Life After Sugar

Reducing or cutting sugar is usually seen as something positive (if a little marginal). And sugary or sweet foods are relatively easy to spot. But recently, I've been getting this question from my listeners: What about flour? And: Why don't you eat flour, Netta? Because that means no bread, no crackers, no bagels, no pasta... Wait! So how do you make a sandwich? What do you put your spag...

Michele is a busy mom of 4, and a military wife. She's also a personal trainer and health coach.   Her journey started after having her third child, when she became so much busier and realized that she was getting out of breath just from climbing the stairs. She started eating better, but a few years after, she started experiencing auto-immune issues (they run in her family). She had all the...

Teresa struggled with sugar addiction and health issues related to high sugar intake for years. When her naturopath suggested she cut out sugar, she thought it was "extreme"! But she did it - she cut out sugar, sweeteners, and refined carbs, cold turkey.  It worked for a while, but eventually, Teresa realized that it was extremely difficult and unsustainable long-term. After further heal...

Have you been told that eating "everything in moderation" is part of a healthy, balanced diet? But what if you can't moderate certain foods? Like sugar? Many of us can't... and we feel guilty and ashamed that we can't "moderate". We feel like we're broken, or we just don't have enough willpower. In this episode, you'll learn that if your experience...

Steve Campbell played sports growing up, but an injury in high school caused him to gain weight. His dad was a bodybuilder and gave him an example of discipline with fitness and eating. But he struggled to maintain that himself. Steve tried all kinds of diets, including keto. He would be very disciplined during the week but have "cheat days" on weekends where he overindulged. At night wh...

Sandhya is a pharmacist in Australia.  In 2019 she started getting symptoms of breathlessness and palpitations.  So she went to the doctor and got everything checked out, but the only thing they could find was that she was pre-diabetic, so her doctor told her she needed to lose some weight. She recognized that she overate, particularly sugary things. So she decided to do a self-hypnosis course for...

Ever wonder what challenges I (Netta) have in my "life after sugar"? Well, I can tell you this: I'm not perfect! I have my ups and downs, just like you. In this episode, I'm sharing a few of my challenges over the last year (and more). Plus you'll hear a few of the coping skills I've developed over the years, other than using sugar, to deal with my emotions.   Want to...

In this episode I'm giving you 24 tips for a more joyful  sugar free December... or for any time of the year! These tips come from the Life After Sugar Advent calendar.   Want to transform your relationship with sugar and start living your craving-free life with confidence TODAY? Get group support, encouragement, and the accountability you need to get rid of your cravings! Join our private co...

In this episode, my guest Karen gives some valuable mindset tips to help you feel more confident this holiday season... and all year round! We talk about: How language and mindset are critical - how we talk to ourselves affects our actions. Karen gives some examples of empowering language. How to avoid "good" and "bad" food labeling as it leads to guilt and negative self-talk....

In Episode 152, I'm talking with two lifelong processed food addicts, Paige Alexander and Jamie Morgan Reno. We talk about their struggles, lessons learned, tools, tips, and resources that freed them from decades of food addiction and obsession with food. All food? No - ultra-processed food! Jamie and Paige also share how they  came to believe that true health and wellness come from nourishin...

Do you feel hungry several times a day? What if that sensation you're feeling isn't actually hunger? What if it's to do with your hormones? Which hormones? Well, primarily: ghrelin, leptin, and insulin. Maybe you're often hungry even though you snack all the time. And maybe your cravings have something to do with all that snacking... In this episode, you get a sneak peek into t...

In this episode, you'll hear an excerpt of a recent online workshop I gave called "5 Steps to Freedom from Cravings". Full disclosure: these are the exact same steps that I teach inside of the Freedom from Cravings Formula program - get more  details here ! Step 1 is the most important step, because without it, the other steps don't really count. What is Step 1? And why is it s...

