Sweet denial of sugar addiction

Living in sweet denial

One of the most common problems that led us to where we were, and needed help, is sugar addiction. Actually, it is not only the sweets that are ruining our lives, it is all carbs. There is not so much difference between bread, potatoes, donuts, or coke. They are all carbs and they make our brains high.

That’s not true! Bread and potatoes are healthy! Sure, especially the French fries and bread you are dipping in a fatty sauce. That is super healthy indeed. Let’s be honest here. Carbs are addictive and most of us are badly hooked on them. It is a fact.

Personal challenge

I am not! I can stop at any time! Really? So let’s try it. No bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes for a week! Do you still love your meals? I think you will have to admit that your life has become somewhat miserable. I am not saying that you should ditch all your sides from the plate. At all. I wouldn’t dare. Just try and you will get how many of these things you are eating without even thinking about it.

Typical school lunch

The other day I randomly opened a video that showed up on my Facebook and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was one of those “pack lunch with me”. Why a kid should be eating some fried meat, French fries as a side, a bag of chips, a bag of sweets, and sugary soda to flush it down? Very little protein, tons of carbs, full of chemicals and additives. No fruit, no veggies, nothing that the body needs. A sad story altogether.

What you learn young around food, usually sticks with you for the rest of your life. Unfortunately. There is very little hope that if you were growing up eating these things, you would wake up one day and tell yourself: I am craving broccoli and grilled chicken breast. Most likely you have never eaten broccoli in your life.

Sugar takes a toll on your life

Maybe you will tell me that all the things I am so strongly against are cheap, that is why people eat them. Perhaps you are right. But if you live in the US, where the video was from, you have to pay your medical bills. And they are hugenormous and even bigger.

So, wouldn’t it be easier to prevent this disaster and at least give it a try and eat a bit better? If you end up with diabetes, your joints will hurt all over your body, and you will have high cholesterol and blood pressure, it is a recipe for disaster. Sooner or later you will end up in the hospital and it will be neither nice nor cheap. I don’t think that GoFundMe will cover the cost.

Give it a try!

Have you ever decided to do something about your habit of eating sugar? Maybe you have decided to ditch coke for a week. Or all the sweet stuff – pastry, cookies, chocolate, these guys make a huge family! And what happened?

Withdrawal is a must

I bet you were grumpy, mean to everyone, irritable as hell, and quite possibly with a good headache. How is this even possible, you will ask. It is easy. You were going through a withdrawal. Yes, sir, it is exactly this.

Our bodies are so incredibly hooked on sugar, that if we decide to change our habits and take away the source of pleasure, our brain protests in a pretty vocal way, and it will make sure we go back to our habits and put the sugar back on the plate. If you have never tried, maybe you should give it a shot. Own experience is much better than a million descriptions.

Possible failure

I fully understand people who tried to give up sugar, especially all those sweet things, and they failed. They did try, but they failed and failed again and then they got to the point where they convinced themselves that they couldn’t do it. So they keep eating it, actually, stuffing their mouth with it because if you get to the point where you deprive yourself of something and then you give in, the consequences tend to be somewhat catastrophic. No, we really shouldn’t eat chocolate the same way as bread.

It is all about portions…

And have you ever checked the labels? I love them! The guys who invented this trick are clever as heck 😀 they will tell you: a PORTION contains 6% of the daily calorie goal. Sounds good, right? It looks quite inoffensive. But have you ever checked how much the portion is? What if I tell you that it is something like 20 grams of chips? Ha! Do you stop after a small handful? Nobody does! You breathe in the whole bag! 200 grams? Omg, how many calories are there inside this “portion”??? You don’t want to count it, trust me. And it is only a bag of chips. You eat much more during the day. Imagine stopping yourself after one quarter of a donut. Do you thing it is even possible???

The normal day goes like this

Donuts for breakfast with sugary coffee, some snack in the office, then “pack lunch with me”, something sweet after to have some energy for the afternoon, then pasta for dinner, and then the usual avalanche of whatever you fancy in front of the TV. If you want to scare yourself to death, download an app to track calories and macros and put there everything you put in your mouth. And do that for a week.

I don’t want you to feel guilty or ashamed. Never! That is not my intention and I am the last person to judge anyone. I am not perfect and I eat sometimes also things that are not so great for me. I confess without torture. Everybody does that.

Do not lie to yourself

The thing is that if you still operate in the mode I-have-it-under-control or it-is-not-that-bad, you are not fully aware of the reality. Trust me, once you see in numbers and graphs what is going on inside, you will first suffer a huge shock, and second you will feel horrible about yourself.

Acknowledge the reality

No need for this. If you know where you are, you have already done the very first step that can lead you to a change. If you know where you are, you can start doing something about it. If you want, obviously. If you decide to change, good for you. No need to stop eating all carbs. But maybe limiting it a little, wouldn’t be a bad idea. You will surprise yourself how easily some pounds will disappear from your waist.

Baby steps to start with

And you know what? Let’s make a small challenge together: pick up one sweet thing/carb that you think you eat in excess. And try to limit it as much as you can during the week. Do you think you can make it? Will it be hard? Is there anything you can do to make it easier for yourself? Plan a little and you will see that it is not as hard as it may seem. And let me know how it went 🙂