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Connie Bennett, CHHC, CPC, ACC
I'm a bestselling author and author of Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock. , a motivational speaker, life coach, health coach, and former sugar addict-turned Sugar Freedom Coach (who helps carb addicts around the world).
Interests: bicycling, Zumba, tennis, photography, meditation, etc., skiing, walking for miles, films (all genres), personal empowerment events, reading novels and non-fiction books, writing essays and blog posts, spinning and having scintillating conversations.
Recent Activity
Talk to us. Will you join me in making a donation to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation? I hope you had a wonderful, grateful Thanksgiving. On Cyber Monday -- or any day, for that matter -- I invite you to make a donation to a worthwhile organization while you buy your holiday gifts. HSFIn fact, i invite you to join me in donating to the worthwhile, non-profit Hypoglycemia Support Foundation. Why am I encouraging you to donate to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation? Because this organization does amazing work to educate people about hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. This is a condition, which can manifest some 125 symptoms, including headaches, mood swings, heart palpitations, mental confusion (brain fog), excessive fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, cold hands and feet, and Crazy Sugar Cravings. I personally have greatly benefited from the Hypoglyemia Support Foundation. In fact, back in 1998, when I learned that I had hypolgycemia or low blood sugar, Roberta Ruggiero, founder and president of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, helped me so much! Indeed, thanks to Roberta's unwavering support, encouragement, and patient explanations, I was able to follow my doctor's orders to kick sweets and quickie carbs, to take back my health and to say farewell to 44 baffling ailments. You've never met a woman more dedicated than Robera, who has been steadfastly dedicated for 34 ears to help people learn about hypoglycemia, which has been dubbed the "Great Imitator," because people with this condition can manifest ailments that confuse medical professionals. Did you know, for instance, that if you have hypoglycemia, your doctor can wrongly diagnose you for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, neurosis, migraines, Parkinson's syndrome, chronic bronchial asthma, paroxysmal tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), rheematoid arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis (hardening of the brain's arteries), menopause, mental retardation, alcoholism, hyperactive disorder, and even senility. To learn more about the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and its founder Roberta Ruggiero, listen to last year's Gab with the Gurus Show, when I interviewed Roberta for my 15 years off sugar celebration. In this show, we share secrets to staying sugar-free. Check Out Health Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Gab With the Gurus on BlogTalkRadio Now, I invite you to make a donation to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation. Feel free to say that Connie sent you. CB - pink shirtWho is Sugar Shock Blog founder Connie Bennett? Connie is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist. After quitting sugar on doctor's orders in 1998, ALL 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished, and she became "reborn." For the past 16 1/2 years, Connie has helped thousands worldwide release their sugar addiction and Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. She is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, Bounce-Back-to-Your Best Body™ coach, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed Beyond Sugar Shock_RGBby Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many others. Her first book, Sugar Shock, was praised by such respected people as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions blindsided by Crazy Cravings™ after a major loss (such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or end of a job) or another life-changing event. Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com Continue reading
Posted Nov 30, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Please let us know how you're doing. What are your favorite ways to get back on track? Halloween_funny_pic_07-400x300If you're like millions of Americans, yesterday, you overdosed on candies, in large part, because Halloween is a sanctioned National Sugar Overload Day. For years now -- ever since 1998, when I kicked sugar on doctor's orders -- on The Day After Halloween, I hear from frustrated, disappointed, Sugar Shocked people, who want to know how to Get Back on Track. For instance, today, a determined Christie wrote to say: "I'm ready to kick sugar again.....again!!! Ready to sleep better at night, have more energy during the day, and have the brain fog lifted!" If you, like millions of Americans, pigged out on Halloween candies, you're probably reeling from Sugar Shock -- which means you may be feeling dizzy, headachy, sluggish, irritable or wiped out. Since you're not feeling so great, here are 6 easy ways to help you Rebound After Relapse™, as I call it, 1. Drink plenty of water. That, of course, you probably know. Add some lemon, too, if you can. 2. Ditch the Sweet Stuff or Hide it in Your Car Trunk. Please don't keep leftover candies in your home. Temptation can lead to one bite, which, of course, can lead to many more. Now, if you'd rather not be restrictive with your kids because you feel that they'll then want more candies, then ration them out. Let your childreen have 2 small candies per day. Then hide the rest in your car trunk or another place that's not easily accessible. 3. Treat Yourself to Nutritions Meals. Given that yesterday you tricked yourself, today's the day to treat yourself with nourishing meals. Think quality protein (free-range chicken, fish, etc.), healthy fats (like a little olive drizzled over your dinner), and quality carbs (a salad and veggies). 4. Savor Sweet Potato & Sweeten with Cinnamon. If you find yourself craving something sweet today -- which can be expected -- try sprinkling some cinnamon on a cooked sweet potato or pumpkin. Not only is this combo yummy, but cinnamon, as a 2007 study showed, may lower your blood sugar after meals, (See the actual study here.) You also can add a dash of olive oil or flax oil, which makes your dish quite tasty. In fact, you can make this your dessert. 5. Sniff Away Your Cravings & Stress. Since today, you may be feeling especially stressed since you ate a lot of sugar-filled candies, try dabbing on some lavender, which research shows can diminish stress, which is a prime trigger for food cravings. The various chemicals in lavender -- such as Linalol, linalyl acetate, geranyle, eucalyptol, pinene, limonene, cineole, phenol, coumarins, and flavonoids -- work together by " stimulating smell receptors in the nose, which then send messages through the nervous system to the limbic system." That's "the part of the brain that controls emotions," according to The Mayo Clinic. 6. Join fitness and nutrition expert JJ Virgin, for for another livestream event with top health experts. JJ, whose new book, The Sugar Impact Diet, comes out next week, is following up her previous event on Thursday. Today, she'll speak to cultured foods expert Donna Gates, along with nutritionist Christa Orecchio and Dr. Nalini Chilkov,, who will discuss sugar's connection to cancer. A very special thanks to YouOffendMeYouOffendMyFamily.com for this entertaining graphic. Personal Note from Connie: As you may know, I'm home now with a nasty flu, but I really wanted to help you Get Back on Track after Halloween whille I rest. Please let us know how you're doing. What are your favorite ways to get back on track? Continue reading
Posted Nov 1, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Today's Halloween, a day that really spooks me. The reason Halloween frightens me is because it's a sanctioned and heavily promoted National Sugar Overload Day. (That's what I call it.) Tonight, during and after trick-or-treating throughout their neighborhoods, millions of kids -- and their parents -- will be stuffing their faces with candies galore. But candies don't just grab our attention on this one night alone. Tomorrow and in the coming days, both youngsters and kids will be gorging on candies. Worse still, Halloween kicks off an entire two-month Season of Mindless Sugar Gorging. This is utterly frightening, because when you overdose on candies and other sweets, you're speeding towards obesity, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes—and an early death. Today, I'd planned to present an exciting special Gab with the Gurus Halloween show. My guests were High Voltage (Kathie Dolgin), author of The Sugar Savvy Solution, and Barry Friedman, founder of 30 Days Sugarfree. Alas, I had to cancel the Gab with the Gurus Show since I'm sick with a nasty cold/flu and need my rest. Instead, I invite you to watch this video with me, thanks to Chris Morrow for iCNN. CB - pink shirtAbout Sugar Shock Blog Founder Connie Bennett: Connie Bennett is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist, whose 44 baffling ailments completely vanished in 1998 after she quit sugar and quickie carbs on doctor's orders. For the past 16-plus years, the energetic, charismatic, self-mocking Sweet Freedom Guide™ has been sharing The Sour Scoop about Sweets™ and helping people worldwide Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. Connie is a transformational speaker, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed by many leaders such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, Brian Tracy, John Assaraf, and High Volltage (Kathie Dolgin). Her first bestselling book, Sugar Shock, was praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup and many more. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature 29 of the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, and weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions to Rebound After Relapse™, after they've been walloped by the death of a loved one, divorce, moving, financial loss or another life-changing event. Stay in touch at Sugar Shock Blog updates here. Continue reading
Posted Oct 31, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
It's time to share a great treat with you. This is sweet, but not the dangerous, sugary kind. Tomorrow, before the Season of Sugar Gorging kicks off (Halloween), get help from renowned fitness and nutrition expert and New York Times bestselling author JJ Virgin. JJ--whose groundbreaking book, The Sugar Impact Diet, hits bookstores soon—is helping you Thursday in a complimentary online video event. Watch at: http://sugarimpactdiet.com/live Watch to get the scoop about: JJ's latest discoveries about how we've been looking at sugar all wrong. Her new SID 4T protocol, which gives you control over sugar in 2 weeks. Frustration-free ways to keep sugar off your plate at every meal—including how to weed sugar out of your fridge and pantry. And much more. In this exciting program, you'll also get: Sugar-busting strategies from such stellar experts as Dr. Sara Gottfried and gluten expert Dr. Tom O'Bryan, who's on now. JJ is even giving away some great prizes such as goodies from Vital Choice Seafood and more. If you missed this event, JJ's doing another livestream Saturday with more exciting experts -- cultured foods expert Donna Gates, along with nutritionist Christa Orecchio and Dr. Nalini Chilkov,, who will discuss sugar's connection to cancer. - See more at: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/#sthash.XIB0QY7b.dpuf k to cultured foods expert Donna Gates, along with nutritionist Christa Orecchio and Dr. Nalini Chilkov,, who will discuss sugar's connection to cancer. - See more at: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/#sthash.XIB0QY7b.dpuf ay, she'll speak to cultured foods expert Donna Gates, along with nutritionist Christa Orecchio and Dr. Nalini Chilkov,, who will discuss sugar's connection to cancer. - See more at: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/#sthash.XIB0QY7b.dpuf See you in the chat area on JJ's livestream? About Sugar Shock Blog Founder Connie Bennett: Connie Bennett is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist. After she quit sugar on doctor's orders in 1998, ALL 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished, and she became "reborn." For the past 16-plus years, the energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide has been devoted to sharing The Sour Scoop about Sweets and to helping people Get a Sweet Life that Rocks™. Connie is now a transformational speaker, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of, Beyond Sugar Shock, which was was endorsed by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many others, and, Sugar Shock, which was praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature 21 of the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, and weight loss, etc. Connie is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions, who've lost their way around food when walloped and blindsided by overpowering emotions and challenges such as death, divorce, moving, financial loss or another life-changing event. Stay in touch. Sign up for Sugar Shock Blog uupdates here. Continue reading
