Table of Contents | 1 MariaKang.com

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................ 1

Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Chapter One: My Story with Sugar ........................................................................................................................... 4

Chapter Two: Sugar Foes ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Sugar Foes: ................................................................................................................................................................. 9

1. Liquid Foes ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

2. Dessert Foes .................................................................................................................................................... 9

3. Alcohol Foes ................................................................................................................................................... 9

4. Grain Foes ..................................................................................................................................................... 10

5. Fake Foes ...................................................................................................................................................... 10

6. Natural Foes ................................................................................................................................................. 10

What is that ONE thing?: ................................................................................................................................... 10

Chapter Three: The Rules ........................................................................................................................................... 13

The Rules: ................................................................................................................................................................. 13

The Flexibility Factor: ........................................................................................................................................... 13

Additional Sugar Recommendations: ........................................................................................................... 14

Start Calculating Your Daily Sugar Intake ................................................................................................... 14

Why it’s hard to stay under 25g of sugar per day:................................................................................... 15

Chapter Four: FAQs ..................................................................................................................................................... 16

Here are some FAQs: ........................................................................................................................................... 16

1. What happens when the 15 days are over?..................................................................................... 16

2. When will this challenge end? .............................................................................................................. 16

3. When will I start seeing results? ........................................................................................................... 16

4. Where do I find low-sugar recipes? .................................................................................................... 17

5. I don’t want to give up _____. ................................................................................................................. 17

6. I’m feeling extra bloated when I consume my sugar foe again, what is happening?...... 17

Chapter Five: How to Become a No Excuse Person. ........................................................................................ 18

Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Disclaimer | 2 MariaKang.com

Disclaimer

You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any

other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. This is particularly true if you (or

your family) have a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, or if you have ever

experienced chest pain when exercising or have experienced chest pain in the past month when

not engaged in physical activity, smoke, have high cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or joint

problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity. Do not start this fitness

program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness,

dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately.

Introduction | 3 MariaKang.com

Introduction

Hello, my name is Maria Kang…

…and I’m addicted to sugar.

Well…technically, I’m sort of addicted. There are varying degrees of desire, some of us struggle

with sodas, candy, chocolate, even artificial sweeteners. Some of us eat a little every day, some

of us binge every weekend! Therefore, it was hard for me to create a simple ‘sugar detox’

challenge. Quitting is not easy! In fact, I don’t even like the word ‘quit’, ‘cleanse’ or ‘detox’ –

which is why we are just taking a #sugarvacay!

What is a #sugarvacay?

It’s a temporary vacation from your regular consumption of sugar – in whatever form that takes

(more on that later). It’s a short-term relief from all the bloating, headaches, water retention,

energy slumps and excess calories you experience on a regular basis. I love putting a positive vibe

on this challenge because there’s nothing restricting, limiting or draining about taking a little bit

of sugar out of your life. Our goal is to enjoy life and not be distracted by uncontrolled impulses

or unhealthy habits. Our goal is to focus better, progress ourselves physically and take control

over our lives.

So why am I writing this?

Like many people, I grew up on Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms. When I could purchase candy

at school, all I ate was sweet stuff, every day! I’m talking skittles, sour ropes, starbursts and lemon

drops. I can’t remember a day in my teens when I didn’t consume candy.

Believe it or not, despite all the sugar, I thought I was being ‘healthy’ because I was provided poor

dietary information growing up. You see, I grew up in the ‘fat is bad’ trend. My mother was

Diabetic and I read all her diet books and most of it encouraged a low-fat diet. So, I did my

research, I looked at the back of all nutrition labels and I stopped consuming fat and started

overconsuming carbs. My breakfast was a bagel with fat free cream cheese, lunch was sliced

turkey, fat free cheese and saltine crackers and in-between all this ‘healthy’ foods were

smoothies, candies, fruit, and white rice/bread. Being Asian, I loved rice with everything. I even

ate pasta with rice! It took years to undo what my childhood did to me.

So, I started with just 15 days. Dividing a month into half was the perfect amount of time to keep

me focused, regenerate my taste buds, see some results and encourage me to make stricter

adjustments.

