Addicted to Sugar? How Can You Stop? (It’s a choice…)

How Can You Get Off Sugar?

Recently, I was talking with my friend and client, Jill, about my adventures with food and the improvements to my weight, mood and overall improved health.  She said she wishes she could “get off sugar”.  She said she does for a while, but keeps falling off the wagon.  She’ll do well for a period of time, and then goes right back to the evil stuff.

It made me think about how to talk to people about giving up sugar.

I think, because sugar is highly addictive, it’s not a simple answer.  For some people, just stopping is the only way to go while others do better weaning themselves off it.  The decision of which road is right for you depends on a number of things.  Are you an addictive personality?  Is your health in immediate jeopardy, with diabetes for instance?  If the answers to these two questions are “yes”, then the tough cold turkey route is probably the only way to go.  If the answers are “no”, then you may be more comfortable taking a little more time and a little more gradual route getting to “sugar free”.

For me, years ago I was diagnosed as being severely hypoglycemic.  I didn’t touch any sugar, caffeine or alcohol for over a year and was then able to have a little of each occasionally.  It wasn’t that hard because by the time the doctors figured out what was wrong, I was very sick and very miserable.  I’ve watched my intake since and seem to have, for the most part, “outgrown” it.  I remember my doctor told me hypoglycemia was the “malady du jour”, but after seeing my glucose tolerance tests told me “I was a real one”.

He also told me this meant there was a possibility I could become diabetic which has kept me watchful over the years so I never got too crazy with eating badly.

I have friends with terrible challenges like fibromyalgia who tell me they could never give up sugar.  It’s very scary that sugar is so highly addictive that someone would rather endure the endless pain of that malady rather than give up sugar.

You need to look at your life, your weight, your energy level and your health in general and ask yourself how your life would improve if you could lose 20 lbs (by NOT dieting, by the way), have more energy in general, be more upbeat, perhaps not struggle with depression…

If you can admit your life would improve, then why not get off sugar to see how it changes things?  You can always start eating it again.  In fact, once you’re off it, you can always have a little once in a while.  I do.  I had dessert at the holidays, and I will again next holiday.  I went to Florida in the winter and order a piece of key lime pie one evening for dessert.  I also got 4 forks and made my dinner partners help me eat it!

After a while, you may find sweet things don’t taste as amazingly wonderful as you remembered.  You may also feel so much better that you’ll choose sugar free over sugar any day.  I know I do.

Make Major Improvements in Your Life!

Cheryl Major