A quick reminder that today is your last chance to get Sabrina’s Food Elimination Fix if you suspect you are having negative reactions to dairy or gluten. I trust this girl, I trust her 10+ years in the industry and her clinical experience with hundreds of clients. Plus, I know you won’t feel deprived because she helps you figure out how to maintain your satisfaction and stay sane ;)

Speaking of cutting out whole food groups … you know I am not a fan.

But if you are dealing with food intolerances to the point that you experience gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, acne, hair/nail issues (indicative of malabsorption), migraines/headaches or anything else unpleasant when eating certain foods, then baby, they gotta go.

Sugar might be one of those foods for you. But chances are it’s not.

Let’s be honest, humans can get away with eating a ton of sugar, and for many they say, “I’m addicted to sugar!”

I used to have the biggest sweet tooth up until a few years ago when I started practicing #moderation365 (got the cavities to show for it!)—I used to deprive myself of sugar for a week, a month, a 12-week competition prep, whatever, and then EAT ALL THE SUGAR as soon as the program/plan was over, or I just couldn’t white-knuckle my way through it any longer.

And eat it all I did.

Which brings me to the question … should we just quit sugar cold turkey?

I was on a nutrition coaching webinar a couple weeks ago, and one of the gals on the call said, “Jill, in the past I have done sugar detoxes and quit sugar cold turkey, and whenever I did, I started to crave it sugar less. Which was awesome. Do you think I am just someone who should just be off sugar indefinitely because I can’t handle it?”

I loved this question!

I didn’t respond right away, but instead answered her with a question of my own, “That’s awesome that you craved it less! How long were you off sugar?”

She replied, “As long as the program lasted.”

See, here’s the thing.

She’s not alone. When we stop eating as much sugar, we tend to crave it less. This is true. We have probably all had this experience and it feels awesome and liberating.

EXCEPT … that eventually sugar is reintroduced at some point—how can it not be?—and we slowly start eating it again. And again. And even more. And before we know it, we are back up to the same levels, with the same old sweet tooth and maybe even indulging more to make up for those days, weeks, months we deprived.

I’m with you.

Okay, so a few truths real quick:

And the idea that if we just “try harder” and keep avoiding sugar, trying, trying, TRYING is also not a solution because that’s a strategy based on 100% willpower and also not taking into account that eventually we have to live and interact in the world and go out in public and … ahem, be around sugar.

Continuing to re-start sugar-removal challenges and hoping this new one will stick—PLEASE GOD THIS TIME!—is like trying to fit a round peg into a square slot.

And yet we keep trying because … it should work, right? Right? … ?

No, it shouldn’t work because you’re human and look, sugar isn’t going anywhere. So we need to figure out a way to handle it better.

Going “off sugar” is a 1.0 level strategy. Fine. Works for a time, but doesn’t last.

What is a 2.0 level strategy is actually dealing with the “addiction” so that you don’t continue to boomerang back and forth from one extreme to the other—complete deprivation OR total overindulgence.

Which is why I want you to expose yourself to sugar and practice being around it.

I have written several blogs about how to teach yourself moderation when it comes to any food. Just search “moderation” on the blog. How can one have a single cookie and be good? How can someone eat 3 bites of dessert and be fine? How can we have a slice of pizza and be satisfied?

This process starts with preempting feelings of deprivation.

If you are already experiencing feelings of deprivation, it’s too late. Indulgence is inevitable, whether it’s this weekend, next month or in 6 months. So the process actually begins before that.

It starts with you taking the edge of earlier so that when someone invites you to the movies, you don’t have to eat an XL Reese’s Pieces because you can take it or leave it, you feel good, satisifed!

Sounds impossible, right?

But that’s why this is a practice. I have been practicing for 4 years! It’s taken me that long to learn to have a single bite of dessert and be good. I don’t feel deprived, I feel satisfied, and I actually feel like I could have skipped the dessert altogether. BUT, I know that even skipping that single bite of dessert might have left me feeling deprived later, so preemptively having a taste takes the edge off for later in the night or the next day.

I want you to start thinking about how you expose yourself to sugar more.

I know that sounds insane and counterintuitive, but the idea is that exposure lessens the urgency and anxiety around that food. Never put it on the do-not-have list again. In fact, put it on the have-anytime list, and I think you’ll be surprised that the more it’s available to you, the less power it holds over you.

Call me crazy, but if you give it time, learn to trust yourself and work the system, this shit works.

So no, I don’t think you should give up sugar cold turkey. When you do, you put yourself in a vulnerable state. Instead, when you work through it, using preemptive cheats and Intermittent Sampling, and practice it, YOU now have the power over it! You have made yourself a little less fragile and a little less susceptible.

Takes time, of course. But hey, what’s some time and practice in exchange for a lifetime of being able to moderately taste sugar any day anytime and not have to devour the whole thing until it’s gone? It’s a tiny price to pay if you are courageous enough to pay it.

It’s been a great week on moderation and preemptive cheats! Thank you for tuning in. Again, if you have a food sensitivity, then working on a way to feel satisfied even if you can’t have certain foods is key, and hopefully you now understand why your goal every time you eat is not to count macros or calories or ask, “Will this food help me lose fat?” but instead to aim for satisfaction.

Grab Sabrina’s Food Elimination Fix if you want to learn how to eliminate certain foods and still keep your satisfaction in tact. Enrollment closes TONIGHT at midnight EST!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Xo,

Jill