Coach Holly, here! I have heard many people tell me they love sweets and making a change in the kitchen is hard because they - quite literally - are addicted to sugar.
Fun fact, many years ago, I was a baker and wedding cake decorator and had an endless supply of sweets throughout the day. While I was very active at the gym, there was a clear impact the amount of sugar I was consuming had on my life. After leaving the bakery world, I realized I needed to make a change. It was a struggle for me as I fought through my sugar addiction. I experienced hourly cravings for baked good that I had become so accustomed to snacking on. If you've ever felt like you are addicted to sweets, you are completely right. Your body responds to sugar in such a way that you become addicted.
What helped me - it was over a year long process - was moderating and supplementing. When out to eat, instead of ordering my own dessert, I started sharing. At home, I switched from my typical choice of ice-cream to healthier alternative brands and portioned instead of grabbing the carton. What truly helped me the most was fruit! Even now, whenever I get a craving for sweets, I snack on fresh fruits and often times will have fruit as dessert in place of baked goods. Natural products are always going to be a better solution than processed items.
If you ever opt to cut out sugars, I would encourage starting with processed sugars. Still allow yourself to enjoy natural sugars. Fruit not only provides nutritional value, but it will help with those pesky cravings and prevent you from binging so hard.
Here at Peak, we are firm believers in sustainability. So take your time, and do what works best for you.
