SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Relieve Holiday Stress With Us & 3 Tips to Calm You Down

During the holidays, millions get stressed out and anxious. In fact, research shows that people overwhelmed and anxious more now than any other time of the year.

As we all know, being stressed out can lead to overeating or binging, short tempers, neglecting exercise, arguments with your loved ones and ignoring your needs.

To help you out, I'm presenting a life-changing teleseminar, Relieve Holiday Stress on Wed., Dec. 2 at 8 pm EST, with Debra Berndt, an acclaimed master of creative visualization and hypnosis author of the upcoming book, Let Love In: Open Your Heart and Mind to Attract Your Ideal Partner.

Our Release Holiday Stress teleseminar on Dec. 2 at 8 pm -- which is free to attend live and also available via audio replay -- may help you to:

• Lose or maintain weight;
• Be happier throughout the holiday season and beyond;
• Relax around your family and friends;
• Curb your sugar cravings;
• Find love or get along better with your partner;
• Feel good about your body no matter what;
• Be calm when you’re short on funds;
• Attract money;
• Exude confidence; and
• Become the master of your life by dissolving your stresses

In addition to presenting this Release Holiday Stress teleseminar, we're also offering 3 Tips to Calm You Down now:

1. Transform your thoughts. While you may not be able to alter your circumstances, you can change the way you think about them. For instance, when you start to get upset about about your annoying Aunt Jean, who is prying into your love life, or your cousin Cindy, who keeps urging you to try her apple pie and other sugary "goodies," take a deep breath and interrupt your negative thoughts. Then, see these circumstances with rose-colored glasses. Your Aunt Jean and cousin Cindy are just showing that they love you. Tap into how they feel for you. Be thankful that they're so concerned, even if the way that they show it is misguided. Now, see your situation calmly, with gratitude instead. 

2. Take calm-down breaks. Soon after you awake, close your eyes, take several deep breaths and meditate or just relax. Imagine yourself in a beautiful place, think of a happy memory or visualize yourself succeeding at a cherished goal. Quieting down your mind before you begin your day can help it get off to a great start and things will flow for you. In addition, throughout the day, whenever you feel overwhelmed, take quick calm-down breaks of 1 to 5 minutes to bring you additional peace of mind. 

3.  Make 2 lists -- one that's "Nice To Do For Me" and another that's "Need to Do For Others."  Putting down your to-do lists on paper can help to see how manageable they are. As you go down the list, tackle one item from each list. So in addition to buying gifts for your mom or significant other, you will make sure to go to the gym. By completing both lists at once, you won't feel deprived, because you're also thinking of yourself. Better yet, as Cheryl Richardson suggests in her fabulous book,Take Time for Your Life: A 7-Step Program for Creating the Life You Want, prepare an "Absolute Yes" list, which will reflect priorities that inspire you to use your gift of time well. "When you practice extreme self-care and put yourself first, you are then fully available to others without resentment or anger." she aptly points out.

Between putting those 3 Tips to Calm You Down Now and attending our teleseminar, you'll be able to feel joyous, peaceful and loving during this holiday season.

Sign up now for this free Dec. 2 teleseminar, which is expected to fill up quickly.

If you can't make the program, just order your replay now. In fact, we highly recommend that you get your replay even if you also listen live.  That way, you can get relaxed and relieved over and over again when holiday worries overcome you. 

By the way, Debra and I are holding this Relieve Holiday Stress program at this time of year, because research shows that's when you most need help to combat stress.

In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) found that nearly half of all women in the United States experience heightened stress during the holidays, which puts their health at risk.

During this time, 41 percent of women use food and 28 percent use alcohol, according to a 2006 study.

For instance, people become burdened by:

• That annoying, but well-meaning parent, sibling, cousin or distant relative;
• Worries about weight and how you look; 
• Marital strife or loneliness, especially if you don't t have a significant other;
• Money woes;
• Health problems;
• Insecurities about giving the right gifts (and wondering if you have the money to buy them);
• The loss of your loved ones (either recently or in previous years);
• The depressing economy; and
• Credit card debt.

