Shift Monthly: Twenty Years a Slave...to Sugar

February 2014 Shift Monthly Shift Monthly is a monthly coaching session written by clinical hypnotherapist and cognitive weight expert Rita Black dedicated to exploring how to implement “thin thinking” in order to achieve long term permanent Weight Mastery. Each month we focus on a different theme of Weight Mastery.www.shiftweightmastery.com  

Theme: A Deeper Dive into Breaking Free from the Sugar Struggle! (Coaching session below)

Valentine’s Special –2 Sugar related hypnosis downloadable Mp3 sessions session discounted to ONLY $12 each—this week only.

-“Just One Bite or None at All—Shifting Your Relationship to Chocolates and Sweets” This coaching and hypnosis session discusses how to Shift your relationship with chocolates and sweets so that you can create a more moderate relationship with them.


-“Mastering Your Relationship with Sugar” This powerful hypnosis session creates an aversion to sugary and carby foods.

CLICK HERE FOR LINK 

TO GET THE DISCOUNT—Enter the word LOVE12 into the coupon code box at check out (all caps). 


 Twenty Years a Slave… to Sugar
How do we combat our physical, mental and emotional relationship to this sweet drug of choice?


Dear Shifters--Happy Valentine’s Day!  Having been a slave to sugar for the first few decades of my life, it does seem odd to me that during Valentine’s Day, the “Holiday of Love” we are supposed to give our loved ones sugary treats.  If the holiday makers of the world could see how much pain and misery the excessive sugary splurges of this season d’amour cause people who are stuck in the weight struggle—they might pause and re-think their strategy. 

Until that fine day my friends, what we can do is take back our power by creating our own sugar strategy—which can be our own big heart, ribbon tied present to ourselves this week.  After being a slave to the sugar master for 20 years and then making my own SHIFT and creating a new powerful relationship with sugar and now coaching my clients to do the same I would like to share what I know with you as my personal Valentine gift.

MY AFFAIR WITH SUGAR STARTED EARLY
As a kid my mom would pour me a bowl of cereal and I would pour sugar on it—a big pile of sugar.  After watching the mound of sugar sink below the surface of the milk to the bottom of the bowl and then I would proceed to bypass the cereal and just scrape the spoonfuls of sugar drenched in milk from the bottom and eat them, leaving the ceral to go soggy and limp in the bowl.  Then I would repeat the same sugary cycle over and over loving the taste and also the buzzy way it made my head feel.  Yippeeeeee.  That was breakfast.  If you used to do this too—raise your hand.

MY ADDICTION QUICKLY LED TO CRIME
I was caught for shop lifting at the tender age of 5.  I only was given a nickel to spend on penny candy at the corner store.  A nickel’s worth of candy—that’s not enough!  Are my parents kidding?  When the storekeeper wasn’t looking I shoved my pockets full of candy and brazenly went to the register with my brother who had walked to the store with me.  I put five pieces of candy down and gave him the nickel.  He looked at me and my brimming pockets and shook his head.  He pointed to put the candy back. “I will close my eyes and count to ten” he said sternly,”and I want all that extra candy back or I will tell your mother!”  I sadly complied.  He told my mother anyway.  Damn, I should have just kept the candy.

I WAS SUGAR’S SLAVE
When I was stuck in my love/hate relationship with sugar it seemed to me that this struggle filled a lot of my consciousness almost 24 hours a day.  I was either trying hard not to eat it at all or caught up in wild binging sprees that could last for days, weeks even months on end.

I remember my freshman year at NYU.  I had actually lost 15 pounds over my first term—the opposite of the freshman 15!  One of the reasons I actually lost weight was I avoided all sugar.  I was so proud and was sure I had beaten my addiction.

I went home to Seattle for the winter holiday month swearing I would be “sugar free” but soon found myself being tempted by all of holidays goodies in my mother’s house.  One I let go and had just a few bites of my favorite peppermint candy, it was all over.  I could literally feel the sugar dam breaking in my head and the surge of unbridled desire returned.  As I ate through everything –I felt giddy at first but the giddiness soon turned to despair as I literally felt “Master Sugar” laughing and putting the ball and chain shackle over my heart—he got me back.

Every night I went to bed literally bursting at the seams with a belly full of holiday fudge and “treats”.  I gained 25+ in a month—my dorm mates didn’t even recognize me when they opened the door upon my return to college!  It was humiliating and demoralizing but it took me ten more years of struggling as a slave to sugar before I was able to SHIFT my relationship to sugar and free myself of the struggle and slavery.

