I love sugar detoxes. I do them whenever I feel I’ve gone overboard. I go overboard a lot. So I plan a few weeks of no-sugar to get out of the habit.
Here are the things I’ve learned after doing so many detoxes:
–Mentally, it’s much harder than it really is, which explains why we don’t think we can do it, which explains why we don’t even try.
–It only takes a day or two to be completely over sugar, meaning the cravings that cause you to mindlessly shove huge handfuls of dark chocolate covered pepitas into your mouth are gone.
–After that, it’s always surprising how little you think about sweets and how great you feel without them. When you’re in this stage, you don’t want to ruin it, so it’s motivation enough to keep going.
–No doubt about it, sugar will slowly seep back into your existence. It starts with tasting someone’s homemade dessert at book club, then you decide it’s safe to have flavored creamer in your coffee, and before you know it, you’re back in the never-ending cycle of desperately needing sweets after every meal.
But here’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned. There’s no such thing as failure. Yes, it can be disappointing to “cheat” while on a detox. But if I can enjoy a sweet and then get right back to the clean eating I had intended, I’ve just accomplished the one thing that success is always dependent on: Mindfulness.
How many times do we blow a commitment and then say “fuck it, I may as well keep going. I ate chocolate on my detox, I’ve already blown it so I’m just going to eat this whole pint of ice cream, feel bad about myself, make a determination that I’m not capable of anything, punish myself with another handful of M&M’s…” and then we’re right back in the cycle.
But we need the practice of splurging and then immediately getting back on track. If we’re mindful, we can choose to have these splurges as a part of a greater experience. Dessert with friends or a glass of wine while watching a one-of-a-kind lunar eclipse. We can allow ourselves to enjoy those wonderful moments that add up to a happy life, rather than resisting part of a memorable experience.
How many times have you gone to happy hour with friends while you were on a diet and spent the whole time miserably denying yourself a french fry? In my opinion, that’s more damaging to our health than actually eating the damn fry!
Mindfully allowing ourselves to enjoy an experience, and to be appreciative of it at the same time, is a very healthy habit that can add happiness to our lives. Sure we can eat or drink more than we should have, but so what? There will always be an opportunity to get back on track, which will be much easier if we’re not constantly beating ourselves up for failing.
Getting back on track can become a positive habit thanks to the countless opportunities we have to practice. And the more we practice, the more mindful we will become. This can be applied to anything.
Give yourself a couple of days to detox completely from a habit you want to change, mindfully include it in the next happy experience, then get right back on track. If you go overboard, instead of labeling it cheating or failing, recognize it as a valuable chance to get really good at mindfulness and try again.