Devouring several pieces of pecan pie, spending more money than you should on holiday presents or arguing with your loved ones aren't the answers to heal your holiday stress.

Let us help you calm down this holiday season. Join us to get simple tools and techniques to breeze through the holidays with peace of mind rather than cave in under stress.

Sign up now to join master relaxation expert Debra Berndt and me for a free teleseminar on Dec. 2 at 8 pm EST so you can, Release Holiday Stress.

Order your replay now, too, so you can listen to this program at any time during the holiday season.

Spread the word, too, to friends and colleagues about this helpful program.

Thank Your Body on Sneaker Saturday

Naturally, because of Thanksgiving, gratitude is uppermost on most of our minds this week.

Many o us have been thankful for our loved ones, our health, our gadgets and other things.

Today, I invite you to thank your body, especially since it's Sneaker Saturday, which I created a while back to encourage you to joyously move.

When was the last time you expressed gratitude for your legs, your arms, your stomach, your mouth, your teeth and other parts of your body?

Have some fun today thanking your body and moving it. I'll begin.

Dear Body, thank you for allowing me to boogie in my living room, sway when prompted by music (such as now), gracefully glide about, strike my computer keyboard for hours on end (when I write), do squats at the gym and when I vacuum (which I did earlier), jump, play with a hula hoop,  lift weights, do resistance training and so much more. I love you, Dear Body, and I'm thrilled that you're there for me on a consistent basis!

Dearest Body, please also forgive me for all the abuse I've wreaked upon you in the past (before 1998) when I was caught up in the throes of a sugar addiction and constantly put my body into sugar shock.

Sweet, Forgiving Body, I humbly also ask you to forgive me for the the damage I caused you years ago when I was smoking lots of cigarettes, drinking lots of coffee and diet soda and was trapped in an eating disorder. I'm so sorry that I didn't treat you as the Temple you are! But thank you so very much for quickly  healing despite all the horrible things I've done to you over the years.

Thank you again so much, Beautiful Body, for being there for me no matter what.

What would your gratitude prayer to your body sound like? I invite you to write one now, too.

By the way, when I conquered my addiction to sugar in 1998, as well as my zealousness for caffeine, cigarettes and diet soda years earlier, I expressed gratitude to my body. In addition, with the help of people, I humbly begged my body for forgiveness, too. So, if you're struggling with weight or other health issues, thanking your body and asking it for forgiveness can be vital first steps to break free and regain health.

Now I'm off to go move and celebrate my body, and I encourage you to do so, too.

By the way, have you been reading about the research that keeps coming in, which stresses the many benefits of exercise?

Did you know, for instance, as this Life Science story from Dan Peterson so aptly points out, that regular regular workouts can improve old brains, raise kids' academic performance and give your brain a boost?

Play the Thank You Game, Suggests Cheryl Richardson

Cheryl Richardson -- the gracious, motivational speaker, bestselling author of several books, including her latest, The Art of Extreme Self Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time -- has a great idea to put into action this Thanksgiving week. 

As she outlined in her weekly newsletter (which you can subscribe to here), Cheryl recommends that we all Play the Thank You Game.

While the teacher of self-care strategies suggests playing this Thank You Game just during Thanksgiving week, I'd like to recommend that we extend this even longer.

Let's play the Thank You Game for the rest of the year. Please join me!

Let me begin by thanking you, Cheryl Richardson, for your transformative, life-changing, ideas. I'm now finishing and getting lifted up by your fabulous book, Take Time for Your Life: A 7-Step Program for Creating the Life You Want, which I'm reading to complete my life coaching credentials from the Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching (iPEC). 

To get inspired regularly by Cheryl:

• Subscribe to her newsletter (as noted above);
• Listen to her weekly radio show on Hay House Radio or her monthly telegathering;
• Friend her on Facebook;
  
• Follow her on Twitter;
• Get involved with her community and
• Learn how to see her live.

And make sure to check out Cheryl's website for more visionary out A Touch of Grace. Very cool! I got just the messages I needed.

Please spread the word so your friends and loved ones also can join the Thank You Game.

