CrossFit Prototype Paleo Challenge
Start Date: April 15th-May 14th (30 Day Challenge)
Bio electrical impedance by Dr.Dan:
Friday April 12th 5:30pm-6:30pm
AND
Saturday April 13th 8am-9am
How to Enter: Let us know!
“The Rules”
-Set a target/realistic goal
-Get their measurements/Electrical impedenace taken prior to (weigh in optional at home)
-Take before and after photos
-Read What is Paleo? (“do’s and Don’ts”)
– Food logging (cheat or no cheat) on google doc; need to log for everyday but don’t have to log on every day. Ex: You Can log Monday and Tuesday on Wednesday
-personal food log (worth bonus points in challenge)
-Must participate in all challenge WODs
How to Win:
-Show up
-Complete all challenges and adhere to guidelines
-1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be announced and chosen by coaches
-Winner wins 1 free month at CFP
-2nd place (Free T shirt or Journal)
-3rd place (10% off 1 month membership)
Why Do the CFP 2013 Paleo Challenge?
–The Paleo Diet can help bring major health contributing factors but more importantly, its about embracing the community and supporting one another to make an overall change in eating habits! Heck, it might even help you do better in your WODs!!
What is Paleo? (“Do’s and Don’ts” )
The Paleo Diet is a lifestyle. It is an approach to diet that is based on the quality of foods you eat. It
mimics the diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors – consisting of lean meats, seafood, vegetables,
fruits, nuts and seeds. It excludes foods that came from agriculture or processing – dairy, grains,
refined sugars, etc.
The basic concept is that these foods are the foods that we are genetically adapted to – after all, our
diets have evolved and “modernized,” our bodies haven’t. There are many benefits to eating this way,
including a naturally lean body, acne-free skin, improved athletic performance and recovery, and relief
from numerous metabolic-related and autoimmune diseases.
Here are the general rules:
•You can eat all lean meat, fish, seafood & eggs
•You can eat all non-starchy seasonal vegetables
•Plenty of seasonal fruit
•Moderate healthy fats
•Moderate nuts and seeds
•No grains or cereals at all
•No legumes
•No dairy products (eggs are not dairy)
•No processed foods – make it yourself!
•No sugars. Agave, organic honey, molasses, pure spun golden sunshine….it doesn’t matter. They
are all out.
•No artificial sweeteners. These are not food! They are out too.
Protein
Protein should be the first thing making up your meal or snack. Depending on your individual needs,
this can range between 3-9 ounces, but when all else fails, you can follow the general rule of having a
serving of protein the size of your palm. When it comes to what kind of protein you should eat,
remember that free range animals are healthier than commercially raised animals. Keeping that in
mind, here are the general rules to follow:
•Buy your meat local, grass-fed and USDA organic
•Buy eggs from free roaming chickens
•Buy your fish wild
•Wild game (buffalo, venison.. etc.) is always a good option
Carbs: Veggies
You want to focus most of your meal with non-starchy carbs. Make sure you get variation, and eat a
lot of them! Here are some things to keep in mind with vegetables:
•Buy local, in season, organic veggies
•Avoid starchy vegetables (i.e. potatoes).
•Avoid legumes (i.e. peanuts, beans, peas, soybeans etc.)
Carbs: Fruit
Fruit is good for you in moderation. There is a hierarchy of fruit based on the fruits nutrient value and
glycemic load. You should also consider how the fruit was grown. Think about the following in
regards to fruit:
•Try to grow your own if possible
•Buy local, seasonal, organic fruit
•Avoid genetically modified organism fruit
•Avoid fruit juices
•Make sure to wash any fruit thoroughly to minimize pesticides
Fats
Despite what modern society has taught us to believe, fats are good for you. It is important to have
the right balance of fats and the right kind of fats in your diet. On the paleo diet, your body is trained
to burn fat instead of carbs for energy (this will make your energy levels more stable), so don’t skip
the fat in your meals!
•Buy oils (coconut, olive) organic and cold pressed so they remain chemically unchanged
•Buy organic and local avocados
•Buy coconut in all forms
•Nuts are good in moderation (walnuts, pecans and macadamia nuts are your best choice). Buy
them raw and unsalted, and be wary of the packaging
•Avoid canola (the oil is genetically modified, partially hydrogenated and highly refined), peanut,
cottonseed, soybean, and wheat germ oils
•Avoid trans fats (fats damaged by heat – can be made at home) and hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated oils
Hydrating: Water
Drink water, coffee, and tea. If you drink coffee, drink it black
or with unsweetened almond milk
What you are looking forward to!
The Hardest Part of Any Journey is the First Step. A New Diet is No Different.