Posted Oct 30, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Are you what I call a Sweet Success Story? Share your tale now. Happy people Have you shed excess weight, eliminated your horrible headaches, gotten rid of your pre-cancerous condition, or done away with another pesky health problem by kicking or cutting back on sugar, refined carbs and other high-glycemic foods such as corn nuts, potato chips, and French fries? In short, are you now slimmer, happier, and sexier? In other words, have you discovered the power of life without all those super-sweet or quickie-carb foods? Do you now Enjoy Living Sweeter Naturally™? If you're a Sweet Success Story, we may want to tell your story to inspire others. As you may already know -- or your friends do -- quitting sugary foods and rapidly processed carbohydrates (what I also call "culprit carbs") can speed you on your weight loss journey. Not only that but cutting out the culprit carbs can help you overcome a variety of health challenges, as thousands of people -- whom I call "Sugar Kickers" or "Carb Kickers" -- have been gleefully sharing with me for 16-plus years since I quit the dangerous carbs on doctor's orders. Readers of this Sugar Shock Blog love inspiring tales such as yours. We'd like to hear from you if you've had a drastic health improvement by cutting out sugar, quickie carbs, gluten, dairy or artificial sweeteners. If you're a Sweet Success Story -- whether you lost weight, got more energy, improved your moods or got your diabetes under control -- we want to consider sharing your tale here. Remember, by sharing your story, you'll be able to inspire, motivate, and encourage people from around the world. Wondering what I mean? Read some motivational Sweet Success Stories shared here previously: Fellow blogger Jimmy Moore. (Catch our interview on my Gab With the Gurus Show, too.) Jaime Jackson Felicia DesRosiers Karly Pitman Are you what I call a Sweet Success Story? Share your tale now. (Please submit info using the format used above, and we'll get back to you.) CB - pink shirtWho is blog founder Connie Bennett? Connie is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist. After quitting sugar on doctor's orders in 1998, ALL 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished,, and she became "reborn." Now, 16 1/2 years later, Connie is devoted to helping people Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. She is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, Bounce-Back-to-Your Best Body™ coach, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed Beyond Sugar Shock_RGBby Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many others, and Sugar Shock, which was praised by such respected people as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. She's now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions, who are blindsided by Crazy Cravings™ and overpowering emotions after the death of a loved one, a divorce or breakup, moving, losing a job, or another life-changing event. Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com Continue reading
Posted Oct 22, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Tired? Moody? Depressed? You May Have Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia): Kudos to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation
Talk to us: Do you have any of these symptoms? Do you often feel wiped out, weak, dizzy, forgetful, irritable or depressed? Or, do you struggle with insomnia, headaches, obesity, anxiety, brain fog or heart palpitations? And are you hounded by what I call Crazy Cravings™ and sudden, ravenous hunger? Worse still, does your doctor insist, "It's all in your head!" Your doctor could be completely wrong! Instead, you could be among millions, who have hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Hypolgycemia is an often-overlooked, debilitating medical condition, which means that your blood glucose drops too low for you to be able to go about your daily activities. When your blood sugar plunges, you can get hit by dizziness, fatigue, headaches, mood swings, forgetfulness, brain fog, heart palpitations and dozens of other ailments. Low blood sugar is the reverse of diabetes, which generally gets the most attention, but in my opinion, according to my extensive research, hypoglycemia is far more pervasive. In fact, my research leads me to believe that about half of the people in the United States and millions more around the world have this condition -- yes, it's not a disease. So what's the cure for hypoglycemia? Eat right! And exercise. Yes, to manage your low blood sugar, you don't need to take any medication. You just need to cut out candies, cookies, cakes, breads, pasta, candies and other fast-acting carbohydrates, which I call carb crap. Back in 1998, I discovered that my reactive hypoglycemia was to blame for my 44 ailments. (Yes, I had that many, as you can read about in my first book, Sugar Shock. See Chapter 13, which is about hypoglycemia.) At the time, my savvy physician's unusual prescription was unsettling. "Quit sugar and processed carbohydrates," my doctor ordered. Letting go of my favorite sweet treats was the last thing I wanted to do! And it was no easy feat. RobertaBut then, thankfully, I found the most amazing, kind, warm woman, Roberta Ruggiero, Roberta -- who has had her share of low blood sugar woes -- is president of the non-profit Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, which she founded in 1980 to educate and support millions worldwide on how to prevent and manage their low blood sugar, came to my rescue. This week, Roberta and her amazing organization are celebrating 34 years of serving desperate people worldwide. In fact, last night, the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation had its fourth annual Hypoglycemia Take Center Stage Gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Alas, I was bummed out that I couldn't attend this hugely successful affair. (I was at another amazing event in San Diego with Lisa Sasevich, The Queen of Sales Conversion.) I cannot overstate how grateful I am to Roberta for helping me to kick sweets and quickie carbs and to learn about hypoglycemia. Given that I first contacted Roberta in 1998 -- well before the Internet was easy to access -- I had to rely on books and Roberta for my hypo education. Wow, did Roberta come through for me! For instance, Roberta -- whose phone number I tracked down -- patiently explained to me that our bodies, and especially our brains, need glucose to survive. During a number of conversations, Roberta explained that 80 million of us worldwide are plagued by many symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia, especially if we don't watch our diets and eat sugars, many of which are hidden in processed foods. (I believe that her figure is too low.) As I became healthier without sugar coursing through my system, I discovered that hypoglycemia has been called the "Great Imitator." That's because low blood sugar's strange, startling symptoms -- some experts cite asm many as 125 of them -- can make your doctor wrongly believe that you have bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, neurosis, mibgraines, Parkinson's syndrome, chronic bronchial asthma, paroxysmal tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), rehematoid arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis (hardening of the brain's arteries), menopause, mental retardation, alcoholism, hyperactive disorder, and even senility. In short, when you have hypoglycemia -- which I dub "hypo" -- you and your doctor can get mighty confused. As I was getting better, I then heard Roberta's startling story. In fact, both she and many doctors over the years were completely baffled as to what was wrong with her. She was even subjected to grueling electroshock treatments when all she needed to do was quit sugar! I invite you now to listen to my interview with Roberta Ruggiero on my Gab with the Gurus Show. The interview took place last year when while I was celebrating 15 years off sugar. Check Out Health Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Gab With the Gurus on BlogTalkRadio Anyhow, again, thanks to to the amazing Roberta Ruggiero, for helping me to successfully quit sugar and refined carbs back in 1998. HSFIn fact, I'm only here today helping people worldwide to break free of their sugar addiction and Sugar Shock because of Roberta. Again, I invite you to listen now to last year's interview with Roberta on my Gab with the Gurus Show. I also urge you to learn more about Roberta and her valuable Hypoglycemia Support Foundation. For instance, I recommend that you: Fan the HSF on Facebook. Donate to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation. (When you offer your valuable contribution, please tell Roberta that Connie sent you.) A very special thanks to Craig Cameron for the artwork above. Talk to us: Do you have any of these symptoms? Connie Bennett is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist and "Ex-Sugar Shrew." After quitting sugar on doctor's orders in 1998, all 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished. Now, 16 years later, Connie is an acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sugar Freedom Guide, transformational speaker, sugar ande carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author. Her latest book, Beyond Sugar Shock, was endorsed by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many other experts, and her first book, Sugar Shock. was praised by such acclaimed gurus as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. Connie is also finishing her next book, Bounce Back After You Blow Your Diet: 22 Easy Ways to Ditch Sugar, Fat or Salt; Get Back on Track; & Shed Weight for Good. (Working title.)Connie's upcoming book -- which was inspired by her own embarrassing Carb Relapse after the death of her mother -- is designed to help millions, who lose their way with food while being walloped and blindsided by Crazy Cravings™ and overpowering emotions as they deal with the death of a loved one, divorce, a breakup, moving, the loss of a job, or another life-changing event. Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com 1 2 0 - See more at: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/#sthash.45MWi8UA.dpuf CB - pink shirtWho is blog founder Connie Bennett? Connie is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist. After quitting sugar on doctor's orders in 1998, ALL 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished,, and she became "reborn." Now, 16 1/2 years later, Connie is devoted to helping people Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. She is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, Bounce-Back-to-Your Best Body™ coach, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed Beyond Sugar Shock_RGBby Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many others, and Sugar Shock, which was praised by such respected people as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions, who are blindsided by Crazy Cravings™ and overpowering emotions after the death of a loved one, a divorce or breakup, moving, losing a job, or another life-changing event. Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com Continue reading
