5 Tips from a Former Sugar Addict

Why would I want to quit sugar? It’s delicious! Sugar is in nearly every good memory I have, from Easter to Halloween. From grandma’s purse to treats at the doctor’s office. As a mater of fact, what’s better than a pint of ice cream after your boyfriend has left you, or stuffing your face with M&M’s while veggin’ out to Netflix?

What about Valentines Day? What about the syrup on my pancakes and the frosting on my birthday cake?

I get it. So why would I be talking to you about sugar, when I so clearly love it? Well, I assume that heroin addicts became addicts because they… liked it. I’m pretty sure you don’t become an alcoholic if you hate the taste of liquor. So let’s get real with ourselves.

Tip 1. Sugar is Addictive

Sugar is addictive, and not in that cute, giggly kind of way. It’s a drug. The coca leaf is safe. The natural sugars in your fruits are safe. What’s not safe, and highly addictive is the extracted and chemically altered sugar we are eating today. Just like cocaine or heroin: an extracted, bleached substance that alters your brain and creates a user. Truth be told, studies say that refined sugar can be more addictive than recreational drugs.

About a year ago Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a cardiovascular research scientist at St. Luke's Institute in Kansas City, spoke up on the issue and a few of his studies.

"You get this intense release of dopamine upon acute ingestion of sugar. After you chronically consume it, those dopamine receptors start becoming down-regulated — there's less of them, and they're less responsive," he said. "That can lead to ADHD-like symptoms ... but it can also lead to a mild state of depression because we know that dopamine is that reward neurotransmitter." Read more HERE

Once your neurotransmitters have been altered after years of chronic use, you suffer from loss of dopamine and when not consuming, sugar withdrawal symptoms. Services like our Mentoring Sessions, Grocery Shopping Assistance, and Eat2Live 101 Course can help our Members quit sugar.

Step one is to admit we have a problem. And we do.

Tip 2. It’s IN Everything

Here are a few common things I hear from folks.

“I don’t eat a lot of candy.”

“Sugar’s not that big of a deal for me, I’m more addicted to breads and pastas.”

“I eat well, but I do like my sweet tea/coke/juice etc”

You shouldn’t be eating more than 25 grams a day of refined sugar. But most people have no idea what that means or what that looks like. We found a GREAT chart online to show in pictures, what most people are doing to themselves. If the MAX in a single day is 25 grams, and 1 can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar… what are you doing to yourself?

Tip 3. Fat isn’t making you fat. It’s the Sugar.

As Jason Vale so beautifully put it; “you can label a pound of sugar as fat free but once consumed, it turns into fat”. Sugar is going to kill you, if you allow it.

“ …there are two ways that sugar can sabotage your body and cause fat storage. Excess glucose is the first problem, and it involves a very simple concept. Anytime you have filled your body with more fuel than it actually needs (and this is very easy to do when eating foods with high sugar content), your liver’s sugar storage capacity is exceeded. When the liver is maximally full, the excess sugar is converted by the liver into fatty acids (that’s right – fat!) and returned to the bloodstream, where is taken throughout your body and stored (that’s right – as fat!) wherever you tend to store adipose fat cells, including, but not limited to, the popular regions of the stomach, hips, butt, and breasts.

As an unfortunate bonus, once these regions are full of adipose tissue, the fatty acids begin to spill over into your organs, like the heart, liver, and kidneys. This reduces organ ability, raises blood pressure, decreases metabolism, and weakens the immune system.” - Read more HERE

Tip 4. You’re Getting Sick From it

Many of the problems you have with your body, you just assume are “normal”. But, as you heal your body, become more educated and experienced, you’ll learn that none of those things are “normal”.

Here are my Top 3 health problems created by sugar you may not know about. (I’m excluding diabetes… because… that’s a given)

1. Sugar makes you eat more. The hormone Leptin is affected by high fructose corn syrup, and over consumption of sugar, stops your body from knowing when it’s full. The food makers know this, so they also add in chemicals that create addiction. Lay’s Potato Chips isn’t kidding when they say, "betcha can't eat just one."
2. Lack of Cognitive Function. Consuming too much refined sugar reduces the performance in your hippocampus causing memory loss, brain fog and can even dull your emotions.
3. You lose valuable nutrients. Even the Department of Agriculture reports when you eat too much sugar, your levels of Vitamins A, and C, iron and calcium, are at their lowest. This could be because the sugar leeches it, or, more likely, the other chemicals WITH the high sugar dose that create this problem.

