Sugar addiction is a genuine problem that can take a long time and even a lifetime to overcome. . For many, myself included, sugar addiction is a lifetime struggle.
Sugar can be a long addiction. It may be something that you deal with your entire life. But the good news is that giving up sugar will make it easier to overcome the addiction. You also need to find things you enjoy doing that can help replace sugar and sugary foods with healthy alternatives.
Table of Contents
- How Long To Recover From Sugar Addiction?
- Sugar And Our Dopamine
- The Kick Sugar Summit
- Related Question
How Long To Recover From Sugar Addiction?
Sugar addiction is a genuine type of addiction. It is estimated that three out of every four Americans have some sugar addiction.
Because sugar is all around us, and it’s n the food we eat, it can be a very long and challenging process to overcome sugar addiction. But it can be done.
The truth is that most people need to understand that recovery from a sugar addiction may be a lifelong struggle. Still, the more you go without sugar, the easier it will become, and your addiction will be more controllable.
How I Feel When I Give Up My Sugar Addiction
I am a sugar addict. I think about sugar a lot. And sugar and my sugar addiction affect me in many ways.
I also know and understand how difficult it can be to give up sugar. But here is what I have found for my sugar addiction:
- First Day – The first day and even the first few hours for me to go without sugar is usually the hardest. This is a day when for some reason everything I see I can see sugar or want sugar.
- First 3 Days – When I get past the first day, the next day that is the hardest is the first few days. This is especially true if you live with someone or in an environment surrounded by sugar.
- First Week – Once I can get past these first few days and the first week, it has become more accessible – but it does not mean my addiction has gone away. Instead, it is easier.
- First Month – By the end of the first month, I had gotten used to being without sugar and was feeling pretty good.
As you can see from this, it is the first few days; even then, the first months and other months. But I notice that the longer I am off sugar, the longer I can control my sugar addiction.
Also, when I am off sugar and if I go off the bandwagon and have a sugary treat, it just does not taste as good as I remembered it did or tastes way too sweet.
Sugar And Our Dopamine
One of the keys to sugar addiction is that most people who are addicted to sugar use sugar as a form of pleasure. In other words, sugar triggers something in our brains, releasing a type of Dopamine that gives us instant gratification and pleasure.
That is why you eat a lot of sugar; you may have a type of sugar high. You feel good as long as the high lasts.
Many people feel this way when they eat some chocolate; they feel good after eating it because of its sugar content.
WebMD said this about Dopamine and the calories we eat:
“Most of the time, if you take in more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. So why can’t obese people simply eat less and slim down? The answer isn’t that simple. They may face obstacles that others don’t. They could have problems with their natural reward systems. This can affect the amount of food they eat before they feel satisfied. Imaging studies suggest that in people with this condition, the body may not release enough dopamine and another feel-good hormone, serotonin.”
WebMD
It’s because most of us are addicted to sugar or addicted to how we feel after eating sugar. After all, sugar releases a type of dopamine response, or we feel good after eating sugar. That is why overcoming a sugar addiction can be so tricky.
Replace Sugar With Something You Love To Do
When getting over your sugar addiction, you must find alternative sources of pleasure, such as exercise or hobbies, that can produce the same dopamine effect in your body.
One of the hardest things is that activity, exercise, or hobby are not the same for every person. Some people love to exercise, so they may find that when they exercise, it can help give them the same type of dopamine response. Other people may hate exercise but may find a hobby that works well for them, like knitting or painting.
Replace Sugar Foods With Healthy Foods
Another thing you can do to help with your sugar habit is to replace sugary foods with more healthy foods. For example, try a sugar alternative like monk fruit sugar if you like sugar in your coffee,
Cut out the sugary drinks you are drinking and find other alternatives to foods high in sugar.
Find foods that you enjoy that do not have sugar content. That is one reason why we like the keto and low-carb lifestyle. The keto and low-carb lifestyle are about eating whole fresh foods that are not filled with sugar.
Overcoming your sugar addiction does take time and is challenging work. But with time and hard work, anyone can learn to overcome their sugar addiction.
The Kick Sugar Summit
For a comprehensive understanding and tools to eradicate sugar from your life completely, it’s crucial to stay updated about the impacts of sugar on your health. A resource we highly recommend is the Kick Sugar Summit.
This event features a global panel of experts sharing insights on sugar and the reality of sugar addiction. To learn more, please follow the link provided below:
Reluctant Low Carb Life explores all aspects of keto and low-carb lifestyle, fitness, health, wellness, and aging gracefully. At the Reluctant Low Carb Life, we strive to give honest and accurate information to people trying to live the low-carb and keto lifestyle while improving their fitness and health.
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Related Question
What Does It Mean If You Crave Sugar On Keto?
Being on a keto diet should help you not to crave sugar. But some people who are on a keto diet may still crave sugar. There could be many reasons you still crave sugar, including eating hidden sugars in your foods and drinking too much diet soda. Or your keto diet includes too many carbs, or you are addicted to sugar.
You can read more about What Does It Mean If You Crave Sugar On Keto? by clicking here.
Yes, You Can Be Thin And Addicted To Sugar
Unsweetened almond milk should not make you fat. It is low in calories and has no carbohydrates or low sugars. When compared to whole milk, unsweetened almond milk is a much better type of milk to drink. The sweetened version of almond milk is higher in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars.
You can read more about Yes, You Can Be Thin And Addicted To Sugar by clicking here.
