The Sugar Struggle is Real

As far as I can remember, I have always had an insatiable desire for sugar. During my childhood years in the 1980s, I would think about my next sugar fix frequently throughout the day. When I was bored, sweet treats consumed many of my thoughts, and my mind was often focused on them.

During the 80s, sweets and sugar were abundant. The corner shops had entire counters and shelves devoted to sweets, which were dispensed from jars behind the counter, weighed, and poured into a brown paper bag before being handed over to be devoured.

We also lived in a flat next to a sweet shop. (Every kids dream) I would frequently visit, and I was rewarded with sweets for being good, which subconsciously linked sweet things with a reward in my mind.

We had a sweet bowl in our house, and after finishing our meals, we were allowed to take one item from the sweet bowl. This again reinforced the mind.

As I grew older at school, the corridors were full of sweet and chocolate vending machines, and the school gate had an ice cream man that would pull up while we all queued to get our next sugar fix. Even at the local leisure centre wasnt free from sugar, they sold slush puppies at the cafeteria, which was essentially coloured corn syrup over ice as a treat after swimming, so counterproductive. In the supermarket, just at the tills, there were mini shelves stacked with sweets and chocolates to entice us to buy.

So, it's no wonder why most of us struggle with sugar; it's so ubiquitous. It's easy to say, "just don't eat it, just don't buy it," but when, like me, you have been an unknowing addict of sugar for decades, it's a lot more complicated than that.

You are not alone in this, and I am still struggling with my sugar addiction in my 40s, even as a health coach, knowing exactly what sugar is doing to my body. I still eat it too much, especially when I'm feeling stressed or bored. I like to pretend I have full control over it, but the truth is I have not. It has just been Easter, and I ate a full egg to myself in 2 minutes without even stopping to think what I was doing.

Happy Easter to my gut, which is feeling it this morning.

I'd like to say that this is a one-off occasion, but it's not. This happens regularly to me, and I'm telling you this because I want you to know that if you are struggling with sugar addiction, you are not alone.

I became a health coach to fundamentally help myself, and I am always growing and evolving, navigating life as it throws challenges towards me.

This community is for us all to support each other to make the best health choices that are right for us as individuals. It's not a place to tell you what you should be doing, as we all know exactly what we should and should not be doing. But, it's about how we do it, knowing that we are not alone in our struggles, and that there is a place that's going to support that.

Feel free to add a comment about your struggle with sugar.

Take care from Gemma @complex.health.coach