Anyone else struggle with sugar??? Sugar works its' way into my life in two distinct ways.
The first way: THE BINGE. It normally starts when I see one of my favorite things on Earth on sale (Peanut Butter M&M's), and I start to reason with myself.
"I've changed," "I can handle it now," "It will be different this time," "I'll portion it out," "I'll just have a few."
So every couple of months I give in and buy the bag of candy or box of cookies or whatever it is. It always starts out fine... I have a little and then put it away... only to quickly pull it back out again and have a little more... and depending on how "strong" my will power is that day, maybe I'll take small portions and put it back a few times, but it always ends the same... the box or the bag on my lap and I'm eating the whole thing.
DANG IT! I've done it again. So then I go several months without repeating my mistake and then once again that fateful day rolls around again and something is on sale...
So that's one way I unravel. The other way: THE SLOW INTOXICATION. Sometimes when I've gone a really long time without any sweets, I can control the binging way easier and I'm able to bake some cookies and keep them in the house without going nuts... at least at first.
It starts with having one cookie (or insert your trigger here), and then maybe I don't have another one for the rest of the week. Then, I have another one, and I find that I'm now wanting one just two or three days later, so, whatever, I think to myself, and have one. But now it's just the next day, and I want it again... so I do... and now my treat which was about every 2-3 weeks is happening every day.
The problem is that these sugar spikes, whether the binge or the slow intoxication, is correlated with high releases of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a feel good hormone which makes you WANT MORE. So that craving you feel isn't all in your head... well I guess technically it IS in your head because it is the chemical reaction happening IN your brain!
So what to do? The easiest way to kick these cravings is to go cold turkey... I know... it's not what you wanted to hear but it's true. The best way to kick it, is just to kick it. Getting it out of your system is the best way for your body to metabolically adjust.
The good news??? You don't have to do it alone! Starting April 1st I will be running a 30 day detox group. The other great piece of news? This one is FREE! I'll be scheduling weekly check-ins with each participant, as well as setting up a group chat where we can cheer each other on and share tough times to rely on each other for the support and motivation that sometimes we lack on our own.
For this detox, I will be meeting with each person (either in person or via FaceTime, or if you hate FaceTime, regular phone call is also cool) the last week of March. This is when we will be setting your goals for the month of April and what it is you are detoxing off of. Since this challenge is free, I'm hoping to attract some people who have never done a detox before but have always wanted to try one (but if you've done several already, you can still join in!). Since this is a personal detox, I'm letting people choose what they want to detox off of rather than outlining parameters. So maybe you want to go off all sugar - great- we'll support that. Maybe you want to give up booze - awesome, let's do that! Chips, bread, pasta, carbs, soda, flour... you name it and we will tackle it together!
What I'm looking for in the people who want to join:
1. Commitment: If you are in, you are IN! Anyone can do anything for 30 days. Some days will be really tough, but together we will persevere
2. Participation: You don't have to be in the group chat daily, but I would like to create a good support system for those involved.
3. Honesty: If you fell off your wagon, that's ok, it happens to all of us. But being honest and transparent is what will help us grow and succeed in the future!
4. Be Positive: Misery loves company but laughter is the best medicine! Making jokes, lifting each other up, and fun "competitions" will be held throughout the month to keep our mindset strong. Everyone will have down days, it's to be expected, but together we can formulate a strong plan of attack to reach our goal of a 30 day detox.
I will be limiting this detox group to 12 people, so if you want in be sure to email me ASAP! I look forward to hearing from you and how we can reach your goals together!