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.

Interview with Natalie Carter of New Outlook Fitness

November 09, 2011 • Comments (0)

Natalie Carter

Natalie Carter is a Personal Trainer from Australia. After seeing tweets on Twitter about “NoSugarVember,” which is a challenge she created to inspire her clients, I wanted to introduce her to you by way of an interview…

1. Why/how did you get involved in fitness and personal training?

I started to take interest in Fitness when I had finished high school, I had always wanted to run my own business and was very into my sport (swimming, waterpolo, touch football, weight training, surfing, to name a few) so it seemed quite natural to venture into Fitness. I had got a taste of it at school with a pre fitness course so I thought why not. I completed the necessary certificates in Fitness but its funny though, at first I was apprehensive about applying for a PT job in my area. My best friend told me I’d be “really great at it” and “I’d be crazy not to” so I just picked up the phone and applied for a job. It baffles me why I was scared, I absolutely love what I do and have been inspirational to changing people’s lives. After I gained insight into the fitness industry, I saw how I wanted to do things- step away from the norms and be more holistic & functional. Also getting in the “mental” side of things is key to clients achieving great results; and then set up New Outlook Fitness and the rest is history as they say!

2. What is NoSugarVember? What is the goal or purpose behind it? Why did you start it?

I created NoSugarVember- The No Sugar Challenge to highlight the need for people to decrease sugar consumption for better health & vitality. Yes losing weight is important but I wanted people to realise sugar is in SO many products that we consume on a daily basis. I’ve read several books on Americas alarming stats and I knew Australia wasn’t far behind. It was also a great way to reach out to my Twitter and Facebook followers and help them kick the sweet stuff. I also created The Spring Shred in September so NoSugarVember was our next challenge. I’ve really been overwhelmed by everyone’s enthusiasm and support. It’s blown me away. I’m definitely excited to add more challenges and NoSugarVember & Spring Shred will be an annual events.

3. On your website you say, “...we are all addicted to sugar in some way or another.” Can a person be addicted to sugar like they can to alcohol or drugs?

Most definitely! Sugar has the same addictive properties as drugs or alcohol. People also tend to abuse sugar like drugs or alcohol to; in times of stress, to deal with grief, happiness. We love shoving a big hunk of cake in our mouths when we get married or celebrate a birthday or when our boyfriend breaks up with us! We need to realise there are different options when it comes to food choices. Writing down our feelings is a great start. Dealing with the emotional reasons we are turning to sugar (or food in general) is part of breaking the emotional eating cycle. I should know, I was a MASSIVE emotional eater! I was once a hefty 84kg (I’m now 66kg), all due to emotional eating. I guess that’s why I feel passionate about my cause, I’ve been there and change now I want others to as well.

4. In your experience, what is the most difficult obstacle that people face when trying to eliminate sugar from their diet?

Two things:

Everybody drastically under estimates their sugar consumption. At least 50% of people have said to me “Oh i don’t even eat that much sugar” It’s not till I rattle off a few things that the penny drops and they begin to realise their consumption is too high. Even I began to realise I was consuming too much sugar (yes it was all “healthy”- fruit, honey, milk) but at the end of the day your body will still convert it to fat if it doesn’t use it for energy.
The fruit thing. I’ve had several people tell me it’s bad to cut out fruit (fructose) but little do they realise sugar is sugar. The less of it we consume the better. Fruit is fine in moderation (2 serves of low sugar fruit is fine in my book and also follows the recommended daily intake) however many people think they are being healthy by consuming 5 or 6 pieces a day and steering clear of fat & protein. Fat and protein is necessary for growth, repair and satiety. Sugar doesn’t provide any nutrients yet we love consuming it.

5. Are weight and sugar intrinsically linked? Can a heavy person be a healthy person?

Generally speaking people who suffer from obesity or who are overweight have high sugar diets. It’s important to note that also consume too much bad fats and oils and usually don’t exercise. That is a sure fire cocktail for ill-health. Yes, a heavy person can be healthy however our bodies were designed to be kept at a “normal weight” and considering we don’t live life like our ancestors did (fearing when our next meal may be) I feel there is no excuse to carry excess body fat. As long as we keep in the ranges of between 21-33% for women (20-40 yrs) or 8-19% for men of the same age group, then that’s fine. Don’t forget our heart, lungs, organs all need to work much harder the more fat and weight we hold. Give yourself the best possible chance at a healthy life by keeping your fat levels stabilised.