3 Tips to Prevent Overeating on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is often the holiday that ushers in overeating during the holiday season. But you don’t have to become an overeater.

Here are 3 tips to keep you from all that stuffing, candied yams, apple pie, mashed potatoes and more.

1 – Cheer up another guest.

This year, at your holiday celebration, one of the best ways to quit obsessing about sweets is to do something for someone else. So find a guest or two on whom to focus. First ask your relative or loved one or friend what’s going on in her or his life. Listen carefully. Then offer support, encouragement, validation and understanding. Give warmth, compassion and love, too. As your heart opens up, you’ll fill yourself with good feelings rather than food.

2 – Practice gratitude.

Much has been said about the value of being grateful year round—and even on a daily basis. Naturally, Thanksgiving is a time to be especially jubilant and grateful for all that you have. What better way to quit overeating than to use saying thanks to stop your pigging-out behavior? What you’ll do is this: Rather than just say grace before the meal, each time you take a bite of candied yams, turkey, stuffing, etc., you’ll thank the Lord (or whoever you thank) for at least 3 things. Just think: Every time you put something in your mouth, you have to say thanks for 3 things. That takes time, right? In other words, delving deeply into gratitude like this can help you to slow down and thereby help you keep from overeating.

2 – Plan something fun after your feast.

Before the Thanksgiving meal begins, get members of your family or friends to agree to do something fun afterward. Decide whether you’ll take a walk in the neighborhood, play a game of cards or soccer or sing karaoke in the living room to your favorite tunes. Just find some activity that appeals to most of the guests. By getting excited about festivities after your meal, you’ll place less emphasis on eating all that pie and potato, etc. and, I predict, be less interested in overeating.

Did these tips help you? Do you have any others? Share them with us here.

Get more tips to not overeat on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Marks a "High Risk" Time to Become Overweight

For many, Thanksgiving is the start of overeating unhealthy foods and packing on the pounds.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a “high risk” time for the overweight, according to Holly Hull, Ph.D., lead researcher of a study, "The Effect of the Thanksgiving Holiday on Weight Gain.

“I think the number of people who only overeat at the Thanksgiving meal is slim to none,” Dr. Hull told New York Times reporter/Well blogger Tara Parker-Pope.

“The holiday season doesn’t represent one day of overeating. You have this period that extends through the new year where there’s more alcohol, more snacks, more finger foods and appetizers that are energy dense,” she pointed out to Parker-Pope.

Rest assured, though, you  don't need to gain weight, whether it's 1, 5 or 7 pounds. Get 3 Tips to Prevent Overeating on Thanksgiving now.

Get more tips how not to pig out on Thanksgiving.

Children Are Likely Watching Junk Food Ads on Nickelodeon

Whenever children watch the popular children's network Nickelodeon, nearly 80 percent of food ads they see are promoting foods of poor nutritional quality, according to an analysis conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

This is only "a modest and not quite statistically significant drop from 2005, when CSPI researchers found that about 90 percent of food ads on Nick were for junk food," CSPI announced.

The watchdog organization points out that between the two studies (in 2005 and 2009), the food industry instituted a self-regulatory program through the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI).

Listen to what else CSPI discovered with advertising from food companies that participate in the "self-regulatory program."

Of 452 foods and beverages that companies claim are acceptable to market to children, 267, or nearly 60 percent, do NOT meet CSPI's recommended nutrition standards for food marketing to children, such as General Mills' Cookie Crisp and Reese’s Puffs cereals, Kellogg Apple Jacks and Cocoa Krispies cereals, Kellogg Rice Krispies Treats, Campbell's Goldfish crackers and SpaghettiOs, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and many Unilever Popsicles.

"While industry self-regulation is providing some useful benchmarks, it's clearly not shielding children from junk food advertising, on Nick and elsewhere," said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.

"It's a modest start, but not sufficient to address children’s poor eating habits and the sky-high rates of childhood obesity."

"Nickelodeon should be ashamed that it earns so much money from carrying commercials that promote obesity, diabetes, and other health problems in young children," Wootan said. "If media and food companies don't do a better job exercising corporate responsibility when they market foods to children, Congress and the FTC will need to step in to protect kids’ health."

