We made it through Chase’s Meet the Teacher day yesterday with no tears! (Let’s be real, the “no tears” thing was really a victory for me, not Chase.) He was cool as a cucumber and I hope his excitement over school lasts when I actually have to leave him for the first time next week.
Our morning yesterday passed by in a flash of breakfast, a quick workout and a stop by the grocery store to pick out flowers for Chase’s teachers. Thanks to those of you who chimed in on my Monday blog post question about whether or not bringing gifts to teachers at the beginning of the school year is a thing. The consensus: No, it’s not. But remembering teachers on holidays, birthdays, Teacher Appreciation Day, or supplying much-needed items for the classroom throughout the year is very much appreciated.
I still wanted to do a little something, especially since I had a feeling Chase would do better with meeting his teachers if he had something to give them, so I let him pick out flowers for Miss Debbie and Miss Jen and he selected a summery bouquet of daisies.
We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and Chase quietly said hi to his teachers (still no “Miss”) but seemed really excited about giving them flowers! He was way more interested in running past them and checking out the new toys all over the room so we played and met some of the other parents and kids before it was time to head outside.
Chase’s preschool apparently knows how to win over new kids because they had an ice cream truck show up outside of the playground. Chase’s love for ice cream knows no bounds (I wonder where he gets that from?) and he had a death-grip on his vanilla sprinkle cone while he explored and played!
I enjoyed chatting with the other parents and have the best feeling about Chase’s preschool. To be honest, I was having some serious regrets about enrolling him a couple of weeks ago because I truly do love our time together. I really had to force myself to shift my perspective and realize this is something he will love and is beyond ready for this year. Chase is already quite independent and social so I know in my gut beginning preschool will be a great thing for him. Plus, it’s only TWO days a week and he’ll be there for three(ish) hours each day, so it’s not a huge commitment even though it feels like quite a big milestone for me.
On the flip side, I am definitely looking forward to some extra uninterrupted work time and the ability to make various appointments in the morning without having to ask a friend to watch Chase or call a babysitter. I haven’t had that kind of freedom since he was born!
We arrived home from Meet the Teacher a little before noon, ate lunch (well, a snack for me) and did a little dinner prep together before Chase’s naptime.
“Help cook” is one of Chase’s current favorite activities and I’m not complaining one bit. It’s pretty awesome because it allows me to get some dinner prep done while he’s awake and he’s a lot more curious about the foods we’re preparing together which means he’ll often snack on the raw veggies I’m chopping while he “helps.” (And yes, this new activity means our kitchen looks like a disaster almost all day long until we do a big clean after dinner.)
Chase went down for his nap around 1 p.m. and I worked on the computer until I eventually got hungry. Yesterday’s lunch included chopped turkey burger with brown rice, leftover lentils and avocado.
Ninety minutes later, Chase was up again. I feel fortunate that I can usually count on a solid two hour nap from Chase in the afternoon but yesterday he was ready for action a little early, so I switched back into mom mode and texted with a few friends about meeting up for an afternoon play date.
We spent most of the afternoon at Gymboree’s Open Gym with my friends Carrie and Laura and their little ones before heading home to get a crack on dinner.
After being in a good mood all day yesterday, something seemed to flip in Chase around 5 p.m. because all the whines and fussiness he held in all day seemed to surface. When I got a text from Ryan letting me know he’d be home a little later than usual, I made the decision to do Chase’s bath earlier in the evening which seemed to help relax him a tiny bit.
We came downstairs after his bath and finished dinner which was a turkey and veggie skillet that tasted like a weird but delicious version of sloppy joes.
Ryan arrived home around 7 p.m. and after we were done eating together, we made blanket forts and read a book under them before Chase went down for the night a little before 8 p.m.
I’m not sure what it was about yesterday, but I felt 100 percent pooped at the end of the day. I also couldn’t resist digging into ice cream again after dinner while we watched Big Brother and enjoyed every last bite.
And on the subject of ice cream… I have a quick question for anyone out there who might also have a raging sweet tooth: Have you ever done anything to try to eliminate your sugar cravings? I feel like mine are at an all-time high right now and while I’ve never been one to do a detox or anything like that, I know I could benefit from cutting back on sugar (in addition to the ice cream after dinner, I also had ice cream at Chase’s school and chocolate after lunch). Since I know I’m an abstainer not a moderator, I’m kind of curious about doing a no-sugar challenge to try to get my cravings for sweets (specifically refined sugar) under control. If you have one you’d recommend, or if there’s something you’ve done in the past to help with sugar cravings, please let me know! I love fruit and wouldn’t want to give that up, but I know I could benefit from cutting back on refined sugar and think some sort of a not-too-intense challenge could be a good motivator.
