Sugar Addicts’ Diet

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.