Fall 12-Week No-Sugar Challenge 2009
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() The Spring No-Sugar Challenge was a great experience for me, and now that summer is coming to an end, and life should be calming down a bit, I would like to do it again! Anyone interested? A study released last week by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that money (big surprise) is the best motivator for losing weight. So the winner of this contest will win a $50.00 Gift Certificate to REI (http://www.rei.com/). We'll be using pretty much the same rules that Dream Chaser and TryTryTry established, but please read carefully as I have incorporated some of the things that were ruled on along the way. Here are the rules (plagiarized, with DC's and TryTryTry’s permission): Only participants with a sweet tooth are allowed to enter. If you don't have a problem with sweets, please do not enter. Please at some point, and only once, post your starting weight. You must post your weight before the official start date. There is a chance this contest may end in a tie, and the tie breaker will be the biggest weight loss percentage. The official Start Date is Tuesday September 1st Midnight. No Exceptions. Sorry, but if you have not posted your desire to join by midnight, Sunday March 1st you cannot join. Sorry. The contest will end on Monday November 23rd at 12 midnight. Tie-breaker weights must be posted before midnight that night. I had a friend who was enormous. 6' 7" tall, and an unbelievably huge belly. He moved out of state, than 6 months later visited and his gut was completely gone! We all asked him what diet he was on. He simply said he cut out added sugars. The Rules: a.) No added sugars: fructose, corn-syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, evaporated cane juice etc... If you read the ingredients on an item, and one of the first three ingredients is sugar (or any form of sugar including honey, molasses, maple syrup, or other forms of sugar) it's banned. No Junk Food. Junk food defined as any processed snack. There are exceptions and I will list them below, along with examples of what can be eaten and what can't. b.) If you relapse/ cheat/ screw-up ... its okay. Not the end of the world. But you must report it. Every time you cheat - you must post it in this thread and an "X" will be marked next to your name on an excel spreadsheet. The person with the lowest number of "X's" on Nov 23rd midnight is the winner. If there is a tie, then weight loss percentage will be the tie-breaker. c.) We are going on the Honor System here people. Us triathlete's are very honest people so I don't see this as being a problem. Like the famous phrase goes: "You can quit and no one will care if you do. But you'll know." Just the same, if you cheat - it will be on you and you will know. And I'm a firm believer in Karma Please read these rules again. What you Cannot eat: 1.) No junk food - NO SODA. Junk food defined as: Dorito's, potato chips, pretzels, ring dings, candy, cookies, Lifesavers, licorice, lifesavers, buttered popcorn, anything nutritionally void and/or full of artificial or unhealthy ingredients... use common sense. Also no muffins, no cakes, pastries, etc... We all know what junk food is 2.) No added or refined sugars. No sugar in your coffee. If an item has ingredients, and sugar is in the top three ingredients - it's banned. If sugar or a form of sugar is ingredient number four ...it is allowed. 3.) No Chocolate!! Yes, NO CHOCOLATE. Sure this will be a deal-breaker or often slip-up item for many ... but no chocolate of any kind is allowed. This will be so damn hard for me especially! 4.) Artificial Sweetners - splenda, sucralose, sacchrin, etc.. they are NOT allowed. No you cannot have diet soda or sugar-free snacks. They are unhealthy and they are a crutch and they will lead you back to the real thing - studies have proven it. If you want to get healthy and lose weight, let's get honest. Let's get really honest. Artificial Sugar is just as bad, if not worse for our bodies. Every packet of sweet and low is a slip!! What you Can eat: 1.) Don't fret, there is lots you can eat, like: Natural Sugar. Any natural fruit - apples, strawberries (no sweetened whipped cream on them though!) raisins, raw nuts (no honey-roasted), bananas, cherries, etc... You also can eat popcorn, but without the artificial butter. If you want to melt your own natural butter, that's fine and allowed. But the artificial butter is not allowed. 2.) Exceptions List: Training Aids are allowed. An hour before training - During Training - and Up to an Hour after training you are allowed to use any training-specific foods, meaning YES you CAN drink Gatorade, Infinit, gels, any Powerbar, Hammer nutrition products etc... You can have a chocolate Powerbar, you can have a chocolate protein shake - but only one hour before - during - or one hour after training. That's the window, and it has to be a training specific nutrition food. And Please Use your Discretion. Example: If you normally eat a Snickers on your long ride, than you eat one. If you normally don't, and now want to start - you're fooling yourself. 