Binge Eating Help: Ending Sugar Addiction

If you are binge-eating through the holidays, it may just be the sugar. I find my clients to be super-sensitive to sugar, it’s like kryptonite was to Superman. In many ways, my clients are like Superwomen- pretty much all of them. They expect crazy things from themselves, raise the bar super high, and when they fail to be perfect in any possible way, will often succumb to the temporary chemical soothing of sugar.

Which is why for me, this is Day 5, of no sugar no flour. Being addicted to sugar or processed carbohydrates is no bargain. You can’t really enjoy life if you are looking for your next “fix” (which is pretty much the way our relationship with sugar ends up looking). And yes, you probably ARE addicted to sugar. Your brain made the connection a loooooong time ago. When you were very young and somebody handed you a cookie or an icecream cone or whatever and your little brain went “wow”!. You got a big hit of pleasure, of soothing, of everything-is-right-with-the-world-in-this-perfect-moment kind of hit and your brain took notice of the connection. Your brain put two and two together and remembered that sugar=feeling better. And every time that you sought more of that feeling with food, the connection became more hardwired in.

Our use of sugar or certain starchy comfort foods is partly a brain-driven thing. As I make my way from my own sugary autumn, I focus a lot on not reinforcing those neural connections. For example, last night instead of eating icecream after dinner with my men (husband and 2 manly teens) I opted to go upstairs so that I could continue to heal my brain and begin to weaken the sugar habit. Every little bit helps.

My favorite part is still the next morning- the morning after making choices that feel better. I love that moment of knowing that I took such good and loving care of myself. Of knowing that I didn’t do anything to “hurt myself” with food.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about any of this- conversation here is not restricted, and I will always write you back. Also, check out my new programs for 2010. They are all really focused on helping with binge-eating, weight loss results, relief from addictive eating and amplifying the better life available to you once you get some space from the eating. I want that for you!

Love and naturally sweet hugs to you-

Lisa