I’m Addicted To Sugar!

Alright, it’s time to be brutally honest with you and with myself!  I have dreaded writing this post but I have reached a point where I know a real change HAS to happen. Like quit talkin’ about it, just freakin’ do it kind of change. Before I got pregnant with Harlyn I was, quite possibly, in the best shape of my life.  I was consistently exercising and doing pretty darn good with my nutrition. Since I first found Beachbody programs a little over 2 years ago I have cut out soda and most processed foods. I have also limited my intake of fried foods and slowed my alcohol intake down considerably.  But if I’m being honest I kind of lost my way a bit during my pregnancy and in the 6 months since giving birth and I have found myself falling back into some old habits.

 

And by bad habits I mean sugar.  I just cannot stay away from it for more than a few days at a time.  Things that I normally would skip on because I know it’s just not worth it now go straight to my mouth.  Cookies and candy find their way into our pantry and darnit I have not been able to control myself. Another problem I’ve been having?  Not eating enough.  I know, it’s crazy to be addicted to sugar on one hand and on the other not eating enough. Some days I look at the clock and it’s after 1pm and I still have yet to eat anything; easy to do when you are knee deep in taking care of 2 kids and trying to keep your house in order!

 

Is sugar addiction a real thing?

Yes!! I won’t bore you with all of the science but a quick Google search on “sugar addiction” yields around 13,200,000 results. Ya’ll that’s freakin crazy!  But the truth is, sugar addiction is legit and it can be really hard to overcome.  This graphic below explains it all…..being addicted to sugar stimulates our brain in a similar way that heroin or cocaine do.  Not good! But the good news is that you can overcome it and your mind and body will thank you for it!

 

Screenshot (94)

 

So now what?

It’s time to draw a line in the sand. It’s time to break up with sugar and slowly remove it from my life.  NOTE: I am a Valentine baby so my birthday is this week (the big 3-5!) so I will totally be enjoying some birthday cake.  And I do plan to allow myself indulgences now and then because I don’t believe in totally depriving yourself of something. It’s just not the way I want to live my life.  But I do want to return to a “cleaner” way of eating on a daily basis and am not looking for my next “sugar fix” every couple of days.  And I do want to be sure I am actually eating enough throughout the day.

 

So how am I going to do it?

  1. Continue making my weekly meal plan, printing it out and hanging it on the refrigerator.
  2. Exercise at least 4 times per week.
  3. Clean out the pantry and throw away (or donate) any candy or other junk food.
  4. Find some healthy alternatives to my favorite sugary foods.
  5. Figure out what triggers me to eat something not on my meal plan.
  6. Get a good night’s sleep (with a baby on board that is probably about 6 hours for me).
  7. Drink at least 75 oz of water per day.
  8. Hold myself publicly accountable 🙂

 

It’s not going to be easy but the good news is that I’ve done it before and I know I can do it again.  Luckily for me, I don’t indulge in a lot of sugary treats and I don’t do it on a daily basis. But I do it enough that I know it is affecting how I feel and how I look and is contributing to the halt in my post-baby weight loss.

 

If you have some helpful tactics you have used to rid yourself of the sugar please comment below so I can try them out!   Stay tuned for an update on my breakup with sugar and my quest to actually eat MORE throughout the day!

 

Xoxo,

Linnea

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