Sugar is BAD for you!team-up technique for giving up sugar

It’s your worst enemy, when it comes to:

  • Losing weight
  • Improving your health
  • Controlling you mood
  • Feeling fresh

Many people struggle with giving up sugar and staying healthy.

Today, I’m about to show you how I quit sugar in just 2 weeks.

And I achieved that even though I was a real sugar junkie – I couldn’t imagine my life without donuts and chocolate.

I went from 2 teaspoons of sugar in my coffee to zero, and from having at least one chocolate bar a day to not eating chocolate at all!

Not to mention all the other products that contain hidden sugar – gone in just 2 weeks.

I managed to quit sugar for good, in no time.

And how have I done that?

The Team-Up Technique.

Well today, I’ll guide you through every single detail and show you step-by-step how I did it.

 

The Team-Up Technique: (Sugar Quitting Formula)

I first came up with “The Team-Up Technique” a few years ago, when my boyfriend Matt and I decided to change our lives and start living healthier.

After watching a documentary about sugar, we figured out how bad it actually is, and how it affects our organs, so we decided to leave it out from our every day menu.

The internet was full of “sugar quitting” tips and programs, but none of them helped at the time.

After a few months of struggling, we came up with an idea that could help us quit sugar once and for all.

Because this sugar quitting method had to include both of us, we named it “The Team-Up Technique”.

We started our sugar quitting journey on May 5th 2014, Monday (everything has to start on Monday, right?)

Despite the bad sugar cravings, and Matt’s horrible soda addiction, we managed to keep it up and lower our sugar intake:

  • May 4 2014 – sugar intake ~130 grams
  • May 8 2014 – sugar intake ~10 grams
  • May 12 2014 – ~5 grams
  • May 16 2014 – ~5 grams
  • May 19 2014 – 0 grams

The best part is that you get to do it in a team!

“The Team-Up Technique” has helped many people with their struggle of sugar cravings in the past few months.

Lina & Mattie
“Giving Up Sugar journey”

lina & matea fitgirlsdiary giving up sugar journey

I found out about “The Team-Up Technique” a few months ago, after Monica convinced me to try it.
When I decided to take a look at it, I realized that I wanted to at least give it a try.
I never thought that I’d end up giving up sugar for life!
I convinced my sister to join me, and she said yes.
Today we live happy and healthy lives without ANY sugar.
Not only did we lose weight and start getting fit, but we started feeling better too.
It’s fun and most important of all – it works!”

And these are just some of the countless benefits you’ll get by quitting sugar.

You will:

  • Start losing weight
  • Start getting fit
  • Sleep better
  • Wake up with more energy
  • Build a better immune system
  • Stop craving bad foods
  • Start feeling energized instead of tired
  • Start having more regular “bathroom habits”
  • Get smoother and healthier skin

 

The 5 Steps To Using “The Team-Up Technique” to Quit Sugar For Life

how to quit sugar in 2 weeks-compressedThere are 5 simple steps that make up The Team-Up Technique:

Step 1: Learn Everything About Sugar

Step 2: Find A Teammate

Step 3: Add The Right Foods To Your Diet

Step 4: Balance The Blood Sugar Levels With The Right Supplements

Step 5: Start Doing The Right Activities

You may be wondering why this technique works so well?

Think about it this way:

What’s the best thing that can happen to any human being, while trying to succeed something?

Support!

Having a support and finding someone that really believes in you and wants to help you achieve your goals – well that’s priceless.

So through “The Team-Up Technique” I’ll help you get rid of your enemy, as long as you promise to be a team player.

 

Step 1: Learn Everything About Sugar

Getting to know your enemy is actually the first thing you want to do in order to get rid of it.

And how else would you be able to realize why sugar is bad for you if you don’t know how it affects your body and health?

So because of that, you’ll learn every single detail about sugar, here and now!

Starting from why sugar is bad for you, to where it hides and what its secret weapons are, you’ll learn everything you need to know.

Why is sugar called “white poison” or “modern worlds drug”?

Well, you’re about to find out…

First of all, let’s get one thing straight – what does “sugar” even mean?

The white stuff we all refer to as sugar is actually a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, mostly sugar cane and sugar beet, consisting essentially of sucrose.

Sucrose is just two simple sugars stuck together:

  • fructose and glucose

Here’s what happens when we intake this half glucose and half fructose carbohydrate:

Consuming this formula makes your pancreas secrete a hormone called insulin.

One of insulins jobs is to cause your body store fat.

It also affects a hormone in our brain called leptin.

Leptin is a hormone that alerts your body to when you’re full.

