5 Sugar-Quitting Behavior Shifts I Discovered by Joan Kent, PhD

5 Sugar-Quitting Behavior Shifts I Discovered

By Joan Kent, PhD

 

After I uncovered my mindset blocks against quitting sugar (see last post), I learned the key behavior changes that were necessary for quitting. Nothing happens without these shifts.

 

Shift 1: Stop looking for a loophole.

If there were a loophole in this sugar addiction thing – some sneaky sugar I could eat without any bad effects – believe me:  I would have found it. Nobody looked harder than I did.

 

For us, for you, sugar is not food – even if everyone around you can eat it with no problems whatsoever. Accept that – and keep in mind that some people will eat sugar despite the problems they have with it. Do what’s in your best interest.

 

Shift 2: Set yourself up for success.

Prepare to win the sugar battle. De-junk your kitchen. Don’t keep sugary foods in the cupboard or refrigerator and tell yourself you won’t eat them. Just don’t.

 

Buy the things you’ll need to stay on track: plenty of protein, liquid B-complex, vegetables. Drink lots of water.

 

Fight one battle at a time. For now, just get off sugar. Then fix other stuff in your life.

 

Shift 3: Work out no matter what!

Workouts are key in changing brain chemistry. Schedule them into your day consistently and put them in your planner, whichever type you use.

 

When things get busy, don’t skip the workout and vow to start tomorrow. Make your workout as important as any business appointment. Reschedule it in your planner and keep it.

 

Shift 4: Follow the most reliable instructions.

Don’t use sugar “cures” offered by people who don’t understand sugar addiction. Anyone who suggests the following (or any variations) is utterly out of touch with what’s going on for a sugar addict. Find help from someone who understands it.

 

• Eat fruit if you crave sugar.
  Do not follow that advice. Fruit IS sugar and won’t help you quit.

 

• Eat the sugary food you crave, then have something healthful. 
  Post-facto broccoli will not help you quit sugar.

 

• Eat the sugary food you crave slowly and savor it.
  Eating sugar slowly and voluptuously will not help you quit.

 

• Go for a walk. Change the scenery. Think of something else. Talk to a friend.
  None of these will help. Sugar cravings are neurochemical, so they’re physiological. Pretending they’re imaginary won’t help you quit.

 

Shift 5: Focus on the big picture.

Quitting sugar is a long-term goal; it’s never ‘Over.’

 

At the first fitness job I ever had, a woman joined the gym and said she wanted to lose 10 pounds and then quit the gym. We can see what’s wrong that approach, but she couldn’t.

 

Don’t make that kind of mistake with sugar. Staying sugar-free is a long-term commitment to yourself. It takes courage and acceptance. Don’t think of it as a “diet” and treat yourself to a brownie when the quitting’s over.

 

Bonus Tip: Put This to Work Now

 

Sugar addiction is a real problem with real consequences that affect both your physical health and your mental state.

 

When I was quitting sugar, I wanted help many times but had to do it alone. No one even believed sugar addiction was real, so they never took me seriously. Under those circumstances, how could anyone have good advice for me?

 

I had to construct my own plan and test it in my doctoral research study. I have now used it successfully for 20 years with thousands (yes!) of clients. It works!

 

It’s one thing to read and talk about conquering sugar addiction – the right mindset is essential. But mindset is only half the process, and it remains potential until we do something about it.

 

Implementation is the true power that makes a sugar-free life happen.

 

As G.K. Chesterton said, “I do not believe in a fate that falls on men [or women] however they act, but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.”

 

I’m dedicated to helping you conquer sugar addiction so you can transform your health, stay addiction-free, and blast your self-image off the charts. Just visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free Empowered Eating Consult. Find out how easy it can be to make a few simple changes and start feeling good right now.

 

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar:  7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.