Tip 5. Healing Takes Time

Addiction means withdrawal, and withdrawal can mean suffering. First we need to understand and admit that you are addicted to sugar. We then need to come to terms with how we are going to get clean. Becoming a Member is the first step in this process. Our Apples & Oranges Membership is a full Year for a reason, because healing takes time.

If you think you can just stop eating sugar cold turkey, you’ll find out just addicted you are, and more than likely, you’ll crash and burn. Putting together a plan with your MyCoach over a period of time helps ensure your success.

You’ll do great and then you’ll fall horribly off the wagon and make yourself sick. That’s part of it. You’ll regain some weight, or get sick again, and at times you can feel like this is a cruel and evil trick played on you. Why can’t you just be like everyone else? The answer is more simple than you’d like to think.

You can’t be like everyone else because you aren’t everyone else. If you do what they do, you’ll get the results they do. So you can’t follow the masses anymore; not when 1/3 of our population will be diagnosed with cancer. You can’t take the easy route anymore when 70% of the American population is being treated for some sort of health condition. You can’t follow that crowd, unless you want to be lulled to sleep and sickness with sugar coated lies.

Having a solid support system in place during this process is essential. You are strong enough to do it, and the results are life-changing.

1. Belly Fat disappears in record time; so much so that you’ll be mad you didn’t do it sooner.
2. You gain self confidence. Every time you say no to soda and opt for water you have a victory. Every time you decide to stay in and cook instead of eating out, you feel proud. And each and every time you are brave enough to take action and not just day dream about it; you are giving yourself the confidence to keep doing it.
3. You have better skin. Give it 30 days, (how long it takes your skin to regenerate) and you’ll be in awe over how lovely your skin looks.
4. Less headaches/migraines. Refined Sugar all by itself is bad enough, but generally, you’re not getting a spoon and dipping into the bag. You’re eating all that sugar in foods that bad for you. Combining high doses of sugar with other chemicals often times creates headaches as a first symptom because your body is overloaded. Keep in mind that if you are constantly eating sugar, you wouldn’t recognize the signs.

Many people’s first choice is to try and replace the sugar with something else. So let me ask you… would you replace a bullet wound with a knife wound?

The alternatives to refined sugar are expensive. Some can be all natural like “raw cane sugar”, some can be deadly like “sweet n’ low” style alternatives. Stop trying to replace what’s killing you and ask yourself what you need the sugar for. Food needs to have a purpose in your life, not just be a fun time hook up. You need to marry the idea of loving your body by what you put in it. So before you indulge, ask yourself, “what will this do to me or for me?”

Support is critical. We have free services, classes, events, and Membership Services to help you along your journey; and the best part is… it was all created by a Former Sugar Addict.

Simple Diet Strategies for Clean Eating & Weight Loss

It is entirely possible to live within a budget and still eat clean. You can learn to make easy meals that taste great and are good for you. You also don’t have to go hungry. You shouldn’t have to spend tons of money on processed junk to make you “healthy” or “thin”.

Below are 3 Simple Diet Strategies anyone can employ today.

Keep your Fridge Stocked

The biggest mistake you can make is not preparing for the future, whether that be retirement, savings, or in this case- the inevitable truth that you’ll be hungry in the future. So let’s stop the silliness and go shopping!

• If you are eating clean, that means most of your food will come from natural sources, meaning the majority of your food will be a vegetable, fruit, beans/legumes, nuts/seeds. This is what should be covering 70% of your plate; and 70% of your fridge should be stocked with those things. If it isn’t, then you can’t very well eat clean and lose weight can you?
• Most fruits and veggies will start to go bad within 3 days or so.

  Keeping that in mind, let’s change your mindset about shopping. Stop trying to shop for the paycheck, or shop for the week or two weeks even. Simplify your life. Ask yourself, “What am I going to eat for the next 3 days?” Then, once you’ve found a few good ideas, go to the grocery store and purchase those things. Members can visit our Recipes Page for more ideas HERE. You are simplifying your life and you are actually planning your meals, plus you aren’t buying 3 random eggplants then throwing them out 9 days later. (you know you do it!)

Eat More!

“Food” created in a manufacturing plant isn’t made to be digested by our bellies and takes longer to digest, creating a host of problems. Ever heard the classic weight loss phrase “Feel fuller longer!”? When you eat clean, you are eating food that has a high nutrient load per calorie. You are most likely also eating less calories and fat. So, it’s basic math. We need to eat more of the good stuff in order to lose weight. Unless you want to be hungry?

• Berries/Bananas/Nuts and Seeds

  If you are at the store- always pick up these 3 items. This is your fast food basics. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, are always great as a quick snack, or with a meal. Aim for 1 banana a day. Need a sugar fix? Banana’s are high in natural sugar and will fix that craving. (try it!)

