The Sugar Smart Diet: Stop Cravings and Lose Weight While Still Enjoying the Sweets You Love (17 page)

If you’re going to experience cravings, they’re likely to hit today. You may get a headache, feel more tired than usual, or snap at the people around you. No, it’s not fun (for you or for them), but look at it this way: Such symptoms mean that the sugar is leaving your body and will soon make its absence felt in your mood and on the scale. And any symptoms you’re experiencing aren’t likely to last much longer. Be gentle on yourself today, and when a craving hits, do a round of circle breathing or sip a cup of tea and read a good book (see below). It gets easier from here!

There’s nothing new about advice to carve out “me” time. What’s new is a study from England’s University of Sussex that found reading can slash stress by 68 percent! Other methods the study tested that also work are listening to music (61 percent) or sipping a cup of tea (54 percent). It’s a great way to divert yourself when you get that urge to munch. Pick a quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted and brew a cup of a calming tea, such as chamomile, to sip while you turn the pages.

Although eating is meant to be a pleasure, it’s helpful to know the difference between physical hunger and appetite. I asked you to rate your hunger when you were keeping your food log on Days 1 and 2. It’s a good idea to get in the habit of asking yourself “How hungry am I?” before a meal and after—before you reflexively reach for a second helping (or later on, dessert). It may mean the difference between staying on plan or overeating when you’re not truly in need of fuel for energy.

Hunger is a physical feeling that develops when you have not eaten for several hours or you skip a meal. Appetite is a psychological feeling, often prompted by the sight or smell of food. For example, you may want a cupcake when you pass a bakery and see them displayed in the window, or you may want dessert even after a large meal.

When you’re not sure if you’re hungry—which can happen if you’re used
to eating what you want, when you want it—use the hunger scale I introduced in
Chapter 6
(I’ve reproduced it below). Taking a few minutes to rate your hunger can help you decide if what you’re feeling is true physical hunger or simply a desire to eat for other reasons. It also is helpful to use during a meal to monitor how full you’re getting. It’s a simple but effective technique.

Before you eat, rank your hunger level on a scale of 1 to 5:

1. Starving
   
2. Hunger pains
   
3. Hunger
   
4. Slight hunger
   
5. Neutral
   

Then do the same after you eat:

1. Still hungry. You could use a second helping.
   
2. Full, but not quite satisfied.
   
3. Content.
   
4. Stuffed. Your stomach may hurt because it’s so full of food.
   
5. Nauseous. You’re so full that you may feel sick.
   

As a general rule, eat when you rate your hunger at 3 or 4. You should start to feel hungry and want to eat every 3 to 4 hours. Don’t let your hunger get down to 1 or 2, or you may overeat when you finally do have the time to eat.

As you progress through the phases, try to use the scale before and during each meal and snack. Before long, you should be in tune with when you’re truly hungry—or when you want to eat because stress, the sight or smell of food, or uncomfortable feelings are pushing your appetite buttons. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, knowing the difference can keep you slim for good.

If you’ve been feeling tired and headachy the past few days, or so irritable you’d consider selling your mother for a Tootsie Pop, just breathe: The worst of these physical symptoms should begin to pass today. However, it’s just as likely that you woke up this morning feeling calm and craving free. Set your daily intention and use the Cravings Crushers and Sweet Freedom strategies you’ve learned so far to manage any stress you may feel today. Each time you replace sugar with a healthy alternative, that healthy habit becomes more firmly rooted in your mind and your behavior. Keep it up—you’re almost there!

Now that you’ve tossed out those sugar-laden bottled salad dressings, give your taste buds and blood sugar a treat: Dress those baby greens with fresh herbs, extra-virgin olive oil, and the vinegar of your choice. In a study published in the journal
Diabetes Care,
people with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes had lower blood sugar levels when they consumed just over a tablespoon of vinegar immediately before a high-carb meal.

In this study, researchers fed 10 people with type 2 diabetes, 11 people with insulin resistance, and eight people with no blood sugar issues a sugary, starchy breakfast: orange juice and a bagel, which packed a hefty dose of carbs (87 grams). However, 2 minutes before the meal, half the participants drank a “vinegar cocktail”—4 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of saccharin (which we don’t recommend) in an 8-ounce glass of water. The remaining volunteers were given a placebo drink. Everyone’s blood sugar was measured both before and after the breakfast.

A week later, the researchers repeated the experiment, with those who’d received the vinegar getting the control drink and vice versa.

All three groups had better blood sugar readings after meals begun with those vinegar cocktails. But those with insulin resistance saw a 34 percent reduction in their postmeal blood sugar levels, while those with type 2 diabetes experienced a 19 percent reduction.

