Are you a sugar addict? I am.
In 2005 I vowed to quit and began
writing about life without sweets.
This site contains a forum,
product reviews, my journal,
educational Sugar Challenges,
and the Stop Being Sweet ebook.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2011 • Comments (0)

For many people across America, today is a day to pig out (and be thankful that you can). Perhaps you have been participating in the 2011 Holiday Sugar Challenge, in which case this is the day to eat whatever you want before we abstain from sweets until New Year’s Eve.

If you’re not yet participating in the Holiday Sugar Challenge, there’s no better time to join us!

Sugar Pushers

Recently, Meredith on Twitter asked me if she should continue without sweets or if she should give in to the stress and eat junk. It’s a loaded question and one I have trouble with. Of course I think she (and anyone) should keep trying to abstain from sugar but I don’t want to force anyone to do something they don’t want to or are not ready to do.

Food Police

Sometimes at dessert in social settings, folks suddenly begin confessing their guilt to me or justifying why they’re eating what they’re having. “I really usually don’t eat that much sugar,” they’ll tell me. I don’t care. I mean, it’s not that I don’t give a crap—I’m just not an under cover food cop.

It’s not my job nor is it my interest to follow people around and make them feel guilty about their food choices. So, when I spotted Erica tweeting about her giant slice of cake breakfast, yes I poked fun at her (she said she’d join the Holiday Sugar Challenge) but ultimately I don’t want her to feel badly. I want her to feel good because she’s off sweets.

Intervention

Sometimes it takes an intervention to get someone to change their behavior (but they still have to want to change). I’ve been blogging for six years about the benefits of a sugar free life so of course I want you to stop being sweet. But I’m not going to chase you. Luckily for Meredith, her friends replied to her question about giving in to the stress and eating junk. They encouraged her to stay off sweets and she obliged. That taught me a lesson. Maybe it’s not a bad thing to gently nudge someone in the right direction. So I’m nudging you, dear reader, to join the Holiday Sugar Challenge.

Catch Me If You Can!

Though I considered eating sweets this Thanksgiving, I have decided to stay on my usual sustainable sugar abstinence plan. That means I’m going straight through the holidays without sugary desserts and will continue abstaining until Halloween 2012. I DARE YOU to join me.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/24/11 • Comment

Sweet Misery Documentary

November 16, 2011 • Comments (2)

This detailed report talks about how aspartame received GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status through the FDA, how doctors now say the stuff is poison, and what Donald Rumsfeld’s role was in all that. You’ll heard scientific evidence from doctors and anecdotal evidence from people about the negative and potentially life-threatening effects of eating this artificial sweetener.

Below are the links listed at the end of the documentary.

http://www.dorway.com
http://www.aspartamekills.com
http://www.russellblaylockmd.com
http://www.holisticmed.com
http://www.mercola.com
http://www.namastepublishing.co.uk
http://www.sweetpoison.com

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/16/11 • Comment

The Only Proven Method to Stop Sugar Cravings

November 14, 2011 • Comments (2)

Are you sure you want to know how to end sugar cravings?

Are you prepared to hear the secret?

You have to be ready because I am about to tell you the only foolproof method for making your sugar cravings disappear.

It’s so simple it’s crazy!

In order to make your sugar cravings go away you must…

It’s so simple and yet so difficult!

To stop sugar cravings you need to stop eating sweets.

That’s it!

Sugar is like heroine (so I hear); the more you use the more you want.

The only way to end sugar cravings is to tough it out for a few weeks and then continue to abstain from eating sweets.

There is no magic cure. There is no pill to end sugar cravings. There is no course to take. The secret is absolutely free!

Even when you do stop being sweet, there will still be times when you want sweets. It’s not fair! But that’s how it is.

Good news: the longer you stay away, the easier it gets.

Ask yourself this: What’s stopping you from starting?

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/14/11 • Comment

The Meaning of 11/11/11

November 11, 2011 • Comments (0)

OMG! It’s 11/11/11! (Or if you’re in Europe, 11/11/11.)

This won’t happen again anytime soon.

All the ones in today’s date add up to six.

Stop Being Sweet has three words in it.

If you Stop Being Sweet two times it’s six words.

Also, if you break six down six times you get six ones.

If you divide those six ones into three sets you get eleven/eleven/eleven.

That’s code for Stop/Being/Sweet.

Enjoy today without sugar!

That is all.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/11/11 • Comment

6 Tips for Staying Sugar-Free when You Eat Lunch

November 10, 2011 • Comments (2)

One of the most tempting and challenging times for unsweeties can be at lunch and when eating out with friends or colleagues. Below are some tips to help you get through without falling off the sugar-free wagon.

1. Don’t Go Along for the Ride

You can’t just “go along for the ride” and expect that lunch will be unsweet, unless you’re lucky and have a health nut in the group who is acting as a guide. Most often lunch out ends up at a restaurant that puts added sugars into EVERYTHING. It’s hard to stay sugar-free when sugar is all that’s on the menu, you’re hungry, and the peer pressure is on.

2. Take Charge

You can be or become the “health nut” in the group. To do this you must be assertive. You call the shots and decide where the group is going to go. If you’re a take charge kind of person then this won’t be a problem. If you’re new to taking charge, this is a good way to exercise your take-charge-ness. Find the places you like to eat and make sure they have something for everyone. Then you drive.

2. Don’t Go Hungry

Don’t go to a restaurant super hungry AND don’t let yourself go for long periods of time without eating so that you get super hungry. Both are a recipe for eating whatever sweet stuff is in front of you and justifying it as something you need.

3. Drink Water

If you end up out at a restaurant with the group, only drink water. The more flavored stuff you drink the more you’ll want to eat sweets or the more you’ll feel cravings later.

4. Be a Minimalist

Order a salad. Ask for oil and vinegar as every restaurant offers this dressing. Ranch, Thousand Island, etc. all have added sugars. Avoid them! If anyone asks, say you’re not feeling so well so you want to eat light.

5. Skip Dessert

How many times does a person need to eat dessert for the “very last time” before they realize that last time was the last time? Just say “No, thank you.” If anyone presses you say you’re not feeling well and want to eat light.

6. Stop Being Sweet!

If you’re surrounded by people who comment on, pressure, and coerce you into eating things you have no desire to eat, then you have big problems! If you’re surrounded by people who tease you into eating sweets that you are trying to avoid, you need to avoid those people. Ultimately, this is about your health and not social acceptance. Ask if there are added sugars in the food you’re ordering. Tell people you’re sugar sensitive. If you’re diabetic, tell people. If they give you crap, stand up for yourself and Stop Being Sweet!

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/10/11 • Comment