Hey Guys! Welcome to day three of the challenge. Hopefully things are going well for you and I hope you’ve been enjoying lots of fresh, delicious food. Day 3 tends to be the hardest day of the challenge for most people, so I wanted to make sure I posted something on the blog to keep you motivated and encouraged. Some of you might be feeling amazing already, so that’s great, but if you’ve been craving the bad stuff or just feeling a little bummed out, I want to remind you that it’s all temporary and it’s worth waiting out. Whatever you do, don’t give up!
I’ve been eating some amazing food the last couple of days and I’ve posted a couple pictures on my Facebook page. Click here if you haven’t ‘liked’ the page yet. My goal is to have 100 fans by the end of the challenge so help me spread the word. I plan on posting more pics of my food as the challenge goes on and hopefully figuring out recipes to share with all of you. I’ve never created a recipe myself so this is going to be fun. I hope!!
Frequently Asked Questions
I figured today would be a good day to answer some of the questions I’ve received from fellow challengers. Some of you might have had the same questions so you’ll get the answers here. If you have a different question then feel free to ask in the comments below. With that said, let’s get to it.
What beverages are allowed on the challenge?
The obvious answer would be water, but I know that’s not what you were hoping to hear. While I do encourage you to drink mostly water there are some other delicious options. As far as water goes, feel free to add things to it. Cucumbers, lemon, lime, strawberries, and mint are all good ways to make plain water more interesting. Just slice some cucumbers or strawberries and drop them in a pitcher of water. After several minutes you’ll have a delicious, flavored water that will remind you of those relaxing days at the spa.
Tea is also a good beverage as long as it’s unsweetened. What I like to do is find a fruity tea, like pomegranate or peach. I fill a pitcher with water and drop 4 tea bags in. Let it steep in the fridge overnight and the next day I have delicious, fruity tea that tastes a little sweet. You would be surprised how yummy it tastes after not drinking sweetened beverages for a while.
Mineral water with a squeeze of lime or lemon would be a good option if you want something carbonated. If you’re used to drinking soda this probably won’t feel like much of a substitute but drinking regular soda is not an option. If you’re really having a hard time and it’s making you want to give up on the challenge all together, then try one of the flavored mineral waters you can purchase at the grocery store. I’m talking about the unsweetened ones. While we aren’t entirely sure where these flavors are coming from, it’s definitely a better option than a sugary soda, so do what you have to do. I would hate for you to give up entirely because you can’t have a fizzy beverage.
I know I can’t have sugar, but what about honey?
While you want to limit the use of sweeteners during the challenge, there are some options that are better than refined, white sugar.
Honey is a good option, but I would encourage you to look for local, raw honey. When honey is highly processed it loses most of it’s nutritional value. Raw honey has antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients in it that make it a much better choice over white sugar. Head out to the local farmers market or fruit stand and find some local honey. You would be amazed at the different types that are available. You might think you don’t even like honey until you try the good stuff. Even if it’s not raw, local honey gets a thumbs up from me.
Maple syrup is also a sweetener that is allowed on the challenge. It’s basically just boiled down sap from maple trees. Look for REAL maple syrup, not Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworths. While this is allowed, it’s something you want to limit. You won’t feel the true benefits of the challenge if you’re pouring maple syrup all over your bacon every morning. If you want to have a treat one weekend this month, I’ve got a recipe for coconut flour pancakes that I’m going to post on the blog. These would be delicious with some real maple syrup poured over them. I’m going to wait a little while to post that recipe though. I don’t want you making them every morning!
Stevia is a natural sweetener that can be used to sweeten beverages and other things. You want to look for pure stevia in liquid or powder form. If the powder is green, that’s even better since it’s the pure stevia leaf that’s just been ground into a powder. Some people don’t like stevia due to the aftertaste, but some people love it. It’s worth trying if that unsweetened tea just isn’t doing if for you. Beware though, stevia is many times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way.
While there are other natural sweeteners that would be better choices than white sugar, I figured these were the ones that most people would want to know about. Remember, you want to limit your use of sweeteners but when you do decide to have a treat, try to stick to the more natural stuff.
What about salad dressing?
This is a great question and one I wrestled with when I first did a challenge like this. My advice is to make your own dressing if you can. If you can’t yet, then don’t worry too much about it. Salad dressings can be as simple as oil and vinegar, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to whip something up. I’m going to post some different salad dressing recipes soon, but until then just make the best choices you can. If you’re at the store, look for the ones with the least amount of strange ingredients. If you’re at a restaurant, don’t worry too much about the dressings. Ask the server which ones are actually made at the restaurant and choose one of those.
Eating more salads is one of the best things you can do for your health. If worrying about salad dressing is going to discourage you from choosing a salad over pasta, then stop worrying about the salad dressing. You have to pick your battles. Once you learn how to make two or three different dressings, then you’ll be set. Until then, give yourself a break and just eat more veggies. Use the smallest amount of dressing it takes to make that salad yummy and you’re good to go.
Should I stay away from potatoes and white rice?
If you really want the best results from this challenge then I would say, limit them, but you don’t have to eliminate them completely. If you’re a very active individual then these foods will have less of a negative effect on you than someone that sits at a desk all day and then goes home and sits on the couch for the rest of the evening.
I find that starchy foods are something you have to experiment with. Some people can feel great and even lose weight while eating them. Others just don’t handle them as well. It’s something you need to figure out for yourself. Several years ago, when I discovered how much I loved sweet potatoes I ate them every day for two weeks and lost 10 pounds. Everyone is different.
As far as this challenge goes, the goal is to eat real food for a month. These qualify as real food. If you get to the end of the challenge and decide you want to lose some more weight, then you can try cutting back. If you feel like the challenge is more manageable with these included, then by all means, include them.
These were the main questions I got from people over the last few days. Hopefully I answered some of the questions you have, but if you have any other questions then please leave them in the comments below.
I just want to say congrats on making it through the first three days! If this is your first time reading about the challenge, then please visit the previous posts to learn about what we’re doing and get on board. It’s never too late to start.