6. Is it possible to lose weight just by abstaining from sugar?

Yes! I had loads of emails, tweets from my followers on NoSugarVember that have already lost kilos after only 5-6 days following my guidelines. Couple it with some exercise and it’ll be shedding off them. Amazing!

7. Can a person ever really go completely sugar-free?

It is dependant on their will power. I’m certain in my own ability and I hope others will follow suit. We simply do not need sugar in our diets. Sugar -free is totally a do-able diet solution. I recently received this from a NoSugarVember participate and a client: “Nat, in all seriousness NoSugarVember is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I can’t thank you enough and after 6 days sugar free I feel f$%&ing Fantastic!” I mean that really speaks for itself right?

8. Why don’t you recommend artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners, in my opinion, are evil. They send the wrong message to people trying to lose weight (and even the general public), they say we are not going to deal with the reasons you consume too much sugar we are just going to make an artificial form of it which you can replace that behaviour with and then your life will change. They forget to mention you’ll have headaches, diarrhoea, stronger sugar craving and also the possibility of cancer. No thanks! I’m an advocate of using natural sugars (fructose found in fruit- no more than 2/day) to give us our “sugar fix”. So many of my NoSugarVember followers are finding that the don’t even have sugar cravings anymore.

9. What are your thoughts/feelings about gluten?

I think it should be avoided even if you aren’t gluten intolerant. I think most people these days have some small form of gluten intolerance, at the least they have bloating after consuming products with gluten. I just think why would you want to feel sick, gassy or bloated after a meal? It doesn’t make sense to me, so just choose foods out of that gluten group (breads, cereals, pastas). You don’t have to miss out try: Millet or rice pasta, have quinoa (I’ve been labeled the “Quinoa Queen” by an organic restaurant in Sydney for breakfast or brown rice for lunch instead of bread. It’s not hard you just need to make some swaps.

10. What advice do you have for someone who wants to get off sugar and get healthy but doesn’t know where to start?

My partner actually jokes around that I need to stop dishing out nutrition and fitness advice to EVERYONE I interact with but I just can’t. If I need to listen to someone harp on about the fact that weight loss, exercise or giving up sugar is “too hard” I want to show them solutions.

My tips are:

Ask yourself if you are actually committed to giving up sugar or at least reducing your consumption
Visit my website for the guidelines on NoSugarVember
Eliminate all soft drinks (sodas), diet soft drinks, sugar in coffee/tea, sugar on cereals. So that begins to take care of the sugar you personally add to foods.
Eliminate those foods (potatoes, corn, white flours-pastas) those spike the blood sugar levels and bring them crashing down. Try quinoa, brown rice and oats as better options.
Check food labels. I recommend keeping sugar content to between 3-6g of sugar/100g better yet avoid foods that contain sugar
Lastly, stop being lazy and get cooking! I’ve got some great easy to follow recipes on my blog. By upping your protein and healthy fat intake that will really help with sugar cravings.

Natalie Carter is the Director & Owner of New Outlook Fitness. She regularly contributes as a Fitness/Lifestyle expert online & in print. With over 10 years industry experience, she has helped hundreds of clients achieve outstanding results. Her approach is results based and her clients transform not only their bodies but their entire lives. She provides individuals with realistic, achievable ways to stay healthy and happy. Natalie aims to inspire and motivate everybody to live each and every day as Awesomely as possible.

To find out how she and her team can transform your life visit: http://www.newoutlookfitness.com.au or get involved in the fun at: http://www.facebook.com/NewOutlookFitness.

Her blog is http://www.nataliecartertalksfitness.com
Follow Natalie on Twitter @NewOutlookPT

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/09/11 • Comment

Accept Imperfection

November 06, 2011 • Comments (0)

Perfectionism is self defeating, especially when it comes to abstaining from sweets! In this video I talk about how there will always be someone who doesn’t like what you’re doing or how you’re doing it. Don’t let that person be you!

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/06/11 • Comment

Four Days of Sweetness 2011: Results & Insights

November 03, 2011 • Comments (7)

Candy from my Four Days of Sweetness, 2011

For the past six years I have abstained from sugar and sweets except for Halloween until November 3rd annually.

Annual results: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

2011 was no different, although the results of my ongoing experiment have definitely evolved. Last year I purchased entirely too many sweets and had trouble finishing them all in four days. This year I got smaller portions—enough to finish in a single sitting. As for ice cream, a gallon ensured that I’d have a bowl a day. Way too much!

