Do you want to kick the sugar habit?

Do you suffer from sugar addiction?

This is a VERY serious topic and I never want to make light of anyone’s health.

Sugar doesn’t just cause cavities, bulge your waistline or age you… it can be the very cause of many diseases.

I can almost hear you now… “Awwww…c’mon Karie… you’re no fun!”

That’s right…sometimes the truth hurts. I just celebrated Halloween this entire past week and trust me, there is candy all over the house and guess what? I’m having a harder time staying away from it then my 9 year old!

Confession: I have a HUGE sweet tooth! My mom never let us have sugar as a child and thankfully we were raised in a very healthy home that was void of junk food. I like to tell myself that I’m rebelling and making up for lost time… not buying it, huh?

First in order to cut back on sugar or stop consuming it altogether you need to first understand:

1) Why you have a sugar addiction or why it controls you
2) What it’s doing to your health

Sugar should be in the same category as drugs and alcohol… yes it’s THAT addictive. Scary huh? That’s why I take this topic so seriously.

So with that being said… the history behind sugar is that thousands of years ago we only ate sugar that was found naturally in food and we didn’t have any issues. It was considered a treat. Now over a 1/3 of our calories come from sugar and white flour added in food processing. Our bodies weren’t designed to handle this insane load.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that sugar may give you a boost, a high, then you crash several hours later which starts the stupid cycle of craving more sugar to get the “high” back again… The reality is that sugar is actually robbing you of more energy than it actually gives. Eventually you will find that you’re more exhausted then ever before… full of anxiety and moody.

Now you’re too tired to workout, do any physical activity on top of eating tons of carbs. Do you now see why the weight gain cycle starts? Also contributing to emotional eating… as the moodiness kicks in.

If you can break the sugar habit, you can reap the rewards of long-term health benefits.

A few conditions that you can avoid by eliminating excessive sugar intake:

Diabetes
Hypertension
Stroke
Heart attack
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Cancer
Heart Disease
Hormonal problems
ADHD
Candida/Yeast Infections

Not to mention, you will be thinner…more attractive and your energy will be UNSTOPPABLE!

One trick that I use to help myself overcome sugar, is to not HAVE IT IN THE HOUSE! Don’t buy it… then it won’t be there to tempt you. I have to practice this method to keep from eating sweets. Those late nights when you’re watching your favorite show, you want to munch on something bad. This is emotional eating and if it’s not present then it won’t control you.

Another trick… and this one I use with my clients and coach you personally through it. Learning to LOVE yourself MORE than the tempting items that you should avoid. This is where a coach comes into play. I can help you overcome this form of self-sabotage. I coach my female clients on loving yourself to the point that you wouldn’t DREAM of abusing your beloved body with poisons and toxins. This form of life coaching can be taken to many levels. What you tolerate in your career, diet and relationships.

Step 1) I encourage you to first be aware of how much sugar you really are consuming… write it down for 5 days. Use this format if possible. 4 grams = one sugar packet, so that you can use that as a visual. Spread out the packets and imagine just how much you are consuming. This will leave an imprint in your mind, a visual aid.

Then when reality hits… don’t feel guilty. We can move past this, together…

Step 2) Cut back on your sugar consumption for 3-5 days, if at all possible to the point of elimination. Start to tell yourself that you don’t need desert, that you don’t even EAT desert.  You will start to not even consider the tempations, you will eventually be on an “auto-pilot” and decline all sugar temptations.  I go through a method like this in deep detail in my coaching programs: http://kariemillspaugh.com/coaching-packages/

You will start to see by day 3, that sugar doesn’t have the same control as it once did. When you feel that pull towards something sweet, say to yourself that you deserve better, that you love yourself MORE than that candybar…etc. THIS WORKS! Hold yourself up, you are better than this! When you overcome this…you will feel POWERFUL! Trust me… then we can move on to bigger and better things, like fitting into those jeans that you’ve been hanging on to …

Let me know your feedback and feel free to contact me with questions and comments …

Much love!

Karie Millspaugh
Your Wellness Coach