October 2014 Nutrition Challenge

Nutrition Challenge runs from Wednesday, October 1 – Friday, October 31, 2014.

Whether this is your first nutrition challenge or you are a seasoned veteran, the undertaking of eating clean for a month can be a daunting task, but with proper education and preparation there is no reason you all should not succeed.  The two things you need are commitment and accountability.  We’ll help you stay accountable by having you record your points and posting them on a daily basis, but it is up to you commit.  We have had so many success stories with these challenges, and we want to keep the trend going.

The idea behind this challenge is very simple.  Take a month out of your life, make some dietary changes, and see if what you are currently eating is stifling your progress both from a weight management standpoint and a performance standpoint.  This challenge will not only include nutrition, but it will also evaluate your sleep, exercise, and hydration.  You will be scored in two categories: Compliance within the scored categories and % weight loss of starting weight.  Here are the guidelines for each of the scored categories.

• NUTRITION – This challenge will be based off of Paleo and Primal nutrition principles. It is a whole foods diet that avoids gluten, dairy, legumes, and all added sugars. Mark Sisson, from Mark’s Daily Apple, has a fantastic introduction into this style of eating which can be found HERE.  This a challenge, not a diet.  We are not asking you to try to avoid eating certain things for a temporary period of time.  We really want you to educate yourself on this nutritional approach and start thinking about food as fuel.  You can eat all kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables, some starches, nuts, seeds, great fats like avocado and coconut oil, and some starches.  See below for an approved foods list so you will be well equipped at the grocery store. Your success in this challenge will be determined by your ability to plan your meals. Always have snacks on hand, and make sure to cook a lot at one time so you have leftovers.  We will be available via email if you have any questions or simply need some encouragement.

• EXERCISE – You will be scored on the number of days you workout per week. Workouts outside of the gym will count.

• SLEEP – You will be scored on the total number of hours you sleep in a 24-hr period.

• HYDRATION – You will be required to drink a certain % of your body weight in ounces of water each day.

 

SCORING – You will be provided with a score sheet where you will fill in points on a daily basis.

• Compliance – The scoring system is based on Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, and Hydration.  You will be required to post your points daily on a Facebook page specifically created for you, the challengers.  Compliance will be the biggest factor in determining the winner.  You will receive points for the following:

  • Nutrition:

    • +1 Point – Every meal that you eat that falls within the guidelines of the challenge will receive +1 point.  Max of +3 points per day in this category.

    • -1 Point – Any meal that you eat that falls outside of the nutrition guidelines will receive -1 point.  Maximum -3 points per day in this category.

    • -1 Point – Any beverage that is not allowed on the challenge will detract 1 point from your daily nutrition total with a max of -5 points in a day from beverages.

    • Note: Scores per day from nutrition can range from +3 to -8.  Ex: If you eat 2 “clean” meals and one “non-clean” meal,  you will receive a score of 1 for the day (2 -1 = 1).  The total number of meals you can have in a day is capped at 6.  So, 6 clean meals is a + 3.  6 bad meals is a -3.  3 Clean meals and 3 bad meals is 0.  Don’t get tricky with it.  Add up all your good meals (up to 3) and all of your bad meals (down to -3) and do the math.

  • Exercise/Mobility:

    • +1 Point – For every day you workout you will receive a +1.  (Max +7 in a week)

    • +1 Point – For every day you spend 30+ minutes on mobility you will receive +1 (Max +3 in a week)

    • Note: Max score per week is +10 from exercise+mobility

  • Sleep:

    • +1 Point – 7+ Hours of sleep in a day.  Naps count.

    • +0 Points – 5-7 Hours of sleep

    • -1 Point – <5 Hours of sleep

    • Max score per week from Sleep is +7.

  • Hydration:

    • +1 Point – 40% your body weight in ounces of water each day.  i.e. a 200lb person would drink 80oz of water each day.

    • +1 Point – <40% of your body weight in water

    • Max score per week from Hydration is +7.

• % Weight Loss – We know it is not everyones goal to lose weight, but for many of us it is.  Losing weight is a valuable criterion when determining the success of a nutrition plan.  Some of you may be in the process of trying to gain weight, or add lean mass.  Your efforts are applauded, but winning this challenge is not for you.

