Welcome to the CFS 2018 New Year Challenge

Use this packet as a reference guide as well as a resource for some commonly asked questions! As always, feel free to email me at jonathan@crossfitsaved.com if you don’t find the answer to your questions here. In this packet we will focus on understanding the importance of eating high quality foods over the overly processed foods that fill the modern diets of many homes

Goal Setting

This is not just a weight loss challenge. I encourage everyone to take the time now to set a goal for themselves. It does not have to be weight related. It could be performance based, commitment based, weight gain based, among other things.

Commitment

Signing up for a nutrition challenge is no easy task. It requires some mental toughness, and the ability to be able to think before we act. Some people come from a very deranged diet, where others will find this as a way to just clean up the little things they have let sneak back in. The best part of the challenge is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. In fact, we will be in good company with support from a large community of people. Be compassionate with yourself and remember that we will make mistakes along the way. It is important to not let those mistakes define you, but rather help you bring awareness to some things that are harder for you than others.

On the Challenge

“Eat Meat and vegetables, Nuts and Seeds, Some Fruit, Little Starch, No Sugar. Keep intake levels that support exercise but not body fat.”

-Greg Glassman, 100 Words of Fitness

The Point System

1 Point: Perfect day of eating.

Example: No cheats.

1 Point: Hitting your zone blocks for the day

Example: Weigh and Measure, Eyeball Method

1 Point:  Working out at a CFS class

(no more than 5 points per week)

(open gym will not count)

The Prizes

The Most Improved Athlete will be determined by points, workout improvement, and body fat percentage drop.

The Best CrossFit Athlete will be determined by points, total reps, and lowest body fat percentage

1st Place:

Cash Prize (TBD)

2nd Place:

1 month membership to CFS

3rd Place:

$50 Driven Nutrition

The Basics

What Can I Eat?

• Lean meats-beef, veal, venison, lamb, chicken, bison, etc. (try to eat the grass-fed versions of these if at all possible)
• Fish-salmon, tilapia, bass, etc.
• Seafood
• Eggs-go for it
• Vegetables-don’t leave these out!
• Some fruit-berries and the less sugary fruits are best
• Nuts-in moderation and not peanuts
• Natural oils-olive, coconut and avocado

Say NO to:

• All flours, almond flour, coconut flour
• All sweeteners-honey, agave nectar, stevia, coconut sugar, cocao
• Alcohol, juice, soda
• Dairy-cream in the coffee, cheeses, yogurt
• Corn and corn products
• Unnaturally processed condiments, dressings, sauces, marinades, or spices (read your labels)
• Dried fruit
• Legumes (peanuts, beans, soy)
• Gum
• Canola, vegetable, soybean, grapeseed oils
• All protein bars. Quest bars, paleo cookies, lara bars
• All sport supplements that are not directly before, during, or after training

Commonly asked, and are ok

• Deli Meats (no sugar added)
• Bacon (no sugar added)
• Rice, Quinoa Sweet potato (but not restaurant sweet potato fries)(Moderation)
• Balsamic vinegar (vinaigrettes commonly have added sugars)
• Coconut, olive, avocado, and nut oils
• Coconut milk, almond milk
• Grass-Fed butter, ghee, nutritional yeast, salt
• Green beans and peas
• Coffee and tea (no sugar added) seltzer water
• Chicken and beef broth/stock
• Mustards and hot sauces made with natural ingredients (no sugar added, no unhealthy oils)

Pre/Post Workout Nutrition

Post workout nutrition is not an end all be all. It can definitely help speed recovery, especially if it will be awhile before your next meal. Ideally you want to keep your post workout meal very low in fat. Depending on the stimulus of the workout, your current goals, and your nutrition throughout the rest of the day, we can tailor pre/post workout nutrition for your goals.

Carbohydrates:

Want to lose body fat? Use the post workout window to get in some starch carbs (sweet potato, banana, etc.) and make the rest of your day moderate in dense carb sources.

Want to gain muscle? If your body fat is already low, you will need the extra starches to fuel your performance. Take advantage and include some simple pre-workout fuel as well as post workout recovery. Muscles need carbohydrates for energy. They are the primary source of fuel for explosive and speed drive performance.

Burning Fat for Fuel:

Those of your looking to lose weight have often heard of and maybe even experimented with low carbohydrate diets. This can be a great way to allow your body to learn to efficiently burn fat for fuel. Ideally this type of approach is good for long, oxidative work. This is what your are doing right now as your are reading this! It is also those long runs, and Crossfit Grinders lasting over 20 minutes. Most of what we do in Crossfit is very glycolytic (we burn carbohydrate for fuel first). It is possible to train your body to burn fat for fuel, but it does take some time, and some patience. I do not recommend this for people at a competitive level, but this can be effective for those people who follow the CFS workouts with little added sports or weight training.

Protein:

We need to get some protein back into the muscles to help jump start recovery. The leaner the protein, the faster your body can process it. This is why many folks have jumped on the protein shake bandwagon, it tastes good, it is easy to digest, and it gets the muscles into recovery mode before you even hit the shower. Other sources of protein could come from lean chicken, turkey, or egg whites.

Foods/Drinks that are OKAY Post Workout

• Whey Protein
• BCAAs
• Coconut Water
• Creatine
• Post Wod Carb Shakes

Eating Out

This can be overwhelming at first, but most restaurants will have an option for meat and veggies. Sweet potatoes are another good side dish, just make sure that they aren’t cut into slices, wedges, or crinkles and deep fried (AKA sweet potato fries)

Why?

Nutrient Dense Foods:

Foods that supply generous amounts of one or more nutrients compared to the number of calories they supply are called nutrient dense. Kale, for example, have a high nutrient density, because they provide many vitamins and minerals in proportion to their calories.

In simple terms, more BANG for your BUCK. Just take a look below!

**Antioxidants help to repair cells that have been damaged due to the chemical reaction caused by oxidation. They are found in nutrient dense foods! Want to look younger? Recover faster?

Insulin Regulation

“Carbohydrates…drive insulin, and insulin drives fat” -Gary Taubes

Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient, but the common diet is filled with entirely too many processed carbs versus the nutrient dense options that our bodies crave.

Insulin is a storage hormone. The more sugar we take in, the more insulin we produce to shuttle those carbohydrates for energy production. If we aren’t using them, guess what? They are stored and accumulate in our fat stores.

Inflammation

Antinutrients (found in grains primarily, but they are also found in other sources). Antinutrients are compounds that are produced by plants as a part of their defense mechanism. These compounds that protect plants from pesticides and chemicals in the soil, have a damaging effect to our gut, since we are unable to digest them. Antinutrients are able to bind to nutrients making them less absorbable by our bodies. This all leads to an inflammatory response. You might not notice anything immediately like a stomach ache or other GI distress, but the start of inflammation in the body has started and it doesn’t always stay in the gut. Symptoms can manifest throughout the body, ranging from headaches, mental fogginess, joint pain, and even the onset or exacerbation of autoimmune conditions.

Workout of the Day

For Time

5k Run