While I was breastfeeding, I had intense cravings for sugar. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but never have I  wanted to gorge on sugar – chocolate, candy and slices more precisely. My appetite for sugar was insatiable and it lead me to wonder why this was happening.

I’ve read countless amounts of research and talked to other breastfeeding moms who have all suffered differing degrees of craving sugar. I say suffer cause it is a truly horrible and vicious cycle of bingeing on chocolate (or whatever your sugar of choice), briefly feeling great and then crashing again once the sugar wears off.

When our bodies are tired or even depressed brain signals get all mixed up, we get low blood sugar and the brain gets a signal that we need a pick me up. Generally the signal triggers sugar and/or carb cravings – think chocolate, brownies and other white flour products you can find at the local Couplands.

I suppose this explains why with loss of sleep and feeding a baby with the appetite of an overweight adult – which is what a baby’s caloric intake equals – I was having cravings. As bubs started sleeping through the night, I felt sure that my body would right itself, but really my sleep is only really getting back to normal now. For months I slept with one ear open, at the ready to pop up at the first sound of bubs. And still now I am waking earlier than I have ever before in an attempt to be ready for the day before Preston wakes.

Some of the steps I took to slow these mad cravings are:

1. Stopped buying the massive slabs of chocolate on sale at the grocery store. I had to be honest with myself that I would not be able to break off 3 squares and then put the slab back in the fridge. Once unleashed I would need to eat the whole thing. Out of sight, out of mind.

2. Bake a less sugary snack when the craving hit me. Muesli bars packed with sultanas and other dried fruits would always curb my sweet tooth, and sometimes in the time is took me to make them my craving lessened.

3. Join a gym. Not always an easy option, but definitely a great place to get moving while getting the support you need from qualified trainers.

4. Take bubs out for a brisk walk, any exercise will help to curb cravings.

5. Look at what you are eating and make sure that it is balanced. Everything in moderation is the key – even small amounts of good fat from lean meats are essential to proper body function.
The 2006 Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial showed that women on low-fat diets didn’t lose any more weight than women who followed their usual diets.