I received dozens of slightly worried messages. What is happening to my body since I stopped sugar? Why do I have a headache? I feel like I’m exhausted since I no longer eat sugar… I suggest I answer you in a somewhat comprehensive article.
In the 48 hours of stopping sugar, you learn to manage your emotions
First of all, when you drastically stop sugar, the reaction in the body and the mind will depend on your level of prior consumption. If you only consumed very little sugar, you might as well tell you that you won’t feel a big difference, except for the little psychological dependence on the sweet taste in the evening… In truth: you don’t really need to do a detox in your case .
On the other hand, if you had white bread-jam-orange juice every morning, sweet coffee at the 10 a.m. break, panna cotta or tiramisu for dessert in the canteen, and m&m’s at the office around 4 p.m. You will feel powerful effects very quickly.
The first thing is that you may feel a little mentally empty for the first few days. For lack of dopamine. Indeed, sugar has this addictive side, almost an addiction to sugar since it stimulates the mental reward circuit. My brain is bored or anxious, I eat sugar: I secrete dopamine and my brain feels better and calmer for a while.
So the first days, you will have to resist these feelings of stress or anxiety, without responding to them with food . It’s a fabulous moment in one’s life, quite meditative, during which one concentrates on better understanding one’s emotions. I feel the urge for sugar , to snack, why? Did my boss stress me out 30 minutes ago? I’m stuck on a project? Did my kids wear me out this morning? … There are millions of reasons to want to feel better right away!
Don’t hesitate to take a look at the Body By Lucile group where more than 30,000 people who have followed my programs can answer you and help you manage these new sensations.
But you have the possibility to analyze these emotions, to understand them. And let them flow to focus on the important thing: living your peaceful life. By breathing, calming yourself, expressing your feelings… The dopamine circuit will return to normal.
When you feel these sensations of sweet impulse in the evening: it is certainly that you are tired. So go to bed earlier. Or call a girlfriend, watch a funny movie, listen to music, have sex… In short, find strategies to feel better without food!
In the first 2 – 3 days of quitting sugar, the body relearns how to manage its blood sugar
Sometimes cutting out foods that taste sweet can cause a headache that lasts for 1-2 days. It happened to some of my coachees elsewhere. This could be linked to hypoglycemia. Check with your doctor if these headaches don’t stop after 2 days, but usually these symptoms go away quickly.
Better digestion, more beautiful skin
The first 2 – 3 weeks, you will then notice a difference in your digestion. Because the bad bacteria in the intestines feed preferentially on fast sugars. While the good intestinal flora responds better to dietary fiber. So deprived of these sugars, these bad bacteria will decrease in favor of the better ones. This results in a much better regulated intestinal transit, as well as better management of its weight and its feelings of hunger and satiety.
Less sugar for less negative effects on your skin , it will improve. On your face (less acne and blackheads) and a fresher complexion. Indeed, sugar promotes the production of free radicals, promoting aging.
In the weeks and months to come, it is above all your health that will improve. Fewer minor infections such as colds, angina, etc. Since sugar is inflammatory, reducing its consumption reduces the risk of developing these minor illnesses.
You will have less cellulite, you will deflate and feel much more comfortable in your skirts and pants, around the waist. This is directly linked to better digestion and the reduction of flatulence and intestinal gas.
In the long term, comprehensive prevention
Finally, in the long term, you enter into a global prevention approach, to live well, to age well. The consumption of sugar favoring the appearance of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases : you protect yourself against these major public health scourges… By simply adopting a few good little tips on a daily basis.
So of course: no extremism!!! It is quite possible (and even advisable!) to continue to eat from time to time a great homemade chocolate mousse, a birthday cake from a friend, some sweets on his nephew’s birthday… Of course you are not going to quit sugar TOTALLY and DEFINITELY!!
This corresponds precisely to the 80% healthy – 20% trash that I often talk about in my Body By Lucile method. But you’ll see, after a 3-4 week sugar detox, you won’t have the same mouthfeel at all. A chocolate cake will seem so sweet to you… You may be sickened and have a hard time finishing it!! It’s perfect !! You have entered the era of self-regulation. You have learned to eat better, to become aware of your emotions and of the true taste of food.