Sweets addiction. How to get off the sugar needle

Negative effects of sugar on the human body

The ability to get rid of extra centimeters at the waist is not at all the main reason why you should give up store-bought sweets.

• High calorie foods. It affects not only weight, but also the entire functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. High sugar consumption with insulin resistance provokes this disease*.
• Cleaning receptors. Soon after giving up a lot of sweets in your diet, you will be able to recognize the real taste of foods.
• Clean skin. Sweets provoke the appearance of acne and other problems with the epidermis.
• Healthy teeth. Plaque on teeth is, as a rule, sugar that has not had time to break down and provokes the appearance of caries.
• Increased energy. Sugar increases the production of dopamine, but this effect is short-lived, followed by a loss of strength.
• Thrush. Carbohydrate foods provoke an increase in fungal activity.

Analyze the power system

Our craving to eat sweets is due to the need to restore the level of serotonin and other hormones responsible for the general condition of the body. Analyze your nutrition system to see how balanced it is. Do you have enough carbohydrates, fats, proteins? Are all vitamins normal? Build your nutrition system in such a way that complex carbohydrates predominate rather than simple ones; they also increase the production of hormones but with less harm to your figure and health. The most common thing you can do is switch from chocolates to fruits. There is also sugar, but in much smaller quantities.

Why is it hard for us to give up sweets?

If you can't stop eating chocolate and other high-sugar foods, it's not a sign of weakness. In simple terms, eating sweets releases neurotransmitters (dopamine and opioids), which encourage you to eat even more delicious things on a hormonal level. How to stop eating sweets? Find your own (legal and safe, of course) way to stimulate dopamine production.

How much sugar can you eat, and how do you know if you're eating too much?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends eating no more than 50g of sugar or 12 teaspoons per day for an adult. This figure also includes hidden sugars in foods.

Hidden sugars are sucrose, fructose, glucose, various syrups, molasses, cane sugar, maltose, dextrose, caramel.

If sugar and its hidden names are indicated on the packaging in the first three places of the composition, then such a product is not worth buying. For example, if sugar comes first.

Also, you should not buy a product that contains more than one type of sugar. For example, it contains sugar and corn starch.

And you can already understand that you eat a lot of sugar by the following signs of harm from sugar and sweets:

• excess weight;
• sudden mood swings, with a predominance of a depressed state;
• frequent colds and other viral infections;
• poor condition of teeth, bones, joints, hair, nails.

Reasons for eating a lot of sweets

• Unbalanced diet
  . When trying to lose weight, many people resort to diets or full-fledged hunger strikes, which is fraught with inevitable failures.
• Habit of overeating.
  Some eat while doing something, and don’t think about food at all. A person simply does not notice that he eats out of boredom, and not out of real hunger.
• Active brain activity
  . Mental work requires huge amounts of glucose. The easiest way to get it is from chocolate or other store-bought sweets.
• Critical days
  . During menstruation, women's hormonal levels change, which also increases cravings for sweets.
• Regular stress
  . The brain knows that a dose of chocolate is a quick way to get a lot of dopamine, which means getting rid of sadness, anxiety or nervous tension.

Healthy sweets

WHO recommends consuming no more than 10% of your daily calorie intake from sugars**. However, even in this case, preference should be given to natural sweets: honey, fruits and dried fruits, berries. It is recommended to replace milk chocolate with dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. If it’s hard to give up store-bought sweets, you can replace the cakes with marshmallows. Of course, this is also not a dietary or low-calorie product, but it does not contain fat. But one of the main natural sweets was and remains honey. If you are not allergic to this product, you can successfully replace almost all sugar with it (for example, consume up to 50 grams of honey per day). If it is difficult for you to give up unhealthy sweets, you can take chromium preparations after consultation with a specialist. For example, Herbalife Nutrition's Yellow Pills help reduce sugar cravings.

How to stop eating sweets and starchy foods forever – 5 steps from a psychologist

Step #1: Forget about the goal

Therefore, the first step to achieving the goal of eating right is to stop looking at this big and incomprehensible task, turn away from it completely, not chase it, allow yourself not to achieve it by January 1st and look at yourself today, think exclusively about that what you can do today.

Your first and main step: give up right now this global thought - how to stop eating sweets and starchy foods forever - and understand that you will never be able to do this as long as this thought about a global restructuring of yourself sits inside you. Drop this task once and for all, accept the impossibility of its absolute achievement and instead tell yourself: “I will live today in self-support and self-love, I will do everything for myself today to take care of my own health, happiness and comfort.” And it is quite possible, if you are serious, today you will be able to achieve this small goal, which will lead to the absence of the desire to eat sweets today. And tomorrow will come again today, and it will be much easier for you to repeat this.

