14-Day Protein Challenge Recap!
For the past two weeks, we decided to run a 14-day protein challenge on our Instagram (@readysteps) focused on simple tricks and trips to help balance your blood sugar, improve your energy levels, and improve overall body composition. Wellness challenges are a helpful way to get you started on your health journey because it helps you get motivated and gives you a foundation of where to begin! So, here is a recap of our challenge:
Day 1: For the first day, we focused on how the overall challenge was going to work each day. We also provided some background on why protein is a crucial macronutrient, explaining how it helps to keep you full and satisfied, build muscle and other important tissues, keep you energized, and maintain lean body mass!
Day 2: Know your numbers! On the second day, we explained how to calculate your protein goals based on your body weight, which is typically around 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. Ideal body weight can be calculated using this link. This link also modifies your protein and calorie goals based on if you want to gain, lose, or maintain your current body weight.
Day 3: How to divvy up your protein throughout the day. Day 3 discussed how it’s important to spread out your protein intake throughout each meal and snack, instead of overloading certain meals with protein while not including enough protein in other meals. This is because the body can only metabolize and store a certain amount of protein at a time, and eating a meal that is overly high in protein means it is likely that the body isn’t utilizing all of it. Each meal should contain between 20 and 30 grams of protein, and snacks should be around 15 grams!
Day 4: Plan Your Portions! Day 4 encourages participants to pre-plan out the protein in their meals by using 3 different methods: a food scale, an online food log, and the hand method (the palm of your hand equals about 1 serving of protein).
Day 5: Plan Your Portions, part 2! For Day 5, we provided some of our delicious meal recipes from one of our cookbooks that contain between 20 and 30 grams of protein.
Day 6: Meal Prep to set yourself up for Success! This day, we challenged participants to meal prep to help them have healthy meals and snacks on hand to facilitate healthy eating. Many people choose Sunday to meal prep in order to have food for the week ahead, but any day works!
Day 7: Day 7 provided some common high-protein foods that people like people like to meal prep, like overnight oats, grains/rice, and hard-boiled eggs. Many people also like pre-cooking a protein to add to salads or bowls, like ground turkey or grilled chicken.
Day 8, 9, and 10: Thinking outside of the Breakfast Box. Days 8, 9, and 10 emphasized eating high-protein breakfasts instead of the typical carb-heavy American breakfasts like pancakes or cereal.
Day 11: This day happened to fall on Thanksgiving, but is also helpful for the upcoming holiday season! Day 11 provided ways to manage blood sugar levels on Thanksgiving by encouraging prioritizing protein, going on walks, and making sure to eat breakfast!
Day 12: Since Day 12 fell on Black Friday, we provided a code “welcome10” to purchase some of our high-protein foods. Here is a link to shop!
Day 13: Holding Yourself Accountable. Today, we focussed on using the skills you learned throughout the challenge to help you with long-term success. For example, you can download our app to log food and track protein, or you could even work with one of our registered dietitians to help level up your success!
Day 14: The last day of the challenge challenged you to reflect on how the challenge went and the new habits you learned.
Be sure to check out our Instagram for the full challenge details!