Top Diet Plans to Fuel Your 75 Hard Challenge

Types of Diets That Work Well for the 75 Hard Challenge

The 75 Hard challenge has become an extremely popular test of mental toughness and discipline. For those unfamiliar, 75 Hard requires followers to complete 75 consecutive days of:

• Following a diet
• Working out twice daily
• Reading self-improvement books
• Drinking a gallon of water
• No cheating or alcohol

With diet being one of the central components, what are the best dietary approaches to fuel yourself through the 75 days of rigorous self-discipline? Lets explore some of the top types of diets that pair well with the intense 75 Hard challenge.

Keto

The ketogenic or keto diet is a very low carb, high fat approach that forces your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. In ketosis, you burn fat for fuel instead of glucose from carbs.

Going keto aligns perfectly with 75 Hard since it eliminates sugar, processed foods, and alcohol. Sticking to keto requires discipline and awareness of everything you eat, making it complimentary to the mental toughness aspect of 75 Hard.

Keto may also provide physical and mental performance benefits to push through tough workouts by stabilizing energy, focus, and endurance. However, keto also comes with challenges like the keto flu, so proper planning is key.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) means condensing your food intake into a smaller window, generally 4-8 hours of the day. Fasting for 16+ hours can trigger ketosis and fat burning.

Like keto, IF requires diligence, planning, and willpower - directly supporting the 75 Hard mentality. By eating fewer meals, IF may help followers avoid feeling overly full or sluggish for workouts.

However, some may struggle with hunger or energy dips while adapting to IF. Careful nutrient timing around exercise is important on IF.

Whole30

The Whole30 diet eliminates sugar, grains, dairy, alcohol, legumes, and food additives for a full 30 days. It focuses on whole foods like meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, fats, herbs and spices.

Since the first iteration of 75 Hard was 30 days, Whole30 is a seamless fit. It removes inflammatory and potentially addictive foods while emphasizing high quality nutrition to support tough daily workouts.

However, the restrictive nature makes Whole30 challenging. Having plans and recipes in place is key to success.

Paleo

The Paleo diet aims to mimic the food habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It eliminates grains, dairy, legumes, added sugar, and processed foods while encouraging meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and healthy fats.

Paleos focus on lean protein, produce, and healthy fats provides lasting energy to power through 75 Hard workouts. Since Paleo removes addictive modern foods, it trains discipline and mindfulness around eating - perfectly aligning with the 75 Hard mentality.

However, the Paleo diet also significantly restricts entire food groups, raising potential for nutrient deficiencies if not managed carefully.

Mediterranean

The Mediterranean diet highlights plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and olive oil. It includes moderate amounts of fish, seafood, eggs, poultry, yogurt and cheese. Red meat is limited.

While less restrictive than keto or Paleo, Mediterranean still emphasizes whole, nutritious foods over processed options. The balance of lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbs can provide sustainable energy for demanding 75 Hard workouts.

However, those accustomed to a standard American diet may find Mediterranean challenging at first. Planning, proper cooking skills, and moderation are key.

Intermittent Fasting + Mediterranean

This combination diet applies intermittent fasting eating windows with Mediterranean diet principles. For example, eating only between 12-8pm while focusing on Mediterranean foods.

This approach combines the discipline and accelerated fat burning of fasting with the balanced nutrition of the Mediterranean diet - both nicely complementing the 75 Hard challenge.

However, condensing eating to a few hours each day while adjusting to a new way of eating has its challenges. Hunger, energy dips, and dietary changes require an incremental adjustment.

Intermittent Fasting + Paleo

Like the mashup above, this diet pairs intermittent fasting with Paleo diet guidelines. It reaps the benefits of both approaches: fasting + high quality, whole food nutrition.

By fasting for 16+ hours and eating Paleo foods like meat, eggs, and produce during the eating window, this diet offers 75 Hard followers a one-two punch of discipline, improved body composition, and high energy levels.

However, nutrient deficiencies, hunger pains, low energy, and major dietary adjustments pose challenges. Careful planning is critical.

Flexible Dieting

The flexible dieting approach, commonly referred to as IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros), tracks protein, carb, and fat gram targets but no specific foods are off limits.

