Category: Weight Loss Secrets

Kelly Ripa, Kim Kardashian, Seth Green, Eva Langoria Parker Go for Over-the-Top Cakes

Many of us would-be, health-conscious people strive often (or at times) to cut culprit carbs and shove candies, cookies, cakes and chips out of our lives for our emotional or physical health.
But who can blame Tori Spelling, Kelly Ripa, Kim Kardashian, Eva Langoria Parker, Guy Ritchie, Flavor Flav, Seth Green, Spencer Pratt and Kid Rock for using creative, elaborate cakes to memorialize major occasions?
I don’t mean to unnecessarily entice you with these images (to your left), but I’m amused, entertained and intrigued by these over-the-top, sugary concoctions that People Magazine shares with us in a snazzy photo essay.
My sugar-free — albeit sometimes jealous — funny bone nudges me to poke fun of this sugar-filled hoopla in this way: Well, let them eat cake!
(For the record, my comment was NOT intended to be malicious — it was intended as a silly remark.)
Hey, sometimes you just have to laugh at — and just accept — our nation’s habit of celebrating events with sugar-filled cakes.
For the most part, this is a trend you just can’t buck.
So I invite you to set some limits for yourself at your next beautiful cake-celebrated event. I urge you to have just one teeny, tiny piece — and to have it after a good meal with healthy foods — protein, carbs (veggies) and fat (like olive oil). I challenge you to partake of one tiny slice!
Cake tori-spelling-660 Speaking of challenges, it’s quite a challenge to figure out how to observe important milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, bar mitzvahs, christenings and graduations without cute cakes.
So, now I’m presented with a challenge. Given that I don’t eat sweets, how the heck should I celebrate my 12 years off sugar on April 15?
I invite your suggestions. Because frankly I’m at a loss! Please send in your ideas!
In case you’re new to this Sugar Shock Blog and you’re wondering why I would want to pass up such delectable treats as those shown here, consider this: Would you rather suffer from 44 horrible ailments or skip the sweets and feel great?
That’s the choice had to reluctantly make back in 1998, when my doctor ordered me to quit my sugar habit. To learn about my sad-to-sweet story, read it in Chapter One of my book SUGAR SHOCK!
Now, have a healthy snack or meal and then check out this cake-filled People Magazine photo essay.

Get Help! Free Teleseminar March 31: “Top 10 Reasons You Failed to Lose Weight or Kick Sugar” with Major Loser/Winner Jimmy Moore

Are you fed up that no matter how many different diets or programs you’ve tried, you still haven’t been able to shed excess weight or kick sugar?
Are you frustrated that you just can’t figure out what to do to finally succeed?
Are you ready to make some lasting changes but just don’t know what to do?
I invite you to join my free teleseminar/webinar on Wed., March 31 at 8 pm EST (5 pm PST) so you can learn the “Top 10 Reasons You Failed to Lose Weight or Kick Sugar.”
In this teleseminar on Wed., March 31 at 8 pm EST (5 pm PST), you’ll finally discover why you’ve been repeating failing.
And you’ll learn what it takes to finally succeed for once and all.
My co-host will be Jimmy Moore, founder of the popular Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Blog and author of 21 Life Lessons from Livin’ La Vida Low Carb.
In your teleseminar/webinar, “Top 10 Reasons You Failed to Lose Weight or Kick Sugar,” you’ll learn some eye-opening things.
* For instance, you’ll discover that lack of will power is not why you haven’t been able to shed pounds or get off sugar.
* You’ll also find out that being single-mindedly focused on getting rid excess weight or NOT eat sugar is not the best way to break free of your sugar habit.
* You’ll discover that counting calories is counter-productive. So is obsessively cutting back on fat.
* Plus, you’ll discover amazing reasons that have nothing to do with eating, which can make or break you kick-sugar or weight loss success.
* And you’ll learn many more surprising secrets about kicking sugar and/or losing weight.
To join the fre*e teleseminar/webinar, “Top 10 Reasons You Failed to Lose Weight or Kick Sugar,” on Wed., March 31 at 8 pm EST (5 pm PST), just sign up below, putting in your information below.
You’re invited to come 10 minutes early to meet other people, who also want to lose weight or kick sugar.
Remember, when you get to the special website for the March 31 program, submit your questions ahead of time.
Sign up now for the March 31 “Top 10 Reasons You Failed to Lose Weight or Kick Sugar.”

Help for Sugar Addicts: Tips to Cut Back on Sugar

Would you like to lose weight, get more energy and possibly boost your libido?
Just kick sugar and refined carbs!
Admittedly, for many, that’s easier said than done, especially if you feel like you have a sugar addiction or carb addiction.
Of course, as my clients often admit and as I discovered back in 1998, quitting sugar can be quite challenging.
After all, for many of us, we learned to like the sweet stuff in our wombs! (Yes, one fan told me that when her mom was pregnant, she guzzled soda. Seriously, many of us are born hooked on sugar!)
So allow me to help you begin to break free. To get you going, here are three stories full of tips and tactics.
First, I invite you to read my Huffington Post Holiday Health story, 10 Tips to Conquer Your Cravings for Candies, Cookies Or Cakes.
Next, I encourage you to check out my 10 Ways to Kick Sugar article on eDiets.com.
And finally, I recommend that you read nutritionist Jonny Bowden’s fabulous piece, Top 10 Ways to Cut Back on Sugar.
Hope our articles help you. Let us know here. And if you have other tips, please share them with us, too.
For more help, I invite you to join the Smart Habits Fans on Facebook and to check out my book SUGAR SHOCK!

