I was telling a friend about getting off sugar and how good I felt after three years of eating little or no sugar. I noticed three main benefits to getting off sugar.

Most of my body aches and pains went away.
I noticed a freedom from compelling thoughts about food.
It was easier to make good choices because the intense cravings subsided. This took about a month.
I lost weight without trying. White sugar is addicting to me. The more cake I ate, the more I wanted.

Once I got the news that my fasting blood sugar was dangerously high, my daughter, Dr. Kiona, told me what I should do—Quit eating sugar, eat low carbs, and try gluten-free. Since I was scared about my health, I was able to find the determination to do this thing—get off sugar. That was the first step: nothing like a little bit of fear to motivate oneself. My goal was to eat vegetables, fruits, meat, and only foods that were alive at one time. I remember the first meal I had after the implementation of my plan. I said to myself, ok, this is it—you don't get desert, bread, or cheetos. It's gonna be hard. You're gonna hate it but your life depends on it.

I left the table unsatisfied but not hungry and it was hard. We went out to a play and two hours later, I was starving. I just said, OK, this is how its gonna be, a little suffering, get used to it. I had an apple and that dissolved about 1/4 of my craving intensity. Enough to fall asleep with a "good" day under my belt.

So then what happened? Well, at first, when I got the inevitable desire to eat cake or doughnuts, those were my weakness, I pushed the thoughts away and thought oh no here we go again and I would get a little panicky that the dreaded threat to my resolve would be broken. I kept telling myself, "Don't go there." Not allowed! and I'd stuff the desire and flip the channel. I thought, this is self-control, the discipline I needed and this was just what I had to do.

But after a few days, I noticed that this ignoring of the craving didn't last as a technique to control myself, because within five or ten minutes here it came again. This time more forceful. It was like the body craving said, "Hello!! Listen to me, I need it. I feel crappy. I will feel so much better if I have a little sugar to ease the craving. I am so hungry! Listen up, you dimwit." Oh I am sure you can relate. My round little belly screamed --FEED ME!. Now who would have the cruelty to ignore a desperate call like this? And, so now on the second round of the battlefield, I was more prone to give in because the craving was louder, more blatant. I told myself things like, well, it doesn't matter. Just one little bite to ease the pain. Tomorrow I will get back on track. But in retrospect I learned that never worked, because tomorrow, if I gave in today, it was even harder.

My friend asked, "How did you get through the first month?" I thought long and hard about that one because it is true, the first month is the hardest. The cravings can be quite intense. I remember when I got the desire to eat that sugary thing, it was very confusing. My Judy-Body said, "Eat that thing. It will taste amazing." and I could almost feel the creamy melt in my mouth of the whipped cream and how my belly would do a happy dance. But, my Judy-Brain said, "Skip it. It's gonna kill you. Do you want to be a fat diabetic?" These polarizing brain discussions were enough to drive me to drink, or more aptly— eat crap. If my body wanted it, why was my brain saying no? This merry-go-round caused a special kind of stress and anxiety in me. It's like a little kid whose parent says, "I love you so much I am going to give you a spanking." What the? It is a dichotomous oxymoron feeling and it is not fun. I know I wrote this little paragraph in past tense. I don't mean to say I am cured. I still get these mind battles but I;ve learned some tools that work for me. Read on.

One technique that helps me is to face the craving head on instead of trying to ignore it or stuff it away. So when I got the thought of how the donut will melt in my mouth and my taste buds will flip with the sweet crunchiness of the coconut flakes or the sugar on top, I wanted it bad. So then instead of running away or ignoring that craving, I took a breath and asked myself where do I feel this craving in my body? Is there something that wants to be filled? Something in my body?I tried to feel the craving, right where it originates. I tried to allow myself to truly feel what it was like to really desire that donut. Instead of pushing away the pain of conflict. The conflict of wanting and the head saying no. So instead of trying to “control” the craving,—I embraced the feeling in its fullest. Then I held that feeling and gazed around the room. I let my eyes fall on something and took notice, then another thing, as I sat with the feeling. I focused on opening my heart and allowing the feeling instead of trying to control it. Then something magical happened, it is like the craving had been heard and done its work and there it went drifting away.

After reading Pema Chodron about the tonglen technique, I learned to dig deep. I ask myself. "What exactly does this annoying craving feel like? Where is it in my body? is it my brain? my belly, where? and when I tuned in I would notice a subtle itch in the belly, or a tightness in the throat, or a very tired feeling. When connecting the mental desire with the bodily ache something a little bit magical happens.

When I tuned in to the body feelings, I had a tiny release from the hopeless feeling of the craving. I felt more in control or something. It is almost like the body says, OK, you listened to me so now I will stop bugging you. Meditating for 2 minutes also helped. Sit still and focus on the breath and feel your body. This can turn around that panic feeling of wanting to eat right now.

The craving always starts with a thought. Perhaps triggered by an image, the visual of seeing donuts on a commercial, for instance. And instantly follows from the thought a bodily component. Being aware and sensitive and taking the moment to tune in to the body was super helpful in getting through the first month. And always, an apple, an orange, a few nuts were enough to satisfy especially after thirty days.

I think that the worst thing for me was when I "tried" to lose weight. It made me crazy and set me up to fail because its unnatural. The body wants food and you're telling it NO. It's like a slap in the face. When you battle with an inner dialogue, bad vs good, each time you think of food, this is harmful to a sense of well-being and self-esteem. Which, I think, is really more detrimental than the pounds themselves. Instead of that battle good vs bad, I try to eat all the good foods that nature provides. Then I don't have to limit quantity and I end up feeling great. In time, the cravings eased. Honest.

By the way, I noticed when I was tired or didn't get enough sleep, this made me want to eat. When really what I needed was a nap. So get plenty of sleep if you want to stay the course.

You can also practice tonglen. You can breathe in the feeling of craving and connect with all the people who struggle with this very same thing and breathe out compassion, acceptance, love for yourself for feeling this and for being alive so you can feel it. You might find that if you do one or both of these things, the craving eases. It just wants to be heard, to be acknowledged and many times, I have found that the craving is tied to wanting something that is deeper than the donut. Sometimes I find that the craving is really a desire to write or to paint or to create or to connect with someone or a desire for sleep. The thing is that food is very visual so when you imagine it in your brain it is the easiest thing to tie to the answer to a craving. Your mind just grabs onto it.

So these little tips helped me get through the first month. After that, the cravings subside because it is the sugar itself that makes you want more. yes, its a drug. the more you get the more you want. Try it. Give yourself 30 days to just eat naturally occurring foods. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, and dairy if desired.Your body is gonna love it. And, I found that my mood is uplifted. I don't feel so sluggish and blah. You naturally will be able to do with less quantity. Something about cake that I never got full of it. But I can only eat so many apples.

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How I Got Through the First Month of No Sugar.

Judy Liautaud