October LC Basics Challenge 2017: Week 4 (10/22-10/31)
baconslave
Posts: 7,018 Member
Welcome to the October Basics Challenge!!!
I feel so strongly about how crucial this is, I'm having a Basics challenge every month.
Bah, basics! Entirely boring and unsexy, right?
Guess what though? It will get you to your goal. Basics aren't flashy or exciting, but this is how it's done.
One key thing that I have learned in my journey is this:
Consistency + Persistence + Time = Success
Consistently nailing the basics is so important. And consistency creates good habits, routines, and gives you momentum that will carry you through hard times or disruptions to your normal schedule. Forget motivation. Motivation is a fickle thing. Discipline carries you through when motivation fails you.
So what are the basics?
Well, hitting your carb goal, obviously, right? There are other very important basics we need to lock in: staying hydrated, keeping electrolytes up, logging consistently (if you're a logger), exercise (if that's one of your goals), hitting your macros, staying away from trigger foods and other things you know set you back...
You can report your progress to your goal, whether it be ultra-obsessive daily hitting your low-carb plan basics, or working on a fitness goal, or even nailing down other good habits in your life. And if you have problems or need advice, you'll find that here.
Each week there will be a thread to collect your progress that week and to interact with other challengers.
I'll keep links to the weekly threads at the bottom of the stickied post should the thread get buried. 2 clicks, to this post and the Weekly link, will get you back to it.
So go ahead and post your goals in this Thread.
My daily post would look something like this.
Wed 10/1:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: HIIT
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
But this is your show. So focus on your basics.
Make this month count! Tear it up!
I feel so strongly about how crucial this is, I'm having a Basics challenge every month.
Bah, basics! Entirely boring and unsexy, right?
Guess what though? It will get you to your goal. Basics aren't flashy or exciting, but this is how it's done.
One key thing that I have learned in my journey is this:
Consistency + Persistence + Time = Success
Consistently nailing the basics is so important. And consistency creates good habits, routines, and gives you momentum that will carry you through hard times or disruptions to your normal schedule. Forget motivation. Motivation is a fickle thing. Discipline carries you through when motivation fails you.
So what are the basics?
Well, hitting your carb goal, obviously, right? There are other very important basics we need to lock in: staying hydrated, keeping electrolytes up, logging consistently (if you're a logger), exercise (if that's one of your goals), hitting your macros, staying away from trigger foods and other things you know set you back...
You can report your progress to your goal, whether it be ultra-obsessive daily hitting your low-carb plan basics, or working on a fitness goal, or even nailing down other good habits in your life. And if you have problems or need advice, you'll find that here.
Each week there will be a thread to collect your progress that week and to interact with other challengers.
I'll keep links to the weekly threads at the bottom of the stickied post should the thread get buried. 2 clicks, to this post and the Weekly link, will get you back to it.
So go ahead and post your goals in this Thread.
My daily post would look something like this.
Wed 10/1:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: HIIT
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
But this is your show. So focus on your basics.
Make this month count! Tear it up!
0
Replies
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10-22 to 10-31
Goals are this week to:
To reach my calorie goal, log and submit daily.
Pack and bring food with me while I play mom taxi.
Drink All My Water (ugh, that's hard for me)
Meet my Fitbit goals of 12,000 steps a day.
Add a new recipe for dinner this week meeting my carb and protein goal.2 -
My goals are similar to last week: No Alcohol No Sugar Free Chocolate 16:8 Intermittent Fasting 20 mins Intentional Exercise Water Intake > 2L
A good day!4 -
Sun 10/22:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: Rest day as planned
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/81 -
Sunday 10/22
Was traveling all day so failed spectacularly on all counts except calories and carbs, because I didn’t eat anything.
Today, however, it’s 5pm and I already have 18k steps in with carbs and cals so far on point. So I’m feeling a little better, although still super swollen from flying. Does that happen to anyone else?1 -
@Ringbearer2 Yes, that happens to me every time I fly. It usually takes me about 5 days to feel normal again.
10/20-10/22
Planning and packing breakfast/lunch the night before - eh so so
Start using Fitbit again - Worked out AND helped mother in law pack & load her moving van
Logging my entire day's food in the morning - eh so so
80 oz water daily - Yes
Vitamins daily (especially weekends) - Yes
Accomplish one put off household task daily - Cleaned the mini blinds
Be more patient with others - See above with MIL move LOL
2 -
Hey y'all .. I"m new to here ... getting BACK to the basics so I can finally lose this horrendous weight. I will be focusing on logging, water, and low carbs! So far so good TODAY (As I just saw this thread!)
Cant wait to do this with y'all!!! Add me as friends, become my besties .. I need support!!
lol 6 -
Mon 10/23:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: Strength, KBs and dumbbells
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
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LaurieElla wrote: »Hey y'all .. I"m new to here ... getting BACK to the basics so I can finally lose this horrendous weight. I will be focusing on logging, water, and low carbs! So far so good TODAY (As I just saw this thread!)
Cant wait to do this with y'all!!! Add me as friends, become my besties .. I need support!! lol
Request sent!0 -
Just because I'm in that kind of mood.
3 -
How do I track electrolytes?0 -
rbelfiore0262 wrote: »How do I track electrolytes?
They are going to track automatically based on the food entries you select. If you want them to show up on your diary page automatically to keep tabs on them (on the website though not the app): go to "settings" in MFP then "change diet profile/fitness" (worded something like that). Select "sodium" and/or "potassium" as one of your categories to show up on your diary page. You can alter the amounts (goals) via clicking on "goals".
The website and app have so darn many differences. Fortunately I can easily hop back and forth depending upon what I want to see. I like the app for monitoring "Nutrition" and the website for micros/macros.
Anyway: sodium is really only accurate/semi accurate if you enter every dash (or whatever) of salt you put on your food, in your electrolyte drinks, etc but you can get a decent idea. Some database entries have the sodium content entered for a food and some do not.
Potassium is even less reliable. US packaging labels have not required potassium on the "Nutrition Facts" but potassium will be required effective July of 2018. It will be interesting to see how things get updated in MFP.
I currently don't monitor either on my diary page but have tracked/monitored both off and on.0 -
10/23
Planning and packing breakfast/lunch the night before -
Start using Fitbit again -
fewer steps than I'd like on my work at home day
Logging my entire day's food in the morning
80 oz water daily
Vitamins daily (especially weekends) Forgot my calcium/magnesium
Accomplish one put off household task daily
Be more patient with others
0 -
October 22
Logged:
Water:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: Rest Day
Pack Lunch for next day:
Supplements:
October 23
Logged:
Water:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: WOD
Pack Lunch for next day:
Supplements:
1 -
Started the week with a 90 minute hike Sunday so I'm still doing better. Got a good bit of exercise last week as well. 3
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Hey guys! Thanks for accepting my essay to get in here, lol. I'm not super sure of what goals I have yet, but I'm working on them, so probably next month, I can get in on this part. I don't know how to navigate MFP real good, but I do know how to accept friend requests, so help a girl out huh?
Stayed under my calories for the day 1 -
Oct 24—one week to Halloween!!!!!
Cals. 1468
Carbs. 26
Steps. 16,321
Act mins. 303/300—I....really don’t know how that happened
So I’ve been pretty focused for a month now, and am starting to feel some results. My resting heart rate is down and I’m more alert and not often hungry. I decided not to weigh myself when I began and to get a good 6 weeks or so under my belt (ha! Like they would fit!) before I ventured onto the scale so as not to be discouraged at the outset. I did measure Oct 1 and am curious as to what next Wednesday’s measurements will show. I’ll drag the scale out on my birthday (cause I’m a masochist like like) and record how I start my year.1 -
BlowPopKisses wrote: »Hey guys! Thanks for accepting my essay to get in here, lol. I'm not super sure of what goals I have yet, but I'm working on them, so probably next month, I can get in on this part. I don't know how to navigate MFP real good, but I do know how to accept friend requests, so help a girl out huh? Stayed under my calories for the day
I was the one who caught your request.
Welcome!
I do a Basics challenge every month, so you can hang here and do whatever. It's your show. I'm just providing a place or support and encouragement. Focus on as many or as few goals as work for you.1 -
Tues10/24:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: Tabata and Ab video
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
2 -
@baconslave my office gym offers Tabata during lunch hour once a week. I'm not terribly coordinated so I tend to avoid classes and stick to elliptical. Would you recommend?
10/24
Planning and packing breakfast/lunch the night before -
Start using Fitbit again - I think I need a new one, Zip isn't enough anymore
Logging my entire day's food in the morning
80 oz water daily
Vitamins daily (especially weekends)
Accomplish one put off household task daily - not a chore per se but I made keto bagels
Be more patient with others
1 -
I keep forgetting to post, but all is going well over here 2
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Too many carbs and calories lately; I'm tightening up again. Thankfully we have family pics in 2 weeks so that gives me good motivation to drop the few extra lbs and bloat.
Today I did weigh in this morning (scary!), got my 10k steps, watched my electrolytes, and kept my calories and carbs within range.
1 -
No Alcohol Sugar Free Chocolate < 50g Intermittent Fasting 20 mins Intentional Exercise Water Intake > 2L 1
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Sorry, been running around like a crazy person.
Carbs and cals ion point. Have exceeded my weekly activity goals every week. Hit or exceeded my step goals most days.
Hope everyone has a great Halloween! I’m measuring Nov 1 and will post the results here. I only started out measuring high waist, stomach, hips, left thighs and left calf. I may add a couple of measurements if I don’t like my results 0 -
tishsmith101 wrote: »@baconslave my office gym offers Tabata during lunch hour once a week. I'm not terribly coordinated so I tend to avoid classes and stick to elliptical. Would you recommend?
10/24
Planning and packing breakfast/lunch the night before -
Start using Fitbit again - I think I need a new one, Zip isn't enough anymore
Logging my entire day's food in the morning
80 oz water daily
Vitamins daily (especially weekends)
Accomplish one put off household task daily - not a chore per se but I made keto bagels
Be more patient with others
Dadgummit. I just saw this. Soccer season is so stupid busy.
Tabata is hardcore for 20 sec, with 10 sec rest. I like it because it is shorter and exhilarating. Not a constant long slog but broken up with little breaks. But it's definitely a cardio workout. The moves don't have to be super complicated to be effective, but I can't speak to what exercises the class instructor will use.0 -
Wed 10/25:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: strength
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
Thurs 10/26:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: Yard hikin'!
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
Fri 10/27:
Logged:
Water:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Carb Goal:
Exercise: Strength
Prelogged next day:
No booze!:
8/8
Saturday is Vegas always.
Sunday was maintenance.
I'm starting a maintenance week as a break. So my calories will be higher but carbs normal.
Oh and...Stay outta that dang candy!
2 -
10/30
Weighed in:
Logged:
Electrolytes:
Calorie Goal:
Macros within range:
Exercise: (ran)
6/61 -
@baconslave tell me more about your Vegas Saturdays.0
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I failed half my goals (the water, tracking and fitbit) miserably the last 4 days but I am still in the game. I'm going to attempt a carnivore month again for November. Between that and the time change this weekend, I expect at least my energy to be improved.0
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macchiatto wrote: »@baconslave tell me more about your Vegas Saturdays.
What happens in Vegas (on Saturdays) stays in Vegas. After 5pm, I don't log, I drink liquor and have carbs. My cal and carb goals the rest of the week are low and pristine to counteract that. I lose terribly slowly, but I do lose about a quarter pound a week. It's fun to be able to let my hair down for part of an evening and not worry about calories and carbs and just enjoy. It's easy for me to stay away from carbs and alcohol all week this way. But Vegas activity stays in Vegas and doesn't migrate outside it. Otherwise it will get away from me and the scale will start inching up.
This is only a strategy that works for veterans who know themselves. I have been low-carbing over 3 years now. I know when I'll lose and when I'll gain. How many carbs are too many, how many cals are too many. I know how to control my food demons. I've learned the strategies to hack my brain and body into cooperating. I've learned how far is "too far." This strategy will not work for everyone. It took me a long time to get to a point where I had the control to do something like this. It's playing with fire, but I'm a "fire marshall" so we're cool. 4 -
So, to wrap up October—
Was pretty satisfied with my compliance and activity. Only real wrench in the works was our trip to Warsaw. Next month is my birthday (gulp) and a 3 day trip to Paris as well as Thanksgiving so I need to tighten up quite a bit in order to give myself a little leeway to celebrate.
Here are my measurement results from the Oct Basics challenge:
Under bust— no change
High waist — -1 inch
Lower belly—. - 1 inch
Hips— -1.5 inches
Left thigh—- -1 inch
Left calf— -0.5 inch
Overall I feel lighter and a little more energetic. Determined to continue through the holidays so I don’t feel like I’m starting 2018 at square one.
How’d everyone else do? Any goals/strategies for heading into the silly season?
Thank you all for your support and especially to @baconslave for posting the challenge. It really helps to have a place to post goals, successes and setbacks.
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