As part of the 5-Day Sugar-Free Challenge I interviewed the wonderful Monique Phipps from the Nourished Psychologist live on my Facebook page. We chatted about sugar, mindset and emotional eating. It was enlightening for me to chat with her, so many golden nuggets in the discussion.
Whether you have begun the CHALLENGE or not, no doubt cravings, self-talk and guilt play a huge part of the puzzle when you do try and cut down on foods like sugar.
If you want to get control of those pesky cravings, then doing the 5 Day Sugar Challenge will help you get a handle on your sugar addiction, or if you just have issues with overeating, never feeling satisfied after meals, or just constantly grazing, then Moniques tips below will be of enormous value to you.
Here are some key takeaways from my chat with Monique which I’m sure you will find valuable.
Step 1 – Balance your meals
Before you do anything else, make sure you have three balanced meals a day each containing protein, carbohydrate, fat and lots of fibrous vegetables.
Step 2 – Ensure you keep nicely hydrated
Try and consume 2 litres of water daily, ideally, you can squeeze some lemon into a glass of water.
Step 3 – Tune in, to you
Once you have your diet in place and you’re eating wholesome nourishing food, and keeping hydrated. Tune into how you ‘feel’ when you get a craving.
Monique explains “you’ll feel sensations down your centre line’ a nerve connects us through the centre so you might feel:
- Tightened in throat
- Pain in chest
- Tightness in chest
- Butterflies in your tummy
- Emptiness
Take a moment to check in with your body. Notice what you’re feeling, even if you feel ‘nothing’. Note down these sensations, feelings and emotions which arise when you let them. Create the space to feel, don’t fill the space with food.
What might the sensation mean for you:
- Boredom
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Loneliness
Once you connect the craving with a sensation then with an emotion you can move onto step 4.
Step 4 – Create space
Monique explains we normally create habits around our emotions, and create strong connections between 2 different habits.
For example:
- Watching TV with eating ice-cream
- Having a coffee with having a muffin
- Drinking alcohol and smoking
Monique says ‘we need to break that strong association between emotions, behaviour and habits’
This means creating new associations, such as:
- When you are stressed call a friend
- If you feel bored go for a walk
- If you are lonely go give someone a hug
Changing your habits breaks the chain
Step 5 – Take away temptations
Humans are hard-wired to seek out the sweet stuff, it’s in our genes and a survival mechanism. Don’t create internal stress by keeping temptations in the house. Just have the bare minimum in the house. And if you bake ‘FREEZE WHAT YOU DON’T EAT’ I love that piece of advice!!!
Finally, …
Ditch the guilt and punishment. If you binge on ice cream, don’t wake up the next day and not eat, don’t regret this all day and ponder it. Listen to the signs, understand why you binged, love yourself and move on “after all tomorrow is a new day” regret and guilt just starts the same cycle again.
You can connect with Monique on Instagram, her blog or drop on over to her Facebook Book The Nourished Psycologist for recipes and inspiration.
If you’re ready to free yourself from sugar! You can sing up for the 5-Day SUGAR-FREE Challenge HERE