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Chapter One: My Story with Sugar

It’s easy to look at me and think I don’t understand what it means to struggle, but I want you to

see (and read!) that I have! I’ve had many physical challenges with my ever-changing body in

my 35+ years of living. I was a chubby child, an average teen, a ‘thick’ college student, a fit

competitor, an overweight woman and a No Excuse Mom.

I am the eldest of 3 sisters and was considered the ‘heaviest’. On the right is a picture with one of my best friends and sixth grade teacher (my favorite teacher ever, Mr. Gleaves.) I was elected Student Council President of my Elementary school that year.

I’ve always held an interest in being healthy because my mother struggled with weight-related, health issues and I was very susceptible to being overweight. My parents were very hard-working as they started with very little after falling in love in New Zealand and immigrating to the U.S. As a growing family of six, we didn’t have the time, finances or resources to join sports so I was never physically active in extracurricular activities growing up in San Francisco. Soda, popsicles, fruit snacks, sugary cereals, ramen noodles and lots of rice was often in abundance in our household. These sweet foods would be a nostalgic reminder of the “better days” when I grew up, a time when things were simpler, less dramatic and seemingly happier.

My second week of high school I was bullied by a group of girls who threw orange juice at me at the school cafeteria area. For years, I would come home crying, after being constantly threatened and enduring physical fights and altercations with girls I didn’t know. It was in this period I developed a greater relationship with God and started praying for me and even my offenders. I had faith that this pain was strengthening my internal fortitude and was preparing me for a greater purpose. To avoid other students, I stayed in the library during lunches and read psychology books (which you couldn’t check out) which helped me understand why people interacted in hurtful ways.

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As I matured into my twenties I developed into a headstrong, opinionated, studious and ambitious woman. My sense of self and faith gave me confidence and control. I began training at home with Taebo kickboxing tapes, but never saw dramatic changes in my physique. One day while at college at the University of CA, Davis, someone suggested I stop eating carbs altogether. Per the Atkins diet, I needed to stay below 20grams of carbs/day to be in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is when your body starts burning fat for fuel rather than sugar/carbs/glycogen/your last sandwich!

I was intrigued.

So, I gave up everything. I no longer ate bread, candy, fruit or rice. My diet consisted of McDonald’s bun-less cheeseburgers (which was on sale for .39 at the time!) and pork rines. In one word, it was a disgusting place to be – mainly because I didn’t have a bowel movement for 3 weeks! Yes, that is TMI (too-much-information) but it was important for me as my digestion would continue to be a sign of good or bad health for me.

I lost two inches off my waist due to a little bit of fat and water loss. Like most people, I yo yo’d back to size and began my challenging relationship with carbs.

During college, I became a personal trainer, which helped me understand how to fuel my body for performance. I learned about the glycemic index, timing your meals and combining food groups for greater efficacy. For three months, I joined the popular Body-For-Life program, which taught me to eat starchy carbs, lean protein and unsaturated fats for six days then enjoy an all-out-binge on the seventh day. I saw my physique transform and lean out during this stage of fasting then bingeing, but my body and mind hated it. Every Monday (the day after my binge) my body would uncomfortably heat up trying to metabolize all my food. My digestion was terrible, my belly was bloated and my body took days to remove the water retention.

I returned to my diet-as-usual, Jamba Juice smoothies, chicken burritos and turkey sandwiches, with splurges of sugar and lots of diet soda. My body was still fast-transforming into a more athletic physique through strength training and I was excited to join my first fitness contest in 2003. At the time, I had already held pageant titles as Miss Petite Teen International, Miss Philippines USA and Miss SF Chinatown. I transitioned to fitness because my body was becoming too muscular for mainstream and since my height of nearly 5-foot-4 always hindered my competitiveness, I knew it was time to try my luck in a different arena.

As I entered the world of fitness, I began really omitting fruit from my diet. I noticed a dramatic change in my physique when I limited high-glycemic foods, esp. found in fructose. I also started consuming more fake sugars. It was common then (even now) to see ‘fitness people’ eat sugar-free foods like flavored protein shakes, no-sugar meal replacement bars and sugar-free syrup. I followed a pretty strict diet of egg whites, chicken breast, tuna, oatmeal, vegetables and brown

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rice throughout the week, but went on an all-out-splurge every Sunday. My binges would always leave me depressed and defeated, not to mention bloated and ‘clogged up’ (hello laxatives!)

