45 day Lean-out Challenge

Intro Meeting is this Saturday at 2:00pm

This is taken Word for Word from Robb Wolf with only a few very minor details changed to fit our challenge.

CHALLENGE DETAILS: 10/16-12/1 (yes we realize Thanksgiving is in there, either figure out how to maintain or have a cheat day)

-6 weeks long (6 freaking weeks!!  Anyone can do this.)

-30 minute Lecture on Paleo eating the day before the Challenge begins
- 1 optional group shopping session on Sunday the 24th
- Eating is Paleo
- Cost is $45.00 (CASH) to be put into a kitty (SIGN UP IN CLASS WITH A COACH)
- 80% of the kitty is rewarded to the winner of the competition. The remaining 20% is for expenses associated to the challenge. If it costs less the prize will be bigger.

-In order to win, Food Logs must be maintained and submitted each week via a Google Group; examples of Food Logs below
-3 ‘Before’ pictures taken: front view, side view and back view. Men are in shorts; Women are in shorts and sports bra/bikini top

-3 ‘After’ pictures taken within 2 days of the finish of the Challenge, no exceptions
-Trainers pick the top 5 men and top 5 women whose body composition changed the most (based on pictures only)
-LEANing participants vote on the top 10 to determine the Winners
-The 2 winners each win half of the kitty plus one month of unlimited classes
-The pictures taken are PRIVATE. The pictures of the top 5 men and top 5 women will be viewed on paper at the gym to determine the winners

PICTURES ONLY:

People have asked me why we don’t weigh participants and take body fat measurements, along with other vitals.  There are several reasons.  In regards to weighing, some people don’t actually loose that much weight but the change to their body is significant.  Again, people want to look good naked and pictures don’t lie.  How the participant looks is what matters to them and determines the winner. Body fat measurements can be very inconsistent and it takes more time.  Other vitals take time and money as well.  The LEANing Challenges we offer will take a significant amount of my time in regards to taking pictures, emailing folks details, getting people signed up on the Google Group (several people found this challenging) along with our trainers time spent talking with clients outside of class about eating and giving the lecture.  Its all well worth it, but it is important to consider keeping things simple.  The health benefits everyone receives from eating better is a given and will be numerous.  No amount of tests can sum up these benefits and changes.

It’s important to emphasize the privacy of the pictures that are taken, especially these days.  All the voting on people’s Before and After pictures happened by viewing these photos on paper.  I do send every participant’s Before and After pictures to them via their email address.  I keep the pictures on a private computer. NO PICTURES FROM THIS CHALLENGE WILL EVER APPEAR ON THE INTERNET WITHOUT YOU AGREEING TO IT.

FOOD LOGS:

The Food Logs have several great side benefits.  One of them being that all those doing the Challenge can see what others are eating and get great ideas from it.  Almost everyone gets stuck in a rut and seeing what someone else is eating for breakfast can often help them break out.  The accountability that the Food Log offers should not be underestimated.  Some folks said the Food Log was a more motivating factor for them than the pictures.  Yes, some people will not write everything down or be totally honest.  That’s okay.  The pictures don’t lie.

We kept the food log requirements very simple.  If people wanted to be really exact in describing what they ate, they could.  Or they could be fairly general.  Everything they ate, though, had to be written down, including beverages.  People will fall off the wagon big time.  Be sure to tell them that this WILL happen and it’s okay.  Just get right back on again.

Several people told us they wanted to do the LEANing Challenge but they couldn’t give up this or that.   We didn’t care.  Even if our clients just made one change, such as cutting out high-fructose corn syrup, that was good enough for us.  Often, once people start writing down what they eat, it’s only then that they can see for themselves the changes they need to make.

For each Challenge we’ve found that there are a few people who will jump into the Challenge by starving themselves.  They come into the gym and report dizziness and that they feel awful.  This is where the Food Log is really handy.   Look at what they are eating and often it will let you know that they are not eating nearly enough.

We’ve also found that there are few people whose body will not switch into a fat-burning mode very quickly. Hence, they do not see any results for weeks.  This can be very discouraging and makes it hard for these people to stick with the Challenge.  Encourage these folks to hang in there.   The changes will come.   (This is, of course, a very generalized statement.  They might have other underlying factors that are keeping them from burning fat).