I hope you all have a great Thursday and I’ll see ya back here tomorrow for Things I’m Loving Friday!
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Aw so glad his meet the teacher went well. And it will so great for both you and Chase. I have such a sweet tooth too, I always make your PB Protein Fudge with honey or maple syrup and eat two for dessert. I’ve definitely thought of doing a no sugar challenge and seeing if it changes my cravings. I also love dates and some nut butter as a sweet tooth craving, not sure if you can eat dates on a no sugar challenge though…..
I’m not really sure what I would want the challenge to look like, but to me things like dates and fruits ARE healthy even if they do have a lot of sugar, so I’m not sure I’d want to eliminate them at all. My focus would be more on reducing refined sugar intake, I think!
Greek yogurt has been a great option for me. I enjoy some topped with fresh berries and it is surprisingly satisfying (and this is coming from a girl who loves chocolate and treats!).
I can’t wait to see how Chase does once school starts! It’s great he seemed to enjoy his preschool and that you were able to meet other kids and parents.
While this challenge doesn’t relate to all sugar, my boyfriend and I are currently doing a 30 day no alcohol challenge. We’re almost done now (there’s about a week left) but I’ve noticed that even though I don’t drink every day, after a few days the want for a glass of wine went away. Once this ends, I’m considering doing another 30 day challenge to see how my body reacts! 30 days seems like a long time but it goes by quick. I bet you could do 30 days no added sugar challenge. Since fruit has naturally occurring sugar I’ll snack on some frozen grapes at night if I want something sugary.
I would totally recommend the 21 day Sugar detox (DSD) or a whole 30 esque challenge. Both are hard not going to lie but they are life changing! I personally use the whole 30 template often in 5 -7-14 day forms when I just need a few days to reset. After the full
Program of either your cravings are gone! But you need to last the whole way. Check out their blogs and both have books and e-books to help guide you through it.
As a fellow abstainer this is the only thing that works for me. While I don’t view fruit as unhealthy either, snacking on a full pint of blueberries is the same sugar content as a bag of candy so I found most success by following it. I can’t stop once I start !You can definitely mix and match though and adapt it to fit your needs! Maybe by not removing all grains and limiting your fruit to a specific number of servings? It’s very adaptable and I find I have made it fit to my needs. The biggest number one thing to help you get through it is to eat enough protein and plan! I make one rule: I can have whatever I’m craving / fruit etc after I eat a snack or meal with tons of protein. You realize so fast you’re not actually hungry and only had a craving ( a hard boiled egg or a piece of chicken isn’t something I get excited to eat or always seem appealing mid day as a snack haha). Good luck!!!
Chase looks SO happy in the playground picture. Maybe it’s just the ice cream in his hand but he seems like he’ll do well at preschool!
RE: a sugar detox. Follow @rachaelsgoodeats on insta! I’m on day 4 of her 7-day Sugar Detox and I feel really good so far. I feel like you and I are the same person when it comes to sweets and I’m honestly not sure how I’ve made it 3+ days without added sugar but so far so good. I’m also not a fan of detoxes because that is literally the purpose of the liver and kidneys, but I did need something just to get out of the habit. She does still suggest eating fruit but cutting back to 1-2 servings a day and other than that the idea is just to eat more whole foods. I think she also mentions not having dates or at least cutting back but I really like Lara Bars and need some sort of portable snack to get through the work day, so I have still been having those once day. You can completely tailor this to meet your needs and it’s super flexible so it might be a good place to start!
You can read more about the sugar detox here:
https://rachaelsgoodeats.com/nix-the-sugar/
http://rachaelsgoodeats.com/7-day-sugar-detox-plus-recipe-ideas/
Last year I did a no desserts or sweets challenge for myself- I called it “no candy November” after I went wayyyy over board the entire month of sept and oct as I bought bags and bags of candy for my team at work to snack on. For me that works the best- I had the most trouble every time there was a Birthday or celebration in our office- but I stayed strong and stayed away. I had pie at thanksgiving and then was able to moderately eat sweets in December on a more normal level- i.e. Only only special occasions not just everyday bc I wanted to. Now I try to keep sweets limited as much as I can and reserve them for special occasions only.