I outwardly had a very lean physique but internally I knew I wasn’t healthy. I over-trained and underrate. I didn’t have a balanced social life. My digestion was not consistent and my mind was not at peace. I won Miss Bikini CA and place top five in Model America and Bikini America, but I was not in a happy place spiritually.

On the left I was competing in Manila, Philippines. On the right I just won Miss Bikini CA.

It was in my early twenties when I began my battle with Bulimia – an eating disorder that was triggered biologically by my need for more food, genetically as my mother also had it, mentally as I needed a sense of control and spiritually as I lost sight of who I was. In November 2003 I binged and purged for the first time. It would officially begin my 3-year war with Bulimia. I would have 2-3 episodes daily at least 3-5 times a week. It often happened when I visited home or became very anxious. I realized there were trigger people (my ex-boyfriend), trigger foods (cereal) and trigger places (home)! It was important to journal and reflect on these triggers as there was a reason why it sparked internal abuse and I needed to strategize how I was going to combat the challenge when it arose again.

In reflection, it was shocking how much I could consume. I could literally down an entire sheet of cake, a half-gallon of ice cream and loads of candy because it was all easy to uptake. I never felt full. I just felt incredible sadness, a sick void inside of me that I nourished through lots of food and eventually praying more fervently (as I once did in my teens).

I gained weight in the recovery process of loving myself again. I started bringing sugar back into my life daily. I knew how much it was needed for my sanity, satiety and sense of balance. I needed to control my addiction to it and be mentally present when I did consume it.

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In my mid-twenties, I made a commitment to seek balance, moderation and peace in my life.

I was no longer going to be a slave to sugar. I was not going to let food direct the quality of my days. Food was a part of my life, but it didn’t have to be my life. I did many other things at that age also – I moved back home with my parents, I founded a nonprofit, Fitness without Borders, I started blogging weekly online on www.mariakang.com and I started singing the importance of moderation.

For several years, I was 30lbs heavier than my normal/healthier weight of 125-130lbs. My metabolism was damaged after years of yo-yo dieting and my wardrobe consisted mainly of empire dresses and loose-fitting workout clothes. I knew it was time to start finding more balance with my diet and removing unnecessary processed foods, especially in the form of sugar.

Image taken in 2008 in Oahu, HI.

The first thing I gave up was rice. Everyone has that one staple they grew up with, whether it’s

rice, pasta, bread or potatoes that they eat combined with all the savory foods. You might ask,

how is this sugar? Well, simple carbohydrates like white bread, rice, fruit, all convert into sugar

after digested.

Guess what happened after I gave up rice completely for 15 days!

My cravings went away. I saw results in my midsection and ever since then (it’s been 15 years)

I’ve never eaten rice the same again. Sometimes I will eat brown or white rice, but my days of

eating a small piece of meat with a plate full of rice was gone.

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My sugar issues didn’t end with rice, on the contrary, it just began with it! In the next several

years I would see how my body (and those around me) reacted when we removed different types

of sugar groups from their diet.

The more sugar we removed, the leaner our physiques

became. After all, when carbohydrates aren’t used as your

body’s main fuel source, your body starts burning fat for fuel.

Keep in mind, I still ate complex, starchy carbohydrates and I

still enjoyed mild splurges twice a week. I just removed a lot of

the empty calories from my diet!

I am writing this because I need this as much as my followers.

As many know, I love my chocolate and thrive from my

accountability to others. As this challenge started forming in

my head, I realized there was so much more to say! Everyone’s motivation, goal and challenge

with sugar is different!

Let’s do something different.

Let’s not punish ourselves. Let’s not focus on deprivation! We are doing something positive for

our mind, body and spirit. We are releasing ourselves from sugar prison and finding freedom in

discipline. This is not the end of our love for sugar, it’s just the beginning of a healthier

relationship!

Cheers to the next 15 days!

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Chapter Two: Sugar Foes

Let’s cut to the chase. I know you have a lot of questions and want to see if this is do-able, if you

can still eat fruit or if you will lose 20lbs in 15 days. I’m sure you are wondering what makes this

#sugarvacay different from other extreme detox diets out there! In fact, you are probably

wondering why I would write another diet book.