Below are two Food Log examples from our 2009 Fall LEANing Challenge.  Both of these people had excellent results – though one greater than the other.

First Example:

Monday (date)

-2 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 6 almonds.

-12 almonds, 7 oz carrots, Omelet: 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1/3 of a bell

pepper, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 3/4 cup salsa

-4 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 21 almonds, 2.5 cups steamed collard greens

-2 oz chicken breast, 24 almonds

-4 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 12 almonds, 2.5 cups of rhutabaga

-1 peanut butter cookie

Tuesday (date)

-12 almonds, 1/2 orange, Omelet: 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1/3 of a bell

pepper, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 3/4 cup salsa, sausage from buffet

-2 oz chicken breast, 7 oz carrots, 6 almonds

-4 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 21 almonds, 2.5 cups steamed collard greens

-2 oz chicken breast, 24 almonds

-Arby’s large roast beef sandwich (no bun), 1 apple, 30 almonds

Second Example:

Monday (date):

Breakfast:

2 hard-boiled O3 eggs

1 can smoked trout

banana

Snack:

1 Tootsie Roll

Dinner:

bison burger w/ guacamole and salsa

mushrooms

1 Coke Zero

Snack:

turkey sausage bits

grapes

Snack:

2 oz cashews

avocado

Tuesday (date):

Breakfast:

hard-boiled O3 egg

banana

1 can smoked trout

Snack:

turkey sausage bits

avocado

3 mint chocolate discs

Lunch:

beef jerky

2 oz cashews

grapes

1 Coke Zero

Dinner:

2 chicken sausages w/ mustard

cucumber salad w/ rice vinegar

1 Coke Zero

Snack:

turkey salami

LECTURE:

Craig gives a 30 minute lecture plus Q&A before we kick off our LEANing Challenge.  We will hold the lecture on 10/16, a Saturday afternoon.  We also take the ‘Before’ pictures of most people participating in the Challenge at the lecture.  During this lecture Craig covers the ‘Why’ and the ‘What’ of eating Paleo.  I have included a document that Dave wrote up called ‘Okay – What do I Eat’ which is a very practical document to help people get started eating Paleo.

OK – What Do I Eat?

LEANing Challenge Guide to Eating

SUMMARY

• All of the lean meat, fish, seafood, eggs you can eat
• All of the non starchy vegetables you can eat
• Plenty of fruit
• Moderate healthy fats
• Moderate nuts and seeds
• No grains or cereals at all
• No legumes
• No dairy products (eggs are meat)
• No processed foods – make it yourself!
• No sugars.  Agave, organic honey, molasses, pure spun golden sunshine….it doesn’t matter.  They are all equally bad for you.
• No artificial sweeteners.  These are not food!  Creepy laboratory products with sketchy safety records, artificial sweeteners have been shown to produce an insulin response.

MEAT:

“In order to get enough protein and calories you should eat animal food at almost every meal” (Cordain, Page 101)

Many different kinds of meat will work well for you.  Here are some guidelines:

-       Animals, including fish, raised in commercial farms are not healthy so try to get

§  Grass fed beef

§  USDA certified organic meat

§  Wild fish

§  Locally raised animals

-       If unable to do any of the above, then eat the leanest cuts you can and trim visible fat.

-       Eating the fat of healthy fish, birds and animals is good for you.  Eating the fat of unhealthy creatures is not.

-       Eggs are good.  Eggs from birds allowed to forage and run around are better.

-       Buffalo, elk, venison and other types of wild game are excellent choices if you can get them.

VEGETABLES:

Time to get creative.  Non starchy vegetables should be a big part of each meal.  Virtually all vegetables offer excellent nutritional value.

-       When possible choose organic, locally grown vegetables that are in season. Each of these factors will improve nutritional value.

-       Experiment with sautéing, roasting and grilling your veggies.  Try different recipes and different ethnic foods.  Learn to use herbs and spices.  This stuff should taste good!

-       Peppers, squashes, eggplant, garlic, leeks, onions broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, carrots, green, cabbage, celery, kale, dandelion (yes! dandelion) spinach, tomatoes, radish, parsnips, mushrooms….

