IMW Late Winter Challenge

You up for some fun, IMW style?

Hey everyone!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and I’ve got an idea that I’m excited to share with you. I know, I know, sometimes my thoughts can lead me down a rabbit hole, but this one might just be worth it.

So, here’s the deal. I’m always reading a lot about the Carnivore diet, and I’ve come to some more interesting conclusions. You know, those animals in the wild that are carnivores? They stick to one type of food, and they don’t seem to be worried about hitting their macro and micronutrient targets. They just eat when they’re hungry, and that’s it.

And here’s the thing, I think we could learn a lot from them. We’ve been eating all sorts of processed foods and diet foods for way too long, and it’s not working. We’re getting fatter and sicker than ever before. So, I’m proposing that we try a different approach. We should just eat real food, and we should consider eating just one type of food at a time.

I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out. I’ve been doing some research, and I’ve found some really interesting things. I’ll share more details in the future, but for now, I just wanted to give you a heads up.

So, if you’re up for it, I’d love for you to join me in this challenge. It’s not going to be easy, at least not at first, but it might just be worth it.

Some possible ground rules for this Challenge.

1. Intermittent fasting involves restricting your eating window to 6 hours a day, with only one or two meals during that time. You can also switch up your work and meal times to make it more interesting.

2. When you do eat, focus on one food item per meal. That’s right- nothing on the side. You can choose a protein-based meal (like steak, chicken, or fish) or a carb-based meal (like salad greens, broccoli or potatoes). If you need a bit of fat to cook, you can use a small amount of oil or butter. You can also add some seasonings, but make sure they’re calorie-free, sweetener-free, and chemical-free.

Here are some meal ideas:

- **Eggs:** Scrambled, fried, or boiled. If you’re eating alone, you could have 4-6 eggs at once.

- **Beef:** Steaks, ground beef, burger patties, or hot dogs (without the bun).

- **Fish:** Any fish you like. Tuna salad or shrimp salad are okay, but make sure they’re made with avocado oil mayo.

- **Chicken or Turkey or Ham:** Follow the same rules as above.

If you’ve tried the IMW Plate before, this is similar, but instead of 75% protein, fat, and 25% or less plant/carb, it’ll be 100% of just one type of food for your meals each day.

Free food to add to any meal can include fresh onions, garlic and celery.

Here’s an example of what I might eat during this challenge:

- **Ribeye steak:** 16-20 ounces, or a few burgers

- **Air-fried chicken wings:** 1-1.5 pounds (before frying)

- **Cans of tuna, shrimp, or chicken salad (made with avocado oil mayo):** 1-2 cans

- **Roasted chicken:** As much as I want until I’m full

- **Salmon:** As many pieces as I want until I’m full

- **Eggs:** Scrambled, fried, or boiled. If I’m eating alone, I might have 4-6 eggs at once.

If I feel like carbs one day, I might have 2+ baked potatoes with a little butter. But that would be the entire meal, not a side dish.

So, in summary, I’m saying “no side dishes” and “no snacks.”

If you’re a plant food fan, you can still enjoy a salad, but keep it simple. You’ll mostly be eating the greens.

If you’re into veggies, you could have a meal with just broccoli or asparagus, or squash. Pick one and one only and stick with it.

Do you get what I mean now?

I’m thinking of trying to eat like we would have in the wild. I’m curious to see if I/we could:

1. Lose weight more easily

2. Be healthier, both physically and mentally

3. Make healthier choices about what we eat

4. Eat more balanced meals, the way we did when in the wild

5. Eat for nutrition and satiety, not just for pleasure

6. Make meal preparation simpler and easier

Before we start this Late Winter IMW Common Sense Health and Wellness Challenge, let’s chat about how we’ll do it. We can also come up with some goals to track as we go.

Who’s excited about this?

Who’s interested in trying it sometime soon?

If we get enough interest I may do a Group Zoom open to everyone interested.

Let me know in the comments below!