Rules

60 Day Clean Diet Challenge

Overview:
Over the course of 60 days, each person will commit to either eating quality food in any quantity (Paleo) or closely measure their intake of protein, carbs and fat (Zone).  The Challenge will end on Thanksgiving day, and everyone will be encouraged to eat like a horse (cranberries, stuffing, pie…the whole nine yards)! Ensure to keep accurate daily documentation that can be tracked, so you can see where you have been, and can share with others. I recommend Livestrong.com daily plate tracker. If enough track it and friend each other we can help keep others accountable too. Also take accurate measurements of your weight, your measurements(using a tape measure the circumferences of your: Hips at the widest point, your Tummy-Navel-at the widest point, Thighs, Calves, Neck, Biceps, and jot down your overall feeling of well being before beginning).

Remember, the best way to eat for maximum results and effectiveness is small meals, many times a day. That means instead of three 800 calorie meals a day, try five 500 calorie meals, or six 400 calorie meals, roughly every 3 hours, beginning when you wake up, and ending before you sleep. Eating just before bed will not affect you, but will help because your metabolism will keep working while you sleep. Just stick to the clean food and you wont have nasty indigestion.

If you are working out while attempting this challenge, feel free to use a protein recovery formula following all your workouts for a quicker recovery. this does not fall under the processed category, because it is an essential healthy tool for anyone rigorously training muscles.

Goal
Improve your health, wellness and fitness through smart nutrition.





PALEO RULES: (I will be doing Paleo)


The Paleo group may eat meats, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts and oils (like Extra virgin Olive Oil and coconut) in any amount that works for them. Quality is king here. Eat fresh, clean food, shop the perimeter of the grocery store, don’t buy foods with weird ingredients or that comes in boxes/cans.

Now, I would highly recommend that you read “The Paleo Diet”, by Loren Cordain. It goes into why all this makes sense, and what is going to be happening in your body when you eat the way we were designed to eat.

However, there are a couple other resources that I encourage you to check out:
• ThePaleoDiet.com – Loren Cordains site, a good cliff notes summary of the diet
• RobbWolf.com – Robb is a crossfitter and nutrition guru, lots of clinical stuff
• MarksDailyApple.com – This guy is a modern day caveman with a super blog
• Googling “Paleo Recipes” is a great and fun way to get rolling with this.

Now, that is all well and good, but what can’t you eat for the challenge?
1. No Grains (bread, rice, pasta, seitan, quinoa or any pseudo-grains)
2. No Dairy (butter, cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, goat cheese, etc.)
3. No Legumes (No beans, lentils, peanuts, tofu)
4. No Sugar (of any kind…honey, stevia, splenda, agave nectar, etc.)
5. No Processed Stuff (nondairy creamers, shakes, bars, etc. - this does not include processed items such as tuna in a can in water, but best to get the fish fresh - you get the idea)
6. No Alcohol - (shouldn't ever drink it anyways)
7. No Microwave!!! (Cook it fresh, re-heat it on the stove or other heat source, or eat it later cold over salad greens or whatever you desire. Keep this in mind when preparing meals)

For the challenge, it will count as a cheat if you eat/drink anything on the list above. For instance, if you went 23 full days and on the 24th you cave in and eat a piece of cheesecake…you keep track of it and pick back up at the next meal.  Remember, the goal is 60 days and then throw down at Thanksgiving!!!

ZONE RULES: (I will not be doing Zone)

The Zone is a way of tracking your food intake so that you can keep your hormone levels balanced. We highly recommend that you eat quality foods, but the Zone is more concerned with balancing your macronutrients (protein, carbs and fats). No food is necessarily off limits. However, you will need to determine your Daily Block Prescription, and eat that same amount of food each day. Each meal and snack will need to be zoned out and precisely measured. If you are up for an interesting read, check out “Mastering the Zone” or “Toxic Fat” by Dr. Barry Sears. In addition, here are some very good resources for learning more about the Zone method:
• ZoneDiet.com – Click on the “Eating” tab…TONS of good resources
• CrossFit Journal #21 – Free, gives an easy overview to starting with Zone
• http://journal.crossfit.com/2005/10/getting-off-the-crack-by-nicol.tpl
• This is Nicole Carol’s story…read it if you are considering Zone.

A good person to consult about Zone that I know is JSO Officer James White, he can be found on facebook, and will always lend advice to newcomers. Here is what Zoners will do for the Challenge:

1. Weigh and measure your food for meals, snacks and drinks
2. Must eat all your blocks each day (not more or less)

For the Zone, we highly recommend keeping a detailed food journal. This helps you and anyone assisting you take a quick look and diagnose any problems with your intake, and it also helps you track which foods are working for you. Remember, this doesn’t have to be for the rest of your life. Keep the details and you can decide afterward whether to implement it long term or not (you’ll be surprised). If you do not follow the Block layout (ie you fall for a Frappuchino and don’t balance it out with your protein and fat), or you don’t eat enough Blocks in a day (or too many), then you cheated. Just jot it down, and get back on track at the next meal or next morning.

The Zone adds precision and accuracy to your nutrition, but it requires more discipline and thought than Paleo. Zone has also been touted as the best diet for high performance…but you have to work for it! Consider this before you make your decision, since you need to pick ONE and stick with it for the whole Challenge.



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Good Luck and have fun. i will post recipes as often as I can, and I encourage others to do so as well.


James Sneed
(904)239-0632
TheSneedCrew@gmail.com

Tools Needed

Nutrition portion only:

• Refridgerator
• Steamer
• Crock Pot
• Grill (gas or charcoal)
• Foreman Grill (makes things easy)
• Plenty of Tupperware bowls
• Skillet, Wok, or other cooking pans
• Measuring Tape from craft store (flexible type used for sewing)
• Human Weight Scale
• Water filter w/ pitcher or storage system (not needed if you want to just drink tap or bottled instead)
• Storage systems (plastic bags, containers, etc)

Some items you can take off your counter tops and put in storage (Brace yourselves):

• Microwave
• Toaster

Standby for more information!

Dates of Challenge

The official start date of this challenge is Sunday, September 26, 2010.

This will be done on an honor system, if you cheat, you cheat yourself. If you fail, get back up. There are no losers, just winners, or cheaters. If you fail, and are able to get back up and finish...you win! It is that easy.

I recommend you study the materials well, and ask questions if needed. I do not know everyone's medical history, so if you have any doubts or issues about what we are trying to do here, feel free to consult a physician prior to beginning.

My Nutritional challenge is based on principles gleaned from nutritional plans such as, but not limited to:

1. Paleo Diet
2. The Zone Diet

There are tons of resources out there for each of these diets, and I highly suggest you make yourself familiar with them.

There is also some mandatory reading with this challenge, and can be aquired by emailing me @ TheSneedCrew@gmail.com and simply requesting "Reading materials for challenge". I will take care of the rest.


I will be adding the rules for this challenge shortly, so please stand by. Consider this carefully, and plan accordingly, and it just may change your life.

I will also be adding quick and easy meal ideas for you to follow to keep you on track, but as with everything, be creative in your meal prep, and you will find this a very fun way to lose the most weight you have ever lost, and keep it off!

~ James ~