Weight-loss "task-force" challenge
steve0mania
Posts: 3,132 Member
I've decided to start my own little "task-force challenge."
There didn't seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for having a 5 pound challenge (which is probably what I need to take off, more or less). There was, however, a really good question raised, which was (paraphrased), "what do I need that I'm not getting from the current 10 pound challenge?" I've given this some thought, and the issue (for me) is that I did lose the first 10 pounds, but didn't really have a focused plan to keep going. As such, I've been drifting a few pounds above my personal target weight.
In another thread, I was reminded of the importance of setting up a sustainable process rather than a goal.
I decided to challenge myself to a time-limited "process" effort.
The idea is that I (and anyone who cares to participate) will strive to follow my personal food plan for the next 30 days.
There is a background to the choice of 30 days. Some will recall that Jews recently celebrated Passover. On the second night of Passover, we start a process called "counting the omer." It's a biblically-commanded process related to the bringing of the new barley harvest, and the upshot is that we count 49 days, and the 50th day is the holiday of Shavuot, the day the Torah was given.
There is an idea that Jews are supposed to work to improve their character traits in a highly-focused way during this time. The details aren't important for this discussion, but I thought it would make for a nice effort at personal improvement to work on following my food plan for this time period.
I like the idea because (1) it's time-limited, (2) it's process-focused, and (3) if it works out well, I'm hoping that I will have established some new habits by the end of the challenge.
Finally, I will count based on the Omer. As such, today is day 1 of the challenge, which is Day 19 of the Omer.
Feel free to post whatever. Or not.
There didn't seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for having a 5 pound challenge (which is probably what I need to take off, more or less). There was, however, a really good question raised, which was (paraphrased), "what do I need that I'm not getting from the current 10 pound challenge?" I've given this some thought, and the issue (for me) is that I did lose the first 10 pounds, but didn't really have a focused plan to keep going. As such, I've been drifting a few pounds above my personal target weight.
In another thread, I was reminded of the importance of setting up a sustainable process rather than a goal.
I decided to challenge myself to a time-limited "process" effort.
The idea is that I (and anyone who cares to participate) will strive to follow my personal food plan for the next 30 days.
There is a background to the choice of 30 days. Some will recall that Jews recently celebrated Passover. On the second night of Passover, we start a process called "counting the omer." It's a biblically-commanded process related to the bringing of the new barley harvest, and the upshot is that we count 49 days, and the 50th day is the holiday of Shavuot, the day the Torah was given.
There is an idea that Jews are supposed to work to improve their character traits in a highly-focused way during this time. The details aren't important for this discussion, but I thought it would make for a nice effort at personal improvement to work on following my food plan for this time period.
I like the idea because (1) it's time-limited, (2) it's process-focused, and (3) if it works out well, I'm hoping that I will have established some new habits by the end of the challenge.
Finally, I will count based on the Omer. As such, today is day 1 of the challenge, which is Day 19 of the Omer.
Feel free to post whatever. Or not.
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Today is 19 of the Omer.
Over the past few weeks/months, my daytime intake has been consistent with my plan, but I've given in to snacking nearly every evening, with either food snacks, or a bit of alcohol. If I want a better "process," this needs to stop. My plan has always been to limit snacking and alcohol to the weekend.
In the past few days, I've managed to skip the snacking (and alcohol). It's funny how much of it is simply habit. As soon as I sit down on the couch after dinner, my immediate thought is how nice it would be to have a few jelly beans, or a glass of wine or bourbon. I'm certainly not hungry at that point, and I really don't need a drink. Nevertheless, it's a habit I've fallen into, and it's one I want to break.
So, a key area of focus moving forward will be to skip the weeknight snacking.
182/133.8/146 (personal target 130)1 -
I'm in! 30 days takes me to a few before our Vegas vaca. It would be very beneficial to the achievement of my end "goal" if I have firm habits in place, in the hopes that I won't lose the next two months trying to get back on track 🤦🏼♀️.
I'm not totally clear on what to post though. Should we post the plan? Check in regularly? I'm open to whatever, but would like some accountability.
By my count, day 30 is May 15.1 -
I think folks can post what they want. I'm planning on posting my daily thoughts on how the prior day went: successes, failures, struggles, issues, strategies, and whatever, plus a plan for how to push through any challenges I'm experiencing.
