| What’s on the shelves and in your face now? Discounted candy and tons of it. What’s next? November with holiday sugar treats warm goodness and Thanksgiving. And right after that December, the highest weight gain month of the year! This might be hard to hear, but you’re addicted to sugar. This could be the reason why you’re struggling to lose weight now and during the holidays which will cause you to gain an extra 10-15 pounds. Yikes!! So why not just cut it out of my diet all together you ask? Have you tried this with a fad diet? It doesn’t work and actually backfires! But Coach that doesn’t make too much sense. Tell me why. One reason is that your brain is dependent on sugar. Maybe so much so that when you eliminate it all at once (like with a fad diet). Your body will rebel. And when your body rebels, you may get intense cravings, hunger, the inability to concentrate, mood swings, and a rapid heart rate. So what happens when you start to cut it out? You may make it a couple of days on your diet—before this rebellion begins and completely derails your progress (if you have tried this you probably remember days 3 and 4 which is the hardest). So what should you do? It’s actually easier than you think to break the addiction cycle. You just need to start by making small changes to your diet each week. These small changes trick your brain into thinking everything is good, when in actuality–you’re starting to cut down on your reliance on sugar. Each time you make another small adjustment to your diet your brain adjusts as well to the lower calories and lower sugar intake. Your body adjusts by losing weight and freeing up the stored energy in your body fat (this is what you want, release the stored fat). And you finally can break your addiction to sugar—once and for all. I know it doesn’t seem that difficult but those who are addicted will tell you otherwise. Making those small changes will make it easier for your body and brain to adjust. Just to recap: Your brain loves sugar. And the more sugar it has, the better it functions. However, cutting sugar from your diet is like telling a monkey to stop eating bananas, it’s not going to happen. It’s a change that is often hard to handle. But if you’re able to make small changes to your diet—and slowly cut down on your reliance on sugar. You’re going to see some pretty awesome changes in your life, your health, and your weight loss. It’s time to break the cycle—and end your reliance on sugar. |
