BY MICHELLE BORTHWICK
Are you ready to make the tough decision to go sugar free? Making the commitment is sometimes the tallest hurdle. If you haven’t yet, with summer upon us, now’s a great time to look at your eating habits and be realistic about how sugar and carbs fit into your life. And, how it affects your weight, outlook on life and how you feel about yourself.
If you are determined to try a different approach to weight loss and unlock confidence, get healthy and get that last bit of weight off..then read on!
This may sound awesome and you are saying to yourself…put me in Coach, I’m ready. That is until your first sugar craving hits. You typically rely on willpower and get past it, but what about the second craving? And the third? Will you be able to power through these sugar cravings as you adjust?
- First things first—yes, you are strong enough to resist sugar cravings but often we need support and education before we start. As a Keto Coach that is where I begin with every client. It’s especially important for women to feel confident in their skin, express their femininity, stop unhealthy emotional eating patterns, find their happy place, lose weight, and have a peaceful mindset about food. And, learn to maintain weight lost to break the cycle of yo-yo dieting. Otherwise, Keto would become another failed diet rather than a natural, healthy, preferred lifestyle.
- Do you realize that your relationship with food mirrors your life? Let this sink in, be honest with yourself and gain insight. This isn’t another opportunity to be hard on yourself rather a chance to learn and make different choices.
Tips to Lessen Sugar Craves
Here are some tips to quiet your sugar cravings until they turn into a whisper and are barely noticeable, and eventually you’ll get to a point when you don’t have many cravings at all.
…it’s just one cookie!
I take that one cookie and run it through my mind to where I’ll eventually end up. Depressed, full of guilt and physically ill and not trusting myself to not continue eating carbs. The more days we can put together where we are pro-active, reinforce our WHY and commitment, challenge ourselves and reward ourselves with Keto, paleo or low carb foods it gets easier. We have more days that are wins. Part of this journey is accepting it’s never DONE. As this becomes a lifestyle, we’ll always be looking for ways to refine our low carb lifestyle to make it work so it fits for us.
When adopting a low carb lifestyle we get to live in the moment, release the past, while creating a vision for our future that doesn’t include sugar and addictive foods.
…what triggers your sugar craves?
Most of us know we are emotional eaters. Start paying attention to your feelings ( Is it perfectionism, comparing yourself to other women, anger, sadness, fear, doubt, etc.). When you want to eat something carby or sweet. Journal it and write it down. This is a great place to start especially if you are on the fence about it.
- The food industry adds sugar to over 80% of our foods to make sure we crave it daily. Just for fun start reading your labels. Become aware of sugar content in your foods.
- Stop the thoughts “I can’t have that…it’s not on my diet.” This will only set up a battlefield within yourself of “Don’t tell me what to do.” We all have it! Instead of saying I can’t, say something like this: “For today, I’m choosing not to have__________. Keep it in the moment and for today.
- Here is a tip to ask yourself. Are you hungry for a yummy salad with a healthy protein? If the answer is no, and it usually is, but you want something with carbs instead, you are not hungry! You are simply craving sugar or carbs and a dopamine hit.
…don’t tempt yourself!
Sugar and carbs are everywhere. The bottom line: It’s more difficult to kick a craving when you’re constantly surrounded by what you crave. The best way to avoid temptation is to avoid what’s tempting you. If you’re surrounded by sugar, you will eat sugar. If you’re not, you won’t.
…hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Hydrate and we live in a desert where it’s even more important than ever. Are you craving sweets, or are you thirsty? Sometimes we don’t realize that cravings can be thirst in disguise. Make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day, and consider a sugar-free electrolyte supplement. Next time you want carbs have a glass of water and see if it passes.
I’ve worked with hundreds of women on sugar and carb cravings. These are just a few hacks that have proven successful but there are many more. Get in touch with me and I’ll give you a complimentary personal low carb diet plan based on your cravings and personal lifestyle.
YOU can kick sugar to the curb and be ready Summer-fun. Let’s talk.
Michelle McLaughlin, known more widely as Michelle Keto, is the foremost expert in living the Keto lifestyle and the go-to coach for Keto women. She loves the CA lifestyle and spends time between San Diego and Palm Desert. Her 1:1 coaching, and group programs have helped hundreds of women from 25 states and 4 countries lose over 8,000 pounds while eating foods they love. This foodie’s motto, and business name, is “Keto is Easy” and she’s one of the few Keto leaders who promotes full customization for long term success. For a complimentary 30-minute coaching call, please schedule at: ketoiseasycoach.com or email her at ketoiseasy@gmail.com
