Sugar cravings are powerful. These urges can hijack our brains and fool us into thinking that we don’t care about the consequences. Strong cravings make us crazy, like the most important thing is eating that sweet that we think we need in that moment.

With sugar cravings, you lose either way. “Lose” meaning “feel bad.”

If you tell yourself ‘No’, you feel bad denying yourself. If you give in to the urge, you feel guilty — and then feel physically bad later on.

You lose either way. But do you have to?

Cravings and food urges can be overwhelming and make us feel powerless. But you don’t have to feel bad! Here are some ways to feel better that you may not have thought of:

1. Pick a healthier substitute instead.

There are plenty of ways to satisfy your urges by using a healthier substitute:

• Cherries or strawberries take care of your sweet fix for dessert. Mineral water gives you the fizz you love from soda.
• Greek Yogurt or cottage cheese delivers the creamy sensation we seek from ice cream.
• Baked veggie chips deliver the crunch that you get from potato chips.

Get the idea? Figure out what you want from the treat — taste, texture, experience — and pick a healthier version that gives you the same thing.

2. Put yourself in your future shoes with the AFTERMATH technique.

Here’s something I do for myself a lot. Think about how you’re going to feel after you eat whatever it is you think you want. Are you going to be bloated? Are you going to feel fat and guilty? Beat yourself up? Lethargic and drained? Is this all worth 30 seconds of yummy pleasure? For me, it usually isn’t. When I think about what’s going to happen a few minutes after I eat something, I’ll usually change my mind. Try it out and see if the Aftermath Technique works for you.

3. Embark on a healthy distraction.

• Go walk outside for a few minutes.
• Call a friend to catch up.
• Take a moment to get a handle on what feelings you’re trying to avoid with sugar. Journal them if you like to do that.
• Read something you find interesting (not the news!)

Anything you enjoy doing that will give you something to think about besides food.

So there are three tips so you don’t have to lose the cravings battle! Let me know if you have any questions or need help. We’re all in this together.

Your friend and Coach,
Dan