What Exactly Is the Drop the Sugar Challenge From 'The Doctors'?

Let's face it — there are more diet fads out there than ever before, and each one promises to deliver the best results. While eating Keto, trying the Atkins Diet, or going Paleo work for many who try it, some people want to alter their way of eating in the simplest way possible.

In November of 2019, the CBS talk series The Doctors featured two people who were participating in the Drop the Sugar Challenge. Instead of cooking specialty foods or cutting portion sizes, the goal of the diet was to get rid of food items that have a surplus of sugar. 

What is the Drop the Sugar Challenge? Read on to find out what the diet entails, and to learn if the pair featured on the show were successful in doing it. 

While the Drop the Sugar Challenge isn't as intense as some other diet plans out there, it will require participants to give it 21 days. 

On The Doctors, participants Devin and Ashley gave the challenge a shot after they revealed that their biggest problem with getting healthier was their sugar intake. They both enjoyed eating candy and fast food, and nutritionist Juli Keene later said that they didn't even need to cut their calories, just the amount of sugar they were eating.

The rules of the diet were outlined on TheDoctorsTV.com. Interested users would need to plan their meals in advance (to avoid temptation, and to ensure that they would not run out of time to cook). 

Participants should take a careful look at the list of ingredients on the foods that they normally eat, and avoid added sugar and overly processed foods. Another guideline of the diet is to drink water frequently.

The Drop the Sugar Challenge also encourages users to eat fiber, protein, and healthy fats in order to feel full. Lean meats and fish are rich in protein, as are eggs and nuts. Foods that contain healthy fats include avocados, eggs, and olives. 

A key part of the diet is to never skip a meal either. Snacking and eating sugar often occurs when people feel as though they've been deprived of a full meal. 

A big component is also to fill up by eating complex carbs, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Users can replace their sugar-laden desserts with fruit in order to get a somewhat similar sweet taste. 

Like many other diets state, the Drop the Sugar Challenge emphasizes the importance of getting enough rest, eating healthy snacks throughout the day, and being active at least three days per week. 

With people spending more time at home than ever before, the Drop the Sugar Challenge has boomed again in popularity, as it can be done with fairly easy changes to a grocery store haul. 

By avoiding buying candy and baked goods, and not hitting the fast food drive-thru line, you're already on your way to starting the challenge. If you're someone who is inclined to indulge with sweets, the Drop the Sugar Challenge is a way to stay accountable if you want to make a change. 

After their first appearance on The Doctors, Ashley and Devin returned to the show three weeks later to share the results from their changed diet. 

When asked how they fared, Ashley explained that she felt better since she did the sugar detox, and that her clothes fit her more comfortably too. 

"I feel great," Ashley said on the show. "I've developed healthy eating habits. Before, I would just get hungry and just order something from fast food, but now I'm meal planning on Saturdays and cooking. Now, when I get hungry, I just go to the fridge. My energy is better. I go to the gym and my leggings fit better. It's all better."

The Doctors co-host Travis Stork then flashed the audience a set of before and after photos for Devin, which clearly showed him with more muscle tone. 

"Changing what I eat truly helped me out a lot — tremendously a lot with what I should and shouldn't put in my body. Usually, I pull over to Jack in the Box or 7/11 to grab some snacks, but [Juli] was giving me items of what to get, what type of protein I should be putting in my body, and it was tremendously a blessing."

Devin then said that he was going to the gym five days a week and that he found a renewed sense of energy. 

The Drop the Sugar Challenge definitely had a strong effect on Ashley and Devin. Of course, the pair was also working with a nutritionist along the way for guidance. 

The Doctors airs on weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for more information as to what time it airs near you.