My gym is getting ready to kick off a 30 day Whole 30 or Sugar Free Challenge. I did whole 30 once and while successful (I totally cut out artificial sweeteners) , not something I would do again because of some weird side effects. Anyway, the sugar free challenge is no Sugar or Artificial sweeteners, and no foods containing Added sugar –Refined Flours (White Bread, pretzels, desserts) Check condiments for added sugar, No Dried Fruit no Alcohol, juice or soda.
Its nice having the support of my gym crew, so maybe if you can get some of your gym buds to join you that will help. There is also a water challenge, drink half your body weight in ounces of water, and finally an attendance challenge to attend 21 classes in 30 days.
Good Luck!
I’ve never done a complete sugar elimination but I recently had to get my diet in check. So my plan has been to 1) Eat REAL food because I can destroy a box of sugary cereal or snack-y type bars 2) MEASURE 1 teaspoon of maple syrup into my morning oatmeal and 3) Have two treats per week (this allows for an unexpected treat like ice cream at preschool meet and greets and a planned treat, like a beer on the weekend. Plus it doesn’t feel like a “one and done” thing which would leave me wanting more). Theres also a great documentary on Amazon Prime called “That Sugar Film.” You’ll be so horrified by the amount of sneaky sugar in the average diet that you won’t crave it anymore!!
I try to avoid fruits during the day so that my sweet treat really seems like a treat! I blend up frozen strawberries and organic apple juice while watching reruns of Big Bang Theory. It generally does keep me satisfied until I see a commercial with something containing chocolate ?
I’m so glad he is liking his school! I did Whole 30 once and it really nipped my sugar cravings in the bud. It really limits what you can eat, but I liked that I could still eat all the fruit I wanted.
Hi Julie!!
So I am just like you as far as sweets and ice cream haha. About three weeks ago I decided to do a “no refined sugar” diet so to speak. However, I had one exception which was my coffee (I get an iced coffee from starbucks with cream and their classic syrup, which is basically pure refined sugar lol). I eliminated all other refined sugar but of course still had fruit, honey, maple syrup etc. I even was a bit flexible and made those no bake energy bites with chocolate chips. I really just listened to my body.
My reasoning for doing this was I felt like I never had any energy and was always in a fog in the afternoons. And…it helped SO MUCH!!! Even with still having my coffee and eating chocolate chips every now and then lol!! Now, three weeks later, I’m very aware of processed sugar but I do still allow myself to indulge (I had ice cream last night, for example, but no longer feel the need to eat sweets EVERY night).
I definitely recommend doing a loose challenge like that!! I really don’t believe in being insanely strict with my diet as that’s not how life should be lived!! I don’t want to deprive myself, I simply wanted to feel healthier and have more energy!! Let me know what you decide and how it goes!!
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
I really admire your healthy eating habits. I struggle with sugar every.single.day. When I increase my protein intake, the cravings subside. BUT when stress rears its ugly head, nothing can get between me and sugar. You certainly have been under a lot of stress so go easy on yourself and trust that you will naturally go back to less sugar when your body and mind are ready.
I’ve been thinking about doing a sugar challenge as well! If you choose to do one, it might be fun to announce it to the blog beforehand to get some of your followers to participate with you? I bet I’m not the only one who would be interested.
So glad you enjoyed his teachers! Ive found that the more sugar I have, the more I crave, so I tend to reel it in a little when I feel my sweet tooth is out of control. Also, I’ll turn to more natural sugars from fruits and ween off processed foods with sugar as those tend to sky rocket my sweet tooth. I’d do like half the amount of ice cream and add fruit to bulk up the bowl!
I was anxious about Mitch starting school, but he loves it and actually has really good friends at 2.5 years old! He has learned so many amazing skills and qualities from being in a group environment. Also, I am sure you were a bit stressed about the day and that came out in cravings. So glad everything went well yesterday!
Hey Julie, my family all needed a sugar detox as well and did 30 days on Whole30. It eliminates ALL bad sugars and you will be amazed how successful of a reset it is for all of us. Obviously if the sugar
Elimination is your priority, u don’t need to follow the whole plan, but go to their website and they give more info and tips about it. Good luck!
