Alright guys, here it is! We have been talking a lot about nutrition and diet habits for the past few weeks and we are drawing nearer to the commencement of our first diet challenge!
For this challenge the rules are fairly simple and we will cover those later in this write up but first we want you to consider the foods you are eating, and ask yourself a few questions:
Question 1: Am I using food to fuel my daily activities or am I using food as means of comfort, boredom, luxury, etc?
Question 2: Are my eating habits healthy in regards to frequency, portion size, and quality?
Question 3: In relation to pre and post (and sometimes during) workout nutrition, is my diet helping me or hurting me?
Once you have taken the time to consider these questions, think about what it is you would like accomplish from this diet challenge. Go into this challenge with the understanding that not all diet challenges NEED to be about losing weight or losing body fat %. Although decreasing body fat % WILL be the focal point of this challenge, for some athletes, it may not be a matter of trying to lose body weight or fat %, but possibly finding ways to GAIN lean muscle mass instead, so please understand that losing weight or cutting body fat % isn’t ALWAYS a default response to getting better fitness results.
In our case this is a good opportunity for athletes to make that self evaluation about their nutrition habits, and experiment with different diet concepts to see just how impactful a diet is in relation to daily function, physical activity, and post workout recovery.
Timeline:
- On Saturday the 12th we will conduct weigh-ins and measurements for athletes who are interested in participating in the challenge. This will take place as the skill at the beginning of each class. If you cannot make the Saturday workouts you can get in contact with Coach Ryan and set up a time to get your measurements prior to Saturday.
- We will be using 2 forms of measurement. The first will be a scale that measures weight and body fat %, and the second method will be the taping method. Athletes may opt to do one or the other as well and are not required to do both as the results will still be measurable.
- The challenge will run from Jan 12 – Feb 9 which is also a Saturday, and weigh-ins and measurements will again take place before the scheduled workouts.
- The winner will be determined by the athlete that lost the most %of body fat at the end of the challenge. (From weigh in to weigh in)
- Below are a list of potential diets to try, along with some side notes and references about each respective diet. You DO NOT have to choose one of the listed diets, and that is the cool part about this challenge. While we encourage you step out of your comfort zone and try something different, you do not have to put a label on the way you choose to eat. With different athletes trying different styles of eating it will be beneficial for everyone participating to share the uniqueness of their experience with others.
Diets:
Paleo/Whole 30
This diet is very strict and requires high consumption of vegetables, lean meats, some fruit, seeds, and nuts. No starches, grains, legumes, processed foods, dairy, or sugar. This is a hard diet to follow and be 100% strict with.
http://thepaleodiet.com/
http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/
Zone Diet
This diet has a very unique approach and operates with the method that every snack and meal should have a certain amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat which, depending on your size and activity level, can be measured to assess how much of each you need per meal and snack. This is a very easy concept to follow, and the Zone diet isn’t as strict with the foods you can eat. The Zone does allow the intake of some grains and whole wheat and therefore most CrossFit athletes prefer a Zone/Paleo mix. This would most likely be the optimal choice for our athletes, essentially, following the zone eating scheme (protein, carb, fat) every meal, but using paleo foods to fill those requirements. This is also the optimal choice because similar to how we seek measurable progress in the gym, we want measureable progress in our diet as well. The paleo diet offers no real system of measuring food intake, whereas with the zone you are measuring your food intake and can directly correlate what you ate to how you feel and how you perform.
http://www.zonediet.com/tools/zone-classic
http://www.zonediet.com/tools/quick-start-guide
21 Day Sugar Detox:
We would not recommend this diet for beginners, but the concept of it involves eliminating foods that make you crave carbs and sugars.
http://the21daysugardetox.com/
As mentioned before, we are not trying to FORCE you to change your eating habits. This challenge is meant to be just that…challenging…yet fun. It will be an opportunity for you to make a conscious effort to evaluate your nutrition and to find possible nutrition alternatives if your answers to the above questions demonstrated a less than desirable approach to food and nutrition.
This challenge is also NOT encouraging you to starve yourself or abuse your food intake in a manner that will be ultimately more damaging than beneficial. Initially you can expect to feel different when you make some changes to your diet, this is normal, but if you are experiencing frequent symptoms of laziness, dizziness, or lack of energy at any point during the challenge, get with the coaches so we can evaluate the food you are consuming.
You do not have to keep a food journal, but it is recommended, that way you have a record of everything you ate and can make the association of how the food made you feel before, during, or after workouts, or simply how it made you feel throughout the day. You do not have to take before and after pictures, but you may do so as this will also prove to be a good tool for your own personal motivation.
Lastly, going cold turkey on any of these diets is HARD, and for some of you, that might not be a realistic approach to this challenge, and that is OK! Find ways to make small changes, and take it from there. Do not be afraid to ease into one of these diet changes. Give yourself an occasional cheat day or cheat meal during the week and find a way to stay motivated, it is only a 4 week challenge.
Feel free to direct any questions or concerns to Ryan or Leah.
Below are some other references for local companies and websites that may help you during this challenge.
http://www.becomefitfc.com/nutrition.html
http://robbwolf.com/
http://www.primalguys.com/
swole.me
http://simplypurenutrients.com/
http://www.paleomg.com
http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2HVRDYoGb
www.everydaypaleo.com
W.I.L.D. Horizons CrossFit 