But sugar gives your brain a hard time recognizing leptin, so this means that you don’t really know when you’ve had enough to eat.

You can’t stop eating before you finish your chocolate, right?

Well, you’re not the one to blame – it’s fructose all the way.

Fructose is actually that addictive part of sugar.

I bet you wonder how it can be addictive.

Ever heard of dopamine?

Dopamine is part of your brain’s reward system, it is what gets you addicted to certain things or behaviors.

As you eat certain foods again and again, your dopamine levels start dropping down and the food becomes boring.

But that’s not the case when it comes to sugar.

When you consume sugar, your brain is rewarded, the satisfaction rises thus reinforcing the will to consume sugar again.

Even though you’ve had chocolate many times, your brain will still be as excited as if you’re eating it for the first time in your life.

You can see better how it all works in this short cute video from Ted:

That’s how the addiction starts.

This is the main reason why obesity actually happens!

This leads to problems with your pancreas:

The pancreas produces insulin that helps regulate the blood sugar levels – so the more sugar you have, the harder your pancreas has to work.

And unhealthy pancreas leads to many diseases starting from Diabetes, to metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

When ingested, the fructose is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and it is almost entirely cleared by the liver.

Our liver can deal with the fructose, but the thing is, it can’t deal with the amount of fructose we consume nowadays.

And the amount of sugar we consume is actually breathtaking.

Here’s why:

Sugar is used as a sweetener in food and drink, but the sad truth is that we can find sugar in almost every product these days.

It is added in products that have never had sugar before and foods you wouldn’t expect.

The sad statistics say that 80% of the food items in America contain added sugar.

YES 80%!

The food manufacturers use many different names nowadays, so it really gets trickier to avoid it.

And why does the food industry wants to hide this white toxin so hard from us?

Because it is not good for us, but it makes every food taste better, and tasty food sells!

It has also been proven to be as addictive as cocaine and heroin!

Well, that really makes the point because if we are addicted to their products, we’ll keep buying them, and they’ll keep making money, right?

Some will say: “Why is sugar suddenly so bad for us, when it has been all around us from forever.”

The simple answer is that we have dramatically increased the sugar intake, because it is everywhere around us.

Here are some of the names that are used to represent sugar:

infographic for giving up sugar-the sugar zoo-names for sugar

Click on the image to learn about the other 30 names of sugar.

So yes, sugar is a sweet killer.

After watching a series of documentaries about it, I’ve had enough!

I strongly recommend you to watch some of these documentary videos. just to make sure that you’re ready to head on to the next step!

Step 2: Find a Team Mate

This part is really important, and it makes this technique unique and successful.

Here’s why:

You can only succeed if you have the right partner.

And by the right partner, I mean a person that you will walk this path with.

Imagine this:

You’re giving up sugar, but every single person around you is eating ice creams and donuts, in your face!

Well it would be easier if you had at least one person that you’ll give and get support from, right?

And that’s what I’m offering to you.

Choosing the right teammate is something that you should do really carefully.

It has to be a person that:

  • you can rely on
  • you believe in
  • you respect
  • you’re close to
  • you love
  • you’ve known for a long time

Here are some examples:

  • sister/brother
  • boyfriend/girlfriend
  • best friend
  • mother/father

Don’t underestimate this, because this step is a REALLY IMPORTANT one.

It’s one of the main reasons why “The Team-Up Technique” works so well.

After you find this person, comes the hard part:

Get back to the first step, and teach him/or her why sugar is bad.

You have to convince this person to quit sugar, the same way I convinced you to even consider reading this in the first place!

Watch the videos together, re-read everything again, help them admit the addiction, and finally start this journey together.

You’re the teacher now and it’s all up to you.

After they says yes, you’re set.

Why does it takes two?

People are proven to work better and achieve more results when they work in a team.

It’s not about competition, it’s about working together to achieve the same goal.

Not that you can’t do it by yourself, but it’s 10 times easier when you get to do it in a team.

Support matters a lot!

You’ll help each other and you’ll have each other when bad times come.

And in the first sugar-free week there will be some bad times.

Also, there’re some rules that you’ll have to follow:

  • You HAVE TO tell them when you have sugar cravings (talk often about your problems, struggles and opinions);
  • If you decide to have a bar of chocolate – go for it, just not before you tell your teammate.
    This will make you think twice before eating that chocolate;
  • If your team mate calls you – you should do EVERYTHING YOU CAN in order to talk him out of it;
  • Reward your teammate for sticking to the rules (ex: make a healthy dinner or snack, buy them a small gift, acknowledge their progress…);
  • Always remember that you started this journey together, and you will come out of it even more bonded than before.