Posted Oct 19, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Please note that the exciting first Sugar World Summit, was originally scheduled to begin today, two weeks before Halloween, has been delayed. I'll announce a new date shortly. So please rest assured, those of you who've written to me concerned that you've missed out on the many exciting programs, which will feature the biggest names in sugar education and addiction, relapse prevention, mindful eating, compassion, etc. The Sugar World Summit is still happening. In fact, my team and I are deep into planning it. JJ Virgin Sugar Impact DietSo why did we delay the first Sugar World Summti? A bit of history is in order. Many months ago, I excitedly scheduled the first Sugar World Summit to begin today, exactly two weeks before Halloween, the biggest candy-eating day in the United States -- a day I dub Halloween National Sugar Overload Day. This Sugar World Summit was timed to coincide with my big comeback. After three years, I'd finally recoveried from My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, which had left me TAGGED (Traumatized, Abused, Gripped by Grief and Emotionally Devastated).. Thankffully, I' was now emerging healed and slimmed down after I'd suffered a horribly humiliating and humbling Carb Relapse. Now emerging triumphant, I was ready now to help millions. As we got deep into planning the first Sugar World Summit, the biggest names in the field -- most of whom I've known for years, since before the release of my first book, Sugar Shock in 2006 -- agreed to come on board. Our goal was to reach 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide. But as I kept inviting more and more exciting speakers and reconnecting with health colleagues after three years, I learned about launches by other esteemed experts, all of whom I greatly admire and respect. These are people I want to support. These are also people, who can help you. It became quickly obvious that the best thing to do was to get out of the way of my colleagues' launches. JJ VirginIn particular, after inviting my colleague, the acclaimed nutrition and fitness expert and bestselling author JJ Virgin, to participate in the Sugar World Summit, I discovered that she was launching a new book about sugar, JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet, at about the same time. That made me immediately rethink the time frame for the Sugar World Summit. FYI, this is a big week for JJ Virgin. She is now giving away copies of her new book (until they run out). JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet is an important book, in which JJ takes an original, doable approach to cutting out sweets. If you missed JJ's book giveaway -- she ran out of books -- then go ahead and get her free Sugar Impact Diet 2-Week Cookbook so you can make tasty, sugar-free recipes. By the way, I'm greatly, greatly indebted to JJ. For about a decade, she's been supportive of me. Not only did she endorse both of my books, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock, but she helped me get my Lyme disease quickly diagnosed years ago. Sugar-savvy-bookBack to the Sugar World Summit. Since I wanted to support JJ and other colleagues, it became evident that I needed to move back this important event. But delaying the Sugar World Summit turns out to be just what this event most needs. Now, the Summit will be much bigger, better and more well organized. (In fact, I'm very gratefufl to Jeff Walker, the launch guru, whose amazing Product Launch Formula Live conference, which I attended earlier this week, helped me discover many innovative ways to spread the word for the first Sugar World Summit.) So now I invite you: Learn more about the first Sugar World Summit and the amazing colleagues, who will participate in it. At present, we're honored to have received "yeses" from the following movers and shakers. Among those who've agreed to participate are: Dr. Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist and New York Times bestselling author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity & Disease. His "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" lecture has had more than 4.6 million hits on YouTube. Photo shown above. Dr. Mark Hyman, chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine, medical editor at the Huffington Post, on the Medical Advisory Board at "The Doctor Oz Show," and New York Times bestselling author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet.. JJ Virgin, P.h.D., C.N.S., celebrity nutritionist, fitness expert, New York Times bestselling author and author of the new book, JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Hidden Sugars, Lose Up To 10 Pounds, Just 2 Weeks Dr. David Perlmutter, "Empowering Neurologist," Linus Pauling award-winner and author of the # 1 New York Times bestselling Grain Brain. Sarah Wilson, acclaimed Australian blogger, TV personality, journalist, author of I Quit Sugar and founder of the popular I Quit Sugar Community Dr. Pamela Peeke, internationally recognized expert, physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunger Fix: the 3 Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction Jimmy Moore, popular low-carb blogger, co-author with Dr. Eric Westman of Cholesterol Clarity. He shed 180 pounds and peeled off 20 inches by quitting sugar and going low carb. Dr. Richard Johnson, a practicing physician, acclaimed clinical scientist and author of The Sugar Fix::What You Don't Know about Fructose and HFCS Could Kill You. Serge H. Ahmed, Ph.D., CNRS Research Director, Principal Investigator & Team Leader, Addiction, Compulsion and Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome, Université de Bordeaux. He's done fascinating research on addcition, sugar and cocaine. Dr Pedram Shojai, former Taoist monk, physician of Chinese medicine and founder of founder of the popular site, Well.org, Trudy Scott, nutritionist, food-mood expert and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution Kristin Neff, PhD., Associate Professor, Human Development and Culture, Educational Psychology Dept., University of Texas at Austin and author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself Roberta Ruggiero, founder of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and author of Do's and Don'ts of Hypoglycemia. An Every Day Guide to Low Blood Sugar. (Because of Roberta, I'm here today helping others. More about her later.) Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., CNS, leading nutritional expert and award-winning New York Times bestselling author, whose books include Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution and Get the Sugar Out, Revised and Updated: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet High Voltage (Kathie Dolgin), author of the new book, Sugar Savvy Solution, and founder of Energy Up Voltage Approved, Inc. (EUVA), a nonprofit organization to fight teenage obesity and to prevent type 2 diabetes and other diseases, particularly among teenage girls. Alexandra Jamieson, a mom and health coach, who helps women listen to their true cravings for pleasure to achieve the body and life they desire and author of the upcoming book, Women, Food and Desire; "The Sleep Doctor" Michael Breus, Ph.D. Naturopathic physician Dr. Alan Christianson; And more... Stay tuned for more names. Sign up now for this exciting Sugar World Summit. Fat ChanceStay tuned to get the full and not-so-sweet scoop on how those those tempting sugary "treats" and quickie-carb snacks can damage you bigtime. Our experts will tell you how shoveling sugar and fast carbs into your poor body can make you gain weight and widen your waistline, get frustrating mood swings, find it tough to concentrate, mess up your precious brain, lose interest in sex, develop heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, and even die at an early age. Now, I urge you to begin to get educated by reading some books about sugar by some of my super-healthy, brilliant colleauges. For example, I invite you to check out Fat Chance by Dr. Robert Lustig; and the new books, Sugar Savvy Solution by High Voltage, and JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet. Perhaps you're wondering: "Why would I want to quit or cut back on sugar? It tastes so good!" Here are some reasons to ditch the sweet stuff and fast-acting carbs. You can: Easily shed your dreaded excess weight. Fit into your skinny clothes; Leave behind your depression and get filled up with good cheer, passion and enthusiasm. Get enough energy to keep up with your kids or perform well on the job.. Tame Your Crazy Cravings™ (as I call them) for sugary, salty or fatty unreal foods. Banish your annoying brain fog and concentrate with a razor-sharp focus. Rev up your libido so you'll be thrilled with your time alone in the bedroom with your beloved. Ditch those awful, debilitating, tough-to-handle female ailments (either PMS or menopause, depending on your time of life.) And much more. Sign up now for the upcoming Sugar World Summit. And tell us what you'd like to learn during this event. CB - pink shirt About Sugar Shock Blog Founder: Connie Bennett, CHHC, CPC, ACC is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist and "Ex Sugar Shrew," whose 44 baffling ailments completely vanished after kicking sugar and quickie carbs on doctor's orders in 1998. Now, 16 years later, Connie is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling autho of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed by many health and empowerment luminaries such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin. Connie's first book, Sugar Shock. which was published in 2006, was praised by such acclaimed gurus as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Now, Connie is planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. Connie is also finishing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™: 22 Easy Ways to Rebound After Relapse; Ditch Sugar, Fat or Salt, and Shed Weight for Good. (Working title.) The Bounce-Back Diet -- which was inspired by Connie's embarrassing Carb Relapse after her mother's traumatic terminal illness and death -- can help millions worldwide to slim down and tone up although they're walloped by Crazy Cravings™ and overpowering emotions following the death of a loved one, a divorce or breakup, moving or another life-changing loss. Make sure to sign up at the Sugar World Summit site to find out about the new dates and speakers. Continue reading
Posted Oct 17, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
LeBron james_20k_011513 (2) Hurrah to a leaner LeBron James, who's now drawing attention to a cleaner way of eating, thanks to his strict, off-season diet. HIs slimmer physique came about because he ate "no sugars, no dairy, no carbs." (Well, that's not exactly true, because vegetables contain carbs and fruits contain natural sugars.) "All I ate was meat, fish, veggies and fruit. That's it. For 67 straight days," James told reporters at the unveiling of his new LeBron 12 sneaker. The athlete's meals -- photos of which he's posted on Instagram -- look qjuite tasty. For one lunch, as he shared, he ate arugula salad with chicken, strawberries, mango, cashews and olive oil or lemon oil vinaigrette dressing. James stuck to his diet while vacationing in Greece, and he even turned down a personalized cake offered to him, because it contained sugar. The 6-foot-8-inch Cleveland Cavaliers forward, who is entering his 12th NBA season, says he lost weight to be in top shape for training camp and to test his "mental fortitude." While we don't know exactly how much weight James lost, it's probably between 10 to 20 pounds. James was quite disciplined and determined even though, as he joked, "I had a cookie monster chasing me a few times in my dreams." You can watch James below discuss his diet, starting at 2:44. Join the conversation: Are you ready to try a diet like this? Continue reading
