Are you ready to do a sugar detox? You may be considering doing one to lose weight, for health reasons, or as part of an elimination diet. You may feel anxiety about giving up your favorite snacks or desserts. In this video I will give you simple steps to get started.
Many of my clients ask me questions such as:
- What will it do for me?
- How will it make me feel?
- What can I expect from it?
- How long do I have to do it?
I will answer all of these questions and more in this blog post.
What is a Sugar Detox?
First, what is a sugar detox? It’s when you eliminate all sugar from your diet for a specified time. The average American consumes about 19 teaspoons of sugar every day. It’s easy to do because added sugar is in most processed foods.
There are over 50 other names companies use for sugar on the Food Label. Many of them have sugar or syrup in the name. Another indication is if it ends in “ose” o-s-e. Honey is a natural sugar, but it is still a sugar. Keep away from any food that includes any of these ingredients.
Reason Why You Might Want To Detox
There are several reasons to do a sugar detox. You may want to lose weight, reduce inflammation, or just feel better.
- Lose weight
- Reduce inflammation in your body
- Feel better
How To Do A Sugar Detox
The first step to doing a sugar detox is committing to it.
Commit yourself to doing this detox 100% for however long you decide. Decide whether you will do it for one week, 21 days, or 30 days. Don’t tell yourself that you will “try” to do it. That gives you too many excuses.
The next step is to assess what sugar does to your body.
What does sugar do to you? Does it make you irritable, tired, or unmotivated? Keep this in mind.
If you are doing it to lose weight, think about how the sugar makes you gain weight the following day. It tastes good during the first five minutes but may give you an energy crash later. Do you get a headache from eating sugar? When you assess what sugar does to you, remember this every time you are tempted to eat sugar. Think about the awful effects that it is going to have on you.
When you are at an event and see everyone else eating cakes, cookies, and ice cream, think how awful it will make you feel afterward. Doing this exercise will strengthen your resolve to resist the temptation.
You gain more willpower when you say “no” to sugary food. Pretty soon, it won’t faze you. You can just say that you “don’t do dessert” or you “don’t do sugar.”
It was hard the first time I said “no” to dessert. But after the event was over, I felt powerful. I was so happy that I did it. The next time, it wasn’t so hard. Each time, it gets easier, and the cravings will disappear.
Completely avoid desserts and sugary drinks, including fruit juice. Get rid of those first, then start looking at food labels and avoid foods that contain sugar.
Symptoms
You will experience some symptoms of a sugar detox, such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, or mood swings.
It takes time to get rid of all the sugar in your body. Depending on how much sugar you’ve been consuming, your metabolism, and your physical activity level, these symptoms may take three days or three weeks to go away.
Staying hydrated can help alleviate these symptoms. When you are dehydrated, you crave sugary food. Also, try keeping busy by doing a physical activity or something that requires you to use your mind. Sometimes, you may just need to sleep. The sugar detox may make you sleepy.
What I Learned On My Detox
I’ll tell you my story. I decided to do the detox because sugar gave me headaches. I would eat sugar on the weekends and eat healthy Monday through Friday. But I had a headache for three days, which extended to four days. I only had one day of the week when I did not have a headache and could be productive. It was horrible.
Finally, I was tired of going through this cycle every week and not being able to get anything done.
It would make me so tired. I couldn’t even read a book or watch a video because I would get sleepy. There was no way I could do anything that required me to think or be creative.
So, I decided to quit sugar for 21 days. I convinced my husband to come on board with me.
I felt great the first time I said “no” to desserts. I felt strong, like, “Yes, I can do this.” I thought the temptation was going to be too much. But after the event was over and I didn’t have any, my willpower increased. Then, there was another event where there were desserts. I said “no” again. It was easier.
To keep myself from eating the cake and cookies, I think about how it will give me a headache for four days. I did not want that. I tell myself that sugar is poison to my body, which it is.
Assess How You Feel After 21 Days
Think of it as only 21 days. Don’t think of it as if you can never eat another piece of cake or another cookie forever, just for now. See how you feel after 21 days, and reflect on how you felt before the detox. If you feel great after you quit sugar, why would you want to go back to feeling awful and gaining all that weight back?
Your cravings will be gone, and it will be your new lifestyle.
If you cheat during this detox, you will have to begin the whole process again. Remember, each time you say “no,” your willpower strengthens.
So, are you ready to start your sugar detox today? Don’t eat that dessert.
To help you further, here are more tips for successful weight loss.
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