What I Ate

- Chocolate Peanut Clusters (bulk)
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (home made)
- Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream (Mudslide)
- Chocolate Sables Anglais (Cookies)
- Chocolate Mousse (home made)
- A Cupcake (home made)
- Twix, Reeses, $100k Bars, Milky Way, KitKat
- Chocolate Covered Pretzels (bulk)
- Chocolate cake (home made) with ice cream
- Flipz brand Chocolate Covered Pretzels with peanut butter
- Chocolate yogurt (M&Ms, chocolate chips, Reeses topping)
- Pancakes and syrup
- Milkshake (just a bit)

Mission Accomplished

It never fails that each year, days before I allow myself to eat sweets, the idea of consuming sugary junk food seems appealing. Then, as soon as it begins, I’m looking forward to the end. I could stop anytime but for some reason I keep going. The last of my Four Days of Sweetness couldn’t come fast enough. Thankfully that day is today! I’m very much looking forward to starting a new, sugar-free year tomorrow.

In past years there were some leftover snacks that I didn’t finish in time. They stayed in the kitchen uneaten and haunted me. This year I ate everything I set out to eat so there’s nothing tempting me tomorrow. That’s important.

Reactions

Over the past few days my muscles have been tight and it has been hard to focus on small tasks. I felt and still feel terrible. Waking up has been a chore. I have also stayed up later than usual. My energy waned. Walking around had me tired and out of breath. All this in four days of eating mostly nothing but junk all day. To be expected, right? Imagine what a whole month of sweets would do.

Society is Sweet

Lots of people eat junk all day everyday. How do they do it? They don’t know any better. I didn’t. Ten years ago I ate junk all the time and wondered why everything seemed like such a chore. No more! Look around at all the sweeties. Not me.

Goals for 2012

Next year I want to eat less sugar altogether. In fact, I’m going to eat one sweet thing each day of my Four Days of Sweetness and that’s it. Yes, that’s my plan. Four sweet things in 2012. Just watch me! I will also exercise more and learn how to cook. Did I say that last year? Probably. Feels like I did. Sometimes you have to make resolutions several times.

In and Out

There’s a strange thing about abstaining from sweets. Since I’ve given up sugary snacks, a whole world of commercial and consumer goods have become off limits to me. I don’t notice fast food restaurants or signs for snacks while driving. Gas station convenience stores have absolutely zero appeal. Half of the supermarket is of no interest. It’s as if I’ve jumped a fence and stand outside of pop culture. Then, for four days, I climb back in to party with everyone, stop at the store for snacks, and fill my blood with sugar. My money slips out of my pocket and gets replaced by some kind of chocolate confection. Oddly, those around me consume more sweets as well. Then, as quickly as I arrive, I hop the fence and leave.

Posted in My Personal Journal on 11/03/11 • Comment

Sugar Addiction Debate…

November 03, 2011 • Comments (0)

Are sugary junk foods addictive? Can any kind of food be addictive? Some say yes and some say no.

Ask Michael Prager, who lost more than 600 pounds. He turned his life around by accepting that he might be an addict and applying techniques used by twelve-step groups.

Meanwhile, studies keep turning up linking the effects of eating certain foods to commonly accepted addictive behaviors and reactions.

See: Fatty Foods Addictive as Cocaine in Growing Body of Science at Bloomberg Businessweek, Junk Food Addiction As Real As Drug Addiction, But Less Cool at Jezebel.com, Fatty and Sugary Foods Are As Addictive As Cocaine And Nicotine, Warn Health Experts at Huffington Post, or Scientific research linking High Sugar Processed Foods to Addictions Like Cocaine at TheRandomFact.com.

The last sentence of the last linked story says, “I have never heard of anyone robbing a bank to get money to buy a candy bar or ice cream or pop.” What a lousy argument against the mounting evidence that junk food is indeed addictive. (As a teen I used to steal money to buy candy.)

Just the idea of abstaining from sweets puts some folks in a bad mood, let alone the idea that sugary junk food could possibly be addictive.

Sugar laden junk foods can be found in every convenience store for just a few cents each. Consider the dollar menu at your local fast food restaurant. Junk food is not only affordable, it’s everywhere. Even things you think are healthy contain added sugars that most people don’t know are there.

Just the idea of abstaining from sweets puts some folks in a bad mood, let alone the idea that sugary junk food could possibly be addictive. If you don’t think sugary junk food is a problem, or that it isn’t being pushed on people to gain profits, try going without sugar for several weeks. Then come back and tell us about your experience.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 11/03/11 • Comment