Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Food Challenge Wrap Up

I spent a total of $35.76 for the week, an average of $5.11 a day.  I went under the allotment amount for the week by $1.49.

I also had one portion of homemade soup that I had left over from the challenge.  If a $1.29 is deducted for one uneaten portion of the soup from the amount I spent for the week, the weekly total would be $34.47, an average of $4.93 a day.

If I had bought non-organic carrots and non-organic potatoes, the amount I spent on food would have been further reduced.  Two pounds of non-organic carrots would be a $1.00 less than organic and five pounds of non-organic potatoes would be a $2.00 less than organic.  The total I spent for the week would then be $32.76, an average of $4.68 a day.

Because the challenge was only for a week, I focused on meeting my nutrition goals more than getting variety in my food.  I did some food preparation on the weekend before the challenge because of limited time on workdays.  If I was doing a one month challenge, it would be easier to add more food variety.

I met my food goals:

• Get at least 5 to 7 servings a day from the fruit/vegetable food group (Actually had 8 to 9 servings a day)
• Have an adequate amount of food to eat (Did not have any problems with hunger)
• Get an adequate amount of protein and fiber
• Low sodium intake
• Have tasty and filling food
• Not too concerned about having a great variety of food because challenge is only for a week

My energy was the same as when I was not doing the challenge.  For 3 days of the challenge, I did my usual 5 pull ups, 5 chin ups, 30 push-ups that are part of my strength training routine.  I did cardiovascular exercise on the 3 of the other days of the challenge for at least 30 minutes a session.  I did swimming, dancing and workouts that incorporated a combination of jumping rope and jumping jacks.

To save money I bought an eight pound bag of oranges and split it with 2 others.  Splitting large purchases with others is a good way of saving money by taking advantage of lower prices by buying in bulk.

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