Comments on: How To Stop Sugar Cravings – My Top Tips

By: Giselle

Giselle — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:36:53 +0000

Dear Ana,
It is true that eating sweets and carbs literally change our body chemistry and these feel-good chemicals literally help stabilise your mood. Amazingly, these foods excite the same circuits in your brain that are stimulated by pleasire-inducing drugs. They deliver a mild but short-lived high and take the edge off our emoitonal pain. Habitually using food as a drug to cope with stress can be addictive. Most people with weight issues regularly abuse food as an opiate to manage their emoitonal states. This unfortunately leads to guilt, depression and even greater stress and anxiety setting up a viscious cycle leading to more weight issues. Mind mastery is the key to emotional balance and this can be achieved through mindfulness and meditation. It takes a great deal of discipline, focus and dedication to achieve mastery. It is not easy but certainly worth it.

By: Ana

Ana — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 03:43:54 +0000

Lots of good tips here. However, I think in my case it’s the low serotonin. When we are stressed or depressed we have low levels of serotonin. So we find that an easy (and unhealthy) way to increase our brain serotonin levels is to eat sweets and carbs. You say in the article “try to keep those emotions in check”, but it’s not that easy. I think there’s a big emotional factor and when I’m down or/and very stressed for long periods of time, I eat loads of sweets and carbs.

By: Giselle

Giselle — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:44:47 +0000

Hello Phee,
I understand that sugar cravings are urgent and often take on a life of their own when they come. The need to immediately react is very real. These tips provided here to help you stop your sugar cravings are just tools to help you cope with the urgency of these cravings. To get better at stopping these cravings, you have to learn to apply these techniques over and over again until they become a natural part of you. It will not be easy and will require focus and consistency on your part. Look at it this way, aspiring to curb your sugar cravings is like someone who aspires to do 100 sit ups or push ups right away. In the beginning it will be impossible but if you start with just 3 and work your way slowly to 100 over a realistic time frame, it will be achievable. The key is focus, consistency, patience and the willingness to start over and over again until you have are able to eventually achieve it.
Another way to overcome this problem requires you to observe your cravings but do not react. Find out what are the triggers that bring on these cravings. What is the predominant emotion you are feeling and what are the events or thought processes that repeatedly lead to these familiar emotions. Then identify your eating pattern. Find out how you can interrupt these patterns by creating a personalised structure that works for you. With practice your ability to interrupt these patterns will get stronger and stronger. Lastly track and celebrate your successes. And if you require professional assistance to help you overcome your sugar cravings, check out the Shrink Yourself website for accessible and affordable online therapy. Best of luck!

By: Phee

Phee — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 08:01:09 +0000

‘If you can extend the “moment”, the weakness may well pass, too. This is a very powerful method to stop sugar cravings.’ Haha. The person who wrote this has apparently never tried to give up sugar. Most of this is bollocks and not going to help anyone truly addicted. Does anyone know of anyone who can actually help?? Real, useful info?

By: How to Tell If You Are Addicted to Sugar | Best Health

How to Tell If You Are Addicted to Sugar | Best Health — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:26:04 +0000

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By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:23:47 +0000

Is there a pill that can suppress or even stop sugar cravings altogether?

By: Sojin

Sojin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:23:15 +0000

I think sugar cravings are made much worse by all this artificial sweetened stuff like Diet Coke, etc. These drinks are not satisfactory and make sugar cravings worse. Stop sugar cravings by having normal food – the more natural the better!

By: Carly

Carly — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:02:34 +0000

I guess you’re kind of covering it already, but one way I found to be extremely effective to curb my sweet cravings was to RELAX. Whenever I am stressed I am prone to eating. Relaxation techniques go a long way to reduce the amount of anxiety and stress we have to endure. Personally I use Tai Chi, but there are many other ways to reduce your stress levels.

By: Janine

Janine — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:07:47 +0000

I tried hypnosis before, to help me with my insomnia and it really helped. I didn’t know it was also available for cravings. Thanks for this valuable resource!

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Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:49:53 +0000

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