• Eat Your Veggies

  Cheap and easy produce ideas include broccoli (a great carb too!), lettuce, spinach, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, avocados, onions, kale, garlic, cauliflower and so many more. Most of the items listed:

  1. Have a long shelf life (for something that’s alive anyway!)
     1. Can be combined to make many unique dishes
     2. Take very little cooking experience, are cheap (a bag of carrots .99cents and a bag of organic is $1.99)

     If you’re a Member and the Recipes page isn’t enough, you can always book a Meal Planning Session with your MyCoach.

• Carbs like Rolled Oats/Healthy Bread/Potatoes/Beans

  Yes you need carbs!! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. How and when you introduce carbs is more of what matters in the long run. If you are on a budget, aren’t a chef, or just lazy, having these 3 staples in your kitchen will help to fill the void! There are a variety of potatoes that can be made in a variety of ways with main dishes and many are very good for you.

  Rolled oats make a great foundation for breakfast or in creating your own easy snacks.

  Everyone deserves a sandwich or toast with their coffee/tea. Find a gluten free healthy bread brand that works for your pallet. Many have the added value of including seeds/nuts in their bread. Members can go to our Resource Page to see what Eat2Live2Love recommends.

  Beans are a magical fruit, the more you eat the more you lose! Beans are great for everything so just start buying beans and read more about them HERE.

• Meat/Eggs

  While Eat2Live2Love supports all clean eating, we understand everyone’s feelings on meat will differ based on their principles.

  With that fine print out of the way, if you are eating meat, we highly recommend you buy grass fed beef and organic free range chicken. While we had complaints that it’s expensive (about $8.00 a lb in FL for grass fed ground beef) we hear far more complaints of gas, bloating, constipation and other IBS related issues than we ever do about the price of clean meat. The “regular” meat you buy literally will give you gut rot and create all the above mentioned health issues plus some. Don’t believe us? Dump the gunk and go clean for 30 days and experience the difference.

  How much meat you eat depends on your goals and current health condition. For deeper analysis, contact your MyCoach or book a Meal Planning Session.

  Eggs, like meat, need to be organic and free range. Companies like Eggland’s Best or other major corporations are scamming buyers and ripping them off with false advertisements. Look for smaller companies, using the terms“free range”, “organic”. Don’t just buy the “cage free” version for $6.00. It’s a Rip-off. Your money is power. Give it to the smaller mom and pop farms who are doing the right thing.

  Whether with a meal or grab n’ go, eggs make a great companion and help boost protein and EFA levels. If you’d like more info on what’s best for you regarding Meat and Eggs- just contact your MyCoach or become a Member to learn more.

Stay Away From Sugar

It’s not the fat that makes you fat, it’s the sugar!

Companies have found a million and one ways to foul you into buying their products.

• A 1lb bag of sugar could be labeled “100% Fat Free”
• A loaf of whole grain bread could be labeled “Sugar Free”
• A can of sliced oranges could be labeled “No added sugar!”

And ALL of those things are true. But they aren’t right.

When you consume too much sugar, your body creates fat cells to store the extra sugar. Your body assumes it will work it off, but you never do. More sugar = More Fat. Period.

Whole grain bread turns into glucose. What is glucose? Sugar. What does sugar need to live in your body? Fat. Sugar= Fat.

The can of oranges that says “no added sugar” makes you assume there’s no added sugar, right? Well, that’s only half true. You see, they did use less sugar, but they also added in toxic artificial sweeteners to make up for it.

Oh, the advertisement doesn’t tell you that does it?

Corporations that sell prepackaged foods just want to sell you more food. If you lost weight, would you need to buy Slim Fast anymore? If you actually had time to cook, would you buy Stoffer’s? Their goal is to create a customer, not create a healthy body. That’s your job.

Remember, the maximum amount of sugar an adult should have in a day is 25mg. Now compare that with what you are eating.

Sugar is addictive. Like any extracted, bleached and chemically altered white substance we have, it’s extremely addictive.

• Cocaine
• Sugar
• Flour
• Heroine

Lose the sugar and lose the fat.

Recap the Fruity Facts

1. Go to the store about every 3 days.
2. Eat more food more often.
3. Stay away from the sugar.

Sure, you say this sounds basic, and it is. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. This is a getting started topic with Members having access to their MyCoach 24/7 get more detailed help. If you aren’t a Member yet, why not? Did you know you can get started for less than the cost of Netflix? Seriously. Click HERE to start.

Eat2Live n’ Chill. (but go shopping and stock that fridge first!)