Coach Robb’s 2 Week Food Challenge
Below is a 2 Week Food Challenge created by Dr. Maffetone that I believe is a great tool to utilize at least once every quarter of the year. This 2 Week Food Challenge is designed to help stabilize your blood sugar levels and determine if you are carbohydrate intolerant (CI). CI is a common problem in many populations and the diseases associated with this condition are reaching epidemic proportions. Common symptoms of CI include sleepiness after meals, intestinal bloating, increased body fat, fatigue and others.
Early stages of CI include elusive problems associated with blood-sugar handling, such as fatigue, intestinal bloating and loss of concentration.
Middle stages include a more serious conditions including hypertension, elevations of LDL, lowering of HDL, elevated triglycerides, excess body fat and often obesity.
Long term CI manifests itself as various diseases, including diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Final stages include a condition referred to as Metabolic Syndrome. This stage is includes disorders such as: hyperinsulinemia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, Polycystic ovary, Stroke, Breast Cancer, Coronary Heart Disease, High Blood Cholesterol and Triglycerides.
Please note, CI is an individual one, affecting different people in different ways. The key to avoiding disease is to be aware of CI in its earliest stage and to make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes. The following are some common complaints that occur immediately after eating a meal or for others remain a constant symptom or feeling.
STEP ONE
Prior to beginning this challenge, evaluate if you experience any of the following (check the box if applicable so that you can reference if the symptom(s) still persist after completing the two week food challenge):
Physical Fatigue:
Overall feeling of fatigue; morning through lunch or even all day.
Mental Fatigue:
Inability to concentrate; loss of creativity, poor memory, poor grades, various forms of “learning disabilities”.
This is more pronounced immediately after a meal or if a meal is delayed or missed.
Blood Sugar Handling Issues:
Fluctuations in blood sugar are normal during the day, but are amplified if meals are not eaten on a regular schedule.
Feeling jittery, agitated and/or moody (symptoms that immediately subside once food is consumed).
Craving for simple sugars, chocolate or caffeine; bouts of dizziness.
Intestinal Bloating:
Suffer from excessive gas; antacids or other remedies are not successful in dealing with the gas levels.
Gas tends to be worse later in the day and into the night.
Sleepiness:
Feel sleepy immediately after meals containing carbohydrates, particularly a pasta meal or a meal that contains bread, potatoes or dessert.
Increased fat storages & weight:
For most individuals, too much weight is too much fat. In males, abdominal fat is more evident and in females it is more prominent in the upper body, upper thighs and in the face.
Increased triglycerides:
High triglycerides are not only found in overweight individuals. Individuals with high triglycerides are the direct result of carbohydrates from the diet being converted by insulin into fat.
High Blood Pressure:
Most individuals dealing with hypertension produce too much insulin and as a result are carbohydrate intolerant. For some, sodium sensitivity is common and eating too much sodium causes water retention along with elevated blood pressure.
Depression:
Because carbohydrate adversely affect the levels of neurotransmitters made in the brain, feelings of depression and/or sleepiness can result. Sugar has been promoted as if it is a stimulate, but in actuality, has the opposite effect.
Addiction:
Individuals who are addicted to alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or other drugs often have many of the above mentioned symptoms.
STEP TWO
Double click on your Coach Robb Report Card (attached document). When you open up the file, please refer to the Body Measurement tab. You will want to capture these numbers prior to completing the 2 Week Food Challenge. Click here to watch a video on how to correctly capture your body measurements for accuracy.
STEP THREE
Purge your cabinets and refrigerator of the following:
Breads, rolls, pasta, pancakes, cereal, muffins, chips, crackers and rice cakes
Sweets and products that contain sugar such as ketchup, honey, etc. (read the labels to ensure there is no sugar)
Fruit juice
Processed meats that contain sugar
Fat Free, Skim & 2% Milk, half and half
Fat Free or Low Fat Yogurt
Energy Bars and Energy Drinks
All soda, including diet
Alcohol, except dry wines
STEP FOUR
Time to go shopping to stock up with what you will need to get this challenge under way!
Few considerations:
- Note: don’t consume anything on this list without prior approval from your doctor. NO EXCEPTIONS!
- Plan ahead so that you are never without sufficient food
- Avoid becoming hungry – unlimited amounts of food are available to you, eat every 2 hours
- Don’t focus on the volume of food you are consuming – just eat
- Take the time to chew your food completely – this will aid in the digestion and absorption of your food
- Consume enough vegetables (at least 6 servings per day) to maintain fiber intake (and avoid constipation)
- Drink cold filtered water at a rate of .5 ounces per pound of body weight. Example: 150 pounds x .5 ounces = 75 ounces per day
Food you can eat in unlimited amounts:
Steamed or raw vegetables (avoid white potatoes and corn) – organic ideally
Fresh fruit – organic ideally
Nuts and seeds – organic and free of any oils and salt
Almond butter – organic ideally
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Whole fat mayonnaise
Whole eggs
Non American yellow cheese – look for hard cheeses like Swiss, Provolone, etc.
Meats (beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, etc.) – free range and sugar free (read the label here!)
Fresh Fish (cold water Atlantic) – salmon, sardines, albacore white tuna (nothing out of a can)
Fresh Shellfish
Tofu
Mustard (as long as there isn’t any sugar added)
Helpful Suggestions:
Eggs
Omelets: any combination of vegetables, meats and cheeses
Scrambled with guacamole, sour cream and salsa
Scrambled with a scoop of ricotta or cottage cheese and tomato sauce
Boiled or poached with spinach or asparagus
Salads
Chef-leaf lettuce, meats, cheese, eggs
Spinach-with bacon & eggs
Caesar-romaine lettuce, eggs & parmesan cheese
Any salad with chicken, tuna, shrimp or other meat and/or cheese
Salad Dressings
Extra-virgin olive oil & vinegar with sea salt and spices
Creamy-heavy cream, mayonnaise, garlic and spices
Fish and Meats
Pot roast cooked with onions, carrots and celery
Roasted chicken
Chili made with fresh meat, and a variety of vegetables such as diced onions, celery, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and spices
Steak and eggs
Fish (not fried) with any variety of steamed vegetables
Tuna melt on a bed of broccoli or asparagus
Snacks
Celery stuffed with nut butter or cream cheese
Guacamole with vegetable sticks for dipping
Hard boiled eggs
Supplementation
Whey Protein (without sugar)
Fish Oil (100% pure)
Branched Chain Amino Acids
STEP FOUR
Time to eat and train! As mentioned above, eat every two hours (even if you are not hungry). During the next two weeks, keep the majority of your workouts aerobic, which means eliminating any and all weight lifting (it is anaerobic by nature) and any strenuous workouts (above heart rate zone #2).
What to expect during the first week:
- If you have been eating lots of sweets or other carbohydrates, you may experience cravings for sugar for the first few days.
- You may experience a headache associated with withdraws – strive to use manual massage to relax the muscles in the neck and upper shoulders.
- You may find yourself falling off of the program, not because you intend to, but rather due to the realization that processed foods are everywhere. If you eat something that is not “approved” you need to start over and this is ok!
STEP FIVE
Stay consistent with both your food and aerobic training. Maintain a food intake log along with a detailed training log – specifically energy levels, average and max heart rate with each workout.
Over the next two weeks you will capture a better snap shot of your eating and how it reflects on your performance as an athlete. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or need anything clarified.
– Coach Robb