Beyond Sugar Shock by Connie Bennett
by Jenners • 11/14/2012 • 2.5 Stars, B Authors, B Titles, Health, Non-Fiction • 69 Comments
Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter by Connie Bennett
Where I Got It: Amazon Vine
Genre: Non-Fiction, Health
My Rating: 2 stars
Since this is a book about cutting out sugar, it is ironic that the author uses a saccharine tone that began grating on my nerves from the start of the book. In fact, the tone of the writing got so annoying that I didn’t finish reading the book. (I really tried as I rarely quit books. I made it to Part III before deciding to stop punishing myself.)
Although I think she makes a good case for why you should drastically reduce the amount of sugar in your diet and I think this is something I need to work on, the author’s writing style was very off-putting. It was very cutesy and a little “out there”—so much so that I started to question the validity of the information. For example, she calls the steps to kicking sugar “Adventurcises.” One of the first Adventurcises is to “Pick Your Beyond Sugar Shock Woo-Hoo Feel-Good Theme Song.” This involves picking a song (or two or three) and developing a “success strut” to go with it. Then you should “boogie often” to the song at least twice a day. Right there, I started to doubt that this program and I were going to get along. It just seemed hokey and silly.
The book is stuffed with affirmations to reinforce the lessons that you learn—ranging from “I joyously write down everything I eat and drink” to “Every day I find my Sweet Serene Spot so I can feel calm, centered, and connected to the Universe.” I’m not saying this approach won’t work for some people or that her message isn’t good. I’m saying that I just couldn’t get past this “rah rah” tone to listen to what she was saying. I got very distracted by the constant cloying silliness and sweetness.
The book is filled with “real life” success stories by people who were able to kick sugar using this system, and I’m sure this might be inspirational to some. The book includes some sample meal plans and recipes. However, since I didn’t finish the book or attempt the program, I really can’t speak to its effectiveness. My advice would be to use the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon to get a feel for the tone of the book. If you don’t find it off-putting, then perhaps this book will work for you. Sadly, I just couldn’t get on board with it so I didn’t find it helpful.
I realize I’m about 2 weeks late with this comment BUT comment I will.
I gave up sugar for the months of September and October. The first 6 weeks were the easiest part. I gave it up cold turkey, as well as any “white” foods – white flour was the biggest culprit since we only eat brown rice.
I was looking forward to the benefits that come with sugar free but really? It wasn’t that big of a deal. maybe I was less of a sugar addict than I thought.
Btw – the last 2 weeks were hard because I was bored of not eating sugar.
Maybe I’ll see if I can find this at the library just to give it a go tho.
Thanks.
Interesting. And if anything, you make a case for NOT giving up sugar if you didn’t see some amazing benefits from it. WTH???? OF course, you may not have as much as a problem as me.
Hmmm. I did a sugar free diet for a few months and felt great, full of energy. I did not feel great enough to give up suger forever and I fell off the wagon. I really do need to get myself back in control. I’m thinking that this is not the book to help me with that
I don’t think I could give up completely but I definitely need to lower my sugar intake. Glad to hear they aren’t lying that you feel better. I’m always suspicious.
Thanks for the honest review! I have a real problem with sugar but need some real rationale to change rather than just gimmicks.
Well, underneath all the gimmicks, she does provide a real rationale. It is shame, though, that the writing just gets in the way of the message.
LOL! I love this review! Sugar is my weakness, but I don’t think a little song is going to stop me from eating the chocolate/biscuits. I find the best way is to just not buy them in the first place. If they aren’t in the house I cant eat them. I wish you’d review more books you don’t like – this is so funny!
That is really what I need to do too — not buy the bad stuff in the first place. But if I go grocery shopping when I’m in a “mood,” watch out. And I’ll try to read more bad books so I can write more entertaining reviews! : )
this book would kill me.
With it sugary tone or its edict to give up sugar entirely? : )
Bahaha, you crack me up.
Glad someone got something out of this dreck : )
Saccharine …2 stars…. Moving on…
Yup … keep on moving … nothing to see here.
I feel like I should write a book on something being bad for you since that market seems really hot right now! HAHA. I mean, so many of these books seem to play on obvious unhealthy choices. I’m ready for the backlash – you know, sugar used to be bad, but now we think it can actually save your life.
Now THAT is a book I’m hoping and praying for! Heck, just write and use some made-up science and people like me will buy it in droves.
I joyfully leave this comment for such a sweet rev iew!!!!
I have to thank you for the sweetest thank you note I got today — I so wish all the bloggers who read that HAD signed it. What a cool idea! Perhaps we should start something like that. Get a book that lots of people might want to read and start sending it around and everyone autographs it and perhaps writes a few notes/thoughts about it. What do you think? Should we do it? What might be a good book???
Lol Jenners, I wouldn’t be able to take this book seriously. The whole sugary theme song and dance sounds like a joke.
Thanks for the honest review.
I know!!! It felt like a joke. I just couldn’t get by it to get the to the information she wanted to share.
I’m not one for all these self-help “diet” and “lifestyle” books… as if they’re each telling you something you haven’t read somewhere in a different form. But this one would really start me on the road to Bulimia with the adventurcising and success-strutting. Talk about a double-fist vomit… as the Valley Girls used to say!
Oh I love this comment!! Double-fist vomit … classic.
