Every September, ICA hosts a Fall Nutrition Challenge. This year we’re spicing things up!
Instead of the typical 4 weeks, our Fall Nutrition Challenge will be 6 weeks long! Also, we’re bringing in an outside nutritionist to teach ICA about “Flexible Dieting” – and we’re adding this as a 3rd “level” to our challenge! Read the below post for more details, then contact John or Nikki with any questions.
Important Dates:
- Challenge starts: Monday, September 21, when you wake up!
- Challenge ends: Friday, October 30, after your final performance test
- Flexible Dieting Seminar: Thursday, September 17 @ 7:00pm
Requirements:
- Sign up at the box and choose your Level (Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 – details below)
- Commit to healthy eating, following your chosen Level, for the entire 6 week period
- Complete the performance test at the beginning and end of the challenge. We will run it as the daily WOD on 9/21 and 10/30, or you can do it at each week’s make up night (9/24 and 10/29).
Optional but Highly Recommended:
- Take Your Body Measurements – We recommend you take measurements of your waist (at the belly button) and body weight at a minimum. You may also choose to measure your hip, arm, and leg.
- Keep a Daily Food Log – This will not be submitted but serves as a valuable resource if you have questions about quantity/quality of your food during the challenge. We are more than happy to give you feedback on your log, and help you if you start to notice that you are low on energy, hungry all the time, or not seeing results.
- Attend the Flexible Dieting Seminar (September 17) – details below
Competition Details:
- We will pick 1 advanced winner, 1 beginner winner, and 1 spirit reward. (Advanced means you’ve been at ICA at least a year; beginner is at ICA less than a year.) Prizes will be awarded! We will select the winners primarily based on performance gains, but we will factor in the body measurements as well if you completed them.
Level 1: Gluten Free and Sugar Free
- This is our “introductory level” for the Nutrition Challenge. Your goal is to avoid all gluten and added sugar. Unlike the Level 2 challenge, dairy is permitted as are many grains and legumes. Try to eat a balance of protein, fat, and carbs, and read the labels of everything you eat! For detailed guidelines, click HERE.
Level 2: The Paleo Diet / Eat like a Caveman
- Level 2 participants will strive to eat 100% Paleo for the duration of the challenge. We define a paleo diet as eating meat, eggs, fish, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds. (No grains, no legumes, no sugar, and no dairy.) You should focus your diet on quality sources of protein, nutrient dense carbs, and lots of leafy greens. Aim for a balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Ideally you should eat only unprocessed foods that have no labels… but if something has a label you must read it and be sure there are no hidden “non paleo” ingredients! Read the detailed guidelines HERE.
Level 3: Flexible Dieting ***NEW FOR 2015!!*
- The idea of flexible dieting is that each person has an ideal daily macronutrient requirement (i.e. grams of carbs, fat, protein) that will help you achieve optimal health, performance, and body composition. When you participate in Flexible Dieting, you strive to eat a precise number of “macros” every day. Flexible dieting recognizes that, while food quality and source are very important for our long-term health, eliminating entire food groups from your diet may be unrealistic and can be psychologically demanding. Flexible Dieting stresses balance and allows you to be in control of your own body. (There are no “cheats” in flexible dieting – you count everything you eat, even bagels, ice cream, and beer!)
- A food scale is required for this level. They are pretty cheap on Amazon. Here is a link.
- Athletes interested in this level are STRONGLY encouraged to participate in the Flexible Dieting Seminar, described below.
***Flexible Dieting Seminar – September 17, 2015***
- Jenna Carelli is a coach and athlete at CrossFit Manayunk who has run several nutrition challenges in the local area. Jenna’s Flexible Dieting Seminar (cost: $55) will explain the concept/theory of Flexible Dieting and why it is psychologically easier than most fad diets. Check out her flyer, here.
- Those who attend the seminar will learn how to calculate their macros based off of their current weight, activity levels, performance and aesthetic goals. Jenna will work individually with each seminar participant to create a plan that will give you the results you are looking for. Jenna will introduce the food scale as the most important tool in successfully reaching your goals. Throughout the 6 week challenge, she will be available to answer questions, adjust your diet as needed, and serve as your accountability partner to make sure you remain on track! She will also create a private Facebook group (for the athletes who attended the seminar) to answer your questions, comments, concerns regarding Flexible Dieting.
- Registration closes September 10! You can pay by cash or check ($55 – write checks to ICA) or register through MindBody ($60) under the “Workshops” tab.
We are SUPER excited for this year’s nutrition challenge and we hope you are too! Contact us with any questions!
This Post Has 15 Comments
John/Nikki- the hyperlink for Jenna’s flexible dieting flyer isn’t active right now. Would you please fix that so the flyer can be viewed? Thanks!!
Gah! Never mind it was my phone. Sorry!!
Feel free to email her with any questions!
This is so going to suck. I’m in. I want to try the flexible dieting thing. I need to learn what my body needs.
Jeff, from my own personal experience with it: No. It does not suck at all. I feel the best I’ve ever felt by experimenting with this concept, my needed levels and settling in on a path.
Go for it.
I personally and HIGHLY recommend this food scale for ease of use, accuracy and price.
http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Weigh-Digital-Measurement-Technology/dp/B00VAQFXWI/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1439382249&sr=8-16&keywords=kitchen+food+scale
Credit Erin for sorting through them all to find this one.
If you are also looking for an improved bathroom scale, I recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N9ENKDI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
We’ve had this since early July and have been quite pleased. Far more accurate that our previous digital scale (which was probably 6 – 8 years old). This one measures weight, body fat %, muscle mass, water percentage and BMI (but that’s baloney IMO). The scale also allows you to have different user profiles so that it appropriately measures you on your height and activity levels. It will sync with your phone using the Weight Guru app, so you have an accurate history of your weigh-ins and levels.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been using ‘flexible dieting’ for a few years now and I think it’s had the biggest impact on my training. It’s worth looking into if you are even remotely interested.
I follow flexible dieting as well and have been for years. It’s a bit OCD weighing, measuring, and tracking. But you NEVER feel deprived. You can eat anything “if it fits your macros.” That does not mean eat all junk. It’s difficult to hit body weight in protein otherwise. But you can learn to fit anything in. It’s amazing!!!
Thanks for all the personal testaments! We’re really hoping to get a lot of athletes to go for Level 3 this year!
These personal testaments are indeed helpful. Especially for a beginner like me who’s having a hard time deciding which level to choose!
I’ve looked into flexible dieting a few times and found it to be somewhat confusing to self-teach. This is an incredible opportunity to have access to an expert! Thanks so much for coordinating this. I am definitely in!
The flexible dieting seminar is at the same time as back to school night 🙁 Do you think she would consider holding a 2nd ?
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