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How does sugar talk to you?

Let me count the ways!!

There are (at least) 5 different systems that get hijacked by sugar. Learn about them in a FREE webinar on Tuesday 11/24 at 5:00pm and Saturday 11/28 at 10:00am. Register Now!


HOLIDAY EDITION 2020:
November 30-December 27th

A month that will transform the health of your family

This holiday season is definitely going to be different.

So why not plan to do things differently, healthier?

Most of us won’t be traveling and spending time with extended family this year, which could be an emotional let-down. 


And there won’t be the slew of holiday parties, cookie swaps, and office gatherings that make the season special.


The anticipation, the excitement, the planning, the cooking, the feasting...it will all be different.


In this special holiday season, there could be a tendency to say “what the heck,” and just over-indulge with everything because we're all kinda stressed and there's nothing like a food coma to take the edge off ;-).


But the result of letting it all go this year is that you will not only be starting 2021 playing catch-up, but you’ll give your immune system a hard hit. Yep, research shows that eating sugar suppresses the immune system after consumption. And we definitely want to have strong immune systems going into flu season.


Eating sugar also increases inflammation, which is linked to every chronic disease, including:

  • Heart Disease (the #1 killer in the U.S.)
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Depression
  • Cancer

[The role of inflammation in chronic disease and mental health is now well documented. Please see the Resources & Citations page for more information.]

And, if you have kids, you likely want them go grow up strong, healthy, and with all the advantages that a healthy diet provides, including better concentration for learning. 


Using “It’s the holidays” as an excuse to let down your guard and have no restrictions on what you eat and drink implies that the rest of the year you’re super in control. Is that true? [I know we're just getting to know each other but I thought I'd throw some tough love at you to see what happens.]


Are you psyching yourself into repeating past behaviors, because that’s all you’ve ever done? Are those traditions really serving you?


There is no doubt that the holidays bring together family, food and pleasure. And you should have plenty of all three! But do you gain a little more weight every year, and it’s a little bit harder to take off every year?


Well, you can still have an awesome holiday season, but in a way that doesn’t set you back (so far), and messes with your metabolism.


This year doesn’t have to be business-as-usual -- it already isn’t!  Just because you’ve always done it that way, doesn’t mean it has to be that way this year.



This year can be different, healthier (but not unrecognizably different).

Still fun, still delicious, but with less sugar and all the havoc it wreaks on your body.

Breaking Free from Sugar - HOLIDAY EDITION  
is a 4-week online program with weekly lessons, worksheets and discussions to help you re-wire your brain and learn new habits to make room for a new and joyful holiday experience that leaves you feeling energized, focused, and ready to take on all that 2021 has to offer.


In addition to the regular Breaking Free from Sugar class (see below), in this special holiday edition there will be extra support around:

  • Identifying the stories you’ve been telling yourself about the holidays that drive your over-indulgent behavior

  • Identifying and detangling the emotions that are tied up with the foods

  • Learning to stop overeating

  • Learning to stop emotional eating

  • Creating new traditions for celebrating with food over the holidays, and

  • Baking delicious fruit-sweetened desserts with exclusive recipes!


Yes you can! Harness the power of your imagination to create new, healthier traditions that truly celebrate the healthy person you are becoming. 


Starting the New Year ahead!

Imagine what it will be like starting the New Year with your pants a bit looser, and your self-confidence on the rise. Imagine having the tools -- and the experience -- of doing things differently so that you don’t have to be crushed by temptation. Imagine reclaiming the brain space that was formerly taken up with obsession about your weight and food. 


Imagine freedom.

What's included in Breaking Free from Sugar

Whether you've been "good" this year or gained your Covid-15 pounds, extra support through the holidays can strengthen your resolve, your skills, and your savvy for taking back control and ending the year strong. The program includes:

  • 50+ research-informed multi-media lessons that help you understand the biology of why sugar is so bad for your body AND mind (it's linked to Alzheimer's Disease and every other chronic disease)
  • Dozens of handouts and worksheets to practice what you learn
  • Weekly coaching calls (recorded) so we can learn from each other
  • A private Facebook group for support, sharing and troubleshooting
  • How to be a savvy shopper to avoid added sugars
  • How to prep for and complete a No-Added-Sugar Challenge so you can break the dependency--without cravings
  • BONUS Five exclusive fruit-sweetened dessert recipes for the holidays!
  • PLUS Daily emails to keep you on track

