In previous posts, I've lovingly referred to the creature inside me as "the sugar monster." She shows her ugly face from time to time, always unexpected. She is intelligent and knows when to strike. My guard will be down, I'll be unprepared, and she will let out a dragon-like roar. She kicks her feet in protest, snarls, bites, whines....relentlessly wearing me down until I cave.
My friends and I were confused a few months back when The Sugar Monster moved in to my body and started unpacking her clothes as if she owned the place. "But Cassie," my roommate said while scratching her head, "I thought you hate sweets!"
"I DO hate sweets!" I exclaimed, elbow-deep in a bag of Reese's.
I have always been a salty snack gal. Chips are my one true love. Chocolate made me cringe and my teeth ache...until I decided to eat healthy.
When I started this journey, I was loosely following a Ketogenic diet. The short definition of the keto diet is focusing on higher fat foods and very low carb foods. I use the term "loosely" because there has been a lot of experimenting, tweaking, trials and errors...and there still is! Have no fear; I planned a future post discussing my keto lifestyle and how I've changed it to fit with my own body's needs.
Sugar and carbs were the main things I focused on cutting out, but sugar was the bigger target for me. I figured that it would be easy since I didn't ever reach for cookies or candy as snacks. "I'll just start reading labels to avoid the sneaky sugars that get added to products! Once I'm educated, I just have to cut it out! I'm so lucky that I don't like sweets."
Are you laughing at my past self? I am. Poor, naive Cassie.
As I've learned since then, there are added sugars EVERYWHERE. The first struggle was figuring out how to cut back on all that sneaky sugar. It was in my sauces, my daily coffee, my chewing gum, my protein shakes, my "healthy" peanut butter bars. Slowly but surely, I replaced bottles in my pantry with better alternatives whenever I ran out of the old product. For example, when I ran out of my raspberry jam, I bought a sugar-free option. When I ran out of my sauces used for cooking, I started focusing on more hot sauces without additives. For a moment, I thought I'd cracked the code.
And then the cravings attacked.
My dear friend Rissa reached out to me, asking how I succeed at overcoming The Sugar Monster. I tried texting her a response but there were too many pieces of advice I wanted to give. Health is one of my favorite topics so if I'm asked a specific question, I tend to get excited.
So here we are now: pulling inspiration from her curiosity to create this post!
Now that I've thoroughly rambled on, I'm going to jump right in. Full disclaimer: I am going to be as brutally honest as possible. Tough love is what got me to this point. When it comes to cravings, I find it beneficial to tackle it head-on.
You are not alone. I felt incredibly discouraged in the beginning. I thought that the cravings would never stop being so intense and that I would have to live with them for the rest of my life while trying to make the healthiest choices possible. The "need" for sugar was so horrible that I suffered headaches, binging, crankiness, bloating, breakouts...it felt as if my body was rebelling. But here's the kicker: when you've been eating like shit for so long and suddenly take those things away, your body throws a temper tantrum. Unfortunately, much like a crying child, you cannot give in. Stand tall and remind yourself that there isn't REALLY a "need" for sugar. There is no nutrients that you'll be missing out on.
It will suck at first. Just had to stick this in here...cutting out sugar is really fucking hard. I don't want to sugarcoat it (ha ha) for you. I know the way my mind works, and I knew it was better for me to quit it all at once, cold turkey. Some people need to slowly wean off of it, which is fine! Figure out what works best for you. I just knew I had to go all in, or I would continue to make excuses and snack throughout the day on cookies.
Everyone will adjust at a different speed. I will continue to tell you that EVERY BODY IS SO DIFFERENT. It's incredibly discouraging to watch other people adjust so quickly to a big lifestyle change. I was so confused as to why the cravings were still so intense even after not having refined sugar for MONTHS. I decided to just keep at it, and let my body continue to throw a fit until all of the years of sugar damage eventually cleansed out. And I promise you that the day will come. It took my body about 6-7 months to finally give in. And now I'm in a glorious place where I crave healthy foods. If I don't get enough veggies by the end of the day, I'm cranky. Isn't that crazy? Who am I?
