Sugar Addiction

No diet or pill will fix our obesity epidemic, it will just make the weight loss industry billions each year as it always has. It will require a total transformation in both eating and lifestyle habits to make it happen and achieve long term results. If you are not sure if a sugar addiction is real, it is, and has been proven to be as difficult as smoking or even harsh drugs to recover from. The cravings never go away, but do diminish over time, with the removal of the sugar and refined white flour products from our diet. With some hard work and determination we can recover and regain our good health.

Along with the return of good health, gradual weight loss will occur naturally as a result of a change in our diet and lifestyle. This is not going to happen over night, nor did we get in this condition over night. Fortunately, we do start to feel better very fast after implementing changes in what we eat. As sugar addicts we must recognize a few facts and put them to work for ourselves.

1) We tend to medicate or sooth ourselves with food when in reality we are abusing ourselves.

2) We often view the impact of over eating less than it really is on our total lives.

3) Our view of ourselves is blurred by clothing, comparisons, and excuses.

4) Where our eating habits are concerned, deception has become part of our true nature.

5) We have little or no control over food.

Those five facts are just a few of the common traits we share in our recovery from sugar addiction. The answer to overcoming our bad habit is going to take some work, but it can be done. Picture your recovery as a long journey, taking many small steps we can and will get there. Start out by believing you can do it and you are worth it.

First and most obvious is to abstain from sugar and white flour. Most of us already know what to eat and what not to eat, it is just a matter of making good choices. If it is pre packaged, processed , not in its natural form then it is not going to help you. Fruit juices are dangerous in that they are so high in sugars, although natural they will trigger our sugar alarm and cause cravings. Natural, in its original form is always best.

We are all different as individuals and we need to be aware of that in our plan for recovery. With alcohol or drug addiction we completely abstain from use, with food we are faced with the need to eat every day to survive. This makes sugar addiction a little different to tackle and recover from. There are a few ways to regain control over food.

In the beginning go all natural, cut out all sweets, potatoes, pasta, breads, and drink plenty of water along with a multi vitamin. The first few weeks are going to be the most challenging as you withdraw from sugar. Try putting back some items you miss most every so often, just on item at a time. See witch ones trigger you to eat most. You may need to cut some things out entirely. This is where we all differ, and I firmly feel there is no one answer for all of us who struggle with sugar addiction. You will learn which foods make you feel good and those that sabotage your recovery.

As for exercise try and move more each day than you did the day before and slowly build yourself up. Check with your doctor and see if there any concerns with the changes involved here before doing them. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.

Read food labels carefully , the first ingredient is what it has the most of in there, second is second highest , right down the line. If sugar is one of the first six ingredients it is better to pass on that one. There are many names for sugar, make yourself familiar with them and be careful in your selections. Weigh and measure foods carefully and keep a record of everything you eat or drink. Artificial sweeteners act just like sugar and trigger us just the same. Remember that good decisions today make for a better day tomorrow.

Do some research and be familiar with some of the different names for sugar. This will help a great deal to make better informed decisions. If you can find a support group or even a friend to do this with that helps more than words can express. I owe it all to a dear friend who believed in me when I was at my lowest point in life, I am forever grateful for her dedication and support throughout my recovery.

Weight loss alone will not solve the problem. We must first address our addiction that is causing us to be like this. You can put air in a tire that has a leak, but that only fixes it until it goes flat again. Address the core problem and solve it first.