The Sugar Smart Diet: Stop Cravings and Lose Weight While Still Enjoying the Sweets You Love (16 page)
Authors: Anne Alexander,Julia VanTine
If you feel a bit nervous today, I totally get it—your key sugar sources are gone, and today is D-Day (Ditch Sugar Day). To spark your resolve, remember this: Today, you begin to break sugar’s grip on your mind and body, free yourself from insatiable food cravings, and kick-start a full-body health revolution.
It’s difficult to predict how you’ll feel today. However, we suspect that, at least for today, your desire for sugar will stem more from habit than physiology. Or it might just be a bit of resistance. One of our test panelists, Colleen, told us at the start of the plan that she’s not normally a chocolate lover, but she found herself craving it just because she knew she couldn’t have it! Remind yourself that this plan is about
gaining
things—health, vitality, and freedom from sugar cravings so you can enjoy it again guilt-free—rather than giving things up.
That said, I won’t discount the possibility that you may feel a strong urge for something sweet. While it would be too early for physical symptoms to occur (
if
they occur—they may not!), you may feel strange without having your regular go-to sugars within arm’s reach. If you get a craving, turn to one of the nonfood rewards you jotted down on your Rewards Card on Day 5 of the Sugar
Step-Down. Or you can use today’s Sweet Freedom strategy to get the stress relief or emotional comfort you’re used to getting from sugar.
In fact, you might think about the power of habits today. So many of the food decisions we make aren’t decisions at all. How often did you consume sugary foods mindlessly, without thinking about or even enjoying them? No worries. Before long, consuming sugar will be a mindful choice—for pleasure, not out of habit.
A:
Yes, as long as the ingredients are in the same food group and you are eating phase-appropriate foods. So, for example, you can have brown rice instead of quinoa, mozzarella cheese in place of feta, replace dairy milk with soy milk, chickpeas for kidney beans, green beans for broccoli, and chicken for fish, if you like. Be sure to keep your portion sizes about the same, too.
Supplements can’t take the place of a healthy diet, but they may make eating one easier. How? By possibly helping to quell cravings and accelerate weight loss—if you’re taking the right ones: calcium and vitamin D.
Extra body fat holds on to vitamin D so that the body can’t use it. This perceived deficiency interferes with the action of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain you’re full. In a study of 1,800 overweight people being treated at a weight loss clinic, the heavier the participants, the lower their vitamin D levels tended to be. According to the study, which was published in the
Journal of Nutrition,
it may be that people who are overweight are less able to convert vitamin D into its hormonally active form.
Moreover, if you’re deficient in calcium, your body can experience up to a fivefold increase in the fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts calories into fat. In a study published in the
British Journal of Nutrition,
63 overweight women were put on a 15-week diet and took 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D a day. The women who had adequate intake of calcium at the start of the study did not see any benefit, but those with low intakes (600 milligrams or less)—a situation many women find themselves in—lost six times more weight than women who followed the diet but did not take a supplement.
While you’ll be getting plenty of calcium on the Sugar Smart Diet, a bit of extra nutrition “insurance” can’t hurt. Try taking a multi that supplies 25 percent of the DV for calcium (250 milligrams) and at least 400 IU of vitamin D, preferably in the form of D3 (cholecalciferol). which is better used by
the body than other forms. You might just find your cravings lessen while your weight loss speeds up.
“Be here now!” That ’60s-era figure of speech is truly full of ancient wisdom. It perfectly illustrates the idea of mindfulness, a way of thinking and focusing rooted in Buddhist meditation. In the West, mindfulness has come to mean cultivating a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and environment. When you practice mindfulness, you don’t judge what you’re thinking or how you’re feeling. You just accept where you’re at in this moment, rather than fret about the past or worry about the future.
You can do anything in a mindful way—walk, wash dishes, even eat. Especially eat. A large body of research has sprung up around mindful eating. The findings are overwhelmingly positive: Study after study suggests that eating “in the moment” promotes weight loss and healthier choices. When you eat in a mindful manner, you’re fully aware of and appreciate the flavors, textures, and aromas of each and every bite. You’re equally tuned in to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations of hunger and fullness as you eat. The dual payoff: You enjoy your food more and don’t need as much of it to feel satisfied.
Starting with your next meal, try mindful eating for yourself. There are dozens of versions of this exercise, but they all teach the same thing: When you eat, focus on nothing else. No reading, watching TV, paying bills, or texting or talking on your cell phone. Always, you sit to eat, and do nothing but focus on your food, bodily sensations, and thoughts and feelings.
