The Paleo 40 day challenge:
Contest will run from January 14th (Monday) through February 22nd (Friday).
The guidelines for entry:
For entry and a chance to win the first place prize, all
participants MUST:
§ pay
$59 for entry and shirt; $79 for entry and shirt plus cookbook
§ keep track of their points and mark - points (I will have digital sheets for everyone to track)
§ track weight / measurements / body fat throughout the challenge
§ complete
baseline workout "Fight Gone Bad" before and after the challenge
*
At
the end of the Challenge, we will take total points and make sure food
logs are accurate, then crown 3 winners from different aspects of the challenge.
In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be fewest negatives over the
month.
THE
PALEO DIET OUTLINE
The rules of the Paleo Diet
are to eat foods with very few and all pronounceable ingredients, or better
yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and
unprocessed.
Omitting all of the following
foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce
systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly
impacting your health, fitness, and quality of life. Obviously, since we are
going off of a point system in this challenge, you can eat these foods. However,
the more you indulge in them, the more you are limiting the extent of your
results.
1. Do not
consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No
maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, etc.
Read your labels because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might
not recognize. However, for the purposes of this challenge, we will allow
Stevia as the only approved sweetener.
2. Do not
consume alcohol. It just isn’t good for you and you’re
trying to make a lifestyle change, right? OK,
this is the deal: everyone will get 10 drink tickets. When they’re gone, the point system applies!
3. Do not
eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley,
oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted
grains, and all of those gluten-free, pseudo-grains like quiona. Yes, we said
corn… for the purposes of this challenge, corn is a grain. This also includes
all the ways we add wheat, corn, and rice into our food in for the form of
bran, germ, starch, and so on. Again, read your labels.
4. Do not
eat legumes. This includes beans of all kind (black, red, pinto, navy,
white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.) peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts (no
peanut butter either). This also includes all forms of soy—soy sauce, miso,
tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like
lecithin).
5. Do not
eat dairy. This includes cow, goat, or sheep’s milk products such as
cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception
of clarified butter or organic butter. For the purpose of this challenge, Whey protein is okay as long as it is mixed with water for shakes.
6. Do not
eat white potatoes. This is somewhat arbitrary, but if we
are trying to change your habits and improve the hormonal impact of your food
choices, it’s best ot leave white, red, purple, Yukon gold and fingerling
potatoes off your plate. But DO eat
sweet potatoes! Just go light if weight loss is your goal.
SCORING
You will have a possible
total of 20 points per day. You will start with 15 points. You will add bonus
points based on fish oil consumption, mobility, CrossFit, and sleep. You will
subtract points based on the quality of foods you eat. Here’s the breakdown:
15 points
for a full day of all Paleo-friendly meals and snacks; 1 cheat MEAL per
week (Sunday-Saturday). This may NOT
include grains, bread, or rice. Leave those out!
-2 for missing CrossFit
-1 for not having 85oz women, 100oz men of water
-1 for missing at least 4 grams of a quality fish oil
-1 for less than 7+ hours of sleep
————————
20 possible points per day
-2 for missing CrossFit
-1 for not having 85oz women, 100oz men of water
-1 for missing at least 4 grams of a quality fish oil
-1 for less than 7+ hours of sleep
————————
20 possible points per day
Deducting
points
-1 point off for every
serving of: deli meats, bacon, sausage, beans, hummus, peanuts, agave, honey, (salt may be used in moderation as well as other
natural seasonings without point deduction), peas, dried fruit, most
salad dressings, red wine
-2 points off for every
serving of: dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, butter), soy products, quinoa
-3 points off for every
serving of: cereal, grains, wheat, oats, corn, tortilla chips, bread, rice,
pasta, noodles, hot dogs
-4 points for every serving
of: soda, juice, sports drinks, potatoes, fried food, chicken wings, most
restaurant appetizers, pizza, cookies, baked goods, ice cream, frozen yogurt,
sweets, pancakes, ketchup, processed marinades, BBQ sauce, sugar-added dried
fruit, beer, and ALL alcoholic drinks (besides red wine)
Note:
If you are going off the reservation, it’s important to know how many servings
you are eating. For example, 1 can of soda is 2 servings. This means that if
you drink an entire can, you must subtract 8 points. Moral of the story: don’t
do that.
Note
#2: There are no portion restrictions in the challenge, but be smart. If you
are eating an entire bag of trail mix, you are not eating Paleo; you are doing
more of the same stuff you did before. Use this challenge to change your
habits.
