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How do I begin?  Jessie from OK

Moving into action is the most difficult part of achieving anything. We are usually great at procrastinating, as well as starting and stopping. I tend to think the latter is a bigger problem than not starting at all. Part of the reason for that is that we want immediate gratification. In actuality, with sugar addiction problems, we can have this gratification if we know how to look for it. For this to happen we need to know how to read our body communications. My clients and students spend much time on this part of our work because it is basic to improving the total functioning of the mind and body. 

For our purposes here, and as a beginning just begin to notice your body sensations before you eat or drink something, and then check in about
30 minutes to an hour after you eat or drink. Begin to notice the difference between the two. Now test it with something else, especially something with a large sugar content. You might like to check my body communications after a few hours. Are you hungry? Do you have any aches or pains? How is your mind function? Are you thinking clearly? Are your thoughts speeding through your mind or is your level of concentration good? The more you build the power of inner awareness, the better you will become at managing sugar-addiction, as well as the workings of your mind and body.    
  
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How to I get rid of old mind programs?  Linda from Buffalo

Sugar-addiction gives us wonderful opportunities for getting to know ourselves on many different levels. I have been in recovery from this addiction for over ten years and I still am amazed at how the old programs play out in my mind. The holidays are great times to observe
some of the "acting" of particular problematic emotional states. It helps us to name them. I teach my clients and students to see them as "children" wearing tee shirts with their names on their chest. Some are bigger than others, and often more problematic. Some are problems on one day and not on another. Others may only show themselves during stress, parties, around particular individuals, or sometimes only when you are alone. I have some in each category, as do most of us. Awareness allows us to view these "children" and imagery or interactive self-hypnosis allows us to diminish those that are not "helpful" and to enhance those that are. I will be writing more about emotional management in the future, and I hope that you will share some of your
experiences as well.     

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Can one actually change eating habits forever?  Sonya from Toledo, Spain

Working with sugar addiction is a moment to moment thing. Just when we think we are getting good at this, up comes a challenge of sorts. I hope we will discuss challenges in these communications. I'll start. It is very important to make certain we have the foods available that
we need, and also a variety of these foods so we don't get bored. Remember, this is a lifestyle change. Last night I didn't feel like preparing any special vegetables for lunch today. I was making lots of excuses including, "I'm too tired, I'm sick of this, Why me, Why can't I just go out for lunch for a change, etc. etc. etc." 

The truth of the matter is that the vegetables were in the refrigerator and I was just not "willing" to care for myself. And so, noticing this emotional
state, just as if it were a child wearing a tee shirt with it's name on the front, and noticing it was interfering with my progress as having "recovered from sugar addiction" I very gently showed it some "inner pictures" of what happens when "we don't" and another set of "what happens when we do". After that, it was quite simple. The vegetables were prepared and as a matter of fact, I just finished enjoying them and sent some gratefulness to my emotional states for helping me to explore my challenges and stay well.  

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Why do I feel so bad when I eat sugar?  Chelsea from Oregon

Sugar Addiction plays out in our mind and body in many different ways. It is very connected to emotional management, including anxiety, panic disorder, depression and a host of others. To understand why this is so we do have to become educated in the workings of food & beverage and relationships of family & personal medical history. We also must look at our lifestyle habits from the beginning. Sometimes we don't like to look. We tend to cover these memories, or paste excuses over them. "Oh, I was young, etc. etc. etc." In our attempt to be educated we must look, see the reality of what we did to ourselves, and then commit to change. All food and beverage acts like chemicals or drugs in the body, and depending on our past lifestyle behaviors, will alter
emotional responses. Some people can actually experience a feeling of being high or drunk from food and non-alcoholic beverage. As we begin to agree to see "our state of affairs" we can begin to make responsible choices. On a good note, as we recover the mind and body will assist
us in staying "clean." We find that we want less of the offending foods. One of the beverages I had a real issue with was diet soda. I really didn't even know how much of it I was drinking. Sipping it through the day is even worse than chugging a can. Sipping keeps the insulin levels up continually, and therefore increasing stress chemical production, and depleting brain neurotransmitters that are connected to depression, anxiety and a host of other chemical emotional states. I look forward to you all sharing in this circle. Please be sure to post
directly or to answer anything I may send, even if the subject matter is different. The more we learn the better we become.  

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Do you mean I can eat & lose weight?  Sharon, New York City

Within the last 24 hours I had two phone calls from people who want to be hypnotized to stop eating. To me this is very sad indeed. Sometimes a difficult part of my work is teaching people how not to be afraid of food. They have spent so many years trying to lose weight by
starvation & it is very frightening to eat as much as one needs to actually burn fat. When exercising we need even more food than when not exercising. Often times people find themselves at a plateau when increasing exercise & can't understand what is wrong. They may also find their hunger increasing & that is "inconvenient" when trying to cut back on food. Learning to eat meals again was a big one for me. I was a grazer and never seemed to have much hunger at meal time. Or, I was starving and found that after eating crackers or bread I had little
hunger left. Then I ended up being hungry in an hour or so, and often a bit shaky as well. Of course I now know that was hyperinsulinemia. Becoming disciplined in my eating behaviors was a real challenge, and does still continue, but thankfully it is so much better than before. I hope you are all well and paying attention to the needs of your body.  

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How can I stay motivated?  John from Houston

I'd love to hear from all of you about how you stay motivated to manage sugar addiction. Someone asked me today if there was "something" I did on a daily basis to help myself stay motivated. I'm still smiling inwardly at that question.....of course there is "something." As we
build a life of discipline there are many things we do everyday and some more than once! People are often surprised to hear that from me. They think because I work in this field that I shouldn't have any problems. That is totally unrealistic. First of all, I have the body chemistry for sugar addiction plus the fact that for over half of my life I ate in such a way as to increase my addiction, instead of diminishing it. As I remember my days of being out of control and
binging, I am rather flabbergasted at what I unknowingly did. I should bend down and kiss the ground that I am still here to talk about it.

Staying motivated is part of the job & is actually fun. I love knowing what I need to eat and I like providing it to myself. I do have to work at being "food organized" and on occasion I do slip up, but over the years I basically know what I need for the week from the supermarket & any other store I need to visit to get what I need. I work on my shopping list ongoing, and especially if I see something during the week that especially appeals to me. I would have to say
that I take much better care of myself now than I ever did...  Now, do I always want to do all of this? Of course not. Some days I really don't want to cook or plan or any of the other things. This morning I got up a bit earlier & roasted some pork as I ate breakfast and showered. This way it is ready for dinner. I could of done it last night, but other things prevailed. I have found over the years that I need to build lots of variety into my meals. If not, I tend to go back to old behaviors of 1) never knowing what is for dinner, and then asking myself the fatal question 2) what do you feel like having? Some of those answers still knock my socks off! Lets share some motivational ideas with each other. As we all begin to communicate, we will all gain so much...knowledge that is!  

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What do I do when I slip up?  Carol from Boston

It is normal to have a slip-up. We all know what those are don't we? I'd love to know how you deal with yours.... As we begin to share are management skills we will all gain. We are all students and teachers at the same time. People are often surprised when I tell them that I
also experience slip-ups and why shouldn't I? I'm as normal as everyone else! Forgiveness for not being perfect is very important. In years gone by I really hated the part of me that wasn't perfect, and it was quite a large part believe me. Not only was I large, but the part was equally so. Now that I work with emotional management tools, I  feel compassion for that part of me, and in so doing over the years I have been able to diminish it quite a bit.

One of the images I utilize with that part of me is a "mind-book." On the right hand side are pictures of what we are getting and going to get by eating correctly for our body physiology. Those pictures include immediate gratification, short term and long term goals. The pictures
are vivid, beautiful and very specific. We can also go right into the pictures and feel what it feels like to have the very thing right then and there. This is positive motivation and future-pacing. I may choose to show that part of me images of how things used to be, and
future pace some negative outcomes. I try not to utilize those too often because I don't want to reinforce those images in my mind. However, if part of my emotional self is really out of control, it is right over to those x rated pictures for a bit!  

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I have some questions about cravings.  Lynn from Seattle

 I am managing to control it more often but I will crave the refined foods and indulge. And without fail, I will induce a depressive state with energy depletion. My goal is to cleanse myself of most of the refined foods and stay as close to natural foods as possible. A challenge is to surpass the craving of the junk. However, I am making strides. This evening, I wanted to buy some chips or something like that. 

But when I got to the store, my body was remembering the fluid retention feeling that it gets when I eat it. And I did not buy it. As a matter of fact I couldn't thing of anything, looking at it in front of me, that I wanted. I considered that to be progress.
I did melt some white chocolate chips tonight and eat that. I have been doing really well avoiding chocolate. Even Valentine's Day, I did jelly beans instead. I know the sugar content is still high, but it was still an improvement, I felt. So, any suggestions are welcomed! I thought I'd start posting in hopes that others would follow suit. I'm here to learn and to find support through change. 

