SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Sugar Addicts: Get Personal Help During The Sugar Freedom & Forgiveness World Tour

Bring me Into Your Living Room, Community Center, Place of Worship or Business to Discover "Secrets to Fast Forward Beyond Sugar Shock to Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter”

All Stops are by Request Only

Sugar addicts, let’s connect and let me help you in the flesh—not just virtually through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ or YouTube. 

Bring me into your living room, community center, place of business or worship so you'll discover "Secrets to Fast Forward Beyond Sugar Shock to Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter.”

Drum roll!

I’m thrilled to announce that, in honor of my 15 years sugar-free (mostly) -- or "my 15-year-sugar-free-iversary" -- in mid-April, I’m going on the road to personally help, encourage, and inspire thousands of sugar and carb addicts as part of The 2013 Sugar Freedom & Forgiveness World Tour.

You now have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to book me to speak to intimate groups (10 people and up) in your private home, community center, place of worship or business all across the United States and parts of Europe, including San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, Paris, and Sydney. 

Please note that all stops are by request only.

Apply here to be included as part of the 2013 Sugar Freedom & Forgiveness World Tour.

During my talks on the tour, I'll:

• Reveal never-shared secrets to effortlessly let go of your sugar habit and flip on your Sugar-Free Power.
• Give you 3 simple, powerful tools to stomp out scary sugar cravings as they strike.
• Help you identify your two biggest obstacles to success.
• Disclose the single biggest mistake most people make when trying to limit sweets and tell you how to easily avoid it.
• Share one simple tactic to fast-forward you to success.
• Give you the sour scoop--on how eating too many sweets doesn’t just make you gain weight. Overdosing on sweets—which most people do—can mess up your moods, ruin your concentration, squash your  libido, and trigger, heart, disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
• Personally answer your top question(s).  

This talk is for you if:

• You want to shed excess weight to get slimmer, sexier, and sweeter, as well as happier, positive, and more focused.
• You feel addicted to sugary foods or processed carbs. (You can relate to alcoholics or drug addicts.)
• You want to boost your energy.
• (Females) You have horrible female challenges during either your time of month (your period) or life (menopause).
• (Males) Your libido isn’t what it used to be.
• You have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), prediabetes, type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
• You suffer from one or more of the following symptoms: mood swings, severe fatigue, headaches, crying spells, difficulty concentrating, depression, forgetfulness, and lightheadedness.
• You’ve read one or both of my books, Sugar Shock or Beyond Sugar Shock, but would like personal guidance to Easily Achieve Sugar Freedom.
• You want to look and feel younger, turn heads whereever you go, and out-perform people 15 years younger.

The 2013 Sugar Freedom & Forgiveness World Tour kicks off mid-April in the Western part of the United States.

I'll reach the rest of the U.S. and parts of Europe and Australia later in the year.

Apply here, on this Sugar Shock Blog, to be included in this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Please note:

• Limited opportunities are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• You can choose between: A 45-minute talk, a 1-hour Smart-Sugar-Sleuth Supermarket Tour, and a 3-session Turbo Charge Your Sugar Freedom private coaching package.
• Your advance orders of 10 or more copies of Beyond Sugar Shock will be shipped in advance. 

The 2013 Sugar Freedom and Forgiveness World Tour is dedicated to my beloved mother, who recently passed away.

To bring me into your home, community or place of worship to discover "Secrets to Fast Forward Beyond Sugar Shock to Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter,” submit your application now.

If you have any questions, submit them here. (They will not be published unless you agree.)

Connie Bennett is a bestselling author (Beyond Sugar Shock and Sugar Shock), an internationally acclaimed transformational speaker, and a sugar-addict-turned Sugar Freedom Coach, who runs the popular Sugar Freedom Now Virtual Course.

Connie's sour-to-sweet story began in 1998 when she was ambushed by a whopping 44 mysterious ailments, including crippling fatigue, unpredictable mood swings, severe PMS, and scary heart palpitations. On doctor's orders, Connie reluctantly gave up her cherished candies, cookies and other "culprit carbs," and much to her delight, ALL of her symptoms disappeared. Soon, people kept asking Connie her secrets to breaking free, which led to her becoming now known as The Sugar Freedom Coach.

Connie's new book, Beyond Sugar Shock, has been endorsed by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and many others. Her first book, Sugar Shock, was praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz.

In mid-April, Connie will embark on The Sugar Freedom & Forgiveness World Tour. It is designed to help sugar addicts around the globe easily release their dangerous habit so they can get slimmer, sexier and sweeter -- and have fun at the same time.The tour -- which also is intended to help people discover that Life is Sweeter without Sweets™ -- will raise awareness about the harmful dangers of over-eating sweets and refined carbs. (The average person over-indulges in these fast-acting, non-foods, whether she or he knows it or not.) The Sugar Freedom & Forgiveness World Tour is commemorating Connie's 15-year-sugar-free-iversary (of mostly shunning those dangerous sweets). It is dedicated to Connie's recently deceased mother.

