I decided to ask folks on Facebook what the most challenging part of their journey has been.  The #1 answer was sugar or carb addiction. 

So is sugar addiction real?  It is for me.  This is how it works in my body.  I eat a cookie or a cupcake or some ice cream, and within less than 30 minutes I am wanting more.  If I stop and ask myself, the way I have taught myself and others - Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Thirsty or Stressed (HALTTS), the answer is HUNGRY!  Every single time the answer is hungry.  It is a true physical hunger that goes along with the psychological or emotional hunger.  Can I walk away from this hunger and control it by doing something else until it’s mealtime again?  Sometimes I can, and other times I cannot.  This holds true for most breads, crackers, popcorn, cereals, and the like, as well.

Do you ever find yourself on the sugar merry go round?  Obviously, I do, yet at 12 years post-op I do indulge in a glass of wine, a mixed drink, a cookie, some ice-cream, popcorn and the like.  How do I keep from derailing my healthy eating and still allow the occasional processed sugar/carb into my life?  Good question.

On reflection of how I have dealt with it over the past 12 years this is what I find:

• First - NONE of the items were allowed to be anywhere in my house.  This meant keeping them out of my grocery cart and keeping an eye on what my husband put in my grocery cart as well.  During this first year or so, I did use tons of artificial sweeteners and processed “bariatric foods”.  This soon grew very old as I wanted good tasting food.
• Next - I found myself gravitating towards fewer packaged products and moving towards fish, poultry, eggs, meats, cheeses, veggies, fruits etc…….real foods.  I still found myself using sugar free desserts and yogurts and these worked okay for a while with the occasional protein bar thrown in for good measure.  I began to get creative and cook dinners that were typically better than what I chose in restaurants.  My journey was progressing and sugar free options were not as frequent.  I would work on having protein if I chose fruit to balance the natural sugar with something that would sustain me longer.  - FACT - the body reacts to sugar whether it’s in a donut or a piece of fruit the same way….and 20-30 minutes after eating the donut, and often the fruit - the hunger - the real physical hunger created by the chemical processes in our body returns.  Adding the protein - maybe a cheese stick, or even a piece of chicken or turkey to the fruit, along with the natural fiber in the fruit helps me stay satisfied longer.
• Fast forward to today.  Frequently the only sugar substitute I have is that in my protein powder that powers my morning shake.  I eat mostly protein and produce.  I occasionally have sweets and have to be very careful for days afterwards and still can’t have much in my house because they call to me out of the cupboards.  I have actually binged on tortilla chips or cookies - what is a “binge” to me today does not resemble at all what a binge was prior to surgery.  I am typically feeding an emotion not any physical hunger and once I recognize that I can toss out the “crap”, allow myself to feel the emotion, get through it rather than be controlled by it and go on with my life. 
• Cookies or chips don’t make me any less angry or sad or stressed, they only add to it and start a cycle I can’t get off easily.  It typically takes me about 3 days to get rid of a carb cycle.  I don’t do detoxes, I don’t do 5 day pouch tests, I don’t follow any 21 day programs for…… I simply eat REAL FOOD, no artificial sweeteners, no grains, no nuts, no legumes, nothing that comes in box for a few days, and I eat often - every 2 to 4 hours.  I make sure I am getting all of my water in since thirst often masquerades as hunger.  I leave out some of my favorite veggies that are high in carbs like peas, sweet potatoes and I don’t eat any fruit.  I do a high protein, low carbohydrate food plan for those few days and my body kicks itself in the butt, gets off the sugar/hunger/more sugar/more hunger merry go round and balances itself out again.

If you need help doing this to get yourself back to where you’d like to be feel free to email me or message me on Facebook.  I’ll be happy to help coach you through your challenge.  Food does not have power.  We have the POWER.