Wootan makes some valid points. Nick should be embarrassed by the fact that so many TV ads pitch junk foods that can lead to obesity, diabetes and more. 

It's time, I believe, for the government to step in to prevent junk food advertising to kids.

Social Media Guru Chris Brogan on Gab With the Gurus

Join us next Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 2 pm EST on the Gab With the Gurus Radio Show when my guest is the renowned social media expert Chris Brogan.

Get details on the Gab With the Gurus Blog, home to news about my radio show guests.

Thanksgiving: How Not to Pig Out

People often wonder how to make it through Thanksgiving without pigging out on sweets and quickie carbs and going into sugar shock.

They don't want to wake up having gained weight, feeling fuzzy-headed and moody.

Just think: Wouldn’t it be nice to feel happy and self assured that you didn’t cave into those candied yams, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes?

So today's Tip of the Week will offer you three simple tactics to put into action at your Thanksgiving meal:

1. Imagine What If… Just think about how you’ll feel the day after Thanksgiving if you allowed yourself to have some “treats. Would you feel angry and disappointed at yourself? Would you lose self-respect? Would you feel discouraged that you couldn’t control yourself? My clients say that all of the above emotions would hit them—and hard. So before you put those Thanksgiving “goodies” into your mouth, just “Imagine What If…”
2. Let time tell you what to do… When those Thanksgiving treats “call out” to you, let your watch or cell guide you to positive self eating. Learn how easy it is now.
3. Remember why you’re celebrating. Finally, before you go for the extra helping, think about the meaning behind Thanksgiving. As we all know, this is a holiday dedicated to gratitude. So what better way to observe it than to be thankful that you have family or friends with whom to celebrate Thanksgiving? Before you go for seconds or thirds, think of 20 things for which you’re grateful. 

I hope these 3 simple tips will help you not to pig out on Thanksgiving.

Hope this helps. If you have more tips, let me know here.

Release Holiday Stress on Dec. 2: Free Teleseminar

Let's face it: The holidays aren't necessarily jolly for millions of people.

Research shows that this holiday season causes people to experience much more stress and anxiety than the rest of the year.

Take heart. Help is on the way!

Learn to Relieve Holiday Stress on Dec. 2 at 8 pm EST in a calming, life-changing teleseminar with Debra Berndt, an acclaimed master of creative visualization.

Debra, author of the upcoming book, Let Love In: Open Your Heart and Mind to Attract Your Ideal Partner, has achieved astounding success with clients.

Indeed, after your teleseminar -- which will include peace-promoting creative visualizations -- you'll great the holidays with a feeling of joy rather than stress.

Hurry up and submit your email below for this Dec. 2 teleseminar, which is expected to fill up quickly.

Make sure to order your replay now, too, so that you can listen to this program over and over again when your holiday worries abound.

Debra and I are holding this Relieve Holiday Stress program to help you, because research shows during this time of year you most need help.

In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) found that nearly half of all women in the United States experience heightened stress during the holidays, which puts their health at risk.

For instance, many of you women – and, of course, you men – become burdened by:

• That annoying, but well-meaning parent, sibling, cousin or distant relative;
• Worries about weight and how you look; 
• Marital strife or loneliness, especially if you don't t have a significant other;
• Money woes;
• Health problems;
• Insecurities about giving the right gifts (and wondering if you have the money to buy them);
• The loss of your loved ones (either recently or in previous years);
• The depressing economy; and
• Credit card debt.

No wonder many of you are tempted to pig out at family gatherings, holiday feasts, work parties and other functions!

You’re not alone. Women – and, of course, men -- rely more on unhealthy behaviors to manage stress during the holidays. In all, 41 percent of women use food and 28 percent use alcohol, according to a 2006 study.

Getting more money, finding a partner and devouring several pieces of Pecan Pie are NOT the answers to heal your holiday stress.

Finding the root of your stresses and anxiety can help you breeze through the holiday season.

Provide your email below to join creative visualization expert/master hypnotist Debra Berndt and me for a free teleseminar on Dec. 2 at 8 pm EST so you can, Release Holiday Stress.

