KICK SUGAR TO THE CURB

6 steps to cutting sugar out once and for all.

I know what your thinking, food without sugar tastes horrible and it is just too hard.

Well, I used to think the same thing. I loved sugar and chocolate! I would consider myself a chocoholic. I never went a day without having at least one bite of a sweet treat and even wondered how my mom could eat the same candy bar for a week when mine was gone in five minutes.

I’m proud to say that, I have not eaten anything with sugar or its substitutes in 6 months and I feel AMAZING! If I can do it, so can you and I am going to help you get there.  To read my full story of becoming a sugar-free me, (Click Here)

Deciding to kick sugar to the curb and out of your life is not going to be easy. There are different stages of the process you will face.

Stage 1: Making the decision. When you decide to cut sugar out of your diet, you will be excited and overwhelmed all at the same time.

Stage 2: Cravings. Your body will go through withdrawals. You will have cravings that sugarless food just does not curb. You will want to give up and feel like it’s ok to have just one bite. If you give in to your cravings, it will take longer for the cravings and withdrawals to subside. This will last 3 to 4 weeks. The good news is that this is the hardest step. Once the cravings are gone, it gets easier to say no to sugar.

Stage 3: Celebrate your accomplishment. You made it a month without eating sugar! It is time to celebrate by eating just one bite of that cake. It’s ok to celebrate, just not with sugar. Celebrate by treating yourself to a pedicure or something you enjoy. You see, if you eat sugar at this point, your body will immediately start craving it again and you will have to start stage 2 all over again.

Stage 4: The sugar is out of your system. Now that the sugar is out of your system, your health is improving, your energy level is better, and overall you feel great. You will still have the temptation at parties or during your afternoon energy lull, but you can look at how far you have come and the reason you started and it is much easier to say no.

Stage 5: You feel so good you don’t want sugar. This is where you want to live. Now, when you go to parties and walk by the sweet table, you don’t have a single craving. This is the point where the reason that you stopped eating sugar has greater strength and your willpower is strongest. Your health is continueing to improve and you feel great. You can look back and be so proud of your accomplishment. This stage comes after about three months of eating no sugar.

Here are 6 important steps you need to get to a sugar-free you:

1. You need to find your reason. Maybe you want to lose weight, or you just got diagnosed with diabetes or maybe you want to clean up your diet. Whatever your reason make sure you write it down and put it somewhere that you can see it each day. The reason you are kicking sugar to the curb is what is going to keep you strong, especially in the beginning when you are craving sugar and nothing seems to curb your craving.
2. Find an accountability person. That person needs to know that this is your goal and be willing to encourage you and not let you give in. It might sound silly to have someone on call to help stop you from eating sugar, but the first month is hard and your body really does go through withdrawals. You want someone to be there to encourage you and remind you of the reason you started your journey.
3. Get rid of the junk food. You don’t want the temptation of knowing that the Godiva chocolate truffles are in the cupboard. If you can’t get rid of the junk food in your house because your family members aren’t going sugar-free, then put all of the junk on one shelf and don’t allow yourself to touch that shelf. Maybe even cover it up so when you look in the cupboard you can’t see it. (Believe me knowing the junk is there makes it really difficult to resist during the craving stage.)
4. Be intentional about your food. Plan out your meals and snacks. When you are at work, running errands, or even at home; have a plan as to what snacks you can eat. Always have something on hand to prevent you from buying that candy bar in the snack machine or checkout line. If you are attending a birthday or holiday party, bring along a snack so you don’t feel deprived when they serve the sweets.
5. Read labels. It is amazing how much of our food contains sugar and it is hidden under so many different names, high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, maltose, sucralose, and dextrose to name a few. Most processed foods have some sort of added sugar. Don’t let the labels trick you with a name other than sugar. If you don’t know what an ingredient is, make sure you look it up.
6. Don’t give up. This is a really important one. Remember that you started this journey of kicking sugar to the curb for a reason and it is ok to get discouraged but don’t give up. You cannot fail unless you don’t try. We all have weak moments like when you just ate that deliciously healthy salad and now our tongue says “something sweet please!” and we give in. Make sure you don’t give up. If you give in to your craving go back and read the reason why you started and continue on your journey. You will be so glad you did.

You don’t have to feel like you can never eat cookies or treats again. There are so many recipes online that are great for meals and snacks. Check out my recipe tab for sugar-free recipes that are healthy and taste great.

Good luck on your journey kicking sugar to the curb. I know that you can do it.