The thing I like about the eGroup format is that people can come and reach the archives by subject. The more we share, the better for everyone. As I might have mentioned somewhere along the line, we are all students and teachers at the same time. I really enjoyed the above "snip." Noticing your body remembering is a very valuable "happening." We all have a
lot of these inner files, and if we become more aware, as you were in this moment, we will make better progress.

Eliz Comments: As you probably know I am very sugar-addicted, and through the years have learned to cope with it. As a matter of fact, I am somewhat grateful for it. The reason for this is that the "actual managing moments" have assisted me in attaining a higher level of inner growth than I would have experienced without it. When we find ourselves in one of these "actual managing moments" take full advantage. The recognition of "the moment" is called heightened
awareness. You can program your mind to find more of these for you. Simply allow yourself to deeply relax. Place your fingertips on your lower abdomen and allow it to fill with air, just a balloon. Watch your fingertips go up and down... This slows the brain waves and takes you closer to the subconscious programming level of the mind. Now tilt your eyes up about 20
degrees and see a movie screen upward and outward, rather like sitting in the second row of a movie theatre. This is a programming screen and you can program anything you like. Always program in the positive state and "as if" you already had whatever you want. If we want to become more aware of something such as "actual managing moments" we would see ourselves having these. Then simply go about your usual activities. The program is placed.  The reason these "moments" are so valuable is this. Whenever we catch one, we actually diminish their power over us. We are no longer frightened or overwhelmed by them. It is like anything else. We get good at this.

I have a particular emotional state that comes to the supermarket with me. We work with our emotions as if they were children wearing tee shirts with their names on the front. Negative ones wear black with white letters. Positive goal orientated ones wear white shirts with gold letters. One of my negative based sugar emotions likes to go to the bakery. She used to pull me
there....right across the front of the store. One of my positive goal orientated emotions is that of "intelligence." She taught the sugar emotion about labels and all the chemicals on the labels. The outcome of this funny story is that we always stop in the bakery and read the labels. I can now hear the sugar one say "yuck" . We then usually march right back to the fruit section and buy something special. The funniest part to me is that I tend to do this just about every week. The programming for "yuck" is actually quite powerful now and has transferred itself to other products, especially any in a box or cellophane wrapper. 

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How can I set up a livable plan?  Shelly from Bergenfield, New Jersey

I have  to smile at the word "livable" knowing what that means on so many personal levels.
Like many of you, I've been down all the paths, and I also have to manage my sugar personal addiction in this world where we live. At the best and worst of times it is indeed a challenge. The young person who wrote to me is a student. I can hear the groans as you all read this,
but each area of life has its own "management issues" and being a student is a good place to start some real lifestyle changes and personal development.

When we really want to do something we will find the way. The obstacles actually become tools of determination & challenge. As we learn to work with them in our mind with this "frame" we find that the climb over them is actually motivating in itself. Now this doesn't happen overnight....it is a matter of practice. We practice in our minds and then...out in the real world. Just like any sports professional, we learn the tools of our trade or sport, practice and then practice some more. One day we begin to notice that it isn't really all that difficult. And so with that out of the way, lets discuss a plan.

The amount of food one needs is based on the lean body mass and your exercise level. That means the size of the muscle and bones and how often and how hard you exercise. This is quite easily figured. You can borrow "The Zone" by Dr. Barry Sears. All it takes is a measuring
tape. When you know your lean body mass, you will know your protein requirements. While we don't need to go through life with a scale to measure our food, we do have to learn to eyeball. In my experience, most people fail at managing sugar addiction, losing weight, etc., because they don't eat enough of what they need, and then eat too much of what they don't. This is the formula for failure. Most women need 8-10 units of protein per day. This is just a ballpark figure. It is best to work at your own numbers.

Think of your food in these food groups: protein, low-glycemic carbohydrates, slow-glycemic carbohydrates, high glycemic carbohydrates and fat. There you have it. Now all we have to do is know what foods are in those groups and go on with our day. We break our protein needs
into our 3-4 meals. Some of us may need 5 smaller meals. Our family history will give us some hints to that. If you haven't read the materials at my website you might want to do so. 

For breakfast eat protein, a slow-glycemic choice ( dense bread with no sugar added or slow-cooked oatmeal.) You also need some fat. It is often in the protein or can be added. Fruit is generally not a good choice at this time for sugar addicted people. If you like you can have low-glycemic vegetables. For lunch once again we have protein, a big selection of lower-glycemic vegetables, some slow-glycemic bread if you like, and some fat in the form of dressing, etc. For dinner we have protein, a big serving of low-glycemic vegetables, some fat which can be added or as part of the protein, and a choice of higher glycemic foods. These foods are those that turn into sugar more rapidly. They include all fruits, grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, and certainly all refined foods. Enjoy these, but limit them. You will find that you don't have as much desire for them when you eat breakfast and lunch  correctly. If you are very sugar addicted cut out the white foods. Those include pasta, rice, potatoes, and all white flour products. They are triggers for most sugar addicted people. Personally I stick mainly
to legumes and fruit. On Saturday I have my "sweet treat." I have built this discipline for myself because I find it works, but once again be kind to yourself. It does take time. The good news is that the more you practice the better you get.

So what do I eat. Well usually for breakfast I have an egg and a piece of dense rye toast, coffee without sugar and some cream. I personally stay away from milk. It is a trigger for me. Sometimes for breakfast I have half a sandwich of some protein. Rather like European eating. For lunch, I usually always pack it. I have a huge salad of wonderful vegetables, protein usually consists of grilled chicken, salmon, tofu, or left over meat from dinner. I especially sing for pot roast. I
don't eat bread at lunch anymore, but in the beginning I had half a sandwich plus my gigantic salad including a cold cooked vegetable for more denseness. For dinner I have a huge salad, a cooked low-glycemic vegetable, my protein, and then I balance out with beans of some sort
or perhaps a root vegetable, fruit, often a biscotti and of course, my espresso coffee. I find I do not snack anymore because I am not hungry. When I began my management of sugar addiction I often had an afternoon snack and one before bedtime. These usually consisted of some sort of cheese and low-glycemic vegetables. I do have refined sugar at dinner on Saturday. This is usually something like carrot cake or some other ghastly concoction. I must say that I do this less and less because I notice my body really doesn't like it and quite honestly I can get quite excited about strawberries & cream.

I hope this helps you to get some idea. Although it seems difficult, once you begin eating correctly your body will actually help you. I do utilize hypnosis to help me manage my compulsive issues & emotions. If you would like to know more about these tools, check out the website or keep reading here. I'm sure we will be hitting all the bases sooner or later.   

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   How do I build will-power in a college atmosphere?  Nick from Tennessee

I plan to start living my life "sugar-free". That is my goal. Of course I have told myself that 100 times and ended up bingeing in the end, but it can't be that way anymore, because this isn't just about me anymore. I know for right now sugar has to be out of my life for good, that means I need to plan my meals so that I don't come down to that dreaded "decision" like you said. I have it very hard, because being a college student I don't have control over a lot of the food served to me (although I guess I do have control over what goes into my mouth). But the cafeteria is filled with sweet treats and the worst part is my roommate lives off of sweets, but they don't affect her the way they do me, probably because she has control and moderation when she eats them, plus I eat so much of them, I guess there is not much left for her. :)
Ohh...willpower, willpower - what is that anyway? Ahh well, the trials and tribulations of my life. What can you do? They face us all. Oh well, please pray for me that I can do this. As I know I HAVE to do this. Thanks again for all you help.  

Eliz. Comments...

You will probably find that you do have more choices than you think. Often times the resistance to change is in place and it blocks the new possibilities. I see this a lot in my patients, and certainly in my own history. When we eat the right foods it is much easier to pass up the foods
that are not good for us. One of the reasons for this is that our insulin-glucagon chemical balance is helping us. We also learn to utilize imagery to help us stay the course.

It is also important to be kind to yourself and to treat yourself on occasion. For me that is usually Saturday evening when I allow myself something really out of the ordinary. However, I do have fruit each evening and have come to enjoy this as my "sweet treat." In the past I would
definitely pass up fruit for something more refined.

I suggest you keep a food log so you can observe your progress. Believe it or not I still do this for myself. I've made it part of my daily journal work. One day I will share this work with the group. As I look back through the years and see my food changes along with other changes, I am amazed. This is very motivating in itself and you might like to try it. Hope you all had a great weekend. I spent mine in the garden. I love working there. It is another area where continual work and progress can be enjoyed.  

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How do I keep from being bored?  Charlotte from Massachusetts

Keep an eye on being bored with your food choices. The other day I was standing in the vegetable department of the supermarket wishing there were other choices... Then I woke up! There are so many ways to prepare all these wonderful choices, but I guess I have been lazy.
After I went home I opened The Joy of Cooking. Just the name sent a chill down my spine. Cooking has not been a joy for me for a great while. Part of the reason is that I work like many of you do, and it seems one meal just runs into the other. Once again I told my emotional state to sit down and focus on the goal.....preparing better choices for myself...and of course my family. I found no less than 15 ways to cook cauliflower. Most of them were quite simple. I went ahead and made one last night and today had the rest of it on my salad for lunch. It was so good!

