(There are a lot of these type of diets/ challenges out there, but I modified/personalized mine a bit, hence the name “Blue Wolf Challenge”. One such modification is that, every 7th day I took off. Come on, that’s Biblical right?!)
During the Restricted days it was:
NO sugar added to any meals or products
No ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS : Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet, Sweet N Low, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn-Syrup, etc.
No flour: That includes Pasta, Bread, Muffins, Bagels, Toast, Tortillas
No Chips, French Fries, Popcorn, Corn Tortillas
No Processed Snacks: Crackers, Chips, Pretzels, Gold Fish, Cheez-Its
No Beer
Drinks: No juice, coffee, alcohol, soda, milk, energy drinks,
Good drinks: Tea, Water, coconut water, fresh squeezed vegetable juice
That being said, there are 2 very important things to keep in mind:
I made sure to still exercise intensely at least 3-4 days a week at the gym, and was active at least 30 minutes everyday.
Every BODY is different. Just because one person’s metabolism works one way doesn’t mean you can eat the same portion size and get away with it. Listen to your body and find what works best for you!
Some additional takeaways…
During this challenge it really revealed to me how nonchalantly we ingest SO much processed foods constantly! I never realized how much processed foods I eat... Wow. I consider myself to eat healthy, but during these days I realized my daily diet was changing a lot based on my processed food intake alone!
The crazy thing is I wasn’t doing anything extreme. I was simply eating “from the ground” and food found NATURALLY without being processed (Just because it says “all natural” on the label does NOT qualify for being naturally from nature and free from processing. Actually 99% of the items in the store that are marketed as “100% natural” I could NOT eat as part of my all natural diet challenge. I think that just goes to show how messed up the advertising / food labeling is when it comes to deceiving their audience. Sorry for my rant).
Anyway, I’m back to my normal diet, but I have made some lasting changes. I now eat more vegetables and less processed foods, which comes much more naturally to me now than it did before (pun intended). I consume less sugar and can resist sugar cravings. I still allow myself sweets and am back to enjoying the deliciousness of Sea-Salted Dark Chocolate with Chopped Almonds (in moderation of course).
I would love to hear back what you think? Has anyone done something similar? How did it effect you? Interested in trying? Let me know how it goes!
The rules to the Blue Wolf Challenge:
Day 1: Fast (Liquids Only)
Day 2-7: Diet restrictions
Day 8: Free day
Day 9-14: diet restrictions
Day 15: free day
Day 16-21: diet restrictions
Any Vegetable, but the best are:
Leafy Greens: Lettuce, Chard, Spinach, Cabbage, All Herbs
Above Ground Greens: Asparagus, Broccoli, Artichokes, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Onions, Cauliflower
Root Vegetables: Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Yams, Zuchinni, All Squashes
MEAT (All meat is allowed, but try to avoid highly processed meats like hot dogs, salami, pepperoni, etc.)
Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Steak, Bacon, Ground Beef, Lamb,
All Seafood and Fish: Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, Tilapia, Shrimp, Oysters etc.
Eggs from any animal
Nuts and Seeds are GREAT (just make sure no added sugar, and choose sea salt rather than just regular “salt” when possible)
All fruit, but these low sugar fruits are best: Green Apples, All Berries, Lemons and Limes
Good Fats:
Healthy Oils: Olive, Coconut, Avocado, Macadamia, Sesame
Hard Cheese: Parmesan, Bleu, Cheddar, Goat, Swiss, Gouda, Muenster, Provolone
Full Fat, Unflavored, Yogurt
Beans are good. Some challenges/diets restrict beans, but all of my research has lead me to the belief that beans do the body good (unless you are a gassy type person, and then all those around you might not agree).
Beans are good because they can prevent heart disease, fight cancer, lower cholesterol, manage diabetes, and help you lose weight.
The negatives to beans is that they can interfere with vitamin absorption, cause migraines, raise blood pressure, trigger gout, and, as previously mentioned, can make you gassy.
So if you don’t have flatulence problems, or migraines / gout / high blood pressure, I recommend you eat them!
I included my day by day break down to give you an idea of things I ate. I wasn’t very creative and I know there are way better recipes out there. And a lot of times I meal prepped so I ended up eating the same thing several days in a row. Just wanted to show what I did for those of you out there who are curious.
Day 1: Liquids only! Veggie smoothie, chicken broth, 2 cups of tea, lots of water
day 2: Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, potatoes Lunch: Chipotle: Brown rice, black beans, chicken, pico salsa, lettuce, and cheese. Dinner: White, Chicken, Chilli soup. with a side of turkey
Day 3: B: Eggs/Bacon L: Banana, almonds, cabbage salad (sugar free dressing) D: lemon chicken, potatoes, brown whole grain rice, green beans
Day 4: B: homemade soup, green beans L: almonds, chicken, brown rice, potatoes, cranberries, raisins, D: Chipotle: Brown rice, black beans, chicken, pico salsa, lettuce, guacamole, and cheese.
Day 5: B: turkey, cheese, and a banana L: carrots, chicken, brown rice, potatoes, Snack: sugar free peanut butter on an apple Dinner: Egg noodles with chicken and fresh pesto sauce
Day 6: B: Banana, mixed nuts L: chicken, brown rice, potatoes, snack: apple with peanut butter, bowl of raspberries, D: steak, onions, bell peppers
Day 7: Eggs, bacon, L: almonds, pear/spinach/berry salad, carrots D: double double In-in-out burger with everything except bun.
Day 8: Free Day
Day 9: Breakfast: turkey, sliced cheese Lunch: Chill and baked potatoes Snack: Veggie smoothie Dinner: Chicken, grilled onions/bell peppers, brown rice
Day 10: Brunch: Chicken, grilled onions/bell peppers, brown rice, Avocado Dinner: Souplantation
Day 11: B: almonds and strawberries, Lunch: Salad, Tuna, Snack: celery and peanut butter Dinner: Egg noodels with pesto and tomato sauce
Day 12: B: Eggs and sausage L: celery with peanut butter and raisins, sliced Salami and cheese, Cabbage Salad, Mixed nuts D: Baked potatoes, Lemon-spinach chicken, brown rice, veggie smoothie
Day 13: B: eggs and sausage L: egg noodles with pesto, carrots, trail mix D: Chipotle: Brown rice, black beans, carnitas, pico salsa, lettuce, and cheese. Dessert: Fat free, sugar free yogurt
Day 14: B: eggs, grilled turkey, L: Broccoli slaw (no dressing), brown rice, chicken, spinach, potatoes D: Carnitas, brown rice, beans, Dessert: fat free yogurt
Day 15: Free Day
Day 16: B: Canadian bacon, veggie smoothie, L: Salami, Cheese, Trail Mix, Carrots, D: Flame Broiler: chicken, rice, veggies.
Day 17: B: Canadian bacon and eggs, L: Carnitas, brown rice, beans, lettuce, cheese, Dinner: chicken Caesar salad
Day 18: B: eggs, bacon L: Veggie smoothie, grilled turkey, cheese D: souplantation
Day 19: B: eggs, bacon L: mixed nuts, raisins, salami, cheese, carrots
Day 20: B: canadian bacon, cheese, veggie smoothie L: potatoe salad with onions, zuchinni, and avocado. Lentil soup D: Chicken, rice
Day 21: B: eggs, bacon L: Salad, carrots, nuts, raisins, tuna D: Soup, Salad