Yes, it’s September 1st and this marks the first day of our 21-Day Food Challenge. Get ready to throw out the junk! If you’re up for it and are serious about making some positive changes in your nutrition, your challenge details are below…
For this challenge – we’re aiming for ZERO cheats.
You want to set your goal high so that even if you don’t reach it, you’re still doing pretty well. Obviously there will be times when you’ll be tempted or when you’ll need to give in to what you want so that you don’t give up altogether and go binging. So, there are two things to keep in mind when you’re going to allow a “cheat”:
Follow the 90/10 rule – Try to “be good” 90% of the time and only allow yourself to “cheat” 10% of the time.
Dish out a consequence – If you are going to eat something that’s on the Do Not Eat list, make yourself go for an extra walk or jog or jump rope for 10-minutes later that day or the following day…something to help “undo” the cheat and hold yourself accountable for eating off the Do Not Eat List. This doesn’t mean that if you already workout for an hour a day you can do an hour’s worth of cheats each day. No, no, no! Any consequence for a cheat must be done in addition to your normal routine.
Okay, now for the details of your 21-Day Food Challenge. Here’s what’s off limits as well as some acceptable alternatives. For 21-Days you are to AVOID the items on the Do Not Eat List…
Do Not Eat List
Candy
Ice Cream
Chips
Cake
Cookies
Chocolate
Other “junk” food (brownies, Twinkies, other sweets, etc)
Soda/Pop
Juice
Ice Cream Shakes/Malts
Energy Drinks
Frappucinos
Coffee
Okay to Drink List
Water
Fruit Smoothies (with plain nonfat yogurt instead of ice cream)
Milk (preferable not “whole”)
100% Orange Juice
Green Tea
Sports Drinks if you’re working out/training/playing
Snack Alternatives you Can Eat
Fruits
Graham crackers (not smores!)
Wheat Thins
Cheerios (or other whole grain cereal)
Granola Bars
Baby Carrots or other veggies
If you’re like me, you’re looking at the Do Not Eat List going, “But some of those things are part of my DAILY diet! I need that.”
No you don’t! If you’ve been working out and aren’t seeing the results you want (or maybe not working out – just not happy with your current physical condition and not doing anything about it), then maybe what you need is a change the way you fuel your body. This, especially if you combine it together with Marc Dagenais’ tip of consuming something within 30 minutes of your workout, will make a difference!
***HOWEVER, if you have special health needs, then it’s definitely important to talk to your dr before changing your diet.***
That’s about it. Let’s get started! If you’re up for this challenge, leave a comment below and let us know you’re in. If you like, you can also share what you think will be the toughest part of the challenge. What’s your junk food/drink weakness?
candy photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeholmes/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
fruit dish photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/alasam/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0