My 30 Day #ProteinChallenge Results

May 1st was the final day of my 30 Day #ProteinChallenge but it certainly won't be the last time I focus on getting enough protein in my diet. I think it is safe to say the past 30 days changed the way I will eat for the rest of my life. The biggest "aha moments" for me were learning that I have been under-consuming protein, significantly, and particularly at breakfast and lunch.

As I shared in my last post, adding protein at breakfast and high protein snacks throughout the day helped keep me feeling full all day long. I felt like I was eating constantly but making better choices in all areas of my diet, not just protein, to ensure I am getting the nutrients my body needs to function properly.

The first five days of the challenge are simply keeping a journal of what you eat.

The key for me was keeping track of what I was eating. I used the MyFitnessPal app to log all my meals, snacks, drinks, etc. After doing this consistently for the first five days of the Challenge I found myself being mindful of the foods I was eating and the essential nutrients they provide per calorie.

The Protein Challenge provides several tools to help you track your food choices, including a food journal (pdf) and a protein cheat sheet (pdf) that lists the protein content of a wide variety of choices including meat/eggs, fish/seafood, nuts/seeds, grains, dairy, and beans. This list of "on the go" protein snacks helps me get more protein into my diet throughout the day. The site also has some great tips for dining out and getting more protein at every meal.

By the way, it's not too late to do the 30 Day Protein Challenge. The daily e-mails begin the day after you sign up, allowing you to start whenever you are ready!

Next up on BEEFMAN: Training for Ride the Rockies kicks into high gear!

Ride on!

Daren