And how to spend today without stress, self-flagellation and internal conflicts, in order to stay in a good mood and not indulge in sweets - read in the continuation of the article.

Step #2: cover daily needs

Sweets and baked goods are a proven, easy and fastest way to obtain dopamine and serotonin, the hormones of happiness. Therefore, a person who is inclined to often resort to this method of obtaining pleasure does not know how to give himself positive emotions, does not know himself, does not know how to determine what is happening to him, what he feels, does not know how to cheer himself up, how to cheer himself up, does not understands what brings him pleasure. As soon as such a person feels discomfort or something upsets him, he immediately remembers the pie, which can quickly relieve this discomfort. Then the person may scold himself, criticize or be upset because he could not restrain himself or gained weight or exceeded his daily calorie intake. From this stress, he will again want quick dopamine in the form of a tasty treat, and so on in a circle.

There are so many ways to get pleasure and improve your mood and they are so individual that I will not list them in the article and hope that you will find among them suitable for yourself. But I can’t ignore this recommendation - think about what brings real, deepest joy to your soul. After all, a sign of adulthood is knowing how to cheer yourself up and give yourself positive emotions.

And if you don’t dig deep, don’t search for the reasons for your overeating, then you can generalize: the reason for emotional overeating is a bad mood. In this regard, in order for you to avoid emotional eating, you must learn to create a good mood for yourself. Here and now.

Think about your personal characteristics, hobbies, desires and needs. What do you love or what would you like? What do you dream about, but don’t dare or for some reason don’t give yourself? And whatever it is, start giving today.

I understand that only a few of those who read this article will begin to work on it and really find the strength to change their eating habits. If you realize that you cannot cope with this problem on your own, but at the same time you understand that you no longer want to live like this, you can contact me for a consultation on Skype. My name is Lara Litvinova, I am a psychologist and specialist in eating behavior problems. I can help you understand the reasons for your overeating and completely eliminate this problem from your life. You will live a more fulfilling, free, relaxed and happy life.

To sign up for a consultation, see the cost and work plan, click here. Subscribe to my Instagram @litvinova_lara and YouTube channel.

Step #3: learn to praise yourself from within

Clients who come to me with the problem of overeating have a common feature - they do not know how to be happy for themselves, to praise themselves when they achieve success in something. But since a person is hormonally driven to rejoice at the achievement, they expect praise and encouragement from the outside. And if this encouragement from loved ones or colleagues was not enough, if others did not notice or did not appreciate it enough, then the person gives himself praise in another way - by eating goodies.

How is this related? He does not know how to take credit for his success, and therefore needs to receive it from the outside. Appreciation, praise, joy. He often attributes his accomplishments to food. And he thinks: “I can afford it, I deserve it.”

Taking from everywhere from outside due to the inability to give to oneself is the main characteristic of a person prone to overeating.

If you fail, then most likely you are one of those who tend to especially emphasize and globalize your failures and downplay your successes. This mental mechanism is reinforced throughout the day, every day by different little things - you were disappointed when you looked in the mirror in the morning, you were upset when you were late for work, you scolded yourself for not finishing a project on time or not spending enough time with your child. With each such self-judgment, criticism or disappointment, you again and again reinforce a mental algorithm in which you emphasize your own failures and devalue your successes.

Instead, try to think - what is beautiful about my reflection? Even in the morning, what is beautiful about me at any time of the day? Why was I late for work? Maybe I was unknowingly late to spend more time with the child? And now the mental algorithm gradually changes to the opposite - you notice your own merits, successes and positive qualities.

Try to replace self-criticism with self-support whenever you notice that you have thought poorly of yourself, have devalued yourself, or are disappointed in yourself. And so, by regularly recording your thoughts and transforming a negative mood into a positive one, you will learn to take credit for your own successes, praise and evaluate yourself. Gradually, you will no longer need encouragement and praise from outside, and then the desire to overeat in the evenings (because you had a hard day, you can afford it) or at any other time (for example, because you work so much) will gradually go away.