Would love to know what you end up doing! I’m great about not eating refined sugars in foods (as much as I can help it) but my sweet tooth comes out after dinner for sure!
I’m an abstainer too, so something as simple as “no added sugar” for xx days is really helpful for me. I’m all about the fruit, so that gives me a clear cut way to avoid both the sweet treats and the sugar hiding in ev.ery.thing. I’ve seen great success taming the sugar dragon with a Whole30, but even going 7 days with no added sugar helps reset my habits and my sweet tooth.
Chase bringing flowers to his teacher is just the cutest thing! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (give me allll the chips!), but whenever I do have dessert, I immediately crave it again the next day. I think sugar is just so addictive that the more you eat of it, the more you crave. If you can make it a solid week or two without eating dessert you probably won’t crave it nearly as much. That’s how I am, anyway!
Giving up sweets will never happen for me so I’ve found a way to “trick” my body into thinking I’m having dessert when really I am not eating anything with refined sugar! Cotton candy grapes have been an addiction lately, but I know, not chocolate. Eating Evolved chocolate/coconut butter cups and their jars of coconut butter are my latest go-to. There is no added or refined sugar and the ingredients are all on point! Highly recommend. I sound like a commercial, but really it helps the sweets cravings.
Ahh Chase is so adorable!! And how cute is it that he wants to help you cook?!
My sugar cravings are OUT OF CONTROL right now too…I’m letting myself finish off the ice cream we currently have, and then I’m not buying anymore for a while! My husband even says he thinks I have a problem 🙁
Have a great day!
I’ve done Whole 30 (which cuts out way more than just sugar) but found that after the 30 days I wasn’t reaching for sweet things as often as I was before. Fruits (including dates) are okay to eat during the 30 days and I found that now eating an apple or a piece of fruit really does satisfy my sweet tooth and sounds better than reaching for more sugary junk food. It might be worth a try!
It really helps me when I have short, achievable goals. I don’t like feeling like I failed and have a hard time getting back in track once I’ve fallen off, so any wide-sweeping changes are doomed to be unsuccessful for me.
Earlier this year, I wanted to get in the habit of regular exercise so did 10 minutes of something – anything – for a month. I usually felt great in the first 10 minutes and surpassed it, but on days where I wasn’t feeling too hot, I was able to stick with my goal and not feel guilty.
Maybe you can do something similar with sugar, like cutting out refined added sugars (keeping honey, maple syrup, etc) for only a week and seeing if you want to keep it up from there. Or limiting sweets to just weekends.
I recently had to get on an elimination diet to see what foods I need to keep not eating and did a similar slow transition. Anything you find that’s gluten, dairy, and refined sugar free I would be interested in too (and I’m sure I’m not the only one)! 🙂
I’ve been stocking my freezer with frozen red/black grapes (surprisingly sweet and delicious). My next experiments are banana nice cream from the Chocolate Covered Katie link below, coconut oil & honey baked apples, and frozen banana bites (that can be rolled in all kinds of yummy things like nut butters or chocolate and crunchy toppings like coconut, crushed nuts, etc – Chase may love them too).
On a side note, your kid is just the cutest. <3
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2017/06/22/10-healthy-ice-cream-recipes/
I’m looking for more ways to cut down on sugar as well, so I’d love to hear what you find out from other comments – I’m an abstainer too! One thing I have found that works for me is cutting out sugar until the evenings. I went through a phase where I would allow myself to have one “dessert” every evening, but to cut out sugar completely during the day. I realized that once I start eating sugar in a day, I can’t keep away. For example, if I eat chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, my sugar cravings are INSANE all day. If I wait until late afternoon or evening to eat sugar, I start craving it again but there’s a lot less time before I go to bed to shove my face 🙂
I also did the Whole 30 ( actually never stopped and going on 8 months now), and completely cutting out refined sugar absolutely did the trick! I really don’t crave sugar anymore, but I will not give up fruit! The hardest part is getting through the withdrawal symptoms!
