November 23
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❌❌✅ set in front of the computer all day, then had dinner out with a couple co-workers and their wives for a little employee appreciation. No regrets.4
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Nov 23
Exercise - 30 minute walk
Tracking - Planned the day, adjusted the plan (we switched the dinner plan midday, but no calorie difference)
Calories - Way under, because I felt sick after dinner and skipped my bedtime treat/snack (otherwise completely unheard of for me to do that!)
This is a really interesting topic, and I have run out of time so not read everyone's thoughts but I will circle back and read them later.
For not giving up when I have too many pass days -
I joined UAC 2 months ago with the intention to not try to get into the Winner's Circle. I find it best to focus on things I can control, and I can't 100% control the 3 pillars, especially exercise when I am watching kids all day or if I am sick. But I can control whether I post every day, so that was what I was going to do. As I am learning more, I am getting more motivated and it is helping me to think I could bein the Winner's Circle this month, but I consider that a nice bonus, not that I will have failed if I don't.
For not letting a pass day be a free-for-all -
This is something I am definitely still learning about. When I began my weight loss journey this time, from May 2019 to Feb 2021, I was not tracking calories but just trying to eat following a pattern. I did that pattern for most meals, and if I decided to have a meal that did not follow the pattern, there was generally no temptation to keep going in the wrong direction (unless that meal was a restaurant meal I ate only half of and then I wanted to eat the leftovers).
When I started tracking with MFP in February, that's when I started to think - oh, I'm not going to make my total for today, might as well go crazy. I think that's maybe something problematic inherent in tracking for me. It is joining UAC and reading all of your thoughts that is making me realize the folly in that - especially since when I looked at the numbers that was exactly what was ruining my weight loss efforts (my endless question was why am I at a plateau when I am tracking so diligently 6/7 days? the answer was in the question!). I don't think I naturally have a problem with binging, and I tend to have digestive problems if I go too far outside my usual diet on any given day, so it really should not be hard to rein it in. Since recognizing the problem, I have really focused on truly enjoying what I am going to enjoy and not letting that continue outside of that just because I've already blown whatever total I am tracking. I could still improve on that.
That is making me realize, for example, that though I have decided I will eat what I want for Thanksgiving dinner and bedtime snack (more pie), I should plan out my meals for Thanksgiving breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack because there is no reason to try to be spontaneous or indulgent for those!
This group is really so very helpful. You all are so wise, and this opportunity for reflection is so valuable. Now I really need to get on with my morning.6 -
Another pass day for me.
@biketheworld It is an interesting question and I think there have been good responses.
I agree with @Katiecan2021 about not going wild on pass days but it being good not to leave the group overall. A pass day for me means I am busy and I am likely away from home without a structured routine. I don't have my normal food choices but overall I am working toward making decent choices when I can. A pass does not equal 'bad' but simply means I am off living a different life than I normally do and UAC has moved to the back burner for now. During these times, I bring what I have learned with me. I may eat a little extra but for the most part I have been doing okay. Today I was so busy I did not really have time to eat until dinner.
In regard to binging (which I did many years ago but thankfully have stopped) I have found making sure I alway eat small meals with protein keeps me balanced. It is rare that I let myself go hungry all day like I did today but I had little control over my own schedule and access to food.5 -
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~🦃~11 / 24 /2021~~ Waving Hi ~~🙋🏼 ~~ NOVEMBER ~~ BLESSings ALLways ~~ 💖 ~~
Exercise for at least 20 minutes .................................... ✅ ... 210+ min.
Stay within my calorie budget for the day ...................... ✅ ... I am
Keep track of everything I ate and drank ....................... ✅ .... I did
STEPS......... 27,740+.......... 180 walking ........ 30 min. house cleaning....
