In This Issue:
Be Totally Fre*e-zine, New Award, Is Sugar Bad for you?

Guess what?

Be Totally Free! has been presented with an AWARD! It's quite an honor to be highlighted in this prestigious eZine called Write4Good Communications™. This is an award given us for being CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF EXCELLENCE!

Please SIGN-UP to receive this issue so you can see the feature written about us. (Since neither I, nor Write4Good Communications shares contact lists, you must go in and sign-up on their site yourself.) I appreciate your support and encouragement!

Here is the link to make your sign up easy: www.write4good.com BTW - You can unsubscribe at anytime, yet every month new people are awarded with different areas of interest, fr*ee tips, etc. that you might enjoy.

Do you have something you don't feel like doing? For me, it's cleaning my office. Yes, I've gotten lazy about filing, I haven't purchased a functional office chair yet, and my wrapping paper from the holidays is peeking out of the closet (meaning there are other things piled in there pushing the wrapping paper bag out the door). So if you're like me, and have something you've been putting off doing, why don't we set an intention to do it before the next issue? That's right, the next Be Totally Fre*e-zine will arrive in your box on February 7th. That's two weeks from now. I'm making a committment to clean my office right now (with thousands as my witnesses), so why don't you make a committment of your own? Write down your goal, and if you're serious about being accountable, email it to me! It will still be a commitment to yourself, just with me as your witness (I won't be broadcasting your intention or results). You will be amazed!! I'll report back on my success next issue.

So you want to eat healthier? Read on…

Love, Tricia

Dear Ask It:

I do well when at home during the week as far as eating the right foods and portion sizes. Whenever there is a social event or potluck, I tend to overeat and my portion sizes are far larger than at home. Is it the socializing or an inner conflict?

~Wondering in Washington

Dear Wondering:

Thanks for emailing such a great question! Most compulsive eaters have a hard time sticking to what's good for them when eating out or in social situations. Obviously, when we are faced with richer, high calorie foods at social events the temptation to overeat will be greater; when the atmosphere is celebratory our minds determine that a special occasion is excuse enough to deviate from the norm of tossed salads and baked chicken.

However, there is some psychology involved as well. To get to the bottom of it, ask yourself these questions: Am I wanting to feel "a part of" by eating what everyone else is eating and not being "left out"? Am I feeling self-conscious, believing that if I don't have cake or Aunt Sally's casserole others will notice and be disappointed? Do I feel a little uneasy being around others I don't know well and am therefore seeking a little added security in the starchy, heavier foods being served? Am I taking advantage of a free meal by "going for it"? Try to be conscious of your uncomfortable feelings and pray to have them removed instead of eating over them. And remember, what others think of you is not nearly as important as what you think of you. (Besides, they're not thinking of you, they are thinking of them!)

*Do you have a question you'd like to have answered? Write me at askitbasket@betotallyfree.com.

(Please forward to everyone you know!)

Is Sugar Bad for You?

The average American now consumes approximately 115 lbs. of sugar per year. Sugar is not only physically addictive, but because it is delectable and seductive to the taste it is also habit forming. We get hooked as early as infancy when we are fed sugar in baby's formula. Many not only develop a strong taste for sugar but an insatiable craving for it that results in uncontrollable binges and eating disorders. Because sugar is considered a "food" the negative effects of it are too often overlooked.

Sugar in Disguise

If you examine the foods in any supermarket more closely and start reading labels, you will find that the majority of foods we consume contain sugar. Everything from cereals to soups to ketchup to hotdogs contains sugar. Some cereals are as much as 50% sugar.

There are many different names for sugar. Examples of common names are table sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, beet sugar, cane sugar, confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, turbinado, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and sugar cane syrup.

You may also see table sugar listed by its chemical name, sucrose. Fruit sugar is also known as fructose and the sugar in milk is called lactose. You can recognize other sugars on labels because their chemical names also end in "-ose." For example glucose (also called dextrose), fructose (also called levulose), lactose, and maltose.

What is Sugar, Anyway?

Sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane (or beet) and refined into molasses. Then it is refined into brown sugar, and finally into strange white crystals C12H22O, that are actually an alien chemical to the human system. This substance is what we know as sucrose, and it is stripped of the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients that were at one time a part of the original plant structure.

Damages of Sugar

While sugars closer to their plant origin are healthier than sucrose, over consumption of sugar of any kind can cause serious damage to the body. Below is just a partial list of what sugar may be doing to you:

(This list includes bad nutrition as a whole, since sugar is normally consumed by eating highly processed, carbohydrate and chemical-laden foods.)

• The leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.
• The main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
• Major contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.
• Can disrupt the balance of the endocrine system, injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely
• Increases overgrowth of Candida yeast organism
• Increases chronic fatigue
• Can trigger binge eating leading to eating disorders
• Increases PMS symptoms
• Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
• Increases tooth decay
• Increases anxiety and irritability
• Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic
• Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which causes the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat.

There are a number of books available on the subject, but perhaps one of the most interesting ones is "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. It is available in Amazon and in most Health Food stores.

Tricia Greaves now offers private "Self-Care" coaching sessions for those desiring maximum results with "self-care" instead of self-control. For a fre*e 20 minute consultation, email Tricia at tricia@betotallyfree.com

Eating the right foods and minimizing stress are major by-products of Be Totally Fre*e's services. Check out our website for more information.

Register now for your RISK-FRE*E TRIAL MEMBERSHIP of University of Masters and receive your first fre*e motivational CD plus hundreds of $$ in e-books and downloadable audios. Your introductory price is only $3.50 (regular price is $19.99). You will have access to 30 phenomenal classes each week (and audios 24/7) on manifesting, NLP, motivation, spirituality and more by the World's Master Teachers, including me!  Once on the page, click on "Enrollment" and put TRICIA in the referral box: www.universityofmasters.com/350.html

After overcoming her own lifetime battle with compulsive eating, drinking and weight-without the use of diets, pills, medication or excessive exercise-Tricia Greaves founded Be Totally Fre*e!, a non-profit organization that offers a unique and permanent solution for overcoming all addictions. To learn about the hope we offer to those who have tried everything to stop, visit www.betotallyfree.com.