What others have experienced

Set me up for success

by Jason

“The Breaking Free From Sugar program that Andrea created set me up for success for taking on the challenge of cutting sugar out of my diet. Her informative lessons, backed by thorough research, kept me motivated to see the challenge through to the end. I was also supported by Andrea's multi-pronged approach to setting up support systems, which ensured my success. Lastly, her positive messaging and down-to-earth approach allowed me to get over some early setbacks. I was feeling the differences occurring with my body in a matter of days. After 1 week into the challenge, my energy level leveled out and there was no looking back!” - Jason

This course changed how we eat

A.B.

This course changed the eating approach in my household. The information I gleaned from this course changed how we eat. The changes have been amazing. Collectively my husband and I have dropped 26 pounds!! We no longer crave sugar and rarely eat it.

Profound Change

Cheryl D.

"I feel and think your program has been amazingly successful to change my attitude and behavior to live my life in a way that is more in harmony with who I want to be. I now live with a healthier attitude towards my diet and a better attitude about how I execute my daily tasks. Your program profoundly changed my behavior and I'm ready to commit to sustaining it on my own through the holiday season."

It wasn't as hard as I had imagined

Polly H.

"When I first heard about this program, I was definitely in the "I don't know if I could live without chocolate" class! I've known others who have given up sugar and I never understood why, and/or felt it was something I could ever do. All the more reason to sign up and try! I couldn't believe--after the first week--that it wasn't as hard as I had always imagined. Learning more about why sugar is toxic for our bodies and comparable to addictive substances (that companies capitalize on) has changed how I think about it. A LOT! Plus, I feel great and proud of myself for staying off completely for a month+."

The real cost and long-term risk of continuing with sugar

I’m afraid to say, the cost of inaction is NOT just a few extra pounds (though those extra pounds around your belly (known as visceral fat to scientists) is linked to poor health outcomes).

Extra weight may be the obvious effect of having too many sweets, but it's only the tip of the iceberg. Sugar and processed foods are a primary cause of inflammation which is linked to every chronic disease. 

  • Diabetes, with the loss of freedom and being on medication the rest of your life. Or worse, blindness or amputation of a limb
  • Heart disease. Triple bypass anyone? My neighbor just had one after years of proudly saying “I have a wicked sweet tooth
  • Dementia. Now referred to as “Type 3 Diabetes,” and it’s on the rise. The number of people living with dementia worldwide is currently estimated at 47 million and is projected to increase to 75 million by 2030.


So, what do you think it will look like 20 years from now if you keep going the way things are going now?

There’s also the emotional toll and hit on your self-esteem that all this try-and-fail has taken. You’re smart. You “should” be able to figure this out, right? Well, it’s darn hard to do on your own, especially if you’re the only one in your family that’s paying attention to their health in this way. That’s why the Holiday Edition can help you be successful: you get all the info, tricks and tools to help you quit sugar, plus the special focus of the holidays.


But you don’t have to wait 20 years to feel better -- you’ll start feeling better within a couple of weeks: more consistent energy, mental clarity, better sleep, and so much more!


If you are ready to make a change but experiencing financial hardship, please fill out this application for financial assistance.

Do you want the extra support of one-to-one coaching?

For just $25/week (bargain!) you'll get the extra 1:1 support you need.

Yes, I want extra support

If you know that sugar is a "thing" for you, and you're ready to finally break free, then you're in the right place.

Do you start your day with good intentions--and what seems like firm resolve--only to be derailed by chocolate or bread by midday?

Or maybe, you’re "good" all day, and then in the evening can't seem to shut-off the desire to snack?

Or maybe, you're tired of spending countless amount of brain space and time time figuring out what you will "allow" yourself to eat on any given day, based on a (twisted) calculus of how much you've exercised, what the scale says, what your weight goal is, and where you'll be and who you'll see that day?

And all this is making you feel exhausted, and ineffective in creating a change?

Since you've found your way to this page, I'm guessing that you're sick and tired of getting stuck. Tired of the self-betrayal. Tired of the self-justifying excuses, including "It was worth it," or "It's not that important to me." If the past is any guide, then you sense this pattern could repeat itself indefinitely unless there's an intervention.  


