Читать книгу Sugar Addicts’ Diet - Nicki Waterman - Страница 18
ОглавлениеSo you’re a sugar addict. Perhaps, after doing the questionnaire in Chapter 1, you’ve admitted this to yourself for the first time. That’s an amazing first step – realizing you have an issue with sugar is a huge leap forward because it means you’re now in a position to do something about it.
There are lots of self-help books about addiction, habits, cravings and, specifically, sugar. We should know – we’ve read them all. But we found most of them so difficult to read and understand that you could be forgiven for reaching for the sugar as a reward! This book intends to give you all this help and more in an uncomplicated way. The plan is based on Nicki’s success at beating her sugar addiction, following her lifelong struggle with it. She says, ‘When I decided to deal with my sugar addiction, I was faced with lots of conflicting messages about it – take this supplement, don’t eat this, increase the amount of that. It was a nightmare. Having done it all and been through hell and back, I now feel I can share with you what works and what doesn’t. You all know what sugar means to me, and if I can manage to kick the habit by following this plan, then so can you.’
OUR PHILOSOPHY
The aim of this book is to get you on the road to making the right food choices and eating regularly to help break the sugar habit and lose weight. Sounds simple, but so many of us with sugar addictions don’t do this. By making these two things a habit, you can help to ensure you never feel that roaring hunger that so often accompanies diets. As a result, you should – like Nicki – start to feel more physically and emotionally balanced as your body responds to the good things you’re feeding it and your need for sugar reduces. Stick with this and you’ll eventually be at the stage where you can allow yourself a sugary treat (come on – we’re all human!) and it won’t draw you back into your old ways. Plus, you’ll be losing weight without tedious calorie-counting. How’s that for an incentive!
HOW THE DIET WORKS
We’ll be going into a lot more detail about the right food choices, but here they are in a nutshell:
• Avoid ‘obvious’ sugars and ‘sneaky’ sugars: This will help prevent sugar ‘highs and lows’.
• Eat good-quality complex carbohydrates, protein and fibre together: This will stop you feeling hungry. Fibre (in complex carbohydrates or vegetables) helps to slow down the rate at which glucose is broken down in the body, thus helping to prevent sugar peaks and dips.
• Include plenty of ‘good’ fats in the diet: Omega 3 and 6 oils from fish, nuts and seeds boost carbohydrate metabolism, helping to burn carbohydrate calories more quickly.
• Eat regularly and have good quality snacks: Regular meals and snacking on the right foods will help to keep blood-sugar levels even through the day and prevent you bingeing.
The diet has worked a treat for many sugar addicts. Even those who didn’t think they had poor blood-sugar control have found it’s worked for them – this is an eating plan that can be used by just about anyone. As it’s based on the principles of healthy eating and cutting out added sugars and refined carbohydrates, it’s also suitable for diabetics. But if you have diabetes, always talk to your GP or specialist before changing your eating programme.
Polly’s Story
Before I sorted out my blood sugar, I’d get the shakes and would have to have sugar. If I got hungry, I’d lose the plot. By learning to eat properly – protein with carbohydrate – and have good, regular snacks, I’ve really helped to level things out. Now if I have sweet things, it’s because I want them rather than need them, as I used to.
How the Diet Can Help You
So how are we going to help you? What we aren’t going to do is preach – there’s nothing worse than some faceless person telling you what you can’t eat or can’t do. This is Nicki’s story of how she got her sugar addiction under control and lost weight in the process – a true double-whammy! As you go through the book in your own efforts to get sugar back on your terms, Nicki will be with you all the way, giving you her tips, support and encouragement.
You probably don’t associate the word ‘diet’ with fun, but we’re going to show you that it doesn’t necessarily have to mean ‘punishment’ either. By sorting out your relationship with sugar, you’ll feel better physically and emotionally, not held to ransom by your love of it.
You’re no doubt feeling bad about your love of sugar and won’t want us to make you feel any worse. But early on we’re going to tell you about how sugar can affect your health. First, because it’s true, and second, because it could be the extra ‘nudge’ you need to make you address your problem once and for all. As you saw in the introduction, this is what happened to Nicki.
There may be times when you feel like giving up the diet. But before you do, remember this – Nicki was like you, wanting sugar all the time and feeling it controlled her life. She was also, believe it or not, carrying extra pounds that she couldn’t shift. She managed to lose this extra weight simply by eating the Sugar Addicts’ Diet way. She knows this is the formula for success, and she wants to share it with you.
Nicki’s Tips
Throughout the book, Nicki will be offering her tips on how she kicked her sugar habit, from coping with those difficult ‘no sugar’ moments through to positive messages that have worked for her. Some might work for you, some might not – the important thing is to use these tips either as tools or simply inspiration to find your own methods for getting a grip on your sugar cravings. And if you find your own tips, tell us – we’d love to hear about them so we can pass them on.
What You Need
Keep a pen or pencil with you because you’ll need it to write your diary. Keeping a food diary is a crucial part of the plan – there is a template in the book for you to copy and fill in yourself (as well as a version filled in by Nicki to show you how to do it).
You can record all kinds of information in your food diary, from how sugar is making you feel and who your sugar ‘dealers’ are to the names of sugar-free foods you may hear someone mention on television. Don’t worry – it won’t be like going back to school! And believe us, it’s not a waste of time. Nicki says, ‘Being able to write things down was a vital part of my recovery programme. There’s so much going on in your head when you’re beating an addiction you really need that outlet. It also helps you to be true to yourself – it’s so easy to lie about what you’ve been eating, but if you have to write it down, somehow it’s different.
