Earlier this week, I asked you to share the obstacles that keep you from ditching refined sugar. And wow! I have received hundreds and hundreds of your emails over the past two days. Here's a glimpse of what I heard from you….
"This is absolutely one of my biggest struggles and it's so frustrating because I spend so much time working out, eating well, avoiding chemicals, etc. But still get sucked into the sugar treats! Sometimes it's convenience, sometimes it's stress, or celebrations, or sometimes it's for no reason at all." - Julie
"I can eat healthy all day, but at night, I get a huge sugar craving. Even if I can avoid it, I'll even wake up in the middle of the night and eat something with sugar in it, half asleep! In the morning I remember and am perplexed. An addiction, for sure. I've cut out things like candy. I don't even crave that anymore. I imagine the same can be done with things like cookies, cake, pie, etc. Baked goods are an obstacle in my diet. I juice a lot at home and am concerned about the amount of sugar in juices. It's a natural sugar, though, right? Is that as bad as sugar in a cookie?" - Sarah
"I attempted to be as sugar-abstinent as possible for a little over two years with an additional year of off-again-on-again dances with this crazy drug, for lack of a better term. There have been other rather brief interludes during which I stayed away from refined sugars but, as I am writing to you weighing nearly 300 pounds, I'm the heaviest I've ever been, I have not been able to do so with any long-term success. I've attempted moderation as well but again, no long term success with that approach either. I hate it, Vani. It seems so degrading to be this large, to weigh this much. I hate knowing that what I do is unhealthy. I am ever so weary of the try hard/give up cycle. But I am also trying to stay out of the shame and self-deprecation I usually wallow in. It is not easy. If there is, in fact, some sort of breakthrough idea on how to best deal with sugar, I want to know." - Dawn
"My wife and I are in our early 60's and have both gained 30 pounds over the 5 years since we lost our parents – we are clearly emotional eaters… I guess that my message here is that we've discovered that losing weight, like gaining weight, seems to be part of our social construct. Losing is hard – doing it with a friend is doing it better." - Steve
"The time I eat sugar now is when I find candy or cookies sitting around at work. I never buy that stuff. Ever. But when I am stressed at work I grab whatever I can if it has chocolate in it. I have absolutely no willpower and fill myself with self loathing…" - Mary
Can you relate to Dawn, Sarah, Steve or Mary's stories? There are so many triggers that make us turn to sugar - Stress, Comfort, Love, Convenience, Cravings.
The big question now is what works to break this cycle?
Does it work to go cold turkey and just stop eating sugar? Should you try to use all your willpower and hope for the best? Would adopting a Paleo, Atkins, or gluten-free diet make it easier somehow? Do you give up ALL sugar including natural sugar, like fruit?
I've conducted a lot of research into why it's so hard to break the sugar habit and strategies that really work…
If you want to get sugar out of your life, it won't be easy, but I can help.
You need two things: You need a plan and you need support.
If you don't have a plan with a clear goal in sight it's impossible to know where to go. You won't know what to eat every day and will end up hungry and gorging on sugar because you'll feel confused and deprived.
If you don't have support, you won't have that extra push to ensure your success, and it can be way too easy to fall into temptations. In order to achieve a goal this large, you really need a community of people who are all following the same plan with a dedicated commitment. With enough support, you can move mountains!
The new program I developed will provide you with the plan, the support, and the community you need to ditch refined sugar in a way that makes it practically impossible to fail!
Watch your email on Monday for all the details. There are no magic pills or potions or shakes - this program is going to take a real, hard look at your habits, cravings, emotional triggers and food choices.
Are you ready?
Xo,
Vani
P.S. Keep tracking your sugar, I want to hear how much you are eating over the weekend.
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