This Release Holiday Stress teleseminar -- which is free to attend live -- may help you to:

• Lose or maintain weight;
• Relax around your family and friends;
• Curb your sugar cravings;
• Be happier throughout the holiday season and beyond;
• Find love or get along better with your partner;
• Feel good about your body no matter what;
• Be calm when you’re short on funds;
• Attract money;
• Exude confidence; and
• Become the master of your life by dissolving your stresses and anxiety.

FYI, if you’re worried about your weight and wondering how this program will help you, you'll be encouraged when you learn about one research study in Health Magazine. Scientists found that dieters who tried hypnosis lost almost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.

This Release Holiday Stress program -- which is expected to fill up quickly, so you're invited to sign up now -- will include an empowering, life-changing, fun hypnosis session that will allow you to release stress and anxiety so you’ll feel better and ease into the New Year empowered to live the life you love.

Join us Wed., Dec. 2 at 8 pm EST to learn how to thrive through the holidays—to lose or maintain your weight, deal with all the sugar pushers, the family pressures, the money issues and much more.

Make sure to reserve your low-priced audio replay of the program so that you can be calm during the holidays and successful in the new year.

Spread the word now to your friends and family members about this life-changing program.

Provide your email below to get details about this program.

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Email
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To order replays and be calm throughout the holiday season, go here.

Conquer Your Sugar Addiction With Me, Starting Jan. 5, at the New York Open Center

Since the new year is coming soon, if you live near New York City, I invite you to plan now to break free of your sugar habit so that you may be able to:

• Lose weight
• Finally make peace with sugar and refined carbs
• Feel free
• Get more energy on a consistent basis
• Become more productive 
• Walk your talk by consuming only healthy foods and drinks
• Tap into your spirtuality
• Be unfazed when desserts and sweet snacks abound
• Feel exhilarated and excited about your many projects
• Relish moving your body in a way you've never done
• Enjoy more enriching, satisfying relationships
• Boost your libido
• Learn to meditate away your sugar desires
• And much more

Reserve your space now for Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm when you can get inspired and educated during my free introductory class at the New York Open Center.

Now, sign up for the four-week course at the New York Open Center from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.

Let me know if you've signed up for this program, because I have special gifts for people who've enrolled to help you get through the holiday season.

World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day, a global awareness campaign led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) that highlights the diabetes epidemic and aims to bring hope to the 285 million people living with diabetes worldwide.

World Diabetes Day is celebrated each year on 14 November, a date chosen to mark the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who is credited with the discovery of insulin.

Learn more about the campaign here.

While I'm all for raising awareness about the dangers of diabetes, I'm also in favor of helping to educate people to learn how overconsuming sugar and refined carbs -- which most Americans do -- can lead to type 2 diabetes, as you can learn in my book SUGAR SHOCK!

Facebook: Disabled & Waiting

A week ago tomorrow (or was it today?), my Connie Bennett Facebook account was disabled. Not only that, but my Smart Habits Fans public page has been disabled, too.

So if you're wondering why I've been mum, that's why.

You can learn about my awful "abuse" here. As best as I can guess, I was "Too Friendly Too Fast."

I've been patiently awaiting responses to repeated emails to disabled@facebook.com and other addresses.

Suffice it to say that I'm getting frustrated and discouraged.

Hope to be on soon to connect with you again.

Speed Shrinking With Author Susan Shapiro

Recently, my friend, the talented author Susan Shapiro, came out with her first work of fiction, Speed Shrinking.

This book offers a very humorous account about a female sugar expert, who fell prey to her cupcake cravings right before she was set to appear on a national TV show.

Sue, a master marketer, has been doing a series of "Speed Shrinking" events to dramatize what her main character went through -- she checked about 8 shrinks in eight days!

Anyhow, check out this story in the Independent from writer Claire Prentice about the Speed Shrinking event last Friday.

Susan was kind enough to invite me to be one of the "speed shrinkers," as you can see in the article. A photo of me is also included.

Now, before the holidays, is a good time for you to get Susan's entertaining book Speed Shrinking.

