Diet Depletion Challenge – The Ballantyne Diet

I must warn you. This diet is probably too HARD for you.

If you typically eat bread and pasta, drink alcohol three times per week, add milk and butter to everything, and drink a gallon of diet soda per day, then what I’m about to share with you will sound extreme and impossible.

But that’s not the point.

I’m not asking you to do the “Ballantyne Diet” with me.

Instead, in our Turbulence Training July Diet Depletion Challenge, I am just asking you to make ONE change… and to deplete and delete ONE bad food habit from your diet for the entire month of July.

That’s what “Diet Depletion” is all about.

Let me explain…

We’ve lucked out in the 2013 calendar year. July 1st, marking the halfway point of the year, just happens to fall on a Monday.

And that is the perfect calendar date to get us to re-celebrate and re-commit to our “New Year’s Resolutions” by going back on a hard-core diet depletion program.

Sure, sure, it’s a bit of a crazy time (at least in North America) to get strict with our diets because July 1st is Canadia Day and July 4th is Independence Day, but you CAN do it.

Here’s my exact plan. For the next 31 days, my diet will be depleted of:

– dairy
– gluten
– diet soda
– alcohol
– ALL supplements (that includes no fish oil, vitamin C, whey protein, creatine, or glucosamine-chondroitin…I’m taking a month off to see if I notice any difference)

Most of these won’t be that hard because I’ve followed a gluten-free diet for the past year (with just a few slip-ups), and I rarely drink diet soda.

Removing dairy will be more difficult but it will just take better planning and preparation (for example, today I’ll be going to a local Slow-Food market where I’ll be buying yogurt made from almond milk).

As for removing all alcohol from my diet, that shouldn’t be too hard either, as long as I stay out of The Edge restaurant in Denver, Colorado. That’s about the only place I consume alcohol these days.

I’ve found that success is often just as much about removing yourself from temptation and specific environments than it is from exerting willpower.

Do you agree or disagree?

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the Turbulence Training Facebook page here

During this month of Diet Depletion, I’ll also focus on the mindset of “Purity”. And that reinforces my habit of choosing pure water over alcohol, diet soda or even club soda.

So that’s my plan and here’s my challenge to you:

Join me from July 1st to July 31st and cut out at least ONE bad item from your diet so that you get total control over that bad habit.

In a month from now, that bad habit will no longer be a temptation for you. You will be the master of your food choices, not a slave.

Now remember, I’m not asking you to do EXACTLY what I’m doing.

I’m just asking that you choose to deplete your diet of one bad habit. It could be soda, gluten, dairy, or even just one wheat product (such as not eating cereal for the next 31 days – and I know how addictive that can be).

You might give up French fries, or alcohol, or heck, even Cheese Whiz (ewww!). It doesn’t matter what it is, just identify your weakness and hit the “deplete and delete button” on that food from your diet for the next month.

Read this report for more foods you should deplete from your diet

So what will it be?

Remember – this is an experiment. It’s a chance to test and track the changes in our body so that we learn more about how our body functions best, what makes us feel healthy, and what allows us to lose fat fast.

This is what normal people don’t do.

Normal people eat and live re-actively, grabbing a hot dog from a food cart without thinking what is going into their bellies.

But with the Diet Depletion Challenge, we are becoming PRO-active…

…being forced to plan and prepare for overcoming cravings

…it will make us better and healthier people.

It is, after all, the road less traveled.

…and that makes ALL the difference.

Good luck to you in whatever you choose.

Let me know your Diet Depletion Plan on the TT Facebook page here

The countdown is on…depletion begins for me in just over 12 hours.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with the BEST grocery list to get us through the month.

Stay tuned and get ready to delete and deplete,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – Here’s a little mindset motivation to help you stay strong:

From two of my favorite philosophers…

“First, say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.” – Epictetus

“The fact is that we live only on a small percentage of our potential because we do not allow ourselves to be totally ourselves.” – Bruce Lee

So let’s do what we know we need to do, and let’s reach our full potential by overcoming our little limitations and living as our BIG SELF.

You can do it.

I’ll be right here with you!

And remember…

“What really matters is who we are inside and who we are becoming.” – Epictetus