If you would like to share recipes here, that is fine with me. Even if you are in school and have a place where you might be able to prepare some food ( hot plate, et.al) don't count yourself out. Let's try to bring some additional "joy of cooking" into our lives. I've joined a couple of recipe groups that send emails on a daily basis. One is quite fun. On Monday the meal is spelled out. Each day they send out a recipe for one of the courses. This week the focus is Belgian! yesterday was the appetizer and today the soup! All of them so far are low in carbohydrates which is great for us. If any of you have links to share or recipe groups you belong to, please let us know. 

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Can you help me get started?  I have a life-long sugar problem. I've had periods of success with this problem in the past but find myself struggling again. Any words of encouragement would be appreciated.   Rae from Atlanta 

If you go back into the archives you will find one that I wrote about setting up a plan. I can't open those files right this minute, but you will find it. If you have any questions about the plan, just write back. The more questions the more we learn. On my website you can find an article about managing sugar addiction. This will give you some further insights. I hope you hear from the other group members and also tell your colleagues about this area. 

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How do you cope with all the problems surrounding sugar?  Rene from Tampa

I've recognized sugar as addictive for a long time. But I've had such a hard time with it because it seems like frequently I'm the only one who realizes just how bad it is for you and how it can be very addictive for some of us.

I've struggled with trying to get off sugar for so long. When I stay away from it I feel fabulous and now because I have had periods of up to 3 months without it (that includes honey and all sweeteners) that when I do get back on it I really feel how awful it is to my body. The problem that I'm having is that I know that I use sugar to cope emotionally and I'm going through a difficult time right now and I started dabbling in it again around the holidays and I haven't
been able to fully get off of it again and it makes me feel awful. I can't think straight after a while.

I guess what I wondering is how do you still have friends and socialize when you can't even be around people when they eat all this sugar? I just wonder how you learn to cope with not eating poorly when everyone around you is. I belong to a group that I practice with spiritually and I can't believe the things that they eat. I also see the connection between my spirituality and what I put into my mouth but even many people who are on a spiritual path don't see it. So I'm frustrated.

Additionally, because of my years of sugar abuse it seems that I have developed other food sensitivities. I have some familiarity with systemic candida and suspect that they may be some of my problems as well but I have yet to find a doctor who doesn't look at me like I have 5 heads or is willing to work with me. Are there any other people in the group who also suffer from other food allergies? I find that difficult as well because it narrows my food choices even further. Unfortunately too when I'm on sugar it masks all these other symptoms but then when I'm off
of it I can really feel all the other things I can't eat as well. I have mold sensitivities so that let's
out a lot of nuts and cheeses. I'm not much of a meat eater at all so right there it makes the whole protein issue difficult. Seafood can be a problem as well sometimes.  

Eliz Comments...

Yes, it is true that more people are "unaware" than "aware." Our work is to stay in total awareness and actually those that appear unaware can help us in a very special way. As we notice them in a detached way, we give gratitude for our awareness and growth. We see ourselves in that moment free of our addiction. We have no need to discuss this with anyone unless they ask for specific information from us. Our work is only with ourselves.

As we learn to manage our emotional states utilizing awareness meditation and interactive self-hypnosis we gain control. We learn to work with small moments and in particular look for the warning thoughts or emotions that come forward. We also make certain we are eating at very high levels and that we have not brought problem foods into our homes. If we live
with others who have those foods, there are other things we can do to help us stay out of compulsion. When we are out of the house it is really quite easy.... we place programs in our mind that move us past those obstacles.

We learn to work from the position of self-responsibility and leave other people to manage their lessons in their own time, or if thinking spiritually, when the good Lord chooses to present the lesson... You are now involved in other lessons, and this is where your focus must be. Perhaps you are meant to be a teacher by example. I was one last week at a luncheon. I already knew there would be cocktails, bread, potatoes and dessert. I knew before I went in that I would be eating chicken, salad and drinking water and maybe a cup of coffee. A few people asked why I wasn't having those things, and I just simply said that I don't eat them for lunch. They left me alone rather quickly and went off to their own business. Stay off the subject completely and if it is brought up, move it along quickly. Sit in prayer and gratitude for what you know and the health you are bringing to yourself in those moments. Offer them up to your Higher Power as a gift from you.

I know you don't have 5 heads...There are several good books on this subject. I hope you have read some of them. I also had the underlying yeast/food sensitivity problems and I am happy to report that all is well in that department, but first I had to take a walk in the woods. By that I mean I had to change some things radically before I could get better. Many people who have difficulty losing weight often have underlying yeast problems. I also have many clients with these issues and so they are very common. The good news is that we can often put problem foods back in after awhile. Getting some enjoyable protein is important for you. Many times sugar addicted people don't like protein, but we have to eat it and so we use self-hypnosis or whatever.....but we do eat it. For myself I went on the Caveman diet about 10 years ago and stayed on it for about a month. I also used some nystatin to help me with the yeast. Capracylic acid also works well and you can get it in the health food store. I may have spelled it incorrectly, but it is close enough. Once I finished the Caveman I moved on to an eating plan not too far afield. 

I know I have these underlying problems and I don't ever again want to go back to where I was. I do eat some grains now, but not too often. My diet is protein, low-glycemic vegetables, some fruit at dinner and sometimes legumes, sweet potatoes, other root vegetables, and on occasion some dessert but not very often. I do drink coffee but have cut way back. I never touch soda and do drink quite a bit of water. i like sparkling water with a slice of lemon. My eating plan does take work. I have to think about what will make me happy and then I have to buy it. I tend to simple preparation such as grilling. I would have to say that I eat better than ever and certainly health-wise I am better than ever. 

Dealing with this problem however is a life-time thing. I see myself as still sugar addicted and part of me does want to eat it. I do allow myself some of those things, but not very often. The price to the piper is far too high. I would suggest you either practice emotional management with awareness meditation or else utilize prayer. Fractionate your day, bringing it in on the hour just for a moment. Let your body get heavy, breath deeply and feel the energy rising and then tilt your eyes up about 20 degrees and see yourself as completely at peace and in health.  

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Can someone please explain Caprylic Acid? How and why is it used? Where can someone get it?  Rhonda from Miami  

There have been several questions about the yeast connection to sugar addiction and so for the benefit of those people who are not in our group and come to look at our archives, I am going to begin a new thread. For those who are reading this area for the first time, the last few messages before this one do address the yeast connection in some way.

Caprylic Acid is also called Capricin and Caprystatin. It is a new, but old antifungal medication and is available without prescription. It is a short chain, saturated fatty acid. It has been found to be effective in eliminating yeast overgrowth. It is carried in most health food stores and probably you can find it on the web. Of course you can find everything on the web! I remember taking this in the beginning of my yeast attack days and found it to be quite effective. Of course, no need to be taking all of this business and not getting the food straightened out.

Today I worked with three women dealing with these issues. It is amazing how many people have problems with this. It is one of the underlying issues in many chronic problems. The road to health is often through some mud puddles, and dealing with yeast is often a bigger than usual puddle. However, I kept telling myself that one day this would be over, and indeed it was. I never ever want to go back to that problem area again and so this is very motivational for me in
keeping to my dietary plans. While I believe in balance, the only way to get through the yeast puddle for many people is through some pretty strict roads.  

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I'm a new member, and wanted to contribute a bit. I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful information you provide at your site, and thanks to everyone on the board for being so willing to share their experience. I am brand new on this road of discovery, and already I'm learning so much. I've been hooked on sugar my whole life. I remember eating sugar out of the sugar bowl by the spoonful. Candy, cookies, birthday cake, frosting-out of a jar and by the spoonful--you name it, I could not get enough.

Yesterday, I had a day without candy, without refined sugar, and almost without any white flour products (I did eat half a Kaiser roll with my sandwich at dinner). I was quite astounded at the difference, especially in energy levels. I did have some headaches, but my usual fatigue seemed absent, my energy was steadier throughout the day, and I made it all the way through a movie without falling asleep. I'm so excited at the prospect of finally unlocking some of the mysteries of my moods, and those last several pounds which no amount of low-fat eating or exercise would really budge.

By some blessing, my new awareness is arriving just in time for a much-needed grocery trip, for staples as well as daily need foodstuffs. So here I am, wondering if anywhere in this wonderful resource there is a suggested kitchen stock list. I work a good deal, and food has to be reasonably quick and simple to prepare, or I'll resort to cereal and milk for dinner! :) Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks again. I appreciate having a group to share this journey with.  

Eliz Comments...

