Cut down on sugar.
Servings a day, and how sweet they are. Curb steps both.
Two levers
Each one has a strength, so a switch to a lighter one is a step down on its own. Curb plans with count times strength, and when the count gets low, the plan moves to a lighter strength and gives some of the count back.
The app offers a soda (25 g), a pastry (12 g), and a square of chocolate (6 g).
What a plan looks like
One plan, from 5 servings a day to zero at the steady pace, week by week.
| Week | Allowance | Strength | g a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 5 servings a day | 12 g | 60 g |
| Week 2 | 4 servings a day | 12 g | 48 g |
| Week 3 | 4 servings a day | 12 g | 48 g |
| Week 4 | 3 servings a day | 12 g | 36 g |
| Week 5 | 2 servings a day | 12 g | 24 g |
| Week 6 | 4 servings a day | 6 g | 24 g |
| Week 7 | 2 servings a day | 6 g | 12 g |
| Week 8 | 1 servings a day | 6 g | 6 g |
| Week 9 | 0 servings a day | 6 g | 0 g |
What it costs
At those numbers and a typical price:
- a month
- $56
- a day
- 60 g
- a year
- $675
Try your own numbers in the cost calculator. What it costs a year, at every level.
What tends to help
- The 3pm craving often starts at breakfast. Enough protein in the morning changes the afternoon.
- Buy single servings. A share bag is one decision you regret four times.
- Water and ten minutes first. A fair share of cravings do not survive the wait.
- Keep one planned treat a week instead of banning them outright. "Never again" is the rule people break first.
- Do not shop hungry, and do not shop without a list.
Instead of it
- Fruit at eye level. Put it where the cookies currently are.
- Nuts or yoghurt. Protein and fat keep you full longer than sugar does.
- Sparkling water. Handles the fizzy-and-cold part of a soda habit.
- Tea after dinner. Marks the end of eating for the day.
Worth knowing about
- A breakfast with protein in it. Eggs, yoghurt, oats. The 3pm craving is frequently a decision that was made at 8am.
- Single servings, never share bags. A share bag is one decision you get to regret four times. Small packs cost more per gram and that is the point.
- Sparkling water in the fridge. Covers the cold-and-fizzy part of a soda habit, which turns out to be most of it.
- A list, and never shopping hungry. Almost all of this is decided in the supermarket rather than in the kitchen.
Curb takes no money for anything listed here, and none of these are affiliate links. General guidance, not medical advice. A doctor or pharmacist can tell you what fits your situation.
Start with the number you use now.
The first week only watches. The first step down lands on a Monday.