Well my friend, you can stop the cycle!

You are a more powerful person than you realize! If you’ve been creating your self-sabotage, then you can also create your self-success.

If any of that sounds familiar then there’s good news and bad news: The good news is that you recognize it has to stop and so you're in the right place; the bad news is that all of the inner dialog I just described is actually creating your habituated self-sabotage, even self-hatred because you can’t seem to get it right.

I know, in an odd way, the familiarity of our habitual self-talk comforting, but it’s also throwing you under the bus. [Our health goals can be betrayed by our thinking and emotions if we don’t consciously address them. You’ll learn how in the program.]

If you’ve had good intentions before, but haven't been able to stick to them, now there is a path.


You know what to do, you just don't do it.

Or, you can do it for a little while, then slip back into old habits. That's normal, unless you know the secret keys to change.

For most of us, there's a gap between what we know we should do and what we actually do. And for many of us, there's also a good deal of confusion about what is healthy, since the recommendations seem to keep changing (vegan or paleo,  grains or no grains, fruit juice or no juice, etc.). But you still know you could feel better -- have more energy, lose extra weight, less brain-fog. You just need a real, actionable plan. And, if you had some 1:1 support and accountability, then you really could make healthy changes and stick with it.    

You can create a different future. 

Once you have the right information, understanding, practices and support, you will be able to make your dream of being in control a reality. I’m not talking about the kind of super-strict type of vigilant control that makes you feel like you always have to be on your guard. I’m talking about the type of control that is born from freedom. It’s the type of freedom that comes when you’re on the “other side” of a sugar/carb addiction.

That’s really it: Once you address your sugar/carb addiction, you can approach the holidays with ease, joy, and freedom. Add onto that some mastery of your thoughts and feelings about food, and therein lies the formula for long-term, sustainable weight loss and emotional freedom from food. 

That’s why I created this program, Breaking Free from Sugar. Once I admitted that I had a sugar/carb addiction (I was seriously in denial for years and years), and figured out all the pieces I needed to quit (craving hacks, right mindset, real health info about what sugar does in the body), I knew I wanted to share it with other people. Most people just don’t know how bad sugar is for them. 

Once you’re free of a sugar/carb addiction, you have the total freedom to choose what you want to eat – unlike being so compelled to eat the bread as if you had no choice. When you’re on the other side of a sugar/carb addiction, you can look at that fresh basket of bread and butter on the table and be totally disinterested – no willpower required! Really! Even if you’re hungry. Some specific things you can experience include:

  • You can eat anything you want; it’s what you want to eat that changes

  • More consistent energy

  • Better mental focus

  • Better sleep

  • Clearer skin

  • Better digestion

  • Weight loss

And, some of the things you’ll lose include:

  • Feelings of not being able to master your weight

  • Not being able to control your impulses

  • Not being able to control your rationalizations (they will try, but you will out-smart them)

  • Feelings of the inevitability of your situation

  • Feelings of futility

  • Feelings “it doesn’t matter that much” (it actually does)

Once you’re free of the sugar dependency and can master your thinking, a “new YOU” can’t emerge; someone who has the freedom and control to eat what they want when they want. You become an intuitive eater, choosing what actually works for your body. It doesn’t come from following an outside set of rules (if you eat this then you’ll be thin); it is born within you when you experience the freedom and control that comes from mastering your thoughts and your blood sugar. You get to choose and create the healthier version of yourself.

The opposite of a binge isn’t willpower – it’s disinterest.
Now that is powerful.

 

I didn’t always have a handle on all this!  I only figured it out for my own body after years of experimentation and failure, and extensive study of the theory and practice of behavior change. 

But in many ways, all that knowledge just made me feel worse – there was an enormous gap between what I know I should do and what I actually did – until I figured out those two keys: quit sugar and right thinking.

And you too can figure it out for your own body too. 

Two keys to sustainable weight loss

Through years of trial-and-error, as well as extensive personal and professional study, I came to the understanding that sustainable change has two parts:

What you EAT (physiological) – Breaking the sugar/carb addiction cycle (and filling up on whole foods) 



What you THINK (mental/emotional) – Using your thoughts and emotions to attain and maintain an ideal weight.