Making the Paleo switch comes with challenges. Depending on how heavy your diet is with grains
and sugar before you switch, you will experience an adjustment period of varying degrees of intensity.
You will experience a dip in your athletic performance and have times when feel lethargic, cranky,
This period usually lasts about two weeks. Keep in mind that your body is going through withdrawals
and there is a light at the end of the adjustment tunnel.
It’s Only 30 Days – No Cheating!
People often ask about a cheat meal or a cheat day. During the 30-day challenge, stay focused and
strong. Try not to cheat. Instead of going for a cookie when you are having cravings, reach for a
sweet, in season apple. If you do fall off the wagon – own up to it in your food log, and no – one time
off the wagon doesn’t kick you out of the challenge. But try to keep with it for all 30 days. Tell your
friends your mean old coaches are making you do it.
Once you have completed your 30 day challenge, the occasional cheat meal is fine. If you can let it be something that happens organically (i.e. you are out with friends and everyone really wants pizza and margaritas) once in a while rather than a scheduled meal or day, you will probably feel the need to cheat less. Scheduling it out can turn your mind, once open and free for thinking about other things, into an obsessive “heroin addict” cheat meal obsessed mentality. When you do have the occasional non-paleo moment, don’t gorge yourself either.
Plan Ahead
Part of the difficulty of starting Paleo is the amount of preparation involved. Make sure you plan ahead so you aren’t stuck in a situation where you are left with no options. A lot of people like to use Sunday to prep for the week. Other people make lunch for the next day at the same time as they are making dinner, so they don’t feel like they are spending too much time in the kitchen. Find a system that works and stick to it.
There will be places or situations where you know you have difficulty staying on diet (i.e. at the office
working late, where there is an endless supply of bagels, donuts and nothing else) – make sure you
have options ready available to you. Talk to your family so they know what you are doing and you
don’t come home to a meal filled with food you aren’t supposed to be eating.
Sample Menus
provided by robbwolf.com
Sample Meal Plan: Weight Loss
Breakfast: Shrimp scramble with basil and steamed spinach. ¼ cup blueberries. Espresso.
Lunch: Chicken salad with red onions, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts and mixed bell
peppers. Dressing: Lemon/Olive Oil with a hint of garlic. Green tea with lemon.
Snack: Grilled shrimp & veggies with a handful of macadamias
Dinner: Baked pork loin with ginger cabbage and olive oil. Desert: shaved almonds over 1/4
cup mixed berries.
Sample Meal Plan: The Endurance Athlete
Let’s assume an early run, bike or swim interval session. Depending upon your preferences you may
opt to train on an empty stomach. If you prefer a small snack before training here is a good way to
start your day:
Pre-training snack
2 oz chicken OR 2 scrambled eggs. 1/2 to 1/4 honey dew melon
OR 1 cup of blueberries.
Post-Training
Breakfast: Best if consumed within 30 min of training
Salmon scramble, 1/2 honey dew or rock melon+1 cup of blueberries.
OR Grilled salmon, sweet potato hash browns with olive oil and cinnamon.
Lunch: Grass fed ground beef marinara over baked spaghetti squash.
Snack: Can of sardines, medium orange, hand full of almonds.
Dinner: Baked Halibut, large Artichoke. Garlic-pistachio “pesto” for the halibut and as a
dipping sauce for the artichoke.
Sample Meal Plan: The Power Athlete
Breakfast: 4-6 egg omelet with 1 whole avocado. 1/2 cup blue berries.
Pre-workout Snack: 2-4 oz grilled chicken, handful of almonds or macadamias
Post-workout meal: 6-8 oz grilled salmon, asparagus, mushroom, bamboo shoot, coconut milk curry.
Snack Canned salmon salad with olive oil, avocado, tomatoes and red onion.
Dinner: Grilled grass fed Rib eye with grilled shrimp. Large mixed salad with greens, red
onions and ginger sesame dressing
Resources
http://robbwolf.com
Robb Wolf has dedicated himself to all things
Paleo. This site is an endless resource. You can
also find information on his podcast here.
http://thepaleodiet.com
Loren Cordain, Ph.D.’s site on paleo. It provides
links to published research and nutritional tools,
as well as addressing common paleo questions.
http://paleodiet.com
This site is all business. A thorough paleo
database with links to blogs, books, cookbooks,
media reports, dehydrators, etc. It also links to a
well researched paleo recipe collection, and a
“paleo food mall.”
http://marksdailyapplecom
Mark Sisson’s life according to grok (his
embodiment of exemplar primitive lifestyle
behaviors as they pertain to diet, exercise, sleep,
stress, etc.
http://whole9life.com
A website started by two people dedicated to
clean paleo eating, and fitness. The website has
a lot of good articles and recipes
(Information taken from United Barbell)