When our family began living our new lifestyle of health and wellness one year ago, I knew I’d be the one with the most difficulty. That surprised my husband, who we always teased as being the big sugar fiend. However, I knew cutting out sugar all together would not be easy for me.
Why did I think it would be so difficult for me? Being the person in charge of grocery shopping and kitchen organization, I can easily hide things from the rest of the family. They don’t have to know when I’m eating something sugary. I know what’s best, and I love them and want the best for them, so I guide them in doing the right thing… but if my craving gets too bad, I can sneak a treat.
The crazy thing is: it’s not such a treat.
Have you ever noticed that? You really, really want that sugar, and so you convince yourself you can have it and it’ll be awesome… but after the fact, you wish you hadn’t done it, and you wonder why you thought you couldn’t live without it.
Through posts from glutenologist Dr. Osborne, I ran across some links today that I hope will be very helpful to those of you who struggle with sugar addiction. You aren’t sure? Take a test for Self Diagnosis Quiz - Sugar Addiction?!!
If you have decided it’s time to do something about it, CONGRATULATIONS! Actually taking a step toward breaking that addiction puts you in a rare category.
“One of the most important things about breaking a sugar addiction is learning how to think differently about sugar and how you resist temptation in your life. Because if you get off sugar but don’t know how to stay off it, that is something that can be very frustrating.” (Samantha Taylor - Sugar Addiction Specialist)
So, how did we do it? How did we cut our sugar addictions? We had to be extreme.
All sugar and grains were eliminated from the house… and no longer purchased. We no longer consumed sugar of any kind. I was very strict about this for the first 30 days, because we wanted to set a solid foundation for our new lifestyle. I personally felt it would be foolish for us to ease into it, because we would be wasting money on some things that go totally against our goal, while we also spent lots of money on other things that took us in the direction of our goal. I would not allow that contradiction in the house… nor in the budget. (If you follow Dave Ramsey’s advice to pay for groceries with cash and the guidelines of a budget, you find yourself less likely to spend it on indulgences, thus helping in dropping that sugar habit.) Another reason I had us go “whole hog” into the new lifestyle of no sugar is that I know if I don’t make myself do it like that, I’ll never do it. If the temptation is nearby, I don’t have the willpower to say, “No!”
After a while, of course, the family started wondering if they’d ever taste anything sweet again. That’s when I started getting wise to the healthier sweeteners and what recipes are out there to assist in healthy eating. Plus, we have learned to plan ahead, so we can splurge on sugar once in a while. We have to remember to use some constraints, or else we’re tempted to go overboard.
It is a matter of the mind. Do what it takes to make yourself stop eating sugar, even if it’s checking into Sugar Addiction Solution. Getting off sugar is worth it in the long run. I can’t even express to you how much it is worth it!
Don’t let yourself believe you’re too weak to succeed. You can do it!
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
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