May 15th is about right. It's a little tricky because the Hebrew calendar "day" starts the night before. Nevertheless, Shavuot starts on the evening of May 16th.3 -
That helps, thanks! I like the idea of daily. Should really help with mindset!1
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Checking in !
Background ... I'm working to get back on track after a 2 month hiatus, otherwise known as a time of near mindless eating (near because I was just pretending, I knew exactly what I was doing), I'm finally tracking accurately (8 days in a row).
Yesterday, my biggest struggle was not having "just" one or two jelly bellys, a few pistachios, a tortilla chip from the bag DH is munching out of... I can't even guess at how many times I had to resist! And honestly, the only reason I resisted was because I had committed to checking in here. I was doing some serious white knuckling! It made me realize how strong of a habit I've created. I kept telling myself that I'd have popcorn at night and could munch to my heart's content. In the end, success! But REAL success comes when I don't make an inestimable number of trips to the snack cupboard! That's the goal! Still, celebrating the win 🎉
Today's challenge will be the cottage. Going this afternoon, and already planned a hike in the woods (to get me away from food and moving). Bringing popcorn for my evening snack. Spending the night with family, there will be adult beverages. Will report back!
I'd promise my check-ins will be shorter in the future, but ... they probably won't 🤷🏼♀️2 -
As I've said on a couple of threads, I've felt challenged by my change in WI day.
In truth I've been "hanging around" the same weight for a while. Have started concentrating, of late, and SLOWLY drifting lower.
Last night was a planned failure. I've been hankering for some "real" pizza, so ordered out for a SMALL (first time ever?) loaded pizza. Closest SPs I could find was 21 SPs for 1/2 . TOL and T really enjoyed it, and were pretty satisfied, until a couple of hours later, when we had a homemade brownie sundae, with REAL good ice cream, 41 SPs.
Weight was up, as expected, from the UNexpected low yesterday, but still less than my Thursday weight, by 0.2. I figure that was a win.
Back to the same old same old today.1 -
@Al_Howard I have the same thing happen a lot. It's like one indulgence leads to more. I had a ML that ate ice cream at the end of her day, in bed. Something to look forward to and no time to eat more. 😂1
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I like this idea of focusing on process. I'm going to give this a try "counting the omer'
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✔️ in
Sat was a challenge as expected but I'm ok with how it went. Snacked after our hike, but no struggle and loss. Instead I considered and decided. Expectation of salmon for dinner limited snack consumption. Not a bad day!
Today will be more of the same with a high point meal added in. Noone to blame but me since I chose the menu of lasagna and brownies. Eggs for Bfast and snack is ff gk yogurt w/cocoa, artificial sweetener, and cherries. I have a plan!0 -
Today is the 21st day of the omer. In case anyone is interested, one of our omer calendars has a daily thought from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l. Today's thought is, "We should never feel anger. But there are times when we should show it. People sometimes need that shock to help them change their lives."
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I was off-line yesterday for Shabbat, and Shabbat is generally my biggest challenge. I struggle to balance limiting my intake in the setting of two "festive meals," a requirement for wine and bread, and a "third meal" (which is generally more snack-like, but nearly always requires bread). I didn't eat out-of-control, but as @Al_Howard said above (I like this terminology), it was a "planned-fail."
We went to a friend's backyard for a get-together with two fully-vaccinated couples. It was nice, and I knew we were going to have a glass of scotch or two (or three). However, I was not anticipating that the hosts had baked a couple of pizzas for the group. In other settings I would have simply skipped it entirely, but I felt guilty that they had prepared food for us, and I feel obligated to eat a couple of slices. This was more of an unplanned-fail!
So, all-in-all, my process wasn't where I wanted it to be yesterday. Today is another day to hit the reset button. My biggest Sunday challenge is in deciding whether Sunday is a weekend day or a weekday day. In other words, do I settle in with a glass of wine or bourbon at the end of the day, or do I skip it. Clearly the better choice is to skip it, so that's my plan.0 -
linmueller wrote: »Yesterday, my biggest struggle was not having "just" one or two jelly bellys, a few pistachios, a tortilla chip from the bag DH is munching out of... I can't even guess at how many times I had to resist! And honestly, the only reason I resisted was because I had committed to checking in here. I was doing some serious white knuckling! It made me realize how strong of a habit I've created.
