70-day challenge will keep you on track through the summer

JULY and August can be really difficult when you’re trying to eat healthily and lose weight – because these months are full of temptations and distractions. So I’ve been giving a lot of thought about how I can help you stay on track.

Last week I told you I’d been speaking at a conference in Manchester to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS, where a 70-day Ditch Sugar challenge was issued to 250,000 people in Tameside. One of my fellow speakers was the leading cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, an expert on healthy sugar-free eating, and as we chatted during a break I had a light bulb moment…

Why not issue a similar challenge to all my Slimpodders and readers of my blog! So that’s what I did and here’s the details of what you have to do.

If you’ve been listening to your pods for a few weeks or more, chances are you’re already being nudged away from sweet things. But you’ll no doubt be grateful for some extra motivation and guidance.

If you’re not on my Slimpod programme, here’s your chance to experience the remarkable benefits of healthy eating.

Towards the end of this blog I’ll be giving you a link to an article about the foods that can give your body an amazing boost as well as helping you to be in control.

Aseem and I at the conference

But first here’s how the 70-day Ditch Sugar challenge can give you extra motivation to keep you on track through the summer.

A project I’m doing with the Channel 4 programme How To Lose Weight Well has got the staff at Tameside hospital recording a short video each day and uploading it to their own private FB group.

This was originally so the programme’s producers of the programme could track progress but it’s had a whole host of other benefits too which have been quite remarkable.

One thing it has done is hold the group members accountable. They’ve really got into the habit of doing their daily video because it helps them to reflect on the positive things in the day.

Crucially, they can hear themselves speaking the positives out loud and just like seeing, hearing is believing. This really is fabulous for self-esteem.

One of the best things is it helps you to focus on the process NOT the scales. As you know, it’s the repetition of small daily actions which creates the results.

And finally, it’s truly inspiring for the people watching and creates a lovely positive effect all round!

So to help you be truly successful and to help motivate you during the 70 days of the Ditch Sugar challenge, four members of staff at Tameside hospital have agreed to lead the challenge in our very own Slimpod Club group.

They’ve been posting videos for the past four weeks in their Channel 4 group so they’ll lead by example by posting in Slimpod Club and I know they inspire you with their success so far!

Here’s all you have to do:

STEP ONE

Make a short video every day on your phone (it doesn’t have to be too long!) telling everyone about your positives, how you’re cutting down on sugar and what healthier eating is doing for you.

STEP TWO

Post your video up in Slimpod Club if you’re a member. Add the hashtag #70daychallenge

STEP THREE

Sit back and bask in the praise you’re bound to get from other Slimpodders!

I can’t wait to see all your videos. It should be great fun – and hugely valuable.

Now, as promised, here’s some expert guidance from Dr Malhotra’s ground-breaking book The Pioppi Diet, which I’m always raving about.

The simplest way to ditch sugar is to stop buying processed food such as ready meals, takeaways, things in tins and packets.

Buy fresh food and cook it yourself so there’s no danger of hidden sugar creeping in, which is the real danger with non-fresh food.

You might be surprised how good you feel after just a day or two on healthier food because it creates a virtuous circle in your body and your mind.

Once you start to get your buzz from eating fish, lean meat and vegetables instead of pizza, pasta and curries it just becomes easier and easier to keep up the good work for yourself and your family.

Ten Great Foods To Boost Your Healthy Lifestyle

Do leave a comment below this blog to let me know how your videos are coming along. And how your healthier eating is going this summer.

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