It's pretty hard to sustain long term change unless you address both of these.

FAQ

1. Will I be able to have any treats during the holidays? This is totally up to you. Some people need strict boundaries, otherwise they get on that slippery slope of exceptions. Other people will let themselves feel too deprived (just a thought, BTW) if they don’t have grandma’s pie.

2. Will I be able to have alcohol? If you want, you can – you’ll get a clear guide on the very best choices to make.

3. What is Detox? The detoxing process, which can happen any time you stop doing something your body has been used to (hello coffee!), can result in headaches, lethargy, and just feeling lousy for a couple of days. Just drink lots of water, and soon you’ll be on the other side of it. In our programs, we give lots of helpful tips for getting through it.  But once your body stops relying on quick carbs for energy, the symptoms subside and you can switch over to being a fat-burner instead of a sugar-burner for energy. 

4. Do I have to give up dairy? Not unless you want to. We’re encouraging you to take small steps to improve your health, starting with removing added sugar and simple carbs from your diet.

Are you ready to change the course of your future?

If you’re ready to change the course of your future – with resources and support – then there’s no better time than the present to act.

If you want to have someone in your corner to coach you through the most challenging time of year – to help you stay on track or help you realign after a detour – then let’s set you up for success.

If you already know that this is what you need, then click the button below. You’ll need to make an account (with a password) at the learning portal. After your purchase, you’ll get a confirmation email, and immediate access to all the program content.

If you’re still not sure if this is the right program for you, I’d love to answer any questions and help you determine if it is what you need right now to stay on track. Please email me at Start (at) BreakingFreefromSugar.com and we’ll set-up a 20 minute strategy session to help YOU figure your best next step.
Yes, I'm ready to make a change!

Now is the time

Now’s the time for you to set a new course for your health journey, one with a vision for success and the accountability to help you get there.  You can do this, and I’ll be in your corner. 

To your health!

Andrea 

P.S.

If you’re looking to “do it right this time,” then don’t miss out on this program with the three exclusive bonuses! They are super-valuable, and will help you unravel the inner patterns that have kept you from achieving your health goals. If you're not sure if you're ready, please reach out for a 1:1 coaching call and we'll figure out what's a good next step for you -- this program isn't for everyone. 

Doing a No-Added-Sugar Challenge isn't forever; it's just long enough to break the chains.

Then you can have the choice and freedom to choose how much and what kind of sugar/carbs you can eat without being triggered. Now I can safely have sweet treats on occasion, and have a better sense of how much sugar and what type (including fruit) I can have without falling into the addictive cycle again. You can learn this too. It has become my mission to educate people about the harms of sugar, and help them set themselves free. [It's also part of my mission to teach nutrition education in schools, and to develop policy that protects kids from sugar marketing.]

Instructor

Andrea Grayson, PhD

Andrea’s primary work for the past decade has been in public health communications, where she designs marketing/outreach campaigns and programs to inspire healthy behaviors. She teaches about the social and behavioral aspects of public health in the Masters of Public Health program at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and is also a Certified Holistic Health Coach.

FAQ

  • Will I be able to have any treats during the holidays?

    This is totally up to you. By the time we get to the end of December, you'll have gotten through the detox and cravings so you'll be in a better position to decide. Some people need strict boundaries, otherwise they get on that slippery slope of exceptions -- and blood sugar swings. Other people will let themselves feel too deprived if they don’t have grandma’s pie. We'll support you in making the best decision for you.

  • Will I be able to have alcohol?

    Again, that will be up to you. The guidelines for what you can and cannot eat and drink in the program is determined by what level you choose, from easing into it to a more complete plan.

  • What is Detox?

    The detoxing process, which can happen any time you stop doing something your body has been used to (hello coffee!), can result in headaches, lethargy, and just feeling lousy for a couple of days. Just drink lots of water, and soon you’ll be on the other side of it. In our programs, we give lots of helpful tips for getting through it. But once your body stops relying on quick carbs for energy, the symptoms subside and you can switch over to being a fat-burner instead of a sugar-burner for energy.

  • Do I have to give up dairy?

    Not unless you want to. We’re encouraging you to take small steps to improve your health, starting with removing added sugar and simple carbs from your diet. If you choose to eat dairy, full-fat dairy is recommended over low- and non-fat.