3.) We all get one Holiday Free Pass (mulligan). That's right, we all get ONE FREE SLIP. And by one free pass I mean one slice of cherry pie, or one piece of cake, one bite of a chocolate rabbit. Not an entire night of eating. One snack. 4.) Birthday Cake Exception. I'm superstitious. I admit it. If you go to a birthday party, or it is your birthday - Yes, you can have one regular-sized piece of cake, regardless of what kind of cake it is. You will not be dinged. This is allowed. If you'd like you can include Weddings and Anniversary parties, so long as the person is close to you. Use your discretion. When in doubt, use the Neanderthal man rule. Ask yourself this question: Could Neanderthal man eat this snack? If the answer is YES, then you can eat it. If the answer is NO, then it's banned. If you still are unsure, post it here and we will vote as to whether it is allowed. If you wish to enter please think about it for a while and see if you are really ready to commit to a plan like this. Here's a quick rehash: You must post "Yes" I want to join. Then, before September 1st midnight, you must post your weight. A spreadsheet accessible in this thread will post your name/ username and your weight. Any and every time you slip-up you must post it in this thread and an "X" will be placed next to your name. The BT'er with the fewest "X's" on the finish date of November 23rd, midnight is the winner. No honey in your tea, no sugar in your coffee, no candy bars, no artificial goodies of any kind. If you know a BT friend who might be interested tell them about this contest as, again, it starts promptly in 16 days. This is challenge is a huge commitment and undertaking. It will not interfere with your normal square meal intake during the day. You can eat all the meats, veggies, fish, potatoes, sandwiches you want ... and you can eat any processed food you want... so long as a form of sugar is not in the first three ingredients listed. Example: Total cereal - second ingredient is Sugar. You cannot eat it! Thomas's English muffins, corn syrup is the fifth ingredient so YOU CAN eat it! Also, note that many catsups, peanut butters, breads, and many other common items have sugar in the top 3 ingredients but are also available with no sugar added or at least sugar low enough on the ingredient list that they are allowed. Please post any questions you may have. Edited by carteroak 2009-08-16 2:52 PM |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Here is the link to the spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0An7ZkKfHG1L1dHotR3ZBQ3c2VG5HZHRsOEdNRE1xdFE&hl=en for email, enter "btchallenge" for password, enter "challengeforum" Then look for the "Fall 2009 12-week "No Sugar" challenge. |
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Member ![]() ![]() | ![]() I'll give it a tri. I joined the Halloween challenge so this should help with that to. I'm new to this BT thing I hope I'm doing this right. |
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![]() | ![]() I would like to try this, this is an interesting challenge and I think it will help me to really revamp my diet. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Great! You are both on the spreadsheet. I am looking forward to this and glad to have you! |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I'll give this a try. Just looked and the bread I eat has HFCS as it's second ingredient.... I wonder where else I get added sugar. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() zwest - 2009-08-18 12:57 PM I'll give this a try. Just looked and the bread I eat has HFCS as it's second ingredient.... I wonder where else I get added sugar. I have added you to the spreadsheet. It is amazing how much of the processed food that we eat has added sugars. The first time around, this was a real learning experience for me, for sure! Well worth the effort, I think. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Ok, I'm in. It will be a major challenge when I look at some of my consumption. Heck, just going to equal-free coffee will be a challenge. Do we just fill in our own info on the spreadsheet? |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I would like to be in on this challenge!! |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Hey Karla! I'm debating on whether to join again or not...I've managed to keep up a lot of things from the first one but i've also slipped in other areas. I'm looking at doing the get ripped challenge and am not sure I want to totally limit myself (can you say gum?!) Even if I decide against it, do you mind if I join you all unofficially? Dru ~ that de-sugaring the coffee thing was sooooo hard for me but surprisingly that is something I have maintained. I used to use a lb of sugar AND flavored creamer and now I use some skim milk and that is it! ![]() |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I'm thinking about joining this challenge, because I'm trying to lose those last 10 pounds that keep hanging around, and I bet this would do it. I already eat fairly healthy, but I do drink diet soda (so that would be gone) and I have bought into the marketing that a little dark chocolate once in a while (okay, a few times a week!) is a good thing, so that would be