Have you ever felt disgusted with the belly fat roll hanging over your jeans? Do you wish you didn’t get every little sore throat, cough and runny nose your kids bring home from school? Have you ever dozed off in the afternoon only to find you couldn’t sleep later that night? Do you ever feel guilty because you lost your temper when your daughter spilled her chocolate milk?

At first glance these things might seem unrelated. But let me tell you what might be the culprit — SUGAR. More specifically, the processed white sugar added to almost every packaged food on the super market shelves, THAT sugar might be to blame for why you can’t lose the belly fat, for why you can’t seem to get over that cough, why you have absolutely no energy and why you feel so moody.

I’m going to share 4 reasons to give up sugar, for good! And then I want you to imagine a life free from the bonds of the white poison. I know, I know, the thought of giving up your favorite maple bar topped with bacon gives you the cold sweats. But believe me, there is a whole wildly wonderful life waiting for you on the other side of your sugar addition! Let’s break it down and take a look —

Sugar is making me fat You might be thinking, “I wish I didn’t have the spare tire, the thunder thighs and the big butt. I’m too fat!!” Without going into a whole scientific study - here’s the lowdown. Even though sugar itself is actually fat free, meaning there are no fat grams in sugar, sugar makes us fat because it messes with our brain and our hormones. Long story short - when we eat a lot of sugary foods, the brain doesn’t get the message that the body doesn’t require more food. Instead, the opposite message is sent and we feel a NEED to keep eating. The excess calories are stored in the body as fat. The more sugar we eat, the more we want, the more fat is stored…sad but true.

Sugar is making me sick. Has something like this ever happened to you? Come the first week of September all the way to the middle of June you are hit with wave after wave of sickness. Last month it was the sore throat that lasted for 3 days. Then came the runny nose and hacking cough. After that, everyone in the house got the flu. You think, “Are you kidding me?? I’m so sick of missing out just because I’m sick. I can’t afford not to go to work. I hate missing the fun stuff, not being able to ride my horse or not getting to do my weekend projects just because I feel like crap.” Yep, sugar could be to blame here too. How does sugar weaken the immune system? Basically, sugar keeps vital nutrients like vitamin C from being absorbed by the body. Sugar weakens the body’s natural defense against infections, bacteria and viruses.

Sugar is making me tired. Does this sound familiar? When the alarm goes off in the morning, it’s so hard not to push snooze 10 times before getting up. Then you rush around like a mad lady because you’re totally late. Mornings are so stressful at your house. If you could just get your tush out of bed, it would help so much. But you’re just too tired! And then you can hardly resist the afternoon nap. You have way too much to do and no energy! What’s weird is you have the hardest time falling asleep at night then you’ll lay there at 1:30am so wide awake you might as well get up! Is sugar to blame here too? Maybe! Let’s go back to the chemicals and hormones in the body — the signal to the brain that keeps you feeling awake is actually inhibited when you eat too much sugar. Instead of getting that sugar rush, you are actually getting a brain-body coma.

Sugar is making me moody. Do you ever just feel like crying? Does it take nothing to set you off?! For me, I used to feel so moody! I had no patience with my children, every little thing got on my nerves, I told them 1000 times to do their chores but they didn’t listen. It made me so angry. Sometimes I wondered if I might be depressed. There was never enough time to get everything done. I was so tired of the checking account being overdrawn, if only I could win the lottery…but that would never happen to me, nothing good ever happened to me…those were some of the thoughts I used to think…Wait, what?! You mean sugar has an impact on my mood and outlook on life??? Yep! It all goes back to those processes in the brain, the natural hormones related to feeling good and being happy. Eating too much sugar actually decreases those levels and we have no choice but to feel depressed or sad. So, yes! Sugar made you feel that way! Crazy right!?

Now let’s have some fun! Let’s imagine a sugar free life! No, not the life where you are miserable, constantly craving sugar and feeling the terrible withdrawals. I mean, after that! When you body has a chance to heal and reset itself and is free from the negative consequences of sugar. What would THAT be like??

Scenario #1 - Weight Loss! I can’t believe it! Since I quit eating sugar, the weight is literally FALLING off of me! My pants fit loser and I feel like a million bucks! I can’t wait to go shopping for new clothes! I feel less bloated too. And my joints don’t hurt like they used to. This feels amazing!

Scenario #2 - Fewer colds! I was chatting with my girlfriend yesterday. She said her whole family is sick. Again. She said the kids keep brining home all kinds of germs. I thought about it for a second. Wow! It’s been over a year since anyone in MY family has had a cold! Unbelievable! We’ve saved hundreds of dollars from not having to buy cold medicine, not going to the doctor and I still have all my sick days left at work…hmmmm maybe I’ll cash in on one to leave a day early for that barrel race this coming weekend bahahahahahah!

Scenario #3 - I have more energy! I’m so proud of myself! I spent the last three days decluttering, organizing and cleaning the barn and tack room. I’ve been wanting to do it for years but I always put it off. Seemed like I always felt too tired. But now I have so much more energy I can’t wait to start my next project! Not to mention mornings at our house are now my favorite time of day. It feels amazing to pop out of bed after a good night’s sleep. It’s a wonderful peace of mind knowing I can drive the speed limit and it’s okay if the traffic is a little heavy, I’ve got time!

Scenario #4 - I’m in a good mood and I love my life! Last night was family game night. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants! My kids are so silly and I love them so much. I can’t believe I used to snap at them all the time like I did before quitting sugar. They didn’t deserve how I treated them, they’re just kids, so precious and innocent. I see that now. Something else that’s weird is how things seem to be going my way lately. Since I’m not so stressed out I’ve been finding fun ways to enjoy my life and it’s so amazing. I feel blessed.

See what could happen if you decided to give up sugar? Take a second and imagine your own life. How has sugar negatively impacted it? What possibilities open up for you if you decided to quit letting sugar have such a hold on your life? I hope you can start to see how wonderful it could be! Only one way to find out! Commit to giving up sugar!

Andrea Otley is a horse crazy wife and mom of 3 from a small ranching community in SE Oregon. She is a recovering sugar addict who lost over 30lbs of baby weight without dieting, starving or feeling deprived. She is an online nutrition and fitness coach who is obsessed with helping other horsewomen live a healthy lifestyle in an unhealthy world. Visit www.andreaotley.com

Sugar Made Me Do It - 4 Life Changing Reasons to Give Up Sugar