Sardine Challenge: Choose Your Hard

the Healing Power of a 3-Day Sardine Challenge: Choose your hard

Exploring the Challenge

In the realm of health and wellness, sometimes the most unexpected challenges emerge as powerful tools for transformation. As a Certified Health Coach, and a Dr. Boz Keto Coach, navigating the complexities and struggles of my own keto chemistry, I was educated on the benefits of the 3-Day Sardine Challenge.  Dr. Boz has taught us the protocol, and has proven, to even the most skeptic of clients, including myself, just how magic these little fishies are. 

Before you turn your nose up and run, let me challenge you to prove it to yourself, just as I did.  These little fishies will never be my favorite food, I may never really enjoy them, but, I do love what they do for my body chemistry and you will too.

By tracking your numbers in your Keto-Mojo, you will see exactly what this 3-Day Challenge can teach you. This is not something we do every week, but when you are struggling with your chemistry, this is a "tool" that is safe, cheap, and easy to pull out of your "keto-toolbox" and use when needed.  Anyone can do this challenge, young and old alike, diabetic or not.  This challenge is for everyone.

It has been brought to my attention, through my Keto-Mojo Dashboard, that many of my Coaching Clients, even my seasoned veterans, seem to be struggling with high glucose and low ketones.  This leaves them with a higher-than-desired DBR.  Sometimes we all need a reboot.  That is exactly what we will be doing together. 

Even this Health Coach is using this tool to help me recover from my 3 shoulder surgeries in the last 4 months.  My body is struggling, I can't sleep, my chemistry is awful and I need to do something I can succeed at.  Sardines are the answer I am looking for.  I know they will help my glucose come down, and my ketones go up.  This will, in turn, help me feel so much better, help me heal, and get me back in the game of rebuilding my health.

We will be doing this 3-Day Challenge for the next two weeks beginning on Monday of each week, and ending on Wednesday.  If these days do not work for you, just do whatever days that will be most convenient for you.  We want to set you up for success, so be mindful of your calendar and schedule.  Plan accordingly. 

We will post our numbers in our Facebook Group Journey to Keto with Tammie Laubacher LMT, PHC to share our success, and prove to ourselves and everyone else, what a great tool this is to use.  

Today, I'm excited to share how this unconventional approach to cleaning up glucose, not only aids in healing but also sheds light on the profound relationship between our diets, brain chemistry, and overall addictions to carbs and sugar in the brain.  Along with how many ways we all use food as coping skills for all of life, instead of nutrition to fuel and heal our bodies.  You will learn more about yourself, your habits, and your addictions than you ever dreamed possible.  

Understanding the Challenge

The rules are simple yet profound: for three consecutive days, participants consume nothing but sardines. While this may sound awful at first, the benefits are mind-blowing, particularly for those struggling with glucose management and sugar addiction.  

Your 3-Day Sardine Challenge clock begins with a can of sardines and ends, 72 hours later with a can of sardines.  

Our favorite kind is (order here) Chicken of the Sea, Wild-Caught Sardines.  We order right from Amazon and have them delivered.  

• GOOD - If you are hungry, EAT sardines until you are full.  Every time you want food, you consume sardines.  Nothing more. Nothing less.

• BETTER - You will consume only sardines until you are full, within a 4-8 hour eating window.  Depending on your normal eating window, (how many hours a day you consume food).
• BEST - You will consume ALL of your sardines within ONE meal.  This is referred to as OMAD (one meal a day).  All of your nutrition and calories will be consumed within that one meal or one hour.  Keeping the hours outside of that one-hour eating window, calorie-free.  Having only black coffee, black tea, salt, and water outside of that one hour.  Eat however many cans of sardines it takes to fill you up.  Comfortably full.  This will give you plenty of nutrition for the three days. This level is reserved for our Veterans who are used to doing OMAD before this challenge.
  
  
  

Ways to prepare sardines

Some of us struggle with the smell, texture and the flavor.  But we have found a few tricks that make these more tolerable for even the pickiest of eaters.  

• Straight UP- Open the can, add some good Redmond's Salt with my code JOURNEYTOKETO to save $$.  And eat. Down the hatch.  That simple.
• HOT Sauce or Mustard - Some find it beneficial to add a small amount of Franks Hot Sauce or Spicy Mustard. If you prefer a milder flavor, we use Primal Kitchens Garlic Aioli Mayo Use my code JOURNEYTOKETO to save $$.
• Air Fry- If texture is your problem, as it is with me.  I prefer to air-fry them.  Yes, I do have my air fryer on my back porch to keep the smell out of my house.  But I can salt them, and air fry them for 7-8 minutes.  This will crisp them up enough to change the texture. 
• Whatever it takes- Again, we are not sitting down and enjoying a sardine meal, we are just getting them in us, and moving on about our day.  Just DO IT. NO EXCUSES

CHOOSE YOUR HARD

Yes, a 3-Day Sardine Challenge is HARD. But as the saying goes, "Choose your hard." Hard is not healing after surgery. Hard is being a diabetic and unable to heal as you should. Hard is knowing your high glucose levels are deteriorating your health. Hard is living in pain, and watching life pass you by.  Hard is recognizing that you're not heading in the correct direction to rebuild your health.  Hard is knowing your health is deteriorating faster than you can repair it. 

Eating sardines for 3 Days to help your body is rough, it is annoying if you don't particularly like them.  But we have all done hard things for a much lesser benefit.  You will find out how food really does control you, and how some people will struggle with wanting what they want, and wanting it now.  There is a little spoiled kid inside all of us. This is where you will learn how addicted you are to sugar and carbs.

Tackling Glucose and Sugar Addiction

One of the primary benefits of the 3-Day Sardine Challenge lies in its ability to cleanse and regulate glucose levels, making it an invaluable tool for both diabetics and non-diabetics alike. By eliminating all other sources of carbohydrates and sugars, participants gain insight into their physiological responses and confront any underlying addictions to these substances.

In a society where food is often used as a means of seeking pleasure and comfort, the Sardine Challenge helps you recognize your relationship with food. Much like alcoholics seek dopamine from a drink, many of us turn to carbs and sugars for that same neurological reward. Through this challenge, we confront these struggles head-on and reclaim control over our addictions and choices.  This is a judgment-free zone.  

Join the Journey

For anyone looking to experience these transformative effects firsthand, I invite you to join our Facebook group, "Journey to Keto with Tammie Laubacher, LMT PHC," and sign up for our upcoming Sardine Challenge.  It is free, and everyone is welcome.  You do not have to be a Coaching Client to Join this Challenge.  Together, we'll explore the depths of our physiology and emerge with newfound insights of our addictions and ability to "do hard things" to regain our health.

Alternative Options

Recognizing that sardines may not be everyone's cup of tea, the challenge also welcomes participants to explore alternative options. If you must, Mackerel, with its similar nutritional profile, serves as an excellent substitute for those unable to partake in sardines.  Sardines will always be the first choice and the best option, but in the likelihood that sardines are a "hard NO", mackerel will be the next best option.  Here is the link to our favorite, King Oscar Mackerel.  You can always use these the first week and then advance to sardines when you realize you really CAN do hard things.

Conclusion

As a health coach on a personal journey to healing, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of the 3-Day Sardine Challenge. Through this experience, we not only address glucose management and food addiction but also cultivate a deeper understanding of our bodies and minds. Join me on this journey, and together, let's unlock the boundless potential of holistic health and well-being.

In Health & Happiness

xo, 

Coach Tammie