Having a Joy Eat While Avoiding Sugar

So you are following your protocol (diet) avoiding sugar, and are feeling like all the joy has gone out of eating.  I get it.  I have been there, too.

You went through the sugar withdrawal and survived.  You are very proud of yourself.

Maybe you had a slip, but you jumped right back on your no-sugar way of eating.

Awesome!  Good for you!  This can be done.  Give yourself a pat on the back.

But, what now?  Are you going to have to give up treats forever?

I say, No.  You can allow a “joy eat” in your protocol once a week.

A few caveats.  It must be planned 24 hours in advance.  No spur-of-the-moment emotional eating grabs. You must take time to eat it.  Take slow bites and note how much you enjoy it.  No inhaling it!!  Does the enjoyment decrease, the more you eat?  Maybe next time won’t won’t want as much or want it at all….Make a mental note.

Also, I recommend waiting at least 4 weeks before introducing a food that has been especially problematic for you in the past.  Also, you will have gotten out of the addictive attachment to sugar.

For me, it was making gluten free chocolate chip cookies.  I knew that it would be difficult for me to not eat some of the dough and a fresh-backed cookie as I was making the cookies with my granddaughter.  So I held off until I could do it- about 4 weeks.

Now I do not have as much of an attachment to making them and I can enjoy other activities with my granddaughter just as much.

I had an emotional attachment to chocolate chip cookies dating way back to my childhood, when I made them not just because they taste good, but because it numbed me to what was happening in my home.

Also, because I am prediabetic, I am very careful about what I pick as my “joy eat.”  One cookie eaten slowly, usually right after a meal, so I have protein to counterbalance what sugar is in my “treat”.

So, to recap, yes, you can have a treat once a week.  Plan it in advance, take your time, and enjoy!!  You can have a “joy eat” while avoiding sugar.

If you would like some help in stepping away from the sugar and losing some weight, too, which is what happened to me, contact me here and we will get on the phone and have a 20 minute consultation about your needs and how I can help.  You can do this!!

I’d love to hear what you think..please leave a comment below about your experience in removing sugar form your diet.

You can find out more about joy eating in the book, “If I’m So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” by Brooke Castillo