If you’ve read The No More Excuses Diet, then you know

I’m a big fan of the number 3. It takes 3 days to conquer

your excuses, 3 weeks to develop a habit and 3 months to

see a total transformation. I help you figure out your basal

metabolic rate, caloric requirements and macronutrient

breakdown of 30/30/30/10. I provide solutions to excuses,

accountability tools and home workouts. It’s a great book!

I still promote the same sensible diet approach here,

including the weekly splurges I encouraged you enjoy 1-2 times a week.

In this #sugarvacay eBook, I divided sugars into six different categories or what I lovingly call,

sugar foes.

Sugar Foes:

1. Liquid Foes

juice, soda, sweet tea, sugary coffee drinks, sweet sauces, sweet dressings (i.e. teriyaki,

ketchup, chocolate sauce)

2. Dessert Foes

candy, chocolate, cake, brownies, muffins

3. Alcohol Foes

beer, wine, spirits, mixed cocktails, hard alcohol

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4. Grain Foes

white bread, white rice, flour tortillas, chips, cereal, granola bars

5. Fake Foes

artificial sugars (sucralose, aspartame, Splenda, xylitol)

6. Natural Foes

fruits (i.e. bananas, cantaloupe, apples, watermelon, berries, pears)

honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, milk, fruit jelly

You may be struggling with a few foes or all, but the goal is to conquer each one at a time. While

it is possible to battle all six foes at once, the question is whether you can sustain this

fight/extreme diet for the rest of your life.

Most people will stick to an extreme diet for 30 days and then lapse when it gets too hard or

when they get too hungry. Some people will start the cycle of bingeing and starving (many of you

are there now! Hence, why I detest total detoxes). The biggest challenge is overcoming years of

habitually eating sugar, especially during family events, social parties or after a long day’s work.

So now I want you to think long and hard. Think about what you struggle with THE most. What is

that ONE thing? Sure, you may drink soda, have some cookies once a week and splurge on Italian

food too much, but if you can cut out ONE thing that is your biggest foe, what would that be?

What is that ONE thing?

For me, that ONE thing has changed throughout the years. In my youth, it was rice, in my

twenties, it was fruit (when I was competing and needed to drastically lower my sugar intake), in

my late twenties it was artificial sweeteners (I put Splenda on everything!) and now, in my thirties

it’s chocolate and desserts. Granted, I don’t eat enough to make me gain weight or be unhealthy,

however, I have physical goals in the next several months which require me to be stricter on my

intake. If you ever walk into my house, my cookie jar is always full of something sweet, whether

it’s cookies (I bake fresh weekly), muffins or brownies. I have hidden stashes of chocolate and

candy in various drawers of the kitchen and treat myself to ‘something sweet’ every day and

borderline binge every weekend. I could only imagine how my body could progress if I remove

this ONE thing that has become a part of my every day existence!

You probably already know what your thing is. Perhaps it’s the stop at Starbucks every morning

for your routine Frappuccino or the 4 different fruits you put in your smoothie. Maybe it’s that

can of beer, glass of wine, bowl of popcorn or tub of ice cream to relax you at the end of the day.

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When I was competing and on a “low carb” diet I was obsessed with sugar-free energy drinks,

sugar-free gum and anything with the Atkins logo – that btw, triggered my experience with

bloating and trying to combat it!

Find that ONE thing and choose to avoid that for the next 15 days!

Per Dr. Bartoshuk, taste buds go through a life cycle of 10-14 days. Essentially, the average person

has up to 10,000 taste buds, which are replaced every 2 weeks! This information thrills me as I

have noticed my internal will to avoid a food group is stronger after 2 weeks. Not only do I build

new habits and see progressive physical changes, but my taste buds change and I no longer need

to fill the craving I had once before.

Once you identify that ONE thing you will avoid for the next 15 days of your #sugarvacay its action

time. This is where the real work comes in. After all, it’s not enough to want something – you

must desire it so much, it keeps you focused when you are frustrated, tired, stressed and hungry.

This goal will discipline your body, mind and spirit when want to give up, don’t see results or

‘need’ short-term satisfaction found in your sugary foe.

So, think about it.

Why do you want to go on a #sugarvacay?

Write it down.

Yes, write it down! I’m teaching you the ‘what’ in this process, only you know the ‘why’. Once you

figure out your ‘why’, the ‘how’ becomes easy! Read that again

Only YOU know your Why.

