If you indulged in sugary items during Thanksgiving’s festivities, sugar cravings might be riding you hard right now. These cravings could be fleeting or last quite a while. Everyone detoxes differently from sugar.
If your cravings are hitting you strong, it’s critical to determine if they are due to habits, emotional needs, or actual physical triggers. This understanding can help you address the root causes.
The tips below will help with physical cravings but if you have high stress or poor sleep patterns, these other areas of your life need to be addressed as well to get relief.
Key to managing physical sugar cravings is knowing what approach works best for your personality. Are you an all or nothing gal or can you moderate yourself?
For myself, I never could moderate. It was always all or nothing. There are others who can gradually reduce their sugar intake in stages and that works better for them.
You know yourself best. Take the path that works for you long-term.
If you are going to wean yourself, find a way to easily portion out the sugar into serving sizes. I.e. only so much each day, less and less as the days pass.
Example: take 7 ziplock bags, break out portions of a dessert from large to smallest for six of the bags. For the 7th bag, write yourself a note of congratulations. You did it!
However you reduce your sugar intake, set a goal date to be sugar free.
Whether you go cold-turkey or gradually reduce sugar, eventually the first day arrives with no sugar being eaten. Below is the sugar detox timeline.
Sugar Detox Timeline
Initial Phase (1-3 Days): The first few days are often the most difficult. You might experience intense cravings as your body adjusts to no sugar intake.
Transition Phase (1-2 Weeks): After the initial phase, your body starts to adapt. You may still have cravings, but they typically become less intense and less frequent.
Adjustment Phase (3-4 Weeks): At this time, most people notice a significant reduction in sugar cravings. Your taste buds start to adjust, and naturally sweet foods like fruits may begin to taste sweeter.
Long-term Adaptation (1-2 Months): After a month or two, many people find that their cravings for sugar have greatly diminished or even disappeared. However, occasional cravings can still occur, especially in response to stress or particular triggers.
The Initial Phase and Transition Phase are typically the hardest for “white knuckling” through physical cravings.
Physical Detox Tips
Time is Your Friend
When a sugar craving strikes, set a timer for 30 minutes, drink a large glass of water and get busy doing something. Cravings come in waves, the same as hunger. When the timer goes off, how do you feel?
Still feeling the cravings? Set the clock for another 30 minutes and get busy again. You can do anything for 30 minutes at a time. If you still crave sugar after one hour, try the below.
Salt & Vinegar
This trick is not "scientifically proven" but many swear by it, myself included. Have something salty, vinegary or both. Whether pickles, olives, etc. Salty foods can curb sugar cravings.
Along the same lines, another food item is apple cider vinegar (ACV). I'll have a tablespoon of ACV in a large glass of cold club soda. That can kill a sugar craving fast.
Make sure you’re full with the right food.
Increase your protein and fat intake with a healthy dash of salt. The goal here is to feel satiated and get pass the sugar cravings.
Cutting calories while detoxing makes it harder for yourself. Your first priority is getting past the sugar detox’s initial and transition phase, and then adjust your food.
Buddy System
Sugar cravings are incredibly hard. Going it alone can work, but it’s easier with a support buddy to lean on.
Choose someone who is as motivated as you to stop eating sugar, no matter how hard. Schedule daily check-ins to connect and support each other.
Back-Ups
Sometimes no matter what you do, the cravings will not go away. That is when you turn to your trusty back-up of sugar-free recipes. See below for prior articles with helpful information.
The Adjustment Phase and afterwards is tricky as it’s easy to forget your why.
Why you don’t want to eat sugar; how sugar drove your life into making poor choices, how horrible you felt physically, the mental fog and emotional roller coaster.
Later articles will explore these phases in greater detail as it’s essential to not lose site of your goals and get derailed after all your hard work.
Please be kind to yourself. Celebrate life, enjoy feasts with friends and family while protecting your health by making the best choices for you.
I hope the above article helps. Can I ask you to help me? Please take a moment and give your feedback in this short survey that will take 2-3 mins.
Your input is vital to make sure the best information possible is provided to help you.
This weeks Low Carb & Keto Recipes Spotlight:
3-Ingredient Ketovore Chorizo Egg Muffins | Low-Carb, So Simple!
Oven Roasted Mushrooms (30 Minutes Or Less!) - Easy Low Carb
Hugs,
Jami