Getting Started

  • Step 1 – Record your starting stats
  • Step 2 – Estimate your personalized calories per meal
  • Step 3 – Choose an altfood
  • Step 4 – Calculate your personalized serving size
  • Step 5 – Replace 100% of your meals with an altfood for at least 30 days
  • Step 6 – Share your progress

Step 1 – Record your starting stats

  • Date
  • Photos
  • Age
  • Height
  • Weight
    • Weigh yourself right after you wake up and use the restroom
  • Body Parts
    • To measure body parts like waist and arm, get a flexible tape measure like this one
  • Body Fat
    • Get a home body fat scale like this one
    • Or schedule a DEXA appointment from a place like this one
  • Blood Test
    • Get a blood test from your primary care physician
    • Or schedule a blood test appointment from a place like this one

Step 2 – Estimate your personalized calories per meal

  1. Estimate your personalized calories per day using a calorie calculator like this one
  2. Decide how many meals per day you want
  3. Divide the “personalized calories per day” by the “meals per day” to get your “personalized calories per meal”

Example:
2000 personalized calories per day / 3 meals a day = 667 personalized calories per meal

Step 3 – Choose an altfood

An altfood is a product on the market that claims to provide 100% RDI.

Step 4 – Calculate your personalized serving size

After choosing an altfood, do not use their recommended meal serving size. Everyone is different. Instead, calculate a “personalized serving size” to go with your “personalized calories per meal” from step 2.

  1. Look at the nutrition label
  2. Find where it gives the recommended serving size
  3. Find where it gives the calories per recommended serving size
  4. Multiply “recommended serving size” by “personalized calories per meal” then divide by “calories per recommended serving size” to get your “personalized serving size”

Example using the Plenny Shake Vegan nutrition label and step 2 example “667 personalized calories per meal”:

178g recommended serving size x 667 personalized calories per meal / 697 calories per recommended serving size = 170g personalized serving size

Step 5 – Replace 100% of your meals with an altfood for at least 30 days

If you are using a powdered altfood, get a food scale like this one to accurately measure the powder in a shaker bottle like this 28 ounce one for average sized meals or this 45 ounce one for larger meals. Zero out the shaker bottle on the food scale. Add the powder until you get the weight in grams you calculated for “personalized serving size” from step 4.

Start off by replacing only one meal a day. When you are used to it, replace another meal. And so on until all your meals are replaced. Continue with all meals replaced for at least 30 days.

Step 6 – Share your progress

If your weight is not moving in the direction you want, adjust your calories by 10% according to the deficit or surplus needed.

When you reach a significant milestone, compare your stats from step 1 and share online. You can use the hashtag #AltFoodsChallenge for social media posts.

For examples, check out success stories like these.