Nicki Waterman - Sugar Addicts’ Diet

Cover

Title Page

Introduction: Nicki’s Story

Part 1: The Truth about Sugar Addiction

1 Are You a Sugar Addict?

2 How This Book Can Help

3 Why We Crave Sugar

4 Why Do I Need to Break My Addiction?

5 Young Sugar Addicts

6 Helping Young Sugar Addicts

7 Where Sugar is Lurking

Part 2: The Sugar Addict’s Tools for Recovery

8 What to Eat

9 How to Eat

10 Kick Out Sugar with Exercise

11 Hints and Tips for Giving Up

12 Coping with Sugar ‘Dealers’

Part 3: Break Your Sugar Addiction in Three Weeks

13 The 21-day Plan

14 Menu Plans

15 Recipes to Help You Give Up Sugar

Afterword: What Next?

Bibliography

Useful Organizations

Acknowledgements

About Nicki Waterman

By the same author

Copyright

About the Publisher

As a fitness expert, I am regularly told, ‘You’re so lucky that you’re so slim.’ I always think, ‘You don’t know the half of it!’ I may be slim now, but that hasn’t always been the case. And even though I work hard to be this way, I used to fight a personal demon every minute of the day – my desire to eat sugar.

It was sugar that made me a chubby child and a chunky teenager. And in my 20s I gained even more weight thanks to my sweet tooth. Two pregnancies in quick succession made my weight problem even worse. My husband (now my ex) loved my spare tyres and discouraged my attempts to lose weight. I tried every diet under the sun, had acupuncture and hypnotherapy, and even resorted to slimming pills to shift the weight. But it didn’t go – in fact, it all came back on and more.

My saving grace, 18 years ago, was discovering the importance of exercise. An inspirational trainer got me off the powerful prescription drugs I’d grown dependent on. As a result, I lost five stone and decided to spread the word about how weight loss could really improve your life.

But behind the scenes I had developed an unhealthy tactic to keep slim. I’d learned that by exercising in excess, I could still eat the sweets I wanted and maintain a reasonable weight. I’d developed my own eating pattern – one proper meal a day and plenty of sugary foods – to sustain this weight loss. I knew it wasn’t healthy but it worked. Maintaining my weight loss, however, was a constant struggle. Although I looked slim, I was still flabby and covered in fat, despite my exercise regime. I was a ‘slim, fat person’ – someone with the unhealthy attitudes of an overweight person contained within a slim frame.

I could have carried on like this for ever. I looked fine and no one would ever have known about my secret eating habits. But just a year ago, something shocked me into realizing that I had to change my ways. My mother-in-law was in hospital being treated for cancer. One day, when I was visiting her, her specialist came to talk to us about what she should eat when she came out of hospital. I’ll never forget his words – ‘Do not touch refined sugars – they will kill you.’

Thinking about how much sugar I was consuming on a daily basis made me realize that it could easily be me lying on my deathbed if I didn’t drastically mend my ways. On an average day I’d happily consume at least half a pound of pick ’n’ mix (my big weakness), large packets of American hard gums and jelly beans, a packet of biscuits and anything else that came my way (I can’t believe I’m admitting this to you!).Putting an end to my sugar addiction wasn’t just about me but other people too. I had a responsibility to my two children, husband, brothers and friends. This was the wake-up call I needed to help me tackle my serious sugar addiction head-on. I told all my friends, family and work colleagues that I needed their help and support. I was giving up sugar completely, and that meant no chocolate, biscuits, cakes – or pick ’n’ mix.

Like all addicts, my decision to kick my habit wasn’t without pain – I endured three weeks of excruciating headaches, something I found almost unbearable but knew I had to go through. Different addicts have their own preferred method for distracting themselves in moments of weakness. A nicotine addict might chew a pen as a substitute for having a cigarette in their mouth. I knew I needed something to stop me going into the local newsagent to get my sugar kick, so I starting boxing lessons with a professional coach. While I was focusing on boxing, I wasn’t yearning for my next sugar fix.

Every time I ate something, I’d text my best friend so we had a record. I didn’t trust myself to write it down honestly. Different people – including friend and nutritionist Amanda Ursell – advised me on what to eat to help get me through my cravings.

But before I knew it, I was falling off the wagon. Willpower and exercise alone weren’t enough. I soon realized there was no point in just giving up sugar unless my diet was right too. Looking into it, I began to understand that I needed support – both physical and emotional – if my attempts to give up sugar were to succeed. That’s when I decided to devise my own sugar addicts’ diet. My aim was to even out my blood sugar levels, which I was told were probably a key part of my cravings. This would ensure I was never hungry (so never tempted by sugar!) and make me more capable of dealing with the inevitable emotions of trying to kick the sugar habit.To be honest, at first I was a little sceptical that it would make a difference to my life. However, I can honestly say – hand on heart – that the 21-day plan really did work for me.

The weight has fallen off me and so has the body fat. I have achieved this without the need for over-exercising, which is just as bad for your body as doing no exercise at all. It’s hard for me to believe that I don’t have a weight problem for the first time in my life.

The Sugar Addicts’ Diet has had countless benefits besides reducing my weight and body fat. I used to wake up with big dark rings under my eyes, and my skin had an unhealthy pallor. I put it down to ageing but, since kicking the sugar habit, I realize my diet was to blame. In my experience, the old saying ‘You are what you eat’ is so true. The bags under my eyes have now gone, my eyes look bright, my skin glows with health and my hair is thicker. The sugar highs and lows are a thing of the past, which means I have so much more energy than ever before.