Can we Break the Sugar Cycle

I remember my first few of weeks as a T2D and my complete inability to control my sugar urges. It was awful.

Let's get one thing straight from the start. If you've ever stood in front of the biscuit tin at 3am, having an argument with your brain. Attempting to convince it that you’re not weak. You're not greedy. Then you're certainly not the only one.

What everybody has to realise is, sugar cravings are real. Sugar is addictive. Some commentators say that sugar is as addictive as Heroin. I haven’t ever tried that naughty stuff. I really must look deep into that claim.If you have Type 2 diabetes, or you're struggling with blood sugar spikes,

You'll know exactly what I mean. Sometimes it's as if somebody flicks a switch in your brain and suddenly a salted caramel Ice cream tub becomes the most important thing in the world.

The good news for you, is that you're not imagining it. Let’s call this “The Sugar Rollercoaster.”

Here's what often happens. You eat something sugary. Your blood sugar shoots up. Your body releases insulin to deal with it. Sometimes however, it becomes over-zealous and your blood sugar drops quickly and your brain starts waving the emergency flags.

"Oi mush! We need energy. Get us something sweet... and get it now!"

Notice it never shouts for a boiled egg or a handful of broccoli. No... it wants biscuits, toast, chocolate, crisps, anything that'll get the sugar flowing again.

So the cycle starts again. Eat sugar. Blood sugar rises. Insulin rushes in. Blood sugar drops. Cravings arrive. Off we go again. Just like a video segment stuck on a loop. It keeps jumping back to the beginning.

It's Not Just About Hunger. Now here's the awkward truth. Sometimes we're not even hungry at all. We get stressed. We get bored. We are tired. We are fed up. Or we've simply spent years teaching ourselves that every cup of tea deserves a biscuit.

Those little habits creep in quietly. A chocolate bar after work. A pudding because dinner has finished. A packet of biscuits sitting next to the kettle. Before long, they stop being choices and become routines.

It took me a while, but I finally realised that many of my cravings weren't really cravings at all. They were habits pretending to be hunger. That Mars Bar Moment. Years ago, I used to throw one of those four-pack Mars bars into my packed lunch. It seemed perfectly normal.

Looking back now, I wasn't hungry enough to need four Mars bars. I simply expected them to be there because that's what I'd always done. It’s funny how these things sneak up on you. One day you suddenly stop and think...

"Hang on a minute... what the hell am I doing?"

Is there a good bit here? Well, yes actually, there is…...

As your blood sugar becomes steadier, something interesting happens. The cravings begin to quieten down. They don't disappear overnight, and you'll probably still fancy something sweet now and again. That's perfectly normal.

The difference this time is, you start making the decisions. Not the addiction. The biscuit isn't making it for you. The bottle of strawberry flavoured milk isn’t making it. Honestly, there is no magic trick to this. No miracle powder. No celebrity diet. Just simple things that actually work.

I’ll tell you what helped me. Eating plenty of protein. Yes. Even peanuts. Steady with the salt though.

I attempt to eat more real food and less ultra-processed foods. I was lucky, I worked as a chef in a hotel. I learned to cook my own food. I know not all people can handle cooking, but at least try.

Stop grazing all day if you can. I cut out the snacks between meals. It works. I cut out the unhealthy sandwiches and crisps and such the like.

Drink enough water. It’s recommended we be drinking around 2litres a day anyway. Get some decent sleep. Many people don’t realise this. Move a little more whenever possible. No walking around the park with a choccy bar stuffed in your mouth. None of it's glamorous.

Nobody's handing out trophies for eating chicken and vegetables, but over time these little changes add up, your blood sugar becomes steadier, and those constant sugar cravings begin to lose their grip. It can be said that you can train yourself to do this. Just do one step at a time.

Nobody has to become frightened of sugar or swear never to eat another biscuit. I found that this isn't about perfection. It's about getting back in charge. And not letting that sugar monster control you.

One better meal.

One better choice.

One better day.

That's how lasting change happens.