My box is setting up an “800 g Challenge”. Any anecdotes about participating or info about effects?

[diggitle]

@starrysunsets Lentils, PB, macadamia nuts, avocado, bean & corn burritos. Protein supplement...

 

[inaweoftruth]

@starrysunsets I eat it.
I consume about 140g of protein- eggs, chicken, beef, you name it. Meat I eat around 60-70g a day which primarily comes from my meat products- like my pork beef chicken thighs and eggs, but also avocados, ghee/butter, and I cook with avocado oil.

 

[momofthreeboys]

@starrysunsets I recommend you watch "The Game Changer" on Netflix. Honestly I personally hated it and thought it was extremely biased - BUT it will give you some insight into how athletes thrive on plant based diets.

 

[inaweoftruth]

@momofthreeboys Meh it’s mostly Mumbo-jumbo pseudoscience and 99% anecdotes.
There’s plenty if research to refute that movie. Yes veggies are great but a plant based diet isn’t for everyone.

 

[momofthreeboys]

@inaweoftruth I completely agree, which is why I mention I hated it! Although at least it gives a slightly larger amount of anecdotes and pseudoscience than you will find by posting the question on reddit ....

 

[tryallthings]

@momofthreeboys I would recommend you NOT watch The Game Changer.

 

[blueyedlion]

@starrysunsets It's quite healthy, I think anyone can benefit from doing it. Take into consideration that potatoes count as part of the 800g (but in the spirit of the challenge obviously don't eat all potatoes) Just saying, you don't have to eat 800g of lettuce, that would be another extreme.

I could eat 800g of watermelon in one day easily, so with fruit and potatoes being part of the mix, not too hard. I would challenge yourself to do at least 400g veggies tho.

Another food I love eating that qualifies is squash! butternut squash, spaghetti squash, etc.

 

[starrysunsets]

@blueyedlion Have you done it?

 

[blueyedlion]

@starrysunsets No, but I eat a goal of 400g of veggies/squash every day.

 

[egg]

@starrysunsets We did this recently but altered it slightly. We did a week each at 400g, 500g, 600g, 700g, 800g. This meant there was no drastic diet changes straight off the bat and it was more sustainable

 

[starrysunsets]

@egg This sounds like a sensible variation, thanks for sharing.

 

[dawn16]

@starrysunsets It was developed by EC Synkowksi

I haven’t done it (my IBS wouldn’t allow it, I would be miserable) but first heard of it on an episode of Girls Gone Wod. It’s just a way to encourage more plant intake which can benefit some if it’s excluding other less than ideal foods but can be problematic depending on the situation (as noted in another comment, can’t eat other foods that you need for macros).

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=674900361&i=1000431738744

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-335-ec-synkowski-returns/id674900361?i=1000452146664

 

[lapidarius]

@starrysunsets I've been doing it for over a year and it's easier than you think. I blend a banana in my breakfast smoothie, have two containers with an apple and bell pepper split between the two and a handful of carrots and cherry tomatoes that I snack on during the day or my commute home.. Any veggies I eat during lunch or dinner put me well over 800g.

Find what fruits and veggies you like, then slowly add in more.

 

[starrysunsets]

@lapidarius Thanks for the report. I don't doubt that it's attainable, I'm just wondering if the effects live up to the hype. I understand the concept was developed based on published observations of diet and longevity, but like a lot of nutritional advice it got pretty fuzzy in the correlation/causation department. So, I'm curious about what people have found who have affirmatively moved in this direction.

Do you feel like you've had health or performance benefits from doing this?

 

[christhasrisen2000]

@starrysunsets Just be aware there are massive difference in the amount of sugar and fiber within each category-- 800g of blueberries, strawberries and cantaloup is very different nutritionally than 800g of bananas and pears. Ditto brocolli and Brussels sprouts versus potatoes and lima beans.

Point being variety is going to be your friend.

 

[churchgoer1124]

@starrysunsets My box just started it. I’m competitive so it’s been good for me to be on the ball about logging and recording my intake.

First thing I have realized is I was not eating near as much fruit and veggies as I thought. Second thing I’ve noticed is I’m full af all the time. A couple times I have felt I am forcing my self to get the 800g which probably goes against the idea but, like I said, I’m competitive.

 

[myawesomehusband]

@starrysunsets I didn't have any weight loss, but my energy went through the roof (probably because I started eating a lot more fruit, instead of my typical mostly vegetables). My recovery was the best I've ever seen, went to classes 14 day in a row and was still feeling amazing... one of those days I did two classes. My shits were amazing.

800g isn't that much if you break it up throughout the day. If you don't have any fruits/veg for breakfast, it can be daunting to get the 800 in at just lunch and dinner, but if you can knock off 2-300g at breakfast, it's a simple task to accomplish. One-third of the people that did our challenge got a perfect score.

 

[dawn16]

@myawesomehusband I’m only on day 2, but I think the fact that I’m trying to get half of those grams in by breakfast is what’s changing my overall eating impulse. Normally I am driven to over eat in the evening, but all the fiber from breakfast and lunch is kind of uncomfortable and my desire to eat at night is way down.

I’m curious to see how this will change as my body adjusts

 

[britebore]

@starrysunsets I'm not a nutritionist or dietician (so grains of salt), but the impact of this sort of diet seems to depend a lot on what you are doing currently. If you eat a healthy diet that balances macros, you may not notice much change or you might even feel like you are losing something because you are disrupting a successful diet in favor of hitting a certain number.

Conversely, if you are someone who eats junk and snacks throughout the day, this diet will no doubt shift you in a positive direction. If you swap out an Italian sub and bag of chips for with a leafy salad and an apple for lunch, you are absolutely being healthier and will see benefits. If you grab a handful of grapes instead of a sleeve of Oreos, that's a no brainer.

So, anecdotal reports are really only half of the story and may not apply to your situation at all.

For my part, I have never done the 800g challenge, but I have gone long stretches with the goal of eating 5 servings of fruits / vegetables each day and I would consider a hand fruit (apple, banana, orange) as a serving, so that is probably the equivalent of 600-800g per day. When I did this, I found myself snacking less on garbage because I had to get my veggies in and would eat carrot sticks or grapes or a banana instead of crackers or cookies. I ate more salads and always made sure there was a vegetable on the plate with dinner... so I saw immediate results in terms of weight. Now, it's hard to know what contributed more to gym performance... weight or nutrition... but I felt like my cardio and gymnastics improved... my guess is that the diet contributed some in terms of energy, but mostly having 10 lbs less to move through space was the bigger contributor.

 

[little_sparrow]

@starrysunsets the point of the challenge is its easiness - no macros, no tracking which fruits what where, and just to encourage people to increase veggie/fruit intake

if you incorporate 'heavier' veggies/fruits like avocados, apples, bananas, and so on, I find it to resemble fairly what I already do. Also, depends on whether you weigh uncooked versus cooked veggies - I tend to mix it half half