Interview with a Sugar Addict
I belong to a public speaking group called Toastmasters. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in improving their public speaking skills! Anyway, moving on to the point of this post… a few months ago, I listened to one of the members, Christy, give a speech on her sugar addiction. Since I have many clients who also report having sugar cravings, I thought it would be interesting if I interviewed Christy to find out a little more about her sugar cravings and how she handles them. (Christy is on the right)
Martha: Tell me what happened when you first found out you had issueswith sugar and sweets.
Christy: I first made the connection between food and mood, specifically how sweets affect me, when I was experimenting with the Zone diet. I noticed that I felt much more energized when I cut back on sugar and started eating more balanced meals with lots of vegetables, slower burning carbs and lean protein.
Martha: How does eating sugar make you feel physically and mentally?
Christy: I feel great when I first eat something sweet - it’s that sugar high that gets me going. I feel happy and giddy and energetic. But shortly afterwards, I start to feel spacey and tired. Then I get depressed and hungry and then, of course, I start craving sugar again.
Martha: What happens if you have just one cookie or candy?
Christy: Sometimes I can stop, but I’ll just have crazy cravings until I can balance myself out again. Usually it just takes a balanced meal to straighten me out, something that has slow burning carbs and protein in it to help balance out my blood sugar. Sometimes I’ll go
back again and again to indulge. But this is very rare for me now.
Martha: If you eat a sweet, how long does it take you to get back in control? What triggers your cravings?
Christy: The time it takes me to get back in control really depends on what’s”eating” me. See, I know I don’t need sugar - no one does. We humanslived for hundreds of years without refined sugar or sweets. But sugar can and often does represent something else for us - comfort,security, love. If I’m feeling like I’m missing something in another area of my life - i.e., if I’m feeling insecure, not grounded or lonely - I may try to fill that void with sugar.
Martha: How do you handle your sugar cravings?
Christy: First, I try to bring awareness to my craving - what’s causing it -and just sit with that feeling for a few moments. If it’s a reallystrong craving, I try to delay going for something sweet - maybe for 10 or 15 minutes - drink a glass of water, take a little walk, get distracted. By this time the craving usually passes. And then I can move on with my day. If it’s really, really bad, I try to find something to satisfy the craving that isn’t quite as detrimental as going for the cookie or candy - maybe I’ll eat a piece of fruit or a
sweet vegetable - and that can make the craving go away.
Martha: I would like to thank Christy for sharing her story. Most of you who have been reading my posts, know that I also have sugar cravings (chocolate cake anyone?) Check out Christy’s blog: http://adeliciouslife.wordpress.com/
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December 17th, 2007 at 4:26 am
[...] leads to uncontrolled eating, then you will really need to avoid them. Check out my interview with Christy the Sugar Addict. Don’t even start with foods that “get you going”. Bring in healthy snacks from [...]