Sugar Knockout Guide
Congratulations on taking the challenge and committing to your health and longevity! This guide provides the tools you need to succeed during your 30-day challenge and beyond. Please take a few minutes to review the guide to establish a solid foundation for success!
The Impacts of High Blood Sugar and a High-Sugar Diet
Sugar is a powerful drug! Not only is it highly addictive, but it also directly and indirectly controls many aspects of your physiology, including your hormones, cortisol levels, gut microbiome, sleep quality, dental health, bone structure, heart health, and more.
The negative effects of sugar on your health are more significant than you might realize. High blood sugar is a leading cause of heart disease and has been linked to Alzheimer's, dementia, obesity, and, of course, diabetes. For every 1-point increase over 85 mg/dL in fasting glucose, your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes increases by 6%. That’s huge!
That means if your fasting blood glucose is 100, which is close to the average for most adults in the U.S., your chance of developing diabetes is 90%!
The benefits of reducing dietary sugar and blood sugar levels include:
Increased energy
Healthier body composition
Less inflammation
A more robust immune system
Better emotional resilience
A reduced risk for diseases such as heart disease, dementia, diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, peripheral neuropathy, and many more.
Why a 30-Day Sugar Knockout Challenge?
Practicing Long-Term Moderation:
It's not realistic to completely avoid sugar for the rest of our lives. In fact, some sugar in moderation can be beneficial, especially when consuming highly nutritious fruits like blueberries, blackberries, tart cherries, kiwi, and some citrus fruits. Sugar also provides a quick supply of energy for long, high-intensity workouts, competitions, and endurance athletes. The knockout gives you a 30-day pause to evaluate your relationship with sugar and then mindfully reintegrate it into your diet if you choose.
Resetting Your Metabolic System:
The reason we're knocking out sugar for 30 days is to allow your metabolic system to reset and recover. One negative side effect of high blood sugar is increased inflammation and liver damage called nono-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and it’s way more common than you think! Thirty days will give your body time to repair the damage caused by high blood sugar. Additionally, after 30 days, your palate becomes more sensitive to sweet foods, so you'll hopefully consume less sugar when you reintroduce it into your diet.
Strengthening Good Habits and Increasing Confidence:
One way to make positive changes in your life is to automate difficult decisions. For example, if you decide not to eat any added sugar or sweets for 30 days, you can default to that decision when cravings arise. This way, when you're stressed, tired, or your willpower is compromised, you won't have to make a decision that you may regret later.
Simply follow the rule you set for yourself. This approach can positively change your self-image and build confidence. In James Clear's book Atomic Habits, he encourages you to adopt an identity that aligns with your goals. For example, if you adopt the identity "I'm a person who can do hard things and follow through with my commitments," then every time you make a decision that supports that identity, you gain more confidence in yourself. That confidence can carry over to other parts of your life beyond your diet.
So, knocking out sugar isn't just about sugar. It's about improving your overall health, being mindful of your food and health decisions, and building more confidence in yourself.
How to Knock Out Sugar
For 30 days you’re eliminating:
All added sugar - you can substitute with non-caloric sweeteners like allulose, stevia, and xylitol for coffee, cooking and baking (see troubleshooting below for more info).
Other names for sugar include: sucrose, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, karo, glucose.
Honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, etc
All sweets, candies, pastries, etc.
All sodas, energy drinks, workout drinks and other beverages that contain sugar
All fruit juices and smoothies
Read the labels! - Look for hidden sugars in all processed foods, cereals, breads, salad dressings, etc…manufacturers sneak it in everywhere so be vigilant!
All fruit for 30 days. While some fruit can be healthy, it’s really hard not to go overboard when doing a sugar knockout. So for now, fruit is on the list to eliminate.
After the sugar knockout, eating 1-2 servings of fresh (not dried), low-sugar fruit can be a healthy source of nutrients and antioxidants. Here’s a list of low-sugar fruits. Stick to fruits that have a glycemic load (GL) of 3 or less.
Start With Why
In Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why, you're encouraged to evaluate why you want to do something difficult before you start. Many people jump into challenges with only vague notions of why they’re doing it. Here are a few prompts to explore your motivations:
What am I afraid will happen if I don’t make this change? What are the negative short- and long-term consequences of not making this change?
What am I hoping to gain in the short- and long-term by making this change? What are the potential benefits?
How will I be different by making these changes in my life?
Choose Your Date (And Stick to It!)