Connie has been featured by hundreds of media outlets, including "CBS News Sunday Morning," "Oprah & Friends Radio," "The Howard Stern Show," TIME magazine, Woman's World, Women's Health, Delicious Living, Shape, The Chicago Tribune, and Detroit News.

Connie is a certified life coach, who trained at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching or iPEC; a certified health coach, who studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition; and an accomplished reporter, who has master's of science degree in journalism from Northwestern University's esteemed Medill School of Journalism.

She hosts the popular Gab with the Gurus Show, for which she interviews bestselling authors and experts in a variety of fields, from wellness to relationships to social networking.

Get free gifts at Connie's website, BeyondSugarShock.com, and connect with Connie on Facebook.

4 Tips to Sleep Better & Lose Weight: Guest Post from Dr. Sam Sugar

Today, it's my pleasure to present a guest post with 4 sleep tips from Sam Sugar, M.D., F.A.C.P., director of Sleep Services at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa. If you, too, would like to contribute a blog post, see guidelines below.

1.    Change your mindset about sleep.

Many of us think of sleep as something that we need to cram in between living, like a skinny piece of bologna slapped between two big chunks of bread. That is so wrong. We need to change our mindset and think of sleep as a gift. We need to think of poor-quality sleep, or insufficient sleep, as a curse. Because of poor-quality or poor-quantity sleep, we are often hit with problems like daytime fatigue or sleepiness, morning headaches, anxiety or depression, addiction to sleeping pills, increased risk of diabetes and other cardiovascular-related disease, and even trouble losing excess weight. With good-quality sleep,
and plenty of it (7 to 8 hours nightly), we enjoy the exact opposite: better health, better lives, happier lives. And we even significantly boost our success in shedding excess weight. That's because good sleep results in lower levels of hormones in our body that trigger appetite." 

2.    Improve your sleep hygiene.

Don’t crawl into bed at night with the TV blaring and the lights on, as well as newspapers and other reading material spread out on your bed. When you get rid of the noise and lights, and keep your room temperature nice and cool, it’s much easier to fall into soothing, deep, restful sleep."

3.    Skip Alcohol, Caffeine & Exercise After 7 p.m.

After 7 p.m., don’t partake of such sleep robbers such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. And, while a commitment to exercise is admirable, don’t take off for the gym in the evening hours. That nighttime workout may wake you up, which is the last you need when you’re trying to fall off to sleep later in the evening."

4.    Say No to Fatty, Sugary Foods & Lose Weight.

After 7 p.m., you also want to avoid fatty, heavy, high-sugar, and/or spicy foods. Sleep loss induces weight gain for several reasons. For instance, two hormones – leptin and ghrelin are affected by lack of sleep.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, your leptin levels go down, which is a problem because leptin suppresses appetite.

Ghrelin does just the opposite – it stimulates appetite. Sure enough, this hormone increases when you sleep less.When you don't sleep, your body tells you to eat, which is why so many reach for the refrigerator late in the night.

4.    Talk to your doctor and don’t minimize your symptoms.

Poor sleep could be the result of a very serious condition called obstructive sleep apnea. Having sleep apnea can greatly increase your risk of life-threatening problems like heart attacks and strokes, so it’s important to pay attention to symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, snoring, needing to urinate repeatedly during both day and night, and waking up with a dry mouth. All could be symptoms of sleep apnea. Your doctor can likely recognize these symptoms, and others and prescribe treatments that can be very effective. The benefits of treating sleep apnea are lowering the risk of heart disease, right
heart failure and sudden death. Talking to your doctor and getting treatment for sleep apnea, if needed, can improve your life tremendously. The benefits of treating sleep apnea include better blood pressure, more daytime energy, far less snoring at night, and a much lower risk of heart disease, right heart failure, and sudden death. You’ll also shed weight more easily. Your body is no longer fighting pound-producing hormonal disturbances caused by sleep loss. In fact, losing just 10 to 15 percent of excess body weight may improve sleep apnea so much that it disappears."

Note from Connie: I've written before about how Not Enough Sleep Can Trigger Weight Gain. In fact, getting more sleep is one of the easiest and quickest ways to shed that dreaded excess weight. So make sure to get ample zzz's tonight, ok? Then share your sleep/weight loss success stories with us. 

Would you like to write for this Sugar Shock Blog? To have your blog post considered, please see the guidelines on this Sugar Shock Blog.

Forgiveness Frees You

As I shared here recently on this new Bittersweet Year Blog and on my Sugar Shock Blog, lately,  I've  needed to take time to Take Back My Power and recover from a terribly grueling, but tender Bittersweet Last Year with Mom. (My mother passed away recently after valiantly defeating stage 4 lung cancer for a year.)

via www.bittersweetyear.com

Grief Guru David Kessler Shares 10 Worst & Best Things to Say to Someone in Grief

When you're grieving the loss of a loved one, it can be really frustrating, discouraging, and downright infuriating when people say the most insensitive and downright silly things. 

via www.bittersweetyear.com

Find out what to say when someone's grieving, thanks to grief guru David Kessler.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day.

As you celebrate your love with your honey, think also about being your own valentine.

