Non-Challenge Related Nutrition

Our gym is starting up another nutrition challenge, the first one that I won't be a part of. The reasoning behind it is not because I don't enjoy their challenges, because I do. It's a great way to completely cut myself off from all impurities in my diet and drop weight rather quickly. It works, for the time that I'm doing it. 

Then I stop. And everything goes back to "normal". As in, I go back to hovering just over 200# and eating what I consider close to healthily, with the random shitty meal here and there. All the work that I went through gets washed away because I stop eating so strictly. 

What it boils down to is that I don't think the challenge lifestyle isn't sustainable, for me. I work well within the strict boundaries set during the challenge, but I stop the moment that the boundaries are removed. When I lack accountability and external motivation, I don't care as much. 

To combat this, I've devised a little plan. I have a new living situation with someone who takes my nutrition very seriously, and as such, she enjoys keeping me in check with what I eat. It's been about 2 weeks or so now and we're closing in on some rather simple rules and lifestyle changes that aren't too strict but are sustainable in the long run. 

Rules for sustainable nutrition

Things that cannot be eaten:

• Sugars
• No candy
• No ice cream
• Those shitty dried fruits
• Alcohol
• No beer
• No booze
• Limited wine
• Other simple carbs
• Rice, bread, pasta,
• Other amazingly yummy things
• Excessive amounts of food
• Start cutting back on caloric intake
• ~2200-2400 kcal per day
• aka… don’t eat over a pound of meat per sitting

Loop holes to the rules:

• Cheats
• 2x meals a week
• 1x drinks a week
• Wine with dinner
• Let’s be honest here, a glass of wine with dinner is pretty awesome
• Just don't go overboard...

Like I said, we're two weeks in now and I'm slowly and comfortably losing weight and feeling better. It's not a huge flush like it was during the challenge, because I still get to have a few beers on the weekend and I still get to have pizza or a sub once a week or so. It's something that will work for more than the 30-40 day challenge.

All I know is that I'm down to 194.5# now from my usual 202# bodyweight and I'm happy. I'm not cranky, I'm not going through carb flu, I'm not craving something ravenously. And, I have someone who keeps me in check.

Will let you know how this turns out over the course of time.