If you're joining one of our challenges, this part is easy because we've already set the dates for you. However, if you're doing this on your own, choose a specific start and end date, and mark it on your calendar. Be realistic! If this is your first Sugar Knockout, don’t attempt it during the holidays or while on vacation. Choose a practical date you can commit to and make it easier on yourself by reducing opportunities for failure.
Commit Publicly
Once you've decided to take the challenge and have chosen a specific date, commit to it publicly. No one likes to fail themselves, but even fewer people like to fail publicly. So, give yourself a motivation boost and tell your friends and community about your plan. Who knows—you might even inspire others to join you!
Prepare for Success
Your environment has a significant impact on your behavior and choices. To set yourself up for success, make sure you've removed all sugary foods from your home. If your coworkers bring in food to share, avoid the breakroom. Get your family, roommates, and close community on board with you. The more people around you doing the hard thing with you, the higher your success rate will be. Create an environment where you can thrive in your commitments and reinforce the identity and confidence you're building.
Engage and Share Honestly
If you're doing a challenge with others, be sure to participate actively in the group every day. Share your challenges and wins. Talk about your struggles and how you overcame them—or how you failed. Discussing failure publicly and asking for feedback reduces its sting and reinforces that nobody is perfect. Remember, failure is part of the process, but only if you learn from it.
Have a Plan for Troubleshooting Sugar Cravings
Willpower and discipline alone are usually not enough to ensure success. You also need a plan for times when you're tired, weak, stressed, or tempted. Here are a few strategies for managing sugar cravings:
Non-Caloric Sweeteners: It's okay to use sugar alternatives during the Sugar Knockout. One of my favorites is allulose, a sugar molecule with a different shape that isn't absorbed as sugar, so it won't spike blood glucose levels. Some research shows that allulose can actually reduce blood sugar and serve as a prebiotic food that's healthy for your gut microbiome. It's versatile and can be used in drinks, cooking, and baking without the aftertaste associated with other sweeteners. However, be cautious with dosage—some people are sensitive to it, and too much can cause gastrointestinal distress. Xylitol is another sweetener I recommend, though mostly for chewing gum. It may not be ideal in drinks or cooking, but chewing xylitol gum can quell strong sugar cravings and fight cavities at the same time!
Don’t Look at the Dessert Menu: Self-explanatory.
Give Yourself 15: Research on addiction and behavior change shows that even the strongest cravings can be alleviated by delaying eating or drinking for 15 minutes. Just don’t sit on the couch staring at the clock—engage in something constructive and creative.
Know Why You Want the Sweet: Asking yourself why you want something sweet can build mindfulness and awareness about your habits. Many people (myself included) default to eating sweets when they’re bored, lonely, stressed, tired, undernourished, angry, or experiencing other emotions. If you have a strong craving, give yourself 15 minutes and then ask yourself why you want it. Often, the answer will be obvious. Your job is then to tend to the real need instead of covering it up with a quick dopamine fix. For example, if you crave sweets when you're emotional, take a walk and practice deep breathing exercises.
Check In on a Friend: This strategy is powerful not only for cravings but also for reducing anxiety and bouts of minor depression. If you're feeling lonely and craving something sweet, reach out to a friend. Cognitive psychology research shows that taking an interest in someone else can rewire your brain to focus less on yourself, reducing cravings and increasing happiness, contentment, and reducing anxiety.
How to Turn Your Short-Term Success into Long-Term Benefits
Your Sugar Knockout Challenge, as you can probably tell, is less about destroying the evil sugar molecule and more about building robust physical and psychological well-being. Here are a few suggestions to help you maintain your hard-won successes and make a lasting impact on your health, performance, and longevity.
Become a Sleep Master:
The psychological and physiological benefits of good sleep are vast and cannot be overstated! Good, long, deep sleep promotes healthy blood sugar levels, improves mood, supports fat loss, aids muscle gain, reduces cravings, and limits poor decisions. It's one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health.
Daily Exercise:
Next to sleep, daily exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body. A combination of strength training and cardio-aerobic training will have the most significant impact not only on your blood sugar and sugar cravings but also on your sleep, dietary choices, body composition, mood, and countless other aspects of health. The combination of excellent sleep and daily exercise is a powerful way to ensure a long and healthy life.
