Can you actually live without sugar? Our sales director Lacey Ewin takes on the UFIT Clean & Lean Challenge and tells us if it works
You know the drill – watch what you eat, workout, repeat. No one ever said that the road to a fabulous bod was a cakewalk, but what if your strict exercise regime yields little results? I consistently moaned and complained to my partner that I wasn’t at my ideal weight when in my mind I thought I was doing all the right things. As an avid fitness junkie, I would hit the gym for spin class six days a week and eat rabbit food all through the working week. Come Friday, I’ll be indulging in wine and cheese which ultimately led to a weekend of eating junk. That’s what the 80/20 rule is, right?
Finally deciding that enough is enough, I convinced my colleagues Sally and Skye to join me for the UFIT Clean & Lean Challenge. For the last six months I had heard of various people in my social circles raving about it. Everyone that I spoke to swore by its results (which saw them losing some of those pesky holiday pounds), so I wanted to see if it could actually work for me.
Surprise, surprise–the first nutritional session and weigh-in left me shocked at the state of my weight and “Before” photos! We met UFIT nutritionists Wendy and Noa, who took us through the Sugar Vs Fat debate and why mass media have it oh-so- wrong. We were given a very clear list of allowed foods for the week and the another in red comprising no-go foods.
The diet for week one basically consisted of greens, proteins and fats–no dairy, sugar, grains, legumes or nuts were allowed. The first two days went by fairly easily, but it was on day three that I experienced heavy sugar withdrawals. It was difficult to not just cave in and grab the nearest chocolate bar, but I was determined to not cheat. By the end of the week, I felt like a new woman – I had loads of energy, my skin was glowing and my clothes fit better.
Admittedly, I thought I had a good handle on nutrition and weight loss before I started the program. I had been on every diet from the lemon detox diet to the dreaded cabbage soup diet – you name it, I’ve done it. This was the first program I had tried that didn’t feel like a diet at all, and that counting calories wasn’t in Clean & Lean shocked me. There was even a designated Facebook page where we could share recipes with fellow Clean & Leaners, and ask Wendy and Noa nutrition based questions.
As part of the package, we received four complimentary UFIT bootcamps. They were a lot more challenging than my spin classes, but I started to really enjoy getting outside for my morning workouts with the amazing instructors at UFIT. After four weeks I had lost 5kg and over 6% body fat. I was ecstatic that I was still exercising six days a week, but I was eating more than I was before the program.
One month on, and I’ve made the program a lifestyle choice – I’ve ditched my gym membership and signed up for a bootcamp package with UFIT. Of course, I do have the odd wine now and then, but I’ve learned to really enjoy those one or two glasses.
The 2017 Clean & Lean sessions are happening on March 11 – April 8 (4 weeks), May 20 – June 17 (4 weeks), September 2 – 30 (4 weeks), November 4 – 25 (4 weeks).