@linmueller: you've really captured a lot of what I've been thinking about recently (and jelly bellys [and a store-brand equivalent] are a current favorite, and thus super-challenging, snack for me). So much of my eating is habitual. There are so many times I pour myself a small ramekin of jelly beans "just because that's what I do." I'm definitely not hungry at those moments, and to be honest, the store-brand jelly beans aren't even that tasty! It's just a habit. I want to identify as many of these maladaptive habits and work to break them during this challenge. Sometimes "white-knuckling" is exactly what it takes.
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Checking in: OK day yesterday. 150 cal. over my "reduced" daily goal. 1SP left. Up 0.2# WHATEVER!
On to today.0 -
I achieved my calorie and nutritional goals Saturday.1
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Followed heart diet nutritional guidelines Sunday. Achieved calorie goal.0
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Saturday was a planned fail day as we took a dear friend out for our first dinner out in just over a year (both couples are fully vaccinated) and it was a wonder to be out like that. I tracked it all and was over points for the day but still within my weekly's. Yesterday was much more controlled day and the end result was down by .5 for the weekend, I am more that happy with that.0
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Although not a planned fail yesterday, I failed, Way too many snacks. under 3 SPs, over 73 calories. And, weight up.
Back at it today!
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Today is day 22 of the omer. A quote for the day:
"The highest achievement is not self-expression but self-limitation: making
space for something other and different from us."
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I had a great day yesterday, on all accounts. Sundays are often challenges because I tend to wrap-up the weekend with alcohol and snacks. However, I told myself that I was not going to do that, and even though I had plenty of "cravings," I had a cup of tea instead and skipped all of the extra calories. Plus, I got in a lot of other things I wanted to do: I got a nice walk in, I fixed some things around the house, I read for a while, etc. All in all, a good solid day. Put a checkmark in the "win" column.1 -
Today is day 22 of the omer. A quote for the day:
"The highest achievement is not self-expression but self-limitation: making
space for something other and different from us."
___________
I had a great day yesterday, on all accounts. Sundays are often challenges because I tend to wrap-up the weekend with alcohol and snacks. However, I told myself that I was not going to do that, and even though I had plenty of "cravings," I had a cup of tea instead and skipped all of the extra calories. Plus, I got in a lot of other things I wanted to do: I got a nice walk in, I fixed some things around the house, I read for a while, etc. All in all, a good solid day. Put a checkmark in the "win" column.0 -
✔️ in
Sunday was a little sloppy, but it was my birthday, and far from a disaster. Tracked, with some estimating, but at least didn't just concede the day. That's the positive. The negative is that today was a little sloppy.
I needed the reminder that white knuckling is sometimes necessary. Thanks @steve0mania ! Tomorrow it is! also need to do some meal planning. There's food in the house, I just need to figure out what to cook BEFORE I'm hungry.
And I love this quote ... "The highest achievement is not self-expression but self-limitation: making
space for something other and different from us."
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Today is day 23 of the omer. Today's quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
“For each of us God has a task. Discerning that task, hearing God’s call, is what gives a life meaning and purpose.”
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Yesterday was another solid day of sticking to my plan: I had three appropriate meals, got my exercise in, and didn't have snacks or alcohol. All good.
But, as noted the other day, there was a bit of "white-knuckling" to avoid those snacks and drinks. Again, so much of it is habit, and I think recognizing that that's what it is, labeling it, and refusing to give into it, was a useful approach. Someone said that will-power only goes so far, and that's probably true, so my goal is to convert this will-power-avoidance process into a habit instead!
I have also been thinking about yesterday's quote (The highest achievement is not self-expression but self-limitation: making
space for something other and different from us) and how that fits in with weight-loss/management. It seems to me that we need to be willing to change who we are, and bend our-wills, in order to achieve our weight-goals. The core-group of GOADs recognize that weight-loss is a life-long management process (there is no finish line). We can't simply diet, and then go back to our old patterns. We have to be willing to change. In other words, we have to make space inside ourselves, for something other and different than us, and ultimately, we have to incorporate that other/different into ourselves to create a new identity (e.g., "I'm a person who always eats in a healthy manner.").
