As everyone know I am the resident fashion and beauty queen here at BB&W and although I love everything beauty and fashion, I want to address another side of the industry, health.

Being fashionable is just not about the cute trendy and classic style or having flawless skin but it instead begins from the inside out, like the old adage, “If you are beautiful on the inside, it will radiate on the outside.” No truer words have been spoken.

Kicking my sugar devil:

Recently, because of depleted Vitamin D, Vit B and Iron levels,  I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy, in fact Celiac’s. This means I have a major sensitivity to gluten and wheat. I cannot eat bread or pasta and some rice without my body becoming a bloated gas fest. It isn’t pretty. I have been slowly but surely alleviating gluten, wheat and certain grains from my diet however I have become addicted to another demon, sugar.

Oh sugar.. It’s so decadent, so sweet, so sensual and alluring. It calls to me, whispers to me when I am sleeping, seduces me to eat it all day. It loves me, I know it does. Sigh sugar… Is an abusive lover who takes and takes until it kills you. Yes, I know its alluring, its seductive, it tastes good but it is the devil. It causes all sorts of diseases including diabetes, candida, high cholesterol and obesity.**Side Note** an undiagnosed gluten allergy or Celiac’s disease can also lead to these things.

I was recently diagnosed being borderline diabetic. I am only 30lbs overweight which has been mostly caused by depression from living in Houston, I hate it here. This causes me to eat things that are bad for me, like fried chicken and SWEETS. Mind you, I don’t even like sugar or sweets but I have been eating it like crazy. My saying good-bye to gluten has caused my body to go into sugar overdrive and the headaches, the sluggishness and the sleepiness has caused me to say enough is enough. My doctor basically told me that all I have to lose is 20lbs and the that borderline diabetes will disappear forever.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFgmQ-kUy1k]

So I have decided to join Jennifer Fugos 3 week Sugar Cleanse. We have no idea how much sugar is in our everyday diet. In fact, the first thing that I have learned is that 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. We basically consume on average about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. THAT’S A LOT OF SUGAR!! No wonder most of us suffer from sugar addiction. I commend Christelyn for being on her sugar cleanse these last few months and I am jumping in on it.

Jennifer Fugo is a well known gluten and sugar expert, yoga instructor and fellow Aries like myself, with whom I have worked with before–she helped me lose 40lbs in 4 months by helping me change my diet. And if you are as adamant about your health as I am, you should go over to Jen’s Gluten Free School and sign up for her classes. The current Sugar Cleanse course that I am participating in  has a $250 value but you pay $57.. However, it is full. I know, I know, she has the courses often so don’t worry, you will be able to sign up soon. They fill up fast. However until then, you can sign up for her other courses and get your life back on track. I highly recommend her.

The Sugar Cleanse Course consists of:

3 50-minute tele-classes on the dangers of sugar & how to rid it from your life   ($75 value)

Gluten-Free Recipe Guide with a meal plan so you can easily follow along   ($125 value)

Email support with Jennifer during the cleanse   ($50 value)

** Access to all tele-class recordings in case you miss the LIVE classes!! **

Optional **upgrade** – Individual 30-minute one-on-one phone sessions during cleanse

And most importantly, support throughout the process of you breaking your habit.

So, once and for all, I am kicking out my abusive lover and getting some much needed therapy. I am saying good-bye to those sleepless nights, attacks of guilt and fear of walking into the store and being accosted in public, and I am saying hello to my future, to my health, and to my beauty. I will definitely be in fashion this summer and fall because I will be the best me I can be.

Here’s the fun part: I will be chronicling my 3 week progress, right here on BB&W. I won’t give you all the details of course but you will get to see my weight loss, my mental and physical progress and some of the meals that I will prepare. I hope that as you observe and oft times participate in my process that you yourself will begin yours.

Here’s to happy and healthy and very fashionable beginnings. Be on the look out for another post from me today. Toodles.