Or, as I wrote in my article on Heal Your Life, "Before you shower someone else with love and affection, you need to bestow love and affection on yourself. Only then can you be a wonderful sweetheart."

Today, I'd like to urge you to be super-sweet to both your special someone and yourself all year long.

In other words, as I put it on "Be an Everyday Valentine" on Heal Your Life, "You want to be a valentine all 365 days of the year."

Now, see my article to learn four ways to start to Be an Everyday Valentine.

Special thanks to Hay House for featuring my article on the Heal Your Life site and Facebook page.

Join Me on a Mission to Forgive

As I've shared here, on this Sugar Shock Blog and on my new Bittersweet Year blog, I'm now recovering from a grueling Last Year with Mom.

(My mother passed away in the fall after valiantly defeating stage 4 lung cancer for a year.)

Lately, I've been grieving a lot. Darn, I miss Mom!

Lately, because I need to take time and do lots of things to heal, I've also needed to postpone my upcoming Sugar Freedom Course several times. (It's now starting in mid-April in conjunction with my 15-years-off-sugar-iversary.)

Alas, the cheerful Connie, who seeks to serve sugar addicts and carb junkies so they can Break Free with Ease™, has still been mostly elusive.

By the way, to know what I mean by bittersweet, first read about the sweet part of My Last Year with Mom. Then find out about the bitterness, which I'm now transforming into valuable lessons.

Anyhow, because my spunk and mojo have been so darn elusive, I'm now on a Mission to Forgive.

Thankfully, as I'm forgiving both my mom and myself, the heavy cloud that's been hovering over me is now beginning to lift. Yeah!

Soon, I hope, I'll share with you what's been most effective to help me forgive both my mom and myself so that I can move forward with joy and ease.

So who do you need to forgive? And what methods have you tried to forgive?

Be Your Own Everyday Valentine First

Every February 14, we're obligated and encouraged to offer shows of affection to our sweethearts, if we have one, by giving chocolate, flowers, cards, jewelry, etc.

What's wrong with this picture?

You need to love yourself before you can love anyone else.

Or, as I wrote in my article on Heal Your Life, "Before you shower someone else with love and affection, you need to bestow love and affection on yourself. Only then can you be a wonderful sweetheart."

Today, I'd like to urge you to be super-sweet to both your special someone and yourself all year long.

In other words, as I put it on "Be an Everyday Valentine" on Heal Your Life, "You want to be a valentine all 365 days of the year."

Now, see my article to learn four ways to start to Be an Everyday Valentine.

Special thanks to Hay House for featuring my article on the Heal Your Life site and Facebook page.

Many Thanks & Wows to Anne Lamott

I'm now recovering from being very sick (cold, flu, utter exhaustion, and grief over my mother's recent death), but I wanted to get out of bed to extend many thanks and wows to the talented, prolific, motivating writer Anne Lamott, author of the fabulous book, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.

Annie -- whom I had the pleasure of hearing speak while she was launching her remarkable book, Help, Thanks, Wow -- kindly mentioned me and my newest book, Beyond Sugar Shock, on both her popular Facebook page and in her reprinted article on Style, Substance, Soul.

While I'm very grateful for the mention of Beyond Sugar Shock and my sugar freedom coaching, there's a far bigger reason that I want to extend my deep, heartfelt gratitude to Annie.

Although the inspiring Anne Lamott asked me for help with her sugar challenges (after we met at her book signing for Help, Thanks, Wow) and while it's been an honor and privilege to offer her text coaching, what Annie didn't know was that while I was giving her support, she was giving me a tremendous amount of support, too.

Indeed, without realizing it, the remarkable Anne Lamott was probably helping me just as much, if not a lot more, than I was helping her.

A little background is in order. I met Annie while I was (and have been) going through a very rough time. In fact, I barely dragged myself to Annie's book signing while nursing a broken heart. Recently, my mother passed away, and I've been reeling in absolutely excruciating grief, profound anguish, and utter agony after what I now call My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, as well as some recent, very painful discoveries.

At the same time, I’d been feeling lost and in limbo. I was (and still am) trying to decide where to live, because soon after discovering that Mom was terminally ill, I gave up my apartment in New York City (which I'd enjoyed for a decade) and moved across country to California to be there for my mother in her dying days. I’m now in a temporary, cramped, but wonderfully peaceful place. Read about my truly beautiful, but utterly gut-wrenching time on my new Bittersweet Year blog.

The delicious irony about my having been there for Annie Lamott since late December (right before Christmas) is that in between or after texting or emailing tips, ideas, encouragement and insights and the joy of eating healthily and staying away from sugary non-treats, I'd often turn to three of her many marvelous books -- Help, Thanks, Wow; Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith; and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life -- as well as her fabulous Facebook page, to get tips, ideas, encouragement, and insights. 

It seemed like every time that I visited Annie's Facebook page or picked up  Help, Thanks, Wow; Traveling Mercies or Bird by Bird, I'd find more inspiring, thought-provoking, butt-kicking words of wisdom.

