Our Goal

We’re not feeling all that great this morning, and there’s no question why.  Last night we had our last pre-challenge pizza at Edwardo’s.  Despite being delicious, as deep-dish pizzas here in Chicago are known to be, we both agreed that we won’t miss it.  Having planned a few “last indulgences” before our challenge, my excitement for these meals has begun to wane, while my aversion towards the congestion, sluggishness, and poor sleep resulting from these meals has grown.

Eating pizza I was reminded of an old roommate who did a paleo challenge through crossfit.  They measured before & after:  pics, weight, I think body fat%, and tested his VO2 max (the over-all capacity for work, tested by how fast he could row 5000m on a row machine).  Challenge winners showed the most progress in a combination of the categories.  Naturally before the challenge, what did he do to prepare?  He sat on the couch gorging himself on bad carbs like pizza and pasta.  In order to win a before & after contest it’s ideal to start the challenge in the worst possible shape if you want to win.  That way it’s the easiest way to show the most progress.

How do you win our challenge?  By following the rules for 45 days.  That simple.  Our goal is not to burn the most fat, or to look better in skinny jeans (BTW nobody looks good in skinny jeans).  Our goal is to do it.  It’s more like we’re conducting a science project, and we are our own test subjects.  In order to provide a more accurate pre- and post- challenge sample, we’re trying to eat like we normally would; mostly paleo, with an open meal every once in a while.  The next week and a half before the challenge that’s what we plan to do.  We’re planning to use the last of our Groupons which are set to expire over the next 2 months (Sushi, Cajun food, and Mexican), and have a few snacks at a Super Bowl party, but otherwise remain paleo.

It’s funny, the more indulgences we have, the more excited we are to start the challenge.  Bring on February 7th!