Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1935

Abstract

were awful, especially after meals. I found that as soon as I had finished eating, my craving for sugar came on at full force. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to work through but I did it.</p><h2 id="7c38">Mood</h2><p id="6c0d">I felt anxious and depressed as my body adjusted to its new sugarless reality. This was by far, the biggest surprise of the cold turkey experiment. The dark cloud lasted well into my fourth week.</p><h2 id="c01e">Weight</h2><p id="55fd">In weeks 1 and 2, I found no change in my weight. Yes, I am a sugar junkie with a need to taste something sweet, but the habit was not out of control to the point that I was consuming copious amounts of sugar on a regular basis. So the fact that there was no weight loss didn’t surprise me, but I was shocked when in week 4, I discovered that I’d lost a few pounds.</p><h2 id="bda9">Skin</h2><p id="f06c">A couple of weeks after getting the chocolate cake and other added sugars out of my system, my skin looked wonderful. Things just got better as the weeks progressed.</p><h1 id="ab01">A Month Later…</h1><p id="4e40">Did the experiment rid me of my cravings?</p><p id="f227">No. It’s like there is a sugar monster living deep inside my gut and he won’t go down without a fight; I still hear him calling at the end of every meal. The difference is that the voice is much weaker, as, over the course of the month, I showed him that I was in charge, not him.</p><h1 id="c4de">What I’ve Learned</h1><p id="1131">I’ve practiced a lot of self-control through this process and I’m proud of this. I’ve also learned that my addiction to sugar is very strong. Unfortunately, I realize my limitations and I’m not strong enough to walk away when the stuff is staring me in the face. so I can’t bring candy bars, cakes, or cookies into my home. If it’s not within arm's reach, I can’t satisfy my craving and that is a good thing.</p><h1 id="4342">Going Forward…</h1><p id="fe4

Options

2">I needed to do the cold turkey experiment, but don’t feel the need to limit myself completely for the rest of my life.</p><p id="4387">I have decided that a small slice of cake or other treats, once every couple of weeks will not affect my system or set me back in a detrimental way, but it needs to be a chosen event, not one that is brought on by impulse. So on December 31st, in celebration of the oncoming new year, I enjoyed a small slice of chocolate cake.</p><p id="4c05">When I do eat something sweet, I will distance it from my meals so that I don’t fall back into the trap of giving in to my after-meal cravings. Having the discipline to wait at least a couple of hours makes all the difference.</p><h1 id="dd18">Why Did I Decide to Do This?</h1><p id="8cdc">Having previously experienced the less than positive effects of sugar on my skin, I tried giving it up but with little success. What changed?</p><p id="9b5e">My mindset — I’m getting older, so filling my system with this toxic substance seems counterproductive to my concerns about brain health, general health, and physical aging. Diabetes is rampant out there and with the correlation between sugar consumption and degenerative brain disease, the case to limit sugar intake is strong.</p><p id="53c7">I’m certainly glad I made it this far and hope that I can continue to keep my sugar monster chained in his dungeon until the end of my days.</p><p id="659e">Are you a sugar junkie? Have you tried to give it up? Are you thinking of giving it up? I’d love to hear your stories, so please leave a comment.</p><p id="128a">Forbes article on sugar and brain health: <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/04/21/sugary-drink-consumption-linked-to-reduced-memory-brain-volume/?sh=48b69f0d5dad">https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/04/21/sugary-drink-consumption-linked-to-reduced-memory-brain-volume/?sh=48b69f0d5dad</a></p></article></body>

Diary of a Sugar Junkie

Kicking the well-ingrained habit of a lifetime

It was Saturday 13th November 2021. I wanted chocolate cake, so my husband picked one up from the local supermarket. It was a rich gooey fudge cake and I should have taken the hint after I had one slice as I felt nauseous less than an hour later.

“This cake is full of crap,” I told my husband and then suggested that I might throw the rest of it in the garbage. Contrary to my initial plan, I left the cake on the counter and proceeded to eat it slice by slice over the next two days.

By Tuesday, the evidence of my chocolate cake binge was all over my face; I broke out in spots and my complexion looked just awful. The effect that sugar had on my body was evident and that night, I decided that I didn’t want to poison my body with sugar anymore.

You see, for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a sweet tooth and the craving is particularly strong after meals. Maybe that was conditioning that came about as a result of having school lunches; lunch was quickly followed by a serving of dessert. On a good day, we’d get a perfectly cut square of chocolate sponge, sprinkled with icing sugar sitting in a sea of custard. On a bad day, it would be rice pudding with strawberry sauce.

Two days after my chocolate cake binge, I went cold turkey on sugar.

Sugar Withdrawal Begins

Side Effects

Cravings

The cravings were awful, especially after meals. I found that as soon as I had finished eating, my craving for sugar came on at full force. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to work through but I did it.

Mood

I felt anxious and depressed as my body adjusted to its new sugarless reality. This was by far, the biggest surprise of the cold turkey experiment. The dark cloud lasted well into my fourth week.

Weight

In weeks 1 and 2, I found no change in my weight. Yes, I am a sugar junkie with a need to taste something sweet, but the habit was not out of control to the point that I was consuming copious amounts of sugar on a regular basis. So the fact that there was no weight loss didn’t surprise me, but I was shocked when in week 4, I discovered that I’d lost a few pounds.

Skin

A couple of weeks after getting the chocolate cake and other added sugars out of my system, my skin looked wonderful. Things just got better as the weeks progressed.

A Month Later…

Did the experiment rid me of my cravings?

No. It’s like there is a sugar monster living deep inside my gut and he won’t go down without a fight; I still hear him calling at the end of every meal. The difference is that the voice is much weaker, as, over the course of the month, I showed him that I was in charge, not him.

What I’ve Learned

I’ve practiced a lot of self-control through this process and I’m proud of this. I’ve also learned that my addiction to sugar is very strong. Unfortunately, I realize my limitations and I’m not strong enough to walk away when the stuff is staring me in the face. so I can’t bring candy bars, cakes, or cookies into my home. If it’s not within arm's reach, I can’t satisfy my craving and that is a good thing.

Going Forward…

I needed to do the cold turkey experiment, but don’t feel the need to limit myself completely for the rest of my life.

I have decided that a small slice of cake or other treats, once every couple of weeks will not affect my system or set me back in a detrimental way, but it needs to be a chosen event, not one that is brought on by impulse. So on December 31st, in celebration of the oncoming new year, I enjoyed a small slice of chocolate cake.

When I do eat something sweet, I will distance it from my meals so that I don’t fall back into the trap of giving in to my after-meal cravings. Having the discipline to wait at least a couple of hours makes all the difference.

Why Did I Decide to Do This?

Having previously experienced the less than positive effects of sugar on my skin, I tried giving it up but with little success. What changed?

My mindset — I’m getting older, so filling my system with this toxic substance seems counterproductive to my concerns about brain health, general health, and physical aging. Diabetes is rampant out there and with the correlation between sugar consumption and degenerative brain disease, the case to limit sugar intake is strong.

I’m certainly glad I made it this far and hope that I can continue to keep my sugar monster chained in his dungeon until the end of my days.

Are you a sugar junkie? Have you tried to give it up? Are you thinking of giving it up? I’d love to hear your stories, so please leave a comment.

Forbes article on sugar and brain health: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/04/21/sugary-drink-consumption-linked-to-reduced-memory-brain-volume/?sh=48b69f0d5dad