Anyway, chalking up a "win" for yesterday. Todays plan: do it again! Tonight may be a little more challenging than yesterday, as I had an on-line class last night, so there was one-hour that I didn't have to think about snacking. Tonight I don't have any specific plans. I think it might be useful to do something that takes more mental-energy than sitting on the couch watching TV. I think I'll read instead.0 -
Decent day yesterday. Under 245 cal. and 9 SPs, and down 3.6 pounds. We'll see what tomorrow (weigh-in day at WW) brings.0
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Reached goal targets on Monday.1
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Today is day 24 of the omer. Today's quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
"The more you celebrate the good, the more good you discover that is worthy of celebration."
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I'm putting yesterday into the "win" column! I again had some significant cravings after dinner, but again, recognized that they're just cravings that are probably secondary to the habits I developed (of snacking/drinking after dinner) rather than hunger or anything like that. I made myself a little tea to "trick" myself into thinking I was having a treat and managed to avoid going down the wrong path. All in all, a good effort.
I'm finding two aspects of this challenge helpful to me right now.
First, I do like having a set goal to work on that is more process-related than goal-related. I like having to come back here and report on my progress, and specifically, like being able to decide if I met my goal, or didn't meet my goal.
Second, I like taking a moment and thinking through the last day (rather than the last week). I'm finding it helpful to "nit-pick" myself a bit more than usual. If I wait for the whole week, I tend to forget the specific day-to-day details. I'm not saying that I want to have such a deep focus on my process every single day, but for this time-limited challenge, I'm finding it useful.
So, rinse-and-repeat!1 -
I've found that double checking my trackers in the evening, I seem to keep my snacking "inbounds". Down 1.4 pounds, officially (235.2) , at WW this morning. That's the lowest since 5//23/2014 (233.8).
Vigilance pays off.1 -
Today is day 25 of the omer. Today's quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
“In any relationship that matters to you, deliver praise daily. Seeing and praising the good in people makes them better people, makes you a better person, and strengthens the bond between you.”
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Another successful day is in the books. No snacks and no alcohol. Plus, I've been sticking to my exercise plan. Go team go!
Congrats to @Al_Howard on your lowest weight in years. Not to shabby!
I like today's quote. I have been thinking a lot about the current state of society. There are a lot of folks who seem to actively seek to see the negative side of any situation. I don't want to be one of those people. Instead, I want to be someone who can usually see the good side of things, or give people the benefit of the doubt and not jump immediately to the negative conclusion. It feels like many in our society are looking for the opportunity to be offended. If you look to be offended, you'll always find an opportunity (even if it was unintentional).
Regardless, this also reminds me of a recent LTL that was posted (though to be fair, it could have been a few months ago at this point). It was to find something to praise yourself about. I really liked that. It was a good exercise.
So, I just have to get through another full day and then it's Shabbat! I'll still plan to be generally careful in my intake, but there will be some "treats" involved! Ha ha!1 -
Today is day 26 of the omer. Today's quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
“What you think of as your greatest weakness can become, if you wrestle with it, your greatest strength.”
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I managed to pull the last "weekday" into the win column yesterday! That makes for a solid end of the week leading into Shabbat. I haven't had a string of days where I've fully followed my plan in a long time. It feels pretty good, actually!
Plus, my "reward" was a 2 pound weight-loss this week. To be honest, I don't think that's all "actual" weight...I think some of it is the usual random fluctuations (hydration, etc.). Nevertheless, I'll take it!
I'll be off-line for Shabbat and back on Sunday. My plan for this period is to stick to single appropriate portions, only ONE dessert (each) at dinner tonight and at lunch tomorrow (and maybe even cut it in half it it's a generous dessert), mostly unlimited wine intake (we have our first lunch-guests tomorrow), but no snacks in-between meals. I imagine I'll have some wine or bourbon on Saturday night too (just to finish off some open bottles).
I hope everyone else is doing well on the challenge.
Finally, again, I really like today's quote posted above. I have a lot of weaknesses, but I want to think about how they might become my greatest strengths. Thoughts about your own personal weaknesses that you could turn into strengths?0 -
Was up 1.6# this AM. Normal fluctuations. Was within both SPs and cal.0
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Sorry I've been MIA. Been busy and tired, a rough combo. As @steve0mania noted, hard to be too specific, but here goes with what I remember. I have taken time to consider my days, and that has been really helpful!