In the post-Soviet space, we were brought up in such a way that they only noticed what we didn’t do or did poorly, for example, we got a bad mark or forgot to wash the dishes. Our parents noticed these failures and forced them, and sometimes even catastrophized them. But when we got an A and washed the dishes on time, it was taken for granted and often the parent attributed this success to himself, and not to the child. It turns out that when a child does something bad, it’s his fault, and when he does something good, it’s not his achievement, but the parent’s, or simply a matter of course. Growing up, such a person becomes completely unable to evaluate himself, to appropriate his achievements, and endlessly devalues ​​them. But the need to be noticed does not go away, and he compensates for it with external praise. Praising himself with words is an overwhelming task for him, but with food it is much easier.

Therefore, praise and evaluate yourself as often as possible, it will not harm you. This way you will learn to give yourself self-support from within and stop needing to receive it from the outside. And also, you will begin to gradually change the algorithm of increased self-criticism that has been fixed since childhood and will be able to raise your emotional background during the day, and so by the end of the day you will not accumulate stress, and as a result, you will not have an automatic desire to eat it.

My book-practical course “How to love yourself” consists of tasks and exercises aimed at increasing self-esteem and the quality of your life, at living only on the basis of self-love. I compiled it from those exercises that turned out to be the most effective in my work with clients. If you realize that you lack self-love, then this is for you. You can view the cost and detailed description here.

Step #4: Take care of yourself

Let's remember the first step - we should think only about today, and if we take care of ourselves today, the likelihood of the same attitude tomorrow increases several times. And in order for the body not to dream of a bun with butter, but instead to quickly get used to good nutrition and gratefully ask to repeat yesterday’s day of healthy eating, you need to put the main factor in first place every day - your mood.

If you take care of yourself all day, your psychological state and mood, your stress level. If you maintain your emotional background at a high level day after day, then there will simply be no reason to overeat, and an irresistible desire to eat chocolate again will not even arise.

During the day, take care of your comfort. Do what makes you feel better, easier, more pleasant. Try to live this day so that your body does not accumulate stress by the evening. Support yourself, praise, evaluate yourself without waiting for outside encouragement. If you are criticized, respond, if you are pressed, say “no.” If you allow yourself to suffer dissatisfaction, irritation, sadness throughout the day; if you are surrounded by heavy toxic people, you have conflict negotiations, you have to do a hundred things, if your attention is constantly thrown from one side to another, then your willpower and attention are depleted. The part of the brain responsible for attention becomes overloaded, wastes willpower and becomes unable to restrain itself from temptations and stop impulses. Stress accumulates and you attack food.

In order to eat less, you need to sleep more. During sleep, melatonin is produced, a hormone that is responsible for curbing unhealthy appetite. What a person does not get enough sleep, he begins to compensate with food.

Movement, activity, pleasant communication, relaxing music - in order not to eat up your emotions, you must have all other needs satisfied. Make sure every day that all other needs are met during the day. This is the only way you can guarantee that they will not be replaced by food.

In the article “Treatment of compulsive overeating” I describe in detail the physiological characteristics of the psyche, the principles of brain function that lead to overeating.

My other books that can also help in solving the problem of overeating: “From Victim to Hero: The Way of a Strong Man” - a book about how to keep the promises you made to yourself. And “Into a happy relationship through self-love” is about how to build psychologically healthy relationships with your partner, others and yourself.

How to stop eating sweets and starchy foods forever – step #5: allow yourself a little

So, it is important to have certain periods during the day when you take care of your comfort. The body inevitably accumulates stress throughout the day. And if you don't come up with any alternative methods to deal with it, you will become addicted.

Try to listen to your body and thoughts, be in touch with yourself, and to do this, ask yourself what needs you have that are not met and close them. Find out from yourself what you really need when you eat sweets and starchy foods, what you are missing in your life. And give it to yourself today and now.

Praise and evaluate yourself. Don't expect your husband to praise your culinary creations, but instead try to evaluate them yourself. Is what you cooked delicious? Your personal assessment is just as important as the assessment of others.

And the fifth step, without which all previous steps may not work. Don't put strict restrictions on yourself. If there is a part of your personality that needs to eat chocolate now, then it is bad. And as long as you forbid it, discipline it by force, it will only increase in size and intensify. The tension will increase with each ban.

Instead of preventing this needy part from eating stress, you need to feed it. And then she will calm down. Feed with joy, relaxation, happiness, pleasure, tranquility, love. And if until now you did not know how to do this, and found these emotions only in the refrigerator, then you will not immediately understand how to do this now. You will need time to get to know yourself. And at this time it is important to continue to feed your weak part.