It's ideal for those of you, who have sugar issues, who are eager to lose weight, who would like to be entertained and read some beautiful writing, and who to laugh at your food challenges. If anyone can get you to do it, Susan can.

Read about Susan's other Speed Shrinking events, too.

Got Milk Full of Sugar?

Parents and health advocates, are you OK with either your kids or our nation's children regularly having 3 teaspoons of sugar added to one 8-ounce glass of milk?

Well, that's basically what our youngsters all around the nation are being encouraged to do, starting this week as the National Dairy Council -- creators of the "Got Milk? cammpaign -- launches a new campaign to heavily promote sugar-filled chocolate milk in schools across the country.

Hemi Weingarten, a fellow blogger at the Huffington Post, alerted us to this development.

All that added sugar -- over 3 teaspoons worth -- has rightfully raised the ire of health advocates, points out AP writer Emily Fredrix

In fact, experts like Marlene Schwartz, Ph.D., deputy directory of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, recommends tossing the chocolate milk. I agree with what she told Fredix -- that kids already have too much sugar and chocolate milk has no place in schools.

Clearly, children already are in sugar shock with all the sweets they consume each year.

In fact, the additional sugar in flavored milk can add up to an extra 5 pounds of body weight over the course of a school year, Renegade Lunch Lady Ann Cooper told the AP. 

What's the matter with regular milk? You don't need to make milk sweet to get kids to drink it!

Health Tip of the Week: Take Timed Breaths to Stop Cravings

This week, we will begin a new feature, "Health Tip of the Week."

Specifically, today's pointer is to help those of you who tend to battle but often cave into overpowering cravings -- for sugar, coffee, cigarettes or other unhealthy behavior. 

This tip will help you if you:

• Are a sugar addict
• Are overweight or obese
• Have type 2 diabetes
• Have an annoying habit of consuming refined carbohydrates
• Are going through sugar detox
• Need or desire to stay away from high fructose corn syrup-filled candies and pastries
• Want to get more healthy (just about everyone!)

So let's pretend you're in the throes of a yen for chocolate-covered peanuts, donuts or a sugary coffee from one of those specialty stores.

Or perhaps you're near a bakery, vending machines or newspaper stand that sells candy bars. 

Here's how to quickly stop that craving so you don't go into unpleasant sugar shock:

• Take a look at your watch or your cell phone to get the time. (If you have neither, ask someone else.)
• Next, whatever time it is, then take that number of breaths -- but do so slowly, deliberately and confidently. 
• Example: So, it's now 9 am. That means you'd slowly take 9 breaths in and 9 breaths out. 
• At the same time, visualize your breath just wiping out your craving. Expect that it's happening! Now watch the cravings go whoosh!
• After breathing, if you're still tempted, simply repeat the whole procedure another 9 times.(In other words, if it were 5 pm, you'd take 5 breaths, and if you're having a hard time, you'd repeat this another 5 times.)

Simple isn't it? Now make sure that while you're breathing, you're also visualizing the cravings being wiped out.

This tip is called the Timed-Breath, Stop-Cravings, Wipe-Out Technique.

Did you like this stop sugar shock pointer? Got any ideas of your own that you'd like to share? Let us know so we can pass it on.

Get SUGAR SHOCK! now to learn why it's important to cut back on your consumption of sugars and refined carbs.

Connecting: How to Win Friends, Clients & More -- Learn on Nov. 10

Join us Tuesday, November 10 at 2 pm EST when marketing consultant Maribeth Kuzmeski, appears as my guest on the Gab With the Gurus Radio Show.

Maribeth, author of The Connectors: How the World's Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life, will tell you about the power of connecting with others to achieve dramatic results.

Learn more or listen on the Gab With the Gurus Blog.

Remember, as always, you can listen live or later to my radio shows.

Facebook Disabled My Account: Too Friendly too Fast?

Facebook has disabled both my account, www.Facebook.com/ConnieBennett, and my public page, www.Facebook.com/SmartHabitsFans.

(Although I can't post to the latter fan page, I believe you can still join and post comments to previous posts.)

