How was your Halloween?
After a little Halloween revelry with my co-worker Kahlia, I spent my trick-or-treating time trying to sleep on a red-eye flight from Seattle to NYC. Ugh.
But I got to nap in front of the fire on Saturday at my friend’s cozy country home in Pennsylvania; so I can’t really complain. 🙂
Jetlag is such a drag though. It makes me crave all kinds of carb-y and sugary goodness – like the ginormous stack of pecan corn pancakes I dug into at brunch on Saturday.
You know what else makes me crave sugary goodness? Gobs of Halloween candy.
For weeks after the ghouls and goblins have crossed back over, I. WANT. SUGAR!!
Maybe you can relate?
Here are a few easy ways to ditch the sweet stuff before your sugar cravings take over the entire month of November.
1. Double up on sleep.
Oh, sweet, sweet sleep! Sadly, our busy lives often cause us to push sleep to the bottom of our priority list. If ditching sugar is at the top of yours, sleep should be too. Nothing makes you crave sweets more than skimping on rest, as beautifully illustrated by my jetlag/pancakes combo above.
2. Eat lots of pumpkin.
Believe it or not, eating more sweet vegetables–like winter squash–is a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth and make cravings for less healthy sweets just a little more manageable. Try this delicata squash dish for an especially sweet treat.
3. Cut back on caffeine.
As much as I love my morning coffee, I’m cutting back a little right now. Too much caffeine can dehydrate you and even cause blood sugar swings, both of which leave you wanting sugar.
4. Drink water (a bunch).
It’s pretty easy to mistake hunger for dehydration, so having a glass of water when you’re craving a cookie is a good way to go. You may find that that’s all you needed. (I know…water ≠ cookie. Just try it. 🙂
5. Keep stress in check.
Like sleep deprivation, stress triggers wicked sugar cravings for many of us. While you probably can’t eliminate stress from your life, you can definitely manage it. Here are a few of my favorite on-the-go stress-busting exercises.
Drop back by and tell me in the comments how it went!
P.S. If you want to make double and triple sure that sugar cravings don’t come back to haunt you (ooooo…bad pun alert! ;), check out my 10 Days to Sugar Freedom program. It’s easier than you think, I promise. Get all the details here.
