How To Stop Craving Sugar
I used to have a MASSIVE carb addiction (you can learn more about me at the end of this post) and my 'carb' of choice was beautiful, sweet sugar. I could eat almost any treat, but my favorite things to eat were baked goods: cookies, muffins, cake, brownies - yum! I still like having treats now and then but for a while there, things got really out of hand. As a result, I gained a ton of weight and got really out of shape.
I Couldn't Stop!
I decided that I had to cut back so I committed to dropping sugar for a while. The problem? I couldn't stop. Every day I would tell myself that it would be my last day of eating sugar. "Tomorrow I'll be better" became my repeatable, desperate mantra. It was bad news and I knew it. Fortunately for me, I stopped gaining weight when I was about 50 pounds overweight. Some people just keep gaining and gaining. Still, I wanted to change. I knew that I was hurting my body.
What I Learned About Sugar Addiction
I finally got serious about trying to control my sugar addiction but to do that, I had to learn the factors that were contributing to my insatiable cravings. For me, there were quite a few things that I figured out:
#1 - Dehydration
I was super lazy when it came to drinking water and I learned that dehydration is a huge problem that makes you crave food. I started drinking 16oz. of water eight times a day and it really helped.
#2 - Refined Grains
Before I started learning about sugar addiction, I had never even heard of the refined grains/sugar connection. I had no idea that refined grains were turned into glucose almost immediately after you eat them. This spikes your blood sugar just like sugar does and this makes you - you guessed it - crave sugar.
From the moment I stopped eating refined grains I noticed almost immediately that my sugar cravings became a lot more manageable.
#3 - Artificial Sweeteners
I read study after study after study confirming that artificial sweeteners contribute to cravings for carbs (especially sugars). Since all I drank was Crystal Light and diet soda, I was resistant to this idea. I didn't want this to be the case because deep down, I wanted to keep drinking the stuff.
I finally decided to conduct a test with myself where I ditched ALL artificial sweeteners for 30 days. The results were incredible, my appetite completely changed. Somehow I learned to drink water with no flavor. For me it was strange but completely reformed my cravings.
#4 - Eating Carbs For Breakfast
Eventually I decided to test eating different foods for breakfast while journaling about my cravings. I found that eating grains for breakfast increased my appetite during the day, even if they were whole grains. I also noticed that eating protein and fat for breakfast decreased my cravings for carbs during the day. I started eating meat and eggs for breakfast.
There are other things that contribute to appetite control, but for me, these are the most important. I have found that by controlling these four things, I can control my appetite and stop my cravings for sugar. There was a time when I thought that I would never be able to stop eating it but now I feel like I'm in control.
I hope that my advice will help you to feel the same.
About The Author
My name is Stephen Bulpitt and I love helping people to learn how to control their bodies. I also love helping people to learn about business and wrote a book about the subject. You can find my book here: Stephen Bulpitt on Book Finder. You can also find me on Google+Â and Facebook.
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Posted in: Useful Guides by Guest Author on September 27, 2012 @ 1:18 am