The 6 week paleo challenge

2011-04-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Why Do We Eat Paleo?....

Because it helps us remember what “real food” is!!

Lets ponder over this Quote from Claude Fischler… (Nutritional Sociologist)

“If you are what you eat and don’t know what you are eating, do you know who you are?”

How is this for an intro: Hi I'm Propylene Glycol Alginate, how are you? Serious Identity Crisis!

So for now, we will follow the mantra of our Paleolithic Fathers (short of pounding things with a club!)

We Support this because out of everything that we have encountered throughout the years, this makes the most sense to us. In short…

We did not evolve eating cultivated, highly processed, modern day “food”, so our bodies are not equipped to consume and digest these products. So lets take it all away, and see how we run! On a personal note after changing my diet I got rid of chronic bloating that has been killing me for years , my DL went up 20 lbs (in a month), my body comp changed rapidly, and my recovery has been much improved! What will it do for you??

Introduction on How and What to Eat (thank you Potomic CrossFit!!)

General Rx:

Eat meat, veggies, seeds and nuts, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.

Detailed Rx:

* Do not eat grains, dairy, legumes, alcohol, and processed foods

* Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat

It is your first dance with Paleo so we are going to take 6 weeks and clean out your system. Do that by eating the above (meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch) from the highest quality sources possible. Stick to the plan, even if the sugar cravings make you borderline psychotic.

General rule for meals: Eat a piece of protein the size of your palm, then fill the rest of your

plate with veggies. Use reasonable amounts of fat to deal with hunger. When you lean out

as much as you want, or if you are having trouble recovering from workouts, eat more fat.

Please note: This is a lifestyle change, not simply a “diet.” To be successful, you’ve got to

understand that a Paleo “clean” accomplishes two things:

1. It physically rids your body of toxic substances and their associated

inflammation, auto-immune response accumulation, and the like.

2. It starts to re-wire your brain.

The physical effects of eliminating processed foods, grains, sugars, dairy, alcohol, etc. are

significant and akin to withdrawal from drug addiction. The average American’s hunger

mechanism is flat-out dysfunctional, akin to a rollercoaster of soaring and plummeting blood

sugar levels. But the mental aspects are even more pervasive. The clean is an attempt to

snap your mind out of the “I want sugar–>eat sugar” thought process.

With this in mind, be realistic: years of bad habits are not unwound and replaced with new,

healthy ones in 30 days. It will take much, much longer than that. Be patient.

After getting your body accustomed to running on healthy fats instead of carbohydrates,

you may want to weigh/measure and log your intake for a few weeks(maybe after the challenge). This will allow you

to examine your diet and make necessary adjustments.

When the 4-6 weeks are up, you can add back the things you’ve eliminated -- one at a

time, in a scientific, deliberate way – to see how your body reacts. Chances are, the dairy,

grains, legumes, alcohol, et al. will make you at best bloated and cranky, and at worst sick.

For a sustainable, healthy approach after the clean (which teaches you what foods affect

you in what ways), stay as clean as possible, the highest percentage of the time you

can handle, without going insane. That balance looks different for everybody. However,

if you’re going to go “off plan,” you should always make a conscious decision to cheat,

knowing you won’t feel well afterwards. Consider it a mental break that satisfies a mental

urge — not a physical need for any food.

*just a few extra tid bits

– It is a good idea to get 2g of high quality omega- 3 from fish oil supplements

-For a general reference we need to consume at least 1g lean protein/lb of bodyweight.

- We want our fats to come from good sources ie. Extra virgin olive, coconut, walnut, and avocado oils. Eat Coconuts and avocados. I always get these at Three Amigos on Bluff Street. To get coconut out of its shell easy drill holes in the eyes, drain and drink its yummy isotonic water, bake in oven for 20mins @350degrees take out, let cool a bit, wrap with a towel and smash with a hammer. Pop the coconut out of shell with knife! Eat small portions of a variety of nuts (not peanuts…they are legumes, and a source of a lot of allergies!)