Posted Oct 17, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Have you broken your diet? Have your circumstances -- whehter due to to hearbreak, stress, trauma or grief -- led you to ditch your resolve to eat eat cleanly so you can shed your dreaded excess weight? Now that you've blown your diet, are you beating yourself up now for letting yourself go and mindlessly shoveling in unhealthy, sugary, fatty or salty unreal foods? Woman shoveling plate in front of mouthPlease take a brief time out. It's time to hit the pause button. Beating up on yourself after you blow your diet won't make your life or your body better. Instead, at this time, the first step you want to take to Get Back on Track is to Shower Yourself with Compassion. Yes, it's time to cut yoruself lots of slack. Yes, you blew your diet. Yes, you gained weight. But probably had some darn good reasons for falling off the diet wagon. It's imperative to give yourself compassion after you blow your diet. A year and a half ago, I learned a lot about the power and health ramifications of mindfully giving yourself loving-kindness, acceptance, empathy, and compassion after you blow your diet or do anything else self-destructive or counter productive. Self-CompassionNewJacketIn fact, I decided to learn more about the power of compassion by attending a fabulous fsix-day workshop on Mindful Self-Compassion for Professionals with renowned self-compassion researchers and advocates Kristen Neff, Ph.D., and Christopher Geremer, Ph.D., You see, I needed to become compassionate myself, because I, too, had blown my clean way of eating. You can read My Carb Confession here, where I reveal that I had a major relapse while healing from My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom. At the time, after gaining 20 extra pounds, I was absolutely mortified. I even hid out, especially from fellow health experts, because it was agonizingly difficult to admit that I'd fallen off the wagon since Ii'm a recognized sugar and carb expert, who has eating cleanly since 1998 (well, for the most part). You derive many benefits from giving yourself self-compassion, according to Dr. Krisin Neff: You reduce your anxiiety, depression, stress, desire for perfectionism, body shame, and fear of failure. You also increase your life satisfaction, happiness, self-confidence, optimism, curiosity, creativity, and gratitude. If you've blown your diet or are beating up on yourself for other self-destructive behaviior, I highly recommend that you check out Dr. Neff's book, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. Stay tuned for more tips and tactics to help you Rebound After Relapse. Join the Conversation: Have you had a diet relapse? If you like, share when and why, too. About Connie: Since 1998, after kicking sugar and fast carbs on doctor's orders and bidding 44 ailments farewell, Connie Bennett achieved acclaim as a health expert, Sweet Freedom Coach and author of the bestselling books, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock. But in 2012, after the grueling, year-long traumatic terminal illness and subsequent death of her mother, Connie did massive Heartbreak Carb Bingeing™. The upshot? She gained 21 pounds. Oops! Now, Connie's back to help you, too, Rebound After Relapse™. Sign up for Connie's mailing list to get tips so you can Bounce Back After Relapse™. And stay tuned for Connie's upcoming book and companion program. Continue reading
Posted Oct 9, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Note from Connie: Today, it's my pleasuret to present a guest post from my colleague Yuri Elkaim, author of the new book, The All-Day Energy Diet. Join Yuri and me tomorrow, when he joins my Gab with the Gurus Show to tell you how to get more consistent, steady energy. Remember, as with all of my shows, you can listen live or later. 600px_The-All-Day-Energy-Diet1 jpg speedilic ic Z0S9KqP__GHow to Reverse Fatigue by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, RHN If you're tired most of the time, then it means your body is crying for help. Low energy is a warning sign that something inside your body isn't quite right. Considering the amount of sickness and "overweightness" that has now engulfed our world, it's no surprise that more and more, people are feeling exhausted. What's important for you to know is that when you improve your energy, you improve your health. The most common question I get asked is, "Yuri, what's the #1 thing I can do have more energy?" Thankfully, the answer to that question is easy to answer. And it has nothing to do with shots of espresso or sugar-filled treats. The secret to fatigue-proofing your body (and raising your overall level of health) boils down to optimizing what's going on inside your body. Yuri ElkaimLet me explain… Each of us is at war, and we don't even know it. The private war we each wage is a daily assault on our body by acid-forming foods such as alcohol, animal products, and refined sugars, as well as by bacteria, virus, fungus, yeasts, and molds. We have entered what might be referred to as critical mass when it comes to this onslaught being waged against us by stronger and stronger killer bugs and poorer and poorer food choices. Our immune systems are becoming weaker and over-taxed in this war. Even the medical profession's first line of defense, the antibiotic, is becoming less and less effective against resistant new strains being created daily as the bacteria mutate. Since Louis Pasteur discovered the germ theory of disease stating that germs are the cause of disease, time has corrected him. Even Dr. Pasteur himself noted in his dying words: "The germ is nothing, the environment is everything." The environment referred to in Dr. Pasteur's statement is known as our biological terrain and refers to the health of our "internal" environment. A major determinant of our internal health is the acid-alkaline balance within many of our body's fluids, namely our blood. Our blood is alkaline by design and acid by function – meaning that it produces acid as a function of metabolism. Maintaining proper alkalinity is therefore essential for life, health, and vitality. Under ideal alkaline conditions, the red blood cells (RBCs) within our blood are able to deliver energy-producing oxygen to our cells. However, an imbalance of alkalinity creates a condition whereby our RBCs begin to clump together, making it more difficult for them to reach their ultimate destination and drop off that much needed oxygen to our cells. And if your blood is sluggish, you will be, too. Leading biochemists and medical physiologists have recognized pH (or the acid-alkaline balance) as the most important aspect of a healthy (and energized) body. They have long known that the maintenance of an alkaline pH in the tissues and cells is critical to our health. For instance, Dr. Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel Prize recipient, was the first to show that cancer cells cannot grow in alkaline environments. Unfortunately, for most people, current lifestyle habits have created highly acidic bodies. The standard western diet is characterized by an overindulgence of all types of foods and drinks that disrupt our blood's ideal pH balance. As a result, we feel less than ideal as we go through our days. So how can you make your body (your blood really) more alkaline to stay healthy and energetic? Here are a few simple steps you can take immediately: Eat and drink more greens. Green vegetables are the greatest source of alkaline minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and they deposit a large alkaline load in the body. They are pure energy, and they also give your body tremendous amounts of vital nutrients. The easiest way to benefit from their powers is to enjoy a fresh-pressed green juice or homemade smoothie at least once per day. Limit your caffeine consumption. I know this might be tough, but caffeine is a huge contributor of acid and provides unnecessary stimulation in your body. Other than the quick "artificial jolt" that it produces, chronic reliance on this stimulant taxes your adrenal glands (which are needed to help you cope with stress) and wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels, both of which affect how you feel throughout the day. Start your day with a glass of freshly squeezed lemon water. Lemon, although acid in nature, is alkaline-forming inside the body. It is also highly beneficial for cleansing your liver, the organ responsible for filtering toxins that circulate in the body. Happy liver, happy body. Apply these simple steps and you'll be well on your way to having more energy from the time you wake up until you call it a day. Here'a one quick recipe to help you on your way: Sprout Salad Makes 2 servings 3 cups sprouts (broccoli sprouts, alfalfa, lentils, etc.) 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Splash of lemon juice Pinch of sea salt Fresh ground black pepper Combine sprouts and tomatoes in a bowl. Whisk all other ingredients together. Combine vinaigrette with sprout mixture and serve. Yuri Elkaim is a holistic nutritionist, fitness expert, and author of The All-Day Energy Diet. He is known for helping people enjoy all-day energy and amazing health in a very short period of time without radical diets or gimmicks. He's on a mission to transform the lives of more than 10 million people by 2018. For more visit http://www.alldayenergydiet.com Note from Connie: Remember to catch Yuri this week when he comes on my Gab with the Gurus Show to tell you how to get more consistent, steady energy. (As with all my Gab with the Gurus Shows, you can listen live or later. Continue reading
Posted Sep 23, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Talk to us: Have you had a relapse? Were you embarrassed to admit it to others as I was? Let us know. Recently, with great embarrassment and perhaps a bit of shame, I made what I call My Carb Confession. Bittersweet_banner_final (2)I revealed that after the death of my mother and what I call My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, for a number of months, Crazy Cravings™ pestered and pounded me while I was assaulted by grief, depression, anxiety, trauma, and the enormity of my loss.. As a result, I caved in and ate lots of crappy carbs (corn nuggets, movie popcorn, chips, etc.). The upshot? That led to a 20-pound weight gin. Aargh! In short, for months, I'd become a Carb Fraud! But in the midst of my grief, I just didn't pay attention. For a while now, I've been really nervous, reluctant and hesitant to share My Carb Confession,.even though for over a year, I've been back to eating cleanly. After all, I'm an author and speaker, who's known for badmouthing sweets and quickie carbs. But you were so supportive when I finally revealed my carb relapse. Wow! Little did I realize that My Carb Confession would resonate with so many of you. So, I just wanted to say, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, for your kindness, consideration, and wonderful emails. From the bottom of my heart, I want to share my profound gratitude. I'm so relieved that you still respect me and my work to help you achieve Sweet Freedom. FYI, as you may have read, I"ve now achieved Sweet Success. I finally shed all 20 pounds I'd gained during my trying times after my Mom passed away. My slim body is almost back! Plus, now that my injured knee is healed and my sprained ankle are feeling better, I've been toning up doing weight resistance and high intensity workouts. And, of course, I'm back to eating very cleanly -- crappy carbs and My Crazy Cravings™ have gone bye-bye! Again, thank you for supporting me during My Carb Confession. By the way, stay tuned for some new tips and tools so you, too, can Rise Above Relapse™, as I now call it. Have you had a relapse? Were you embarrassed to admit it to others as I was? Let us know. Continue reading
Posted Sep 18, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
My heart goes out to you, Theresa. I applaud you for your courage. Please rest assured. Your story sounds familiar -- lots of my clients have had these same complaints. FYI, it is easy to slip back into eating sweets. Stay tuned -- I'll be posting something shortly about How to Start to answer your question. Rooting for you. Connie
Join the Crazy Cravings Conversation™. What foods do you most crave and when? Post your comment now. Do you find that whenever stress strikes, deadline hits, your kids misbehave or grief wallops you, you're seized by absolutely urgent, overpowering Crazy Cravings™ for easily accessible, fiber...
