F45 Nutrition Update: NEW Custom Challenge Meal Plans
Big update! The F45 Challenge team has been working hard to develop and create NEW Challenge customized meal plans that specifically align with your long-term goal. From fat loss to muscle gain, our new customized approach to meal planning was developed to create a sustainable, nutritious eating routine that will optimize Challenge performance and recovery.
You may find yourself asking questions like “What type of diet should I be following to develop lean muscle?” or “How many calories should I be consuming each day to benefit fat loss?” Well, thanks to the new C31 Challenge App update, you can say goodbye to second-guessing your nutrition and daily eating habits. Whether you’re looking to achieve greater fat loss, lean muscle development, or just aiming for overall health maintenance, this new update removes all guesswork.
Now, before the start of C31 on March 29th, 2021, you’ll receive your daily calorie recommendation that aligns to a specific Challenge goal: fat loss, weight maintenance, or lean muscle build. The new Challenge App update also includes a variety of resources—from high-level nutrition and wellness articles to daily workouts and video tutorials—to help maximize your performance and keep you on track throughout C31.
The importance of individualized nutrition
Fad dieting that is macronutrient-restrictive can limit a number of essential nutrients that our body needs to optimize performance. At F45 HQ, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to quality nutrition. Instead, we aim to create a lifelong healthy eating routine that benefits your individual dietary needs and preferences. Instead of dieting, which can be tough to sustain long-term, we’ve created custom meal plans that utilize quality ingredients to provide essential nutrients for sustainable holistic health and wellness. Our Nutrition team at F45 HQ recognizes that everyone has varying nutritional needs and dietary preferences, which is why we’ve implemented the use of the Challenge App calorie calculator to ensure you’re set with an eating routine that will maximize your lifestyle and training goals.
What to expect in the new customized meal plans
Whole foods and lots of variety
Challenge custom meal plans incorporate fresh, nutrient-dense, whole food ingredients (no processed or packaged foods) that contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber to optimize long-term health. You won’t have to wonder what your dinner or lunch should be, as each day includes three main meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—along with two snacks (AM and PM) to keep you on track with meal timing throughout the entire week.
Automatic calculation of goal-specific daily calories
The new calorie calculator in the F45 Challenge App now automatically determines your daily goal-specific calorie target, which enables efficient customization of meal planning. First, the app uses the following baseline metrics: 1) Basal metabolic rate (BMR, the amount of calories your body requires for basic functioning) and 2) Predetermined activity level (light to super active) to determine your daily ‘maintenance calories.’ This is also known as total daily energy expenditure (TDEE, approx. calorie burn/ day with physical activity accounted for). Previously, goal-specific daily calories could only be estimated through manual calculation and guesswork. Now, the app automatically calculates your individual goal-specific daily calorie recommendation. Check out this example below:
Example: A 26 year-old female, 5ft 5” tall, with a body mass of 140lb and a light activity level (1-3 days per week) has a Challenge goal to lose body fat. The app calculated her BMR at 1376 calories/day and her TDEE or maintenance calories at 1892 cal/day. For weight loss, her recommended daily calorie intake is 1392 calories/day (Ie. 1892 cal – 500 cal per day = 1392 cal).
Your custom meal plans align with your daily calorie target
Once you’ve received your goal-specific daily calorie target, you’ll be allocated a specific calorie bucket ranging from 1300 to 3000 calories. Small daily calorie buckets increase by 100 calories (1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000) while the larger calorie buckets increase by 200 calories (2200, 2400, 2600, 2800, 3000). It’s important to keep in mind that as you progress from one Challenge to the next, your goal may change, which means you’ll need to recalculate your daily calorie target to stay within the correct meal plan calorie bucket.
For the example noted above, her custom meal plan will fall between 1300 and 1400 calories/day depending on the daily recipes within each day of the custom meal plan.
Challenge Cook-At-Home vs prepared meals
In the Challenge App, you can select whether you’d like to opt for 1) a cook-at-home custom meal plan or 2) order Challenge prepared meals from one of our F45 meal suppliers. The Cook-At-Home custom plans incorporate nutritious, flavorful Challenge recipes that have been carefully developed by our team of F45 nutritionists to meet your daily goal-specific calorie requirements. Challenge meals require minimal prep time and provide sufficient fuel to maximize high-quality training and recovery. You’ll also receive a grocery list one week in advance of your upcoming weekly meal plan. If you’d prefer to save time on food prep, you can opt to use our F45 region-specific meal supplier and receive F45 custom meals directly to your doorstep. Challenge prepared meals are never frozen and utilize quality ingredients with no added preservatives, artificial ingredients, sugar, trans fat, or excess salt. Recipes in both the Cook-At-Home and meal delivery generally adhere to the same recipe type and calorie breakdown on a week-to-week basis, with some variation at times to account for local culinary preferences.
Choose your meal plan dietary preference
The Challenge portal has three meal plan options to choose from according to your desired dietary preference: Mainstream, Vegetarian, and Vegan. While Challenge meal delivery offers these three dietary options, the availability of delivered vegan and vegetarian meals may sometimes vary according to your home region.
To get started with your customized meal plan, be sure to download the F45 Challenge App for Apple and Android!