While you are learning to understand and know yourself, in the process of gradually replacing sweets with real life needs that you have been missing, do not overdo it. Allow yourself one small chocolate bar. Allow yourself a small dessert. Remember that every prohibition carries energy with which your weak part, which wants to eat away tension and stress, is filled.

Begin this journey with care and love. Be more lenient and patient with yourself, and then you will definitely be able to gradually learn to hear yourself and live with yourself in harmony and love.

List of approved products

To adjust your menu, choose what suits you. Especially for this, we have compiled a table of some natural sweets with their calorie content and glycemic index - for those who are watching their sugar levels.

In addition, you can eat apples, oranges, cherries, kiwis, blueberries, and other berries and fruits.

This is interesting: WHO recommends reducing the consumption of free sugars, which are present not only in cakes, pastries and other store-bought sweets, but also in fruit juice concentrates**.

5-HTP

This is 5-hydroxytryptophan: a form of tryptophan. This is a natural amino acid that effectively relieves depression and anxiety, and improves sleep. Contained in turkey, tuna, mushrooms, oats, nuts.

The secret of its effectiveness is that it is able to influence biochemical processes in the brain. This amino acid increases the production of serotonin in the brain, the main calming hormone that creates a feeling of emotional well-being. Tryptophan is also effective in cases of irritability, aggressiveness and hostility, especially during PMS. They also successfully treat eating disorders (gluttony, bulimia) - just what we need so as not to break down and eat everything indiscriminately.

Making a meal plan

To make it easier to give up unhealthy sweets during the day, it is recommended to eat foods high in sugar before three o’clock in the afternoon, and better yet, for breakfast. This could be toast with butter and honey, fruit porridge, muesli or any other favorite product. During a snack, you can eat a handful of dried fruits, a protein bar, natural yogurt with berries, or a banana. At night, you should drink a glass of kefir or make a green smoothie with celery and spinach based on it. As a result, the nutrition schedule may look something like this:

• 8:00 - breakfast;
• 12:00—snack;
• 14:00 - lunch;
• 16:00 - snack;
• 18:00 - dinner.

If you wish, you can have a second dinner an hour and a half before bedtime, but it should be light protein foods that are easily digested.

How to give up sweets

The first and most important rule is not to cut from the shoulder. You cannot give up all fast carbohydrates and high-sugar foods in one day: this is serious stress for the body. Conscious abstinence from sweets should be approached gradually:

1. Reduce portions. Gradually reduce the amount of sugar consumed per day, for example, drink tea not with two spoons, but with one. Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate and limit yourself to a few slices rather than a whole bar.
2. More proteins and vegetables in the diet. This will provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety and will also keep the body in good shape. Mayonnaise in salad, by the way, can be successfully replaced with low-fat sour cream or vegetable oil.
3. Give preference to slow carbohydrates. This way the body will consume energy gradually. And, most importantly, blood sugar will not jump by 5-10 units at once.

African mango

African mango (Irvingia Gabon) resembles a regular mango in its taste, but differs from other varieties in its smaller size, green color and the presence of seeds.

It is from these seeds that irvingia gabonensis extract is made, which is actively used for weight loss. It effectively fights excess weight, suppresses hunger and controls leptin levels. Low levels of this hormone activate the feeling of hunger. Mango seeds increase leptin levels, which helps reduce appetite.

In addition, the seeds of this fruit slow down the process of assimilation of food, which thus takes longer to be digested by the body. African mango helps reduce bad cholesterol. Plus significantly improves metabolism, regulates the amount of sugar in the blood, and increases the oxidation of existing fats.

African mango has another super quality: its seeds have a targeted effect on fat deposits, especially those concentrated in the hips and waist. This process of burning unnecessary fat occurs due to the natural activation of metabolism. Due to its high content of ascorbic acid, mango also strengthens the immune system. In a word, a multi-station operator!

Reducing cravings for sweets through sports

In order to get rid of excess volumes and reduce the consumption of store-bought sweets, you need to choose an integrated approach. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, then all this will most likely ultimately affect your figure. And obesity can provoke insulin resistance, which also awakens a craving for consuming large amounts of sugar*. To avoid this, you need to move more. We're not even talking about gyms: daily half-hour exercise and a walk will be quite enough. Just to start the fat burning process, you will need to walk at least half an hour a day at an average pace, and do home workouts every day. Exercising also helps release dopamine, so instead of eating chocolate, you can just go for a run or do a few exercises (or better yet, sign up for a dance class).