Merry New Year, er’rbody! Hope your 2019 is off to a great start. It’s been a while since we fired up the good ol’ Fuel Challenge, so after hearing several pax ask about bringing it back over the holidays (and YHC in need of losing some lbs.), we’re going to jump start the New Year and get back on track with a healthy eating plan.
There have been several fuel challenges led by different F3 pax over the past several years, each of which have garnered great success stories. Through the challenges, eating habits were changed, new energy was gained from foods, and the stranglehold of fast food & sweets was broken for many. The pax felt healthier! Though weight loss isn’t the primary goal of the challenge, most pax lost a few lbs…some more than others, due directly to staying consistent with the Fuel Challenge along with regular exercise.
Health is a product of many things but primarily your diet and exercise. While F3 is very much focused on the exercise portion, many of us may not pay as much attention to our overall health, including what we eat and drink. Maybe you would like to drop a few pounds or just feel better. Maybe you have tried to eat healthier but keep “cheating” because there was no accountability for doing so.
For these reasons and many more, we bring you a 6-week cleanse program, “The 2019 New Year Fuel Challenge”, from January 7 – February 18. Many have lost weight during these six-week programs, but more importantly improved their nutrition for the long-term after this “detox” or cleanse.
If you’ve done the Challenge before, much of this will seem familiar, indeed, even verbatim from what we’ve done before. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel if it works. Because of that, the banned items discussed in the previous discussion areas still apply. New items can be brought up for review, but, use your head. If the item in question has “bread” in the name, it’s still bread, and therefore banned.
BASE PROGRAM
The Challenge will give you a chance to test yourself with the support of your fellow men of F3. And maybe after 6 weeks, you will stick to the plan (or much of it) in order to live a healthier lifestyle. The program will have a base list of items that are prohibited during the six weeks as follows:
No ALCOHOL
No Fried Foods
No Fast Food (inc. Pizza)
No Red Meat
No Breads
No Potato Chips, Snack Foods, Etc.
No Desserts
No Sodas or Sweet Tea
This leaves many food and drink items available – no one will go hungry! Just eat/drink better.
You will receive ONE free pass per week also known as “The Cheat Meal” – this could be a steak dinner, a pizza, or a drinking occasion, etc. – no carryovers though, the pass can only be used that week – try to use your weekly pass in moderation. (And remember, a free pass is for a MEAL not an ENTIRE DAY!)
Weekly Challenges
In addition, WEEKLY CHALLENGES will be added, beginning in week two. These may include dropping something else from your diet (such as dairy products or pork) or adding something to your routine.
WEEK ONE – Take this first week to begin The Challenge.
WEEK TWO to SIX – Optional challenges will be announced each week on the initial Twitter thread.
Optional weekly challenges start on January 16 and are NOT cumulative (unless you want them to be). They will be announced before the next week starts. We will use Twitter to remind you of each week’s challenge posted on the site. If you would like to get on the fuel challenge email chain, please send an email to [email protected] and you’ll be added. If you’d like to be added to the DM thread on Twitter, please send AB an e-mail or message on Twitter at @Gamecock_Matt97. Staying in touch with other pax while going through the challenge has been helpful to many for accountability as well as sharing success stories…not to mention some tasty recipes that are fuel challenge approved! While “Reply All” emails are welcome on the thread, your inbox shouldn’t be overly inundated from it.
Many pax have maximized their success by logging in food and exercise on something that’s trackable & accountable to their F3 brothers. You’ll be surprised how much some of your favorite foods cost in terms of calories vs. nutrition, and you’ll also be surprised how many of you may actually need to eat MORE good foods per day than you think. MyFitnessPal is a popular app for this.
With all of this said, how about some HCs??? Let’s goooo!
Aye!