Many of us started very young with this problem. We were unaware, as were most of our families. I remember eating bags and bags of cookies, candy, chocolate pudding, cake, etc. My Mother just thought I had a big appetite and she took me to the local MD who placed me on amphetamines when I was about 11 years old. Also, the other foods provided at home were more towards the high glycemic ones such as rice, pasta ( then called spaghetti !) peas, lima beans, etc. I wasn't all that keen on protein and often slipped it in my pocket at dinner and flushed it down the toilet. ( Such fond memories... ) I wasn't over-weight then, just eating and eating.

Sounds like you had some withdrawal symptoms. It is a daily challenge, especially in the beginning. There are many things we can do to help ourselves, and we are the only ones who can do so. I used to wait for someone to control me, such as my husband or friends. Not a good idea. It is best to be self-responsible and to keep the power right where it belongs. We stay motivated by positive images such as those you wrote about above. Start a mind journal and place those active images in place. They will be very useful down the pike. As we learn to eat correctly the body helps us stay clean. This doesn't mean we can't ever have anything sugar-related, but we find ourselves in choice instead of compulsion.

Low-fat eating is just the opposite of what sugar-addicted people need. This doesn't mean we must eat high fat, but just a healthy amount. I tend not to focus on fat intake, but my food choices are usually lean protein. I love olive oil and do eat meat, fish, chicken, veal, etc. I also eat eggs, cheese of all kinds, and on occasion bacon. When we exercise it is important to know
we are eating sufficient protein. If anyone on this list would like help with this please let me know.  The book you ordered contains many  food lists of protein, low-glycemics and the higher glycemic group. This will help you to plan and shop. When I began this journey I kept a copy of this in my wallet. Anyone on the list who would like this please do the same. I will post it on the website, but that will take me a few days but it is a good idea. I'm not a big cook, especially during the week. Most foods are grilled or pan-fried. Lots of vegetables etc. All questions are always welcomed.  

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Help me unravel the mystery of protein !  Rickie from San Francisco

I would love some help unraveling the mystery of protein and how much I need for my body type and activity level. Incidentally, I have a business trip in 10 days and I'm nervous about sticking with it while I'm away. I'm a little stressed out about traveling anyway. Any
suggestions to help stay with it.  

Again thanks for the advice to focus on the positive. I need to often remind myself how much better I feel when I eat what is good for my body rather than what I may be craving at the moment. Plus when I stay with it I don't have to re-experience the withdrawal symptoms of getting off sugar.

Eliz Comments...

The amount of protein needed depends on your lean body mass and exercise levels. For most women this is between 8-10 units of protein per day to burn fat. There is no need to measure anything, but one does need to eyeball protein intake, especially to make certain you do not
under-protein.  Come to the complimentary classes and learn more about this.  

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How could you do the Caveman Diet for a month !!??  Pat from Chicago

I know that this is a group for sugar addicts and I hope the group doesn't mind my indulgence in the Yeast Connection topic. For me the two just go so hand in hand and other than books I have yet to find too many people who have had first hand experience with the
topic. I have even discussed it with several doctors who really were not familiar with the topic beyond "female complaints". 

Eliz Comments...

Most certainly all information about the yeast connection is welcomed here. Many people with sugar addiction do have this problem and it also found in other compulsive disorders, as well as many chronic diseases. I took the anti-fungal nystatin for about 6 months. The dose was relatively low, and I kept adjusting it to how I felt during that time. I used the straight powder
as a swish and swallow. It was rather unpleasant, but then so was the yeast problem!

The Caveman Diet was very challenging. I really didn't have much problem staying on it as I utilized self-hypnosis to do so. I also made certain that I had lots to eat and also foods that I really enjoyed. I didn't go out to eat very often during that time, and the few times I did were a bit difficult, but I was very determined to succeed. I had been sick for so very long and the idea of being well was very motivating. I did take a multi-vitamin, but quite honestly the food I was eating was so very good, if I were to evaluate it I would have to say that I ate better than ever... 

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Have there been studies on sugar addiction?  Celia from Orlando

Obviously we all know that sugar addiction exists but have there been any studies about sugar addiction? Are there any proven facts? Do you believe that there is any connection between sugar addiction and attention deficit? Do you believe that the run of the mill American should lessen the amount of sugar in their diet?  

Eliz Comments...

Yes indeed, there are many studies on sugar addiction, but you probably won't find them under that title. For the past 30 years there has been extensive research in something called hyperinsulinemia which is the over-production of insulin in response to carbohydrate foods. This is also the key to something called insulin resistance. Both of these are keys to the development of diabetes. There is a very good book called The Hidden Addiction and How to Get Free by Janice Keller Phelps, M.D. In this book you will learn that sugar is the underlying addiction to all major addictions. Those include alcohol, nicotine, drugs, caffeine, etc. I have an ongoing study here in my office which I will be publishing soon. The focus is obesity, as well as the sugar/carb connection to smoking cessation. There is definitely a connection between attention deficit and sugar addiction, but it is mainly a problem of insulin. Before a person can concentrate at high levels, the body needs to be burning fat as a fuel. This is true even if the
person is at their ideal weight. This cannot happen if the insulin/glucagon hormones are out of balance. To attain this, the diet must be correct. The American diet is very poor and much too high in refined carbohydrates/sugar. Remember those are both the same. It is not only what is eaten, but what is not eaten that becomes important. To make matters worse people in this
country sugar all day long in the form of food and drinks. Artificial sweeteners also cause grief, as the body responds to them with insulin production, as if they were regular sugars.

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How can I manage sugar addiction while traveling?  Sharon from Albany, New York

I'd  appreciate tips on how to stay "on the wagon" while traveling without being too high maintenance for my traveling companions. I'll be able to deal with the breakfast issue by eating at my hotel before the conference, so not relying on the pastry that will undoubtedly fill
the tables, but I am a bit curious about lunch and dinner, as I'll be relegated to restaurant fare. Any suggestions are most appreciated.  


Eliz Comments...

Good questions. Actually breakfast is usually the problem, but you are solving it at the hotel. I find lunch and dinner quite easy. For lunch I can usually find a great salad and protein. When breakfast and lunch are "in line ", we can usually do quite well at dinner. Just read the menu a bit differently.....first look for salads, vegetables and then switch attention to protein. Then fill in with foods from the higher glycemic list. I try to stay as free as possible from white flour, but in a pinch I would go ahead. Some restaurants are easier than others, but with the right mind-set you can do it.

My problem is usually airports and of course, flying. When possible I bring my own food and even ask for it to be heated. I usually travel with some sort of container especially if I have an early flight. Some airlines don't like people bringing their own food, but try to choose something that doesn't have much of an odor.... :D In airports, I do look around and sometimes one
just has to understand that you can't find anything better. In those moments, do the best you can and know that it won't last forever, so enjoy it!   

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How do I manage around the holidays?   Libby from Maine

Sugar sugar everywhere! Well the major sugar-addiction holiday is over and it is time for new beginnings. When we have a tendency to go towards sugar we have to focus on beginning again many times. This does not make us failures....in actual fact it makes us success stories. Falling down is one thing, getting up another, and walking forward is progress. Forget about getting perfect, or waiting to begin because of this, that or the other.

I see we have more members now and everyone is simply sitting still for some reason. What makes these groups fun and helpful is to share ordinary experiences of how you get up over and over and go forward to new arenas of "inner testing." I hope each and everyone of you
writes just a short ( or long ) something-or-other about yourself and where you are in regard to sugar managing.

It often surprises people that I still have strong issues with sugar.  I probably always will because a good part of it is physiological, and the other part emotional. The more I learn to observe my cravings and compulsions in relation to sugar-desire, I see how my brain is wired. I have an inner program that says, "eat sugar and calm down." As soon as it hits my lips I do so which in itself is quite amusing to observe. I have been reprogramming that old dangerous belief, but on occasion it still surfaces. Whenever we notice something we don't want, it is important to observe it carefully first and then work in the reprogramming area.  

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Why do I feel so fearful about managing  sugar?  Renee from Boston

I am still learning to live without fear and take care of myself. I think the real helper in preparing my meals without "guilt" is from Elizabeth. When you talk about how we need to eat for a functioning metabolism and to starve is to slow the metabolism. I feel sad that I still have so much anxiety about eating a simple meal. This is a natural necessity to my body and I think this anxiety is the direct root to the binges. That the only way I can allow myself "nourishment" is to "hurry up" and "shovel it in." wow... the awareness's... amazing how the craziness with my addiction of course carries into every aspect of my life... and also how recovery can also
carry into as well...this is a gift... 

Eliz Comments...

It is so important to stay in heightened awareness. This is our major work! Most of us tend to
shy away from areas that are unpleasant, but these are the most important areas for growth potential. Do not be afraid to let yourself "see" your truths. As you see them, so they will heal and transform you. The more you are willing to see.....the better you are going to get. 
When you find yourself behind the guilt or fear rock, simply step out and look up...see your end goal image and yourself being healed with love and compassion.  

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How does one stay committed to change?

I was wondering how sugar addiction plays into binge eating. I find myself bingeing on all foods with sugar and once I start with the sugar, I cannot stop. Do you think hypnosis is something I should look into? I am about 25-30lbs overweight. 

