Summer Fitness Challenge 2011

So, rarely do I volunteer for anything that has “challenge” in the title. I got nothin’ to prove. I am not the type of guy who dreams of confetti pouring down on me while parading down Main Street perched on top of a convertible.

But when CFDC launched their Summer Fitness Challenge, I decided to sign up “just for the experience”.  And because I wanted the t-shirt.

However, rather than individual results, the challenge this year is being driven by team results. Which is a whole different thing.

Although I may not be an adrenalin-enraged competition junkie, I am a group-minded guilt whore. I hate that feeling of being the guy that didn’t pull his weight.  And in this competition, my weight is the benchmark to be measured.

My strategy for the competition was to introduce The Zone Diet into my already Paleo-friendly eating habits. CFDC hooked-me up with a lot of general information about The Zone (which I had heard about but never tried) and even did the math for me to figure out how many Zone blocks I should be eating every day. It all seemed very easy. I got this.

So I went to the store and bought everything that I was gonna need. Healthy food, measuring cups, a scale – I discovered that when it comes to competition, I am great at retail-based preparation.

But once I got home, I ran into some roadblocks.

First off, I discovered that my "Paleo-compliant kitchen/pantry" was hiding some deep-dark secrets. Half-n-half, popsicles, chocolate-covered almonds…if I was going to commit myself to this competition, these little dietary crutches that I had somehow held onto since I started patting-myself-on-the-back for being so “Paleo” were gonna have to go.

But old habits are hard to break…so rather than throw them out, and go cold turkey, I decided to finish what was left of these items and then just not replenish them once they were gone. Currently, most of my non-Paleo supplies have dwindled to nothing, and I am rationing about 3 popsicles that are still left in my freezer.

The other obstacle was just the process of measuring food into Zone blocks. What a huge pain. I had thought that buying a cool, high-tech scale would motivate me to actually use it.  But, not-so much. It is sitting here on my counter, totally neglected.

I have printed out some lists of foods and their corresponding Zone blocks. They are sitting here next to the high-tech scale.

Some of my teammates have already racked up some impressive points in this competition. My guilt-driven motivation is reaching its breaking point. I just gotta start doing this – and once it’s part of my routine, it will all be OK….I think.

I am going to try and start breaking down my meals into Zone blocks one meal per day. Tomorrow I am starting with breakfast. For sure, tomorrow.