Sugar withdrawal symptoms simply suck!
Sugar is like that smothering, limiting relationship that keeps holding you back from your best life. Once we’re on the other side of it, you can experience the benefits. Your weight drops, brain fog clears, and energy improves.
Have you ever tried to kick the sugar habit but got sucked back in by all the cravings?
Before you throw in the towel, there are things you can do to successfully navigate a sugar breakup.
In today’s episode, I’m going to share with you some of the things you can expect with sugar withdrawal and my top 9 pro tips so that you can survive the sugar detox like a champ!
First of all, I want to congratulate you on prioritizing your health to the point that you’re ready to break up with sugar. Sugar is like that terribly toxic boyfriend that we had in our early teenage years that we just can’t seem to get rid of. However, once we do and we’re on the other side of it, we’re going to feel amazing.
The average American consumes 16 teaspoons a day of sugar. That is approximately 150 pounds by the end of the year of sugar that we are eating, obviously not beneficial to our health.
I feel like sugar detox is one of those topics that should be a book. ‘What to Expect When Sugar Detoxing’, You know, kinda like the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting, which tells you all the terrible things that are getting ready to happen to you so you go, ‘oh yeah, I’m supposed to feel that way.’
Why is sugar detoxing so hard? When our brains are studied on sugar, the same neurological activity centers of our brains light up exactly like brains studied that are on drugs like nicotine, cocaine, and heroin. What? This is mind-blowing.
When we ingest sugar, it activates the same neurotransmitters in the brain as those super crazy toxic chemicals do. Simply knowing that we should expect mental + physical detoxing side effects AND being prepared for these symptoms will help ‘fight the good fight’ and slay the sugar dragon!
GOOD NEWS…symptoms usually last 3-7days max!
Sugar Withdrawal – What To Expect Mentally:
- Low Mood
- Brain Fog
- Depression
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Difficulty Focusing
Sugar Withdrawal – Physical Symptoms:
- Fatigue/ Low Energy
- Lightheaded and Dizziness
- Cravings
- Changes in Sleep Patterns
Prepare yourself calorically. When you pull sugar out, you will experience a dip in your calories. Make sure that your nutrition is supported in other ways.
Now let’s talk about what I would consider my top 9 pro tips so that you can survive the sugar detox like a champ.
Tip 1:
Pick A Date
- If you are perusing through the weekend and you just had a double brownie sundae, make Monday your day to rip the bandaid and start that detox. Picking a date is number one.
Tip 2:
Quit Cold Turkey
- If you are serious about kicking sugar out of your life, lowering it is not going to get you on the other side of things. It’s like being a smoker and deciding that you’re going from 30 cigarettes a day to three. You’re still using the chemicals.
Tip 3:
Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
- Our brain and our endocrine system doesn’t see any difference between sugar and artificial sweeteners. If you’re really wanting to break up sugar you have to get rid of it entirely.
Tip 4:
Prioritize Protein
- If you’re hitting your protein goals daily, you drastically decrease your chance to crave sugar. Protein balances blood sugar levels and cravings will massively diminish.
Tip 5:
Boost Your Fiber
- Prioritize eating 25-35 grams of fiber a day. Fiber is slow digesting in our systems and supports stable blood sugar levels, which reduces cravings.
Tip 6:
Drink Enough Water
- This one is so vital. Prioritize getting enough water. If you’re asking how much water you should get daily, the simple equation is half your body weight in ounces. Add in an extra 15oz. for every hour of exercise you do that day. This is what you should be hitting for minimum hydration every day. Making sure to get enough water ensures that you flush that excess sugar out of your system.
Tip 7:
Exercise And Move Your Body
- As you remove sugar from your diet your brain and body will be searching for the endorphin rush. Exercise is so good for brain health and boost those happy brain chemicals. You will get that same kind of euphoric release of endorphins when you do some quick interval training. I recommend mini HIIT training sessions when sugar detoxing.
Tip 8:
Go For The Greens
- Let’s get our body more alkaline. I find that powdered greens are easier for some people then having them having them increase the amount of daily vegetables intake. Powdered greens make our body alkaline and that is so important when detoxing sugar. It keeps your blood sugar stable, so you can sidestep sugar cravings.
Tip 9:
Catch Some ZZZZZZZs
- Protect your sleep. So you’ve probably heard of the 2 hormones leptin and ghrelin… and when we don’t get enough sleep those hormones go cray-cray. It doesn’t even need to be chronic sleep disturbance, it can be one night. When leptin and ghrelin get out of whack you will experience more hunger and crave all the things. I recommend aiming for 7-9 hours a night.
BUT HEY, We don’t expect you to do this alone. Join us for our 7 Day Food & Fitness Fix. We have clearly mapped out everything you need to painlessly break up with sugar, lose a few pounds, and gain mental clarity!
Don’t snooze on this one ladies…we have a blast inside this group and you’re going to wanna be a part of it!
Check out the details here! See you on the inside!
LV 💚
Show Notes
Are you ready to BUILD STRENGTH, GAIN ENERGY
& feel GREAT in just 7 days? Join our 7 Day Food & Fitness Fix HERE!