February Challenge: Give up added sugar for one month

Posted by

February’s challenge is to remove added sugar from your diet.

No added sugars, no artificial sweeteners, no honey, no agave, no syrup, and – you guessed it – no alcohol. One month of reading labels, eating mindfully, and changing your lifestyle for the better.

Intimidated? Hear me out. February is a tough month. First of all, Valentines Day – those candy hearts and chocolates are calling your name. Plus the weather is chilly (who doesn’t love to hibernate?), the bright shiny new year is wearing down to the grind of normalcy, and the CrossFit Open is sneaking up on us.

There’s no better time to get your diet right. And I don’t want to hear that you don’t need it. 

The chart above shows just *some* of the hidden names of sugar. Even if you read every label of every food you put in your body, you’re probably consuming a lot more than you think you are.

The American Heart Association advises that the average woman consume a maximum of 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day. Can you guess how much sugar is in one 12-ounce can of Coke? Ten teaspoons.

I don’t drink soda, but I’m guilty of a few other things:

  • If I’m offered candy (even if I don’t even really like the kind of candy) I will accept it every time.
  • If there are donuts, cookies, cake or chocolate in the office, finding the willpower to say no feels damn near impossible. AND I find myself coming back for seconds.
  • I’m a big foodie and I LOVE beer. I try to limit it to one a week, but usually one beer quickly turns into three.

You’re probably a lot like me. Thus, this challenge.

Here are the parameters:

No added sugar for the month of February.

****Allowed exceptions include: stevia, monkfruit and coconut sugar. Kombucha is allowed regardless of added sugar content.****

Scoring: A perfect day is 0 points, and every violation outside of the exception to the rules (aka – every time you eat sugar), add a point. You will score daily. The lowest score at the end of the month wins a free Precision Nutrition consultation with Coach Greg.

We’re throwing down the gauntlet. Challenge accepted.