Sugar Cravings

What Causes Sugar Cravings?

Sugar cravings can come from both physical and mental causes.

Sugar is a source of energy for your body. So when it needs energy it produces adrenaline. The adrenaline calls for sugar to fuel it. Lack of energy isn’t the only trigger for adrenaline to be produced though. Stress will set your body off to produce it as well. It’s a survival mechanism. Just like if you were being chased by a bear!

Daily stresses such as difficulties at work, home, personal life etc. will trigger lower but constant adrenaline levels thus causing a craving for sweets. This is one reason why sugary foods can be such a “comfort” when you’re feeling stressed or down.

This can also leads to a mental association with sugar and feeling “better”. So, even if your body doesn’t require sugar on a physical/chemical level your brain associates it as a solution to your mood and thus triggers your desire for it.

Another reason sugar can have such a relieving feeling is that it increases endorphin levels in your brain which has a pain relieving effect making you feel good. Sugar cravings are associated with premenstrual syndrome on account of the drop in endorphins that a woman experiences during this time, thus their craving for sugar kicks in.

Imbalances in a person’s serotonin levels can also play a major part in sugar cravings as serotonin has a large impact on your mood.

As much as sugar can provide you energy… once you have burned through it, or if you overindulge in it and saturate yourself with it, you will face an inevitable “crash” and feel suddenly very tired and lethargic.

So how much sugar should you have?

The general ratio for someone on a 2000 calorie a day diet shouldn’t exceed more than 40g of sugar in a day. If you want to get more specific about it… As per the latest details from the American Heart Association (AHA), the recommended daily sugar intake, that is healthy and not harmful for the body, has been established for men, women and children:

• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Men: 36 grams
• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Women: 20 grams
• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Children: 12 grams

Now don’t freak out! I know that seems low, and you’re saying… “Tommy! A piece of fruit has more than that!” This is true. When recommendations for “sugar” intake are made in this scenario it refers to what are called “added sugars” or “white sugar”. These are sugars found in cereal, peanut butter, anything but fruits or vegetables really.  A recent finding shows that even ONE slice of whole wheat bread has about 5 grams of added sugar. That means if a woman eats a slice of whole-wheat bread, she has accomplished 1/4 of her recommended daily sugar intake.

So what do you do about it?

Well there are several basic steps one can take to try and control one’s sugar intake in spite of their cravings.

Protein

Now this isn’t just me getting on my protein “soap box”, but often your body will exhibit cravings for sweets when what it really needs is protein. So, keeping a high protein diet will help limit your sugar cravings.

Fruits

If you find yourself craving sugar go for fruit. The sugars in fruits are not the same as sugar found in candy, or baked goods known as “white sugar”. It processes differently in your body, aids in digestion, carries nutrients in them unlike the empty calories of white sugar, and they are sweet! Do they contain sugar? Yes, but these are “free” sugars. These don’t get counted against you. Besides, if you’re going to have sugar at least get something out of it!

Timing

Try to hold off on foods with significant sugar levels in them until later in the day around the late afternoon or early evening. The reason being, if you start your morning off with say a sugary cereal it will stimulate sugar cravings throughout the day.

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have been known to increase your cravings for sweets. So while they may fill a void temporarily they may ultimately be digging you a deeper hole you’ll inevitably fill with a binge of bad sugars.

Meal Frequency

Meal frequency helps not only maintain a higher metabolic fat burning level in your body, but also helps regulate consistent blood sugar levels. This way you are less likely to find yourself with a drop in sugar levels leaving you with an insatiable desire for sweets. Yet another good reason to eat multiple well balanced meals throughout your day.

So, keep an eye on those sugar levels, maintain your meal frequency, keep your protein up, and you should find yourself having fewer, and more controlled sugar cravings. Thus resulting in weight loss, and a healthier you!

Nobody HAS To Drink

I hear often from clients how they have situations come up where they HAVE to drink.

Be it a business dinner, or meeting with old friends... Nobody HAS to drink. While not drinking may not be as fun while around others who are, you have to ask yourself what is more important: Those couple of drinks or your health/weight loss goals.

Some are embarrassed to not drink with their friends, or co-workers in that they don't want them to know that they are dieting or trying to lose weight. But this goes beyond simple weight loss. One of the greatest benefits to weight loss beyond the cosmetic, is that it allows your body to function healthier.So you could always cite health reasons, or just tell them it's none of their business why you're not drinking.

I'll write you a note to show them that says your trainer won't allow it if that's what it takes!

If you had diabetes, or were a recovering alcoholic you wouldn't drink. Regardless of the circumstances. You just wouldn't. Your weight loss has to become just as important of a reason for you to not drink.

Many argue that there are some benefits to some alcohol such as wine. This is true. However, if your goal is weight loss then the drawbacks far outweigh the benefits. Some look at the calorie content in liquor and more often than not it's less than 150 calories a drink... so no, nothing too over the top,. But 150 empty calories are 150 more you're going to have to work off. This may not sound like much, but it adds up quickly.

Remember, though you track your calories and various other nutritional information throughout each day, and start at zero with each new day, your body doesn't start each day at a zero count. It's still carrying calories and carbs from the day before, and the day before that. To create a calorie deficit in your body can take weeks of strict dieting to achieve. THAT'S when progressive weight loss occurs.

Little snacks, and alcoholic beverages are silent killers towards your weight loss goals as they seem like nothing at the time. The bottom line is that they do add up, and alcohol takes longer for your body to break down and process. It's man made, and your body isn't technically built for processing it.

I'm not saying you'll never drink again. But if you're paying for a personal trainer, dieting, and striving to achieve health and fitness goals then going a 6 week period without alcohol should be completely worth the effort, and social alienation.

When I prepare for a bodybuilding competition I go 12-14 weeks without 1 drop of alcohol, and there's a very good reason for it. Trust me, if it didn't matter and I could get away with it. I would.

So, I don't want to hear from any of my clients how they HAD to have a drink that night they went out.

Nobody... HAS to drink They CHOOSE to, and if you choose to while dieting, you are choosing to slow down your progress and force yourself to work harder than you'd otherwise have to.