We hope you are enjoying our 30 Day Summer Shred Challenge at Fitzone Labs. We wanted to motivate you with a 7 DAY FOOD CHALLENGE and there are just six rules you’ll need to follow…
7 Day Food Challenges, 6 Rules to Follow so you can crush those goals!
1. NO EATING FRIED FOOD
Consuming fried foods can make you consume an abundant amount of unnecessary calories which inevitably leads to weight gain. The body’s digestive system takes much longer to digest fried foods due to their high-fat content. This causes you to pack on additional pounds, including belly fat.
“Fried foods contain more calories than their non-fried counterparts. Eating a lot of them can significantly increase your calorie intake,” according to Healthline.
As compared to other cooking methods, frying foods entails adding in a lot of additoinal calories. Typically fried foods are coated in batter or flour prior to frying in grease and/or oil. When foods are fried in oil, they lose water and absorb fat. This increases their calorie content significantly.
So ditch the fried foods and eat foods that are either baked, grilled or cooked without the unnecessary added calories and fat.
2. NO DESERT & SWEETS
“In addition to sugar and fat, chocolate contains several substances that can make it feel “addictive”, according to Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
The best part about this food challenge, NO DESERT & SWEETS, is that the longer you go without sweets such as chocolate and sugar the less likely you are to crave them! To ditch any addictive behavior you have to break away from the habit. So cut the deserts and sweet treats and the cravings will eventually subside.
Consider frozen fruit or a fruit smoothie for an alternative cold sweet treat. You may also blend Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and freeze the mixture in popsicle molds for a homemade frozen treat! These are great alternatives when trying to satisfy that sweet tooth.
3. NO WHITE BREADS OR RICE
“White bread is highly refined and often contains a lot of added sugar. It is high on the glycemic index and can spike your blood sugar levels. One study of 9,267 people found that eating two slices (120 grams) of white bread per day was linked to a 40% greater risk of weight gain and obesity,” Healthline.
White pasta or bread is typically made with refined wheat flour which is high in calories and carbohydrates it’s also low in fiber, protein, and other healthy nutrients.
Simply sub regular bread for Ezekiel bread and white rice with brown rice. These whole-grain options generally contain more fiber and nutrients than white varieties, which can make them more filling and nutritious!
4. DRINK AT LEAST 8 GLASSES OF WATER EACH DAY
The human body is composed of approximately 60% water. This is necessary to support such bodily functions such as digestion, circulation, the transportation of nutrients among other bodily functions. Drinking enough water throughout the day makes a significant difference in making sure that everything in your body is in top shape and running the way it should be.
“While no amount of water will magically make you lose weight, staying sufficiently hydrated can certainly help you shed unwanted pounds,” according to Food & Supply Source. Water increases your feeling of satiety. It can be as simple as drinking a full glass of water before each meal.
“Drinking water 30 minutes before a meal helps you feel full and prevents overeating. Studies also show that drinking plenty of water boosts your metabolic rate, helping you burn more calories faster. So filling up on water can help you eat less, while simultaneously aiding your metabolism & digestion. Consider hydrating with beverages like green tea, which some studies show may boost metabolism and help to burn fat,” Food & Supply Source.
It’s the little things that add up and make a big difference. Water is one of them so keep up with your water intake to keep off those extra pounds!
5. EAT ALL MEALS IN A 10 HOUR WINDOW
“A 10-hour per day eating timeframe can help overweight people reduce their belly fat while improving cholesterol and blood pressure. It’s similar to the trendy intermittent fasting technique,”according to a new study from INSIDER.
Time-restricted eating such as intermittent fasting allows the body to rest and restore. This allows the body to anticipate when you will eat so it can prepare to optimize metabolism, according to ScienceDaily.
This doesn’t mean you can consume all the calories you want within that window. It simply means to consume the suggested caloric intake within that time frame.
6. NO ALCOHOL
“When alcohol is consumed, it’s burned first as a fuel source before your body uses anything else. This includes glucose from carbohydrates or lipids from fats. When your body is using alcohol as a primary source of energy, the excess glucose and lipids end up, unfortunately for us, as adipose tissue, or fat,” according to Healthine.
Alcohol not only increases the chances of the body storing it as fat, it also contains high amounts of sugar and empty calories that are unnecessary especially if you are looking to lose weight and build lean muscle. Other effects include lowering the body’s inhibition which can lead to poor decision-making especially when it comes to food choices.
If you’re needing a kickstart to get back on the healthy eating game then try these tips to challenge yourself and get back into healthy eating habits!
Resources:
Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, M.D. — Written by Eleesha Lockett, MS — Updated on June 11, 2018 https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol-and-weight-loss#alcohol-and-weight-loss
Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
8 Benefits of Drinking 8 Glasses. 27 October 2017, by Jennifer, in blog, Health,.
INSIDER, https://www.insider.com/intermittent-fasting-plan-eat-10-hours-a-day-lose-weight-2019-12. Copyright © 2021
