The Sugar Addiction

I now can imagine what it must be like for people trying to quit smoking.

Hi, my name is Kelly and I'm a sugar addict. I love sugar. Meals are not complete without some sort of sweet thing at the end. Whether it's fruit or chocolate, I have to have it. In fact, I didn't even realize how ingrained the habit of eating sugar was until I did a Detox. Suddenly, all I could think about was sugar. At night I was literally in physical pain, resisting the urge to grab my keys and run to the grocery store to buy ice cream.

I'm on Week 3 of the Transitions eating plan. The first week I did a vegetable cleanse or Detox. Nothing but fruits and veggies for 7 days. The detox is a great way to clean out your system of toxins, give your digestive system a break, and cleanse the palate. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a junk food, bread, pasta, or sugar addict. I did a Detox back in October. It was amazing how well it worked. Afterward, I wasn't tempted by sweets and if I did have a piece of chocolate, I was able to stop after one piece. Life was great. Then came Christmas vacation and all my mother's fabulous Christmas desserts. Now, I am in no way blaming Mom. I just have no self-control-especially when the desserts are bite-sized and easy to eat 10 at a time without even realizing it.

I tried to detox again after Christmas. The detox went something like this: Eat fruits and veggies all day. Come home at night. End up sprawled on the couch twitching with cravings. Suddenly I remember 3 truffles I had stashed in a box up on the top shelf of my closet. Like a bolt of lightening I am out of my seat and in the closet, pulling the box down, opening it up, and throwing the contents out all over my bedroom floor until I locate the truffles and scarf down all three. The serotonin is released and a rush of calm floods through my body. Mission accomplished: I have gotten my fix for the day.

I felt like a crazy person out of a cartoon.

Since the latest Detox, things have gotten a little better but I still struggle. Blogging is my way of staying accountable and on track. Because who wants to tell the world they're kicking an addiction and then turn around and down 3 pieces of cake?

Realizations of a Sugar Addict
(1) I can no longer keep sugar foods in my house unless I plan on eating them within a few days.
(2) I can no longer have desserts such as Hershey kisses or a box of cookies lying around. I will eat them all in one sitting.
(3) Eating a lot of sugar makes me groggy and unable to get up in the morning. Not to mention the many times I have eaten a lot of sugar at once and gotten sick because I compromised my immune system.
(4) Take time to read labels on all foods you eat, because you'd be amazed at how large amounts of sugar are hiding in foods where you'd least expect it.
(5) If I'm going to keep sugar at home for the occasional cravings....Trader Joe's individually wrapped 70% dark chocolate bars with 100 calories and 5 grams of sugar. Woohoo!