Documenting My CONSISTANCY = For personal ACCOUNTABILITY
(if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24
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Exercise:
more than 70 minutes and 13,537 total steps on the day
Logged: everything
In Goal: (would have been VERY hard to "accidentally" eat more than that total exercise calories fitbit granted me ..... not so easy to do so on purpose with what was in the house either 
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Nov 23:
✅✅✅ Exercise was 30 mins walking inside the building at work.
Pass Days Used: 2/3
We have two Thanksgiving dinners coming up - one on Thurs in PA with my hubby's family, and another on Sunday at my home with my children/grandchildren. (My son is cooking the turkey!! Woohoo!!)
I only have one pass day left, and although my perfectionist "plan" is to do my best to stay under both days, I know that's probably not realistic. I do have a 10-mile walk planned for the morning of one of those days (my version of a Turkey Trot!) so we'll see how it all shakes out in the end.
About today's topic:
I need help (and I know others do too) with managing two things that are really wreaking havoc on my progress:
Not letting a “pass day” become a “go hog wild day” and
Once I hit 4 pass days, continuing to adhere to the 3 principles of the UAC
As far as a Pass Day becoming a 'going hog wild' day, there have been times that I've done that as well. But I'm learning that it's an attitude shift for me. It's about self-control - and I often feel like I have none! Now, on the days that I do go over, I no longer let myself go crazy because I know that it's quicker and easier to reign in a 200 cal deficit than a 3200+ cal deficit! Waaaay back, when I was first starting out on MFP, a "going hog wild" day sometimes became several days... or even a week! I had to decide how serious was I going to be about losing my weight! I've since found that I really DO have more willpower and self-control than I think I do.... I just have to EXERCISE it! Everyone has to try different things until they find what works best for them, but I've found that if I'm grazing and can't seem to stop (or can't seem to get my behind OUT of the kitchen!), I'll put on my shoes and go for a walk! It gets me out of the house and gets my mind to focus on something else other than to keep eating! I think I've mentioned here before that I also will talk to myself like I would one of my grandchildren. "Teresa, stop it right now! No more chocolate today!" (or whatever I'm struggling with). In the privacy of my own home, I'll even speak to myself out loud - which usually causes my hubby look up at me with the strangest look on his face! (He KNOWS not to say a word..... not a word!!) Lol.
As far as dropping out after my 4th Pass Day, I've never even had the desire to do that. In the beginning I was more embarrassed than anything else. The perfectionist in me was embarrassed that I didn't have a better handle on things, and I was ashamed and felt that others in the group (especially the 'long-timers') would judge me for accumulating so many Pass Days that I couldn't even keep track of the number any more..... but I realized within the first month or two that everyone in this group has some kind of struggle - or they wouldn't be here! For me, the key was to be honest (with myself), be accountable (to y'all), and NOT DROP OUT, no matter what. No.matter.what. Again, it was a mind shift. After losing 60lbs in 2018 and then gaining 40 of it back over the next 2 years, I determined that I had to become a 'life-timer' on MFP. I just LOVE food too much... and MFP (and the UAC) is my way of controlling "it" and not letting "it" control ME!!
@biketheworld {{{hugs}}} Diane. I know you've been struggling. But I truly believe that the key is to not give up! Even if it takes you twice as long as you'd originally thought that it might take..... it doesn't matter. It's better than the alternative (which for me, the alternative is gaining my weight back YET AGAIN!) When I went through a funk back in February last year (weather was brutal and I couldn't get outside and walk, AND I had injured my shoulder and my knee, and mentally I was just OVER winter), I put my calorie goal up to my guess-timate of what maintenance calories would be for me, and still logged everyday, stayed on MFP, and stayed in the UAC. I did my basic 20 mins of exercise on the treadmill or the rebounder. But my point is that it kept me in the most basic "habits" for that month when I felt like I had mentally 'checked out'. In about 5-6 weeks I noticed that my 'mojo' was back and with spring my enthusiasm for walking came back. I maintained my weight over that period, and that made me happy.6 -
@WhatMeRunning Chris, I know you must be disappointed, but I'm glad that was caught and taken care of! You'll be back on track before you know it.
