It's funny. I do so much talking about focusing on Step one and not obsessing about THE SUGAR, that I haven't really given those of you who are ready to actually do it.

Going off of sugar works way better if you do some homework. first.  So remember, do steps 1-5 first. Do not rush to what you think is the most important. It is not. What is most important is learning how to eat differently.  But when you are ready, here are some ideas:

Start by CLEANING YOUR KITCHEN
Go into your kitchen, open your cabinets, and take out all the foods with obvious sugars in them. This includes leftover Halloween or other candy, high-sugar comfort foods, soda, sugar cereals such as Frosted Flakes  you know, all the high-temptation stuff. Throw it away or give it away. Ideally, see if you can get every last bit of it out of the house.

If your family will go nuts if you give away their sugar foods, arrange with them to put all the sweet things into one place. Choose a cupboard or cabinet that you do not usually use. Call it the sugar stash. You will know what is there, but at least you can make the choice whether to go and look at or eat what is in the cupboard. By separating the sugar stash from the other foods, you will at least minimize your bumping into such foods while you are trying to be clean.

Set The Stage by TALKING TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
The next step is an emotional housecleaning. So far, your family and friends have probably seen the positive change in you as you progress with this program. They may have seen that overall you have more energy, are more upbeat, relaxed, and sympathetic. They know you arent fixed yet, but they are interested in the change that is taking place in you. Some family members may have rolled their eyes at first when they heard you were on another diet, but they have probably changed their tune by now.

But now that you are going to stop eating sugar, their reactions may well change again. They may be worried that you are going to expect them to stop eating sugar, too. They may be fiercely resistant or totally uninterested in anything that has to do with your eating more regularly and giving up sugar. They may even actively subvert your commitment to the plan. Your husband may ask, Are you still doing that stuff? as he orders chocolate mousse for dessert. Your kids may unconsciously try to sabotage you as well. Remember, sugar sensitivity is inherited. The chances that your family is sugar sensitive are really high. You know this. They know this. And they may not be in the same place you are, ready to move toward a sugar-free life.

You may also have close friends who are sugar sensitive. And friends who are still very attached to sugar and with things may warn you of the dangers of a high-protein diet. Telling them that this food plan is not a high-protein diet will have no impact, because the concern isnt really about protein. They are worried that if you change, they may feel pressured to change as well. And many people are not ready to. You cant clear out your husband or unsupportive best friend the way you can clear out your cabinet, but you can be clear with them and clear in your own mind and commitment. And you can actively add other people to your support group.

You need support from people who understand your program. Talking with folks who are supportive is absolutely critical to your success. You could do this by doing the program with a friend, joining a local Potatoes Not Prozac support group, or finding a way to get online and talk to the great folks on the website. However you choose to find support, make a real effort to do so! It will make a world off difference to the success of your program. Having personal connection to others doing the program will help you stick with it.

The Last Part: HOLDING THE SADNESS
A key part of getting ready to take the sugars out is acknowledging the intensity of the emotional cues associated with sugars in our culture. Many of your childhood memories of support and love are connected to food, usually sweet or white foods. They hold a very big emotional charge for you.

But the foods you think of as providing comfort are the very things that have contributed to your problems. In other words, oftentimes the reason you need comfort is due to the very sweet or white food you are eating!

This is a very difficult concept to explain to someone who is still using comfort foods. When you are caught in the middle of these foods, it is almost impossible to understand how big a problem they are creating.

An alcoholic who is still drinking will often tell me, I would stop drinking if I could just get my life squared away. And she will struggle and struggle and struggle to fix her problems, but they still surround her and create her need for a drink. Using sugars and white things acts in exactly the same way. I used to fell I needed a hot fudge sundae every night after work because my work was so stressful, so demanding, and so tiring. I had no idea that it was the hot fudge sundae that was significantly contributing to the stress of my life. My sugar-laden brain could not in any way make that connection.

Because you have been doing the plan for awhile now, I know this concept is starting to make sense to you. You can see more clearly the huge effect that these sugar foods have on you. You recognize that your down sides are directly correlated to what you are eating. So, on an intellectual level you are ready. On an emotional level, though, you may continue to be scared about having to give things up that have so much tenderness associated with them.

After all is said and done, ultimately you will be making a choice about what you want more. I still miss those green-iced Christmas cookies. I still want them every Christmas.  But experience has. I want my recovery more than I want the illusion of comfort that those cookies would give me. You will grow into this place, too. The longer you do the program, the more this will make sense to you.