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| Cheer up cranky pants, you don't really need those lollies. C'mon trust Aunty Nat, I've got your back! |
I was so thrilled with everyone's achievements for NoSugarVember that I thought I'd compile them all for you to see. For more information about what NoSugarVember entailed, check it out
here
Stu Benson,
Quite simply, NoSugarVember is one of the most satisfying, if not
the most life changing things I've ever participated in.
To expand on that, I'll give you a bit of a personal background;
No fruit, no vegetables. 3 or 4 coffees a day, 2 heaped sugars in
each. Biscuits, cakes, white breads, ice cream, chips. Sweet tooth.
Excessive eating. This was me in a nutshell.
I figured I was getting away with it, too.
At 31 years old, all my mates were getting beer belly's and starting to
look their age. Comparatively, I was in great shape - but really, my
measuring stick was a poor choice.
I decided to change my life and habits, and go "all in" to NoSugarVember,
and I am proud to say that I did not waver once. Not through the coffee
withdrawals, not at the kids birthday parties with the cake, chips, lollies
and biscuits. Never a sneaky sip of Coke at dinner with wifey, or a spoon
full of ice-cream from one of the kids bowls.
I started to think clearer. I had more energy. I *wanted* to eat like this,
and I was seeing a motivational physical change too. I was taking my
vitamins daily, my protein when recommended. Litres of water. I wanted to
do push-ups and sit-ups before work and before bed. I have a healthy
obsession now, in stark contrast to the October version of Stu.
To date, I've gone from a slightly love-handled 90kg to a noticeably
trimmer 84kg, and I intend to keep going until 78kg, and maintain it. I'm
gaining definition and confidence. My eating habits have changed forever.
I can't thank you enough for making me take a long, hard look at myself and
reassess what I was doing to body. Amanda has also been a huge influence
through this, always there for advice and reinforcement.
Coming to work, or going out with friends and having them remark at "how
great I look" is both empowering and satisfying. And they ain't seen
nothin' yet :)
With all the recommendation in the world, I simply thank you for changing
my life.
Justine
"Loved NoSugarVember. Over the last 30 days, so many people were curious as to
why I wasn't eating this or that, and I told them about NoSugarVember and the
benefits of eating sugar free. There was a lot of interest about it, and a lot
of support from my boyfriend. I will definitely continue NoSugarVember for as
long as possible. Hopefully for the rest of my life."
I woke up this morning and noticed a vertical dip or groove just under my sternum I think my abs want to come out from their hiding place. I haven't seen them... ever...I'm really enjoying these challenges and I'm looking forward to Abs4Xmas.
Joanne
Thanks Nat for the inspiration. Kilos gone & cms down. Planning on continuing however it has taken 30 days to get over my craving for a passionfruit cream filled melting moment. Feeling great.
Roger
"Well, it's been a whole month since the start of NoSugarVember and I seriously didn't think I could ever do it, but I did. I did not have one sugary soft drink, not one lolly, piece of chocolate, cake, nutella, ice cream, corn, sweet potato etc. Thank you to my amazing trainer Nat Carter for pushing me to do it. I encourage EVERYONE to try it because it's not that hard. Once a week thing for me from now on."
Shelley,
I decided to do NoSugarVember because while I thought I was eating
relatively healthy I knew I could still clean up my act more. I have a bad
sweet tooth & my weight loss had stalled even with personal training and a
gym membership. I needed a drastic change to kick my butt into gear. The
first two weeks were pretty bad with headaches almost every day, tiredness
and not being able to concentrate. I thought to myself, if this is how my
body is reacting to sugar coming out, imagine what it is doing to it going
in. The funny thing was that aside from that, I actually felt better than I
had in a while! Once the two weeks past, I found it easier. Not having
chocolate or soft drink was beginning to be second nature and I didn't have
to think about it as much. I had more energy and the scale finally began to
move. It took me 6 months to lose 2kg prior to this, I cut sugar out and
lost 2kg in the first two weeks, without even going to the gym that much.
My body leveled out so weight loss was a bit slower after that, I lost a
total of 2.5kg in the 4 weeks. I now feel sure I can lose the rest of the
weight, whereas before I was starting to settle on the fact I'd always be
heavier than I wanted. I started making running goals again, my head is
clearer and I've made the decision to not have sugar in my diet again. I
definitely recommend it to anyone, even those who don't think they eat much
sugar as it is, you will be amazed at what you notice.
Sarah,
When Natalie's suggestion of NoSugarVember popped up on Twitter, I was
already four weeks into a no-sugar experiment. In October I had decided to
avoid sugar and sweeteners of every kind, including fruit. I had been
reading a lot about sugar over the past six months and becoming more and
more convinced about the merits of quitting sugar. October had not gone
well, though, since I had been sick for two long weeks, spent a week on
holiday, and celebrated my birthday. I felt no regret about eating sugar on
my birthday, obviously, but the other slip-ups were demotivating.
Discovering #NoSugarVember on Twitter encouraged me to get back to my
sugar-free experiment. (I didn't follow Natalie's guidelines exactly since
I already had a routine established, however broken. For example, I did not
eat any fruit, but did allow myself milk and vegetables such as sweet
potatoes and corn, which have some sugar.)
At some points during November, my sugar cravings were overwhelming. There
were many more days, however, when I felt relieved to not battle with
cravings. And I felt as though my snack attacks were lessened now that I
was more in tune with when my body was hungry. A wonderful benefit was that
ordinary foods started to have a much more enjoyable taste. One day I was
eating a salad for lunch and had to put down my fork in awe - the lettuce
was so sweet and enjoyable!
I discovered some wonderful ways of enjoying sweetness that didn't involve
sugar. For example, chai tea or teas made with liquorice often satisfied my
sweet tooth. I started to use coconut oil to make my morning pancakes. I
used coconut milk and cream occasionally with oatmeal. I sprinkled cinnamon
or powdered vanilla on anything I wanted to taste sweet. Flavours such as
coconut, cinnamon, and vanilla are perceived by our tongues as sweet,
although they don't contain any sugar.
After NoSugarVember is over I plan to reintroduce one or two pieces of
low-sugar fruit per day. Other than that, I intend to stay sugar-free. (My
birthday is still an obvious exception!) My cravings are lessening
considerably and I have found myself to be happier and less distracted now
that I've given up sugar.
How did you go on NoSugarVember? Please share it with the class, you know I go crazy for great achievements!
