Life After Sugar

When you start cutting back on sugar, it’s easy to put all carbs or sugars into one basket. 

But my guest Dr. John Lewis, a nutrition scientist, explains why that basket is too big.

John looks at sugars by where they come from and how they are built. 

A simple sugar is a single molecule. A disaccharide has two molecules, like sucrose (white sugar). Polysaccharides, the kind he has spent years researching in aloe and rice bran, are long chains of sugar units linked together. 

And those different types of carbs (or sugars) affect the body in completely different ways.

Dr. Lewis also also explains what the difference is between brown and white rice.

John has spent his career in research, with more than 30 clinical trials and over 180 published papers behind him, and he lives by what he studies. He says real food comes first and any supplement (including his own creation) comes second.

Find Dr. John Lewis here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

Suzanne had already figured out that sugar was her problem. 

She had spent 25 years on every diet out there, but she realized that sugar was tripping her up, including for intermittent fasting. 

So in 2025, Suzanne booked a call with me about getting support, but at the time, she wasn’t ready to sign up for my Freedom from Cravings Formula program. 

Back then, Suzanne thought she could do it on her own, and she didn’t want to spend the money on a program. For the next year she kept telling herself she knew what to do and just had to put it into action. She kept trying and failing and starting over, and she got down on herself for it. 

In June 2026, she decided she wasn’t getting anywhere, and she booked another call with me, joined the program, and never looked back.

In this conversation, Suzanne shares what changed once she asked for help.

After trying and failing to cut sugar on her own, Suzanne shares the relief she felt to finally reach her goals with my help, the value of accountability, learning from other women’s struggles in a group, and how following the program built her confidence to say no to sugar and mean it.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

In this episode, I’m joined by Paige, who explains what "nervous system regulation" means with relation to recovery from sugar addiction. 

Paige’s message is that when we reach for food under stress, the real issue is a nervous system that has gone into emergency mode. A calm brain doesn’t crave, so her approach starts with calming the body and using the small pause between a thought and an action.

Paige also talks about why the third week after reducing or cutting sugar is usually the hardest, and what happens to your taste buds and cravings if you keep going.

She believes real change comes from slowly retraining the brain, one small step at a time, and that every time you get through a craving, the next one comes back a little weaker.

Paige goes into more detail in her new book: Real Food Recovery: If Food isn’t the Answer, What’s the Question?

Paige has only one rule when it comes to recovery. Listen to this episode to hear what it is.

Find Paige's book here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

It's episode 300 of the Life After Sugar podcast! Woo hoo!

To celebrate, I go back to some of the first things I ever talked about on this podcast, back in 2021, and to why the show exists in the first place. 

Sometimes we forget the basics, so I think that the 300th episode is a good place to remember them.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• some different names for sugar, including the Cuba story that made me realize the white crystals we call sugar originally come from a plant
• why "pure" sugar is mostly marketing, given the dozen or more industrial steps between the sugarcane or sugar beet and the white crystals
• the chemistry of sugar, in simple terms: most sugars are built from glucose and fructose
• how maple syrup and honey compare with table sugar on a molecular level
• the fruit question: do I eat fruit, and where I get my vitamins if I don't eat much of it
• what "life after sugar" and freedom from cravings means in real life, which is why this podcast exists

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD, is a former food addict and the founder of Bright Line Eating. She and I recorded Episode 125 back in June 2023.

Susan is back on the podcast to talk about her new book, Maintain, the fifth book in her series about food addiction and weight loss.

In this episode, we talk about what happens after you lose the weight and why maintaining it can be harder than people expect. 

A big part of that is learning what to do when you’re no longer using food, especially foods that contain refined sugar and flour, to deal with boredom, stress or difficult emotions.

Susan explains the three identity shifts she believes are important for maintaining weight loss: becoming devoted, resourced and liberated.

We also talk about dopamine and why some of us are more likely to reach for food when we’re stressed or tired, and Susan shares her 90-second practice for feeling an emotion instead of trying to make it go away.

And you'll hear about how to develop the skills to respond differently to cravings and emotions, because sugar can keep us stuck in the cycle of using food to avoid feelings, rather than learning how to deal with those feelings in a different way.

