About
The Project
I lived my life controlled by chronic failed dieting, major weight fluctuations, isolation, depression, binge eating, and the shame and loss of self-esteem that comes with those. I always knew I had a problem. Since I was a child, my days were spent thinking about food, vowing not to eat certain foods, finding a way to get those foods and eating them anyway, isolating, feeling ashamed for doing so, and creating a plan for how it would all be different tomorrow.
I did everything I could think of in an attempt to free myself from this terrible cycle and the sense of living on the “outside” that was my life. I put my hope in every diet I heard about. I took days off work or skipped social events (including a family wedding!) to physically keep myself away from food. I tried not eating at all. I went to therapists and nutritionists who specialized in eating disorders, but I couldn’t find anyone who understood what I was going through with sugar.
I was so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired: my muscles ached, my jeans didn’t fit, I never slept well, my skin was blotchy, my face was puffy, my mind was foggy, I was chronically hung over, I was moody and depressed, and I was so lonely.
From the outside, I was living the life. I was working my dream job, I had a beautiful home, great friends, a supportive boyfriend, and a loving family. But my sugar addiction was out of control. On an average day, I required a large peppermint latte to start my morning, many candy bars and several pints of ice cream to get through the day, I skipped or picked at lunch, and I usually skipped dinner because I didn’t want to waste the calories on real food. I was out of control. In December of 2014 I made the decision that I would do whatever it would take to find my solution once and for all. I was desperate for a solution. But how to quit? I’d tried and failed, in fact, almost daily. I knew enough to know that diets weren’t the answer. Having tried everything else, I knew I had to find that solution myself. I took a leave of absence from my job and made a full-time project of finding my way out of this way of living.
I studied everything I could about sugar and the chemical effects it has on the brain and body. I studied at the renowned Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I studied yoga and meditation. I learned to cook. And I stopped eating added sugars.
As the weeks and months rolled on, one day at a time, my new daily routines became my new normal way of living. I rolled out my mat and practiced yoga in the morning. I made lunch dates with my girlfriends. I spent time with my family. I cooked my meals and I discovered I love real food. These might sound like small things, but to me, learning to take care of myself in these ways was a huge victory. I began to find joy in the ordinary actions of my day—going to the farmer’s market, walking my dog, cleaning my house, dancing (badly) when no one is around, spending time with a friend. As I started obsessing less and less about food, I found I had more time in the day for the activities and the people that I care about. And I began to experience more moments of peace. Those moments became longer and more frequent, and with them, came feelings I had not had in years, if ever. I felt: happy. Proud. I felt that I mattered. And I felt free.
People I knew saw the change in me and started asking for my help. I realized that through my efforts to save myself, I had created the recovery program that I had been in need of all my life: Project Sugar Free was born.
Christy Carreño is an Integrative Health Coach, Certified Nutritionist and former sugar junkie. Christy sits on the Board of Directors of the Food Addiction Institute, is a graduate of San Diego State University and a certified yoga and meditation instructor. Her mission is to raise sugar awareness and to coach people to live their healthiest, happiest life.
I lived my life controlled by chronic failed dieting, major weight fluctuations and the shame and loss of self-esteem that comes with those. I always knew I had a problem. Since I was a child, my days were spent thinking about sugar, vowing not to eat certain foods, finding a way to get those foods and eating them anyway, isolating, feeling ashamed for doing so, and creating a plan for how it would all be different tomorrow.
I did everything I could think of in an attempt to free myself from this terrible cycle and the sense of living on the “outside” that was my life. I put my hope in every diet I heard about. I took days off work or skipped social events (including a family wedding!) to physically keep myself away from food. I tried not eating at all. I went to therapists and nutritionists who specialized in eating issues, but sugar addiction is just now beginning to be understood and accepted, and I couldn’t find any programs with a solution to my problems with sugar.
I was so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired: my muscles ached, my jeans didn’t fit, I never slept well, my skin was blotchy, my face was puffy, my mind was foggy, I was chronically hung over, I was moody and depressed, and I was so lonely. In December of 2014 I made the decision that I would do whatever it would take to find my solution once and for all. I was desperate for a solution. But how to quit? I’d tried and failed, in fact, almost daily. I knew enough to know that diets weren’t the answer. Having tried everything else, I knew I had to find a new solution. I attended retreats on addiction. Workshops on healthy living. I studied at the renowned Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I studied everything I could find about human biology and the chemical effects sugar has on the mind and body. And I stopped eating added sugars.
As the weeks, months, and years rolled on, one day at a time, I made small changes in my daily routines. I rolled out my mat and practiced yoga in the morning. I journaled. I made dates with my girlfriends. I started meal prepping and cooking my meals: pots of soup, hot cereal, roasted veggies and my all-time favorite breakfast: huevos rancheros. These might sound like small things, but to me, learning to take care of myself in these ways was a huge victory. I began to find joy in the ordinary actions of my day—going to the farmer’s market, walking my dog, cleaning my house, dancing (badly) when no one's around, spending time with a friend. As I started obsessing less and less about food, I found I had more time in the day for the activities and the people that I care about. And I began to experience more moments of peace. Those moments became longer and more frequent, and with them, came feelings I had not had in years, if ever. I felt: happy. Proud. I felt that I mattered. And I felt free. People around me saw the change in me and started asking for my help. I realized that through my efforts to save myself, I had created the program that I had been in need of all my life: Project Sugar Free was born.
Christy Carreño is an Integrative Health Coach, Certified Nutritionist and former sugar junkie. Christy sits on the Board of Directors of the Food Addiction Institute, is a graduate of San Diego State University and a certified yoga instructor.
Carolynn has written and developed recipes for every big magazine you’ve heard of and some you may not have, including The New York Times Magazine, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Saveur, Gourmet, Playboy and The Los Angeles Times. Carolynn is the author and co-author of 15 books, the most recent of which, Bowls of Plenty, celebrates the intersection of healthy and delicious in the vessel of the decade: a bowl. Carolynn invents our meal plans, making sure you always have something delicious to cook and eat for every season and every occasion.
Brittnee is our all-around right hand girl, doing everything from grocery store runs to booking speaking gigs to talking to all of you nice people on the phone. That smile you see in the photo is pretty much always on her face. She is the happy, friendly voice on the other side of the phone, and the one answering your questions via email or scheduling sessions. Brittnee also assists in the kitchen with recipe development and testing. She loves cooking, exploring her new hometown of San Diego and taking long walks with her husband Nick and their golden retriever Charlie.
