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Many of us are trying to eat better and one of the top ingredients on the chopping block is sugar. Everyone knows that too much sugar isn’t good for our health but why is it so difficult for us to give it up? Why do sugar cravings persist despite our best efforts? Is it really possible to stop sugar cravings and control our blood sugar? Actually, it is possible to stop sugar cravings. I’ve done it and I know countless others who have been able to slay the sugar dragon.
How Insulin Keeps You Addicted To Sugar
If you want to stop sugar cravings you have to give up sugar in all its forms. Simply skipping dessert or switching to an alternative sweetener isn’t enough to stop your sugar cravings.
The thing that keeps you on the sugar rollercoaster is insulin. Insulin’s job in the body is to store glucose (sugar) as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells. When you eat something with a lot of glucose (like potatoes or bread) your body will release insulin to store the glucose.
Most people don’t realize that insulin is produced the moment something sweet touches your tongue. This is why I never suggest alternative sweeteners (no matter how natural you say they are), especially if you’re trying to kick the sugar habit. After the sweet taste insulin is released, blood glucose is stored, but because you didn’t eat any actual sugar it never arrives. Your body senses this drop in blood sugar and it, in turn, triggers cravings for carbohydrates, glucose, sugar…
The simple act of looking at the dessert menu, watching baking shows, and scrolling through social media desserts shared by friends will all trigger the insulin response.
How Exercise Creates Sugar Cravings
Say what? I thought exercise is always 100% healthy. Not true my friend. In the fearless pursuit of calories, most exercise programs keep you on the sugar treadmill.
When it comes to exercise it’s all about heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the more sugar your body will burn. You head to the gym and burn sugar for an hour. A drop in blood sugar triggers the fight or flight response and stimulates hunger hormones.
You tell yourself that you earned it, you worked hard, and you need those carbs to refuel your muscles. The problem is that unless you are in a laboratory setting where someone is only going to let you eat enough carbs to restock your muscles you’re going to eat more than you need. In my 20’s I gained 30 lbs in a year by going to a kickboxing step class 5 nights a week. I used to tell myself that I was buff but in reality I was fit-pudgy. The guys I worked with in the lab used to ask if I could sleep all night without eating because I ate ALL THE TIME. Back then I definitely wasn’t paleo so most anything went when it came to what I ate. Looking back I can clearly see that I was on the glucose/hunger/cravings treadmill.
In the morning you look in the mirror and think that you need to lose weight. You hit the gym hard that night and for dinner, you have one or more of the American dinner staples: bread, potatoes, corn, pasta, rice or another grain, and then you wash it all down with some sort of sweetened beverage, juice, or version of alcohol. The problem is that months go by and you feel like you’re not getting anywhere based on what you see in the mirror or on the scale. (Blog Post: Why I Don’t Own A Scale) So you decide that you’re going to exercise even more in pursuit of more calories. (Blog Post: Exercise & Fat Loss)
How Poor Sleep & High Stress Keep You Addicted To Sugar
This is one of the areas where I don’t think people know what it is I do. When you work with me I’ll admit that food is a huge factor, but it’s not the only factor. We look at your lifestyle too and how it contributes to your overall health. (Blog Post: 5 Steps To Making Health Habit Changes That Last)
We’re not meant to be stressed all of the time. Today’s world is stressful for most of us. What gives me peace is looking back at history. Humans have always had their challenges, no matter what year they were born, yet we’ve always found a way to make things better in the end. My wish is that we’d learn to implement changes sooner because we always seem to wait until shit hits the fan.
Anyway…When you’re stressed your body has a natural fight or flight system, the sympathetic nervous system, that’s designed to keep you safe. If you cross paths with a bear in the woods your nervous system will release the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol in turn releases glucose from storage and makes it available in the blood in case you need energy to outrun/outsmart the bear. Keeping us safe is a good thing. The problem is that many of us live in a constant cortisol swimming pool. Cortisol causes abdominal belly fat to accumulate while also breaking down muscle tissue to create glucose.
What does this have to do with sugar cravings? Glucose is glucose whether you eat it or make it internally. Those with type 2 diabetes (insulin resistance) typically have a bigger challenge when it comes to stopping sugar cravings. An insulin-resistant liver manufactures glucose because it’s resistant to insulin’s storage signal so it believes the body is starved for glucose. While insulin resistance presents a bit of a hurdle I do know people who’ve been able to manage their blood sugar with a dietary change.
Lack of adequate sleep has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality from all causes. In one study: people that typically didn’t get enough sleep were 72% more likely to be obese.
-Dr. Ballantyne – Go To Bed
If You Want To Stop Sugar Cravings
It’s a multifaceted approach. Food is going to be a big determining factor but fitness and lifestyle can’t be ignored. If you’ve tried to get rid of your sweet tooth I’m curious to know what you tried. Did it work? Are you still a sweetie or do you have full control of your sugar cravings?
Leave me a comment below and let me know your story.
Originally posted on April 18, 2020 @ 15:23
