Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) (28 page)

Again, it’s important to pay attention to how you think about your relapse. You can become guilt-ridden and think of it as an indication of failure, or you can take a more positive attitude and consider it an experience from which you can learn. This choice between assuming a positive or negative attitude toward the relapse may seem simple, but your attitude can be a powerful guide for your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors; your attitude can help you persist and succeed, or it can lead you to self-defeat. Your success depends on your commitment to assessing your behavior, learning from it, and making changes accordingly, even when you feel like giving up. Remember, with an understanding of why you may have relapsed, you will be better equipped to avoid another relapse in the future.

It’s a very delicate balance between understanding the power of addiction over your thought processes and behaviors, and being mindful of the role you play in the development and maintenance
of, and the recovery from, the addiction. This means that you have to be honest with yourself, and with that comes admitting that you have a problem with some foods. Just like a drug addict or an alcoholic uses these drugs in a way that is out of control, you too may have to admit that foods serve as addictive substances and affect your mind and your ability to act in the ways that you desire. It is important that you acknowledge the power of the addiction process, but also know that you are not entirely powerless over it.

Here are some words of encouragement that you can tell yourself, especially when you are in a moment of weakness or on the brink of a relapse: “I can conquer addiction. I am stronger than the addiction. I can regain control over my food choices and body weight.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

• Imagine that you have just gotten slightly off track after weeks of adhering to this new plan by eating something high in sugar or fast-digesting carbohydrates. What do you think your automatic response would be?

• Would this response help or hurt future progress?

• If you think this response might be detrimental to your continued success, what might be a more positive way of responding?

CONCLUSION

How to Maintain Your New, Addiction-Free Way of Eating

“
Great works are performed, not by strength, but perseverance
.”

—
DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON, ENGLISH AUTHOR

Many books will tell you the acceptable foods to eat and then send you off on your own to find out for yourself that the diets are not as easy to implement or maintain as they seem. Instead, we’ve designed this concluding chapter to give you some helpful hints, suggestions, and useful information that will aid you both as you adopt this new way of eating and as you maintain your new eating habits, after you have removed the majority of excess sugars and other carbohydrates from your diet and are living addiction-free.

A Look Back

The way of eating described in this book isn’t revolutionary. Seventy years ago, when obesity and overeating were hardly a problem, almost everyone ate this way. Before the plethora of refined, processed foods and the addition of sugars to many foods, most people ate naturally and healthfully, consuming diets rich with meats, fish, cheese, vegetables, and sometimes fruit. Dessert was an occasional treat, not a daily occurrence. And as the Paleo Diet suggests,
¹
even our ancestors ate primarily meats and fishes before they became hunter-gatherers or had begun farming. One of the arguments that the protein-rich Paleo Diet is more natural and fits our genetic makeup better than a high-sugar, high-carb diet is that our early ancestors had no sources of refined sugar or flour available.

The part of this book that
is
revolutionary is the concept that some foods, sugars, and other carbohydrates could be addictive. It might not have been a problem for our ancestors (both during the Paleolithic times and even as recently as seventy years ago) to eat a diet low in carbohydrates and added sugars, but in today’s world, we have sweetened our diet and increased our portions so much that we are continually exposed to sugar-rich foods. We may now be dependent on these foods in a way that makes many of us unable to cut back on eating them, even when we know that we should.

Let’s recap. In part one of this book, you learned about some reasons why your past diet attempts likely failed. You also learned some of the background information that you need to understand how much sugar you’ve really been eating. Next, you read about some of the criteria and processes that define and underlie addiction, and learned about recent research findings that suggest that certain foods, and sugar in particular, may be addictive if they are overconsumed.

Part two discussed a process that you can use to reduce your dependence on sugar and other carbohydrates by eliminating them or drastically reducing your intake of them. You also read about the types of foods you can eat on this plan, what foods to avoid, and what types of foods can serve as substitutes for the ones that you crave. You also learned about how to cope with withdrawal and cravings, which is a key component of breaking your addiction to sugars.

This information and your awareness of it is very important, but sometimes moving from awareness to action can be a challenge. How will you do it? How will you cut down on the foods that you have become so accustomed to eating? Some days this might seem like an impossible challenge, but if you have the proper tools and knowledge, you can do it.

Tips for Maintaining Your New Way of Eating

However, it isn’t just certain types of food that you need to avoid. Often social situations and even certain individuals in your social circle can derail your eating plan, so this chapter will also address how to navigate these situations so that you can stay on track. And finally, this chapter will offer some concluding thoughts and more practical tips to help you implement this way of eating so that you can reduce your intake of (and as a result, your dependence on) sugar-rich foods.

