Day 3 Have you weighed in?

By now the challenge is well on it's way to being a part of the participants mindset. They have weighed and measured and are keeping those stats to compare on day 14. Replacement of selected foods has started and it takes a little bit of extra effort and thought to plan to succeed. Below is the list of replacement items with suggestions as to what you can substitute:

REPLACEMENT GUIDE
 
SUGAR -  Choose Coconut palm sugar, Stevia, dates and fruit. I would avoid Agave Nectar or other sweeteners at this time. Read more about sweeteners and their risks and more about Stevia here.
If you are panicking about chocolate, good news, you can have 80% Dark Chocolate, or 90 % and if you really want 100 %. Unsweetened cocoa is good for adding to smoothies if you need a chocolate fix and it will not give you a sugar rush.  Beware of hidden sugars like high fructose corn syrup, glucose fructose, maltodextrin and dextrose.   If you are wondering if you made the right choice to kick the sugar habit, read this.
 
COFFEE - Replace with Herbal teas, Green Tea, Peppermint Tea, Unsweetened hot apple cider.

Participant Elisabeth from San Carlos Mexico says,"Drinking caffeinated tea to replace the coffee has worked - no withdrawal headaches! " and Karie- Anne from Elmira wrote, "I replaced the coffee with green tea and water for the pop." Just a reminder, Green tea is not caffeine free, so please be aware of that, however it is full of other beneficial ingredients. 

Be warned you may experience headaches from cutting back, but keep at it a little by little.  Increase your water consumption at this time, it will help you feel better. Take comfort that the headaches should not last longer than a day or two. If your headaches persist longer than a week, please see your health care provider, unless of course you were drinking two pots a day and now are only drinking 2 cups, that may take a little longer to adjust.

WHITE CARBS -  instead try: 100 % stone ground wheat, sprouted grains. Quinoa (Red and White) and Buckwheat. I had Quinoa Berry Porridge for breakfast and it was filling and delicious. 
Berries and low Glycemic fruit are not considered CARBS on this Challenge. White carbs are white potatoes, white rice, white bread, white pasta and corn.

 
I love this on a chilly day, it is Quinoa flakes, cooked with blueberries, mixed nuts and almond milk. I chopped in 3 honey dates and sweetened it with a drop of Stevia. Easy, quick and Delicious! Or you can try this delicious and wholesome Seedy porridge.
 
ALCOHOL - Try this instead: Sparkling water with lime and flavored water. Here are some awesome ideas too. You HAVE To click this link! Seriously.
DAIRY- Replace with Almond Milk, Organic Soy Milk ( and Organic ONLY) and Coconut Milk. You can also try hemp milk and rice milk. Rice milk does not have many nutrients in it, so that would be the last choice.
WHEAT - Choose Spelt, Quinoa, Gluten Free Organic Oates. Quinoa and Buckwheat. Coconut flour is also a great and tasty alternative.
GRAINS - Try some of these foods instead of grains: Sunflower seeds, nuts, pumpkin seeds, Quinoa and Buckwheat.
SOFT DRINKS -  Choose to have Sparkling water, unsweetened juices instead.

We now have 12 Participants. Closing date for joining is Friday Jan 4th, 2013.

The PARTICIPANTS of the Challenge are as follows:

1. Kristin - Detroit, U.S.A. She is going to curb: White processed carbs - white sugar/white flour.
2. Sheila - Cape Town, South Africa. She is going to fight the urge to eat: Hard Cow's Milk cheeses.
3.  Crystal from Regina, SK, Canada and she is going to start with curbing the coffee habit. She is aiming to stay down to 1 caffeinated cup of tea a day.
4.  Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico says she is going to cut out white carbs (potatoes and rice) and coffee.
5. I will be in on it too: Melony Teague will be cutting Sugar, dairy, wheat, alcohol and soft drinks.  I have cut down my espresso consumption to two a day...with the view of cutting down to one.
6. Anna from Australia is going to be starting with white carbs. 
7. Karie-Ann from Elmira, Canada wants to give up alcohol, pop and coffee.
8. Bonnie from Toronto, Canada is going to to cut out alcohol and dairy.
9. Betty from Vancouver Island is going to start with sugar, white carbs and alcohol.
10. Gail in Ottawa, CA - her challenge is as follows: first sugar (then wheat, then dairy) She made fudge for her family and licked the beater out of habit and literally spat it out when she realised what she was doing! WAY TO GO GAIL! 
11. Cheryl, Toronto, CA - Alcohol and to cut down on coffee and minimise sugar. 
12. Mallory from Toronto is replacing White Carbs, with a view to cutting back on sugar. 
    
    So far the challenge is going well and although we will not weigh in again until day 14, I can already see the scale going down. That is encouraging.  
    One thing to note is that as your diet cleans up, you will feel less lethargic, particularly if you have picked sugar, wheat and white carbs to replace. Do be sure to eat some form of protien at each meal to help keep cravings at bay and control your blood sugar.
    As we go I will continue to offer alternatives and ideas for replacing those things which are not the best for you for now. Remember it is only for 30 Days! You can do it!   The next post will include another tip from Igor. Let me know if you have any questions.
    
    
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    Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
    Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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