Quit Sugar: How & Why

The two most common questions I am asked are, “How do I quit sugar?” and, “Why avoid sugar?” If you have to ask why then you may not need to quit sugar. Or you might not know that you have a problem with it. If you are asking how, then you need to stop being sweet.

Crack

How to Quit Sugar

Here is the simplest way to get off sugar—whenever you find yourself tempted to eat something sweet, just don’t do it. Stop eating sweets. Stop now. Just stop. Eat something healthy instead.

Does that sound impossible?

It’s completely possible, it’s just not easy. If you went to a doctor today and the doctor told you that you would die within a week if you did not stop eating sweets you would find a way to stop eating sweets. That is unless you have a death wish in which case you would eat as many sweets as you could before your time ran out. The latter idea is the mentality of an addict. Speaking of which, look closely at the photo of the sugar above. Notice anything about it? Anything special?

Now really imagine that the food you eat is laced with the sugar in the photo. Imagine the crystals touching your tongue. Imagine the rush of energy you get from eating the sweet stuff. Imagine the different names for sugar and the sayings that surround sweets: sweet-tooth, sweetie pie, sugar-coated, kind-in-a-candy-store, celebration, party, whisper sweet nothings, short and sweet, home sweet home, etc. Now do you notice anything? Oops, wait. That picture is a photo of crack cocaine. Sorry. It sure looks like sugar.

My point is that if it were so easy to quit eating sugar you would have already done it by now and you would be on to bigger and better things. Quitting sugar is not only hard, it might be impossible. And that is why I hope you will join me and Stop Being Sweet.

Why Quit Sugar?

If you are reading this you probably already have a sense as to why you might want to stop being sweet. The symptoms of chronic sugar consumption are vast. Avoiding sugar won’t cure every ill, but it sure helps you feel better. Here are some of the symptoms I experienced.

When I eat sugar I:

Feel drowsy
Can’t make decisions
Can’t wake up easily
Sleep heavier
Stay up late at night
Act moody
Am more gassy
Am more thirsty
Crave sweets
Find that my teeth ache
Find my teeth coated with sugar
Often have bad breath
Feel depressed until I eat more sweets
Only feel satisfied by sweets
Have evil and irregular poops
Have to nap during the day
Lose control and crave sweets
Feel bad about eating junk foods
Need to eat chocolate every day

Overeat and use food as a drug
Get “sweaty butt
Reward myself with sweets
Soothe myself with sweets
Feel like I’m in a daze
Medicate myself with sweets
Feel odd in my joints
Pee alot
Eat just about anything
Can’t have fun without sugary snacks
Support the sweet system
Spend money on sweets
Eat out more often
End up eating lots of chemicals
Don’t really know what is in my food
Act hyper and annoy people
Worry about everything
Wake up feeling bloated
Use sugar as an upper

When I avoid sugar I:

Feel much more even
Make clearer decisions
Wake up more easily
Sleep calmly and thoroughly
Make it through the day without a nap
Don’t act so moody
Feel depressed only if I eat sweets
Feel satisfied by veggies and fruit
Have regular and elegant poops
Am not parched all the time

Don’t crave sweet foods
Don’t lose control
Feel good about myself for eating well
Notice how much sugar everyone eats
Read labels more often
Am more aware
Often make natural foods at home
Don’t feel bloated
Feel tighter around the mid-section

When I avoid sugar for long periods of time I:

Feel even and calm
Wake up energized
Need less and lighter sleep
Have increased stamina
Want to get out and do things
Am not parched all the time
Find natural foods taste delicious
Don’t crave processed products
Think food products taste like plastic

Am grossed out by unhealthy, sweeties
Feel better about myself on the whole
Feel more attractive
Am more confident
Have an easier time at the dentist
Find it easy to focus on long term goals
Seek other ways to improve myself
Am a happier person overall