Been OP, getting 🔵s, all but Thursday. This is the 3rd Thurs that I've eaten well over 🔵 range. On the bright side, I've accurately tracked it, but still ... FYI Thurs is WI day 🤷🏼♀️. This is a new issue. The 1st week it was a Krispy Kreme that derailed me. Can't remember what it was last week, but resisted the donut, had Bfast out with friends and made pretty good choices, then ran errands and stopped for a blackberry hand pie 17 SP 🤦🏼♀️. This week, I will have a pretracked meal plan. Btw, the only reason I realized this new issue is because I've taken the time to reflect on my day.
Exercise has been spotty. I'm working on forming some habits to help with this. Making some progress.
Lunch going on and on has been an issue as well as afternoon snacking. I've tried a new approach. After lunch, I have dessert, usually a fruit. And snacks aren't eaten standing in front of the snack cupboard. I make a plate with a manageable amount of food. So far it's working.
I'm loving the quotes at the top of your posts @steve0mania . They make me think! I'm not sure about the latest,
“What you think of as your greatest weakness can become, if you wrestle with it, your greatest strength", but I'm wrestling with it 🙂
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Saturday was day 27 of the Omer. The quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks for Saturday was:
"Clear rules and proper discipline help to establish, maintain, and expand order for more fulfilled children, families, and society. Love is not enough. Relationships need rules."
Today is day 28 of the Omer. Today's quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
"If you want to change lives, speak to people's feelings, not just their minds."
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Shabbat (Friday night through Saturday night) went mostly as planned, with minor exceptions. Friday night dinner was spot-on, but as noted, I had planned a (one single) dessert, plenty of wine, and (I may have forgotten to mention) a "Shabbat beer" (actually two). Before we shut off phones for Shabbat, I like to make my last phone calls to kids and friends while sitting peacefully and enjoying a beer. I have otherwise mostly given up beer. It's gotten really hard to manage the calories, so that Shabbat beer is a special treat. In a perfect world I'd limit it to one, but what can I say, it's an imperfect world! Ha ha.
Saturday lunch was great. We had friends (all fully vaccinated) over for the first time. That meant a more extensive meal, and I ate a bit more than I planned (I usually skip the fish course, but I didn't want to serve guests and not take the same food...it felt a bit weird to do that). Again, plenty of wine, one single dessert (if you don't count the fruit that went with the slice of carrot cake).
The last thing that was a little unplanned was the "third meal." We have a "third meal" on Shabbat (to qualify as a "meal," there has to be bread; we count Friday dinner as meal 1, and Saturday lunch as meal 2, we don't count Saturday breakfast). Our third meal included an unplanned cookie (but no alcohol). It wasn't the end of the world, but I really didn't "need" a cookie!
Finally, we watched some TV at night and worked our way towards finishing up the leftover wine from the day. Actually, there's still a bit more floating around, but I don't plan to partake of it tonight.
So, today it's back to my regular weekday plan and some white-knuckling to avoid turning Sunday into an extension of Saturday!
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linmueller wrote: »I'm loving the quotes at the top of your posts @steve0mania . They make me think! I'm not sure about the latest, “What you think of as your greatest weakness can become, if you wrestle with it, your greatest strength", but I'm wrestling with it 🙂
Thanks for saying that Lin!
I came up with a couple of examples for myself.
1) I am very inflexible. For example, if I have plans with someone, it makes me really cranky when those plans change, particularly at the last minute. I have often wished that I was better at "going with the flow." However, this same "rigidity" gives me a strong ability to stick with something, even something challenging. I hate to give up! This works well for weight-management, right, because it means that I'm willing to bang my head into a wall to stick with it, even if it's not convenient or easy.
2) I don't pay strong attention to details. I'm more of a "gist" person. I enjoy seeing the big picture, but digging into the weeds on details is often boring to me (except when one really needs the details to understand the big picture). This weakness allows me to readily delegate activities to others. In my work I serve as a leader. I am able to delegate responsibilities quite easily, because I'd rather let others think about the tactical details of how we carry out specific aspects of our strategy. This lets others have a sense of ownership and autonomy, and it tends to grow new leaders in our organization.
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