You might have seen the article in Mamamia today. About the difference between the response to our I Quit Sugar: 8-Week Program and our mate Peter FitzSimons’ new book. (How good was he on 60 Minutes, by the way?! Watch this space for more from him soon!)
In the article, the author Jessie Stephens suggests that our books and Program are perhaps unsustainable, or worse connected to “disordered eating”. That they set a bad example for kids. You can read more here, if you like.
It’s interesting that this topic has come up again now. We’ve copped a lot of flack in the past for being “extreme”, “dogmatic” or just plain “wrong” for our gentle experiment to cut down on sugar. Perhaps it’s got something to do with our name?!
Thankfully a lot of that criticism has since died down, as more and more science supports the cause.
What’s most interesting about Jessie’s article is her view that society places different emphasis on weight loss (and indeed overall appearance) for men and women. We couldn’t agree more!
It’s something that magazine and brands continually perpetuate, especially during the Christmas party season and the minefield of resolutions that come with the new year. And ironically, it’s something we don’t really focus on that much at all.
Why weight loss is only part of the story.
Yes of course, we have plenty of stories about people who have quit sugar and lost weight. It’s often a byproduct of minimising processed foods. Your body recalibrates and finds its natural weight. Some people don’t lose weight at all. But that’s not the point.
For the majority of our audience (who are mostly women in their mid-30s with kids, not really “young women”, by the way) quitting sugar is about breaking an addiction, learning (or relearning) a love of cooking and getting back to eating real, unprocessed, abundant food.
It’s actually about improving your relationship with meal times and moving away from disordered eating. (After struggling with bulimia for almost 20 years, that’s something I can personally attest to.)
It’s also not about “abstinence”. Or at least not for most people. Our and the World Health Organization’s recommendation of sticking to six to nine teaspoons of sugar a day is certainly not no sugar at all. Again, it’s something in the name!
What we stand for.
In case you’re new to IQS, here are a few other things you should know:
- All our 8-Week Program Meal Plans are developed and written by a degree-qualified nutritionist, and continually tested and revised to make sure they remain the most balanced and nutrient-dense they can be.
- We have more than 45 Experts who work with us on the Program, supporting participants along the way. These include accredited dietitians, nutritionists, GPs, psychologists, naturopaths, dentists and personal trainers.
- We have an even wider bank of experts, scientists and scholars who we work with to ensure we stay across the ever-developing science on sugar.
- Sarah and the team remain at the forefront of the sugar conversation, working with The Greens Party on the need for a sugary drinks tax and healthier guidelines for our school canteens. And we have been at the forefront for years. Which perhaps is part of the problem – the vanguard are most often the ones that get shot down in flames.
In a country where almost 63 per cent of adults are overweight or obese, weight loss can be a positive side effect of cutting your sugar consumption. But more importantly, our Program has helped thousands of people drastically improve their health, reduce medication, fall pregnant after years of trying and find a whole new lease of life.
And that’s the real reason for any of it.
Have you quit sugar on the 8-Week Program? How has it helped you?
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