We are excited to kick off the summer with our May Paleo Challenge starting this Thursday, May 1 through Friday, May 30. This is not a weight loss competition but rather a way to better health.

Yes, this is a long post but it contains EVERYTHING you need to know about the challenge, so print it out or bookmark it to refer back to when needed.

For those of you new to paleo, read more here.

Any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to Jenna (The Paleo Police), Mike or Paddy - we're here to help!

THE DETAILS

Sign Up: Comment on this post, email us or write down your name on the sign-up sheet at the front desk starting Monday, April 27. Anyone that signs up who is also on Facebook will receive an invite to join our private group for the challenge, where we share recipes, encouragement, etc.

Entry Fee: $20 (all proceeds go to winners of the challenge). Please bring in cash to Mike or Paddy by Thursday (or let us know if you'd rather charge your account - it'll be $22).

Measurements: Starting Tuesday, April 28 through Saturday, May 3, come into class EARLY to get your measurements (body weight, waist circumference and body fat). This doesn't take very long but must be done before a WOD for accurate measurement. Consider taking front, back and side "before" photos of yourself and then "after" photos once you've completed the challenge (these are for your own personal use and do not have to be shared).

Benchmark WOD: To measure performance progress as it relates to the paleo diet, we do the same WOD at the beginning and end of the challenge. The WOD on Friday, May 2 will be the challenge benchmark WOD. If you aren't attending class on Friday, you can make up the WOD after the 9AM class on Saturday or Sunday. If you're not able to make any of these times please talk to Mike or Paddy.

Daily Requirements: 1. Just eat real food (JERF) 2. Maintain a food log 3. Record your daily scores on The Swamp Paleo Board

Winners: We will award first and second place prizes (cash, etc.) to both MALE and FEMALE winners based on measurement improvements (weight, waist and body fat), benchmark WOD performance gains and points from daily nutrition log.

Scoring: Keep track of your eating in a nutrition log. From this log you will give yourself a score of 0-4 based on your compliance with the following guidelines:

4 Points: You eat nothing but meat, veggies, some fruit, nuts and seeds.

3 Points: One time during the day, you had a little something that wasn’t paleo, but wasn’t horrible. Examples: Most condiments (bbq, soy sauce, ketchup, mayo, salad dressing), peanuts, hummus, cream in coffee, etc…

2 Points: You slipped…but didn’t get hurt. You had a small amount of "not real food”. Maybe it was a fully paleo day, but you couldn’t resist having a beer at the family BBQ, or you finished your kids' mac ‘n cheese, but the rest of your day was solid. Examples: 1 beer/glass of wine, dinner rolls, a handful of fries/chips, rice, etc…

1 Point: Most of your day was paleo, but there was one full meal that you fell off the wagon. Examples: Pasta, pizza, more than one soda/juice/alcohol, bag of popcorn, etc…

0 Points: You had a bad day and made more than one solid mistake. Examples: You had a couple slices of pizza and beer.

Bonus Points:

1. You get 4 extra bonus points for every day you participate in the 30-minute squat challenge. To do this you must sit in a relaxed squat position for (an accumulated) 30 minutes a day. More info here.

2. You get 1 extra bonus point for every day you participate in a WOD (at any affiliate).

3. You get 1 extra bonus point for every day you post on the blog, whether it's your WOD results or congratulating someone on a PR.

THE YES LIST

Meat/Poultry/Fish
Eggs
Vegetables (no white potatoes)
Sweet potatoes
Fruit (and dried fruit as long as there is NO SUGAR ADDED)
Nuts and seeds
Coffee
Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil
Vinegar
Raw honey
Pure maple syrup
Unsweetened cocoa/cacao
Whey protein supplements
Fuel for Fire
Kill Cliff

THE NO LIST

Dairy (cheese, yogurt, milk, cream)
Wheat (flours, breads, etc.)
Processed foods
Sugars
Grains (rice, couscous, millet, quinoa, etc.)
Legumes (beans [green beans ok], lentils)
Peanuts and peanut butters
Quest Bars, Perfect Foods Bars
Alcohol
Soy
Tofu
Corn
White potatoes
Soda
Fruit juices
Mayo
Sugar and artificial sweeteners
Coconut sugar, agave, molasses, etc.
Ketchup
Sauces, dressings (BBQ sauce, etc. b/c they contain sugar - ok if they don't - check labels!)

TIPS & TRICKS

Read labels and look for sugar in disguise – "cane sugar,", evaporated cane juice," etc. - they sneak this in everywhere
Avoid "paleo treats" that use paleo-ish ingredients, e.g. coconut sugar, tapioca flour, molasses
Default to berries first for fruit - lower sugar content than bananas, dried fruit, etc.
Watch your nut and seed intake - it's easy to go way overboard on these, so we recommend portioning them out

HELPFUL WEBSITES

Note that NOT ALL recipes posted on these sites are challenge-approved, so you'll need to check out the ingredients to make sure.

http://fastpaleo.com/
http://pal-eo-ology.com/
http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Shopping-List.pdf http://everydaypaleo.com/category/food/
http://paleomg.com/
http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/paleo-diet-meal-plans/ http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/
http://www.health-bent.com/

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