I am right there with you on the sugar cravings. I have done some periods of no refined sugar but it is pretty impossible to keep up with it, for me. I try to avoid it as best I can. I bake ambitious kitchens paleo choc chunk cookies a lot (made with coconut sugar). While it’s not totally sugar free, coconut sugar is still sugar and there’s chocolate, it has a heck of a lot less sugar than most things. So when my sugar cravings are raging in the evening, having one of those cookies is better than standing at the kitchen counter eating a pint of Ben and jerrys haha Also Iowa girl eats has a recipe for these banana oat bars I make weekly for me (and my toddler!) and that is only sweetened with maple syrup. So i can’t help you with totally cutting out sugar, just cutting back is better than nothing! Why is sugar so delicious!? ?
I’m nervous about putting my little guy in preschool already and it’s still a year away! I bet it will be nice to have a little time to yourself though and for him to get some energy out!
I would also recommend Whole 30. I did one a couple years ago with great success. I will say though, I attempted to do one this summer and only made it a couple days. I think now that I eat pretty healthy and mostly paleo, I just found it kind of annoying to give up things that I still consider healthy (mostly peanut butter… almond butter just isn’t the same!). I’m usually not a huge sweets eater (give me ALL the chips and dip!) but I also noticed that after getting ice cream the other week, I was definitely craving more sugar. I really just try to not keep it in the house unless it’s a special occasion. Plain yogurt with honey and fruit has been y go to lately at night or at that 3 o clock slump.
I’ll just jump in and echo the Whole 30 idea. It helps so much with sugar cravings! Or you could just do a 30 day challenge of ‘no treats’ while keeping bread, pasta sauce, yogurt, etc. I think picking a set of rules and a set time limit is the best way to do it.
Nice to see Chase had a great first day!
Another vote for whole30! Sugar is everywhere, and reading labels and completely cutting it out is the only thing that worked for me. I’ve been off the program for a while but would love to get started again! Just need to find time for all the prep required. ?
As a health coach, I help clients through sugar cravings all the time. Instead of focusing on deprivation or cutting sugar cold turkey, try digging into the root cause of the cravings. There is a long list of potential causes including stress, emotional eating, nutrient deficiency, pathogen overgrowth, lack of sleep, adrenal or hormone imbalances, and more. Pin pointing exactly what is going on and addressing the root cause will make it far easier to address. I’m happy to chat more if you’d like some extra guidance.
I did a refined sugar free challenge with myself. I didn’t eat white sugar, brown sugar, and only consumed honey/agave when I was adding it myself or I was REALLY okay with it. So I no longer had salad dressings with sugar in them, but I did have Goodness Knows bars for a treat sometimes. I didn’t eat any dried fruit either that had added sugar but I did eat fresh fruit. I would add honey to some recipes but for a week went without honey and agave too. Try it!! It really helped me see what sweetness made life… sweeter and what was just a habit
Chase always has the best little boy outfits! I don’t know how you find them – he always looks adorable!
Flowers were such a sweet idea! I’m a teacher (7th &8th grade English) and one thing I always appreciate is when parents bring in a box or two of tissues. They go so fast especially in the winter months and it’s nice not to have to buy them myself. Hope you both have a great start to preschool!
Chase’s preschool introduction day sounds so cute! I’m so glad he did so good with it.
I think this might be more of a trick that worked for me when I wanted to overhaul my entire diet when I felt just sluggish all the time a few months ago, but I started drinking an apple cider vinegar drink each morning. It is just a big glass of warm water, a tablespoon of ACV, a bunch of lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. I don’t know what it is about it, but it really changed what I actually wanted to eat throughout the day. I found myself craving healthier options, less junk, and less wine, too! It was odd, but helpful, and I think I’m overdue to start doing that again. It might help you with your sugar cravings!
CNN actually had a great article from a nutritionist for a sugar detox to help cut cravings for added and refined sugar, it’s nothing crazy either timewise and starts adding back in items at day four.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/09/health/sugar-detox-food-drayer/index.html
Thanks for sharing!
I’m a big ice cream lover myself and have tried multiple times to cut back on sugar. I realized when I go cold turkey it backfires..and I’m sad about missing my treats! So I have a sticker chart on my fridge and I aim for at least 4 days refined-sugar-free (I still eat all the fruit!) each week, ideally 5 or 6 days clean. It helps with a visual and the stickers really do make me feel proud! I’ve also been hooked on Halo Top ice cream for a treat to lessen the sugar damage.
Side note, I’m a school teacher in my other life and flowers are always, always appreciated 🙂 And honestly, just sweet emails and notes do worlds!
