Yesterday, I posted more or less the transcript of my session about sugar, and I promised you that today, I would give you advice on dealing with all of that information and what you can expect as a result of your hard work.
Read labels. (Ask me if you don’t know how—I’ll teach you.)
Use a journal or an app or whatever works for you to keep track of how much sugar you’re currently taking in. All of it. Read ALL of your labels. There is sugar hiding in so many foods that aren’t sweet. This is not to judge—it’s to know where you’re starting.
The current WHO recommendation is less than 18 grams per day of added sugars.
If you’re over that, look at where you can start shaving it down.
If you’re like me, “moderation” is bullshit and you need to just cut it until it’s under control. (I’ll write more about this thought another day.)
If you’re like me, you’re an emotional eater and you need to make a plan for what you’re going to do when you’re happy, when you’re sad, when you’re stressed, when you’re whatever state of being causes intense sugar cravings.
Overeating sugar is a SUPER COMMON PROBLEM. There is no shame in this. You are not alone, and anyone who judges you is wrestling with the same problem and can’t face it yet.
Your value as a human being has no connection to how much junk food you eat.
I’m not gonna lie—quitting sugar is hard. Partially because we have been trained to believe we deserve it (see decades of being rewarded by parents, teachers, etc. with candy, ice cream, etc.). Partially because it’s ubiquitous, so it’s difficult to avoid contact/temptation. Partially because sometimes people in our lives react badly to us trying to live better and make it harder for us. (I’ll write more about this thought another day.)
But it’s worth the work.
When you quit sugar and it loses its hold on you, you experience liberation that you didn’t even know you needed.
You stop thinking about food all the time.
You stop shaming yourself for eating crap all the time.
You save time and money by not seeking out and buying junk all the time.
You don’t spend so much time feeling guilty.
Your moods are better.
Your energy level is higher.
And eventually, you can have a sweet here or there without it becoming all-consuming.
I’m not saying it will be easy. I’m saying it will be worth it.
And I challenge you to instill eating habits in your children that will help them not to have the same struggles that you have.