Remember – support is the key to success!

sugarrr

Step 3: Add The Right Foods In Your Diet

When it comes to the diet when giving up sugar, there are 2 important things you have to know:

  • Eliminate the bad foods from your diet
  • Add the right foods to your diet.

I’ll start with the first one.

What you SHOULDN’T eat?
  • sugars
  • grains

There is an endless list of foods that contain a lot of added sugars.

As I said, 80% of the food products in America have added sugar in them.

So here are some products that you should be aware of (other than the obvious sugary products):

  • drink powders and soft drinks
  • bread
  • dried fruit
  • cereals
  • canned fruits
  • sauces and instant gravies
  • frozen yogurt
  • granola bars
  • whey
  • sun-dried chili peppers and tomatoes
  • low fat foods
  • instant oatmeal
  • canned soup
  • salad dressings
  • tomato sauce

See, these are just few of the products with hidden sugars in them.

And the sad truth is there are tons of them!

Here’s what you can do:

Read every product’s ingredients before buying it.

This is one great habit if you want to maintain a healthy diet – it can take more of your time when shopping, but it’s worth it.

And remember – “low fat” or “all natural” doesn’t always mean zero sugar.

I gave you the hidden names for sugar, so make sure you spot them right away next time.

And when I say grains, I mean:

  • Breads
    (wholemeal, wholegrain or white, rye, pita, lavash, naan)
  • Breakfast Cereals
    (ready to eat, high fiber, wholegrain oats, porridge, muesli, wholewheat biscuits)
  • Grains
    (rice, barley, corn, polenta, buckwheat, spelt, millet, sorghum, triticale, rye, quinoa, semolina)
  • Also: pasta, noodles, crumpet, rice cakes, couscous, bulgur, popcorn, flour.

These are all carbohydrate rich foods and you want to leave them out of the picture.

After one month, you can start consuming whole grains now and then, just stay focused on choosing the healthiest options you can!

Now let’s head on to what you should be eating…

What should you eat?

Not only foods that will keep you away from this sweet drug, but foods that will balance out your blood sugar and insulin levels.

When it comes to the food you should eat, there are 3 kinds of nutrients that you have to include in your every day meal plan.

These are the things you must add in every single meal you have:

  • protein
  • fat
  • fiber

These three are the best combination of nutritious rich food that is good for your body and well being.

Let’s start one by one:

Proteins have to be included in every meal of yours.

Getting more protein to your diet, helps you balance your blood sugar and reduce the sugar cravings.

Here’s what protein means:

  • Meat
    – meat does not contain any sugar
    – you can eat clean protein meat like: beef, chicken and turkey
    – be aware of marinated meats (they are usually very high in sugar).
  • Fish
    – not only does fish contain proteins, but it contains a lot of the good fatty acids
    – fish is one of the highest protein foods that are VERY healthy for your heart.
  • Eggs and dairy products
    – make sure they are raw – raw cheese, yogurts and creams (read them carefully)
    – lactose products such as milk can be tricky, but I still kept them in my sugar free formula.
    – Cheese will have sugar on the ingredients list, but it is all lactose
  • Beans
    – beans are high in protein.
    – you can choose from green beans and chickpeas to soybeans and still make no mistake.
  • Whey
    – whey is a great way to balance the blood sugar levels
    – it helps in stopping the sugar cravings

Healthy fats are the next group you have to include in your sugar free diet.

Unlike the saturated fats and the trans fats, these healthy dietary fats are a great way to improve your health and balance out the insulin level.

Here’s what you can eat:

  • Seeds
    – sprouted chia seeds
    – pumpkin seeds
    – sunflower seeds
    – flax seeds
    – sesame seeds…
  • Nuts
    – almonds
    – walnuts
    – pistachios
    – hazelnuts
    – pecans…
    peanuts should be avoided, because of their bad fatty acid profile.
  • Veggies
    – avocados
    – olives
  • Oils:
    – olive oil
    – canola oil
    – coconut oil
    * even clarified butter.

Fibers are last but definitely not least!

We’re getting fibers from many different sources such as:

  • Vegetables
    – all of them!
  • Berries
  • Nuts and seeds

supplements for giving up sugarSo here are few examples:

For breakfast you can make a smoothie, for example: coconut milk, chia seeds, berries and whey protein; or if you like it better you can have eggs (boiled), vegetables and a glass of yogurt.

For lunch, you can have chicken breasts with green beans and avocado; or maybe a salmon and a salad with olive oil.

For dinner you can make a Caesar salad (just without the bacon part) with low fat sour cream mustard curry dressing.