Eliz:  Sugar addiction is a major key to binge eating.  It is next to impossible to stop bingeing until sugar addiction is under control because the body will not help you, but hinder instead.  Hypnosis is almost necessary to contain this problem, because it is a problem that has physiological underpinnings, as well as emotional.  The fact that you are over-weight points to reactive hypoglycemia, and this will only get worse if the problem isn't managed.

Many hypnotherapists do not understand how to manage sugar addiction because it is a medical problem.  The suggestions must be based on medical reasoning in order for the patient to be successful.  In fact, many hypnotherapists actually make the problem worse by giving the patient suggestions to cut way back on foods that are necessary to manage sugar addiction.

I suggest you join the sugar addiction discussion group I have online and/or work on my websites.  

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What is hyperinsulinemia ? 

Ah yes....the all important hyperinsulinemia !  When looking to Lick Sugar Addiction it is important to understand how our family & personal medical history, as well as our food & beverage habits over the years have brought us to this very dangerous & life-threatening addiction....because that is what it is. This is simply not about a candy bar fetish!

We are all born with a genetic palate. Some of us were born with a tendency towards certain diseases such as heart, diabetes, certain cancers, circulatory diseases, high blood pressure, stroke, yo-yo weight gain & a variety of addictions from alcohol to smoking to food. This "tendency towards" is a biochemical factor that can cause you to either over-produce a hormone known as insulin or develop a resistance to it. Most people have both problems....over-production followed by resistance on the cell borders.

Insulin is important to life & we must have it to live. However, if the pancreas wears out from the over-production because of the ineffectiveness of the resistant cell borders, then what started out as a tendency towards has moved into hyperinsulinemia or reactive hypoglycemia, and is on it's way to adult diabetes. In a way the disease term "adult diabetes" is a misnomer, because we are now seeing children diagnosed with this killer disease at early ages.

Some of the symptoms of hyperinsulinemia or reactive hypoglycemia include yo-yo weight gain, cravings especially for sugar or high glycemic foods, intense hunger, weakness, shakiness, the need for frequent meals, poor concentration, emotional instability, memory disorders, lack of focus, feelings of anxiety & panic, lack of motivation, fatigue & a host of other symptoms.

The condition is associated with stress, anxiety, smoking, weight gain & poor concentration. It is also connected to the development of those family history diseases....heart, circulatory, high cholesterol, stroke, high blood pressure, certain cancers, PMS & a host of other physiological problems including acne & difficulty in conception.

The good news is that you can work towards correction & improvements can be made at the cell borders, so you can go towards health instead of walking towards diabetes & heart disease.

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Can I correct insulin resistance with self-hypnosis? 

We must continually work to correct the insulin resistance. This work could also be called disease prevention. Each & every day we must eat correctly for our genetic make-up & also work to manage our emotional states & levels of stress.

It takes special tools such as desire, motivation, persistence & self-discipline to achieve correction & most of us have little to no experience with utilizing these tools long term or in making permanent lifestyle changes.

We look to obtain these tools in a variety of places. If we have resilience, we can look there hypnotically. Resilience means that somewhere along the road we have survived something big or difficult. The longer the survival process, the more resilience we can find. People who have stopped drinking, stopped smoking, lived through a life-threatening experience, challenged disease and/or a disability usually have good resilience. These experiences are chemically coded in the subconscious mind & can be applied to other challenges, thereby chemically coding them as well.

We can also look to role models for resilience & actually transfer from them hypnotically. These are special imagery techniques & I will discuss them in the hypnotic area of this board.

We can work to build resilience moment to moment. This is like a figure skater who practices the same jump over & over. Sometimes he/she falls & sometimes the jump is good & other times it is near perfect. This does not mean that he/she will never fall again, but you can be sure that the jump work will continue. This is the building of resilience.

We can also work hypnotically & chain smaller resilient memories together. I will discuss this in the other areas of this website.

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What is reactive hypoglycemia and how can I get better?

Hyperinsulinemia is reactive hypoglycemia. While you cannot recover from this overnight, you can certainly feel better in a few short weeks. You can banish symptoms & correct the underlying metabolic errors.

It's important to know that you will have to work on these problems throughout your life. You will not be returning to the way you ate previously.... that is unless you want to return to hypoglycemia. Most people don't! However, there is often a destructive part of us. This is the child part who wants what she wants when she wants it! Hypnosis & interactive self-hypnosis allow us to manage the child right in the moment.

You are going to make BIG CHANGES in the way that you eat. More than likely you don't eat regularly, and miss the nutrients  needed by your body to help control cravings. There is lots of information in this list to help with your meal planning..... yes, meal planning! While you don't have to cook complicated meals, etc., you will need to give thought to how you will meet your dietary needs for managing the hypoglycemia.

BTW, if you found yourself putting up a negative message flag when you read about meal planning, simply notice that child part of you. More than likely that part gets in your way more than you would like.

You are going to have to give up all refined sugars. That virtually means all sweets. You know what they are! If you are drinking alcohol you may not be craving them, but if you are not drinking & certainly if you come from an alcoholic family history, you most likely have experienced sugar cravings.

In addition to the sugars, you will want to temporarily eliminate dairy, wheat & corn. Both are common allergens & contribute to hypoglycemia in many people. If you know that you don't tolerate wine, you will want to get rid of vinegar.

You will be pleasantly surprised about the kinds of foods that you can eat. You will probably be eating better than you have in years. There are some nutrients to add to block sugar cravings & I'll be discussing them in another post.

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What is the most important thing for me to do first?

Preparing to make healthy lifestyle changes involves a very special kind of planning & of course, power tools. This board & my websites are filled to the brim with tools for you to achieve in all areas of your life. You may be familiar with some of these tools & that is great. Here you will also be finding new applications for old tools & so I ask you to stay open & receptive to this work. Try it....you may like it!

I'll also be presenting some very new tools to you. In fact, we will be doing just about all our work in the state of light interactive self-hypnosis. There is very good reason for this.

Most of us tend to sleep-walk during the day & tend to be lost in fantasy programs. The work here is Optimum Mindbody Work& requires a wake-up from our daily sleep walking & to refocus on the work at hand.

We also want the full cooperation of the subconscious mind, so the work will be "optimal." Interactive Self-Hypnosis is the tool of choice for this waking up & refocusing process & you already know how it feels to sleep walk. Now I'll show you how to work with purposeful hypnosis!

Working with the subconscious mind is not a mystery, nor is it difficult. There is no need to be lying down in some deep trance sate. You can easily learn to do this type of inner work right in the moment. While there is value in working with a hypnotherapist for problem areas, the subconscious mind is a valuable health resource & everyone would benefit from knowing how to do this.

We will be working with a simple relaxation response, slowing the brain waves to just below the alpha brain wave level, about 7-10 cycles per second. At this level you can request information via inner pictures, or plant active suggestions & commands. I will guide you through this as you begin your work in self-assessment.

Each time you sit down to work at the EZboard, simply place your fingertips on your lower abdomen & allow it to fill with a deep breath. I call this a big yawn breath. Next, allow your body to become heavy in the chair & observe your fingers riding up & down on your lower abdomen. After reading this paragraph, close your eyes gently & tilt them up about 20 degrees, just as if you were sitting in the second row of a movie theater.

Tune into your body. You will begin to feel the relaxation response in different areas. Your brain waves are slowing, stress chemicals are diminishing & you are now right at the door of your subconscious mind. Open your eyes, feeling alert now, focused & ready to begin some easy subconscious exploration in getting to know yourself.

The holistic tools you will be utilizing here will reap benefits in many different areas of mindbody functioning. While the focus of this Q&A area  is managing sugar addiction, the mind & body are truly connected & so nothing can be considered separate when looking to manage addictions of any kind.

Less than 1% of the population knows how to utilize these tools or works with them on a regular basis. As you work to develop your own personal disciplines, your inner motivation to continue will come from the close observation of your own successes, both big & small alike. As you become more aware & intuitive, your discipline will grow & become an integral part of your life.

If you are working with audio programs I've designed, I suggest you also listen to them before going to sleep. This will allow you to cue your dream states for the goals you are currently working to achieve. If you need help in choosing an audio to assist you, please let me know. 

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How do I explore my subconscious mind health files?

All of our work is done in a light self-hypnotic state, by deeply relaxing.  On this Q&A list you will find some areas that will give you direct suggestions for this.   While you can do this work without self-hypnosis, I really think you short-change yourself in the long run. So, if you are just reading through this, do plan to take time later & utilize the mindbody connection to it's fullest.

We are going to open the subconscious mind to your general medical information. The mind is very well organized & not at all like the tops of our desks! Let's begin by having a look at your past health files, as well as your current health. You might want to open a journal for this purpose so you are not limited in space for writing. The subconscious mind is sensitive to the presentation of limitations & will see this as "expectations" & will oblige by limiting access if you are writing on something like a little notepad.

Also make certain that your work is kept for your eyes only. Your subconscious mind will show you more if it feels safe & protected, especially in the beginning.

This is a good time to practice both inner & outer organization. The Inner Librarian likes order & will bring more files forward when order is recognized. When your life is indicating that you are over-whelmed, both the mind & body move out of the creative mode into the survival mode, striving for balance or homeostasis instead of some super creative break-throughs!

You might like to clear your desk except for your journal & pen. Take the phone off the hook. Turn your cell phone off, as well as the radio, TV or other interrupters including people. Take this important time for you alone. Make your needs known. All of this preparation sends the message to the subconscious mind librarian that important work is about to begin here & do know that the law of positive expectations will prevail!

Starting at the top of your head scan down your body, mentally touching base with each area. You might take your head as one unit & evaluate your eyes, nose, ears, skin, mouth & certainly your teeth. Going further inward examine your neck area, voice box & go down into your lungs right & left. Now find your esophagus & travel down to your stomach, digestive organs including gallbladder, liver, pancreas & down your intestinal tracts to the rectum.

Take some time to review your heart & circulatory system, reproductive, skeletal, urinary, endocrine systems, as well as your skin.

Make some notes on your current status. In the next posting we will utilize time-line regression & go back to the early child files related to this exploration.

If you are working with Interactive Self-Hypnosis Audio, remember to program before sleeping to cue in your dream states! This is powerful programming "air time!!"  

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How important were my teen years in the development of my sugar addiction & what if anything can I learn from them to help me now?

Begin by eliciting your relaxation response again. Remember, it only takes 1/200th of a second to arrive below the alpha brain wave level. Find the quiet area of your mind & take a few moments to enjoy how pleasant it is to be in the quiet mind space. Notice you are in the Big Subconscious Library & your Inner Librarian is coming towards you. The subconscious mind loves images & games, so go up to the time-line wall mural & show your librarian the time frame for the information you are requesting. Make certain he/she knows that you want the health & medical information.

Your teen years were times of growth, hormones & certainly change. .Begin reviewing your history as in your childhood health book. Go from top to bottom again, both inner & outer. Notice areas that appear the same & others appear quite differently. Your body is changing rapidly in some areas. Notice how you look & feel health-wise as a teenager. If there were any illnesses or surgery, make note of these.

Notice how you took care of yourself nutritionally & how others influenced your choices. Have a look at some family photos in the food choices area of your book. Who made choices & how did you respond to those choices? What would you have changed if you could have done so?

Now look at your exercise area & notice your choices, as well as behaviors relating to exercise patterns. Who did you imitate or try to emulate in this area of your growth? What would you have done differently if you could re-visit this part of your book?

This is a good time to look at stressors & how you handled these. For ease break this area down into parental stress, sibling & family, friends, school & activities & anything else. You will most likely see the beginnings of many patterns. Have a look for mentors. Who were your leaders and/or heroes?

Who made the decisions in regard to your lifestyle behavior choices? Were you imposed upon, or did you just follow along? Did you ever make waves & if so, what kind of outcomes did you experience. How did you respond to these outcomes? If you could edit this area, what if anything would you do differently?

This is a good moment to work in your journal. The work you do in your Inner Library is similar to re-writing a screen play or book. Your subconscious mind does not know fact from fiction, so this is a good opportunity to write some powerful fiction & have it interpreted as fact, even though it already happened. Your subconscious librarian will store it in it's new edited version.

The audio I suggest you choose for this place in time is the regression audio, the workshop, as well as automatic writing. The more tools you pull into your regression work, the better. Once invited, your subconscious librarian will bring forth many jewels for you to review & also re-edit. Don't back up from anything presented.

All books contain powerful material that can be applied to your future end-goals. Memories have already happened. While they may need to be rinsed off & cleaned up a bit, there isn't anything that cannot benefit you. Once something is on the table & you look at it with "clean eyes", it is yours to manipulate to your benefit.

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How important were my childhood years in forming my behaviors around sugar addiction & what can I do to change the unhealthy ones that may be working against me now?

Begin by eliciting your relaxation response again. If you need to read more about this, please open some of the earlier posts in this area... It only takes 1/200th of a second to arrive below the alpha level. Find the quiet area of your mind & take a few moments to enjoy how pleasant it is to be in the quiet mind space.

Notice you are in a big library. The shelves are filled with books. Go to the area called "early works" and take your childhood health book off the shelf. Notice your name is on the cover & that you are the author.

Let's begin the book review. Open to the first page... your earliest recollection. Give the images time to settle. Be sure not to rush. Ask your subconscious mind to show you any & all information about your health status at this time. Go from top to bottom again, both inner & outer. Notice how you look "health-wise" as a young child. If there were any illnesses or surgery, make note of these. Slowly move up the chapters & spend a few moments in each childhood year. Later you will work with teen & adult years.

Often times past illness or surgery holds scars beyond what the eye can see. Sometimes these highly charged memories get in the way of current or future goals, even non-health related ones. They are often connected to the development of belief systems, some of which are no longer useful. In your work you will learn to utilize everything that is presented to you.

This is a good moment to explore your Sugar Addiction Management goals with your early children. In the theater of your mind ask a representative from each age to join you. Go ahead & explain your goal to them. Be as detailed as possible & tell it exactly as if you were telling this to any child. Go ahead & sell it to them!

And when you have finished, ask for their input. Ask what they think about it, what they like about it & what they don't like. All good salespeople know it is best to have all objections out on the table where they can be negotiated or dealt with! If problems are presented by the child parts of yourself, ask how THEY would suggest solving these. And now, ask how they WILL HELP you to achieve this worthy goal.

I like journaling for this work. If you are already working with the automatic writing audio, you can add some of those exercises to your work with your inner children. And....do listen before bedtime so you can engage your dream states into this part of your work.

Inner child behavior is vital to healthy long-term health, weight & sugar addiction management. Work patiently & carefully as you get more team members in place....  

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Do you mean that I can eat & lose weight?  Sharon, New York City 

Answer:  

Yes, the body needs proper nourishment in order to burn fat.  Remember, true weight loss is true body fat percentage loss.  You don't want to be losing your lean body mass!

Within the last 24 hours I had two phone calls from people who want to be hypnotized to stop eating. To me this is very sad indeed. Sometimes a difficult part of my work is teaching people how not to be afraid of food. They have spent so many years trying to lose weight by
starvation & it is very frightening to eat as much as one needs to actually burn fat. 

When exercising we need even more food than when not exercising. Often times people find themselves at a plateau when increasing exercise & can't understand what is wrong. They may also find their hunger increasing & that is "inconvenient" when trying to cut back on food. 

Learning to eat meals again was a big one for me. I was a grazer and never seemed to have much hunger at meal time. Or, I was starving and found that after eating crackers or bread I had little hunger left. Then I ended up being hungry in an hour or so, and often a bit shaky as well. Of course I now know that was hyperinsulinemia. Becoming disciplined in my eating behaviors was a real challenge, and does still continue, but thankfully it is so much better than before. I hope you are all well and paying attention to the needs of your body.   

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Please tell me why do I feel so bad when I eat sugar?  Chelsea from Oregon 

Sugar Addiction plays out in our mind and body in many different ways.  While sugar may appear to be the culprit, it is only the antagonist.  The problem is that the body over produces insulin in response the sugar, or high-glycemic foods.  What one "feels" is a blood sugar issue, as well as the production of other stress hormones that go along with it.  Sugar and the insulin response is very connected to emotional management, including anxiety, panic disorder, depression, PMS  and a host of others.  To understand why this is so we do have to become educated in the workings of food & beverage and relationships of family & personal medical history. We also must look at our lifestyle habits from the beginning. Sometimes we don't like to look. We tend to cover these memories, or paste excuses over them. "Oh, I was young, etc. etc. etc." In our attempt to be educated we must look, see the reality of what we did to ourselves, and then commit to change. 

All food and beverage acts like chemicals or drugs in the body, and depending on our past lifestyle behaviors, will alter emotional responses. Some people can actually experience a feeling of being high or drunk from food and non-alcoholic beverage. As we begin to agree to see "our state of affairs" we can begin to make responsible choices. 

On a good note, as we recover the mind and body will assist us in staying "clean." We find that we want less of the offending foods. One of the beverages I had a real issue with was diet soda. I really didn't even know how much of it I was drinking. Sipping it through the day is even worse than chugging a can. Sipping keeps the insulin levels up continually, and therefore increasing stress chemical production, and depleting brain neurotransmitters that are connected to depression, anxiety and a host of other chemical emotional states.

Interactive self-hypnotic tools help to make changes permanent.  They also help to release stress hormones, thereby keeping insulin and the others in a healthier balance.  As you learn to manage your emotions and related mind pictures right in the moment, you stay on the road to a higher level of health across the board.

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I keep remembering all my failures & the memories are so very strong that I can't help from crying as I write this.  How can I be so good at achieving other things in my life & so powerless when it comes to controlling this?