Indeed, whenever I veered off track, Anne Lamott -- and also Louise Hay (more about that later) -- kindly, generously, magnanimously reached out to me and gave me solace and encouragement though her words and concepts, which helped to propel my thoughts to a better plane such as moving away from sorrow and grief to gratitude or optimism.

For instance, Anne inspired me by writing:

"There's freedom in hitting bottom. . . relief in admitting you've reached the place of great unknowing. This is where restoration can begin,..."

Or, in Help, Thanks, Wow, Anne Lamott urged me to find freedom and value in my funk with these words:

"I have seen many people survive unsurvivable losses, and seen them experience happiness again. How is that possible?

". . . In most cases, their pain evolved slowly into help for others. The great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote, "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. / I awoke and saw that life was service. / I acted and behold, service was joy."

Ah yes, how true. Thanks, Annie, for reminding me that I'm here to serve people. And while I heal, I can and shall serve.

Meanwhile, I've been getting awesome ideas from her. For instance, in Help, Thanks, Wow, Annie offers the suggestion to store your woes in a God box. (I love that idea, and I'm now experimenting with this.)

It's truly remarkable how every time I've turned to Help, Thanks, Wow; Traveling Mercies; or Bird by Bird, I've found something that really speaks to me. (One of my favorite things to do with inspiring books is to shut my eyes, pick a page and then find a quote or comment that helps me.)

What I also find fascinating is that although Anne Lamott and I are different religions -- I'm Jewish and she's a Christian, who welcomes Jesus into her life -- she still inspires me mightily.

Anyhow, after my nap today -- remember, I'm very sick, flu-ish, and utterly exhausted -- I'll turn again to Help, Thanks, Wow, or what she's now playfully calling Hips, Thighs, Waist.

Meanwhile, Anne Lamott has helped to wake me up. It's as if she's been nudging me to focus and refocus.

She helped me to realize that I really need to say, "Help," more often, especially in my time of profound grief. But that's not all. I also need to gratefully and repeatedly say, "Thanks." And then later, I should continue to marvel, "Wow."

Anne Lamott, thank you for all you've done for me while I've hoped to be there for you, too. You've motivated me to say "Help, Thanks, Wow," more often and more meaningfully.

Now, dear readers of any religion, whatever you're going through at present, I strongly urge you to get, read, and re-read Anne Lamott's latest book, the spectacular Help, Thanks, Wow.

My prediction is that you, too, will begin to learn the value of saying, "Help, Thanks, Wow."

Off to Take Back by Power on Transformational Retreat

I'll be off shortly on a transformational retreat to Take Back my Power after my grueling Bittersweet Last Year with Mom.

This is not a vacation. I'm not ready to take one yet. I'm still in so much pain. 

Rather, this is a chance to dig deep, recover from traumatic incidents, Do Drastic Self-Preservation (much more intense than just self-care), and Get Back My Mojo, which, as I shared here, has been missing quite a bit lately.

Now, you can get a more well-rounded perspective about My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom.

First, learn about the sweetness. Then find out about the bitterness, which I'm now transforming into valuable lessons.

Just remember, that as I now seek to help people dealing with difficult, dying loved ones, I'm missing my mom so much! I really loved her!

Anyhow, please tell me what you think of my new Bittersweet Year Blog.

If you're among the first 10 people to post comments on this Bittersweet Year Blog, you will win a 20-minute complimentary Strategy Session with me.

So post your comment now.

"See you" soon.

Letter to Anne Lamott: Tempted by Sweets or Quickie Carbs? Read Me First! 10 Ways to Continue to Savor Sugar Freedom!

 For the past six weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of doing text-coaching with talented writer Anne Lamott, who I had the pleasure of meeting after the fabulous talk she gave at her church to launch her new, fabulous book, Help, Thanks, Wow. Anyhow, as a Sugar Freedom Coach, I don’t want to leave Annie in the lurch with no encouragement while I’m away for 10 days on a transformational retreat. So I came up with a way to support Annie while I’m gone. I wrote her this letter, which she now has given me permission to share with you.

Dear Annie,

I really want to be there for you while I’m off healing and taking back my power. (As you know, I desperately need to go on this transformational retreat until Feb. 10 to recover from My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, which, as I shared with you and on my Sugar Shock Blog (www.SugarShockBlog.com) and my new Bittersweet Blog, www.BittersweetYear.com), was utterly grueling, draining and heartbreaking.)

To support and stand by you so you can continue to Savor Sugar Freedom, I’ve decided to create a 10 Ways to Continue to Savor Sugar Freedom Checklist for you. I invite you to bring this along with you wherever you go so you can whip it out if temptation strikes.

Whenever health-harming, tempting sugary non-foods—what I call Sweet Baddies (certainly not “goodies” or “treats”)—seem to tauntingly plead, “Eat me, eat me,” I urge you take the following steps first.

1)   Follow Your Own Smart Advice. Holler Help! 

Put a Sugar Freedom spin on the wisdom you eloquently impart in your book, Help, Thanks, Wow. When you can’t quit obsessing about a gorgeous cupcake, a chocolate-chip cookie or whatever sugary non-food or Sweet Baddie you want right away, lean on God, divine intelligence, or, as you playfully put it, “Howard.”

