Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter [Paperback]

Review of Beyond Sugar Shock by Connie Bennett.

Pros:
1) Attractive cover grabs the attention of sugar lovers. I mean, there are cupcakes on there. Yummy!
2) As a nurse, I felt the book offered an excellent overview of the medical signs and symptoms related to hyperinsulinemia and the resulting hypoglycemia--what most are now calling prediabetes. The list of symptoms found on pages 3 and 4 gives one the idea of how metabolically pervasive carbohydrates are to the human body. The irritability and food panic is recognizable to anyone with hypoglycemia. "I need food now!" Bennett hits on the diseases caused by sugar on page 7. Blindness should have been an addition here.
3) All of chapter 3 is information based on science and medicine. The problem here, as I noted throughout the book, is that the author frowns upon so many foods---dairy, grains, artificial sweeteners, salts, high-fat meats, processed foods, etcetera---that one is left wondering what remains to actually eat.
4) The Sweet Success Stories told by real sugar addicts are the highlight of the book. I identified with several of these people.
5) I enjoyed the quiz in chapter two; however, some of the questions focused too much on candy and not on the other carbs we so love: pasta, bread, cereal...
6) Tips like using a journal and employing question words--who, what, where, when, why, and how--would come in handy for most folks trying to make drastic changes.
7) The book offers great information on hidden sugars in foods as well as on various forms of exercise. Go Zumba!
8) Helpful section on portion sizes begins on page 193. Sadly many foods are not discussed at all. What about replacements for salad dressings that are no longer recommended?
9) Fair price for the content.

Cons:
1) Not consistently realistic for people on a limited budget. Throughout the text the author recommends organic foods including grass-fed, free-range meats. In one section, she offers the contact information for a company that ships these approved foods. Let's just say they were out of my budget.
2) Full of shameless self-promotion. How many times do we have to read about the websites, Facebook page, and blog? Six week courses as well as other paid programs and services are mentioned a few times starting on page 9. Page 74 again suggests hiring a health or life coach. It all sounds kind of hokey--and expensive--to me. Also, depending on the website for much of the books content, like the shopping list for example, is not fair to the high percentage of the population that lacks internet access.
3) The book somewhat mirrors the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet): all dessert and no entrée. Perhaps the fact that I was expecting something different colored my perception; however, I feel as if the bulk of the book is mushy, mind game junk that most people have tried before--you know, think yourself thin concepts.
4) Too many acronyms and sweet words. The book comes across as corny. Perhaps that's the point though so as not to scare people away with too much science and medical jargon. If I have to show any more mirror love or repeat any more affirmation, I'm going to puke.
5) Readers should speak to their doctors and do some research on bursting before replacing regular exercise with these workout frenzies.
6) The meal plan and recipes section was shorter than I expected after reading so many chapters on emotional support. Where is the nitty-gritty information sugar addicts need to change their lives? What do I buy? What do I do with it? What things can I eat?
7) The resources section was definitely hit or miss. Some treasures are hidden there as well as some nonsense. The author discusses earthing or grounding, practices meant to protect a person from electromagnetic fields. This is considered pseudoscience at best. The author writes, "As I write this, I'm grounded by a pink band on my wrist that's delivering the earth's recuperative energies to me" (234). Seriously? Much of the resources are more advertisement than anything. Another recommended company is VibesUP who offers "...items designed to neutralize and release your toxic energy and reconnect you to Mother Nature's natural electrical energy" (237). I thought we just decided electrical fields were bad? And the essential oils recommendation...too hippie for me.

Conclusion: If you are okay with a focus more on life change instead of hard and fast diet rules, this book is for you. I recommend anyone unfamiliar with the damages of sugar overload read the book. If you are already familiar and are looking for more than mental preparation and support such as actual dietary advice, cooking techniques, and making food choices, then this book may not be what you need.

I ordered this book though the Amazon Vine program. I thought it would give me good tips on conquering my devotion to the sweet taste. But alas!, all I found was a hystrionic, almost manic coach throwing at me a multitude of suggestions. There is way too much hyperbole, both for the positive and negative. The overly cheerful creation of words, the suggestions to constantly repeat your affirmation (up to 100 times per day), the affirmative visual aids (post-it notes posted everywhere), prayer, Success Strut, Benefits List, seeking doctors and therapists to help you understand your addiction, meditation, journaling, and shameless constant self-promotion drove me nuts. Here's an example from page 79

"Before You Head into Week Two, Have You Laid the Groundwork for Your Success?
- Are you boogeing to your Woo-Hoo, Feel Good Theme Song every day and doing the Success Strut?
- Do you boldly pronounce your affirmations frequently throughout your day?
- Do you regularly See, Feel, & Act As If You've Already Won?
- Are you looking at your vision board several minutes a day?
- Are you regularly doing Sugary Soul Searching?
- Are you often asking yourself the 5 W's & 1 H?
- Did you prepare your "Why I Need to Quit" and Benefits List, and are you taking it with you for inspiration wherever you go?
- Have you made an appointment with a sugar-savvy doctor yet?
- Have you found a supportive therapist, health coach, life coach, or nutritionist?
- Have you joined the free Beyond Sugar Shock Freedom SparkTeam on [...] and started chatting with us?
Congratulations! You've Completed Week One."

How can one take this author seriously? The whole book is full of this kind of nonsence. Even the recipes are ridiculous. Here's the complete list: Balsamic Dressing, Chef Salad, Connie's Crispy Kale Chips,Connie's Frozen Fruit Kabobs, Egg Salad, Egg and Veggie Scramble, Greek Spinach Salad, Jill's Roasted Veggies, Olive Oil Dressing, Roasted Turkey Wrap, Steak, Sea Scallops, Super Oatmeal, Mexican Green Salad, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Tuna Broccoli Slaw, Turkey or Bison Burger, plus a couple more. She could have added at least 1 recipe for dessert using almond flour, or something along those lines found in the Paleo Diet websites. After all, we sugar junkies would love an alternative. Needless to say, I cannot bear to finish this book. I love myself, and value my time too much to waste it on such a worthless book.

I've wanted to cut down on sugar/carbs, but was having a hard time sifting thru the 'eat this, don't eat this' bombardment that seems to come at you every week. This book is easy to follow, fun to read & gives you a lot of common sense ideas to cut sugar & carbs from your diet. I haven't exactly followed it for 6 weeks, just took some of the ideas & applied them to my daily meal planning.....I've lost 8 lbs. since receiving this book & no doubt will be able to lose more. I'm in my 40's & I think my tastes have changed-I really don't like sweet stuff that much anymore & I can't stand any of the artificial sweeteners, so having some ideas on how to cut back on sugar is wonderful.