Welcome to the club!  Once again, take down the banner.  I want you  to go back & read what you wrote.  This is called a "victim script"......  if we were making a movie, this could be the dialog for one of the weeping  women.  I want you to stay in awareness of this.  The victim role is very powerful  for most people & we all have it.  When we come to recognize it, we do not skin our knees as badly.  We want to work with this part with "interactive  self-hypnosis."  It's quite easy.  Of course we don't like how this part feels,  but that is where the power is....... and so, once you notice it, your work  is to disassociate from it.  You do this by noticing AND THEN bringing your  breath to your lower abdomen & allowing your body to feel a level of heaviness.  You can also use an affirmation here such as "I forgive myself & have  compassion for myself.  This is my child-self announcing.....  I am working with  self-correction & I celebrate my work."   

Most of us are horrified by our "shadow" or dark-side.......our inner secret self !!   Take your banner down.  We all have it........... and it's ok.  Our work is to own it, be self-responsible & manage it.  The work above is called disassociation.  This places us in the position of "reprogramming or re-educating" this part.  We do this with imagery.  It can be as simple as seeing the child-self sit down & begin to read our new goal outcome book.

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I finally admitted to myself that I have an eating disorder.   Now I'm more fearful than ever.  For years I fooled myself by saying "it can't be true."  What can I do to manage this feeling of being so frightened?

Most of us have eating disorders, so "take down the banner."  One only has to visit the supermarket, the cinema, or just about any regular restaurant & you will see the eating disorders.  A trip to the mall has the same effect.  Look in the shopping carts.... look to the number of fast food restaurants that are growing...... one next to the other.  Visit a school playground or
the cafeteria in a hospital & look at the people eating there AND the most favorite foods.  AND, just about every one of the eating disordered group is or has been a twirler!!  For those of you not familiar with twirling, this refers to those who move from one self-management program to another, including diet programs & never truly engage with the program in the proper way.

What's important here is that you now have come out & stated it in black &white.  BTW, I have an eating disorder !  I have to manage it each & every day & more than that on some days.  Once you know what you have, you can learn to take care of it.  It's interesting to think about this.  When I bring to my patient's attention that their eating disorder is not DISORDERLY all day
long.......... they have to laugh.  Of course........most of us are not entertaining our disorderly eating self while we sleep, although some do wake up for it. Most of us can handle our disorderly eating self during other times of the day, etc.  So it becomes important for us to know WHEN this disorderly part comes forward & WHY we think this may be.  Again, the more we know the better for us.


Since I corrected my disorderly-eating self with proper nutrition, this part only comes to bother me before dinner & in the early evening.  Before eating proper nutrition it came without notice & it could be during the morning, afternoon most certainly, right after dinner & throughout the evening.  I also did wake up in the night & entertain it then......so things are much better for me
now.   My responsibility is to keep the proper nutrition in place ALWAYS &then to deal with the disorderly part of me when it visits.  I'm still in the process of studying it & probably always will do because life brings many surprises....and things are always changing.

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Why do compulsions happen & how can I release my compulsive tendencies without eating sugar?  

Compulsions are often related to the need to release tension & so therefore are very useful.  You might like to observe your compulsion from the position of being very still..... let me explain a bit further through a personal example.

My most challenging time is around 9 PM.....  my child-self is out roaming & asking for foods to "put her down" into deep relaxation.  These are requests for "release"..... when stress levels are higher & major problems are present, the needs for release are greater.  It's rather like a baby asking to "go down" with her bottle.  I know that all of us can recognize this.  When working
with addictions it is important to isolate the times that are the most challenging & also the particular needs of the child-self.  This awareness must come first for until we see something clearly, we cannot work with it.  Sometimes there are small things...... but they trigger big time.  I know it is that way with me.  It can be as simple as just having a busy day, or just the
opposite.....a quiet day.  For me quiet days are almost more problematic for my child-self.  She loves to move around & be super busy.......  that is one of my "behavior patterns" that can be quite problematic.  So, this is all about getting to know one's emotional & behavioral facets, clarifying them & then challenging them or managing them in some specific way. 

The 9 PM visitor is not a stranger to my life & so I've come to handle her in a variety of ways.  I used to literally sit on her & deny her with self-discipline......... but because she comes so frequently & has a good reason for coming...........  I have changed my approach.  One of the first things I do is my "pre-work."  I tend to know the patterns that bring me to a "hotly charged 9
PM visitor" and so I work to diminish my stress patterns during the day & even increase my protein, low glycemics & fat....I will also add in a mid-afternoon snack.  I eat a great dinner & never short-change the child.  So I will have good choices & sufficient intake.  I will stay away from other addictive substances such as alcohol or any sweetened drink..... I will also stay away from any sugar dessert, but will have fruit, but never a very high glycemic one. So I'll stick to berries....... 

When 9 PM rolls around, I may have a snack with the child if she truly needs to release.  My choices are usually some cheese, especially a higher fat variety.... or it could be a piece of cream cheese or a teaspoon of peanut butter (unsweetened).... it doesn't take much to release the child, because it is much more about the compulsive need then hunger.  If you have ever observed a
baby playing with her bottle & not really chugging down the formula.......  you will get the idea.  Sometimes I'll just make a hot tea with some cream in it......  that truly puts the child down because just holding the hot cup helps with the release. 

The more you study yourself, in other words becoming highly aware, the better you will become at self-managing your addictions, be they sugar or anything else.  Be sure that your body is on your side.  Provide all the foods you need to keep blood sugars stable.......... and then work with the compulsive-emotional child, understanding that he/she is looking for release.

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I've been following a diet for reactive hypoglycemia & not feeling very well.  This is how my day went.  What do you think?

I thought you might enjoy a "walk-through" an eating day of someone managing what has been diagnosed as reactive hypoglycemia.  This young woman also has symptoms of anxiety & panic disorder that are usually interwoven with food/insulin issues....

My comments follow the reported foods....  please keep in mind that my comments are based on my clinical experience & that in no way are acting as a diagnosis or looking to replace medical care.  These are simply my observations.

> 6 am - 1 piece whole wheat toast, 1 turkey sausage, 1 slice american cheese

All bread is not created equal.  I suggest you have a look at the labels & make certain there is no sugar in this bread.  That includes corn syrup, etc. Give the bread a 'finger push check."  If it is like a sponge.... it is too refined.   Also, you might be having a wheat sensitivity.....  so just this
on a bad burner.  Check the bread labels for chemicals, etc.  You probably want to find a pure bread with few chemicals.  It just makes it easier to manage.  The turkey sausage can certainly trigger reactive hypoglycemic symptoms.  And the american cheese is far too processed for being considered a protein.  It is high in milk content as well & you might have a milk sensitivity besides.  These are common in people with symptoms such as yours....

> 8 am 1 piece french toast

Once again the attention must go to the bread.  This could help, but most likely will not unless the bread is proven not be a problem..... and that an entire egg has been sopped up into the bread.  Most people who make french toast simply dip the bread in the egg....  and that could be a mistake because then the meal is too high in carb.

> 930 am 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1 fruit cup mandarin oranges

I had previously discussed the timings of these meals.  This is not the way I design my programs for my patients.  I like to figure the lean body mass & protein requirements, have a look at the personal & medical history for the patient & the family, check the addictions & then once I have the protein requirements & the other information I'll design the meals every 3.5 hours. The protein will be placed in each meal, the highest units placed to cover exercise & nights...

Cottage cheese is often a trigger & especially in someone with lots of symptoms.  When this is the case one wants to simplify the intake so it is easier to spot triggers that are specific to the person.  When the cottage cheese is combined with the fruit.... this is usually an insulin trigger. 
Now keep in mind that it is NOT just this meal that will present the symptoms..... but the previous meals will join in....  and, again keep in mind "the individual medical/addictions/genetic history"....

> 11 -  1/2 cup tuna fish with 2 T mayo and 1 cup cooked spinach

All mayo is not equal.  So read the labels.  You want to stay away from low-fat products & those with sugar such as miracle whip.  Other than that comment, this is a good small snack meal.  It certainly isn't sufficient for a regular meal, but it would do for a snack.

> 130 - 1 apple with 1/2 cup plain vanilla yogurt seasoned with cinnamon
> 9realized this was a no no after I crashed two hours later)

Yes indeed.  This is a pure trigger.  As I've written before, yogurt can be problematic for many people & when added to fruit..... WHAM.   Also keep in mind the foods that preceded this.  Imagine for a moment that you were the pancreatic manager of this woman.  What would you think at this point?  How would you go about planning the amount of insulin you would send out BEFORE the meal?  And during?  And after?  I think you will get the idea as to where
the symptoms come from...

When a person is having heightened symptoms, the diet needs to be simple. Things need to be added one by one & then observed, especially those that tend to trigger such as milk/dairy products & grains.  Remember the body is speaking!!!!