TIP 1: APPLY WHAT YOU KNOW

As you’ve read this book, you’ve learned so many things that will help you to break the vicious cycle of addictive eating. You now understand why most diet plans fail, and how sugars and other carbohydrates can be addictive and lead many people to overeat them and cause unwanted weight gain. You also know about the places where sugars hide, and you have the information you need to make wise decisions with regard to selecting the right kinds of foods to eat. You know what situations and cues might promote overeating of addictive foods, and how to cope with them. You know how to deal with the physiological and psychological aspects of withdrawal from overuse of sugars, and how to assess and mitigate food cravings.

Now all you need is a few useful tips that will help you take all of that knowledge and put it into action. First, take notes; research suggests that active engagement in learning by taking notes benefits people’s understanding and improves their performance on tests.
²
While there obviously won’t be a written test after you read this book, your comprehension of the information discussed throughout will be crucial for your ability to pass the most important test of all—the test of whether you can finally break free of your dependence on unhealthy foods and implement a way of eating that will lead you to make wise food choices and achieve your goals.

This is one reason why the Food for Thought sections at the end of each chapter can be so helpful; not only do they ask you to reflect on aspects of your life (your eating patterns, your coping techniques, and so on), but they also ensure that you understand the concepts presented in each chapter so that you can apply them to
your
life. As you start to make grocery lists based on this information and lifestyle, you may want to write some of these phrases or
facts on your list. This could serve as a friendly reminder as to why you are purchasing specific foods.

Next, turn your knowledge into action. For example, if you now know that you tend to snack on sugary cereal when you’re watching television with your husband in the evening, apply the knowledge that you have regarding cues (for example: husband + television + relaxing on the couch = eating excess sugars) and change your environment. Watch television in a different room, or do something else to wind down. If you break the association, it will be easier for you to change this eating habit. It is important that you really think about your life and eating habits and, using the information in this book, make plans for how you can adjust your routine so you have an easier time giving up the foods that you know are bad for you.

Finally, you have to get in the habit of thinking ahead. This is very important, particularly at the beginning of the Sugar Freedom Plan, when you are starting to wean yourself off of sugar-rich drinks and foods. You know now that in many ways you are fighting an uphill battle: there will be a period of withdrawal, cravings, food cues, and stressors that cause you to want to throw in the towel. This is why it’s important to plan out your meals and avoid situations in which you don’t know how to react (for example, when someone asks you to eat a slice of birthday cake) or what to eat (for example, when you are invited to a friend’s house for dinner).

TIP 2: TAKE CARE WHEN DINING OUT

Eating out with friends is a common part of our social lives. So, can you go to restaurants and still stay on track with your way of eating?

Yes, you can, but your challenge will be adjusting the foods you typically order. Be mindful of the fact that restaurants often have certain foods paired together, such as fish with french fries or potatoes. Remember that you can always ask for substitutions, such as steamed vegetables. So, whereas in the past you might have had a steak and a big baked potato, now you can still order your steak, and instead of the potato, have a big green salad with it, or a side of asparagus.

The bread basket—this is a big problem for some. If you’re trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake, the last thing you need placed in front of you when you’re hungry is a big basket of bread. You have two options: (1) Ask the people you’re dining with if they want any bread, and if they say no, then tell the waiter not to bring bread. That way, you aren’t wasting food, and you won’t be tempted by it sitting in front of you while you wait for your meal. (2) If your party does want bread, then you’ll have to use your willpower. Try asking for a beverage to be brought out right away so you have something to ingest while the others are noshing on bread. It helps if the people you are with know that you’re trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake; they’ll be less likely to ask you if you want some—and maybe they’ll be less likely to want bread themselves.

Sometimes certain cuisines can be difficult to assess for their sugar and carbohydrate content. It’s important to know the ingredients and contents of the foods that you are eating. Chinese food is tough; the reason it tastes good is because many of the dishes are chock-full of sugar. But there are seafood and stir-fry dishes in Chinese restaurants that fit beautifully with this diet, as long as you make some modifications to the items that are listed on the menu. For example, rice is a staple of most Asian dishes, so it’s always difficult to eat them without a serving of carbohydrates. Remember, our modern food society is not designed around reducing your addiction to sugars and other carbohydrates, so you need to create
your own food environment to suit your needs. Ask for the dishes without rice, and ask for the sauce on the side or left off completely. Do your homework: before you go to a restaurant, check online for the sugar and carbohydrate content of the foods. It also helps if you have a plan in mind before you get there as to what you want to order, so that you won’t be caught off guard by the menu and feel pressed to order something before you think it through.