Just imagine: You’re so close to shoving a Sweet Baddie in your mouth. Your favorite dangerous, culprit-carb non-foods—which, for you and many others, are sure-fire gateways to glutting, depression and Sugar Slavery—keep taunting and tormenting you. They seem to be  whispering, “It’s time to stop feeling deprived. Go ahead, put one in your mouth. Now.”

Annie, when temptation like this strikes, it’s time to prove those Sweet Baddies wrong!  Let Providence whisk you to Savory Sugar Freedom instead.

You might want to pray like this. “Dear God, I could use a hand. Please help me. I feel out of control when it comes to [name of Sweet Baddie you want]. I know that I shouldn’t have them, but I want them anyhow. Please, Divine Wisdom, show me exactly what steps to take so I have the strength to turn away from [type of Sugary Temptation]. And, God, please help me to remember that this [cake, cookie, etc.] is so very bad for me and can lead to overeating, self-loathing and disease.”

2)    Eating Sugar Makes You Unspiritual.

Over-indulging in sweets, as you’ve been discovering, makes you so much less than you can and want to be. Specifically, sugary non-foods can take you down a path to non-spirituality. They can rob you of your sublime, divine-loving essence. People who haven’t gone sugar-free (or close to it) don’t understand this subtle connection, but you “get it.” So please ask yourself before you cave in to sweets or culprit carbs, “Is a piece or bag of [name of Temptation] worth straying off the spiritual path?”

3)    Remember How Clear-Headed & Better You Are When You Limit the Sugar.

As you know, eating lots of sugary non-foods can muddy up your thinking, mess with your moods and strip you of your power. When a sugary non-food is bugging you, instead delight in how wonderful you feel when you stick to such wholesome foods as lentils, organic veggies, organic meats, and healthy fats. Now ask yourself, “Is this [Name of Sugary Temptation] really worth losing my clarity, energy, and peace of mind? Wouldn’t I rather be my best self?”

4)    Revel in Your Former Success & Then Challenge Yourself to Recreate it.

Think of the accomplishment of which you’re the most proud. Is it that you’ve stayed away from alcohol for so long and enjoyed sweet sobriety? Perhaps you’re delighted that you made your last book deadline? Now, stretch yourself. Realize that, “Hey, if I did [quit alcohol or whatever else you picked], then I can surely stay away from sugar, even if it is addictive.” Annie, you can even have fun and quip, “I continue to choose Savor Sugar Freedom. It’s a piece of cake!” (Pardon the pun!)

5)    Do Sugar Procrastination. (Delay).

As we’ve discussed, one very effective sugar-avoidance approach is to procrastinate on purpose. By that, I mean delay eating your temptation of the moment. To refresh your memory about this simple tactic, just read this blog post I wrote about the power of delaying.  http://www.sugarshockblog.com/2011/05/delay-away-your-sugar-cravings-.html

6)    Write Away Your Cravings and Have Fun With It.

One of the most powerful ways to kick your pesky cravings is to get in touch with the feelings behind them. Journaling is highly effective, research shows. So take 10 minutes before you put anything sugary in your mouth and write about it. And be playful, too. You, of all people, could write the most amusing, entertaining, enlightening Sugar Danger poems or musings. When I return, I’ll look forward to reading what you write. (Even if you weren’t a writer, I’d recommend this. Jotting down your thoughts and feelings is that powerful. Anyone—writer or not—can do it.) Also, read this article I wrote about cravings. http://www.healyourlife.com/author-connie-bennett/2013/01/wisdom/inspiration/craving-sugar-and-carbs

7)    Power up with PFF.

As you know, one sure-fire way to become vulnerable to sweets is to skip eating something healthy when you get up in the morning. Temptation also has a way of getting to you when you don’t re-fuel your body at least three times a day with ample protein, fiber, and fat. So make sure to fill up regularly on those quality foods.

8)   Ask Yourself the 5 W’s & 1 H.

Of course, knowledge is power. So whenever you’re tempted, ask yourself the questions every journalist needs to answer when writing a story. You want to discover the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. In doing your sugar discovery or Sugary Soul Searching, ask yourself, “Who do I become when I indulge? What is it I really want? When do my sugar cravings get most powerful? Where could I go instead (someplace more nurturing and fulfilling)? Why, oh why, do I want those sugary non-foods? And how would eating those Sweet Baddies make me feel?  (Read more about this process in pages 65 to 66 of my book, Beyond Sugar Shock, which I gave you.)

9)    Scare Yourself with the Sour News. Then, Create Your Sugar-is-My-Foe List.

Whenever you really, really, really want something sugary, I urge you to get the sour news first. Just take out Beyond Sugar Shock, and read Chapter 3, which tells you about “The Big Preventable Killers: Your Sweet Tooth Can Kill You.” Then write down 5 Reasons Why Sugar is My Foe. In other words, what are the worst things that can happen to you when you eat the sugary stuff. Then rewrite your reasons to avoid Sweet Baddies on a 3-by-5 index card and carry it with you wherever you go so you’ll remember why it’s important to overcome those cravings.