The choices are endless!

You just have to make sure they contain the perfect combination of proteins + healthy fats + fibers.

What about fruits?

The fruit question is really confusing to many people that try to quit sugar.

We’re taught that fruit is healthy, and people can’t understand that fruit is actually just another form of sugar.

It’s all natural, but it’s still fructose, right?

And fructose is the part that makes you addicted to sugar in the first place.

Since “The Team-Up Technique” is all about choosing healthier options, here’s what you can do:

  • Leave fruits out of the picture at least for the first month of the sugar detox
  • If you go back to fruits make sure you don’t take big portions of it
  • Choose fruits that are more watery.

I eat fruits occasionally and I avoid fruits that contain large amount of calories – more calories = more sugar.

Substitutes that you can use

If you drink your coffee and tea with a lot of sugar, how are you supposed to drink it clean, right?

I don’t suggest you to take substitutes such as raw honey or coconut sugar.

Even though they are natural, they are still sugar but plant-based substitutes, natural and healthy sweeteners for diabetics such as stevia are okay.

As you quit sugar, you’ll get the addiction out of the picture and it would be easier for you to imagine even your tea or coffee without any sugar.

Till then, stevia is a great choice.

 

Step 4: Balance The Blood Sugar Levels With The Right Supplementsgiving up sugar technique-compressed

In the sugar recovery process there are several supplements that can actually help you along the way.

Just to make sure you understand this:

– These are not pills, these are nutrition supplements that can help you get over the sugar cravings faster.

These are the 3 supplements that you should consider taking:

  • probiotic
  • vitamin B
  • whey protein

First of all, probiotics are actually live bacteria.

As you all probably know, our bodies are full of bacteria, especially in the guts.

Some of these bacteria are bad and some of them are good, but they HAVE TO be balanced at all times (around 80% good – 20% bad).

Probiotics are one of the good bacteria and their function is to make sure to keep our gut healthy.

They are both good for your health and for your digestive system.

But why do we actually need them as a supplement to get rid of sugar?

Well, it’s simple – they lower the amount of yeast and bad bacteria in our system which feeds off sugar, and brings back the balance.

The more sugar you eat, the more these bad bacteria grow.

The probiotics will help you fight these bacteria and replace the loss of the good bacteria, while fighting the sugar cravings and keeping that yeast balance in the body.

So taking just one probiotic a day with your meal will help you stay away from sugar for sure.

Another supplement that helps us reduce the sugar cravings is B complex vitamin.

Here’s how:

One of the main reasons we crave sugar so badly is stress.

B complex vitamin helps us reduce the stress when having more frequent sugar cravings.

You can take them whenever you are stressed and discomforted.

And last – whey.

As we’ve already learned, one of the best ways to help you with the sugar quitting process is consuming lots of protein.

Whey is a great source of protein, so you should consider having it as a supplement while doing “The Team-Up Technique”.

Just be really careful with this one, because there are many whey proteins that actually have sugar added.

Make sure to read the ingredients before buying any product.

You can add whey to your morning smoothies, or drink a shake or two right before bed.

*For more helpful tips about the needed nutrients when giving up sugar, you can visit Dr. Axe website.

Step 5: Start Doing The Right Activities

And the final step in my “Team-Up Technique” is to start doing the right types of exercise.

Wait, what?! Is there a wrong activity when trying to quit sugar?

Unfortunately there is.

If you’re doing a lot cardiovascular exercises, you’ll crave more sugar.

Apparently, when doing long cardio activities, such as running or triathlons, your body craves for carbohydrates.

This means that these types of exercises are not helping your sugar quitting efforts.

Actually what you should do is:

  • weight lifting training
  • cardio interval training
  • yoga.

These types of exercises will help you balance your blood sugar levels, and will be a big help to the whole sugar quitting process.

Not to mention that they will give you a great body, especially my personal favorite weight lifting training.

As you probably already know, I am a weight lifting coach, so here you can check my personal strength training exercising plans that are 100% effective and free for you to try, here is the link:

Giving up sugar workout program-Quit sugar

Now It’s Your Turn To Try Giving Up Sugar!

The team-up Technique Monica & MattI hope you can see how “The Team-Up Technique” can help you quit sugar in just 2 weeks and change your life forever.

Unlike other methods, you won’t have to do it all by yourself, everything is easier when you’re part of a team.

Yes, it takes patience and a lot of giving up to change yourself, but once you set your mind that you can do it, you’re half way there.

Just believe in yourself – YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!

Share this technique with your friends, so they can start quitting sugar and live a sugar-free life.