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Do you find yourself slipping in and out of sugar addiction?
I was like this for countless years. It led me into an unhealthy pattern of yo-yo dieting without seeing any real results. It was frustrating!
Breaking the sugar addiction was difficult at first, but once I understood the sugar addiction cycle it became clear what I needed to do to break out of this unhealthy pattern.
Once you understand the sugar addiction cycle, you too will have clarity on how you became addicted to sugar and the steps to break the sugar addiction cycle for good.
Let’s begin on a positive note of making the change to eat healthy.
PHASE #1: You start eating healthy or healthier and notice you have no real cravings right now.
Once you get here you think you’re never going back to your old way of eating! You might be obsessive about eating clean too. You make a point to tell people how good you’re doing or that they shouldn’t eat x, y or z because it’s bad for them.
It’s during this phase that you start to feel like you can do anything or be anyone and that “this might actually be IT… the time you get over the cravings and weight struggle hurdle”.
This is when you might have had a coach or someone help you get on a good eating plan, but maybe you felt like you could do it all by yourself now. So you get rid of the support and branch out on your own!
This brings you to Phase 2.
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PHASE #2: You are eating better, making smarter choices but notice that you are adding back processed foods.
A little cookie or bread here or there, or some chocolate at 3pm, but it feels like no big deal… you got this!
You are feeling good so you’re not worried about gaining back weight or falling off the wagon.
You still feel in control and what’s SO bad about having a few fries with your burger?
You get on the scale two weeks later and it moved up a few pounds… okay, maybe 5!
It’s during this phase that most people need the MOST support as they move too quickly from Phase 1 into Phase 2.
The changes in the body haven’t “cemented” at a cellular level and it’s too easy to slip back into old habits.
Some say it takes 21 days to form a habit but I think it’s more like 6 months.
This brings you to Phase 3.
PHASE #3: You add back more of your old foods in a less controlled manner.
It’s no longer just once/week or on weekends. Your old habits start to creep back in during the weekdays and you start to feel a little nervous like “maybe I don’t get this and how do I get back to Phase 1… it doesn’t feel as easy as it did before”.Image may be NSFW.
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You may start to feel bloated again and now more worry starts to set in. “Oh no”, you tell yourself, “Am I going backwards? Why can’t I stop eating that chocolate at 3pm or the cookies at night?”
The scale tips to maybe a 10lb increase and now all that “hard work” from Phase 1 feels like a waste. But you don’t know what to do or who to talk to about it.
It’s at this point you need to seek support and guidance to break the Sugar Addiction Cycle (from someone who has been in your shoes, has the proper training and gets it!) to overcome old blocks, old beliefs and old outdated habits that are still lingering around.
If you don’t do something at this stage of the game, the weight will inevitably creep back on and old stories and mind chatter will tell you “Here you go again. Back to square one”.
You will return to how things were before and you will remain stuck in this phase for a long time or worse yet…
You will move into PHASE 4.
PHASE #4: You let everything go.
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You not only stop eating healthy foods all together, but you start to totally slip on workouts (if you’ve been working out) and you start to talk badly about yourself both aloud and secretly.
You sabotage your eating and are fully back in the sugar addiction cycle.
In this Phase, it’s hard to think clearly as sugar causes brain fog and lethargy so you won’t even feel motivated to do anything.
Not to mention when pants don’t button when you knew they did months ago it really is hard to think positively about anything!
How do I know all this you might ask?
I’ve been there, done that. And have been coaching women through sugar addiction for a little over a decade.
So let’s keep going with the story.
You are in Phase 4 for more months (even years) then you care to talk about but then, suddenly, you find yourself in Phase 5.
PHASE #5: You get to the breaking point
Usually it’s a number on the scale for women or a great aunt asked if you’re getting F-A-T. It’s at this point you are SO out of your comfort zone with how you look and feel that you look for a change.
You start to talk with people about what they’ve done. You try an exercise class just to get moving. You might even seek help from a health coach who specializes in sugar addiction.
Truth be told, real change happens when you reach your breaking point.
This breaking point could include a health scare by the way! I’ve had plenty of women seek my support when their doctor told them they were pre-diabetic.Image may be NSFW.
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Why wait till that point?
If you don’t want to wait until your breaking point, then you need change what you do and how you think. Especially if your current actions and thoughts haven’t given you results.
So you have a choice.
If you’re ready to break out of the sugar addiction cycle, a smart decision to make would be to work with someone and that they have a proven track record to get real results.
It’s also important to make sure you feel inspired and connected to them.
With this kind of support, you can break out of the sugar addiction cycle into the next STAGE.
It’s not a phase, because it’s not part of the cycle.
It’s what I call STAGE 6, and it’s actually outside of the sugar addiction cycle.
Stage #6: You are inspired from a higher place
You move out of phases 1-5 INTO A NEW PLACE all together. You are truly inspired from a higher place.
You learn how to clean out toxins seasonally and you more often than not eat from a place of love and caring for self.
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No more dieting and denial and grabbing sweets, wine or food in general when you feel stressed out.
You most likely have a coach who helps you tweak where you are to where you want to go both with your eating and with your life so you don’t feel alone. In fact you feel supported and that feels great to have support.
It’s not longer a weakness but a strength and you feel proud to share it.
You may also have a community of like-minded people around you who cheer one another. This is very helpful for long-term results.
And you’re starting to exercise regularly (by yourself or because you hired a personal trainer or take classes. No judgment here — I still take classes right now because working out alone is no longer exciting to me).
You care of what you eat and drink, not because of the number on the scale, but because it makes you feel good.
And wanting to feel good is the new driving force in your life. So therefore you make smarter choices from a WHOLE NEW PLACE.
And that wraps up the 5 Phases of the Sugar Addiction Cycle and how you can break free of your sugar addiction for good.
About the Author:
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Jenn Edden, founder of Jenn Edden Coaching, is a sugar cravings expert, mom and biz coach. Most of Jenn’s teen and adult life was marked by intense stomach pain, bloating and an overconsumption of Oreo cookies. Now as a recovering sugar-a-holic for over a decade, Jenn has helped hundreds of people take back their life and their health by making small tweaks to their breakfast and snack habits while addressing how much mindset plays into one’s long term health and waistline!
As a mom of 3 beautiful kids, Jenn’s passion has turned to helping other women entrepreneurs overwhelmed by their schedules and sugar cravings, stop the drama, get off the sugar and reclaim their energy. She has written 10 Secrets Every Woman Must Know to Stop Cravings & Drop the Weight Now! to help you beat your cravings and lose weight.
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