Sugar Baby No More: How to Reset After a Candy Binge

You now know that the impulsive holiday candy binge was not the best idea and your body, mind and day are paying a price. It happens—even for the most fit and healthy. No use lamenting on the poor behavior—although it is worth your while to think about how you could have avoided the temptations. This is not to make sugar an evil avoid at all costs, but there is little justification to eat the full bowl of Halloween candy.

First priority of business is to get busy resetting until you are feeling good. Sugar intake does little to contribute to our health or our mood. It has no nutrients, depletes our bodies from key vitamins and minerals, and wreaks havoc on our liver, our teeth and our endocrine system. Experientially, it messes with our mood and creates energy crashes, and it also can hinder our ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Ready for that reset? Good. Here is advice from our celebrity lifestyle coaches and best-selling authors who walk the talk on conscious eating for maximum health and fitness results.

Superhumans don’t need sugarDave Asprey

Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof Coffee and Upgrade Labs and New York Times best-selling author of “Super Human” (Harper Wave, 2019), states that the science is clear—your body does not need any added sugar. So the sooner you reset, the better.

“You are in charge of your biology. It is not in charge of you,” Asprey says. And he believes it—Asprey is on a mission to prove that you can be healthier, smarter, avoid disease and have better sex every day you get older. While most people assume we will peak when we are young, Asprey’s book “Super Human” explores the scientific revolution that is already changing how the highest-performing people in business, athletics and science eat, work out, sleep and supplement. He discovers simple changes and some truly radical ideas from the world of high-performance health to start feeling like your best self today and dramatically extend your life span.

The key is to understand your triggers so you can manage them and overcome sugar cravings. As you give up sugar, remember to give up guilt. “Keep in mind that sugar is like a drug—it lights up the reward and craving centers in your brain, and you fall into withdrawal when you start to cut it from your diet,” Asprey explains. “You’re not a weak person if you slip up now and then. You’re rewiring your brain to be stronger. It’s a process. Be patient with yourself.” You can stop sugar cravings with high-fat meals and decadent, flavorful foods—it helps to go for your top-shelf favorites. Following a meal plan like this one is helpful so you don’t have to make any difficult choices.

Focus on feeling good Gabrielle Bernstein

According to best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein, one of the blocks in our ability to be a Super Attractor is not feeling good in our own skin. “When we are unhappy about how we look or are focused on why we don’t feel great, we attract more of that energy into our lives,” she says. “When you feel good, you give off a presence of joy that can elevate everyone around you. The key is to quickly flip our focus and take our power back by doing something that right away helps us to feel better.”

Bernstein because she was unhappy with its influence over her mind, mood and physiology. Recently, she did a big cleanse before her book tour. “I’m cleansing because I want to have energy, stamina and a greater connection to my spiritual practice,” she explains.

Bernstein’s daily routine—which includes meditation, daily movement like jumping on a trampoline and walking in nature—is combined with a strict no-sugar, no-dairy, no-carb diet, except quinoa, and is designed to help her feel at her best so she can serve her family, friends and students. One thing to watch out for is your fear of failure based on your past experiences. You may have tried giving up sugar in the past and failed; don’t worry about that. Bring it to God, pray on it, mediate on it and get present in the moment. “As long as you’re relying on your will, your plans and your timeline, you’ll feel blocked and fearful—stressed in the present, worried about the future, unsure of decisions, and so on. But the moment you let go and allow, an energy of support will take over.”

Fast for itJorge Cruise

For years, celebrity trainer Jorge Cruise treated sugar calories as if they were all the same, regardless of the source. “The mistake I made was to say that all sugar calories are equal. They are not,” he says. “There are good sugars and bad sugars. Take time to learn about the different kinds of sugar and how they can affect your health.”

The goal, Cruise says, is to not demonize sugar and punish yourself but to use this moment to reset your commitment to health. “The plan I use is called Cruise Control Fasting, and it is my take on intermittent fasting,” he explains. “It is a lifestyle, not a diet, and if you follow this plan, you can have all the things that other diets tell you that you can’t have—like pizza, pasta and even some treats.

“When we talk sugar, I like to turn to sugar alternatives such as xylitol, erythritol or stevia. Xylitol will actually help to clean your teeth, so when I’m craving something sweet, I’ll have some of Xlear’s gum and mints. It’s very important to hydrate all day long and get to sleep early. When I hydrate, I’ll add a bit of salt for electrolytes, and if I’m trying to satisfy my sweet tooth, I’ll use SweetLeaf’s flavored water drops made from stevia. If you stick with this style of fasting for 16 hours and eating during an eight-hour window, not depriving yourself of the foods and treats you love, you will feel great and not have the urge to go on a sugar binge and feel the need to recover from it.”

Photo credit: Courtney Rust, Stocksy; Todd Cribari, inspirostudio.com; Todd Plitt; Todd Cribari