Try this exercise alone the first few times, so that you experience it fully without feeling self-conscious. After a time or two, you should feel comfortable eating mindfully when you’re eating with others.
- Sit at the table, with your plate in front of you. Before you pick up your fork, take a couple of deep breaths to allow your body and mind to settle.
- Look at your food. Really look at it and ponder its origins. The Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, writer, and peace activist Thich
Nhat Hanh developed an exercise where you imagine the life cycle of your food. He does a meditation on an orange that I love and cherish. You imagine the blossom, the fruit growing and ripening, and appreciate how long it has taken to grow, along with the sun that
nourished it, the farmer who picked it, the driver who carried it, the store person who displayed it—all of the phases it has passed through to come to you. You thank them, the tree, the sun, the people. It’s really powerful. This kind of gratitude is at the heart of mindfulness. - Take a bite, taking time to observe your fork rising to your mouth, the way your mouth opens to receive it. Notice the shape and size of the morsel, as well as its color, texture, and scent. Place it on your tongue and chew, tuning in to its flavor, temperature, and texture. Do you detect a hint of ginger, cinnamon, or other natural flavor?
- Chew each bite for at least 20 seconds. By turning your focus inward and concentrating on sensations such as taste and smell, eating—an activity you may have performed on autopilot for a long time—can feel brand new.
- Notice your thoughts and feelings. Do you like what you’re eating? Do you wish it were sweeter, saltier, spicier? Are you comparing it to previous meals? Are you still hungry or getting full? Do you wish you had more, or are you feeling satisfied?
- As you finish, take a few deep breaths, then leave the table. Remind yourself of how the plate looked when it was full and how it looks now. When you focus on your food, you’re less likely to overeat and consume things that don’t truly nourish you.
It’s good advice you’ve heard before: When you’re trying to lose weight, keep a food diary. People who do so lose more weight, research shows. But not everyone likes to record everything they eat on paper—and that does mean
everything
, from the mouthful to the spoonful. If that sounds like you, consider a higher-tech type of food diary: Snap a photo of every meal or snack before you eat it.
In a study published in the
International Journal of Consumer Studies
, researchers had 43 people keep a traditional, on-paper food diary
and
take photos of their meals and snacks with disposable cameras for a week. Both before and after the experiment, the researchers interviewed the volunteers about their eating habits and their thoughts about the experience.
The results? The on-paper diary carried the day; 19 of the volunteers preferred it, compared to nine preferring the photo method, and seven not having a preference. But all reported that the act of taking the photos, and the photos themselves, raised their awareness of what they were eating in a way that the paper diaries didn’t. When participants took pictures of their food, they often changed or adjusted their choices because they could see what they were going to eat before they ate it—and reconsidered their selections.
People often record what they eat
after
they eat it, the study noted. With photo food diaries, you have to snap the picture
before
you eat—and that action can snap you out of an unhealthy choice. As one study participant said in a post-study interview, “Who wants to take a photo of a jumbo bag of M&Ms and write it down?”
Although disposable cameras were used in this study, you can use the camera on your cell phone. The rule is, put all meals and snacks on a plate before you take a picture. That minute of delay may be all you need to decide that you’ve put too much on your plate or that you could choose a better option.
While you’re at it, why not download the daily photos of your meals and snacks on Pinterest or Facebook? You can share them with supportive pals and encourage them to do the same. Together, day by day, you can raise your awareness of what you choose to eat (or not), and ooh and aah over each other’s healthy plates. As your eating habits change for the better, you may discover that you’re a darn good photographer or food stylist. Who knew?
Check-in time: Have any sugar cravings cropped up? They may not, but it can’t hurt to focus today’s intention on what you’ll do if your taste buds start demanding your usual morning whipped-cream coffee drink or an afternoon nibble of chocolate. Regardless of how you’re feeling (or whether you’re hungry), whip up that protein-packed breakfast to keep the cravings at bay, and remember that if one does hit, it’s likely to pass in 15 minutes or less. Treating yourself to one of the items on your list of nonfood rewards can help you power through!
Besides being warm, creamy, and packed with flavor, there’s yet another reason to enjoy your bowl of
Microwave Peanut Butter Oats
in the morning: Eating PB or peanuts at breakfast curbs hunger and controls blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a small study published in the
British Journal of Nutrition
.