With every challenge or book I’ve authored my biggest emphasis is on reflection. It may be just

15 days but it will be an incredibly transformative 15 days! Eliminating a daily habit will require

more awareness and you will notice things you never realized before. For example, I didn’t realize

how much chocolate symbolized comfort, happiness, even home to me! In my past cycles on

#sugarvacays I realized the foods that triggered an all-out binge. My comfort foods were white

rice, cereal and chocolate. I used Diet Soda like ‘free liquid sugar’ to chase down salty chips –

another food I consumed when bored or tired.

My relationship with sugar began to evolve from a friend to a foe. What started as foods that I

loved, adored and couldn’t quit, turned into foods that made me bloated, tired, sleepy and

unproductive. Interestingly, there were other realizations during my past #sugarvacay cycles that

woke me up!

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I noticed which friends supported my health efforts and those who just wanted to drink and

party. I observed how a stop to the gas station store (during long drives) was no longer fun. It

turned into a treasure hunt for the best nuts and beef jerky. Even the beef jerky was a shocker,

after all, the savory and sweet flavors had loads of added sugars! I even realized which people

tried to sabotage my efforts or weren’t happy to witness my sugar/weight loss success!

As you read this – wherever you are in your life – know that everything around you are enabling

you to be exactly who you are. The foods you are eating is sustaining the body you exist in, the

people in your environment are holding you to the standard you live in and the habits you

perform are maintaining your life’s status quo. If you want change, things are going to have to

change – more importantly, things are about to get uncomfortable.

Biologically your body will crave its normal dosage of sugar. Physically you’ll find yourself

robotically seeking snack foods for all the moments you feel drained, bored or anxious. Spiritually

you will ask yourself why you’re purposely enduring this challenge. Mentally you will be looking

at nutritional labels wondering if you could ever forget how much sugar is in a Grande Caramel

Frappuccino (66g btw!)

As you go through the first days of withdrawal (the first three are the hardest!) you will eventually

find your stride and it WILL get better. I promise you! I’ve been where you are, I’ve struggled with

every sugar foe and I’ve been through the binge-starve cycle.

Do you see the evolution of my relationship with sugar? Before I began attacking my addiction

to it I reflected on my feelings associated with each foe. As I started abstaining from each one, I

started developing a better relationship with each. Instead of constantly consuming it, I began

appreciating my special splurges when I chose to indulge. Instead of aimlessly eating, I better

understood how each food provided nutritional needs to my body. Yes, sugar became a ‘foe’ but

not in a bad way – it transformed into mature love - like talking to your grown adult child and

saying, “I love you but you can’t move back home” way.

At the end of the day, this effort is about building a better relationship with sugar.

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Chapter Three: The Rules

Going on a #sugarvacay is simple. Just choose one thing for 15 days, abstain and conquer! Once

you’ve mastered one sugar foe, challenge yourself with the next! There are 15 days in each

sugar cycle. If you multiply 15 by 6 (sugar) foes that equals 90 days. Do you see the math? If

your goal is to remove sugar completely out your diet, you can do it within a step-by-step, easy

and transitional 3-mth period. Whether you goal is to lose 100lbs, remove a sugar addiction,

feel more energetic or find more moderation in your diet, then this plan is for you!

The Rules:

1. Choose ONE thing and commit to abstaining from it for 15 days.

2. Announce you will be on a #sugarvacay to your friends/family (accountability is key! If it’s a

public profile, I will also see that post and will cheer you on!)

3. Create a 15-day calendar with your favorite motivational quote and post it on your bathroom

mirror. Mark off each day as you complete them. Visual affirmation is key!

4. Take a before picture! The scale may not move, but the progress is always in the pics.

5. Remove the trigger foes! Clean up your environment, hide your chocolate stash, give your

alcohol to a friend and dispose all those fake sugar products!

Once you master that ONE thing, get back on program and choose the next sugar foe!

The Flexibility Factor:

Do you see what I did here? If your ONE thing is soda, you could still be eating white bread. If you

stop eating chocolate, you can still have your glass of wine. Change begets change. The slower

you change your diet, the slower you will gain it back. After all, small changes are an indicator

that lifestyle negative habits are transforming.