Amanda Leith struggled with weight problems for most of her life. She tried all the diets, exercise classes, and therapy. The solution, she was told, was either, “Eat less and exercise more,” or, “Work on your emotional issues with a good therapist.” She'd even had weight loss surgery... which had completely failed because she couldn’t follow the "everything in moderation" diet. It...

In this week's episode, Sarah shares about her struggles with an eating disorder as a teenager, as well as with cravings due to crazy hormones during her recent pregnancy. Sarah used to see cutting sugar as a punishment because she was focused on losing weight. She felt bad about herself and often resorted to negative self-talk. But more recently, her outlook has changed. Now she wants to con...

Let's bust some myths about sugar! 💥 My listeners asked me to bust all kinds of myths about sugar, cravings, and "life after sugar". Here are this week's myths: 1. "Everything in moderation". 2. "You have to eat 3 (... 4... 5... 6) times a day". 3. "Your brain needs sugar to function". 4. "You need sugar to have fun in life". Let's...

In this special Halloween edition, I ask: What scares you the most about eating sugar... and about NOT eating sugar?  In this episode, you'll hear about common fears such as: the fear of failure feeling rejected or judged if you don't eat like everybody else feeling restricted, or denying yourself losing out on the fun in life saying no and insulting people suffering from diabetes and ot...

Are you struggling with hormonal issues? Maybe peri-menopause or menopause symptoms? What if reducing refined carbs like sugar could help with a whole host of dysregulations, including hormonal issues and insulin resistance that can affect your metabolic health? In this episode, I'm talking with fellow Québécoise Dr. Èvelyne Bourdua-Roy, who's been a family physician in Quebec, Canada si...

Do you know what a CGM is? If you're diabetic, you might use one. It's a "continuous glucose monitor", and it's a little gizmo that you put in your arm to measure your blood glucose levels. Even if you don't have diabetes, it can be really fascinating to know how your blood glucose levels are affected by what you eat (like sugar!) and even by non-food factors like str...

A listener recently asked me this question: "How strict are you, Netta?" It's a great question, so I thought I'd take the time to answer it properly. In this episode, you'll learn about: my definition of "strict" why I think this question may come from the diet culture whether or not I check labels and lists of ingredients how YOU can save time at the grocery sto...

Most of Kristy's life was  spent being overweight and food obsessed.  She turned to food for every emotion: sadness, joy, fear, excitement, happiness, anger, boredom, chaos – you name it! For Kristy, food was the answer. In this episode, Kristy shares how she had tried every diet and plan available. She might have short term success, but eventually she was right back to obsessing over food an...

What's the real challenge for you where sugar's concerned? Is it to change what you eat? Or is it something else? Do you eat sugar because of cravings? Or for comfort? To celebrate? As a habit? Because you love sweet tastes? Or is your real challenge something deeper? In this episode, I'll tell you about my own challenges... and what I learned over my years of living my "life a...

Are you struggling with cravings? You're not alone! You may feel like certain foods have a hold on your emotions. Or that you're in a vicious cycle. Or that the diet culture makes you feel like a failure. Or that you'll NEVER feel free from cravings! Changing what you eat (or when you eat, like with intermittent fasting) may help, but it may not be enough to get to the heart of the...

Grace was  23 when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a is a potentially disabling autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). Despite taking drugs, Grace continued to have attacks every 3 or 4 months, for another 11 years. Her immune system was totally out of whack, she says.  Then, she got pregnant. The doctors took her off all of her medications,...

Erin Tjam was my guest a few weeks ago, and I invited her back to talk about skin aging, more specifically about glycation. Glycation is a concept you may not have heard of (I hadn't!).  Basically, collagen and elastin keep your skin firm and supple. But your skin can age faster when sugar molecules like glucose and fructose adhere to your skin’s collagen and elastin proteins. And this can tr...

You may think that cutting sugar completely will make your cravings worse... but actually, eating no sweet-tasting foods for a while can help beat your cravings! Which foods keep cravings at bay? And which foods feed your cravings? I'll tell you in this episode. And how can you "retrain" your tastebuds to get used to less sweetness, so that you're not always looking to replace...