Sam Farr Challenge

Join CA Congressman Sam Farr and Nutrition Educator Mary Toscano and take the 30-Day Challenge! The "Sam Farr Challenge" is a health and fitness-oriented community event to help people lose weight and feel healthier. It was inspired by my visit with CA Congressman Sam Farr in Washington DC as part of the American Diabetes Association. I witnessed how difficult it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle on Capitol Hill. From that experience, I invited Congressman Farr to a special, 30-day challenge. He said yes! We both saw the opportunity to open this Challenge to the public to improve the health of many. A pilot version of the Challenge was launched on May 12, 2014. Fifty people jumped on board. Below are some of their Success Stories.

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OUR 30-DAY CHALLENGE BEGINS MONDAY JULY 14th! How Does the Challenge Work? Choose the Basic or Extreme level, and follow those 3 simple rules for 30 days. By making just these three changes you can lose extra weight and greatly improve your health and overall well-being. BASIC No alcohol after 7:30pm No more than 1 serving of bread or pasta per day* 7,000 steps or 30 min exercise daily EXTREME No food or alcohol after 7:30pm No foods with flour or >20g Sugars (per serving) 10,000 steps or 1 hour exercise daily *Whole grain preferred. Eliminating bread will be the hardest thing to do, but is the fastest way to drop weight. Flour is the biggest source of hidden sugar in the American diet. A single plain bagel dumps 12 teaspoons of sugar in the blood. A typical serving of spaghetti will dump 22 teaspoons. Any sugar the body doesn't use for energy gets turned into fat.     Who is Congressman Sam Farr? Congressman Sam Farr, a fifth-generation Californian, represents the state's beautiful Central Coast. Throughout his 20-year tenure, Mr. Farr has been a leading advocate for California agriculture, an outspoken activist for affordable housing and a champion of the oceans. [Visit Website] Who is Mary Toscano? Mary Toscano is a Certified Nutrition Educator and the author of the book, "Sweet Fire: Sugar, Diabetes & Your Health." Because of her family history (both sets of grandparents died from complications of diabetes) and her own sensitivity to sugar, she has dedicated herself to figuring out the role of sugar in health. [Visit Website]

My pants fit better, back pain lessened and I feel stronger. Exercise is now a daily part of my life, and I love it! – JE My A1C is down to 6.6 (from 7.3!) – PM At first, I thought 30 days without bread and pasta would be impossible, but it went by faster than I thought it would. I lost 6 pounds and I didn't change any other habits! – MB I lost 8 pounds, have more energy, am much happier and more ambitious. My blood pressure readings also went down! – RP The best part was a boost of energy, and loss of the sleepiness after eating. I learned how much refined carbs cloud my mind. – AG I lost weight without even trying and have more energy during the day. I sure don't miss those afternoon slumps! – SM After serious medical problems my life has been sitting on a sofa. I am back at the gym, have more energy and am sleeping better. Plus I am waking up much earlier and much more awake than before. – MH Doing these rules for 30 days has made the "desire" a habit. – JM As the days went by, the urge to eat bread and pasta subsided. Thank you for getting me involved with healthier eating! – MY I love the emails everyday with encouragement, ideas and participant experiences. I never felt like I was alone; there was always support. – MB

© 2014 Mary Toscano Healthy Living