Join the Conversation: Does this news excite you, too? If you find it hard to say no to candies, cookies, chips, it may be because your brain is addicted to them, according to a new study. In short, your brain is actually hooked on junk food, which, of course, leads to weight gain and obesity and other harmful dieases. But promising news came out recently, which reveals taht you you can literally 'reprogram' your brain so that you not only break your food addictions, but you actually develop a preference for healthier non-fattening foods so you lose weight. For my part, I'm simply thrilled by this exciting news. You may wonder, though, is this just too good to be true? Not so! Some definitive proof this is possible came from a September 2014 study by scientists at Tufts University and Harvard Medical School. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show how the brains of volunteers had been altered during a six-month experiment, during which they forsake high caloric foods for low caloric ones. Thirteen overweight or obese adults between the ages of 21 and 65 were placed in either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received 19 hour-long support group sessions during the 24 weeks in which they were taught how to use portion-controlled menus and recipe suggestions designed for high-satiety. The foods consumed in this plan were low-glycemic index carbohydrates along with high fiber and high protein (known as the idiet.) FYI, these are the foods I recommend, too, as you can discover in Beyond Sugar Shock. These foods" have "a slower digestion profile and reduction fluctuations in blood glucose that could reduce hunger," according to the study. The control group received no such counseling or support. What's intriguing is that before the experiment began and six months later, on its completion, all study participants underwent the fMRI scans as they were shown 40 food and 40 non-food images. The foods were half high caloric and half low caloric. While being scanned, the volunteers rated the desirability of the images they saw on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being undesirable and 4 being extremely desirable. Those who had gone through the six months of intervention measured significantly less response in the striatum region of their brains (an area governing reward processing) when shown the high caloric foods and more responsivity when shown the low caloric images. It was as if the brain charges they previously got from these foods had been disconnected. They also achieved significant weight loss, whereas the control group lost little weight and still had no control over how their brains craved certain unhealthy foods. One of the study co-authors, Sai Krupa Das, Ph.D., who is with the United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center, observed how the weight loss program they used with high-fiber, low glycemic foods worked hand in hand with behavior change education to bring about the remarkable changes in weight and brain activity related to cravings. "The weight loss program is specifically designed to change how people react to different foods, and our study shows those who participated in it had an increased desire for healthier foods along with a decreased preference for unhealthy foods, the combined effects of which are probably critical for sustainable weight control," according to Dr. Das. "To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of this important switch." Sources: "Training your brain to prefer healthy foods." Tufts University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-brain-healthy-foods.html. "Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioral intervention." Deckersbach T. Et al. Nutrition & Diabetes. September 2014. http://www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v4/n9/full/nutd201426a.html iDiet program. https://www.theidiet.com/content/food Join the Conversation: Does this news excite you, too? Continue reading
Posted Sep 3, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Join the Conversation. What's your biggest Ahah! from the Mindful Eating Summit? Dr-susan-albers-host-mindful-eating-summitEarlier on this Sugar Shock Blog, I mentioned this fabulous Mindful Eating Summit,which is presented by mindful eating expert Dr. Susan Albers. Susan has done a truly magnificent job with this event, which features top mindful eating experts such as Dr. Brian Wansink, Evelyn Tribole, and Margaret Floyd. I was also one of those interviewed. If you missed it, catch it now. Just listen below. (Alas, I couldn't get Skype to work so we did an audio program instead of a video interview, but I invite you to listen to this short interview ASAP. Please think about what point I made that most resonates with you to help shed light on what I call Your Crazy Cravings. I also urge you to sign up now for the Mindful Eating Summit to catch all the interviews tomorrow (a replay of this wonderful event). You'll get help galore! Join the Conversation. What's your biggest Ahah! from the Mindful Eating Summit? Continue reading
Posted Aug 29, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
First off, congrats on quitting sugar in 2013! You should be so proud of yourself! Now, my heart goes out to you in dealing with what I call those Crazy Carb Cravings™, which can hit bigtime when you're under stress. Keep checking back here, because I'll be posting more cool tools to deal with those Crazy Carb Cravings. Have you tried meditating, by the way? Many find that quite calming.
Join the Crazy Cravings Conversation™. What foods do you most crave and when? Post your comment now. Do you find that whenever stress strikes, deadline hits, your kids misbehave or grief wallops you, you're seized by absolutely urgent, overpowering Crazy Cravings™ for easily accessible, fiber...
Join the Conversation: What's your favorite way to relieve stress? Share your thoughts now. Stressed out? Struggling with excess weight? StressIf you'rve been stressed out and you've gained weight, you want to learn about cortisol, which is caused by stress and its role in both weight gain and infuriating belly fat. Here are some answers to questions you may have about the stress-cortisol-weight gain connection. How does too much cortisol make you gain weight? We normally think of cortisol as being released from our adrenal glands in "fight-or-flight" situations when we don't have control of a situation or it's threatened. It raises our heart beat and gives us a burst of energy. Yet, there is a second even result relating to cortisol, which is related to the 'defeat' response, which occurs when stress is prolonged. "Although the stress pathways work together," wrote a team of exercise science professors at the University of New Mexico, "they each can uniquely affect the function of bodily processes. "The 'defeat' response {when stress is prolonged} can lead to enhanced lipogenesis (fat creation), visceral obesity (deep abdominal obesity), breakdown of tissues, and suppression of the immune system." In short, stress and your elevated levels of cortisol can make you fat. More specifically, cortisol is a steroid hormone, which has the ability to move fat in your body from storage deposits directly into the fat cells located in your abdomen. Plus, the more cortisol you secrete over extended periods of time, the more you engorge fat cells in your abdomen to create belly fat. Not only that, but cortisol "also indirectly influences appetite by regulating other chemicals that are released during stress such as cortiocotrophin releasing hormone, leptin, and neuropeptide Y," the New Mexico research team noted. Does abdominal fat attract more abdominal fat due to stress reactions? The short answer is yes! Another study, this one from a team of health psychologists at the University of California, San Francisco, researched 59 premenopausal women, about half of whom had a high waist-to-hip ratio (abdominal fat) and half, who had a low ratio. Over four days, all the women were exposed to stressful test situations and had their cortisol secretions measured. Women with a high abdominal fat reported more chronic stress and "secreted significantly more cortisol" than women with lower abdominal fat. The study authors concluded that "stress-induced cortisol secretion" contributes to central body fat and this fat distribution, in turn, "relates to greater psychological vulnerability to stress and cortisol reactivity." Physicians at the MedicineNet website label this cortisol-induced abdominal fat "toxic fat" because its buildup in this part of your body "is strongly correlated with the development of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes." What are proven methods to control cortisol and reduce belly fat? It's a one-two punch in the gut, so to speak. You need to manage your stress so cortisol doesn't continues to inflate your abdominal fat cells, and you need to adopt a dedicated exercise program that not only burns calories, but also helps to manage stress levels. "Many types of aerobic and anaerobic exercise have been shown to be effective interventions in reducing or managing stress," observed Len Kravitz, Ph.D., an exercise science expert at the University of New Mexico. "Some of the popular 'mindful' exercise programs such as yoga and Tai Chi are also recommended for stress management. medditation, progressive relaxation, deep breathing, and visualization are methods that can be effective in decreasing stress-induced symptoms. Also, eating right and getting enough rest should be incorporated in a stress management plan for life." Join the Conversation: What's your favorite way to relieve stress? Share your thoughts now. Continue reading
Posted Aug 27, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
It's my honor to be included in the Mindful Eating Summit, which is presented this week by my friend and colleague, Susan Albers, Psy.D, author of Eating Mindfully and a Cleveland Clinic psychologist. For this amazing Mindful Eating Summit, Dr. Albers has interviewed 20 of the world's top leading eating experts, who share information that you won't hear anywhere else. In the Mindful Eating Summit, the experts (of which I'm one) teach you how to boost your nutrition, end mindless overeating, and stop feeling guilty when you eat. You'll have a chance to learn tools, strategies and techniques you can apply right now to eat healthier. Plus, you'll discover the cutting edge science that is shaping the world of nutrition and how you can apply it right now. Here are a few of the presenters in the Mindful Eating Conference, all of whom offer their own rich, in-depth perspective on health, wellness and mindfulness: Dr. Brian Wansink Director of Cornell Food & Brand Lab and best-selling author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think Evelyn Tribole Award-winning registered dietitian an author of Intuitive Eating (co-author) Dr. Jim Painter Producer of Portion Size Me, a documentary about fast food and health and featured on CBS's Early Show Margaret Floyd, author of Eat Naked. Dr. David Katz, author of Disease Proof and contributor to O, the Oprah Magazine Dr. Daniel Siegel, Professor of at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. Dr. Alan Christianson specializes in natural endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders. Jonathan Bailor, author of The Calorie Myth Trudy Scott, author of The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution and the upcoming Anxiety Summit in November And yours truly. MindfuleatingyouWhen you sign up for the Mindful Eating Summit, you'll also receive a free ebook, The Emotional Eater's Tool Kit, so you can start taking charge of your eating right now. The Mindful Eating Summit is presented by Susan Albers, Psy.D., a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in eating issues, weight loss, body image concerns and mindfulness. Dr. Albers conducts mindful eating workshops across the country. She is author of six books about mindful eating, including EatQ: Unlock the Weight-Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. Catch all of our interviews now. Just sign up for the Mindful Eating Summit. Continue reading
