Not to continually be the bearer of bad news, but there's another reason you might want to cut back on sugar: It actually makes you hungrier.
"High amounts of added sugar in the diet can increase leptin resistance (leptin is the satiety hormone in the stomach which signals to you when you have eaten enough). The more sugar you eat, the more leptin-resistant you become, and the more your desire to eat (including sweets) increases," Palinski-Wade says.
Nipping your sugar habit, or in my case ice cream habit, in the bud can actually help you feel more satiated with healthy food options over time, which is part of the reason avoiding sugar becomes easier the longer you do it.
"Your taste buds become adjusted to your diet," Palinski-Wade says. "If you continue to eat sweets daily, you will begin to crave more and more sweets. Slowly reducing your intake will allow your taste buds to become more sensitized to sweets, meaning that your cravings will decline as well. Make dietary adjustments slowly. Drastic changes may trigger cravings and make it harder to stay on track with your goals."
This is something to keep in mind when you begin to cut back on sugar. The longer you replace sugary foods with healthier options, the easier it will be to avoid it in the first place. For me, that means the urge to eat an entire pint of ice cream will fade (which is something I may or may not have done in the midst of Memorial Day weekend celebrations).