Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on candy, cookies, and chips – and then afterwards do you become an argumentative Sugar Shrew? Do you pop by the drug store for paper goods but also stock up on soda and chocolate — and then get depressed as the bathroom scale numbers move highter and higher? Do you feel like a sad, moody, anxious sugar addict with zero will power?
Take heart. You can quit — or cut way back on — sweets and processed, “much-like-sugar carbs” such as white bread, white rice, and pasta. The best part is, when you curtail your consumption of these “culprit carbs,” you will likely be able to say farewell to your sugar-triggered, inner bitch.
I am proof of that!
Back in 1998, I reluctantly kicked sugar on doctor’s orders, because he insisted that cutting out quickie carbs could banish my unpredictable mood swings, crying spells, ferocious headaches, severe PMS and 40 other ailments.
Sure enough, my physician was right. By saying good bye to sugar, I said hello to feeling great. Not only that, I learned that removing processed sweet stuff from my life, in turn, makes me sweeter, as well as more fun and pleasant to be around.
After kicking sugar and refined carbs, all my ailments vanished, and I felt reborn. It changed my life (and my family life) and afterward I committed myself to helping others find the good life as well. (That’s why I am delighted to be sharing my story and advice here on the Good News Network!)
I’m now on a mission to help you break free of your sugar habit so that you can usher in happiness and give your sugar-induced bitchiness the heave ho.
Spurning inferior sweets and quickie carbs, like potato chips, could turn your life around especially if you’re hypoglycemic, diabetic, pre-diabetic or overweight. Just that one diet change (removing sugar) could give you more energy, better concentration and an improved relationships with your loved ones.
Here is the non-sugar-coated scoop: Over-indulging in nutrient-lacking foods can:
- Pack on the pounds
- Sap your energy
- Leave you unfocused
- Contribute to you becoming crabby, cranky and cantankerous
- Induce Jekyll-Hyde personality transformations
- Jeopardize your love life
- Lead to hypoglycemia, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.
- Adjust your mindset – and pronto! Before you can begin to make better dietary decisions, you need to change your thoughts. Toss away such negative views as: “Oh, boo hoo, I don’t want to quit sweets!” Instead, dwell on positive ideas like this: “Wow, I feel so great by kicking quickie carbs.” Now fill your mind with pleasant, powerful images of you succeeding. Visualize yourself easily turning down low-quality carbs and becoming a happier, healthier, sweeter you. See yourself in charge instead of enslaved.
- Plan a pity party. Naturally, this might sound counter-productive, but I’m convinced that before you cut out low-quality carbs, allotting a specific, short amount of time to feel sorry for yourself (say, a few days or a week tops) can work wonders. So go ahead and mope but then quickly get over it and get on with it!
- Watch yourself like a lab rat. Begin to face your sugar truth by keeping a food journal. Jot down what drives you to refined carbs, when you clamor for them, where you eat them, why you want them, and how you get them (i.e., do you stealthily drive across town in the middle of night to buy a carton of ice cream because you need it?) Journaling can be potent preparation for
stomping out your sugar habit! - Power up with PFF (Protein, Fiber and Healthy Fats). By this I mean, eat protein (such as fish, chicken, tofu, legumes and lean meats), fill up with fiber (vegetables, fruits and whole grains), and embrace healthy fats (olive oil, flax seeds, avocado, etc.) – consuming them all in moderation, of course. These three dietary changes alone can help moderate your blood sugar levels, take the edge off your appetite, keep you feel satisfied longer, provide needed nourishment, and keep your sabotaging inner bitch at bay.
- Relish Mother Nature’s goodies. Learn to savor the flavor of fresh, natural, wholesome, colorful, nutritious, preferably organic vegetables and low-sugar fruits. Next time you yearn for something sweet, enjoy a few tasty cherry tomatoes, a chunk of red pepper, or several fresh strawberries. Yum! (Nibble on some protein at the same time to keep your blood sugar stable.)
- Begin with breakfast. Always start your day with a healthy meal – you know, something like a veggie-filled omelet with a piece of orange or a small bowl of slow-cooking oatmeal. Research shows that breakfast eaters concentrate and perform better. If you skip that vital first meal of the day, you’re setting yourself up for overwhelming sugar cravings.
- Develop a kick-butt attitude. Abandon that woe-is-me stance! Tap into your inner strength instead. Even if you’re furious with yourself for having eaten nutrient-poor foods for so long, use that anger to reinforce your “I-can-do-it” attitude. Because you can! Now go for it and trust in your ability to succeed. Believe me, you can Enjoy a Sweeter Life Without Refined Sweets.™
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. is author of Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life– and How You Can Get Back on Track, which has been endorsed by many luminaries such as Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup and former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Connie also is a health counselor, radio show host, speaker and blogger, frequent media guest and experienced journalist.
Join Connie on BlogTalk Radio. April 15 for her Gab-Fest With the Gurus, an anniversary wellness and empowerment radio event. Listen live (or stream it later) as Connie speed-interviews 15 acclaimed experts, including Dr. Bernie Siegel, Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa, Ann Louise Gittleman, Joshua Rosenthal and Marla “FlyLady” Cilley. To win an exciting raffle prize, sign up at www.SugarShockBlog.com.