I’ve struggled with sugar my entire life. I can remember sweets being an occasional treat as a kid, but once I turned sixteen and worked as a cashier at our local grocery store, sweets became my main food group. I would wake up, have a donut or some kind of prepackaged pastry before heading to school. In high school, we had a canteen area and I would buy a Coke, Reese’s cup, and a bag of chips. Sometimes the bag of chips got traded out for another candy bar. I would then go to work and on my break, grab another soft drink and whatever candy bars were on sale. This was sorta my diet for most of my teens and early twenties.

My metabolism started to disappear at twenty-two. So I started exercising, but still ate fast food and junk food most of the time. I had no idea how to cook for myself. In my thirties, I discovered the concept of “real food” and started to eat a more balanced diet, but sugar was still a weakness. I can remember coming *so* close to buying a spot in a program that was supposed to help you kick your sugar habit. Looking back, it probably would have been a good idea because I’ve realized something changes when you actually make a decision to invest in a program. Instead, I bought a book called 21 Day Sugar Fix or something like that. It helped me kick the sugar habit…for 21 days.

Research has likened sugar to as addictive as cocaine and while I, thankfully, have never tried cocaine, I know I have struggled with “needing” something sweet, feeling the high of sugar, and then having regret that I ate the sugar. I tell myself the sweet thing wasn’t worth it and I need to remember that next time. And then a few hours later I “need” something sweet again. It feels a little like being caught up in a tornado that I desperately want out of.

So, how has The FASTer Way to Fat Loss helped? Hmmm, where to start? I started out my journey with FASTer Way really strict with myself. The rules for food is you have certain macro goals to obtain each day and the food you should eat should be whole food nutrition: meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, maple syrup, and honey are all allowed. On Saturdays, you are allowed a treat, if it fits with your daily macros. For the first six weeks, even my treats were mostly on plan. The accountability of the group, the investment of it, the varied foods I was eating…it all helped me stay on track and change my lifestyle.

Was it a breeze? Not always. I can remember being three weeks into the program and we had a joint birthday party for Pressley and Eleanor. There was cake and a cookie cake. I sat there and pulled out my bag of Bare Naked granola bites and portioned out my serving. I savored each little bite. And I can remember thinking this is the way food should be. Enjoyed. Savored. Moderation. I was a little resentful as everyone else ate slices of cake and ice cream, but you know what? A couple of hours later, I was really glad I had stuck with my granola bites. They had satisfied my sweet tooth, I didn’t feel horrible afterwards, and I had ZERO guilt. And I was losing weight and felt better than I had in years.

I did a second round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss and it was easier to say no. I didn’t feel resentful or deprived anymore. I was apart of this wonderful group that helped keep me accountable and I wasn’t alone in changing my lifestyle. Habits and addictions were being broken and new, healthier ones were put in place. I wrapped up my second round, having lost over twenty pounds and went from a size 14/16 to a size 6/8. I felt better than I had in a long time.

I’m now a coach and also do the monthly VIP membership (which is amazing!) and it helps keep me on track, especially after a week of indulging more than normal in sweets during the Christmas week, but I feel like I’ve finally learned moderation and self-control. It’s not as hard to steer myself back on track. I will always be a sugar addict, that’s the nature of addiction, but I finally feel like I’ve formed new habits, set boundaries, and have a community that I can lean on when the going gets tough.

I’ve been writing about the FASTer Way all week long. You can check out my Low Carb eating post and the Regular Macro post as well as my What Do I Eat post. AND if this sounds like the program for you, I’d love for you to join my next round! Let’s get that sugar addiction under control!