• Coach Discretion – As with most challenges there is usually only one winner.  We reserve the right to honor those who make dramatic transformations.

 

Informational Resources

• Mark’s Daily Apple

• Robb Wolf

Food Blogs

• Nutty Kitchen

• Civilized Caveman

• Primal Palate

• The Foodee

• PaleOMG

 

SOME INFO ON FOODS:

ENCOURAGED FOODS:

• meat (preferably grass-fed)

• poultry (preferably free range)

• fresh fish & seafood (preferably wild)

• eggs (preferably free range)

• more vegetables than fresh fruit – Organic is encouraged

• starches – Up to 2 cups of cooked white rice/white potatoes/sweet potatoes on any day you workout.  No starches on non-workout days.  Any and all starches must be consumed post-workout.

• nuts & seeds (preferably raw and unsalted.  Be careful with nuts that are roasted in oils.  They are not allowed)

• minimally processed oils & animal fats (e.g., EVOO, coconut oil, lard, beef tallow, and ghee—be aware that some of these are not meant for high-heat cooking but should be used raw)

ACCEPTABLE BEVERAGES:

• Water

• Coffee / Tea

• Coconut Water

• One serving of the following is allowed per week.

  • 5 oz Wine

  • 2 oz Hard Alcohol (Clear)

  • 12 oz Hard Cider (<15g carb – Some are loaded with sugar so watch out)

• Anything above one serving in a week (Mon – Sun) will detract from your daily total of points.

FOODS TO EAT IN MODERATION:

• Dried fruits – High concentration of suger

• Nuts mixed with dried & fresh fruits

• Starchy vegetables (e.g., starchy tubers, potatoes, sweet potatoes) – Again, up to 2 cups of a cooked starch on workout days, but none on days you don’t workout. Keep it post workout.

FOODS TO AVOID:

• Dairy (e.g., milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, whey protein powder)

• Commercial salad dressings, condiments, soft drinks & fruit juices,

• Sweets (i.e., candy, honey, sugars [sucrose, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, agave nectar]), diet sodas, refined vegetable oils (especially corn, soy, & canola), foods containing artificial sweeteners, chemical food additives.

• Cereal Grains

• Barley (barley soup, barley bread, and all processed foods made with barley)

• Corn (corn on the cob, corn tortillas, corn chips, corn starch, corn syrup)

• Millet

• Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats, and all processed foods made with oats)

• Rice (brown rice, rice noodles, rice cakes, Rice flour (all processed foods made with rice) – White rice is the only exception.

• Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, and all processed foods made with rye)

• Wheat (bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour)

• Wild rice

• Cereal Grain like Seeds such as amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa

• Legumes

• All beans (black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans)

• Black-eyed peas, Chickpeas

• Lentils

• Peas, Snow peas, Sugar snap peas

• Miso

• Peanut butter, Peanuts

• Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu

BEVERAGES TO AVOID:

• Milk

• Alcohol (Beer is off limits, no excuses)

• Soda / Diet Soda / Energy Drinks

• Fruit Juice – High concentration of sugar

 

RULES:

• Challenge starts on October 1 and ends on October 31.  The points for day 1’s sleep is considered to be Tuesday, September 30 into Wednesday, October 1.
• Post your points on a daily basis – There is a Facebook group specifically for all challengers. If you don’t have FB, join it for the challenge.  It is a great way to share recipes and keep accountability.
• You must weigh in between September 29 – October 3, and email [email protected] with your weight.  There is a scale at the gym for you to use.  You are welcome to weigh yourself on another scale, just make sure you use the same scale for the weigh out.  For the “weigh out” you must do so between October 29 – October 31
• Optional – Body Fat Testing – We will have hydrostatic body fat testing available on Monday, September 29 and Wednesday, October 29 for before & after the challenge. E-mail [email protected] to reserve your spot (any 15 minute slot between 8AM – 9PM). It is $100 for the two testings or $60 for one testing (bring a bathing suit and towel, you will be fully submerged). Body fat testing is not required, but is encouraged since the scale never tells the whole story.
• Please download the following files:
  • Word document outlining the exact details of the challenge
  • Excel spreadsheet to calculate your scores