In my last article, I shared great foods that help with weight loss. This is one piece of the puzzle, but the other piece is how to stop reaching for sugary snacks. Or how to decrease the desire you have for sugar. You often know what you are eating is not great for weight loss but it often feels like you are eating against your own will.
That rebellious toddler comes out, stomps their foot and says I want it, I want it, I want it!, and you give in. Or maybe it’s the rebellious teenager who looks you straight in the eye and says I am having it and you can’t stop me. Your primal brain is very clever, and it knows if it pesters you enough you will give in. Just like a toddler. But I have some good news for you…
You can change your response to that toddler or teenager that runs around in your brain! You CAN stop reaching for the sugary snacks.
The first thing is to acknowledge this is just how your brain is wired and there is nothing wrong with you. We have been wired to seek pleasure for our survival. Sugary snacks are a pleasure.
The second thing is to essentially rewire your brain to say ‘No’ and follow through on not eating the sugary snack using the smart adult part of your brain. It will not happen overnight, so don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes. Training toddlers not to cry when they can’t have the lollypop while in the check out line also takes time, but when they know that you are not going to give in, they will eventually get the message and stop asking. And so will your brain. Consistency comes with not quitting.
4 Strategies to Stop Reaching for Sugary Snacks
- Plan the day before when you will snack and what you will snack on. Have it visible – on your phone, in your notebook or stuck to the fridge, whatever works. Making these decisions ahead of time gives your brain a deliberate focus and puts the adult part of your brain that is looking out for your weight loss goal in charge.
- Change your snack. Why not swap your planned sugary snack for something with less sugar, for example, a piece of fruit, carrots and hummus, or some nuts? If it feels like too much to do this for a whole week, then do it for a couple of days in the week and see what comes up for you. Make this doable not restrictive or oppressive. You may like to cut one of the snacks out for one or two days in the week to experience the hunger sensation. It’s like weaner your toddler off the bottle. Experiment, but remember to write your plan down the day before.
- Decide if you are physically hungry when you are reaching for the snack. If not, don’t cancel on yourself and your weight loss goal, wait till you feel hungry. There is no need to fear hunger. Experiencing a little bit of hunger and reducing sugar in your diet helps you to become fat-adapted, which uses fat already on your body for fuel. When you are fat-adapted you are less likely to experience the high and low moods during the day caused by fluctuating blood sugar levels AND you will see a reduction of fat.
- Practice the thought ‘Hunger is not an emergency’. You can definitely be hungry and still function as normal. Think about times when you were so engaged in an activity that you forgot to eat. What happened? Presumably, you just ate something when you realised you were hungry right? I am not asking you to starve yourself, because starving yourself slows your metabolism so it doesn’t burn calories. I am asking you to experiment in reducing your snacks and tuning into your body’s hunger signals. My clients tell me this feels so much more intuitive and far less restrictive.
So, start to train that part of your brain that has the toddler tantrum or teenage rebellious tendencies. Use the strategies above to teach it how to stop reaching for sugary snacks.
If you are ready to commit to stop yoyo dieting and nail sustainable weight loss, I am opening up my Stop Overeating Program: Step by step program to feel in control of your food and your weight in March. This one-to-one coaching program has been designed to uncover the causes of your overeating and support you to create the mindset, motivation and action plan so you can look and feel amazing. It also covers how to overcome emotional eating and unwanted desires. All the things that diets don’t teach you.
Make sure you sign up for my fortnightly newsletter HERE to hear about the latest events, the opening of the program or enjoy the FREE resources and advice that I share with this group.
If you are curious about the program or want to know if weight coaching is a good fit for you, schedule a free no-obligation call or email me at rebecca@rebeccagoodacre.com