Posted Aug 27, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Join the Conversation. What is your biggest Ahah! from this video, "Why We Overeat: The Toxic Food Environment and Obesity"? Talk to us now. Do you or your loved ones overeat? Have you or your family members been gaining unwanted excess weight? Are you concerned about our obesity crisis? To gain insights into why two-thirds of people are getting fatter and fatter and sicker and sicker, I urge you to watch a video of this fascinating panel discussion, "Why We Overeat: The Toxic Food Environment & Obesity," thanks to the Harvard School of Public Health and the Huffington Post. I'm so excited that I came across this video while doing research for my next book, Tame Your Crazy Cravings™. This program presented an illustrious panel, which included: Walter Willett, Chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition David Kessler, Former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco; and Author, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite Dariush Mozaffarian, Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and Michael Rich, Director, Center on Media and Child Health, Boston Children's Hospital The modferator of "Why We Overeat" was moderated brilliantly by Meredith Melnick, Editorial Director for HuffPost Healthy Living. This program has many fascinating points, and I urge you to watch through it for the entire time. In particular, I urge you to pay attentiont to these fascinating comments from Dr. Mozaffarian: "Now sugar, I agree that sugar is a problem, but sugar is no greater a problem and then totally unsweetened refined grains. And the worry I have about just focusing on sugar, it gives the refined grains, it gets them off the hook. "So white bread, all refined cereals that have no added sugar at all, they say zero sugar on the panel, those are just as bad. And when we've looked at populations of hundreds of thousands of people, the weight gain associated with Skittles is exactly the same weight gain that is associated with Corn Flakes or white bread or a bagel. So to think that a bagel, that has no sugar, is different than candy is really misleading. ..." Also, I invite you to keep watching to check out the second video (at 59:00) from the HBO film, Weight of the Nation, .where you can discover which beverages contain the most sugar content, thanks to The WATCH Nutrition Clinic. I'd love to hear what you think about this video. Join the Conversation. What is your biggest Ahah! from this video, "Why We Overeat The Toxic Food Environment & Obesity"? Talk to us now. Continue reading
Posted Aug 23, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Join the Crazy Cravings Conversation™. What foods do you most crave and when? Post your comment now. Cravings-can-stock-photo_csp5445145 Do you find that whenever stress strikes, deadline hits, your kids misbehave or grief wallops you, you're seized by absolutely urgent, overpowering Crazy Cravings™ for easily accessible, fiber-stripped carbohydrates or other sugary, salty, fatty foods? Then, the next thing you know, fueled by your frantic cravings, you hunt out your favorite trigger foods, which, of course, are quite easy to find. After all, unless we live in the boonies or the outbacks, we're in the midst of a junk-food jungle, which is full of convenience stores, bakeries, and carts that sell a plethora of tempting donuts, candies, cookies, crackers, chips, and junk foods. What's a wanna-be healthy eater to do? And what can you do if you want to lose weight and your cravings keep derailing you? Well, you need to learn to Calm Your Crazy Cravings™, as I put it. Lately, I've been wracking my brain and exhaustively researchng how to help you do just that. In fact, that's why, as you may have noticed. I haven't been posting as much lately on this Sugar Shock Blog or on my Huffington Post or Heal Your Life blogs. You see, I've been deep into writing and researching my third book, Calm Your Crazy Cravings (that's the wokring title). My next book will help you finally let go of your urgent urges for unhealthy sugary, salty, fatty junk foods, or what I call nonfoods or unreal foods. My next book, which I've been working on intensely for two years, while healing after the death of my mother, is the the follow up to my books, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock. Although -- as I mentioned in My Carb Confession here and then later here, when I thanked Sean Croxton for inspring me to come clean -- the initial inspiration for this book grew out of my own challenging, traumatic experiences and Crazy Cravings, my next book can help millions, I believe, to rise about those incessant desires for unreal foods, which can lead you to disease and even an early death. Anyhow, I ask you to please be patient with me a while longer, because I'm sooooooo close to finishing my book, Calm Your Crazy Cravings, and then I'll be posting lots of great tips for you. For now, I invite you to get excited! At last, you'll get help to rise above your Crazy Cravings. Alex-JamiesonIn the meantime, I encourage you to get valuable perspective, awesome insights and wonderful help to understand and manage your cravings from my astute colleague, Alex Jamieson. Alex offers a different, wortehile, brilliant perspective on the subject of cravings. (Yes, our books will complement each other well.) The empowering, personable Alex Jamieson -- who I had the pleasure of meeting years ago while living in New York City and who I saw recently at an awesome event for health experts presented by cutting-edge health guru JJ Virgin -- is now gearing up for the publication of her next book, Women, Food and Desire, which comes out in January. In fact, you may have been one of millions, who had the pleasure of seeing her on such shows as "Oprah" or "The National Health Test with Bryant Gumbel" or in the award-winning documentary, Super Size Me. You also can hear her inspring TedX talk here. In fact, I'm honored to be able to present Alex as one of more than 20 experts, who will participate in my upcoming Sugar World Summit. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, talk to us. Join the Crazy Cravings Conversation™. What foods do you most crave and when? Post your comment now. Photo Credit: Please note that since I'm on book deadline, I haven't resarched if it's okay to use this artwork above. If not, please let me know and I'll take it down. In the meantime, I want to profusely thank Clipart Vector for this awesome cartoon. Check them out. Continue reading
Posted Aug 19, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Join the Conversation. When was the last time you confessed something that embarrassing? We want to hear from you. Post your thoughts here. Last week before heading out of town, I finally made My Big Carb Confession about how, for months after losing my mother and reeling from My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, I stopped walking my clean-carbs talk. Bittersweet_banner_final (2)Although in my grief, trauma and anguish, I NEVER had sugar as I had in 1998, suddenly, Crazy Carb Cravings™ pounced on me, and I mindlessly shoveled in movie popcorn, corn nuggets and onion rings. This week, I wrote a follow-up post to thank prolific blogger and podcaster Sean Croxton for inspiring me to make my Confessions of a Health Expert. Now, this morning, after continuing to eat only wholesome foods and beverages and cranking up my workout routine, I lost yet another pound. This was exciting news. I finally hit my previous weight, the one before Mom became terminally ill. Woo Hoo! Evidently, confessing about my carb relapse so publicly has been quite cleansing. First, in a post on this Sugar Shock Blogg, I made My Big Carb Confession. Then, over the weekend, without planning to do it, fueled by courage, I spontaneously admitted to some 100-plus fellow health experts that I'd had a carb relapse. (This was at an amazing event presented by JJ Viirgin, one of the nation's foremost fitness and nutrition experts and bestselling author of The Virgin Diet.). Of course, confessing is an important part of most religions, but owning up to my carb "sinning" in such a public way, first on this Sugar Shock Blog and then to other health experts has unleased a tremendous enthusiasm, passon and power in me. Not only did I shed more weight, but at long last, I finished the preface to my next book, How this Book Came to Be: My Tale of Trauma, Temptation and Triumph. I've been working on this very challenging section of the book for more than a year, and I've rewritten it at least dozens of times. Stay tuned for a blog post to learn How to Break a Weight-Loss Plateau (something I experienced). And keep a lookout for news about the upcoming Sugar World Summit, which will feature world-renowned experts in health, wellness, sugar and addiction. Join the Conversation. When was the last time you confessed something that embarrassing? We want to hear from you. Post your thoughts here. Continue reading
Posted Aug 15, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
We'd like to hear from you. What is your Big Confession? It feels great to do! Join us! Together, let's move on to create a glorious life. Talk to us now. Last week, before heading out of town to hang out with some fellow health experts, I made what I consider My Big Carb Confession. I finally came clean about how for months after my Mom passed away, when I was walloped by grief, anguish and symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), I quit walking my clean carbs talk. What a relief it was to finally admit that I'd had a relapse! That freed me up to plunge into my big plans. Indeed, admitting to you that I had flopped has now unleashed a new enthusiasm and excitement in me to serve you. In fact, not only am I back to eating cleanly (and have been for a year), but I'm also working on an exciting new book to help you Tame Your Cravings™. In case you missed My Big Carb Confession, here's a summary of what I shared: After my mother died, for months, I did lots of what I now call Heartbreak Eating™ or Heartbreak Bingeing™ of refined carbs, as well as salty cheeses and oily nuts. (FYI, this wasn't just emotional eating. Heartbreak Bingeing -- which is fueled by colossal,gut-wrenching, profound pain caused by huge loss, abuse, or even betrayal -- is far more intense, frenetic, and frantic than emotional eating.) Although I cavorted with carbs in a big way -- shoveling in movie popcorn, onion rings, and corn nuggets -- I did, however, continue to steer clear of my old sugary favorites, which I'd quit in 1998, as I reveal in my books, Sugar Shock.and Beyond Sugar Shock. My Heartbreak Eating had led me to pack on 20 extra pounds. . What's more, for months, due to the intensity and ferocity of my grief, PTSD, and anguish, I kept ignoring what I know well, which is that processed carbohydrates quickly convert to sugar in your bloodstream, which is why, for years I've been calling them quickie carbs, fast carbs, culprit carbs and much-like-sugar carbs. In short, all those fast carbs I'd been inhaling had been sending me flying in and out of Sugar Shock, or more accurately, Carb Shock. Hence my many symptoms of depression (and how!), mood swings, crying spells (lots of them), insomnia, and big brain fog. Of course, grief over the loss of a loved one is tough enough to face, but when you eat crappy carbs, you exacerbate your many ailments, which is what happened to me. Anyhow, for about a year, I've been back to eating cleanly, thanks to lots of healing work and workshops, including grief counseling, therapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), energy work and many cool tactics, which I've created or discovered to help me confront those Crazy Carb Cravings™. I'm also happy to report that I'm close to my weight loss goal. I've shed 18 of the 20 pounds I gained doing Heartbreak Eating, and I'm now working off the additional inches to get back to my previous slim, toned figure. Making My Big Carb Confession.was a huge deal for me. I was embarrassed to admit that I fell offf the wagon and that I was no longer doing what I encourage others to do. Sen Croxton UW For months, I'd been thinking about coming clean about my carb relapse. That's why I need and want to thank the amazing Sean Croxton, whose Confessoins of a Health Blogger post finally gave me courage to make My Big Carb Confession. I urge you to get on Sean Croxton's mailing list. Sean is a passionate health and fitness professional, who is dedicated to revolutionizng the way the world thinks about health. His Underground Wellness videos and Underground Wellness Radio are quite popular, and I encourage you to listen to these exciting programs, where you can catch Sean interview such top names in health and fitness such as Paul Chek, Mark Sisson, Dr. Robert Lustig, Julia Ross, and Cynthia Pasquella.. Anyhow, thank you, Sean, for inspiring me to join you in making My Big Carb Confession. We'd like to hear from you. What is your Big Confession? It feels great to do! Join us! Together, let's move on to create a glorious life. Talk to us now. Continue reading
Posted Aug 12, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
Oops, sorry, didn't see your reply earlier. I will have to research the story with the capsules. Where did you hear about apple cider vinegar and mosquitoes?