10)    Text Me & Then Text Yourself, Too.

Finally, since I can’t read your texts for the next 10 days, text me anyhow when you’re having a challenging time. Just pretend that I’m there on the other end of the phone and that I’ll be replying shortly. Then, until I return on Feb. 10 or 11, reply to yourself with what you think I’d say. Now, if you’re unclear as to how I’d text-coach you, pull out your copy of Beyond Sugar Shock,  shut your eyes and open a page. That’s what I’d say to you. In other words, your inner wisdom will guide you to the exact page with the exact information you need. (By the way, I do this technique a lot with your book, Help, Thanks, Wow and with books by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Louise Hay, and Dr. Ken Druck. Just trust that you’ll be guided to get the advice or guidance you need. It has worked every time for me.)

11)    Share your challenges on my Facebook page.

If or when something sweet tempts you, just rely on people who understand how dangerous it is to go down that sugary path. Post something on Facebook—on both my (www.Facebook.com/SmartHabitsFans) and your (www.Facebook.com/AnneLamott) fan pages. I’ll bet you that someone who “gets it” will write to you with just the wisdom you’re seeking. Make sure to dash me an email each time (marked high importance) so that I can read these inspirational words upon my return and thank the person.

Annie, I know that you can continue to Savor Sugar Freedom.

Remember, you have the power to say no. Remind yourself that eating sugar and other quickie carbs is a choice. It’s yours to make—or not make. What you put in your mouth helps create your future and the way you handle it. Why not choose the path of joy, inner peace, and health?

I’ll be with you in spirit and rooting for you to continue to Savor Sugar Freedom. Talk to you soon.

 

Warmly,

 

 

Connie Bennett

 

P.S. Since you like to share your musings and inspirational thoughts on Facebook, feel free to post this entire letter from me to you. It would be my honor to help your sugar-addicted fans. And feel free to take tidbits and tweet them, too.

P.P.S. Thanks again for your very kind words and letting me share them here.

 

“I was so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired beyond my sugar. With the help of Beyond Sugar Shock and Connie’s smart, caring text-coaching, I am beginning my 6^th week of being off sugar. To me, that is a miracle. I feel so much happier and healthier, more energetic and free.” …I most like to know you are on the other end of the phone and get my texts, help me through temptations, remind me what works and why I am trying a new way of life.” --Anne Lamott

 

Embrace Cravings as Your Allies, Not Enemies

I'm away on a transformational retreat. In my absence, I invite you to get some help with your cravings.

Are you hit by cravings in the morning, afternoon, and night, as well as in between?

And do you detest when your cravings for sugar, carbs or something rich get the best of you? Especially when the number on the scale keeps getting higher?

What if you changed your attitude about your cravings?

What if instead of dreading them, you welcomed them and even invited them in?

Just think how much easier your relationship with food would be if you embraced your cravings as your allies!

You want to welcome your cravings, because they're giving you valuable messages. And once you decode your cravings, you'll be able to give yourself what you really want.

Confused? Discover 20 messages your cravings may be telling you. 

Just read my article on Heal Your Life, "Craving Sugar and Carbs? Make them your allies intead!"

 

Trauma Lingers for Some Caregivers

Oh goodness. A few tears came to my eyes again given My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom.

Although my experience was different, this article, For Some Caregivers, the Trauma Lingers, in the New York Times New Old Age section really hits home.

Special thanks to Judith Graham for writing it and thanks to Stephanie Abarbanel, my friend and editor (for Beyond Sugar Shock) for sending it to me.

via bittersweetyear.com

New Bittersweet Year Design

Here's the new design for my new blog, Bittersweet Year, on which I'll be posting parts of my new book.

Thanks to the talented Hillary Carlip for this great design.

What do you think of it?

Connie's Confession: Taking Back My Power & Healing My Broken Heart

After a loss—whether it’s the death of someone you love or the end of a relationship—have you ever felt suspended in limbo? Plus, you just couldn’t find your mojo again?

Well, I feel ready to come clean with you. Ever since my dear mother passed away recently, I’ve been a grieving, heartbroken, stymied health coach and wellness author in crisis. In short, I’ve been feeling “off.”

While I’m working to get closer to being “on” so I can serve you again, I’m now ready to make a confession.

My mom’s death and my subsequent discoveries about things she did or didn’t do have hit me hard. Recently, I’ve been crying at least once or twice a week—like the time I found NO mention in her datebook that I was moving nearly 3,000 miles to be with her in her dying days. Ouch!

Plus, Cheerful Connie isn’t around as much anymore. Not only that, but I’m not sure where I should live now.

A little bit of history is in order. Slightly more than a year ago, I gave up my apartment in New York City (where I’d been for a decade) and moved back to California to be of service to my dear dying mother, who had stage 4 lung cancer. (But she decided to let the disease progress at its own course -- she choose to forgeo chemotherapy and meds for fear of horrible side effects.)

Now that I’ve lost my mother, I’m all alone in another part of the country, without her and without my friends in the Big Apple.