The sugar cravings are NO JOKE. Two-ish months ago I realized I’d been having way too much, and like you, decided I needed to cut it out for a while. I’m totally an abstainer! I did a few things to get through the cravings, and now they’ve mostly gone away after 2 months: 1) Stopped keeping treats in the house. I made my husband hide any that we had left, and then wouldn’t let myself buy any more. This was huge! 2) I started eating fruit as my treat. Crisp red grapes and a sweet apple are amazing, actually! (I’m a strong believer that natural sugar in whole foods is really healthy.) I also bought a ton of Lara bars to help me get through the more intense cravings.
I won’t lie – – the first few weeks were tough. And I definitely let myself have treats now and then when I’m out of the house. But not having it at home was the big piece for me.
PS: I said to my husband last night about our 2 year old: “Why does a switch flip at 5pm and she becomes a maniac???” Toddlers! 🙂
Oh, also: My sweet tooth has totally changed now that I’ve cut down my sugar! Before I could inhale a rich brownie and be fine…now I’ll eat a small treat and get that sickly sweet/full feeling in my stomach. It makes me realize how high my “tolerance” for sugar was before!
I can fully relate! I have struggled with sugar a lot in the past.
I usually have to eliminate it almost entirely to rid myself of the constant cravings (but let’s be real, they never go away entirely and I’m okay with that :)). I have done a Wild Rose Cleanse which is a natural 12 day detox where you eat as much as you want but only certain foods to clear your system. Sometimes I just do it for a few days.
But basically, I eliminate all sweet foods including sweet, tropical fruit and stick to one piece of fruit a day; typically this would be an apple or some berries as they are less sweet than say an orange, banana or grapes. After doing this for a week, I feel so much better and clearer headed.
Good luck with this! And btw, I admire that you never seem to do diets or anything. It has taken me a long time to get to this point but I am happy to say I also no longer diet or do anything extreme. I have been reading your blog a long time and always have picked up on that.
Whenever I find my sugar cravings going haywire, I usually just try and be more mindful about amping up my protein in meals and snacks….my love for dessert will NEVER go away, but when I’m more mindful about getting in plenty of protein, I usually find I only need one dessert each day 😉
SO excited for Chase! I’ve been teaching preschool for five years and trust me when I say those teacher will love on Chase so much, just like he is one of their own. He’s going to have the best time.
A friend of mine sells Advocare products, so I did a ten-day Advocare cleanse once that turned out to be a great reset. I’ve done it a couple times since without even buying the supplements – you basically just cut out white bread/pasta, dairy, all junk food, and sugary sauces/dressings. There’s no counting calories or eating specific foods at each meal, so it really helped me create a sustainable “lifestyle change.” Good luck! 🙂
Julie,
So glad Chase had a great meet and greet. You went through a lot of emotions/stress surrounding this event and that may have led to the increase in sugar cravings.
I’ve done a whole30 as well and it really helped me learn to see how many foods have sugar in them (sauces, dairy, and even alcohol). Nowadays I limit carbs/sugar and will have a glass of wine for desert instead of before dinner and then have a desert after dinner. Your chicken cabbage dish is a great whole30 dish and I love it. Another thing I do is if I have ice cream or cookies, I have a piece of fruit with it. It helps me from going back for more and more cookies or bites of ice cream.
The Whole30 is more than just a sugar detox, but I second that it is AMAZING for getting your sugar cravings under control! Whenever I do one, it alters my taste buds so much that fruit tastes like candy.
I think Chase being in school will be great for the both of you 🙂
Garlic dill pickles! I have no idea why but they help calm down my effervescent sugar cravings.
i have the ice cream problem too!! ive done bedtime tea after dinner (and i am not a big tea person) and while i don’t crave it and get upset that I am making tea and not a bowl of ice cream – once i sit down and start sipping on it, i somehow feel satisfied and the craving for ice cream goes away. I also feel like eating more fruits throughout the day sometimes helps to satisfy my cravings at night (sometimes not though). i also hate restrictions but if you plan to just “restrict” yourself from ice cream for even just a few days, you might find your cravings will become back to normal! I actually need to do this for a little to get off my cravings. lol. Tea starting tonight!!!!