What’s Measured Gets Managed:
I encourage everyone I work with to establish a baseline measurement of their fasting blood glucose. Remember, every point over 85 mg/dL increases your risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes by 6%. It's not uncommon for someone new to my program to have a fasting morning glucose of 110 mg/dL, indicating a 90% risk of developing diabetes. Many people think they’re healthy but don't realize they have a ticking time bomb that could damage their heart, blood vessels, eyes, nerves, sex organs, and more. Daily measurement can help establish a baseline and allow you to observe your progress over time.
Here are a few simple ways to measure and monitor your fasting blood glucose levels:
Get a blood draw once per month in the morning to measure your fasting blood glucose. You can get this ordered through your doctor or there are consumer labs online that will do this for you. A quick Google search will give you a lot of different options at different prices. While this is the gold standard and the most accurate, it’s usually not realistic for most people and used mostly by people who are serious about their metabolic health.
Use an at-home blood glucose monitor. This is one of those finger pricky devices that most diabetics have used up to the introduction of the continuous glucose monitor (CGM). They have their benefits and drawbacks. First they’re inexpensive, easy to use and you can do them at home. If you decide to use one, my suggestion is to measure your fasted morning glucose when you first wake up, three days per week for 3-6 months months and keep a journal or spreadsheet. A few drawbacks include: 1) the finger poke hurts a little, 2) they can be inaccurate (up to 15% off compared to a blood draw in a lab), 3) people often forget to do it after the first few weeks and the device just sits in a drawer, forgotten . Still, this can be a helpful way to measure and manage your progress.
Use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). These handy devices monitor your body’s glucose levels all day long and can give you accurate, real time feedback about your metabolic health. While these devices can be really helpful, there are a few drawbacks. First, they can be expensive without a prescription from your doctor ($65-$200) per month. Most doctors won’t prescribe one and insurance companies usually won’t cover the cost for someone who’s not already diagnosed with diabetes. Second, they can be inaccurate if they aren’t placed correctly on your body, if your skin is dirty, or the device is faulty which occasionally happens. Third, the consumer companies that supply them are overpriced and often require a monthly subscription to use their app, even if you’re not actively using a CGM. Even so, the two services I’m familiar with in the United States that will give you a CGM without a prescription are Veri and Levels.
Use The Blood Sugar Trifecta At Mealtime:
Here are three ways to easily reduce your blood sugar when you’re eating starches or sugars.
Eat Your Carbs In The Late Morning Or Early Afternoon: Your insulin system is a lot more sensitive and able to balance your blood glucose earlier in the day. Eating carbs later in the day, especially at night, will spike your blood sugar more and it will take longer for your body to reduce it. In fact, you might wake up with higher than normal blood sugar that next morning which is a sign of insulin resistance, one of the hallmarks of developing metabolic disease (type 2 diabetes).
Eat Your Protein And Veggies Before Your Carbs: There’s actually some science to back up this folk wisdom about food sequencing during meals. It turns out that eating your protein and veggies first and then taking a 10-minute break from food before eating your starches or desserts will do a few things. First, it can reduce how much starch or sugar you eat because you will already feel satiated after the protein, veggies and short pause from eating. Second, it will feed your gut microbiome which communicates with almost every cell in your body, including your brain and can influence you to make positive decisions. Third, and most importantly, it will actually reduce how high your blood sugar increases after your meal.
Take A Walk After You Eat: Research shows that doing any form of exercise will help to reduce your blood sugar after a meal. This includes short bouts of intense exercises (ie 60 seconds of air squats for 3 sets), but also walking for 20 minutes or longer. I encourage all of my clients to take a walk after dinner which will have a few different benefits. First it will reduce blood glucose levels which will have a positive impact on sleep. Second, if the walk is around sunset, exposure to the infrared light will better prepare your brain for deeper sleep.
If you do the three things for most meals you will not only feel better after meals (less bloated, less tired, less indigestion), but you’ll reduce your average blood sugar levels which will go a long way for improving your metabolic health and preventing metabolic disease.
Summary
You're on an incredible journey to improve your health and well-being by taking control of your sugar intake. This guide has given you the tools and insights to succeed in your 30-day Sugar Knockout Challenge. By understanding the impact of sugar, setting clear goals, and having a plan for cravings, you're setting yourself up for success. Remember, it's not just about cutting sugar—it's about building lasting habits that will support your long-term health and happiness.
Just remember….YOU GOT THIS! Taking on a challenge like this isn't easy, but the rewards are worth it. We’re here cheering you on every step of the way, and I'm excited to see the positive changes you'll experience. Keep moving forward, stay committed, and remember why you started. Your future self will thank you!