Oh no, I would not enjoy this book. I need to cut back sugar and move more, but I’m not giving up sugar. And that cutsy attitude would make me puke…sorry.
Perhaps the idea is to make us puke so we get rid of the sugar we’ve eaten…
See? This is another reason that I think you and I would be great friends (I mean if we occupied the same space in the world). I am not a fan of “rah rah” anything really. It is not real, is it? I mean, are there people who really, when they are all alone in their home, think like that….act like that….believe like that? Or do they curl up in a ball and have an adventurcise with a pint of Chunky Monkey?
They adventurecise with a pint of Chunky Monkey. We all know it. : )
I was reading this while picking out cereal. Somehow I skipped over the Cheerios and Raisin Bran and went right for the Capn Crunch.
You and me both!
Not a book for me either, I’m afraid I’d find it difficult to get beyond what sounds like a rather childlike attempt to get across the message that sugar is bad for us.
It makes me wonder who she thinks her audience is!
I already know sugar is bad and addictive – so I’ll give this book a wide berth. I think I’ll just stay with my coffee and chocolate addiction instead?
If you’re going to be addicted to something, I’d take coffee and chocolate over heroin!
Not even thinking of giving up my sugar. Love it too much. Sorry you had such a bad experience with this one.
I think the key, as with all things, is moderation.
Just reading the title, I was like “this book sounds icky and annoying … sexier and sweeter?” Funny that the inside is as annoying as the outside. I want to read a book about kicking the sugar habit that tells me the truth … “this process will suck major balls but you’ll probably feel better when it’s done”.
I know! Just give it to me straight. Get me through the rough patch.
It’s like an anti-sugar cult, complete with motto, jargon and mind-numbing catch phrases. And while I do need to cut down on sugar (ate a zinger and dark chocolate while reading blog posts this afternoon – one yummy bite left…) this book is already too much for me. Adventurcises – gag! Maybe I would be so nauseated that it would keep me from eating sugar, but I doubt it.
It could be that is the plan but I doubt it.
Those quotes annoyed me…definitely annoyed me.
Imagine the entire book like that!
To quit sugar is to quit living. I would rather run 10 miles a day than give it up. I say burn the thing!
I agree. Granted, I need to cut back but I don’t want to cut it out completely.
Sounds like maybe she was trying to make the book accessible and took it too far!
I think so. It definitely isn’t dry and “scientificey” but it goes way too far the other way.
It’s probably good that the author wrote a book instead of doing talks in person…I’d fear for her safety.
I don’t do cutesy very well…I’d be looking for donuts to hurl at her.
I hope she doesn’t talk like this in real life!
You gotta watch this…she’s so emotive it’s scary!
Oh my…
There are some simple things to start with like switching to lower glycemic sugary foods in substitute for raw sugar such as honey or acave nectar. Honestly, just looking at labels and avoiding high fructose corn syrup is a good start. Then moving forward to “better sugars” is the next step. I like to be very realistic in setting goals with my patients. This sounded a little to over the top. Sometimes one needs that when it is a matter of getting a person down to a healthy size for an urgent surgery. However, most of the time, taking the longer road leads to more sustained results.
I think you are right. Slow and steady always wins the race. And anything done too drastically probably won’t be sustainable. I wish you were my nurse practitioner!
Definitely not a book for me. For one, it sounds waaay too cutesy. Also, I’ve never considered sugar a problem. Now…. greasy, fatty, delicious chips are another thing! My downfall is more on the savory side.
I wish I just had one problem … but I have a carb problem and greasy fatty problem too! ACK!
I’m actually kinda surprised you took this one on!
Well every so often I get all “I’m going to change my life and eat healthier and yada yada yada” and then I get books like this and it goes nowhere. When will I learn?
Thanks for your honest review, Jenners. Sorry you didn’t find this book to be Splenda (also sorry about my poor pun!). Seems you struggled mostly with the tone and presentation of this book.
I admire a good pun! And it was the tone that ruined the book for me. Totally distracted me from what was probably a very good message.
Oh my. This book would annoy the crap out of me, and I am not kidding. I don’t like overly saccharine writing, and this business about picking out a theme song really seems to be overtly weird and over the top, don’t you think? Everyone needs a little sugar in their lives. I mean we don’t need to be slaves to it or anything, but a little piece of chocolate won’t kill you!
IF I could just eat it in moderation, then I wouldn’t have a problem. But I tend to go overboard. I’m TRYING but this book certainly isn’t going to help me with that.
Darn, I was hoping you’d say this worked! I need to cut back on sugar too.
Sorry to be the bearer of no news!
OMG, I would have felt compelled to commit a violent act upon this book! (…followed by a Woo-Hoo Feel-Good Song.)
A book that makes a book lover want to commit violence against it!
I don’t think I would like the author’s tone in this one either. I’m also highly suspicious of anyone who suggests I should give up sugar…ha!
As you should be. People who want you to give up sugar should be regarded as highly suspicious.
hahahaha!!! I don’t think I could even *begin* to take this book seriously…
It is a shame … it is probably a good message in there between the rah rah silly writing.
ha! i was going to try to write you a
sugar song, but the best one has been
written: “sugar . . . aw, honey, honey!”
but seriously, i am fasting sugar right
now and my body is protesting.
Now that song is going through my head! And I admire your willingness to take on a sugar fast. I’d love to know how it goes.
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