The more Sugar Foes you remove, the more weight you will lose. Some of you are surprised to

see fruit on that list! I agree, I detest seeing my favorite apples, strawberries and bananas

grouped up with skittles, white bread and sucralose too! I absolutely believe that the fiber,

minerals and nutrients provided by fruits outweighs the effect fructose has on the body (raised

insulin, potential weight gain, etc.) However, I will say, that when I competed in pageants, I

limited my fruit intake and when I did, I saw a dramatic change in my body composition. After all,

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the goal in losing weight is to burn fat for fuel and not the carbohydrate you just consumed,

right!?

At this stage in my life, I am all about balance, flexibility and moderation. I will eat my fruit! I will

drink my wine! I will have some chocolate! As encouraged in The No More Excuses Diet, I splurge

every few days on something indulgent. BUT – if I want to get leaner, I look at those six Sugar

Foes and I tackle them one by one. The more you tackle, the more weight you will lose.

Additional Sugar Recommendations:

1. When you eat sugar, eat it when you need it! Before workouts will fuel you and after

workouts will refuel you!

2. Don’t replace your sugar foe with any other foe EXCEPT for your Natural Foe. For example,

instead of skittles, eat an apple. Instead of drinking wine, have some frozen blueberries.

Instead of drinking soda, drink a smoothie.

3. However, if you are combating the grain foe, you can replace white rice with brown rice,

white bread for wheat bread, etc. (you get the picture!)

4. As you remove calories, make sure you are intaking enough calories. Calculate your BMR to

ensure you are intaking enough calories daily. If you want to lose weight, having a small

caloric deficit will be good for you!

5. If you fall off track, don’t binge. This is only 15 days! You can have a splurge once it’s over!

Keep the mindset that you will eat some of your favorite foods again, you will just come back

with a better relationship with it!

6. Create accountability around you. The people make the difference, really! If you can find

others within your circle who can do this 15-day #sugarvacay with you, beg them to do it with

you! It will be great for all of you, after all, your environment and the people within it is

enabling you to make healthy or unhealthy choices.

Start Calculating Your Daily Sugar Intake

Per the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars (all the sugar

foes except the natural foe/fruits) is:

Men = 150 calories per day/37.5 grams/9 teaspoons

Women =100 calories per day/25 grams or 6 teaspoons

These numbers don’t mean much until you look at how much sugar is in all your favorite foods!

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Why it’s hard to stay under 25g of sugar per day:

Barbeque Sauce (3tbls) = 18g

Chocolate Milkshake (10oz) = 66g

Dove Dark Chocolate (5 pieces) = 19g

Coke (12oz) = 33g

Gatorade (32oz) = 56g

Gummy worms (10 ct) = 43g

Granola Bar (2oz) = 16g

Ice Cream (0.5c) = 14g

Ketchup (3tbls) = 10g

Latte (16oz) = 17g

Raisins (0.5c) = 43g

Razmatazz Smoothie @ Jamba (12oz) = 54g

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (2): 22g

Skittles (1 bag) = 47g

Sweet Tea (32oz) = 69g

Teriyaki Sauce (1c) =41g

I personally try to stay under 40g of sugar per day, including fruit. I’ve noticed through trial and

error that my body thrives with less sugar and more nutritionally dense carbohydrates. I want

you to figure out your magic number because for this to work, you must experiment with what

works for you!

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Chapter Four: FAQs

Before I begin let me say this:

I wasn’t planning on writing a long guidebook for all of you, but when I started getting emails

from people excited to do ‘a sugar challenge’ with me I knew I had to provide some guidance. I’m

not a fan of generic programs, which is why this #sugarvacay was designed by me, but created

by you! I don’t think you should abhor sugar, after all, imagining a life without watermelon in

July, cake on birthdays, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving even wine after a long,

tiring week sounds un-live-able (is that a word? LOL!)

They say sugar is like cocaine because of its addictive properties. Well, I can see the relation, BUT,

there is so much more to sugar than just the white stuff. Sugar represents our youth, food in our

culture and is a big part of our daily life (you will know what I mean when you try and tackle all

six foes!) We need to find some moderation – and that is where the goal lies.

Here are some FAQs:

1. What happens when the 15 days are over?

When you fully complete 15 days, you can do several things (it’s all up to you!) You can:

- Indulge a little, then get back on track the next day and choose another sugar foe.