> 4 - 1 slice hard cheese and 3 Triscuits

When we say "a slice" what do we mean?  How many ounces or protein units?  It is important to know this.  Keep out of the crackers when getting onboard. Refined carbohydrates trigger..... and most of these have additives.  Good choices to have with the cheese are lower glycemic carbohydrate vegetables....  once you clear the body & get the symptoms under control,
then introduce other things.... 

> 430 Another slice hard cheese and 4 Triscuits (this is when I was crashing)

Yes, we are beginning to hear the body screaming.  It has finished talking in a low voice.....  by now it has absolutely had it.  Position yourself as the pancreatic manager & respond to this day in the life of....

> 515 1 porkchpp (about 6 oz), 1 cup green beans with 2 T olive oil and dash
> garlic powder, and 1/3 cup couscous

Basically this is fine.... but quite honestly I would want to check out the wheat if this was me or one of my patients.  After a day like this I wouldn't eat couscous.  It is refined pasta..... and lots of it have chemicals added...  artifical flavors, etc.  My rule of thumb is "on a hard day.... one
with lots of symptoms..... clean house & stay away from possible triggers for three days or until the symptoms are under control... & then introduce one by one.  I wouldn't throw a wrench into this pot....

Writer comments...

> And that is where I am right now.  Most of the early morning and up to > lunch very shakey jittery and nervous.  Bad panic and anxiety attacks and > hot flashes. > I think I may not be eating enough at each sitting, as after lunch and > supper, I did better, although I had panic attacks after supper and I'm > still hot and sweaty.
>
Eliz:  There is much to be learned from keeping an accurate food log.  When doing so also add appetite levels.... energy levels......emotional feelings..... body sensation reportings.....( scan your body & check in for cell phone messages because we tend to miss many as we are sleep-walking
through our day).... and make notes of anything else you might notice.  If I have cell phone messages & I've eaten anything processed, I always list the ingredients.  As you write them & notice you don't have a clue what they are, you might be less eager to put them in your mouth.  The main reason I write them is so I can evaluate them, should this happen again.  Remember the more you know about the workings of your body, the better off you will be for the rest of your life.  When the body complains, do listen.  It is advising you about current outcomes..... and possible future outcomes that will arise from the current outcomes.

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I've been following the 12 Step Program for managing my eating disorder, but I'm still over-weight & still desiring sugar.  Can you give me some insight into this?

Thanks for posting to the board & telling me about yourself.  I find it interesting about OA because I read their yahoogroup mailing & see your problem over & over.  Obviously the 12 steps are very helpful, but unless the individual is eating correctly for their lean body mass, the sugar cravings will continue.  Keep in mind that sugar cravings are signs & symptoms of
reactive hypoglycemia, also known as hyperinsulinemia.  This is a medical problem & keeps the body from burning fat.  This is why you are still storing it.

When a person is tall, as you are, the lean body mass is bigger & therefore needs more food in order to allow fat burning.  So it is important for you to know how much food you need & what kinds of food.  Protein needs to be calculated & I can help you to do that.  You also need to understand how to properly build the rest of the nutrition in relation to high & low glycemics,
as well as fat.

I suggest to you that you join my yahoogroup discussion.  You can find the link for that on my website where you will also find a Q&A for sugar addiction management.

Compulsive eating is connected to hyperinsulinemia & also stress/emotions. It is important to learn to manage both so that your body will heal & then go towards health for the rest of your life.

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While I accept withdrawal symptoms,  I wonder if there is anything I can do to make it less painful or perhaps to speed it up.

If you are sugar-addicted & have carbohydrate/sugar cravings along with other symptoms of mind & body imbalance, you are running on the WRONG FUEL and/or NOT ENOUGH FUEL. If you have read the area of the Q&A that focus' on family & personal medical history, you will have a basic understanding of why this happens to you.

People are born with a tendency towards sugar-addiction & it happens that they need lots of high level nutrition. In fact, when going into correction & working with withdrawal of substances such as sugar, etc., the amount of food needed may even be more during this period of adjustment. When the food & beverage intake is made up of healthy choices for the sugar-addicted individual, it becomes much easier to take out the offending foods. That's why addition before subtraction is the game-plan!

How much food does your body really need? This is a major question for most of us, especially those sugar-addicted. Why am I hungry soon after eating? Why do I have less hunger if I don't eat at all? Why can't I stop eating certain foods once I start eating them?

The body is made up of the lean body mass & body fat percentage. The lean body mass is made up of muscles & bone & acts like the engine of a car. It needs gas to run, and the amount needed depends on it's size, total body weight, and amount of aerobic exercise. When we eat sufficiently and in the right balance for our particular body environment, we burn fat.....fat is the best fuel. Sugar-addicted people tend to burn glucose & that is a poor fuel....and needs continuous re-filling at the pump!

Burning fat is very different from burning sugar for energy. Burning fat is the healthy way to go.....even if you are not over-weight. There are just as many low-weight, or under-weight people who are sugar-addicted as there are over-weight people.

I see many clients in my practice who exercise strenuously & who do not eat sufficient nutrition to cover these activities. In many cases, their body will continue to store fat, even on a low-fat, low calorie diet if the individual is over-exercising in relation to intake. If the person is also has a tendency towards sugar-addiction, that person will crave sugar to the point of complete distraction.

Another example is the person who is eating far too many high carbohydrate foods, high glycemic foods & not a sufficient amount of protein, lower glycemic carbohydrates & fat in order to achieve good balance. In both of these cases the person may be over-producing insulin & building insulin resistance.

This is the road frequently traveled by those addicted to sugar & carbohydrate foods, and it is a very dangerous road. Instead of feeling healthy, focused & full of energy, this person may have insatiable hunger, cravings, fatigue, poor concentration & may find it very difficult to manage his or her weight, be it up or be it down. It's often also difficult for this person to stay motivated.

While one does not have to measure food, it is important to eyeball your intake & read your body sensations for low level changes. The body scanning tools & other awareness techniques help us to become highly proficient at this most important task.

Study your intake of foods & beverages for a few days. Then find your weakest links. Mine happen to be before & after dinner. Look for the mine fields & keep notes about these. For example, I have sugar cravings when I sit in a particular chair in our family room. After studying this I have come to understand that this is my releasing chair, and that I've connected sugar & eating to my subconscious releasing program.

My work is to reprogram that, as well as to make certain that my food is in good order, meaning sufficient protein, low & moderate glycemics, healthy balance of fat & eating every four hours. If I'm stressed, or when coming off of sugar, I know I'll need more food & so I'm prepared for what I need to do food-wise.

If you are working with any of my audio, work in particular with the awareness programs. As we heighten awareness we can spot facets that we don't usually notice. These may hold important keys to changing stubborn or recurring problems that get in the way of reaching our desired goals.  

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Is it possible for chocolate and/or sugar addiction  to cause chronic itching in the inner ear canals? 

Yes indeed....     I find this question interesting because here we can understand how we tend to focus on a particular food such as chocolate & not on the whole body response to the imbalanced eating.  Of course I mean hyperinsulinemia.  I wish I had a dollar for every itchy patient with tendencies towards hyperinsulinemia. 

So, yes the foods can be the issue, & in this case the additional problem of not being able to stop points a finger at addiction, but there is always more to find out here.  When the body speaks..... stop, look & listen very carefully.  "Ears" do not live in a vacuum.  They are connecting neighbors to other body parts.  Foods are chemicals that we eat & our particular body responds....  These responses are in correlation to the genetic wallpaper & the care provided to the body from day number one.  Things add up, so take time to understand exactly who you are & where you came from.  Then perk up your senses & pay attention to what is going on "under the surface."

It's a good idea to learn mental biofeedback or body scanning.  These are deep relaxation tools that take one through the body & encourage body cell communication.  Keep in mind that screaming body sensations are preceded by "something"....  in nursing these preceding somethings are called "prodromals."  In medical self-hypnosis the individual learns how to enter
the body departments, locate & develop a relationship with the cell manager & to get things straight.  The body communicates on very subtle levels & if one is to hear or experience these communications, one must go inward & place the requests for the "knowing."

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I'm scared to death of withdrawal.  It was terrible with alcohol & smoking, & once I tried the sugar thing & it nearly killed me.  Do you have any suggestions?

Like anything else, planning is very important in the withdrawal process. The better the plan, the more successful the outcomes. Yes it seems we are always talking about planning & outcomes.... and for a good reason. That's the best way!

Most of us jump into things..... and unfortunately, jump out of just as many, especially when the going gets a bit tough. Good planning must include what to do when the going gets tough & how to do it & must also include what to do "if" you do jump out. Like in many other areas of life, people jump out & then stay out. This only serves to enhance negative & failure mind programming & set's you up for going nowhere!

In interactive self-hypnosis & when working to lick sugar addiction, you may fall off the bicycle, but you will get right back on & pedal forward. This type of awareness & action, programs the subconscious mind in a totally different way.

This is a resilience or power programming & builds confidence & self-esteem. So you learn it