For you to SHIFT your relationship to sugar you need to understand that your relationship with sugar isn’t about your being “good” or “bad”.  Your relationship with sugar is divided into three sub relationships—your physical, mental and emotional relationships to sugar.

PHYSICALLY: Our relationship with sugar is physical because excessive use can create addictive neural patterns in the brain similar to heroin addiction.  Over time eating too much sugar literally blows out our brains drive for homeostasis and our reward center gets triggered.  That leads to what Dr. David Kessler calls “hypereating”—eating when we aren’t even hungry, eating excessively, because the reward center of our brain just says “More! More! More!” People who struggle with their weight tend to be more sensitive and become “hooked” more easily to sugary foods.

MENTALLY Our relationship with sugar is mental because if we habitually eat certain sugars at certain places and at certain times of the day the brain comes to expect the sugary food and becomes agitated when it doesn’t get it.  We typically call this need to do the same thing at the same time place “habit”. 

When we expect something habitually we become agitated until we get it and when we get it –it creates a sense of relief. Even though it seems like it, the sugar doesn’t create the relief the brain getting what it was agitated for feels relief.

 This sense of relief on an unconscious level tells us that getting this cookie is a good thing.  “See Susie ate the cookie and felt relief—it’s helping her get through her day.  We are going to help Susie by getting her another cookie at the same time tomorrow.” 

So you can see why habits form quickly and die slowly.  You can also see why we feel addicted—we feel agitated like a junkie does when he expects his next fix.  That cookie at 3pm becomes the fix and 3pm is our fix time.

EMOTIONALLY Our relationship with sugar is emotional because from an unconscious level comfort food isn’t the food but what it represents to us symbolically from an unconscious perspective. 

Our unconscious mind speaks to us in symbols more than language and when we are young we become imprinted with our own food symbol language.  For me brownies symbolized nurturing.  I noticed during my own Shift that when I craved brownies and I took the moment to dig deeper—I didn’t really need the brownie I needed nurturing.  Baked sugary goods equaled my mother’s love.

 My mom was a great baker and that was often how she showed her love to me.  “Here honey, have a brownie and it will all be better.”  I wasn’t eating just the brownie.  I was craving everything around the brownie.  The brownie became my portal to the maternal nurturing experience.  Only problem was that the brownie didn’t bring my mom back so I ate another one trying to find the magic—the magic never appeared just the familiar food fog followed by remorse and shame for my out of control emotional brownie binge.

You don’t have to be run by your Sugar Slave Master.  The key is for your Inner Coach to have some key strategies to keep you from getting physically, mentally and emotionally enslaved.

BREAK THE PHYSICAL SLAVERY

1-KNOW AND HONOR YOUR “Sugar CEILING”:  Every “ body” is different and can tolerate a certain level of sugar, starchy or refined carbohydrates before they start feeling “hooked”. It will be your Inner Coach’s project to put on the lab coat and observe what sugars foods and how much of them “set you off” to discover what your set point is and to make sure that you stay under that point on a daily basis. For many this is about 2-3 servings a day.

2-KEEP YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS STABILIZED THROUGH THE DAY WITH HEALTHY PROTEINS AND FATS: Blood sugar stabilization is a huge tool of weight mastery.  Nothing drives false hunger more than eating refined sugars and carbs on an empty stomach.  Try to weave protein and healthy fats throughout your day to keep your hunger at bay and blood sugar peaks and valleys smoothed out.  You won’t believe how much more “in charge” you will feel just by employing this tool on a consistent basis.

-Making sure you are getting about 15-20 grams of protein a meal also helps.  healthy fats like almonds make a good snack—and you don’t need many—maybe 10-20 to really stabilize your hunger levels at that 3pm dip versus a refined carb that will spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling more tired and hungry as you head into the night.

- Starting your day with protein versus carbohydrates has been a key Shift for many people who feel addicted to carbs and sugar.  Having eggs or Greek yogurt or even chicken or veggie protein sausage rather than toast or cold cereal, sometimes for some even oatmeal can cause people to feel hungrier sooner and lead to more “need” for something.

-Think of refined starches and Sugar like cocktails—only to be had after 5pm!  The earlier in the day we eat refined food the earlier we begin wanting more!!!

