DYING TO KICK THE SUGAR HABIT?
For most of us, we already know that sugar can a). taste good, b). be addicting, c). be found in just about everything, and last but not least, d). be difficult to give up.
Since these 4 things can literally help us fail at our goal of abstaining from sugar...you might be thinking, “what’s the use, it’s just too difficult!”
Well here’s where you’ll find some good news on a few different levels. Buckle up...
Let’s start with the taste of sugar. We have to quite literally “acquire” a taste for it because, frankly, it is very sweet to the tongue. (Don’t believe me?...Step away from it for a week or so and you’ll see what I mean...that stuff is SWEET!!!) We just become immune to it, just like anything else that we do so frequently. Overtime, our taste buds become so used to the sweetness of sugar that it eventually doesn’t seem as sweet as when we first started. It's kind of like alcohol, the initial taste is a “bit too strong,” until we’ve decided that we want to like it for either taste, social reasons, etc.
There will always be a social function, celebration or event that can tempt us. As much as you can talk yourself into loving it, or missing out on it, you can just as easily talk yourself out of the desire to have it. It takes work, but frankly, lack of trying takes MORE work and a huge toll on your body!
So how can you decrease the taste and the want for this sugary white stuff?? I’ll explain in a moment...but first let’s recognize that the taste comes first then the rest will follow, such as...the addiction. It slowly settles on your tongue, in your brain and in your body. All without you realizing it, it is then found everywhere and it then becomes difficult to quit.
Most of us already know the effects of what it does to us, such as the obvious weight gain, mood swings, depression, being lethargic, and lack of energy. It is also a huge contributor to diabetes, dementia, metabolic disorder and inflammation to name just a few.
In this article we’ll go over the “desire” to really WANT to give up sugar. (For a more detailed article on what exactly sugar does to the body and brain please read the article “The Bitter Truth About Sugar,” on my website.) For now, I’ll go over how to obtain a strong desire and focus on kicking this habit and how to stick to it. At the very least you’ll get better and better at your attempts!
The first attack would be the DESIRE to give it up. Without a desire for something, you can’t achieve what you want. So, it would only make sense to work on the DESIRE of kicking that habit. So how does a person do that? It’s actually quite easy but you’ll need to be persistent and consistent with the answer. Are you ready……….drum roll please…..SURROUND YOUR THINKING, READING AND LISTENING CONSTANTLY around the topic. (This can be used with accomplishing anything that you want, not just quitting sugar.) Think about it….whatever dominates your thoughts over and over again, whether that be good or negative, then that’s where your focus, brain power and energy goes….how can it not???
So for kicking the habit of sugar, read CONSTANTLY how bad it is for you, the consequences, the health and mental risks etc. Read that often enough and you won’t want it. Your need for it will decrease faster than you think!!! DON’T BELIEVE ME...TRY IT FOR ONE WEEK! Use articles, the internet, podcasts, youtube, sugar challenges, 5 minute video snippets...the list goes on and on! This will keep you so engaged and focused that you won’t believe how well it works!
Saturate your brain with this stuff...not sometimes...not here and there...not when you’re in the mood...but at least twice daily if not three times. In the morning before you get ready for your day, middle of the day and again right before you go to bed. Research has found that how you put yourself to sleep at night is how you will wake up, regardless of if they are negative or positive thoughts! This needs to be done on a daily basis, and you need to put in a conscious effort so you can BUILD upon your desire!!!
Too many distractions in one day can leave us blind sided, so it needs to be done multiple times a day. Set your phone alarm as a reminder! Acting on this occasionally won’t cut it... that’s the very thing that makes us fail at our attempts, our efforts and our goals. Build the motivation UP and make it compelling enough!!
Set your day up for success!!!
I’m often asked why I love doing the sugar challenge over and over again. To put it bluntly, people need multiple times to nail this down, it’s not just a one shot deal. You’ll need to do it over and over and over again until you get it. You need a starting point, not a quitting point! The more often you attempt something, the closer you get to it, and the more you’ll want it.
Quitting will never get you there, but persistence and desire will! NOW THAT’S SWEET!!