Spring 2016 Nutrition Challenge Kick-off Info!

CrossFit Charlottesville is hosting our thirteenth Nutrition Challenge! This event is open to the public, so come redefine your relationship with food, learn how to cook again, and get in shape before the summer! If you plan to participate in the Nutrition Challenge, you need to read this entire post.

Please RSVP via Facebook Event!

At 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 10th we will host our Nutrition Challenge Kick-off at the gym. Anyone, member or non-member, is welcome to participate; all you have to do is bring $20 in cash for the prize pool. Here are the results from our past challenges:

At 4:30 PM we will host a Paleo Potluck! Anyone is welcome to come to the Paleo Potluck, even if you are not planning to participate in the challenge! Bring snacks, appetizers, entrees, or desserts, as long as they emphasize good-quality real food (meat, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.) and skip out on the bad stuff (processed sugar, gluten, etc.). We will supply utensils, plates, bowls, and paper towels. Bring your own beverage. RSVP HERE

Food is fuel, and in order to fully achieve your health, performance, and body image goals, you need to dial in your nutrition. Unfortunately, exercise alone will not do the trick, and there is no such thing as out-training a bad diet. Here are three great resources about proper nutrition written by our very own trainers from CrossFit Charlottesville:

Nutrition Challenge Rules

Consult your doctor before you make any nutrition changes.
You must bring $20 in cash to the meeting on Sunday in order to participate. The money will be used as a prize pool for the winner.
If you want to enter the Nutrition Challenge, follow the guidelines exactly. There are no exceptions or “cheat” meals.
It starts Monday (April 10) and ends after 8 weeks.

Phases:

Phase 1 (April 11-17): In the first week, you’ll get adjusted to eating paleo – this will be a period to ask questions and get some experience with shopping and cooking for paleo eating (tracking optional during this period).
Phase 2 (April 18-May 15): For this 4-week phase, you will be tracking all of your daily food intake. You will need a food scale (relatively inexpensive and can be found at many stores in the area). See below on calculating how much you should be eating.
Phase 3 (May 16-May 29): During the final phase of the nutrition challenge, tracking your macro intake will be optional, and you can start to add back in some of those “grey-area” foods. In the final week of the challenge, you will have an opportunity to repeat the benchmark workouts. Around this time we will meet to take final measurements.

To Reiterate…

At 3pm on Sunday, April 10, we will have a brief meeting to talk about the challenge and answer any questions you have. We will then take waist/hip measurements as well as bodyweight. We will also take a picture of you showing your mid-section. The winner will be the one who shows the best body recomposition (more lean muscle mass and less fat). We will also factor in how well you performed during the actual challenge. Men will go shirtless for the photo, and women will be asked to wear a sports bra.
During the tracking phase (Phase 2), you must email or print out your information for us to review (we will provide information with online trackers you can use – such as MyFitnessPal, Paleotrack, etc.).
Emphasize naturally-raised, organic, and pastured food as much as possible. Shop at Whole Foods, the Farmers’ Market, and the C’ville Market, or other places that provide local, fresh options. Avoid processed food-like substances in the aisles by sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store.
Good: local, organic, or pastured meats and eggs, wild-caught fish, local or organic vegetables and berries, oils like coconut or olive oil.
Grey area: full-fat grass-fed milk and butter, whey protein, full-fat Greek yogurt
Bad: processed sugar, gluten, grains, alcohol, soda (even diet).
Supplements: fish oil (5 to 8 grams daily), multi-vitamin, vitamin D (5,000 IU per day), creatine (3 to 6 grams daily)

Intro to Calculating How Much to Eat

Take your body weight and subtract fat mass. For example, if you weigh 150# and have about 20% body fat, you have 120# of lean body mass.
Everyone will start out by eating 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (our example would eat 120 grams of protein per day). Based on general Zone guidelines, divide that number by 7 to estimate fat and carb macronutrient blocks. This gives us 17 blocks for our example.
Multiply by 9 for carbs and by 3 for fat; so roughly 150 grams of carbs and 50 grams of fat (which we will tweak later on in the challenge). This is not purely a science, but rather it is just a starting benchmark.
If you are looking to shed fat dramatically, you probably need to be eating under 150-100 grams of carbs per day. Under 50 carbs per day and you are going to be lethargic and your performance will decrease. You need to experiment, track, and dial things in based on your specific needs.

More Resources

CrossFit Charlottesville is offering 3 Months for $319 to coincide with our Spring Nutrition Challenge!

CrossFit Charlottesville is offering a 3 month, prepaid membership for only $319! This membership gives you unlimited access to all of our amazing class offerings at CrossFit Charlottesville, including C’ville Strength and C’ville Burn. Capture this opportunity for the best gym experience of your life. Get results, experience fun, and come see why we’re the best gym if you care about changing your life. We are only offering this membership deal until April 10, to coincide with our 13th Nutrition Challenge! That’s right, we’re into our 7th year of nutrition challenges! Participate in the nutrition challenge and combine CrossFit methodology to get in the best shape of your life this year. *Participation in the challenge is not required to redeem the membership.

Deal Ends on April 10!

Purchase Online or In Person!

Ready to jump start your fitness journey? Our prepaid 3 month membership special at CrossFit Charlottesville has you covered. You can either purchase it online or in person. Follow the link here to purchase online:

3 Month Special! Only $319

Spring 2016 Nutrition Challenge Kick-off Info! Plus Paleo Potluck!