Have you been struck by a sweet obsession lately? The drive to eat sweets and to eat them until they are gone is an all to common experience.

The process goes a little something like this; you’re at the grocery store, you see the most delectable chocolate cake ever. You say to yourself “Hmmm…I think that I’ll buy this cake to share with my family, friends, or colleagues at work.” Then, the minute the cake arrives in your home, it’s the only thing that you can think about and a sweet obsession cycle begins.

The cake beckons for you to eat a slice and over the course of the evening, the next day, or the next two days, the only signs that the cake every existed are the sweet crumbs left on your plate. You think to yourself that you should have never bought that blasted cake and make a conscious or unconscious vow not to make that mistake again!

Sugar Addiction or Repeating Sweet Obsession Cycle?

Some people refer to a sweet obsession as a “sugar addiction.” Some years back, I read several books on sugar addiction and the detrimental effects of sugar and you know what? The thought or belief that I was addicted to sugar didn’t really do anything to help me feel better or confident that I could handle certain processed sweets without the need to eat them until they are gone.

However, one change in my eating world did radically shift my relationship with sweets. That change was practicing intuitive eating. “Legalizing foods”  or making peace with foods, especially sweets for many of us, is one of the greatest benefits of intuitive eating. The goal of legalizing a food or set of foods, through intuitive eating, is to remove the obsession or the emotional charge that you may associate with a food.

Making peace with food involves the oftentimes scary prospect of allowing yourself to eat any food that you want. Ultimately, a piece of broccoli will become as appealing to you as a piece of chocolate cake. In fact, you’ll get to the point where your food choices are driven by how you want to feel instead of driven by the temporary high of certain foods or the emotional memory you relate to a food.

Legalizing foods is one of the tricky steps of practicing intuitive eating. After finally releasing yourself from years of food restriction through dieting, you could find yourself on a path of feeling out of control with your eating. You may start eating every food that has been on your forbidden list, which of course tends to be dominated by sweet treats, and may find your weight steadily creeping up. The great news is that there are ways to make peace with food safely without losing your peace of mind and going on a sweet binge that seems like it will never end. Adding a little humor and putting one foot in front of the other are two tips that will help you experience your own cure for a sweet obsession cycle!

Tickle Your Funny Bone When Your Sweet Obsession Arises

A month or so ago, I discovered that the office vending machines had been stocked with Big Kats or a mega-size Kit Kat. If you’re unfamiliar with the Big Kat, it’s like 6 individual pieces of a Kit Kat combine into one gigantic mouthwatering chocolate wafer. Well, I love me a Big Kat and you can’t always find them in a store. As a result, I had a special emotional charge related to that piece of chocolate crispy wafer heaven. So, I knew that I might be in trouble. Over the next week, after I hit the “Big Kat jackpot”, what I call the “Big Kat Caper” began.

I indulged in one too many Big Kats and that particular confection, which was associated to eating heaven started to disintegrate into a eating hell. One day, instead of eating my lunch, I ate a Big Kat. At the same time, I got a great opportunity to make peace with the Big Kat and to remove the emotional charge from that particular item by taking the time to be mindful as I ate and truly get in contact with what was driving that particular sweet obsession. Because I’ve legalized many different foods, the process didn’t take very long. Once you learn how to legalize one food, legalizing each additional food typically gets easier. Last year, you would have been entertained by the comic story of the Saltwater Taffy Massacre of 2010. I love making myself laugh and I hope that you do too. Give your sweet obsession cycles the comic relief that they deserve!

By practicing intuitive eating and staying open and mindful about what you’re eating and what’s going on with you emotionally, you’ll gain confidence that you and your body will find balance again and get through or avoid the sweet traps of every day life.

Avoid a Sweet Trap with Some Feet Action

What’s the top suggestion that I would make to help you avoid a sweet obsession cycle, if you feel one coming on? Get your feet involved! Last week, I noticed that I was starting to think about sweets more and feeling a taste for anything sweet in that familiar emotionally driven way. I felt like I had two choices: go on a bit of a detox from all processed sweets or start my morning walking practice again. I had an intuitive sense that the emotional release I experience while walking would eliminate those “I need a sweet” thoughts and the driven to eat sweets mood I saw developing. So, I was up the next day walking at 5:45 a.m. Behold, the driven to eat sweets energy began to decrease immediately.

You can make peace with sweets in your life and practicing intuitive eating is a phenomenal way to do it.

Eat Intuitively, Move Joyfully, Love Your Body!

About the Author

Latoya J. Williams is a certified holistic health coach specializing in helping women develop the insight and skills they need to feel good in their bodies, experience true eating pleasure and freedom, and discover their natural healthy weight.