Make healthier alternatives. I have a post dedicated to the dairy-free, sugar-free cake that I made to take with me for Easter. Of course I don't think there's a problem with having a few Cadbury eggs or one of Grandma's cupcakes. But I knew there would be temptation everywhere ALL DAY. So my cake ended up saving me from a headache (due to a sugar spike and inevitiable crash), bloated tummy, and indigestion. If you're in need of a quick fix, I have so many ideas; perhaps there will be more posts discussing my personal favorite swaps. One of my go-to sweet snacks is vegan cream cheese, chopped pecans, a dash of my sugar-free raspberry jam (if you can't find this at your super market, mash up some strawberries or raspberries), coconut oil, chia seeds, and coconut flakes. It's like a healthier version of granola! I wholeheartedly believe that there is a DIY substitute to any meal out there.
Be wary of "health" bars and drinks. Protein bars seem like the ideal solution: yummy, sweet, and packed with protein. But PLEASE READ YOUR LABELS. Most of them have high calorie counts and that's helpful for me when it comes to a post-workout snack. However, the issue is how much added sugar goes in. You would be surprised on how many protein bars compare to a simple chocolate bar. I've been on the hunt for one that fits my needs and I have found one by the brand Slim. It's vegan so I don't have to worry about dairy! There are only a few grams of sugar per bar, and only 5 grams of net carbs! Not too shabby for when I need fuel in my body directly before or after a killer sweaty session. Moral of the story is do not be fooled by packaging and company claims. Do your research!
Fruit, fruit, fruit. When I was hardcore following the keto diet, I avoided fruits because of the sugar and carb counts. I know better now that these are natural sugars, not refined sugars. And it's FRUIT, for fuck's sake! Once I began integrating adequate fruit serving sizes into my daily snacks, I found that my sugar cravings were satisfied. Keep in mind that this might not be the case right away; your body could be so accustomed to huge quantities of refined sugar that fruit will not taste sweet enough. But as time passes, fruit will become your new best friend all over again.
Be honest about your coffee. Hello, my name is Cassie, and I'm addicted to coffee. My morning routine is not complete without my coffee. At my place of employment, there's a Starbucks in the building; I was training in the Starbucks department to pick up extra hours for a while. This is when I learned just how much sugar is consumed in our daily coffee. There are regular customers that come for the same comforting drink every morning. However, I don't think people realize how these drinks are created. I would hope that the lady ordering a large white chocolate mocha is aware of the insane amount of liquid sugar going into her cup of joe. But there are drink concoctions that I would have never guessed at what goes into it! Even just a sweetened iced tea gets pumps and pumps of liquid cane sugar! If you can't quit the sweetness right away, switch to the sugar-free syrups and splenda (I'll admit: I enjoy Dunkin Donuts more since they have more sugar-free syrup options). If I don't make my coffee at home, I'll opt for a black coffee with almond milk. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll order an almond milk latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup. If you're whining about this, ask yourself if you truly enjoy coffee, or if you enjoy that white chocolate flavoring.
Stay full and satisfied. I now practice intuitive eating by asking myself if I'm truly hungry. When I stay full throughout the day, it's easier for me to not reach for candy because I can reassure myself that there's no need for it. This will come with practice so please be patient with yourself. Cravings are harder to handle when you're actually hungry, so listen to your body and eat a filling meal. I recommend healthy fats like avocado to keep you fuller for longer.
You are only human! Your body will function properly if you stick with avoiding refined sugar. I used to be so accustomed to constantly feeling like shit that when I cleansed the damaging chemicals out, I started to feel the affects of binging on sugar. I noticed how horrible I felt after indulging, which made me WANT to not indulge. However, there will be slip-ups. There will be days that you say "screw it," and treat yourself. Do not beat yourself up over it! Just focus on not over-eating so you don't feel too sick. And remember tomorrow is a fresh day to start over. Life will go on. Start this new day with a fruit salad and yummy (sugar-free) coffee. Go look in the mirror and compliment one mental aspect about yourself, and one physical. You will get through this and come away with no more reliance on something that hurts your body.
Patience and persistence. Be kind to yourself. Do not stop, even when you mess up. Keep going, day after day.
"It's okay to be scared. Being scared means you're about to do something really, really brave." -unknown