gone, too. And my husband LOVES ice cream, so even though we've switched to frozen yogurt or sherbet, I bet that would have to be gone, too. But here's a question. We do some baking - banana bread, zuchini bread, carrot muffins, etc. Some of the recipies use natural sweeteners like unsweetened applesauce or no-sugar-added apricot preserves, but others do require at least a little sugar to be edible. Would this be cheating? Or it is okay because it's not processed food? |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Hey, Karla!!! I am thinking about joining up again! No running for me for the next 6 weeks because of an injured foot, so I've been thinking about letting my focu be nutrition. This would certainly help with that. I will let you know...must really think about it, although it must be easier the second time, don't you think? If you made gum an allowable exception I would join in a heartbeat! ![]() |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I gotta agree on the gum thing. How about sugar-free gums, like Extra? I try to use gum to avoid snacking. It gives me something to do rather than eat, and if I have a mint gum, I don't want to eat and get rid of the fresh breath. Since we don't actually eat the gum, does that count for anything? First three ingredients in Extra are "Sorbitol, Gum Base, Glycerol". I guess #1 and #3 are somehow related to sugar. From wikipedia: "Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, is a sugar alcohol that the body metabolises slowly. It is obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group." Who knew? On a related note, can someone post a list of forbidden words? I know sugar, sucrose, etc, but when I looked at my Clif bar the first ingredient was Brown Rice Syrup. Turns out that's a sugar product. I never knew. I thought it was related to rice. So it would be helpful to have a list of sugar type ingredients to avoid. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Yea! So happy to have so many people join up! I'm on my way out the door now, but I will update the spreadsheet and address some of these questions this afternoon. : ) |
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Member ![]() | ![]() ouf! this one will be a challenge! I love my sweets and have tried in the past to quit my sweet habits, but never was able to... I am in!! |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I have added execmom7 and 42k+ to the spreadsheet, and was happy to see more have joined. Welcome all! To answer a few questions: -Yes, you do fill in your own info. on the spreadsheet as we go. Just a reminder - be sure to enter your starting weights no later than midnight on August 31st. Let me know if anyone needs spreadsheet help/instructions. -As for baked goods, the rules apply the same as everything else - no sugar in the top three ingredients. This is usually determined by weight, but you could also probably go by volume for home recipes. A lot of these things come down to a judgment call. In my view, baked goods such as muffins, cakes, and cookies go against the spirit of the challenge regardless of content. On the other hand, home-made breads are probably more healthy than store bought, and can be made with a low enough sugar content. Technically, I don't think we can out-law fruit juice as a sweetener without outlawing fruit, but I choose to avoid it, because it is very calorie and sugar (fructose) dense and it has the same effect on my energy, blood sugar, appetite, and cravings that sugar does. To summarize - you are going to have to use your judgment as you go, but remember the whole point of this is to adjust your preferences in order to get away cravings adn from a high sugar content in your diet, and to reap health benefits. (We will still be getting plenty of sugar in the form of fructose in fruits, lactose in dairy, and whatever else contains simple sugars naturally.) - Brown rice syrup is used in a lot of products - it is definitely added sugar and it is definitely not allowed. Sorbitol is not allowed. Neither is Stevia - this is tough one because it is natural, but it serves the same purpose, us used the same way, and has the same effect on our "sweet tooth" as the other artifical no-calorie sweeteners. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() kcovert1 - 2009-08-18 9:02 PM Hey, Karla!!! I am thinking about joining up again! No running for me for the next 6 weeks because of an injured foot, so I've been thinking about letting my focu be nutrition. This would certainly help with that. I will let you know...must really think about it, although it must be easier the second time, don't you think? If you made gum an allowable exception I would join in a heartbeat! ![]() I've given this one a lot of thought. I'm not sure that it is possible to run this challenge without some inconsistencies, so we just have to come up with some rules and stick with them. In the last challenge, I asked about taking Airborne as a supplement because it contains Sorbitol. The ruling was that it was okay, and I agree with that on the basis that it is a negligible amount, it serves a healthy purpose, and it is not part of my "sugar" problem. I tend to feel the same way about sugar-free gum. Some may see it as a crutch or feel that it reinforces sugar cravings, but you are not actually consuming anything and the amount of artificial sweetener is negligible. It is definitely a convenient breath freshener, and to my knowledge it has not been shown to have any negative health effects. Some people, including myself, may choose to avoid it anyway, but I say we allow gum this go-round - sugar-free only. I do think this will be easier the second time around, but I sure have slipped back into some bad patterns. As someone said last time - we just have to keep trying until our better choices and habits stick eventually. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Michelle, Kelly, and Kim - let me know what you decide! Great to have Michelle and Kim back officially or unofficially! |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Gum is okay!!!.....I'm in for sure. Will post my weight on the spreadsheet next week. BTW, it has been proven that chewing sugar-free gum after you eat is an excellent way to prevent cavities if you are not able to brush your teeth right away. http://dentistry.about.com/od/dentalhealth/tp/preventing_cavities.htm Glad to be back!! |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() This may be the hardest thing I ever do since i have a HUGE sweettooth but I would like to give it a shot if you still have any opening. I really want to lose about 40 pounds and nutrition is my biggest downfall so this could be a perfect jumpstart. Wade |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I'm in! My hubby is doing IMAZ on Nov. 22, so it will be good for him too if we eliminate sweets in the house. Although I asked him about diet soda and there's no way he's giving up that. So I will have to summon a lot of willpower to avoid touching the stuff! |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Welcome to the most recent of you who have made the commitment! It may surprise you what you find easy to give up and what becomes hard. For me, the sweetener in my coffee and tea and diet sodas were a lot easier to give up than I expected. The hardest part for me is giving up ice cream, and some of the breads that I like that have hone as the second or third ingredient. But it will get easier! The best part is having a big group of people to cheer each other on and provide support in times of stress and weakness!!! |
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New user![]() | ![]() Is it to late to join the challenge. I love all things with sugar, and think this is the just the challenge I need to try and remove sugar from my diet. Let me know what I need to do to join. TRI on everyone we can do it. ![]() |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Its not too late to join until Sept. 1, so welcome! And by putting yourself on the spreadsheet, you have done what you need to do. After that, just no sugar after Sept 1. If you were to slip up (which now of us plan to do, right?) you just need to record it as we go and keep us posted on how things are going for you. Glad to have you on board! |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Wow, this is a hardcore challenge! I read the post for the first time yesterday and thought "I could never do that!" Later as I was walking home, I started to wonder if maybe I could. Then, while eating my dinner of Whole Foods pre-marinated chicken breast (which undoubtedly has sugar in one of the top ingredients in the marinade...although technically the chicken breast is the #1 ingredient, so if sugar isn't in the top two of the marinade...), I started to check the labels of the things I eat frequently that aren't what would traditionally be considered crappy food (and most of them I eat for the protein, so I'm even eating them in an attempt to eat right!): * Silk Soymilk (every morning I have a glass for breakfast...with hersheys chocolate syrup.) The syrup is obvious, but the second ingredient in the soymilk is "natural evaporated cane juice"...which I assume is sugar. Although if it comes from cane and is called "natural", is that okay? * Greek Yogurt Sugar is second on the list...although I mainly eat this after a long run/bike for the protein (I'm not crazy about yogurts), which would comply with the 1 hour w/in workout rule. * Health Valley Granola in Date Almond flavor Cane juice is third on the ingredients list. * Reduced Fat Jiffy Peanut Butter Corn syrup solids - Ewe, that sounds gross! * Vitamin Water Sugar. This I use in place of my real demon...iced tea...specifically sweet tea! * Ensure Both sugar and corn syrup in the top three. I always keep a few of these around for when I don't have time to eat, or feel like I need a boost. Off course, that is on top off a the stuff I eat that I know is terrible and useless: the ice cream, cookies, brownies, chocolate syrup, sauces, candy, soda. OMG, I'm a complete addict! Even my healthy food is full of sugar! This is a big commitment, and honestly, I'm not sure exactly what I WOULD eat for three months. I have to think about this one. So, what exactly do you all eat when you aren't eating sugar??? |
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