Sugar Addicts’ Diet. Nicki Waterman

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СКАЧАТЬ 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.

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       Why We Crave Sugar

      In the past, not a minute would go by without Nicki thinking about sugar. But why did she crave it? And why is it that you are so desperate for it? In Nicki’s experience, her sugar addiction was made up of two parts – physical and emotional.

      The physical was about the ‘hit’ and energy rush she got from sugar, while the emotional was about the role sugar played in terms of making her feel happy and comfortable. When she decided to tackle her addiction, she realized she was going to have to take a good look at both aspects if she was to succeed.

      In helping you overcome your addiction in the same way, we can’t just say to you, ‘Stop eating sweets’ or ‘Chuck that chocolate in the bin’. That won’t be the answer – it wasn’t for Nicki. We need to explain to you what sugar is, where it is found in food and how it affects you physically. We’ll also be looking at the emotional side of sugar, how it can be more than just a taste sensation but also a friend, comforter and reward. We explain that while the ‘feel-good’ factor from sugar is an emotion, there are physical factors to take into account, too, such as how sugar affects blood-sugar levels. In other words, if you’re hooked on sugar, it’s not a case of ‘lack of willpower’. There’s a powerful combination of emotional and chemical activity inside you that’s hard to beat!

      Bear with us through the explanation of what sugar is. It might sound complicated but it’s crucial to your understanding of what it’s doing when you eat it. It will also start to give you an insight into how you’re going to beat it.

      THE PHYSICAL ADDICTION

      What is Sugar?

      Sugar is what’s known as a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are fuel for the body and, as our bodies can’t make them, we have to get them from our food. Compared to fats and protein, they are also the quickest-acting form of energy we can get.

      The carbohydrates we eat come in two main varieties – simple and complex.

       Simple Carbohydrates

      These are what we most commonly refer to as sugars, or simple sugars. If you were to look at them under a microscope, you’d see that they are quite small, short units. Because of this, they are easily and quickly absorbed by the stomach or small intestine. You’ll СКАЧАТЬ