Suffice it to say that I was quite disappointed upon being told:

Your account has been disabled by an administrator. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page here.

I finally discovered the error of my ways -- my "violation" after carefully reviewing Facebook's Warnings.

I also absorbed such helpful blog posts as "13 Reasons Your Facebook Acount Will be Disabled" from Thor Muller of Get Satisfaction and "Facebook Account Deactivation -- Can It Be Avoided" from Facebook guru Mari Smith.

Apparently, my offense was this: I wrote too quickly to people who'd requested to be my friends before accepting them. At the same time, I did what thought was a smart time-saving move -- I simply cut and pasted innocuous messages such as "Wow! Lots of friends in common. Look forward to your posts."

To put on my playful attitude (you have to in a case like this!), a fun way to describe my Facebook violation is this: I was too friendly too fast for Facebook! That, combined with cutting and pasting messages, was interpreted as being potentially "annoying or abusive."

As best as I can guess, Facebook erroneously assumed that I was a spamming machine instead of a health-oriented, flesh-and-blood lady, who often encourages people to get on the social networking site, which had 250 million followers as of July 15, 2009, according to CEO/founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook, I've now learned, limits the number of times a user can send the same message or make the same post. (I've learned my lesson! So much for saving time!)

Clearly, Facebook needs to set limits to protect users from spam, but unfortunately in its zeal to do so, many of us innocents are wrongly tossed out of the site. If you're on Facebook, I would strongly advise reading all of Rights & Responsibilities so you don't suffer similarly. Anyhow, I hope to be back on Facebook soon to connect with you, but in the meantime, here's what I discovered about the unsettling experience of being booted off the social networking place to be.

Every day, about 6,000 people are banned for a variety of reasons, according a site that helps people, whose accounts have been disabled. (The Facebook Disabled site is not affiliated with Facebook.)

Although I can't vouch for these figures (trying to reach a Facebook rep to ask questions for a story), if you get on Google to do a search for "Facebook account disabled," you turn up a whopping 38,100,000 hits (as of today).

Among those who've been disabled are the renowned Internet marketers/social media gurus/authors Robert Scoble (to your left here) and Guy Kawasaki (above left), as well as actress Lindsay Lohan, who vented about her mistaken identity on MySpace.

You also can read about the travails of Jo-Anne Vandermeulen, author of Conquer All Obstacles, and artist Alyson B. Stanfield, author of I'd Rather Be in the Studio, as well as reporter Craig Daitch of Advertising Age.

Meanwhile, you can get enlightened by Computer World,  ("Disgruntled Facebook Users Look to Get Disabled Accounts Reactivated"). In addition, you can learn from the articles on TechCrunch "Facebook-Stirring Up Anger for Disabling Accounts") and the Sydney Morning Herald ("Facebook-Giveth, Facebook Taketh Away.")

Moving over to YouTube, you can watch Dark Angel, whose account was shut down twice because he wasn't using his real name, according to Facebook, that is. (He had his name legally changed.) You can even watch a parody from Internet strategist  Erin Blaskie. (See video below.)

Despite my challenges of being disabled, I'm still a huge fan of Facebook, which is why I invite you to still be active on it but be careful. Listen now to my radio show about Facebook with the following experts:

• Jesse Stay, CEO of SocialToo.com and co-author, I'm on Facebook--Now What?; 
• Mari Smith, dubbed the "Pied Piper" of Facebook by FastCompany.com. Also, the writer of the WhyFacebook.com; 
• Greg Atwan, author of The Facebook Book;
• Karel Baloun, author of Inside Facebook: Life, Work and Visions of Greatness;
• Shashi Bellamkonda; social media swami;
• Shama Hyder, founder of Click to Client; and
• Mona Nomura, which readwriteweb.com described as a "big influencer in social media."

Special thanks to Karel (left), a former Facebook engineeer, for being so nice to me since my account was disabled. Greg was also helpful.

Stay tuned for an upcoming Gab With the Gurus Radio Show -- date is being determined -- that will teach you about Facebook's rules and regulations and help you avoid my fate and NOT to be disabled from the site.