By building your own custom macronutrient targets based on goals and activity level, flexible dieting provides nutrition freedom while still requiring diligence and awareness.

However, the flexible nature requires discipline not to overdo unhealthy foods. Learning proper macro targets and tracking skills has a learning curve too.

Intermittent Fasting + Flexible Dieting

This diet combines intermittent fasting with the flexible macronutrient tracking of IIFYM. You fast for a period of time, then eat whatever foods fit your numbers during the eating window.

By condensing eating hours and carefully tracking nutrition, this approach offers accountability and body composition benefits while still allowing dietary flexibility. This can support 75 Hard without being too restrictive.

However, learning macro tracking, adjusting to fasting, and maintaining discipline around food choices poses challenges. Guidance may be needed.

Choosing the Right 75 Hard Diet for You

No single diet is inherently superior for 75 Hard. The best approach depends entirely on your individual needs, preferences, and bodys response.

Here are some factors to consider when selecting a 75 Hard diet plan:

• Current eating habits What changes seem realistic and sustainable?
• Cooking skills and meal prep habits
• Activity level and caloric needs
• Reaction to various foods Energy, satiety, cravings, etc.
• Nutrient requirements and potential deficiencies
• Medical conditions that may require specialized nutrition
• Food sensitivities, allergies or dietary restrictions
• Access to special diet foods Cost, location, etc.
• Support system Is someone able to guide you through major dietary changes?

While there are certainly benefits to popular diets like keto, Paleo, and intermittent fasting, they are not required to complete 75 Hard successfully. Nor are they necessarily suitable for every individual.

You may certainly try those approaches, but be prepared to tweak or switch your diet as needed based on your bodys feedback over the 75 days. Work with a nutrition professional or coach if making major dietary changes.

General 75 Hard Diet Tips

Regardless of which diet plan you choose, here are some overarching nutrition tips for success with 75 Hard:

• Meal prep - Prep healthy meals and snacks in advance to set yourself up for success.
• Hydrate - Get a head start on your water intake first thing in morning.
• Eat enough protein - Shoot for 0.5-1g per pound of bodyweight to retain muscle.
• Eat your veggies - Focus on getting adequate micronutrients.
• Healthy fats - Include sources like avocado, nuts, olive oil, and salmon.
• Address cravings proactively - Identify trigger times and have go-to healthy snacks ready.
• Mindful indulgences - Occasionally enjoying treats in moderation can support long-term adherence for some.
• Listen to your body - Adjust the diet plan if you struggle with hunger, energy, or sustainabilty.

No matter what style of eating you choose, ensuring sufficient nutrients, calories, and protein is crucial to perform at your peak during such an intense challenge. Let your individual needs and bodys feedback guide you.

Sample 75 Hard Diet Meal Plan

Here is a sample 1-day meal plan incorporating some of the diet strategies discussed above. Use it as a template to build your own 75 Hard nutrition plan.

Morning

• Black coffee or green tea
• 24-36 oz water
• 1 scoop protein powder + almond milk
• 1/2 cup mixed berries

Mid-Morning Snack

• Hard boiled eggs (2 large)
• Baby carrots
• 24-40 oz water

Lunch

• Tuna salad lettuce wraps (tuna + mayo + celery + onion)
• Sliced cucumber
• 24-40 oz water

Afternoon Snack

• Apple slices + natural peanut butter
• 24-40 oz water

Dinner

• Shrimp and broccoli zucchini noodles
• Side salad with olive oil dressing
• Herbal tea
• 24-40 oz water

This sample day focuses on lean proteins, healthy fats, vegetables, and hydration while limiting processed foods and empty carbs. Adjust the foods based on your chosen diet plan.

Make the 75 Hard Diet Work for You

Approaching the 75 Hard challenge with a well-formulated diet plan centered on whole, nourishing foods can set you up for success. But no single dietary approach guarantees results.

Choose the style of eating that feels realistic and sustainable based on your lifestyle, needs, and preferences. Remain flexible - you may need to tweak your plan along the way.

Focus on learning how different foods affect your energy, cravings, mood, and athletic performance. Let your body's feedback guide any dietary adjustments needed to conquer the 75 days victoriously.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.