Find Susan's book MAINTAIN here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

In this episode, I’m talking with John about sugar cravings, hydration, and what he calls “intracellular hydration.”

John shares his story of growing up in Columbus, Ohio, becoming a sugar addict, and eventually developing a very different perspective on health and the role of sugar and especially hydration in the body.

John surprises me with his fascinating “marbles and sponges” analogy to explain intracellular hydration.

He also explains why he believes sugar cravings are connected to dehydration.

And we talk about something I'm sure you can relate to: when it comes to sugar, moderation simply doesn’t work for everyone. John shares his own experience with sugar cravings and what changed for him when he stopped craving sugar.

Find John here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

Martin was a guest on the Life After Sugar podcast on Episode 110 in February 2023. He’s back to ask me some questions about sugar, to talk about his new book, and also about the concept of an "irrevocable commitment".

Martin practises intermittent fasting. But he’s continued to have something sweet after dinner, which is a habit that goes back to childhood (nothing wrong with that!).

In this episode, we talk about:

• Martin’s 66-day experiment without desserts and what he learned from it
• How his thinking about the emotional connection he has with sweets changed
• Moderating or abstaining from sugar, and why what works for one person may not work for another
• Intermittent fasting, hunger and whether sugar affects fasting
• GLP-1 medications and changing our behaviour around food
• Martin's irrevocable commitment: You heard it here first!

Find Martin’s book is Journey to Thinland: Your Path to Permanent Weight Loss here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

Heike grew up in Germany eating lots of sugar and large portions, and she was overweight by the time she was a teenager.

After moving to the United States in her early 20s, she discovered a very different food environment than the one she was expecting. She was surprised by how much fast food, fried food, burgers, French fries and starch-heavy foods there were, and how little emphasis there seemed to be on vegetables.

In this episode, we talk about:

• how some people can moderate sugar, and others have an all-or-nothing relationship with it and need to abstain
• “choosing to choose” — taking responsibility for your food choices instead of feeling powerless around sugar
• the diet culture, learning to trust yourself again, and finding an approach that works for you

Get Heike's book, Pursue Your Spark here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

Dr. Nathan Bryan has spent years researching human health and physiology... but during his medical training, he received zero dedicated training in nutrition.

In this episode, we talk about what he learned after his medical training and through his research, and how the nutritional quality of our food has degraded over time.

Dr. Nathan and I talk about how we consumers need to educate ourselves (which is easier said than done with all the confusing info out there!).

We also talk about sugar, insulin resistance, intermittent fasting, nutrient deficiencies, and whether supplements can help fill the gaps in our diet.

Dr. Nathan challenges some of the assumptions we’ve come to accept about nutrition and health, and explains what his research has taught him about what your body actually needs (hint: it's NOT sugar!).

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... join the 12-week program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...

You probably don't need another diet, another list of foods to avoid, or another reminder about what you already know you should be doing.

If you've been struggling with sugar cravings for years, the problem may not be a lack of information... or a lack of willpower.

It may be that you're trying to change a deeply ingrained pattern without the right process, support, and accountability.

In this episode, I explain why so many capable, motivated women can know exactly what they want to change and still find themselves back in the same cycle of cravings, restriction, giving in, and starting over. (I know — I've been there!)

I also explain what makes the Freedom from Cravings Formula different, and why having guidance while you actually implement the changes can make the process much more efficient and effective than trying to figure it all out on your own.

By the time you're 50, you've been dealing with sugar cravings for years. And you don't want to waste any more time and energy obsessing about food or your next sweet snack.

This episode will help you understand the missing piece and what it could look like to finally feel free from cravings.

And if you're wondering whether the Freedom from Cravings Formula could be the right fit for you, book free a call with me to talk about where you are now, where you want to be, and whether my approach can help you get there.

Book your free call with me here.

For step-by-step guidance toward freedom from cravings, get your copy of my new book: "Break Free from Sugar Cravings". Available on Amazon now!

For free resources, Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings! 

Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars. 
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review". 
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner. 
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided ...