keeping these treats in your home - treat yourself when you are out. Share a special dessert on date night. Go out for ONE cone of ice cream. Keep things like chocolate chips, marshmallows, or other treats way up high in your cabinets or hidden behind other items. Keep the healthy stuff front and center - the less you see it, the less you will want it or EAT it!
Download my Crush Your Sugar Cravings list of 17 Sweet Treats that won’t derail your weight loss goals. CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD
Delay, but don’t deny yourself treats. This is a huge one and it WORKS! If we do have treats in the house - I don’t deny myself. Instead, I say “I’ll have a cookie after I’ve eaten my dinner” or “I’m so full from this meal, I’ll have that ice cream tomorrow night, I don’t need it now”. Its amazing how changing your mindset from I “can’t have it” to “I can have it later” changes everything. Play a game with yourself and see just how long you can go with pushing off that treat. Heck - maybe someone else will even eat it before you get to it!
Stop following social media accounts that trigger your sugar cravings. This is a HUGE one that I bet you might not even be aware of - the social media you consume IS part of your environment and probably the easiest to control. This is one trick I tell all my clients when they first sign-up with me. Go unfollow ANY and all accounts that encourage eating and a lifestyle that is NOT inspirational towards YOUR goals. I’ve even had to unfollow friends who do nothing but share recipes for “Better than SEX” type desserts, lol! Seriously - one look at some of those videos/posts and I want to dive headfirst into a sugary treat. Instead - follow accounts that share healthy and delicious recipes, a healthy mindset and are inspirational for how YOU want to improve your life. Its such a simple thing - so go do it right now!
Change where your attention is. It is one simple fact of LIFE. WE ARE WHERE OUR ATTENTION IS. So if your attention is focused on obsessing over when you can crack open the Ben + Jerry’s, that is what will happen. How about focusing your attention on organizing a drawer or starting a donation bag in your closet? Again - this is a good time to go check out some inspirational blogs or Instagram accounts! Put your attention towards what you are working towards, not mindlessly eating out of habit.
Reframe your ideas of a treat - do you shudder at spending $6 on a pound of fresh strawberries, yet easily drop $5 on a pint of ice cream? Which of these is truly a TREAT? You could eat an ENTIRE pound of strawberries for almost 1/10th the amount of calories (150) as a pint of Ben + Jerry’s ice cream (1000+)! let’s get real - which one is REALLY worth it?!
Ready to take control of your nutrition? Start creating your formula for feeling your best with a macro-based nutrition plan!
I hope you found this post helpful - overcoming my sugar binge-ing is one of the BEST things I have done for myself and you can absolutely do it, too!
