REDUCE YOUR SUGAR CRAVINGSEBOOK

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE ADDICTED TO SUGAR?

DO YOU START THE DAY FULL OF DETERMINATION, ONLY TO FIND YOUR HAND IN THE BISCUIT TIN AT ELEVENSES?

DO YOU FEEL WEAK AND LIKE YOU JUST DON’T HAVE ENOUGH WILLPOWER TO BEAT IT?

If you feel like the sweet stuff has a hold on you,

LET’S TAKE BACK SOME CONTROL.

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Although sugar is not classed as a drug it stimulates a very similar response in the brain that a class A drug would. Sugar activates an area known as the ‘reward centre’ in our brain which then releases dopamine, the feel-good hormone.

As human beings, when we eat something that makes us feel good, we want more! The more we eat sugar, the more we crave it and the more we require to satisfy the craving. So, it’s completely understandable that in a world where sugar is refined and present is so much of the food we now consume, that you would struggle to let it go.

So, I’ve started with all the bad news about sugar, but you might be surprised to hear that I’m not advocating removing it completely from your diet. Why? Although sugar has no nutrients or health benefits, I personally don’t think it’s possible to completely exclude it from our diet and nor should you because, in moderation, a little of

what you fancy does you good. Life could become incredibly difficult trying to find a sugar free alternative to every food, can you imagine a sugar free birthday cake…yuck!

Instead, my intention behind this eBook is to provide some simple strategies to help you reduce your overall sugar intake and free yourself from the sweetness shackles.

I’ve highlighted already the biological reason why it is normal for us to crave sugar but there is another reason…EMOTIONS…those icky feelings that we don’t like to face can sometimes be soothed away with chocolate. No amount of healthy eating strategies will remove sugars hold on you, if it is emotions that are driving you to eat. That requires a bit more digging deep I’m afraid. I will however touch on a few strategies that you might find helpful if you are an emotional eater.

THE IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW FIRST OF ALL IS THAT IT IS NOTHING TO DO WITH WILLPOWER AND YOU ARE NOT WEAK.

When we’re trying to make changes to improve our health we tend to get stuck in a mindset of seeing food as being either in the ‘good’ camp or the ‘bad’ camp (yes I’m looking at you slimming clubs) and this can lead to a very disordered relationship with food.

Remember being a child and being told you couldn’t have a certain toy and you were so distraught that this toy then consumed every waking thought you had. We turn into big kids when we are denied something pleasurable!. Our brains tell us we’re missing out on the party and our desire for the food goes through the roof. When we eventually cave (which we always do) we then eat way more than we would have done had we not denied ourselves in the first place.

So, when it comes to your favourite sweet treat, try not to attach judgement to yourself eating this particular food and see it for what it is.

Mindset

TRY NOT TO ATTACH JUDGEMENT TO YOURSELF EATING THIS PARTICULAR FOOD AND SEE IT FOR WHAT IT IS

Overeating sweet foods, particularly in the evening can often be a sign that you’re not consuming enough during the day and your body is trying to make up the shortfall whatever way it can. It’s vital for our bodies to receive a stable flow of energy throughout the day in order to keep our blood sugars stable and provide us with the fuel to do all we require.

Think about your current diet and consider:

Are you eating a balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Is there protein in every meal?

Are you getting healthy fats?

Is there colour on your plates?

Is there variety?If your eating habits are off the mark then I suggest you focus on areas to improve and think about what things can be added in, rather than removed. A nutrient dense diet containing an appropriate balance of protein, complex carbohydrates and good fats can significantly reduce cravings.

Fuel Your Body

You’d think it’s a pretty good idea to substitute regular cola for the sugar free version, right? Nope. Studies have suggested that people who consume diet drinks are more likely to be overweight. There are a number of possible explanations for this. The first is that although the drink is sugar free, it does contain artificial sweetener and so tastes sweet, therefore still stimulating the reward centre in our brain. Imagine then that our body is anticipating a flow of sugar in response to the taste, but it never arrives. The body will be seeking the energy source and, in its absence, will drive up hunger and cravings intensity, hence leading to overeating.

Now I’m not suggesting you switch back to regular coke but instead reduce with a view to replacing with an alternative such as sparkling water with fruit.

Ditch Diet Drinks

THE BODY WILL BE SEEKING THE ENERGY SOURCE AND, IN ITS ABSENCE, WILL DRIVE UP HUNGER AND CRAVINGS INTENSITY, HENCE LEADING TO OVEREATING.

Two of my favourite things but sadly bad news when it comes to blood sugar control and cravings. Caffeine is a stimulant and when drunk in excess increases our stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol. These hormones then trigger insulin to release glucose into our blood stream, as our body believes we are under threat and in need of extra energy to escape harm. If you’re in a coffee induced stress response and sitting at your desk, your body will literally store up all that excess glucose as fat. Aim to reduce your coffee to no more than two cups a day and avoid after 3pm to reduce sleep disruption.

We all love a wee glass of wine or two in the evening to unwind after a hard day’s work, but your evening tipple could be wreaking havoc with your cravings and weight loss efforts.

Aside from the fact alcohol is just excess calories, it also sends our blood sugars on a roller coaster ride that takes some time to recover from. Our inhibitions are also lowered with alcohol meaning we’re more likely to reach for sweet foods and with our responses slowed, tend to eat beyond our natural point of fullness. The morning after, with blood glucose levels through the floor, our bodies will look for a quick source of energy to bring those levels up……. CARBS!

Reduce Caffeine & Alcohol

YOUR EVENING TIPPLE COULD BE WREAKING HAVOC WITH YOUR CRAVINGS AND WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS

Journaling is the number one exercise I encourage everyone trying to make changes to do.

Recording everything you eat and drink over the course over a day is a fantastic way to truly connect with your eating habits and identify opportunities to improve. You’ll be amazed at how often you ate on the run, in the car, grazed off kids’ plates etc that without journaling, you’d probably have discounted.

More importantly, it helps you identify non-hunger triggers for eating such as stress, boredom, anger or overwhelm. Tune in to these triggers and find strategies to manage these emotions more effectively. Notice how you are feeling and be your own best friend. What does she need? A hug, a bath, a walk, or an early night perhaps?

JOURNALING IS THE NUMBER ONE EXERCISE I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TRYING TO MAKE CHANGES TO DO

Keep a Food and Feelings Journal

We all know the recommendation is to get 7-8 hours sleep a night but few of us manage to achieve this consistently.

In a busy ‘always on’ culture sleep is something that we often forgo in place of watching boxsets, household chores, responding to work emails, scrolling on social media or gaming.

Sleep is one of the most undervalued yet fundamental elements of health. A recent study indicated that chronic sleep deprivation could actually shorten our lifespan and increase our risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.

A good nights’ sleep helps to maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that regulate appetite which are the hunger hormones (ghrelin) and satiety hormones (leptin). In fact, people that are sleep deprived are proven to eat around 200-300 calories a day more than those who are not. This is one of the reasons why lack of sleep increases risk of obesity.

So, if you struggle to get some Zzzzz’s explore some of the underlying factors that might impacting it.

SLEEP IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERVALUED YET FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF HEALTH

Prioritise Sleep

Hope you found this ebook helpful and it’s given you a fresh insight into why you (and countless others!) struggle with the sweet stuff.

For more information on how to transform your relationship with Food, your body and Mind visit:

www.eatology.co.uk

Claire Feldman07736679136claire@eatology.co.uk