- Continue eliminating that ONE thing and see how far you can progress until you hit a

physical plateau (which usually happens around the 4-6-week mark). Once you

plateau, choose another sugar foe and master that.

- Return back to your regular diet and consume that ONE thing every three days or once

a week as described in The No More Excuses Diet.

2. When will this challenge end?

It ends in 15 days! However, you can create several cycles depending on how lean you

want to get. I will say, personally, it’s taken me a lot of time to combat each sugar foe in

the last ten years. My goal was always to have a balanced diet, a healthy body and a

positive relationship with food. This should be your overall goal too!

3. When will I start seeing results?

As described in The No More Excuses Diet, it takes 3 months to see a true transformation.

I suggest you take selfies, document your progress via scale, measurements, blood

pressure and fitness tests.

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4. Where do I find low-sugar recipes?

Google, it! You can find anything and everything online.

5. I don’t want to give up _____.

You don’t have to give anything you don’t want up! Everything in life is about give and take.

For example, if you want to lose a little more weight, then remove the creamer from coffee -

if you are ok with where you are and want to adjust elsewhere, then do that!

6. I’m feeling extra bloated when I consume my sugar foe again, what is

happening?

When you start eating cleaner you will notice your gut becomes intolerant to very rich, fatty

or sugary foods. To combat this drink lots of water with lemon, try a diluted shot of apple

cider vinegar and massage your belly (you can also use my Belly Ball). A Belly Ball promotes

digestion, eliminates bloating, stimulates fat cells and strengthens your core. I use this daily

for 5-10 minutes to flatten my belly and promote circulation.

I created a special code for everyone on this challange to apply 20% off their order at

www.fitbellyball.com Use code: sugarvacay

Chapter 5: My Story | 18

Chapter Five: How to Become a No Excuse Person.

You will discover your strengths and

weaknesses in your effort to becoming your

best self. Perhaps your right side is stronger

than your left, maybe you have a hard time

getting in protein or you discover your best

friend is a diet sabotage. Many times,

people experience unsupportive spouses of

friends who doubt their efforts.

Your goal in these twelve weeks is to stay

on track, don’t lose focus and understand

that FAILURE is part of the progress.

The more you overcome your fear of failing,

also known as, your splurge meal that turns

into three consecutive days, or the injury

that kept you on the couch for a week or the weigh in that showed a greater poundage than last

week. These things create anxiety, fear and an internal setback. No one is perfect! Even the most

‘perfect’ fitness trainer experiences failure, weaknesses and setbacks.

You become a No Excuse Person not because you don’t have excuses but because you have many

excuses! Sometimes you will feel like a winner at the end of the day and there will be others

where you feel like a complete loser! It’s ok! I’ve been there.

What matters most is that you keep striving. You don’t give up! You reflect, plan and move

forward again.

My best advice to engage with others who are like-minded. We are all a product of our

environment! If we see excellence and strive for that norm, we will experience it ourselves! Be

part of a NEM community whether it’s online or in-person. Find accountability and be inspired

by others.

Accountability is a big key to success. If there is checking in on you, who looks up to you are

expects the best of you, then you will naturally try to be a better person for him/her! Becoming

a role model or finding role models are the two best ways to ensure you are staying accountable

to a person. As a mother, father, sister, daughter - we lead so many people so depending on your

personality type, you may need to take on a leadership role in mentoring others while in this

Chapter 5: My Story | 19

effort to becoming your physical best or you can seek someone you can follow who will hold you

accountable.

Remember my warrior words written on my vision board:

Discipline

Focus

Passion

Gratitude

Consistency

Intensity

Faith

Health starts at Home.

Conclusion | 20

Conclusion

In Good Health,

Maria Kang Fit

Maria Kang Fitness

Maria Kang

It’s all up to you.

It really, really is.

The information is available to you.

In fact, it’s always been available to you – you just haven’t made THE DECISION yet.

It’s a light bulb that gets switched in your mind.

It’s a realization that you are tired of being tired.

It’s a newfound faith that despite bad diets, past failures and reoccurring excuses, you CAN DO

THIS.

You CAN DO THIS.

You have all the tools.

You have what it takes.

All you need is YOU.

Make that Decision.

Let’s GO!