Hi Annina

The cravings you are experiencing are due to cutting down on your sugar too quickly. You mention congratulating yourself on the items you bought at the store, I assume, meaning that they were not heavily laden with sugar, or not as "bad" as you used to buy.

If we are only on step one, taking any sugars out is not necessary at all, and as you can see, when we do, we get cravings. this is your brain telling you to put back in the ones you have taken out becauseit isn't ready to be without them yet. When it is ready, you will be drawn automatically to less sugar, it won't be a conscious choice at the grocery store, you will be less drawn to sugar over time.

I know that most people here want toget off sugar asap when they understand the effects it is having on them, but that won't happen until our brain is ready, no matter how much we want to be balanced.

My suggestion would be to slow down and back up. Put back the sugars you were eating before the intense cravings appeared. You certainly don't sound ready to move ahead, you have already moved too quickly for your brain chemistry,and this is one of the ways our brain tells us. They always tell us, if we listen, so GREAT JOB at listening!!!

Basically, if we try to rush our brain chemistry into balance it ends up taking WAYYYY longer than going slowly., because we have to keep going back.

Hope that helps

Love

Jane
xx

: I am new and didn't read the book too
: far ahead. Only the beginning and
: the first 3 steps so far, so that
: I won't get ahead of myself.
: I did the 1st step for 2 weeks and
: had no problems with it since I am
: used to having breakfast soon
: after waking up. The only thing I
: changed there was I started paying
: more attention to the proteins.

: I started journaling about a week ago
: and I'm finding it very useful. I
: am seeing patterns in how often I
: eat and noticing things I wasn't
: aware of before. I feel anxious to
: start the 3rd step of the program
: to get my meals somewhat balanced,
: but I am telling myself I should
: take it slow and focus on the
: journaling still because more
: awareness of the patterns in my
: eating behavior might still pop
: up.

: The reason I am writing this is
: because I am having some very
: INTENSE sugar cravings. I was
: doing fine all day yesterday and
: went grocery shopping and
: congratulated myself for the items
: I bought. Yet, at night after a
: pretty successful day, I felt this
: frenzy and before I knew it, I
: went to buy candy and just ate it
: without thinking. I had very
: strong guilt feelings afterwards,
: and these self-loathing thoughts
: of being fat (to be honest, I am
: not even terribly fat but I have
: been gaining weight lately and
: having trouble controlling my
: eating). Last night I decided that
: "tomorrow I'll try to be
: without sugar". And so, that
: "tomorrow" is now, and
: here I am fantasizing about candy
: and chocolate, and planning a trip
: to the nearby store.

: I would like to hear if you other
: people doing this program
: experience anything similar and
: how you deal with it?

: I also wonder if it would be better
: for me to move on to the 3rd step
: and start having regular meals
: already, and then eat my sugary
: things with the meals instead of
: denying myself of having them
: completely, and instead of having
: them whenever, for example late at
: night.

: Thank you very much for all the help
: and tips you might have!