Lifestyle Challenge

I want to emphasize both nutrition and performance - hence the change from Paleo Challenge to Lifestyle Challenge. Next one (prob starting in mid May) will require a sign up HERE. I am implementing a few of those things for this challenge, namely:

Body measurements as follows:

Benchmark wod: 2014-01-15 (with make up on 2014-01-19)

CFV 6-week Lifestyle Challenge Overview:

- This will be run on the honor system. CFV is all about the truth. If you lie, not only are you hurting yourself, but you will also negatively impact your fellow members. Also, when you lie, your unibrow grows twice as fast. Don't let bushy foreheads happen to you.

- Starts Monday Jan 13 at 12:01a. Ends Sunday Feb 23 at 11:59p

- There will only be an Rx division (no scaled this time)

- Organic is recommended but not required. Do the best given your budget.

- One winner for best improvement on Benchmark Wod and one overall winner

Guidelines:

Must post to this website EVERYDAY one of three things (with respect to what you ate that day given your division): Strict Adherence (meals and snacks/treats), Adherence with Allowances (meals and snacks/treats), Cheat Meal(s). You cannot treat a bad afternoon / entire weekend as one cheat meal (examples given below).

Rx: No Grains, No Legumes, No Added Sugar. No Dairy. No Excuses.

Allowances: You can have - but are not obligated to have - the following:

Two (2) Paleo alcoholic drinks per week (e.g. - a glass of organic red wine, tequila, masculine hard cider) and no stockpiling drinks. Make them count.

Two (2) Paleo treats per week (e.g. - one (1) serving of baked Paleo goods, full fat cultured yogurt, 85% chocolate, etc). Please be reasonable with your serving size and note that one (1) serving is rarely a dozen of anything.

One (1) 'off the reservation' cheat meal over the course of the challenge.

Prizes:

Winners in each category will receive one (1) month of membership that will be decided upon by:

Compliance with the guidelines of the challenge.

Improvement in benchmark wod.

Previous winners cannot win again.

Please keep in mind the following:

This is all about eating healthier. Make good choices to minimize your sugar intake (this includes fruits). Don't skip meals. Drink plenty of water. Keep that in mind when making all your food decisions and you should come out on top.

If you're eating Paleo but also having 3 paleo brownies after dinner each day, don't expect to see the results you are hoping for. A Paleo brownie is still a brownie.

Eating Paleo can be tailored for you to lose weight or gain it - but don't obsess over that number on the scale. Stress (i.e. obsessing over a number) will prevent you from achieving your goals. DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERYDAY.

A few FAQs:

Should I go back and post on days that I missed?

No. You have already missed that day. Focus on not missing any other days going forward.


Can I use my cheat meal in drinks?

No. That is why there are separate stipulations for what you eat and what you drink. Have a lot of alcohol/soda/etc and it will ruin all the good work you are doing with eating cleaner. Have a lot of water, and it will only make your results at the end of the challenge that much better.  Do not underestimate the importance of drinking well - there is no substitute for water!

Can I use heavy cream in my coffee/condiments on my meals?

Yes - just make sure you're not drinking a cup of heavy cream with a splash of coffee.

Can I use condiments/sauces on my meals?

Yes - just make sure you're not eating ketchup with a side of sweet potato fries. (Do you see a pattern here yet?) And make sure you check the ingredient label. You should choose something with a short list of ingredients. You should choose something without sugar or any of it's chemically manufactured derivatives. In some instances, this may be extremely difficult.

Can I eat out considering most restaurants don't have organic/grass fed options?

Yes - just be mindful that the less complicated the food, the better chance it will have less stuff that is bad for you. Ask the wait staff how the food is prepared - they should know. Make good, moderate choices overall and your body should be able to handle the unavoidable/unintentional "cheat". (Which for the purposes of this challenge, will not be considered a cheat - just make a conscious effort to keep it moderate.)

This is too hard - can I scale it back some more?

No. It's called a challenge for a reason - it's challenging. Stop indicating your desire to drink more, eat more dessert, blah, blah, blah and just Man/Lady Up and eat clean.

Google is very helpful but a few websites to start everyone off can be found HERE

Start posting today - just to familiarize yourself with the process.

Here is a good video summarizing the why of Paleo:

Best to all!