Here’s the thing about sugar cravings:
They’re not going away. Ever.
Humans crave sugar for some very good reasons.
Back in the day – the caveman/woman day, that is – it told us which foods would give us energy. It also told us which foods were safe, since lots of nasty things have nasty flavors too.
So yay! You crave sugar! You’re human!
Of course, now – in the ripe old year of 2015 – we live in a world full of energy-dense foods… so many, in fact, that our caveman/woman brains get a little confused sometimes.
To put it in perspective, in the U.S., there are about 3,700 calories available to every modern woman, man and child EVERY DAY.
The average adult only needs about 1800.
Yikes!
So now, those sugar cravings kind of work against you, right?
You want a cookie but you don’t need a cookie to stay alive.
You want a pint of Molly Moon’s insanely delicious ice cream, but you don’t need it to survive.
And sugar is EVERYWHERE.
Around every street corner.
In every shopping mall.
Across from every airport gate.
Even inside the comforting fold of your local coffee shop.
MAKE. THE. CRAVINGS. STOP!
Okay, breathe.
[deep breath]
What if – instead of trying to beat back your sugar cravings with sheer force of will – you just kind of danced with them?
Like “Hey, old friend. What’s up with you today? I hear you knocking, and I love you; but I’m gonna sit this one out, ‘cause I have a business plan to write and I think you might take my energy down a notch or two. Next time?”
Or “Hey! Sugar craving! LOVE the way you think – and I’m totally down with playing with you later – but right now, I need to call my friend Kathy for some girl talk. No offense, but she’s way better at making me feel loved than you are. Meet for a treat tomorrow afternoon, yes?”
Or maybe “Ooooo, sugar craving. I’m so stressed out! Thanks for popping in for a visit – sometimes you really do make me feel better. But I think I’m gonna try going for a quick walk around the block first. Then we’ll talk. ‘kay?”
Yes, I’m advocating that you have a conversation with your sugar cravings.
(I told my date the other night that I sometimes have chats with my business. To his credit, he only thought I was a little crazy… and he still wants to see me again.)
I don’t actually think that your sugar cravings are separate from you.
But I do think that our self-talk can be morphed into something useful and more supportive of our goals if we just recognize it for what it is:
Our inner self trying to help us out in whatever way it knows how.
Sometimes it’s spot on. Sometimes, not so much.
Either way, it means well. Yelling at it and telling it to shut up/go away… well, how’s that been working for you so far?
Yeah, me either.
Your cravings are just useful information, nothing more.
Have a chat with them. Ask questions. Make friends with them and see what shifts.
Listen to your cravings. They’ll tell you everything you need to know about what’s really causing them in the first place.
P.S. If you need some help decoding your sugar cravings – so they work for you instead of against you – check this out. I made it just for you. 🙂