But first listen to the fun Facebook radio show with all the experts cited above. Meanwhile, if you're a journalist, here's another great radio show about Facebook with Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs and Columbia University digital media professor.

Now, get entertained by Erin Blaskie's parody, "I was Banned From Facebook -- Game Show Parody."

Share Your Stop Sugar Shock Success Story

Have you licked sugar and refined carbs and lost weight, become more focused, improved your moods or experienced other benefits?

If you're a kick-sugar success story -- whether it was to lose weight, get more energy, feel better mood-wise or get your insulin resistance under control -- I want to tell your tale here!

By sharing your story, you will have a golden opportunity to go forth and inspire, motivate, and encourage others. Just send me a comment here, and I'll get in touch with you immediately.

Read some previous Success Stories to get a flavor for what we're seeking:

• Fellow blogger Jimmy Moore
• Felicia Desrosiers
• Karly Pitman

Need inspiration and motivation to take control of your culprit-carbs habit?

If you haven't yet kicked sugar or refined carbs, you may be wondering, "What's in it for me?"

To learn about the amazing benefits of stomping out your sugar habit for good, I interviewed 12 "Sugar Kickers," who told their exciting stories in free teleseminars that I conducted. Listen to their stories here at no cost to you.

You'll also have a chance to listen to hypoglycemia expert Roberta Ruggiero interview me.

Want to get inspired? Listen now for free to our kick-sugar success stories.

Remember: I want to hear from you! Do you have a Kick-Sugar Success Story to share? Just send a comment to this blog, and I'll get back to you shortly.

If you're not yet a success, you can get tips, inspiration and more in our free Stop Sugar Shock Social Network and in my group coaching programs.

Speak Out Against Ill-Advised Coke-Doctors Partnership

Please pass this post -- which also appears on the Huffington Post -- to your friends, family members, colleagues and, in particular, your physician friends and contacts.

Recently, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)--in a move away from pharmaceutical funding--accepted a "strong six-figure" grant for a new "consumer alliance partnership" with the Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest beverage company, to create content about beverages and sweeteners for its consumer website.www.FamilyDoctor.org.

The academy--which represented 94,614 family physicians, residents and medical students nationwide as of Dec. 2008--should be ashamed of itself for accepting a six-figure sum from a soda company that sells empty-calorie, sweet drinks--usually with fructose--which numerous peer-reviewed medical studies link to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes and even premature death.

In my opinion, it's a conflict of interest for the AAFP -- whose vision is "to achieve optimal health for everyone" -- to allow Coke to "educate" visitors to its website in how nutrient-lacking, obesity-generating beverages can fit into a "healthy" lifestyle.

Furthermore, it's hard to fathom how www.FamilyDoctor.org can offer "credible information on beverages and enable consumers to make informed decisions," as a Coca-Cola spokesperson now maintains on the AAFP website.

For a doctors' group to take a high six-figure sum from Coke is like accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Big Tobacco to create physician-approved website content that claims smoking cigarettes can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

Wolfing Down Your Food Can Trigger Weight Gain

Are you someone who's a fast eater? Well, it's time to slow down, savor your food and take lots of bites. That's advice you can glean from this intriguing new study from the Journal of Clinical Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Essentially, eating quickly may trigger weight gain, because it curtails the release of hormones (you need) that help regulate your appetite, which could cause you to overeat, according to the researchers, headed up by Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens, Greece.

As MedPage reveals, patients who ate a meal in 30 minutes had higher levels of two peptides that signal satiety -- peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) -- than those who wolfed down their food in five minutes.

In nother words, this study suggests that there's truth to the "old wives' tale" that eating quickly leads to weight gain.

"Our findings give some insight into an aspect of modern-day food overconsumption, namely the fact that many people, pressed by demanding working and living conditions, eat faster and in greater amounts than in the past," Kokkinos says in the news release.

"The warning we were given as children that 'wolfing down your food will make you fat' may in fact have a physiological explanation."

"Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some observational studies have supported this notion," Kokkinos says in a news release. "Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating."

Listen to the quick interview with Dr. Kokkinos below.