The acetic acid in vinegar may inactivate certain starch-digesting enzymes, slowing carbohydrate digestion, the study said. In fact, the researchers noted that vinegar’s effects may be similar to those of the blood sugar–lowering medication acarbose (Precose).

The bright, tart taste of natural vinegar puts the flavor of many of those bottled dressings to shame. You can use any kind of vinegar—red wine, apple cider, or balsamic. Consume the vinegar at the start of your meal, as the people in the study did. We suppose you could make your own “vinegar cocktail”—minus the saccharin—but it’s much tastier drizzled over a salad. And a tablespoon of balsamic brings out the flavor of meat or veggies.

Allowing yourself to investigate the emotions that may be driving you to reach for sugar and learning to respond to them in ways that don’t involve food will help neutralize their power. Accepting things as they are, without reservation, is called radical acceptance. When we submit to what is, we’ve taken the first step to moving forward into positive action. This exercise can help you be open to the moment and to yourself.

The first step: Think of a situation in your life right now that you find challenging and difficult (perhaps your struggle with weight or sugary foods), yet possible to accept.

Now do the following:

1. Consider the facts. If you notice judgment or your personal opinions creeping in, let them go. Return to the facts as you know them.
   
2. Tense your body as you think or write about this situation. You might raise your hands and clench your fists while making a classic angry
   face—eyes narrowed, lips open, teeth clenched. How do you feel? What thoughts do you notice? What sensations do you notice in your body as you think about this situation?
   

   Remain in this position for a minute or so, noticing your thoughts and feelings as they float through your mind, without labeling them as good or bad.
   

3. Now, relax your body and assume a pose that expresses acceptance. You might raise your arms to the sky and open your hands, close your eyes, or put a half-smile on your face as you sit with the facts as you’ve presented them. This is you, accepting the reality of the situation you’ve chosen to focus on.
   

   Remain in this position for a minute, allowing your thoughts and feelings to go where they will. What do you notice about them? Does the reality of your situation seem like something you can accept and change? Do you feel more hopeful and peaceful, less so, or about the same?
   

Here’s an example of what radical acceptance might look and feel like in this exercise.

1. I weigh 40 pounds more than I’d like or that is healthy for me. I’ve been gaining about 2 pounds a month for the last 2 years. It’s hard for me to lose weight without changing my eating. [facts]
   
2. As I tense my body, I feel even heavier and more uncomfortable. The extra pounds seem to weigh more in my mind and body. [physical sensations]
   
3. As I release, I feel like I can look at the facts more openly and move forward. I feel less heavy and more ready to commit to a plan. [openness to change]
   

Although this technique may feel like a stretch for you, try to keep an open mind and go with it.

At the beginning of your fourth day without sugar, you should be noticing some positive changes. Feel less tense? Are you a couple of pounds lighter? Are you sleeping better or feeling more positive overall? If so, take a moment to acknowledge how good you feel—and to pat yourself on the back for taking action. Each positive change that you may notice today is a gift that you’ve given yourself and one that you’ve earned. Savor it!

If your sweet tooth is on overdrive, turn on the tap and drink up. Dehydration can spike cravings for sugar and junk food dramatically, some experts say—and take a toll on your mood as well. Recent studies have linked mild dehydration to fatigue, anxiety, poor concentration, and even your cranky midday slump.

Despite the frequent bathroom trips, drinking water throughout the day is worth it. It may promote weight loss by speeding up metabolism, according to a study published in the journal
Obesity
. The latest guidelines from the Institute of Medicine recommend that women get 91 ounces of water a day—more than 11 cups! You might be relieved (no pun intended) to know that not all of it has to come from the tap. In fact, at least 20 percent of the water you get will come from food. If you eat lots of fruits and veggies, as you will on this plan, you’ll make a hefty dent in your water needs. Try our fabulous flavored waters (
this page
). Coffee and tea count, too. Diet soda, however, does not—and as you’ve already read, the artificial sweeteners it contains may be a secret plumper-upper.

In the midst of a stressful situation, have you ever talked to yourself in a soothing voice, offering yourself words of comfort? Often, this instinctive reaction to stress does make you feel better.

That’s because altering an intense feeling in this way can make it easier to bear. Perhaps you didn’t know you had that ability. But now that you do, you can consciously lower the intensity of any feeling that triggers your impulse to eat chocolate, ice cream, or any other food, so you won’t need to use those foods to soothe yourself. The exercise below can help you change the way you think and talk to yourself.