Food Diary Time: Soul-Searching Food Journal™ to Help You Now

At the end of the day, have you completely lost track of what you ate? Are you at a loss as to what sweets, culprit carbs or fatty snacks you’ve put in your mouth? Do you wonder why you’re packing on the pounds or feelingsluggish and unfocused?
Well, research shows that if you keep a food journal, you stand a greater chance of losing weight and achieving better health.
Indeed, people who’ve happily peeled off the weight — “Highly Successful Losers™,” as I call them — report that one of their Smart Diet Habits™ is to “Keep Track of Your Favorite Lab Rat™.
In other words, watch yourself as if you were lovingly monitoring the intake of your ailing beloved pet.
When you Keep Track of Your Favorite Lab Rat™, you don’t mindlessly shove nutrient-lacking non-foods into your mouth.
You begin to think before you eat, because you know you’ll be writing down whatever you put into your mouth — and will preferably (I hope, for your benefit) share it with an accountability partner.
To help you out, I’m sharing a food diary that I’ve created.
Feel free to share The Soul-Searching Food Journal™ with your friends, co-workers, gym buddies, bosses, hairdressers, fitness trainers, loved ones and even frustrating frenemies. In short, spread the link love, as some like to say. (Of course, please provide the proper credit though, as indicated below.)
The Soul-Searching Food Journal™ — © Copyright – Connie Bennett, Smart Habits Coach & Author, SUGAR SHOCK!

Sugar Addiction Begone! Kick Sugar With Me This Month

If you’re like many Americans, you want to shed your excess weight so you can fit into your favorite slim outfit, have the trim, toned, sexy body you crave and be healthy.
Just imagine how you’d feel if you had more energy, more cheerful moods and more satisfying relationships.
Envision what your life would look like if you were more productive, thinking more clearly and experiencing a boost in your libido.
All of the above can happen if you eliminate sugar and refined carbs.
But losing weight, getting more energy, concentrating better, becoming happier and having a bigger sex drive are just a few of many benefits you can gain from eliminating sugar, as I pointed out in my book SUGAR SHOCK!
In fact, when I quit sweets and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998, a whopping 44 ailments disappeared and I felt reborn!
But, let’s face it, cutting out sugar or those “culprit carbs” can be challenging for most people.
Let’s face it, you didn’t develop a sugar habit overnight. So let me educate, inspire and guide you to become joyously sugar free.
Kick sugar cartoon Join me Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm for my fun, interactive, life-changing free introductory class, “SUGAR SHOCK! Breaking Free of Your Sugar Habit” at the New York Open Center. the largest urban holistic center in the United States.
On that one night, you’ll get some tips and tactics to begin to break free of your sugar habits.
But, as you can imagine, since you’ve probably had a lifetime of being overly attached to sugar, one hour with me is isn’t enough to change your destructive patterns for good.
That’s why I’m also teaching a 4-week course at the New York Open Center, which begins next week, from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.
In this four-week course, I’m sharing proprietary techniques that I developed and which worked for me when I removed sugar from my diet in 1998.
In addition, you’re getting dozens of tips that have helped my clients. Plus, you’ll receive many ideas from a variety of health experts, who kindly shared them with me.
For instance, in my 4-week course at the New York Open Center, you will:
* Discover the 10 reasons people fail when making New Year’s resolutions or when breaking a sugar addiction or other bad habits (what I call babits™).
* Get 7 Smart Starter Strategies so you can conquer your sugar habit for good.
* Find out 5 ways to save money on food and beverages in this economy but still make healthy choices.
* Find out why this course has the wrong title! (But we had to name it “SUGAR SHOCK! Breaking Free of Your Sugar Habit” so you’d know what you’re getting.)
* Receive 50 simple, effective tips and tactics to squash your sugar cravings.
* Get a helpful, comprehensive sugar-free shopping list and sample meal plans.
* Discover what 3 empowering questions to ask yourself whenever sugary foods “call out” to you to stop your destructive cycle.
* Find out how you can use “failing” or being human (i.e., imperfect) to your advantage.
* Have fun discovering tasty, sugar-free desserts.
* Taste delicious sugar-free treats from 2 local chefs.
* Find out which 3 foods can drive away your “sweet tooth.”
* Get educated about 20 cutting-edge research studies, which reveal the dangers of sugars and refined carbs.
* Receive a list of more than 100 ways your sugar habit is killing you.
* Learn how you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, cancer, infertility, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
* Be trained as a “Savvy Sugar Sleuth” so you easily unmask sugar’s many disguises and read food labels in the grocery store.
* Get invited to one complimentary teleseminar. (This is one of many bonuses you get by signing up for my 4-week course.)
* Learn to identify 10 surprising foods that contain hidden sugars.
* Get inspired by successful “Sugar Kickers,” whose sour-to-sweet tales you can listen to at any time via complimentary audio downloads.
* Determine how your sugar habit is harming your health, weight, moods, relationships, work, spirituality and ability to get things done.
* Uncover your 5 “W’s” that drive you to sweets and refined carbs.
(And many more.)

