Joe Wicks, also known as the body coach, is known for inspiring millions to eat well and exercise more. But the dad of the four is also open to his own struggles with motivation and diet, including his love for sugar.
The 39 -year -old Wicks said he had “fought” with sugar from his childhood, and the foods and drinks he especially loves are “carbonated drinks, chocolate, cakes, cookies, sweets and ice cream.”
This weekend, however, he opened up to how he had defeated his love throughout his life for sweet things, calling him “the most changing life thing I have done.”
By sharing an update on Instagram Stories, he revealed that it had been six weeks since he “reduced” the sugar intake and shared the benefits he saw.
“For the first time in 39 years, I do not feel dependent on sugar for energy or see it as an answer when I am stressed,” he told his followers. “I have a zero desire to eat it now and I can get away from it quite easily.”
Wix, who shares daughters Indie, six, Lenny, two, and sons Marley, five and Dusty, one, with his wife Rosie, decided to start reducing sugar in late May.
By posting on Instagram at that time, he shared a video, writing it, “I’m addicted to sugar. I’m really struggling with it, so I set myself a challenge.”
Explaining that he would cut the sugar for seven days, he noted that his motivation was for “internal” health, not causes of weight loss, as sugar affects his mood and energy and caused him bloating and stomach pain. He added that even the “smallest bit” would lead him to eat and want more.
The fitness coach revealed that he did not expect to refuse to be easy.
He said he had tried strategies to shorten before, brushing his teeth to make the thought of sugar less attractive and to focus on fruits, yogurt and dried fruits, but said that these methods would still make him go to the “gangsters” of sugar foods and believe that the only strategy that works for him.
So how did you do it?
How Joe Wicks beat your sugar “addiction”
Seven -day switch
Wix started with a “seven -day switch” and cut the sugar completely for a week to see if this could change his relationship with her.
Cold turkey
The first seven days he does not eat refined sugar or natural sugar from fruits. In addition to cakes and cookies, it also excludes less obvious foods with added sugar, including ready-made sauces and ketchup. Instead, he focused on carbohydrates of rice, pasta and noodles, proteins and many vegetables.
Although you do not need to limit your fruits to reduce sugar, some people choose at the beginning to get used to less sweetness in their diet. Sugar, found naturally in fruits, is not considered free sugars – those added to food and drink and are naturally found in honey and syrups – and fruits contain a whole bunch of vitamins and healthy nutrients.
Adding fruit
After the original seven days, Wix began to eat fruit again, which he says he loves and is now his main source of sugar.
Although he adds that he is not without sugar every day because “I think it is practically impossible”, he has not eaten cakes, sweets, ice cream and other sugar foods from the original seven days and says that his desire and desire have disappeared.
Do what works for you
Updating fans in his sugar trip, Wix said he was not interested in seeing if he could eat chocolate and cakes moderate because they “don’t make me feel good.” “For now, I’m sticking to the restraint that works for me,” he added.
However, he said his advice to others was “Do what works for you.” “If pure abstinence for seven days is what is needed, continue for it and see the difference in body and energy and mood,” he said.
What is the recommended amount of sugar?
The recommended daily amount (RDA) of free sugars – added to food and drinks and are naturally found in honey and syrups – is 30 g per day.
The government recommends no more than 5% of our daily calorie intake to come from free sugars, but some estimates suggest that people in the UK eat almost double, which is 9-12%. And with one box of coke containing 35G, it’s easy to see how.
Eating too much sugar can cause problems such as tooth decay and weight gain, which increases the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, according to NHS.
Some studies also associate a high sugar diet with emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression.