Everyday Healthy Habits - January challenge
newbie2143
Posts: 328 Member
in Challenges
(Starting up a few days early for those of us who want to get back on track NOW!!)
I have been most successful at losing weight by remaining accountable EVERY DAY for behaviours that I know support my health. This challenge sounds remarkably simple, but if you are like me, staying faithful to daily logging can become tricky after a few weeks...
The challenge:
1. Check in here every day in January (or earlier, if you like) to report on how you are doing with your Everyday Healthy Habit(s). Include your struggles and successes to help reflect on what is working and what is not working! Your "Everyday Healthy Habits" can be as simple as cutting and pasting from my example below, or better yet, come up with goals that fit to you: Reflect on your weight loss journey so far.... Has anything been sabotaging you? What needs to change (or what do you need to continue to do) in order to accomplish your goal? Are there other things you want to change to become a "healthier" you [regardless of weight loss goals]? Use this thought process to come up with your own Everyday Healthy Habits to be accountable for. (Examples include logging food intake, exercise, avoiding mindless eating, getting enough fluids, etc...)
2. Set a monthly weight loss goal and check in with the group weekly to report on how that is going.
3. Feel free to provide props and support to other board participants... The community that develops really help to keep the motivation going.
That's it! Sounds too easy, but it works! There is no registration for this board, and it's never too late to get started.... Just hop on in and introduce yourself! Let's all support each other to be healthier in 2017!
So I'll go first:
Date: December 29, 2016 (reporting for today)
Logged food intake: Yes, under calorie goal
Exercised: Yes, 30 min walk
Avoid unplanned PM snack (bad time for me for emotional eating): Yes
Practiced meditation (something I want to try for stress management): Yes
Current weight: 140
Goal weight for February 1: 133 (1.5lbs per week)
Current struggles: Coming off a week of complete holiday-fuelled dietary indiscretion... and trying not to beat myself up for it.
Current strengths: Determination. It's hard to get back on track, but I have done it before and know I can do it again! A thread like this helped me finally lose weight last year, after years of trying. Took a break over the summer/fall and I have kept most of it off, but I'm ready to get back to work to lose the rest down to my goal weight.
I have been most successful at losing weight by remaining accountable EVERY DAY for behaviours that I know support my health. This challenge sounds remarkably simple, but if you are like me, staying faithful to daily logging can become tricky after a few weeks...
The challenge:
1. Check in here every day in January (or earlier, if you like) to report on how you are doing with your Everyday Healthy Habit(s). Include your struggles and successes to help reflect on what is working and what is not working! Your "Everyday Healthy Habits" can be as simple as cutting and pasting from my example below, or better yet, come up with goals that fit to you: Reflect on your weight loss journey so far.... Has anything been sabotaging you? What needs to change (or what do you need to continue to do) in order to accomplish your goal? Are there other things you want to change to become a "healthier" you [regardless of weight loss goals]? Use this thought process to come up with your own Everyday Healthy Habits to be accountable for. (Examples include logging food intake, exercise, avoiding mindless eating, getting enough fluids, etc...)
2. Set a monthly weight loss goal and check in with the group weekly to report on how that is going.
3. Feel free to provide props and support to other board participants... The community that develops really help to keep the motivation going.
That's it! Sounds too easy, but it works! There is no registration for this board, and it's never too late to get started.... Just hop on in and introduce yourself! Let's all support each other to be healthier in 2017!
So I'll go first:
Date: December 29, 2016 (reporting for today)
Logged food intake: Yes, under calorie goal
Exercised: Yes, 30 min walk
Avoid unplanned PM snack (bad time for me for emotional eating): Yes
Practiced meditation (something I want to try for stress management): Yes
Current weight: 140
Goal weight for February 1: 133 (1.5lbs per week)
Current struggles: Coming off a week of complete holiday-fuelled dietary indiscretion... and trying not to beat myself up for it.
Current strengths: Determination. It's hard to get back on track, but I have done it before and know I can do it again! A thread like this helped me finally lose weight last year, after years of trying. Took a break over the summer/fall and I have kept most of it off, but I'm ready to get back to work to lose the rest down to my goal weight.
7
Replies
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I'll try, 2016 was exceptionally hard for me (due to many poor choices I made) and getting healthy and active again is something I really need.
Date: December 29, 2016 (reporting for yesterday)
Logged food intake: Doing it just now
Exercised: Walked around the mall....
Avoid unplanned PM snack: No, we are on holidays still and binge watched South Park and ate a bunch of crackers
Practiced meditation (something I want to try for stress management): No
Current weight: 165
Goal weight for February 1: 155
Current struggles: life really beat me up this year. Huge career change, settling into being 30, many other facets that were just not ok. Getting fat was literally of no concern to me. Drank way too much this year as well.
Current strengths: love, determination. If I keep going I'm ok, it's when I start to fall off the wagon I start to let go. I need to prevent my willpower from minimizing. Supporting others and being supported is something that reallllllly keeps me going. So I plan to check in daily.
Veggie goal: failed (this will mostly come into play on Jan 1st)4 -
I'll join. I'm near goal and moving to maintenance, but still need to be accountable as I'm trying to make sure I adjust my intake goals and modify my macros. I also joined a 1000 miles in 2017 challenge, so I need to make sure I'm getting my mileage in. And I've been super bad about getting my planks done for another challenge, so I will now have two places to have to log it. Here's my input from yesterday of things that are important for me to track:
Date: 29 December 2016
Daily Devotions: Not done
Hit 100g Protein Daily: Missed - 81 grams
Drink at Least 8 Cups of Pure Water: Missed - 7 cups
Workouts (M-F primarily):- Mileage (20 miles/wk): 2.52 miles stand up paddleboarding (Total Weekly Mileage: 11.43).
- Strength Training (2-3 days/wk): no
- Planks (M-F): no
Current Weight: 127.2 lbs
Goal Weight (end of Jan): 125 lbs
Struggles: Struggling getting my planks done. Not been accountable with my morning devotions lately.
Strengths: Went out and got some miles in despite the blustery weather yesterday.2 -
@candythorns , @b3achy - Welcome and nice to meet you both!
candythorns - sounds like a rough year... But it also sounds like you are moving forward
Focusing on your health will help you take on the rest!
@b3achy - congrats on being near your goal weight! Hopefully logging in here will help you achieve your other healthy habits... Gosh I wish I could go SUPing - not too doable in winter in Canada, lol2 -
Date: December 30, 2016 (reporting for today)
Logged food intake: Yes, under calorie goal
Exercised: Yes, 5k walk
Avoid unplanned PM snack (bad time for me for emotional eating): No
Practiced meditation (something I want to try for stress management): not yet - planning to do before bed.
Current strengths: Feeling like I am getting back on track and feeling better for it.
Current struggles: Well, today I didn't do very well with the unplanned PM snack thing. I should have known better than to have been leafing through my new Jamie Oliver cookbook at a time of day I know I am susceptible to emotional eating.... Those delicious pictures set me off! Luckily, I was able to keep the portion small and stay on track with my daily calorie goal. I will keep on working on this goal tomorrow!3 -
Count me in!
Date: December 30, 2016
Logged food intake: Yes, could have done better - my step count saved me!
Fruit or veg with every meal: ✖️✔✔
Exercised: No, but reached daily activity goal
Back exercise: ✖️
Avoid stress eating (main goal for 2017 due to upcoming move in August):✔
Avoid unplanned PM snack: no - too much xmas chocolate around
Practiced meditation (something I have to start doing in 2017):✖️
Current weight: 138
Goal weight for February 1: 132
Current struggles: holiday get-togethers2 -
Date: 30 December 2016
Daily Devotions: Devotional pages read, but not my Bible passages
Hit 100g Protein Daily: Missed - 66 grams
Drink at Least 8 Cups of Pure Water: Done - 8 cups
Workouts (M-F primarily):- Mileage (20 miles/wk): 1.6 miles rowing machine (Total Weekly Mileage: 13.03).
- Strength Training (2-3 days/wk): done today, 1 day
- Planks (M-F): no
Start Weight (30 December 2016): 127.2 lbs
Current Weight:
Goal Weight (end of Jan): 125 lbs
Struggles: Still struggling getting my planks done - I need a mental adjustment. I always put them at the bottom of the priorities.
Strengths: Hit the gym today. Wanted to get more cardio done though, but work got in the way today.1 -
Welcome @hbo2010 ! I hear 'ya on the holiday get together problem.... I'm strategizing right now how to handle a New Year's Eve party tonight...1
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Good morning. I love the group name Everyday Healthy Habits. That is what it is all about. I know @b3achy from the Amazing Race challenges. January is an off month for us and I would like a challenge until we are back up and running! I am not the best about posting everyday because I sit at a computer at work all day. When I go home I want to do anything else!
It has been a life long weight struggle for me -- the fat kid in grade school-- Finally, after years of yoyoing I have maintained a healthy weight for 7 years. Then in this last year of the Amazing Racing I am maintaining a desired weight. I am 5'2, Healthy weight is 125, Desired is 112. I was 111 this morning. My lowest point this summer during cycling season was 109.
Healthy habits:
Log food daily in MFP
Get up on weekdays at 4:30am, to get my workout in before work
Mix up morning workouts with Zumba, General Aerobics, weight training
Wear fitbit to remind myself to move at work. Goal is always at least 10,000 steps. 8,000 is acceptable M-F.
Do 2 lunchtime mini workouts a week (close office door and do 20 minutes)
Have a meal planned for dinner before I go to work.
Big struggle, I am all or nothing. I can be excellent when I am on track, but if I "fall of the wagon" it is a major binge. I need to work with moderation. During the holidays there was a time that I avoided all the good chocolate that was around at work, but then I felt deprived and went out and bought a bag of junk chocolate and ate the whole bag in the morning.
Tonight we don't have party plans so I want to just have at calorie goal day
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Date: December 30, 2016 (reporting for yesterday)
Logged food intake: Yes, and I went wayyyyy over. It's no wonder I have gained so much. Going to plan out my intake in advance as I'm going out tonight.
Exercised: Walked the puppies, will walk to the bar for New Years to dance! And about to go for a walk by the lake. I also signed up for a boot camp and yoga which start in a couple weeks.
Avoid unplanned PM snack: Yes
Current weight: 165
Goal weight for February 1: 155
Current struggles: New Years tonight, liquor will be flowing
Current strengths: my appreciation for my health
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Blargh, super bad day for me...but it goes like that sometimes. It's a new day, new month, and new year! Time to buckle down and make some positive changes!
Date: 31 December 2016
Daily Devotions: Nope
Hit 100g Protein Daily: Missed - 58 grams
Drink at Least 8 Cups of Pure Water: Missed - 4 cups
Workouts (M-F primarily):- Mileage (20 miles/wk): none (Total Weekly Mileage: 13.03).
- Strength Training (2-3 days/wk): none; 1 day for the week
- Planks (M-F): Yes! 10 minutes worth
Start Weight (30 December 2016): 127.2 lbs
Current Weight: 126.6
Goal Weight (end of Jan): 125 lbs
Struggles: Eating and water was super bad today. Also no devotions. I get really distracted on Saturdays, and lose track of time especially in the mornings faffing off and not doing much of anything. Also was crashing to get some work hours in today, since I'm way under delivering on my projects right now.
Strengths: Got some planks done today. Wanted to do more, but distractions. Also was hoping to work in some cardio, but the day got away from me. On a good note, I weighed in light this morning/early afternoon! Didn't lose anything in Dec, but didn't gain either...that's a win in my books given the holidays.0 -
Date: December 31st, 2016
Logged food intake: Yes, under calorie goal
Exercised: Yes, 50 min yoga
Avoid unplanned PM snack: No
Practiced Yoga: Yes
Did stretches: Yes
Met personal iron goal: No
Current weight: 132
Goal weight for February 1: 128 (1lbs per week)
Current struggles: Struggling not to get too beat up by depression but having some additional problems due to missing spending new years in Belgium with family having now spent two alone. Not a bad decision, but being states away from the only Belgian in this country I know missing the culture in this time of year especially is making me crave the foods which in this case would not be good.
Current strengths: Managed to take things in small and measures steps to actually get out of bed and do some things today including story planning and exercise. Wanted to get some walking in but didn't have the time or especially energy even after the exercise I did manage to do.2 -
Happy New Year everyone!1
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Weird. Having problems posting more than 1 sentence.0
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Gah! It keeps posting only the first sentence of what I want to post.... Sorry to spam the feed... I can't figure out how to delete posts.0
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OK, going to try one more time to see if my full post shows up. Apparently you can't delete posts.
So happy New Year to everyone, and welcome to the group @120maggie and @ShaleSelkies !
It is January 1 and the challenge is officially ON! I don't normally weigh-in more than 1x/week, but since it is the start of the month I did reweigh today and added another line in my reporting for a weekly weight goal. I find seeing the weight drop off as planned is motivating, so please do the same if you think you will find it helpful.
How did everyone do with managing their goals on New Year's Eve? I did my best, but fell short of my calorie goal a bit. Going to refocus my efforts today.
