I completed two weeks of the Les Mills food challenge as of last Monday. As you can tell from the title, I called it done early. This challenge at times was quite grim. I was slightly hungry almost every day. I have experimented and adjusted along the way but there is only so much you can eat of vegetables, protein and a little bit of fat.
I am totally shocked that I cut all sugar, grains, dairy, fruit and alcohol out of my diet and I really didn't lose any weight. How is that even possible? I can eat anything I want and maintain my weight so I thought for sure that cutting out all those things would be a jump start to these last 7 pounds of baby weight. Maybe if I had stuck it out the last week the weight would have come off. We'll never know!
Here are some of my typical meals each day. I'm sure I haven't convinced you to try this challenge but these are also Whole 30 compatible if you are doing that. Just for the record, I have done whole 30 several times and I always lose weight and keep it off.
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| Salsa and avocado with omelette. |
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| Roasted veggies for food prep |
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| Garlic granules go on everything! |
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Fried eggs over veggies
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| Hot Tea for the Blues |
This diet challenge is not for the lazy! You have to prep, prep and more prep. When you get hungry, you need to know there is something already there to eat so you don't make a bad choice. I wasn't perfect in this diet but I was very strict with myself. One day I had a very long and bad day and I ate a dessert that I had made before the challenge started. It was divine but I got right back on track.
A few pointers for you
1.
Shop with a meal plan. Have a list of ingredients you need. I have a husband and two children so I also have to feed them. It works best for me if I can cook something similar for them and myself. One night I made spaghetti for them, eggplant with spaghetti sauce for myself.
2.
Do not get hungry. The goal is to eat 5 small meals a day, one being a protein shake. If you get hungry, you might make bad choices out of desperation. Always have boiled eggs, veggies, almonds or something else convenient to grab.
3.
Have an accountability parter. You will get weak and it's nice to have someone in the same boat as you. Misery loves company!
Well, in the end, even though I only lasted two weeks on this challenge, I did learn a lot about my eating habits. I love to just grab things and go. If I want to eat healthy, I need to always do the prep work involved. There need to be peppers cut, fruit and vegetables always available to make good choices.
I felt like a failure for a few days but that is ridiculous and I'm calling myself out for such a bad perspective. I am still nursing and you actually aren't supposed to do this while nursing. #stubborn
I did gain some valuable insight on this challenge versus the Whole 30 one.
I wasn't able to cheat my way through it.
On Whole 30 you can eat fruit if you are having a sweet craving, even if you aren't supposed to do that...alas, I did. Also, when you want something salty, I would eat plantain chips because they are technically approved on Whole 30. Starchy vegetables are also allowed on Whole 30 and my saving grace for filling full. Without them, I felt empty.
This really is a very healthy food challenge and I plan to incorporate some of the recipes and meal substitutions into our weekly meal plan.
Have you ever done a super strict diet or food challenge like this? What was your verdict?
