How to Quit Sugar and Lose 25 Pounds

Last November I did a "No Sugar November" challenge. My partner and I were chilling on the bed, flipping endlessly through Netflix trying to decide on a movie to watch. Normally, Saturday morning cartoons is my thing, but I couldn't find anything good to watch...we had the munchies, then a documentary popped up. Mindlessly, we clicked on “Fed Up” and without realizing it, what we saw next would be mind blowing and exactly the motivation I need to push this program forward.

The documentary focuses on sugar as the leading cause of childhood obesity, and by the end of the documentary, we were both painfully aware of the extra pounds that had sneaked up on us...especially during this pandemic. Our munchies diet of chips and ginger ale had left us feeling pretty terrible, Thanksgiving & Christmas had only added insult to injury. I had also been sick frequently throughout the year for no apparent reason.

30-Day No Sugar Challenge

While my clients lost weight with the No Sugar November 30-Day Challenge, it was not a joke!! I think it was one the hardest challenges for my clients... they cursed me out everyday 😢 😪 🤣😂😅 They knew something had to change, but I also knew how much they loved sugar. (Hint: it was A LOT!)

My love affair with sweets and treats date back to childhood when I used to sneak chocolate bars from my mom's corner store throughout the day and hide them in my mattress, LOL. It was woven into my happiest memories like hot days with sweet ass kool-aid (soooo much sugar in the kool-aid). When we reached the end of “Fed Up,” the documentary presented a challenge: Try going just 10 days without sugar. Gina looked over at me and said make it 30 days. I laughed at her, but a little voice in the back of my head wondered, “What if?” So I said, "fuck it, let’s get it!!!" THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE Those first three days will be incredibly eye-opening. When you go to the grocery store to pick up some sugar-free foods, read the nutrition labels, as the movie suggested. You will be shocked to find that everything you love contains sugar. Favorite snacks like Chobani yogurt and granola bars contained about 15 grams of sugar, which is Fed Up’s recommended DAILY intake. Say whaaa?! Even ketchup, a staple condiment, was nixed from my grocery list.

Read labels! Sugar lurks every where!!

The hardest part of grocery shopping will be finding approved breakfast food. Most people love cereal and milk, but even the “healthy” cereals contain sugar. Oatmeal is always an amazing choice (not the kind that’s packaged in envelopes, but the kind of oats that come in a canister).  I’m not going to lie…the first three days will be hell. Self-discipline and knowing your "why" practically will have to restrain you from late-night sugary snacks. You will become incredibly grumpy and have zero energy. But at the end of the three days, my clients hopped on the scale and was shocked to find that they had already lost some pounds. I’m sure most of that was water weight, but it was enough to inspire them to try to complete the rest of the 30-day challenge. It will take about five-eight days to kick the physical symptoms of sugar addiction. Because you don't want to go through that withdrawal cycle again (it sucked!), your diet at the start must be very strict. I recommend that you do not eat bread or drink any alcohol, and even avoid natural sugar. That will help you get through the initial phase as quickly as possible.

THE FIRST TWO MONTHS After getting to 10 days, most of my clients had dropped another 3-5 pounds and couldn’t believe it.

Once you know your daily calorie intake you will soon realize that you're eating the same amount of calories as you had been eating before, but the difference will be that you are now eating REAL FOOD. You will start looking forward to hearty salads. You actually will not feel hungry all the time, like you had when you was living on sugar. By the end of the 30 days, you will lose some weight and feel WAY better. Can you imagine what would have happened if I just kept going. So I hope this becomes a lifestyle.  Over the course of the next couple of months, my clients dropped another 20 pounds for a grand total of 25-28 pounds. Your body will decide to stay there or you might want more according to your S.M.A.R.T goals. Some of my clients thought they might put some of that weight back on since they had dropped so quickly, but it never came back. As a fitness coach, I’m still happy seeing my clients and partner at their happy weight. I also enjoyed the benefits of this challenge and have never felt better. Besides, I haven’t been sick since last November!!! This challenge will really open your eyes to the value of putting good food into your body. I’m proud that my clients had the willpower to make such a huge lifestyle change, and you can do it too! 

NO SUGAR STARTS NOW!