Man Who Hasn't Eaten Sugar in 4 Years Shares Benefits of Lifestyle Switch

A TikTok video has amassed over 3.6 million views in which a user, Tristyn Lee, shows off his incredibly muscular body explaining that he hasn't eaten sugar in four years. The video, entitled 'I haven't eaten sugar in 4 years...Should I give in and eat a donut?', shows Tristyn engaging in various exercises at the gym while he explains why he chose to give up all sugar.

"No sugar for four years straight? You heard me right, but why?", he says in a voice-over, "For the past four years of my life I haven't cheated on my diet once. Not once. Was it necessary? No. Do I recommend it to everyone? Probably not.

"But for many people who are similar to myself, the quote-unquote balanced diet with the occasional pop tart or sweet treat that seems so unbelievably appealing often leads me down the route of adding more and more processed foods and excess calories into my diet.

An elimination diet is something that has always worked better for me as it removes all the cravings for sweet sugars and hyper-palatable foods."

An elimination diet, despite being called a 'diet', traditionally has nothing to do with weight loss, and is most commonly used to identify food allergies and intolerances by cutting out certain potential 'trigger foods'. Experts usually recommend elimination diets to be temporary, and as Medical News Today states, "The person avoids potential triggers for 2-4 weeks, although the recommended timing can vary."

Tristyn explains his long abstinence from sugar as, "Out of sight out of mind, right? With no cookies in the cupboard, all temptations are out of sight and out of mind. If you're someone who has had issues in the past with falling off track with your diet sometimes the solution is more simple than you think."

He promises he has never given in to the glucose and had a cheat day, "No cheat meals, no cheat days, and consistently eating nutrient-dense foods you'll likely notice improvements in energy, mood, and find yourself falling off track far less than if you're jumping in and out of your diet."

Cheat days are typically a designated day where a dieter or fitness enthusiast eats 'clean' for six days and then eats whatever they like on the seventh day. Canadian Dietician Abby Langer says on her website that the word 'cheat' harbors negative connotations and we should instead focus on intuitive eating.

Speaking to Men's Health magazine owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition in Virginia Beach recommends, "Loosen up the reins a few times each week for some indulgent foods. By allowing a couple of smaller indulgences you give yourself a break from normal 'dieting' without sabotaging your results."

Users on TikTok gave very mixed reactions to the fitness video. One user commented: "I am exactly the same I can't do a little so I go all-out ban on everything bad, no cheats or I go off the deep end 😂", while another user also agreed with the technique, "This really resonates with me. if I can't have all of it, I want none of it. it's hard at the start but in the long run it's manageable."

Some users criticized the extreme lifestyle choice, with one user saying: "Bruh.. u know u only live once right? I guess u know, but so you really understand that?", while another user agreed: "Nah bro unless you're making a crap ton of money through bodybuilding, it ain't worth it. Live your life."

Although Tristyn's diet may seem extreme to both users and experts, he finishes his video by saying: "Give this a shot for a few weeks and see how you feel. And at the end of the day, this is simply what works for me and it may not work for you."