Researchers tested the effects of peanuts and peanut butter in three phases. In one phase, the participants breakfasted on orange juice, hot cereal, and 1.5 ounces of peanuts. In another phase, they had 3 tablespoons of peanut butter instead of the peanuts. In a third “control” phase, they had just the juice and cereal. The volunteers were also fed a lunch guaranteed to raise blood sugar levels: white bread and jam.
For 3 hours after breakfast and lunch, researchers collected blood samples to track the volunteers’ blood sugar, and the volunteers completed a questionnaire that had them rate their feelings of hunger and fullness. They were also asked to keep a food diary for the rest of the day after they left the testing site.
The volunteers’ blood sugar levels did not rise as much after breakfasts that included peanuts and peanut butter, the study found. Nor did they rise as much as they might have after their sugary lunch, even though they didn’t eat
peanuts or PB for lunch. But that wasn’t the end of the benefit. The study found that adding either peanuts or peanut butter to breakfast also reduced the volunteers’ appetites for up to 12 hours by ramping up production of the appetite-suppressing hormone peptide YY (PYY for short).
Peanut butter had a slightly stronger effect, the study found. But in both cases, peanuts’ package of high protein, high fiber, and healthy fats were credited with helping to steady blood sugar levels and quell hunger. Why not try those peanut butter oats this morning?
Like credit card late fees, stress is a reality of life. While you’ll never banish it from your life permanently, you can employ a host of techniques that help relieve it without tearing through a jumbo bag of Swedish Fish.
Circle breathing is a simple way to relieve stress fast and fits well into any stress-management plan. When you’re anxious, off center, or feel like you’ll explode if you don’t have your Frappuccino, do a round of circle breathing—5 to 10 breaths. During Phase 1, aim to use this centering exercise 5 or more times a day, to help your body and mind form a strong, positive habit. What’s more, according to a recent study in the
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
, relaxation breathing after meals helps prevent glucose spikes.
- Inhale and stretch your arms over your head. Exhale, giving a sigh of relief as you lower your arms. Relax and keep your arms lowered for the rest of the exercise.
- Now imagine that you’re inhaling a stream of peaceful energy into a spot a few inches below your navel.
- Continue inhaling, imagining the energy traveling to the base of your spine, then imagine it traveling up your back to the top of your head.
- Exhale, and mentally follow that breath back down the front of your body to the point below your navel where you’ll begin the next inhale. Your breath has now made a full circle—up the back of your body, down the front, and back to the starting place below your navel.
- Do 5 to 10 circle breaths. You can also use circle breaths for a longer as a form of meditation.
Arthur Agatston, MD
BE A SUGAR SLEUTH.
It’s important to remember that sugar isn’t just found in the sugar bowl. It’s added to a vast array of products from salad dressings and soups to tomato sauce and peanut butter, and found naturally in carbohydrate-rich foods like bread and potatoes.
FIBER MATTERS!
The more highly processed and lacking in fiber the foods you eat are, the more they can cause the swings in blood sugar that can lead to cravings for more refined sugars and starches. It’s a vicious cycle. A substantial part of your diet should consist of nutrient-dense, high-fiber real foods—fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—that will keep you feeling satisfied longer and make you less likely to overeat.
CUT BACK GRADUALLY.
Getting used to less sugar can be tough for some people, so I recommend that you start by eliminating the foods that are the biggest problems—soda and fruit drinks, candy, sweet bakery goods like cookies and muffins, and ice cream. It may take a few days for your body to adjust to going cold turkey on refined sugar, but I guarantee that if you do so, your cravings for it will disappear.
TAP INTO THE POWER OF THREE.
On special occasions, most people (including myself) want to enjoy a decadent dessert. For such times I recommend the South Beach Diet Three-Bite Rule: Have three bites and then put the dessert aside for a few minutes or pass your plate to a fellow diner or the busboy. You’ll find that three bites of any dessert will satisfy you without triggering your desire to keep eating. Having a small piece of dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao) after a meal instead of dessert can also do the trick. Several studies have shown that eating dark chocolate in moderation can lower blood pressure (probably due to the beneficial effects of its polyphenols on blood vessel elasticity and blood flow) and reduce levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the body, a powerful predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The flavonoids in dark chocolate and cocoa powder may also help protect against certain forms of cancer and diabetes.
ARTHUR AGATSTON, MD,
is the medical director of Wellness and Prevention for Baptist Health South Florida and a clinical professor of medicine at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. He is the creator of the bestselling South Beach Diet book series. Most recently, he is the author of
The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution
and
The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution Cookbook.