Join the Conversation. Have you tried the following Cravings Calmer? Let us know if it worked. If you're like most women and many men, your overwhelming cravings for sugary, salty or fatty processed foods often taunt you. At times, you may even feel that those chocolate donuts, onion rings or p...
Kim, thank you so much for sharing! Just know that falling off the wagon doesn't mean you have to stay there. You can pick yourself up and become STRONGER! Would've written sooner, but I was gone all weekend. Stay tuned for some tips to get back on track after you've fallen off the wagon. You can do it! Connie
Join the Conversation: Have you ever been thrown off course by your Crazy Carb Cravings™ or other bad food urges? Post your comments now. It's finally time for me to come clean. Two years ago, while reeling from the death of my mother, my traumatic Bittersweet Last Year with her, and many gut-...
Join the Conversation: Have you ever been thrown off course by your Crazy Carb Cravings™ or other bad food urges? Post your comments now. It's finally time for me to come clean. Bittersweet_banner_final (2)Two years ago, while reeling from the death of my mother, my traumatic Bittersweet Last Year with her, and many gut-wrenching revelations, I quit walking my clean-carbs talk. In short, I suffered a carb relapse. Oops! Yes, I was human. Thankfully, I did not totally fall back into my old sugary ways of 1998, before I kicked sweets and processed carbohydrates on doctor's orders. Instead, I flew off my clean-carbs wagon. You see, after losing my mother, absolutely demanding, overpowering, downright insatiable Crazy Carb Cravings™—my new phrase for them—struck me out of the blue. Oh, how did those salty, crappy carbs call out to me often! "Connie, eat me, eat me, eat me," they seductively pleaded! Of course, I'm joking—as I now can do, now that I've conquered my cravings—but at the time, that's certainly how it felt. I'm sure you can relate. Many of my clients have felt trapped by this very same challenge. Culprit carbs weren't my only captors. Rich, salty, creamy cheeses and oily peanuts and almonds beckoned, too. Frankly, I was startled, flummoxed and unprepared. For nearly 15 years, I'd been mostly shunning nutrient-lacking, fiber-stripped sugary nonfoods and refined carbohydrates and enjoying near-perfect health. Not only that, but since 2002, I've been quite outspoken about the dangers of sugar and processed carbs (which I dub quickie carb, toxic carbs, culprit carbs, and much-like-sugar carbs). What's more, I've even helped thousands worldwide to release their addiction to both sugar and quickie carbs, and I've written two acclaimed books about the subject, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock, But suddenly, after Mom died, it was as if I'd never been a sugar and carb expert. Grief, anguish, and turmoil were my new constant companions. Frankly, I was disoriented and ill equipped to handle the intensity, ferocity, and irrationality of my overpowering, Crazy Carb Cravings™ and urges for other "bad foods." Do you relate to my plight? Do you feel stricken by or have you ever been waylaid strong, potent cravings that throw you completely off course, doing self-destuctive things against your best intentions? Why Did I Fall Off the Clean-Carbs Wagon? Blame My Dark Night of the Soul You may wonder, as I often have, "How could I, a sugar and carb expert, have stopped walking my clean-carbs talk?" It's now evident that I was recovering from a year, if not longer, of being badly TAGGED™. That's the acronym I coined, which stands for Traumatized, Anguished, Gripped by Grief, and Emotionally Devastated. In addition, I was reeling from Mom's unintentional mistreatment of me. Mom's abuse stemmed, in part, from the stage 4 lung cancer. As it was spreading to my mother's brain, I'd helplessly watched in agony as my once polite and polished mother often switched into someone I began calling "Cancer Mom" (behind her back, of course). Cancer Mom was this ornery creature, who frequently became angry, cruel, and unreasonable. That's putting it very mildly. How BITTER It Was: Cancer Mom's Unintentional Abuse Thankfully, I've now processed my considerable pain, but let me give you a flavor of the heartbreaking agony and rejection I faced for a year at the hands of my dying mother, even though I'd loyally uprooted myself to stand by her after she became terminally ill. The day I moved for my mother set the tone for My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom. My mother—who had been eager for me to relocate across country to be with her—irrationally kicked me out of her home the very afternoon I showed up on her doorstep! Imagine my shock when Mom gave me the boot after I'd hurriedly rushed to her side—after getting off the plane from New York City, where I'd been living for a decade—so we could spend our last New Year's Eve together! Dumbstruck and devastated that my own mother would refuse to see me, I spent the evening sobbing and aimlessly wandering the streets while bringing in the new year. At the time, I couldn't fathom why my own mother so angrily spurned me the day I arrived. Now, in hindsight, I recall that my normally strong, proud Mom was having a bad day. For instance, her throat hurt a lot when she swallowed. Perhaps more importantly, though, my independent, accomplished Mom just didn't want me to see her so vulnerable. In fact, she absolutely HATED seeing me cry so I always had to hide my tears from her. Plus, since the cancer made her so confused and erratic, it must have seemed right to her to send me away. In short, My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom was utterly brutal and usually heartbreaking. On another occasion a few months later, Cancer Mom flat out refused to invite me for dinner at a gourmet restaurant with three of her closest friends. Her absurd reason? "Connie, you're boring," she illogically declared. Then she thrust the knife in even deeper. "You have nothing interesting to say. All you can talk about is sugar," she irrationally, adamantly claimed. Ouch! By the way, only a month or two earlier, you should have seen the look of fierce pride on Mom's face when I'd excitedly opened boxes of my then new book, Beyond Sugar Shock, which had just arrived from my publisher, Hay House. Anyhow, during My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, I was often faced with Cancer Mom's ferocious venom, which sent me sobbing and speed walking. To put it mildly, the abuse went on and on and on… Over time, Mom's irrational rage, which she often hurled at me, was really tough to take, especially because I'd relocated across country to be there for my mother during her terminal illness, and I truly loved my mother more than anyone else in her life, as I share on my Bittersweet Year blog. Thankfully, SWEET Greeted Me, Too All said and done, I'm glad I hurried to Mom's side at the end of her life. It was the honorable, right, loyal, daughterly thing to do. Thankfully, sandwiched between all the bitterness, Mom and I shared many fabulous times together. In fact, I often accompanied my mother as she fulfilled an impressive bucket list of films, operas, plays, dinners, visits to the farmer's market, trips to the beach, etc. In her final months, I learned a lot from my mother. In fact, I invite you to see my Huffington Post blog post abouthow Mom Taught Me How to Live and Die With Courage, Spirit and Spunk. Fast forward a year. After Mom died, when I didn't need to be on my best behavior anymore, I plunged into My Dark Night of the Soul. That's when, as Eckhart Tolle describes it, you experience "a collapse of a perceived meaning in life…an eruption into your life of a deep sense of meaninglessness. "Nothing makes sense anymore, there's no purpose to anything," Tolle explains. I Was Humiliated That I Wasn't Walking My Clean-Carbs Talk! Somehow losing my Mom unleashed a torrent of unresolved issues, pain over being betrayed, etc. Because I'm so committed to healing and growing from my ordeal and getting back to serving you, I've undergone extensive therapy, and I've pursued many other ways to heal, including grief counseling, therapy, hypnosis, Heartmath™, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). I've also taken workshops on compassion, mindful eating, healing your heart, rituals, etc. But I invite you to imagine my shame, embarrassment, and humiliation that I wasn't walking my clean-carbs talk. Beyond Sugar Shock -- Intl Bestseller -- 6a00d834520ed269e2019b0154ee08970b-320wiThere I was, a recognized sugar and carb expert, certified health coach, certified life coach and author of two acclaimed books about the subject, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock, but I was now falling off the wagon over and over again! Crazy Carb Cravings™ began to seize, control and rule me! Simply put, I felt like a fraud. Despite my repeated efforts to get back on track, my unhealthy food splurges went on for months—maybe not on a daily basis, but often enough to make me realize that I had lost carb control. Finally, after moving to a peaceful area and warmer climate some 500 miles away from where Mom had spent her final, difficult year, I began to regain confident, calm, carb control. Wait, there's more. I Didn't Look Like I Was Walking My Clean-Carbs Talk Anymore Either Much to my horror, my Crazy Carb Cravings sent me careening down a deep, dark path. What was