009 - How To Tame Your Sugar Dragon!

Hey hey, friends! After spending the last few weeks talking about topics that applied mostly to women, I thought I would switch it up today and talk about something that applies to pretty much everyone everywhere - how to tame your sugar dragon! 

You know the one I’m talking about… the one that fills your mind with thoughts of chocolate chip cookies or ice cream as soon as you sit down after a long day or the one that makes it impossible to walk by the donuts sitting on the break room table. We all have one and the majority of us, at least at some point, has felt like the dragon has gotten out of control!

One of the questions I’ve gotten a lot is “how do I stop eating so many sweets?” This is an especially common struggle because sweets are everywhere! You’ll find them at work, at church, and at every single get-together! So, what do you do if you are trying to reduce your sugar intake? 

You have to tame the dragon… you have to regain control! As we talked about in Episode 4 - Deconstructing Cravings, food (including sugary foods) isn’t just something that keeps us from being hungry, it’s information - it causes a biological reaction. Consuming sugary foods results in a dopamine release in our brains and so now every time we see the cupcakes or donuts, our brain sees an opportunity for more dopamine.  The problem is that dopamine doesn’t actually make us happy or satisfied, it just motivates us toward the reward of feeling happy. So basically every time you or I consume sugar, we’re just training our brains to continue to pursue consuming more sugar. 

Since most of us aren’t interested in absolutely never consuming sugar again (um..no thanks!), how can we stay in control of these cravings rather than letting them control and motivate us? 

Try an Elimination Diet

The first tip I have for taming your sugar dragon is the most extreme, but it is also the most effective - and that is to starve it. Which means to not feed it any sugar at all for a period of time. Most people refer to this as an elimination diet where you basically do just that - you eliminate certain foods, usually inflammatory or addictive foods, for a certain period of time, usually 2-4 weeks. As I mentioned, this option will definitely give the best results, but it is also the most difficult and you will most likely experience withdrawal symptoms like headaches, irritability, lack of energy, etc. for a few days.  There are several programs out there that can lead you through an elimination diet, something like the Whole30 or the 21-day sugar detox.

I have done this method myself and while the first 3-5 days were really tough, I do feel like it made a drastic difference in the number of cravings I was having as well as my ability to stay in control. I also felt so good after finishing the elimination diet! So, I highly recommend this method if you’re serious about it and up for the challenge.

Make Intentional Decisions 

The second tip I have for taming your sugar dragon is something that you need to do whether you do the elimination diet or not, and that is to start being deliberate with your food choices. You will never feel in control of your health or of any type of cravings if you allow what you eat to be determined by your feelings. Now, I know that this is hard and not something that I have mastered 100% of the time either, but it is something that I’ve become very aware of. Take the time to slow down and be aware of how you’re feeling and give your brain a second to think through the decision before you just automatically say “yes” and indulge. It’s not that indulging is a bad thing or that you always need to say no to sweets,  but not thinking through your decisions and eating impulsively will always leave you feeling out of control and regretful. You will 100% feel better about eating dessert if it was a conscious choice and something you really want than you will if you only eat because it is there or because everyone else is. 

We also need to talk about the mentality of using food as a reward or a treat - and that goes for any food. It’s this mentality that we’ve slipped into as a society and it starts when we are little kids - that I don’t even know if we are aware of. We give them sweets as rewards for good behavior or for eating all their dinner, and while the intention is obviously harmless, the result is not. Food is fuel and we’ve got to change the way that we look at it or else every time we have a bad day we’re going to tell ourselves that we deserve a “treat” on the way home to help us cope and friends, food is not a healthy coping mechanism! This is a difficult mindset to shift (for me as well) but it starts with being aware and becoming more intentional in our decisions! 

Create Some Distance

The third tip to help tame your sugar dragon is to create some distance! There are a number of ways that you can do this, but my favorite way is to just not keep tempting sugary foods in the house! It becomes so much more difficult to resist the candy if it's in your pantry or your desk drawer at work. If you are going to eat it, you will have to make the conscious decision to leave where you are to go get it and most often, that extra effort alone will be enough of a deterrent. And if not, it at least provided you with time to really consider your decision. 

You can also implement a rule of time, maybe 15 minutes, maybe an hour - whatever works best for you. When you get a craving for something sweet, you wait that amount of time, and if you still want it after that amount of time passes (and maybe a glass of water) then you go eat it. This sounds so simple but it really is effective! It again helps to reduce the number of impulsive decisions and automatic eating while allowing you to become more intentional with your food decisions

Choose a Healthier Alternative

The last tip I have to help tame your sugar dragon for today is to go with a healthier version of what you’re craving. This one isn’t nearly as effective at actually taming the cravings, but it at least isn’t as bad for your body as the processed sugary option would be. Choosing an option like a small handful of clean-ingredient chocolate chips and a spoon full of almond butter or an energy ball with chocolate chips or honey in it will help satisfy your craving without spiking your blood sugar or stirring up inflammation in your gut. 

I also want to remind you that we crave what we eat! So if you’re eating processed, sugary foods often, that is what you will crave! As you start to make some of these changes, either through the elimination diet or by choosing healthier alternatives, your craving will also start to change. I don’t crave the same kinds of things that I used to - I still have cravings but much less frequently and typically for healthier options because that is what I eat most often. I just don’t want you to think that this is a never-ending uphill battle! It does get easier, but you will have to do some work on the front end to get there!

Ultimately, when you do make the conscious decision to celebrate with the dessert or have the donut on Sunday morning, enjoy it. Do so without guilt or regret because you know that your body can handle this indulgence because you choose to take care of it and fuel it well with nutritious and nourishing foods most of the time! 

Guys, it’s all about balance and making the best decisions you can - it’s not about perfection! No one is perfect and no one expects you to be! You just want to do your best to take care of your body well so that it can continue to serve you well and allow you to live the life you want to live!

I hope that you will apply a few of these tips and as always if you have questions, feel free to reach out! Enjoy the rest of your day and I’ll see you back here next week!