Date: January 1, 2017 (reporting for yesterday)
Logged food intake: Yes, missed calorie goal by 100-200 calories
Exercised: Yes, 6.7k run, 20 min cool down yoga
Avoid unplanned PM snack (bad time for me for emotional eating): No
Practiced meditation (something I want to try for stress management): Yes
Current weight (Jan.1): 139.5
Goal weight Jan.8: 138
Goal weight for February 1: 133 (1.5lbs per week)
Current struggles: The main struggle yesterday was definitely dealing with a party in the evening where I knew a lot of food would be available. I did a few things to be ready: exercised a bit more than normal, ate a good meal beforehand, planned to stick to mostly fruit/veg off the buffet, which I did, but I also had a few of the other treats which put me over. Looking back over my last few reports, obviously another struggle is avoiding unplanned PM snacks. So I am going to work on a solution today: I am going to get rid of all the tempting Christmas goodie leftovers, and I am going to plan to be out (away from the kitchen!) this afternoon.
Current strengths: Super happy I got out for a run yesterday. I finished off a 10K program in early December and just stopped running... For no good reason. Probably it became the lowest priority in a busy month. As it happens, the longer you don't do something, the harder it is to get started again, so glad I bit the bullet and got back out there! (feeling it today though, lol)2 -
110.8 At goal
Log food daily in MFP At or below calories
Get up on weekdays at 4:30am, to get my workout in before work NewYears Sunday so got up very late and I wasn't in the mood, but I rallied and did 50 minutes of a Aerobic DVD, planks and then stretching.
Mix up morning workouts with Zumba, General Aerobics, weight training
Wear fitbit to remind myself to move at work. Goal is always at least 10,000 steps. 8,000 is acceptable M-F. Just checked at 7700, need to move a little more before bed
Have a meal planned for dinner before I go to work. Wrote out dinner plans for the week.
Today was a pretty even keel day. Good to have them every once in a while !!1 -
Date: 1 January 2017 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Daily Devotions: Attended Church
Hit 100g Protein Daily: Done - 113 g Protein
Drink at Least 8 Cups of Pure Water: Done - 9 cups
Dry January: 1 of 31 days done
Workouts (M-F primarily):- Mileage (20 miles/wk): 3.7 miles SUP (Total Weekly Mileage: 3.7 miles)
- Strength Training (2-3 days/wk): none today
- Planks (M-F): rest day
Start Weight (30 December 2016): 127.2 lbs
Current Weight: 126.6
Goal Weight (end of Jan): 125 lbs
Struggles: I think getting my 100 g of Protein is going to be a big challenge for me. I feel like I ate a ton, and not enough fruits/veggies today.
Strengths: Water done! Workout miles done! Attended church in lieu of personal devotions. Protein done! Bumped up my calorie goal for the month today to move to maintenance - amazing what an extra 100 calories does for your attitude.1 -
Date: January 1st, 2016
Logged food intake: Yes, under calorie goal
Exercised: Yes. 73 min walking (slow), 12 min walking (leisurely), 60 min Yoga
Avoid unplanned PM snack: Yes
Practiced Yoga: Yes
Did stretches: Yes
Met personal iron goal: Yes
Current weight: 132 (going to reweigh tomorrow)
Goal weight for February 1: 128 (1lbs per week)
Current struggles: I'm having trouble staggering my calories throughout the day as opposed to eating them all at once given the number I have to work with. After having walked for a while my throat issues started acting up a little too so I might need to spread things out a little more to prevent that.
Current strengths: I'm starting to use exercise more as a time to think about my stories and getting better at not just zoning out while doing so so I'm feeling more productive while doing so and exercised more today as a result.
Happy new year to you too!2 -
Back-postig
Date: December 31, 2016
Logged food intake: not too bad for New years Eve but got talked into sharing cake - again, my step count saved me!
Fruit or veg with every meal: ✔✔✔
Exercised: walk through town, reached daily activity goal
Back exercise: ✖️
Avoid stress eating (main goal for 2017 due to upcoming move in August):✔
Avoid unplanned PM snack: ✔
Another thing to work on: don't get "guilted" into eating more than i want
Practiced meditation (something I have to start doing in 2017):✖️
Goal weight for February 1: 132
Current struggles: holiday get-togethers - that should resolve itself but did not do too badly on New Years Eve
Date: January 1,2017
Logged food intake: ✔- not too bad
Fruit or veg with every meal: ✔✔✔
Exercised: reached daily activity goal, but still no extra exercise (planning on gym for January 4th, when all visitors have departed)
Back exercise: ✖️
Avoid stress eating (main goal for 2017 due to upcoming move in August):✔
Do better in social situations: ✖️
Avoid unplanned PM snack: no - too much xmas chocolate around
Practiced meditation (something I have to start doing in 2017):✖️
Current weight: 138
Goal weight for February 1: 132
Current struggles: holiday get-togethers2 -
Well done everyone! Looks like we all did not too badly over New Year's! I have learned that even if you go way off track, there is always a new day around the corner just waiting for you to get back on track 1
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