A week ago today, I decided to try the I Quit Sugar 7-Day Reboot in order to kick-start a healthier way of eating. The program provides you with a grocery shopping list, a week’s worth of recipes, daily motivational emails and articles, and a post-program toolkit to help you keep walking the walk. There was a lot to like about this program, but there were also some downsides that would stop me from giving the 8-week version of the program a try. Here are my thoughts:
What I liked
The recipes provided in the program were pretty simple. Some were better than others – I wasn’t wowed by anything, but they were relatively straightforward to prepare. My favourite thing about this program was that it didn’t focus on cutting anything out of your diet – instead, the focus was on filling your body with healthy foods. I wasn’t hungry at all while I was following the meal plans, and I felt healthy and nourished in a way that you don’t feel when you’re filling up on less healthy fare.
What didn’t work for me
I found that the program did not provide flexibility for real-life situations. The first meal in the plan is Sunday dinner, and by Monday evening, I had been invited out for three out of four meals in that time (no one invited me over for breakfast!). There were no alternative meals provided if you didn’t happen to like something in the plan (go away salmon, you’re gross). I also found the Sunday cooking very cumbersome and labour-intensive, a real turnoff for someone a little less savvy in the kitchen (like me!). If you have a dishwasher and a food processor, this process would be infinitely easier for you. The plan also assumes that you’re home in time to prepare your evening meals. If you’re like me and your work keeps you well past 5pm, that can get a little unrealistic.
Conclusion
I learned a lot from this program that I’m going to keep in mind moving forward. Cutting junk food out of my diet felt absolutely amazing, and I was astonished that I didn’t really find myself missing it. I loved how healthy I felt just from adding more vegetables and cutting out processed foods. I also realized that I don’t really need grains or breads to feel full – veggies can do the job!
Overall, the program has inspired me to keep eating well. For me, simple, veggie-filled meals that I can freeze and eat throughout the week for lunches and dinners are key to staying on track. I will keep the healthy-eating principles of the plan in mind while I make sure that my diet is flexible enough to work for me and my lifestyle.