Quitting Sugar Requires Planning

When I decided to quit sugar from Monday to Friday, I quickly learned that the hardest moments were:

– When I let myself get too hungry
– When I was out & about

Those were by far my most “vulnerable” moments when I would want to reach for a muffin or a Luna bar.  But it was actually easy to correct for both.

Don’t let yourself go too hungry 

In terms of not letting myself get too hungry, I started planning my snacks. I never thought I’d be one of those “3 meals + 2 snacks” people because I thought it required a level of organization that I wasn’t capable of. But it really is not complicated!

I started to pack a snack for mid-morning at office. Options: overnight oats, apple, pear, banana, greek yogurt and/ or nuts. These are “grab and go” foods and it really wasn’t hard. It also made me less vulnerable if someone happened to show up with donuts. When your stomach is full, it’s easier to say no.

Late afternoon is another crucial time! If I come home hungry in the evening and have to give my girls dinner, bath, and read 400 stories before bed, it is not a good situation. I started telling my toddler, “Mommy is hungry and when I’m hungry I get grumpy,” so that she can also learn about the connection between what we eat and how we feel. At that time, I would eat fruit, nuts, cheese, Shakeology, a Dr. Praegers spinach patty, leftovers. I would treat it as a mini-meal so that I had the energy and patience to take care of the girls, and then also so that I wouldn’t overeat as soon as they were asleep.

Plan for when you’re out and about 

When I was out for a “long day” that also felt tricky in the beginning. That was really a matter of changing my mindset, that bagels and muffins were off limits. Making sure that I stopped for a proper lunch like a big salad was really helpful. For “on the go” mini meals I would grab a Lara bar, nuts, fruit, or a healthy protein smoothie from Juice Generation.

Over time, I do believe my blood sugar levels stabilized. I didn’t track them although I wish I had. But I found that there were less instances of that panicked “hangry” feeling. Honestly, the more I treat myself like a toddler and don’t let myself get too hungry, thirsty, or tired, the better! I can feel when I’m teetering into that irrational space where I’ll grab any food in sight, and I can prevent it very well now. It takes some practice but YOU CAN DO IT!

 

Mama needs a snack!