Here’s a simple reminder on what we mean by no sugar:
We want to reduce sugar as much as possible so that your body heals from ALL sugar damage. This is the point of the whole challenge.
1. For most ladies, your sugar intake is best represented by how many carbohydrates you eat.
2. Carbohydrates are macronutrients. Macronutrients come in 4 types: protein, fat, carbohydrates, alcohol.
3. Carbohydrates are usually what your body uses to burn for energy, because they are the easiest macronutrient to get energy from, next to alcohol, but we don’t eat alcohol daily (at least i hope not).
4. Fat is another source of energy that is cleaner and more abundant because it is on your body whether you eat or not. It also is full of nutrients, that, once released, nourishes you and strengthens you.
5. We want you to start burning fat instead of carbohydrates for your daily fuel.
6. This state of burning fat instead of fuel is called ketosis.
7. For you to switch from carbs to fat for fuel, your glycogen stores need to run out.
8. Remember that glycogen is what carbs get turned into, when you digest them. It happens to bread, potatoes, rice, cakes, all carbs. The liver sees it ALL as sugar (glycogen, which is sugar juice).
9. Glycogen that is unused encourages fat storage, thus making you fat. It also makes you produce too much insulin, which makes your brain ignore insulin, which means you make even more insulin to deal with food. It hurts your pancreas by straining it, making you more likely to become diabetic.
10. Burning fat as fuel means that you lose fat, because it always has fuel to burn - the fuel on and inside of your body.
11. This means you will need less sleep to feel refreshed, as well as less food to feel satisfied.
12. The NET carbs you consume a day, to stay in ketosis, should be 50 grams or less.
13. Most people eat 200-300 grams of carbohydrates a day.
14. If you like bread, roti and potatoes, you’re eating up to 900 a day, easy.
15. NET carbs measure sugar only. Total carbs may include fiber. Some fiber is not digested, so it cannot count.
16. If your apple has 6 grams total carbohydrates, with 2 grams of fiber, the apple has 4 grams of sugar, otherwise known as NET CARBS.
17. After eating this apple, if your goal is 50 grams of carbs a day, you have 46 grams left.
18. The 2 grams of fiber doesn’t count and it isn’t sugar, even though it’s counted as carbohydrates.
19. After 3 - 5 days of counting carbohydrates like this, you’ll be burning fat for fuel.
20. You will go through massive changes during the first week. You may even lose 10+ pounds.
21. You don’t need special diet food for this month of no sugar.
22. Stock up on vegetables, nuts, fats, and if you eat meat, lean meats, except for fatty fish.