- Buy the biggest box of Tupperware you can possibly imagine! Being prepared is the number one tip for being successful! I carry food with me everywhere I go, Tupperware of nuts, one of veggies, pieces of fruit, non crazy chemical jerky, packets of low sodium tuna or salmon (watch labels for soy and gluten), Pack your own lunch to take to work, make dressings to leave in fridge at work…etc etc.

- When eating out, choose the lesser evil! Be vocal, “I want meat, vegetables, and oil! Or no bun please but can I have it with the guacamole or avocado on top? Can I have that on a bed of steamed veggies or salad? You are the consumer and for the most part, can tell them what you want.

-Eat color! Be adventurous, pretend like this is a scavenger hunt! There are so many flavors from fresh produce and random spices out there to try that don’t include Propylene Glycol Alginate…yay!

-Please feel free to email me with questions on food, or ideas, recipes etc

OK, So.... Here is the Challenge We Present to you!!! We are doing this so you all can see the benefits of this lifestyle whether it is being aesthetically pleasing, helping get rid of inflammation, recovering better, or desire to gain more strength. We have seen results - this will help!

The challenge will start Tues March 1st and end April 12th. So, here are the rules of the First CrossFit St George Paleo-Challenge.

You'll be measuring your success over the 6 weeks of the challenge using a system of points. And no, these aren't the Weight Watchers kind of 'points'. :)

There are 2 ways that you'll be able to earn points for the challenge.

1. Daily points for eating Paleo, along with bonus points for maintaining healthy sleep and exercise habits

2. Benchmark workout -- performed at start and end

Daily Points & Bonus Points

Each challenge participant will start each day with 7 points. These points represent 7 aspects of the Paleo diet.

1. Eat real food. Meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, and natural oils. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re fresh and natural.

2. Do not eat dairy. This includes butter, cheese, yogurt and milk (including cream in your coffee).

3. Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, corn, oatmeal, and also any gluten-free pseudo-grains (quinoa, etc).

4. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter!

5. Do not eat sugars of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Truvia, Stevia, etc.

6. Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, processed bars like Zone and Balance bars, dairy-free creamers, etc.

7. Do not drink alcohol, in any form.

So, if you follow points 1-6, but have a beer with your dinner, you get 6 points for the day. Subtract a point for the day if you have cream in your coffee. Eat a bagel - subtract a point. Etcetera. If you have a beer, cream in your coffee and a bagel in one day, you're down to 4 points for that day. If you have a question about whether something counts as a point or not, ask and we'll figure out an answer.

Earn one bonus point per day that you get 8.5+ hours of sleep.

Earn one bonus point per day (maximum of 5 per week) for each WOD you complete at CrossFit St George.

Points are awarded on the honor system.

**You may have read the Paleo Challenge guidelines and thought to yourself, "Why aren't we weighing in / measuring body fat / measuring waist circumference / etc?"

The challenge was designed to reward those who stay dedicated to maintaining healthy eating, sleep and exercise habits over 6 weeks. The reason it was set up that way is because eating Paleo isn't a weight loss diet. The concept of Paleo is to provide your body with the optimal fuel that it was designed to run on.

Eating Paleo is primarily about feeling your absolute best, mentally and physically. Looking better in your swimsuit will just be a side effect.

That said, even though changes in body composition (weight/inches/body fat lost) will not be factored into the scores for the challenge, we encourage everyone participating to do before and after weigh-ins, measurements and pictures. These will just be for you, so you have a record of your success. Even for those who aren't looking to lose pounds, changing how you eat is going to help your body build muscle, and those changes will be measurable.

If you'd like Ali or Jens to give you a hand with pictures and measurements, just send us an email and we'll set it up!

Ok....Prizes, Yay!!

So for the Winner

1. 1 Free Month at CrossFit St George

2. Sweet Wod Named after you!

Paleo Caveman Style!

The 6 week paleo challenge