Sugar Addiction: Get Help to Break Free, Beginning Jan. 5 at the New York Open Center

With the new year coming soon, people often decide that it’s high time to break free of their sugar habit.
And I’m here to help you conquer your habit in early 2010.
Join me on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm, when you can get inspired and educated during a fun, often-interactive, life-changing free introductory class at the New York Open Center. which is the largest urban holistic center in the United States.
But that isn’t all. You also can sign up for the four-week course at the New York Open Center from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.
Please note that you get a free gift if you sign up for the Jan. 5 or the 4-week program because of reading about it on this blog.
But first join us for a complimentary introduction on Jan. 5.
In case you’re wondering why you may want to consider kicking sugar, if you do so, you can:
* Lose weight
* Finally feel in control of their habit of consuming sugar and refined carbs
* Feel free!
* Get more energy on a consistent basis
* Become more productive
* Walk your talk by consuming only healthy foods and drinks
* Tap into your spirtuality
* Be unfazed when desserts and sweet snacks abound
* Feel exhilarated and excited about your many projects
* Relish moving your body in a way you’ve never done
* Enjoy more enriching, satisfying relationships
* Boost your libido
* Learn to calmly watch your sugar desires slide away
* And much more
New York Open Center – 04 – Meditation
Here’s the description of the four-week course at the New York Open Center:
Do you “need” a candy bar or soda just to get through the day? Are you yearning to lose weight for good? Would you like to improve your moods, banish brain fog, triple your energy and boost your libido? You can peel off pounds, gain energy and improve your relationships just by kicking sugar and refined carbohydrates. But removing culprit carbs can be challenging.
Join “Smart Habits Girl” Connie Bennett, author of the best-selling book SUGAR SHOCK!, who will show you that breaking free of your sugar habit can be fun, exhilarating and life-changing. In this four-week course, you’ll participate in empowering exercises, eye-opening discussions and coaching scenarios to discover how to identify your tempting triggers and well-meaning saboteurs; how to soothe and nurture yourself in healthy ways; how to use the “5 Ds” to squash your cravings; how to save money on food; what to eat; how to “say no with sass”; if you should quit cold turkey or phase out sweets; how to find hidden sugars; how to release your bingeing-self-loathing cycle; if sugar substitutes are safe; and how to find sweetness naturally.
Hope to see you there! Remember, if you sign up for the course because of learning about it on this blog, you get a free gift from me.

New Year’s Day: Kick Sugar With Me at the JCC in Manhattan

As most of you get ready for your holiday celebrations, I invite you to save the date if you live in or near New York City.
As we know New Year’s Day is when most of us feel compelled to turn over a new leaf.
That’s when a number of us wellness experts in New York City will be around to serve you — to help you become a better, healthier you.
Come hear me live from 1 pm to 2 pm Eastern at JCC of Manhattan so you can kick your sugar habit or other bad habits (or what I call babits™).
Here is more information about my program:
Break Your Sugar Habit & Turn Your Babits™ (Bad Habits) into Blessings to Get a Life that Rocks!
Would you like to release excess weight, get energy and boost your libido? You can do ALL that—and more—by quitting sweets and refined carbs. Get easy tips and exercises you can enjoy as you discover:
* The “5 Ds” to squash sugar cravings anytime
* The 2 types of foods that drive away your “sweet tooth.”
* The truth about sugar substitutes.
* The single biggest mistake people make when trying to change a bad habit
* 3 ways to save money on food.
Hope to see you there. If you come as a result of this blog post, you get a free gift from me so make sure to claim it!
Pre-register now, because the JCC in Manhattan is expecting lots of people.

Free Shopping List, Free Sugar Shock Quiz & Free Talks in New York

You don’t need to feel imprisoned by your addiction to sugar or refined carbs!
Rest assured, help is here. To help you break free of your sugar habit, I’ve been compiling lots of goodies to give you.
Did you know that when you visit my Sugar Shock website, you can get all kinds of FREE STUFF?
For instance, you can get a free shopping list.
You can take the free Sugar Shock Quiz.
You can download a sneak peek of my book SUGAR SHOCK!
You also can sign up for my free, weekly Motivating Morsels ezine (formerly called Stop Sugar Shock Minute).
And to help you get in a lighthearted mood about skipping the sugar, you can learn to Say No With Sass!
And if you need to find a nutrition-savvy M.D. or naturopath, you can get help to Find a Doctor.
Plus, you can chuckle at cartoons. (The one to your left is part of a larger one.)
So get your FREE STUFF now.