I’ve battled sugar addiction my whole life. I don’t drink much alcohol, I’ve never had a cup of coffee, and I’ve only ever smoked a few cigarettes. But sugar has always been my weakness.
I’ve known for years how harmful processed sugar is, especially with diabetes on both sides of my family. In January 2023, when I recorded my first podcast, I shared the advice I would give my younger self: tackle my sugar addiction. I did try. Then last year I was told I was pre-diabetic and that was my wake-up call. Today I’m proud to say I’m celebrating one year without chocolate, cakes, sweets, biscuits, and ice cream.
Why did it take me so long? Looking back, I think I made the mistake of listening to advice from people who told me not to deprive myself completely, but to allow occasional treats. That didn’t work for me and I don’t think it works for any addiction. I even tried hypnosis with two different therapists over the last decade, and it helped for a while, but I always slipped back.
But this time last year I felt very different and surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard as I expected. Two things had changed. My sugar cravings were mainly emotional eating triggers, and when my twins left for university, my life calmed down. We used to share chocolate (we love a box of Milk Tray) and sweets together, so that habit naturally ended. And also I decided to go cold turkey. At first, temptations were everywhere—cake at meetings, desserts at conferences, even friends giving me chocolate as gifts. People would say things like, “It’s a healthy dessert” or “Just try a little piece.” But I reminded myself this is an addiction. You wouldn’t tell an alcoholic to have just one drink, so don’t tell me to have one treat.
Has it made a difference? Absolutely. Within months I was no longer pre-diabetic. Over the past year I’ve also made big changes to my overall lifestyle. I’ve lost 20kg over the last two years, I now do 6–10 fitness classes a week, I’ve cut back even more on alcohol, and I mostly eat a pescatarian diet with two meals a day between 12 and 7pm. I’ve alway led a healthy lifestyle but I’ve never felt 100% in control of my health—but I do now.
So what’s next? I don’t see myself going back to sugar. I’ve had enough in my lifetime, and I no longer feel any pull towards it. I can sit happily while others eat cake without feeling I’m missing out. My new challenge, though, is crisps. That’s been harder to tackle. If you want a snack on the go, the healthy options are often limited. But after reading Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken, I’ll never eat another Pringle. And after a trip to the USA, where I ate a few bags of intensely salty crisps, I think I may finally have put myself off them. Right now, even the thought of crisps makes me feel queasy.
This past year has taught me that change is possible at any stage of life. But it needs to be the right time, when we are ready. It does take time and energy and that is tricky when we are living hectic lives. Short cuts seem easier, but they are not good for us in the long run.
For more information about sugar – read my blog from last year when I was 2 months into this journey – https://joyceharper.com/sugar/
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