I’m an abstainer too! With me, sugar leads to sugar leads to more sugar. So if I buy ice cream, I know I will be eating it daily until it’s gone. The same is true for chocolate bars…even dark chocolate. I can’t buy dark chocolate and think I’m just going to have a small piece each day, nope! That bar will be gone the first time I unwrap it, or maybe the second time if I have really good resolve LOL. My family tries to focus on whole food eating. I’ve recently cut out some added sugar – orange juice in the mornings and dried cranberries on my salad at lunch. My family loves fresh fruit though and it is PACKED with fiber and nutrients. You seem to have such a healthy diet, plus such great workouts, don’t cut out fruit! I’d say, just take stock of any added sugar and cut out the items which are not whole foods. What works for me is really limiting how often I buy ice cream, then I can indulge but once it is gone I’m back on the abstainer train 🙂
I would start by just tracking your sugar intake. While ice cream and chocolate are the obvious culprits so much else has sugar in it causing you to become addicted without even knowing it! Pasta sauce, salad dressing, even bacon has added sugar! If you track it you can become more aware and look at ingredients (sugar goes by more than 60 names on food labels!), to try to pick the food option at the grocery store without added sugar. Not sure if you have a Trader Joes by you but they have been really good about taking added sugar out of their items. Also, I find 80%+ dark chocolate can really curve a sugar craving and you don’t need to eat much to be satisfied!
Kick sugar cravings with the Whole30!!!! There are two books: It Starts With Food and Whole30. However, you really just need the Whole30 cookbook (it explains everything very well at the beginning of the book). I’ve done two now in the last couple years and it is wonderful. It’s a great way to find out if you are sensitive to certain foods and it’s a very child/husband friendly (your little one won’t notice a difference in foods since you already eat very healthy). I was always a big cheese/dessert/chocolate person and now those foods don’t even sound that great to me. Hope this helps!
I recommend watching the documentary That Sugar Film. It pushed me over the edge in regards to cutting out sugar. Those movies have a way of making you see things so differently and make you want to take action!
Is it on Netflix? Definitely interested!
It’s on Amazon Prime. It addresses what sugar does to our bodies and to our teeth. What I really appreciated was that it didn’t just go after the usual culprits (soda, candy, sweets) but it examined so-called health food too. At the end they eat a typical kids lunch with all sorts of organic foods and the sugar content is nearly double what a child should ingest in an entire day!! A great eye opener.
I love sugar, and I think that’s why I never seem to be fully satisfied. I look at my food logs, and while I’m eating a balanced, healthy-ish diet, I seem to be hungry when I shouldn’t. My guess is it’s the sugar (in all forms, natural or otherwise). I would be interested in reading about it if you decided to eliminate refined sugars (approach, side effect, etc.).
I am a struggling sugar addict myself. It’s brutal! I took an online course that is 67 days long and really teaches you all about sugar, refined grains, etc. I can’t recommend it enough. She does the course a few times a year and once you do it once you are a lifetime member and can take it again whenever you feel like things might be getting out of control again, but of course the point is to learn behavior modifications so you don’t have to take it over and over again. It does take time though to figure out what it is that works for you and what doesn’t. The course is called Go Sugar Free. Jacqueline is a wealth of information!
I actually heard of the course through a local to me food blogger. The course isn’t cheap, but you could maybe work out a partnership to blog about the course or something. Good luck. The struggle is REAL. 🙂 Once you go sugar free though it is amazing the changes you feel not only physically but emotionally as well. I can tell when I have been eating more than I should my anxiety levels go up, I’m less patient with my kids, tired in the afternoon, etc.
https://www.jacquelinesmith.com/gosugarfree/
The picture of Chase with his little daisies is precious <3
That Turkey Skillet looks delicious! What else was added to the turkey & veggies?
I don't have any suggestions for help with sugar cravings but I'd love to follow what others are saying on here for their cravings in general. I could take or leave sweets but sit me down with some tortilla chips or other salty snack and that's my weakness!
Have a good Thursday!
Doing a true Whole30 (no sugar, limit fruit for 4 weeks) is what has really helped me the most. Yes it was terrible at points because I love baking, but it definitely brought down my sugar cravings, especially at work. I am not as strict these days but things that do help me are 1) knowing I can *not* eat sugar and be fine 🙂 – i.e. what I did during Whole30 2) drinking lot of water and tea when cravings do strike!! That usually helps and 3) getting enough sleep so i don’t feel the need for sugar for energy. I’ve seen a couple 7 day detoxes that would be more manageable! Hope that helps!