Hi Maria
A big part of my recovery was learning new ways of dealing with all the things that used to be my cues for eating sugar. I remember when I was first off of sugar (I quit sugar on the Zone diet before finding RR, don't recommend quitting all at once the way I did) I would get that antsy feeling and want some sugar. I found out that most of the time, a good brisk walk would take care of that feeling. I would get up from my desk and walk around the office, or go walk around the block. If not, I would figure out what my body would settle for instead of sugar from the little food shop across the street. Usually something with fat would work, like beef chili.

My feelings began to calm down once the sugar was gone, so I didn't find myself wanting sugar because of big feelings. But I had always used sugar as a way to reward myself. For instance, when I went grocery shopping, I would buy myself a candy reward. On weekends, when I was doing chores around the house, I would stop mid-afternoon for a cup of coffee and some cookies. I needed new rewards. I did eventually find some. I no longer need a reward for going grocery shopping, but when I'm working on a project, I take little breaks to check email or look out the window at the bird feeders. I also tend to do tasks less obsessively and I've learned how to be realistic about how much I want to accomplish in a day and leave myself some leisure time.

It sounds as though you are learning some new life skills, and that's great. You don't want to eliminate sugar too fast, but you are learning new patterns instead of turning to sugar to fill your time or deal with feelings. Bravo! And all those alternatives you mentioned will do more to make you feel good in the long run than sugar will.

Allison

: Today I was having some old familiar
: feelings and began driving to the
: store to buy my old sugar
: "friend", the one that
: always used to share those
: feelings with me. We were so tight
: back in the day, that
: "friend" and me. We
: watched movies, talked about boys,
: laughed and cried together.

: But as I was driving I realized I
: didn't want to be around that
: "friend" anymore. We
: don't seem to have much in common
: these days. I want to go for a
: bike ride, have a karaoke party,
: make a Halloween costume. That
: "friend" won't do any of
: those things with me. It doesn't
: want to talk about stuff like we
: used to. It just wants to space
: out in front of the TV. Kind of a
: loser, really.

: If that "friend" were a
: person I would've texted it some
: lame excuse why I wasn't going to
: make it. But I know it will fine
: without me. It's got plenty of
: buddies sitting on the shelf with
: it at the store. As for me, I
: turned the car around and went
: home.