-       Avoid starchy vegetable – potatoes, etc.  If you must eat starch (it happens) try yams and sweet potatoes.

-       Avoid legumes. Peanuts, beans, peas, lentils and soybeans should be avoided.

FRUIT:

A paleo diet allows and encourages lots of fruit consumption.  There are a few issues with fruit consumption though.  We need to consider how the fruit was grown as well as the type of fruit to evaluate nutritional value.  We also need to consider pesticide exposure.

-       If you can grow your own fruit or pick wild fruit – go for it!

-       Scavenge the local farmers market for fresh local seasonal fruit.  Organic is best.

-       Try to avoid fruit from far away. Flying in kiwis from New Zealand is not really helping our health.

-       Avoid GMO (genetically modified organism) fruit.  Period.

-       A little fruit juice occasionally can be okay but, fruit juice is really candy.

-       Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly to minimize pesticides.

-       Some fruits like bananas have a high glycemic load and should be avoided if you are trying to loose fat.

Berries!  Eat lots of berries!

NUTS & SEEDS:

Filling and nutritious.  Nuts and seeds are packed with protein, fatty acids, enzymes, antioxidants and lots of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium and magnesium.  It is possible to screw up your fat profile with nuts though.  Lots of nuts have an unacceptably high omega 6 / omega 3 ratio.  Here are the best choices:

Walnuts

Macadamia nuts

Pecans

Nuts in moderation are very healthy but overeating them can stall weight loss.  Cashews especially are delicious but surprisingly high in carbohydrate and contain too much omega 6.

Peanuts are not nuts. Do not eat peanuts or peanut butter.  Peanuts contain lectins and other anti-nutrients which can cause some real health problems.

Note:  Lots of packaged, shelled nuts are covered in trans fats!  Read the label!  Best to buy raw, unsalted nuts and spice them at home.  When in doubt, buy walnuts and/or macadamia nuts.

FATS:

Fat is good for you.  Fat is essential to your well being and happiness.  (This is not hyperbolic writing. Having the proper fat profile makes a huge difference to your mental outlook and moods).  Fat is a great source of energy.  Fat triggers our sense of being full. Fat is an essential part of many of your cellular and hormonal processes.  We sicken and die fairly quickly without adequate intake of essential fats.

However….there are many bad fats in our food supply.

Fat from healthy animals is good for you! Chicken, duck, goose, lamb, beef and pork fat can all be eaten and is an excellent choice for cooking because of heat stability.  Lard is internal fat from around the kidneys.  Lard from naturally (not grain) fed pork and beef is a very good choice.  Lard from grass fed animals is hard to find though, so butter can be used instead.

Butter. Not really paleo, butter contains milk solids and water as well as fat.  Butter from grass fed cows is very good for cooking and enhancing the flavor of steamed vegetables.

Making butter better! (More paleo)

Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Remove butter from heat and let stand for a few minutes, allowing the milk solids to settle to the bottom.  Skim the clear yellow liquid from the top and strain into a container.  You have just made Ghee!  Ghee stores well frozen.

Coconut oil is good for you and a good choice for cooking.  Choose organic, cold processed coconut oil.

Olive oil is very healthy.  Go for the extra virgin, cold pressed and use liberally. Olive oil does not have great heat stability so use something else for high heat frying.

Flaxseed oil is very good but…it should not be heated at all and oxidizes rapidly.  Store flaxseed oil in the refrigerator and use quickly.

Fats to Avoid:

Trans Fats – fats damaged by heat.  Trans fats can be extremely destructive to our health. Trans fats can be made at home!!  Start with a healthy, unrefined oil, naturally high in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids – apply excessive heat and presto! Health wrecking trans fats. Easy!

Hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated oils. Terrible!  Reread the last paragraph.

Canola – should be avoided.  Canola has a very good omega 6/ Omega 3 ratio.  However, to be used commercially it has been genetically modified, highly refined, partially hydrogenated and deodorized.  Yikes!

Margarine – see trans fats.

Peanut, cottonseed, soybean and wheat germ oils…Not good!