-AVOID EATING SUGARY FOODS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH: Make a point not to eat your sugar on an empty stomach which adds fuel to the fire and triggers overeating.  Have that treat at the end of a meal or a few hours after dinner as that ”end of day” treat.  Cognitive behavior studies show that people who look forward to that end of the day treat will forgo other sugar earlier if they have that treat to look forward to later.

3-EAT FIBER-- Eat More fiber, whole foods and protein: In order to physically “unhook” addictive eating it will serve you to create a food plan that is low in sugar, salt, fat and refined floury foods and high in fiber, like  fruits and vegetables in addition to the lean protein and healthy fats mentioned above.

BREAK THE MENTAL SLAVERY

Breaking habits around times and places you feel like you eat sugar addictively may take some observation and strategy but it is well worth your conscious effort.  You can begin to break free from old habits that had power over you and start to feel more in charge.  Try this addictive habit breaking technique with your Inner Coach:

1. Pin point the time of day that you are feeling “hooked” and also zero in on the food or types of foods you go after at that point.
2. Be clear the focus isn’t on “not doing the behavior” because that ”trying not”  causes tension in the brain—remember the brain doesn’t process negatives.  The focus is on finding a competing behavior or healthier food option that replaces the old one. 
3. The more clear you remain on you old behavior as “not an Option” and stay focused instead on the new behavior—take a 10 minute nap, read a trashy magazine, eating 10 almonds with a cup of tea, etc… the quicker you will let the old habit go.
4. Find healthier alternatives for those times that you have gotten used to reaching for the more “addictive” sugary foods.

BREAK THE EMOTIONAL SLAVERY

The key with emotional cravings for food is to get super curious about the sugary food you are craving and to try and find what your true need is that is lurking under the craving for food.  get in the habit of giving yourself what you really need instead of what you crave—here is an inner conversation that will help you see how to process on your own.  Believe me this is far more nurturing and satisfying.

 

This is my Inner Coach’s conversation with my Inner Rebel regarding needing a brownie when I feel stressed:

IR: Need brownie now!

IC: We need a brownie?

IR: Yes dark chocolatley rich brownie…with frosting on the top.

IC:  That is going to make us feel better?

IR:  Yes!

IC Really because how do we usually feel after eating a brownie?

IR: Full, gross and not so good. 

IC: What is it you really need?  How are you feeling?

IR: Stressed, very stressed and I feel very alone with all the tasks that I have.

IC:  You feel alone?

IR:  Yes, alone.

IC: Do you need some help?

IR There is no one who can help me.

IC I can help you more than a brownie.  What do you really need to feel better?

IR:  A break.

IC:  Take a break.

IR I can’t.

IC You would have gotten up and went to the deli to buy a brownie—that would have taken 10 minutes.  Why don’t you get up and take a walk to the staff room and make a nice cup of tea and come back and close your eyes more a few minutes that would be about the same time you would have taken to get a brownie.

IR: You’re right.  I was really just needing a break—I won’t give myself an official break but I would go stuff my face with a brownie.  This way I get the break but don’t feel gross afterwards…thanks Inner Coach!

IC: Any time kid!

Getting underneath the impulse to sooth with sugar and getting to the root may take some practice but you can do it—there is really no one who can nurture you as much as you can really nurture yourself.  You can see how your relationship becomes more loving and respectful with yourself when you truly meet your needs and don’t mask them with sugar.

My dear Shifters I hope that this coaching has served you.  Just remember—your biggest Valentine to yourself this week is show up for yourself by staying connected to your Inner Coach.  Don’t give up on yourself—you are worth the fight against sugar slavery!

Have an amazing sugar slavery free Valentine’s Day.  Thank you for being such a wonderful, powerful and freedom seeking, weight mastery community!

oxox Rita

Valentine’s Special –2 Sugar related hypnosis downloadable Mp3 sessions session discounted to ONLY $12 each—this week only.

 “Just One Bite or None at All—Shifting Your Relationship to Chocolates and Sweets” This coaching and hypnosis session discusses how to Shift your relationship with chocolates and sweets so that you can create a more moderate relationship with them.

“Mastering Your Relationship with Sugar” This powerful hypnosis session creates an aversion to sugary and carby foods.

CLICK HERE FOR STORE

TO GET THE DISCOUNT—enter the word LOVE 12 into the coupon code box at check out (all caps).