Video | Baby Step #1 | Baby Step #2 | Baby Step #3

Getting sugar out of your diet is one of the best things you can do to lose weight. Sugar finds its way into seemingly every social event and calls to us with its addictive nature.

If you’ve tried to kick the sugar habit in the past with little success, this post will give you three baby steps that will help you finally get on the path to becoming sugar-free.

3 Baby Steps to Quit Sugar & Lose Weight [Video]

In this video, you’ll learn…

• What sugar does to your body.
• What to do before you subtract sugar from your diet.
• How to make changes one step at a time.

Eliminating Sugar is Essential for a Low-Carb Diet

If you follow my blog, you know that I teach a low-carb way of eating. Low-carb diets keep the fat-storing hormone called insulin low. This allows your body to release stored fat and burn it for energy.

Sugar is high in quick-digesting carbs, so it must be eliminated when you are on a low-carb or keto diet.

Let’s look at three easy-to-implement steps that you can use to finally break your sugar habit.

Baby Step #1: Acknowledge What Sugar Does to Your Body

The first step is to simply acknowledge what sugar does to you. Because sugar lights up the pleasure center of your brain, there is no shame in wanting to eat it.

Our reluctance to let go of that sugar high can make it hard to admit how bad sugar is for our bodies. I am certainly not pointing any fingers because I used to be the same way.

I was obsessed with sugar for the first half of my life and I have the cavities to prove it! I know firsthand how intimidating it is to face the reality about sugar, but the evidence is overwhelming.

Sugar is a main contributor to many common issues that chip away at our quality of life, including weight gain, skin problems (acne, premature aging skin), joint pain, and depression.

Despite the fact that the body seems to have an amazing ability to keep going despite poor nutrition, the reality is that you cannot outrun the effects of a poor diet.

The chronically high blood sugar and insulin that results from a high-sugar diet are linked to life-threatening diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, fatty liver, and diabetes.

Sugar lies to us; it comes in with the promise of pleasure but leaves us feeling worn out and broken down.

Once we see it for what it really is, we can take action to get rid of it.

Baby Step #2: ADD Before You SUBTRACT

This brings me to the next baby step, which is to add before you subtract.

Many people get discouraged when they cut sugar out of their diet because they feel terrible without sugar. This is due to sugar withdrawal.

If sugar is part of your daily life and you stop eating it today, it is likely that you’ll feel irritable, hungry, tired, and flat out not happy without it.

What I know to be effective from helping thousands of people break free from sugar is that the path away from sugar is much smoother when you add high-quality, hunger-satisfying foods before or at least at the same time that you are getting the sugary junk foods out of your diet.

The two foods that help this transition the most are foods high in fat and vegetables. Fatty foods help to shut off hunger hormones and stabilize blood sugar which prevents cravings.

Adding volume to your diet by consuming a large salad and a side of cooked vegetables every day brings bulk and nutrients into your body that tells your body that its needs are being met, which further diminishing cravings.

Baby Step #3: Make One Change At-a-Time

A great way to avoid the feeling of overwhelm that can come with quitting sugar is to make one change at a time.

For instance, over this next week, make one sugar substitution a day. Try swapping a sweet dessert for a handful of almonds. While the initial wow factor will not be there, you will find that the high-fat content of the nuts leaves you feeling comfortable and satisfied through the evening hours.

If you typically add sugar to your coffee, add a splash of heavy cream instead; the fat in the cream helps keep hunger away. Note that I didn’t say to swap the sugar for Stevia or an artificial sweetener. In an earlier post, titled, “Will Sugar Substitutes Cut Cravings,” I shared research that explained how artificial sweeteners keep sugar cravings alive.

If you are tired of being controlled by sugar, I encourage you to watch my four daily habits video series and learn my 0123 strategy. It is a guide for getting sugar out of your diet, it has been watched by more than 60,000 people. It is my hope that it will become a foundation for healthy eating that you can use for a lifetime.

About the Author

Dr. Becky Gillaspy, DC graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.