Loss, I’m discovering, can wallop you. It can toss you into turmoil and turbulence. And if your dear mommy died, that can send you whirling.

I’ve also been in a quandary. I’m a health coach, life coach, and bestselling author (Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock). How can I share with you my intense pain and sad truth that I’m just not back to being my best me?

And why is Cheerful Connie taking so long to return? While she’s starting to make a comeback, she’s still often frustratingly elusive.

Previously, I didn’t tell you the full truth about how Mom behaved badly in her last year, how horribly she treated me at times, and how My Last Year with My Mother was an utterly grueling ordeal.

The reason I told you a half-truth before is because I was simply too embarrassed, hurt, and heartbroken.

What's more, I want to honor, respect, and put the best foot forward on behalf of my Mom, whom I dearly loved, admired, and respected.

I really, really adored my mother, and I was very, very reluctant to share her weaknesses.

Before, in this blog post, I offered only glowing praise for my mother and how she taught me—and you—how to leave Planet Earth with spunk and style.

Yes, fall 2011 to fall 2012 was a charming, wonderful, poignant time, during which my beloved mother shared valuable lessons with me. She blazed (often with me along) through her impressive culinary and cultural bucket list, and we had many pleasant moments together.

In other words, My Last Year with Mom was full of sweetness. But it was glutted with bitterness as well. That’s why I now call this time My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom.

Now, I feel ready to tell you a little about the bitter part.

What made My Last Year with Mom especially gut-wrenching and tear-jerking for me was that the calm, coherent, often-poised mother I loved and knew vanished.

Instead, as her brain and body were invaded by cancerous cells, she became Crabby Cancer Mom, someone who could be accusatory, angry, argumentative, confrontational, controlling, cruel, demanding, difficult, distrustful, hostile, insulting, irrational, manipulative, mean, and vindictive.

For reasons I still don’t quite understand—other than that dying people take it out on people they love the most—Crabby Cancer Mom displayed a particular vengeance and viciousness towards me. That was especially tough to take since I’d given up my apartment in New York City and relocated for her. (I’m now living in a cramped but peaceful place I hurriedly took after Mom angrily threw me out of her home for the umpteenth time.)

By the way, the reason it was urgent and imperative that I relocate for Mom is that I was her closest living relative. If I hadn't moved, my poor mother would had no family members there for her often in her dying days. (My sister and mom had been estranged for more than a decade.)

So to summarize, during My Bittersweet Last Year with My Mother, I was a victim of Mom Abuse.

Bear in mind that my mother’s mistreatment of me was unintentional. It was the cancer’s fault.

Real Mom was in the dark. She didn’t know what she was doing. At least I don’t think she did.

But although I knew Crabby Cancer Mom was NOT my Real Mom, I still often felt confused, frustrated, exasperated, aghast, helpless, devastated, sad, downright shattered, and absolutely frightened to be myself.

Of course, experts recommend that you set limits in your relationships.

“Speak up for yourself,” they suggest. That’s good advice, but when you’ve made a strong commitment to yourself to be there no matter what for your angry, dying mother, you can’t set boundaries, especially if—as her disease infects her thoughts and behavior—she treats you abysmally. (In fact, she treated me so horribly that some people who witnessed her putdowns were shocked that I stood by her.)

Anyhow, I’ve been reeling in aftershock for the past four months. And I’ve had enough.

It’s time to take back my power. I’m determined.

To get to a centered place where I can serve you again, I’ve now mapped out my comeback.

1. I’m taking time out every day to nurture myself, including going to the gym, meditating, attending a grief support group, listening to James Twyman’s The Moses Code, or reading inspirational passages from authors such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Ken Druck and Anne Lamott. I’m also back in therapy, and I work with a coach from time to time.
2. I’m cleaning up my food. In particular, I’m limiting or steering clear of quickie carbs such as sweet potato chips, corn nuts, and popcorn. (More about that later, but suffice it to say that I haven’t been perfect since Mom died. I did, however, stay away from the sugar so for those of you wondering, I am still sugar-free.)
3. I’m healing and getting perspective, as well as honoring my mother, by writing a new book, which I’m tentatively calling, Bittersweet: How to Stand by Your Difficult, Dying Loved One and Learn from My Rollercoaster Last Year with Mom. (The book title may change. I also started the Bittersweet Year Blog, where I'll be blogging parts of my next book. A beautiful design from the talented Hillary Carlip is going up shortly.)
4. At long last, I’m going on a 10-day transformational retreat from Jan. 30 to Feb. 10 to get my act together, so to speak. Please note that I’m NOT taking a vacation. Rather, I’m going to dig very deep so that I can become a better me and be better able to serve you.
5. I’m going on e-mail and phone silence. Admittedly, this is a requirement for the program I’m attending, but I would do it anyhow. 
6. I’m turning many times a day to the endearing, inspirational best-selling author Louise Hay for help. For instance, I’m listening over and over again to the forgiveness track on Louise’s CD of I Can Do It. “Forgiveness of yourself, and of others, will release you from the prison of the past,” she knowingly says. Later, she charmingly puts it, to “it’s time to move with joy into the now.”
7. I’m honoring myself and my need for healing time by allowing myself to postpone presenting my Sugar Freedom Now Virtual Retreat and delay taking on new coaching clients.

