Crave that afternoon treat to get you through the day?
Feel like you can’t stop craving sugar no matter what you try?
Headaches, weight gain, mood swings, excessive hunger, acne, inability to sleep well…..
So what does sugar really do in your body?
Since sugar is not in it’s natural state (the sugar cane plant), it is a very condensed version of what is left when you process sugar cane.
When something condensed is consumed, the result is an concentrated response in the brain as well.
This causes your brain to believe that concentrated foods are very important and that you should keep eating them. This dopamine hit that you get, is what causes a brief moment of “peace” after eating it.
The problem is, that increased amount of dopamine just creates more desire for the food. The more you eat sugar, the more dopamine in the system. As this continues to happen, your dopamine receptors become less and less sensitive and you need more and more sugar to get the same fix as you did the first time you had it.
What to do?
Start by becoming aware of your cravings. Are they at certain times of the day? Are they when you are around certain people or dealing with a certain circumstance?
These can be signals that you are using sugar to buffer and not have to face an underlying emotion.
Recognize that is it may be difficult, but that anytime you practice something it becomes easier.
What thought do you need to have so that you can allow a craving to be there without giving into it.
How to allow a craving and not give into it!
When you feel a craving for sugar, stop in your tracks. A craving is just an emotion!
An emotion is just a vibration in your body.
Take a deep breath, close your eyes and ask yourself these questions.
- Where am I feeling this craving in my body? (stomach, head, heart, etc)
- What color is it? (sounds crazy, but with your eyes closed you will see a color)
- Is it moving? Fast, slow, etc?
- Is it soft, hard, bumpy, etc?
- What else can you explain about it?
Just allow it to be there, in your body and you not do anything about it. By doing this, the emotion gets to do its job.
Every time you have gone to eat something when this starts to happen, you are just covering up an underlying emotion. You never really listen to your body which means you never really deal with the underlying emotion.
Give it a try!
Remember, sugar is like a drug. Very condensed and it increases your dopamine levels.
Be kind and patient as you allow your craving. It is just a vibration. You can handle a vibration!
Need help with this? Let me know!
Sometimes two minds are better than one!