How to Tame Sugar Cravings & Take Charge of Your Sweet Tooth
I love treats. And it’s not just a crush. I am head-over-heels in love with treats.
Gummy candy, frozen peanut M&Ms, caramel sauce, specialty sundaes, and homemade cake are just a few of my sirens.
Because of my fitness background, people seem to assume that means I only like kale, but nothing could be further from the truth. I promise I’m not just trying to make you feel better about your own guilty pleasures…
I’ll scream it to the world, I’m a fitness trainer who LOVES TREATS!
When it comes to sweets + holidays, my husband Brenden and I turn into 5-year-olds. And it’s dangerous because we are 5-year-olds with no responsible adult to tell us no.
Can you relate?
Do you also feel like some days your sweet tooth is not only controlling your mouth but your whole body? Does it drive you to McDonald’s for a mini M&M Mcflurry? Does it fire your arm muscles and make you reach for that Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream?
If so, you sound like a kindred spirit. AND you’ve come to the right place!
I’m going to show you how I tamed my sweet tooth and sugar cravings, and how you can too! And the results of less processed sugar can not be overstated. They include so much more clarity, headspace, energy, less anxiety, weight loss, and more!
So back to the story… after a stint of irresponsible candy consumption post-holiday, my husband Brenden turned to me and said, “Should we go off treats?”
Now listen, I am a firm believer that deprivation leads to over-compensation, and never ask my clients to go on any kind of “diet,” so I was not too eager. But I recognized that my inner 5-year-old was out of control and knew it would be good for us both, so I agreed.
And so we decided to embark on a fast from treats.
The agreement was that for one whole month we wouldn’t have any desserts, candy (except for legit bitter dark dark chocolate), juice, sugar cereal, and soda (although diet or sugar-free soda was permitted).
The results knocked my socks off. I was pleasantly surprised to find the treats fast completely reset my outlook toward sweets in a life-changing way.
The Grain of Salt to Take with This
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I want to point out that this tactic is NOT for everyone. Some people have a completely healthy and normal relationship with sugar.
Others will panic at the thought of deprivation. If this is you, don’t feel any pressure to employ this strategy.
Additionally, other people might not be triggered by sugar, but rather by salt - like potato chips. If this is you and you want to get a handle on that, you may want to consider taking a break from those salty/ processed/triggering foods rather than treats.
The concept of a treat fast is simply a tool that has worked super duper well for me and my sugar inclinations, which is why I’m sharing it here
The Experience & Results
The first few days were hard - I definitely had cravings. On the third day in, my sister-in-law made a gorgeous three-layered cake for a family event. I was quite sad about missing out on that. However, missing out ended up being a GIFT because it made the whole month easier. Since I was able to say “no” to a delicious cake, pretty much every other temptation was easy to refuse. Except for the one time I was dragged to my favorite ice cream parlor (Leatherby’s) with friends. That was NOT NICE y’all, NOT NICE.
As I mentioned, having my dark chocolate on hand helped when I knew I would be “missing out,” so I would bring it to social events so I wouldn’t feel sad. I also tried out Built Bars which for a protein bar are really quite good. I almost felt like I was having a candy bar. Almost. Eventually I didn’t need it anymore however, because I was just fine without treats.
About a week into the month sans treats I started to notice results:
The little craving voice inside me that I didn’t even realize was there was silenced. This sounds weird but I had a lot more head space. I never realized how much I was subconsciously thinking about when I was going to have my next treat.
Increased energy
More self-control - since I was able to control my body by saying no to sweets, I felt more empowered to have more self-control in other areas of my life
Weight loss - almost instantly. I’m not saying this will happen for everyone (especially since I was still in the postpartum phase) but my weight loss had plateaued. After a week or two without treats, I started dropping again (in a healthy range).
I felt much more inclined to make other healthy choices in my daily life
My favorite result was that my palette changed. My “sweet” threshold became much lower - I had a brownie at a family event after the month was over and it was way too sweet and made me feel super sick. Fruit and dark chocolate tasted really good. As a side note - I could not have done this without Lily’s Sea Salt Extra Dark Chocolate. I needed something to fill my void, and trust me you can NOT binge on this kind of chocolate. If you try you will need to camp in the bathroom because it is packed with fiber).
Lessons Learned from the Month Without Treats
This experience was a massive success. I learned a lot about my body.
For example, store-bought candy makes me feel ANXIOUS. I had no idea. From now on, when I do eat treats I will be going for quality.
I also learned that when you say “no” to a treat, you are almost never missing out (unless you’re in a fancy restaurant known for amazing apple pie and oatmeal ice cream, then eat that pie for heaven’s sake), because there will ALWAYS be another opportunity for more sweets - whether you like it or not.
After the month ended, my husband and I decided to allow ourselves one treat a week. I liked to save mine for the weekend. After time though, it was easy to slip back into old habits of saying “yes” to any sweets presented to us. And so I went off again two more times. Each experience has been positive, really. I now know exactly what to do to regain self-control when my sugar tooth starts taking over my brain.
In Conclusion
Would I recommend going off treats for a period of time? Yes, I would because it was such a positive experience for me. And if sweets are your Achilles’ heel, I completely recommend this tactic.
However, I’m not saying you need to. As mentioned earlier, sweets might not be an issue for you.
If that’s the case for you, but you find yourself in a health rut, do something different for a month - refrain from fast food, move your body 30 minutes every day, eat 5 veggies a day, drink 8 cups of water, etc. Get an accountability partner to increase your chances of success- ideally someone you interact with every day. I’m all about slow and sustainable change, but I also think a little novelty coupled with consistency can reset you. It did for me. ♥
So there you have it! You are now equipped to tell that sweet tooth who is boss! Get ready to enjoy more vitality, energy, better moods and so much more. In the meantime, need some healthy food ideas to replace those treats? Hop over to my free list of 55 Healthy Meals & Snacks.
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