Of course, you want me to be there fully so right now, I’m dedicating myself to “refueling,” regrouping, rediscovering my true calling, uncovering my strengths, finding inner peace, and reaching a higher plane. 

I invite you to join me. Go on your own voyage of healing and rebirth so you can Take Back Your Power.

Even if you aren’t grieving the loss of a loved one, you can become dedicated to rediscovering your own beauty and wisdom. 

Please let me know what transformational methods work best for you to Take Back Your Power. I’m eager to explore tactics that I may be overlooking.

By the way, please stay tuned.

On April 15, I will be celebrating 15 years sugar-free (mostly). Yikes!

In honor of that landmark, I’ll be giving lots of radio and TV interviews about my most recent book, Beyond Sugar Shock, which came out while Mom was dying. (I’m so grateful that before Mom passed away, she saw and was very proud of me for my new book.)

I’m also planning a newly improved six-week Sugar Freedom Now Virtual Retreat. It begins March 6.

Thank you kindly for your patience during this challenging, but transformative time.

Special thanks to Jessica Urmanec for creating the above illustration.

Dr. Robert Lustig Appears on my Gab with the Gurus Show

Robert Lustig, M.D. -- whose video, Sugar: The Bitter Truth, went viral on YouTube -- will be a guest on my Gab with the Gurus Show on February 11 at 9 am.

Dr. Lustig is author of the exciting new book, Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.

The renowned Dr. Lustig has spent the past sixteen years treating childhood obesity and studying the effects of sugar on the central nervous system and metabolism.

He is the Director of the UCSF Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health Program and also a member of the Obesity Task Force of the Endocrine Society.

Those of us into health and wellness and reducing sugar consumption are very grateful to Dr. Lustig for bringing much-needed attention to this important issue, as I revealed on revealed on my Sugar Shock Blog post in 2009 and my Huffington Post Blog. 

During this Gab with the Gurus Show, Dr. Lustig will:

• Debunk the much-cited notion about calories. He'll tell you that a calorie is not a calorie.
• Explain how chronic disease has skyrocketed in the past 30 years and tell you how the food industry has played a major role by pouring more and more sugar into their foods--which has disastrously altered our biochemistry and made our eating habits veer out of control.
• Give you ideas to readjust your key hormones to help you shed weight and regulate your hunger.
• Share societal strategies to improve the health of the next generation.

Please spread the word about this exciting Gab with the Gurus Show with Dr. Robert Lustig to your friends and fans.

I'm Blogging Parts of My New "Bittersweet" Book

As you may have already read on my Sugar Shock Blog, my dear mother recently passed away, and in Mom's Last Year, she taught me -- and all of us -- how to die with spirit and spunk. 

via bittersweetyear.com

Stay tuned for My Announcement: Blogging My New "Bittersweet" Book

As you may have already read here, my dear mother recently passed away, and in Mom's Last Year, she taught me -- and all of us -- how to die with spirit and spunk. 

The year is now over, and recently, while grieving and grateful, I thanked you here for your support during this difficult  time. 

After consulting yesterday with blog-to-book expert Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, I decided to do something that I haven't done with my last two books, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock.

I will start blogging parts of this new book here, on my Sugar Shock Blog. 

In addition, I'll be blogging at www.BittersweetYear.com. (The link will be active shortly; I just bought a bunch of new domains early this morning to tie into this subject. For instance, you'll also be able to get to my new blog from other URLs such as www.DifficultAndDying.com and www.HealFromGrief.com.   

While www.BitterSweetYear.com hints at my challenges, the main focus of my new blog and my upcoming book will be to give you tips on how to help your difficult, dying loved one. In addition, I'll be able to share bittersweet tales on the blog that can't make it into my new book. 

Stay tuned for more information about my new "Bittersweet" book.

Stay tuned for My Announcement: Blogging My New "Bittersweet" Book

As you may have already read here, my mother recently passed away, and in so doing taught me -- and all of us -- how to die with spirit and spunk. 

I also thanked you here for your support during this tragic time. 

I also disappeared for months at a time, giving you a hint here and there -- such as with this post -- about what I was going through.

Stay tuned for a major announcement about how I will be blogging my new "Bittersweet" book to help caregivers (part-time or full-time, as well as family members of loved ones, who are difficult and dying.

 

Thanks for Your Support When My Mom Passed Away

I just wanted to thank all of you wonderful people, who've been sending me kind emails and even cards, because my mother passed away recently. 

via www.sugarshockblog.com

A Look at Sugar Consumption over the Years

Special thanks to Online Nursing Programs for this special graphic, "Nursing Your Sweet Tooth," which illustrates our massive increase in sugar consumption over the years. 

By the way, the figure for today's total is too low -- the average American consumes more like 150 or even 170 pounds of sugar per year, according to my research -- but this chart still gives you an idea of the massive upswing on sugar consumption from the early 1800s.

Created by: www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com