particularly embarrassing was that I just couldn't hide my carb relapse. Within nine months of losing Mom, I'd quickly packed on 20 pounds. In short, I didn't even look like I was walking my clean-carbs talk! In fact, at a book signing for my then new book, Beyond Sugar Shock—which, as I shared earlier, thankfully, Mom saw published three months before she died—I was carrying an extra 19.4 pounds. In fact, before my book signing, I worked hard to find clothes to hide my excess weight. You, too, may have at least once gone on a challenging shopping expedition to find clothes to hide your weight gain, right? If you have—or are going through such a challenge now—keep reading this Sugar Shock Blog and sign up for updates, because I've now developed or discovered cool tools to help you triumph over your Crazy Cravings. Crazy Carb Cravings™ Hounded and Harassed Me It was utterly awful. Of course, I knew better than to eat those crappy carbs! Although I wasn't eating sugar—I was determined to never go back there again—I did a brilliant job of ignoring the sour facts. I flat out overlooked the truth, which is that highly processed carbohydrates quickly convert to sugar in your bloodstream. Duh! Indeed, processed carbs, once they move into your bloodstream, behave like sugar. In short, refined carbs = sugar. That's why, for years, I'd dubbed processed carbohydrates much-like-sugar carbs, quickie carbs, fast carbs or culprit carbs. But amidst my grief, heartbreak, and depression, I just didn't want to think about the sour truth. I just couldn't face it. And I certainly didn't want to confront what I know well and had researched extensively—that fast carbs can, like sugar, trigger weight gain, mood swings, headaches, anxiety, and even heart disease, cancer, or type 2 diabetes. My Crazy Carb Cravings™ Were a Manifestation of My Profound Pain Now, in hindsight, it's evident why I suffered from such Crazy Carb Cravings™, which, as noted earlier, no longer haunt me. Yes, I'm free of all cravings! But after Mom passed away, My Crazy Carb Cravings and other urges for unhealthy nonfoods were a manifestation of my profound pain, which I badly needed to process. So while I was grieving my loss, resolving my conflicting feelings, and facing my depression, anxiety and despair, I did what I now call Heartbreak Eating™, or more accurately, Heartbreak Bingeing™. That kind of overeating is far more intense, frenetic and frantic than emotional eating. Clearly, My Crazy Cravings wouldn't let me go until I healed. Have you, too, been plagued by Crazy Cravings while mourning the death of a loved one, your divorce, the end of a relationship or the loss of a job? My Big Discovery: Oh No, I Was in Carb Shock, Too! About a year ago, while healing, I made a huge discovery, which actually embarrassed me, because I know better. One day, I began to study the ingredients labels of foods I'd been devouring in my pain. Amazon Sug Sh 51RDZ7DBVAL._SL110_ (2)I turned to page 12 of my first book, Sugar Shock. There I found all the symptoms I'd been experiencing. It was déjà vu! Sure, I hadn't been eating sugar, but those fast-acting carbs had been delivering the same awful symptoms, which had plagued me back in 1998. Because I'd been repeatedly Heartbreak Bingeing™ quickie carbs, I was suffering from many ailments that were uncannily like those of Sugar Shock. Indeed, I'd been suffering from: Mood swings, Crying spells, Melancholy, Depression, Angst, Irritability, Brain fog or Difficulty concentrating Insomnia (or nightmares if I did sleep), Overwhelming fatigue Restlessness Nervousness And more. Yikes! In other words, I'd been flipping in and out of what I now call Carb Shock! And sure enough, my Heartbreak Bingeing of quickie carbs had been making My Dark Night of the Soul far worse than it would have been if I'd been carefully choosing all that I put into my mouth. Yeah! I've Now Lost 19 (of the 20) Pounds of Grief Weight Because I so wanted to reclaim my peace of mind and get get back to serving you, I've done many things to heal, as noted earlier, from therapy to EFT. Thankfully, with the help of those valuable healing valuable tools, I've been eating healthily for about a year, with a few short, grief-triggered slips on some holidays, birthdays or anniversaries. As a result, I've also finally peeled off almost 19 of the 20 pounds I gained, and I'm getting toned again. Woo Hoo! The Inevitable, Frustrating Weight Loss Plateaus Although I'm really close to my earlier weight (still have some inches to lose though), shedding my 20 excess pounds has been very slow. In fact, I've had a number of plateaus, which were very frustrating. I believe that it's s taken me so long (a full year) to shed those 19 pounds, because that my cortisol and adrenaline were sky high after all the stress, trauma, and grief I endured. Stay tuned for cool tools to bring your cortisol in check. (There's a huge connection between cortisol and weight gain, as I reveal here.). In addition, I suffered from a painful, debilitating knee injury, which prevented me from doing high-intensity workouts and weight training for four months. To lose my grief weight, I learned a lot. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on Easy Tips to Rise Above Your Weight-Loss Plateau. Soon, I'll also share other valuable ideas and information so you can get practical tools to Calm your Crazy Cravings and heal from profound pain. Sign up now for Sugar Shock Blog updates to get these helpful posts. My Time Out from Social Media As you may have noticed, I've taken quite a bit of time away from social media, as well as this Sugar Shock Blog, or my blogs on Heal Your Life, the Huffington Post or Psychology Today. Not only that, but I stayed away from events where I might run into fellow health colleagues. Sometimes, you just need to retreat and regroup in order to come back stronger and better. For my part, I wanted to get back my slim figure, calm demeanor, and peace of mind. I felt that being active in socially and in blogging and social media kept me away from my highest goal, which was healing so I could come back stronger and better able to serve you. Good News for You: My Exciting New Book Will Help You Tame Your Crazy Cravings™ Tadum! At last, I'm excited to announce that I'm ready to serve you again. My pain is now your gain. It's strange. When I feel shattered, betrayed and broken, I get quite creative. So now I'm finishing researching and writing my next book, which is tentatively called Tame Your Crazy Cravings™. (During my traumatic times, I started another three books, too.) For my next book, tentatively called Tame Your Crazy Cravings—which I'll formally announce soon—I'll tell and show you how to let go of your irrational urges, which keep you hooked on unhealthy, sugary, salty, fatty foods, fast foods or quickie carbs. Lately, I've come to realize that unless you rein in your Crazy Cravings, you'll never lose weight. I've also become more aware of how when you're suffering from a loss, death, or trauma, you're more vulnerable to being blindsided by those irrational food urges. When you release your Crazy Cravings, you'll be able to: Shed weight; Boost your moods; Become more productive; Calm down and gain peace of mind; Become happy; and even Rev up your libido. Sign up for Sugar Shock Blog updates to get new, easy tools, tactics, and techniques that can help you Calm Your Crazy Cravings so you can get the sweeter life you so richly deserve. Stay tuned also for information about my exciting, upcoming Cravings Freedom Program™. Thank You For Your Support. At this time, I want to thank all of you, who've been sticking around and reading my periodic posts on this Sugar Shock Blog during my Dark Night of the Soul. That means so very much to me. I'm very grateful to you for your understanding, compassion and support for the past three years, while I stood by my dying Mom, went through My Dark Night of the Soul, took time to heal, wrote a new book, and prepared to help you again. I also want to extend my profound gratitude to blogger Sean Croxton for inspiring me to come clean with you. Please see this post, too, in which I thank him for giving me courage to come clean with you about my carb relapse. Now, please tell us if you, too, have ever been ruled by your Crazy Cravings. Join the Conversation: Have you ever been thrown off course by your Crazy Cravings™ or other bad food urges? Post your comments now. Continue reading
Posted Aug 8, 2014 at Sugar Shock Blog
So very glad to hear it! You so brightened my day, because my goal is to hellp people. Stay tuned for more Cravings-Calming techniques. Keep in touch, too.
Join the Conversation. Have you tried the following Cravings Calmer? Let us know if it worked. If you're like most women and many men, your overwhelming cravings for sugary, salty or fatty processed foods often taunt you. At times, you may even feel that those chocolate donuts, onion rings or p...


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How big is the U.S. nail business? $7.3 billion. What's the average service price for a manicure? Dig into our decades' deep research archives.
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The U.S. Vietnamese salon industry represents more than half of all salons. VietSALON serves this market with a bi-monthly Vietnamese language print magazine and a community-oriented website.
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