@LazyBlondeChef I've done the same thing when I've gotten lax about pre-logging. It's frustrating.2 -
NOV 23 - Pass day
Exercise ❎2 -
✅ Exercise - 1 hour of Jazzercise
✅ Calories -
✅ Tracking -
Closed all my Apple watch rings today
4/3 Pass days used
Wow - loved reading everybody's insights on today's topic. Too many to call out that I just want to say "Me too!!!"
This is my first UAC and I already blew past my pass days before the month was a third over. This group is so supportive and gentle in reinforcing the UAC is not about accountability to you (i.e. winners circle is a nice bonus), but accountability to myself. When it comes to weight loss and health, I've let the inconsistencies in life throw me off track, and one day becomes a week, becomes a month, becomes a year. Being at home and not socializing much during the pandemic has thrown less inconsistencies my way, but it still feels like I'm still taking baby steps when it comes to figuring out how to handle travel, eating out without automatically taking a pass day. Cheating or giving up only hurts me. A lot of rethinking still going on in my brain...
Will bear this in mind over the next day, the next week, the next month.
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Nov 23
✅✅✅
Morning walk was so much easier than the ones I usually take in late afternoon!
I am now sleeping 7hrs each night. Vast improvement. I think we need blackout curtains for summer & air conditioning. Since sleep is so important, I’m going to make figuring this out a higher priority.
I am pushing myself less on Decluttering & art making. Enjoying life a bit more with some movies/tv shows with hubby. (Usually we don’t watch.) I’m much less stressed.
And, usually Nov is my most difficult month mood wise , and it was, but not now. What changed, the sun is out. (Sadly since it means drought again ‘most likely.) For the first time, I’ve realized I do have some SAD. Will be researching what might help for when the clouds come back.5 -
LazyBlondeChef wrote: »I'm a little annoyed with myself. I went over on calories unintentionally. I should have pre-logged so I had a better idea of how the day would end.
I was wrong yesterday. We had pasta using a quality jarred marinara sauce and I had logged the entire jar instead of my 1/4 portion. We're having the leftovers tonight so as I was prelogging today I noticed the error and fixed the Tues entry.
So in reality it was a 3 yes day. Exercise was 21 mins on the treadmill.
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11/23
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? 👍🏻
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? 😈
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? 👍🏻
Using 4th pass
0 passes left
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November goals
- Miracle Morning daily.
- yoga and strength training at least 3x weekly (Strength training WILL happen this month)
- TRY having ZERO pass days (It’s NOT GOING to happen this month) 😭😭😭
- No LNS daily, ONLY fruits
- Daily journaling4 -
23/11/2021
Posting late – Wednesday evening, I forgot to do it last night.
Yes, yes, yes.
Only one pass day used – Sunday 21st
1. Not letting a “pass day” become a “go hog wild day”
Unlike a couple of others, I do sometimes plan a pass day but as I have said before, my pass days are almost always because I choose not to accurately log my food. I am mindful and aware of the basic principles – choose low calorie, low fat, options, small portions etc, so hardly ever “go hog wild”. I might make a conscious decision to have a piece of cake or a beer, glass of wine but I know that in the long term it will be OK.
2. Once I hit 4 pass days, continuing to adhere to the 3 principles of the UAC
I am not here to win prizes, the Winners Circle is not my main goal. I am here for my health. I do aim for the Champions Circle as this is the reward for consistent effort and checking in every day which keeps me on the right track.
I have nothing to contribute about binging as it has never been an issue for me – see the comments about going hog wild.
My weight gains have been primarily because I am a small sedentary woman and I gain weight when I eat (and drink) on a par with friends who are almost all bigger than me. I was married for nearly 25 years to a man who was significantly taller, bigger, more active than me. He was/is about 6’3” to my 5’1” and played sports while I would rather read a book.
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1
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11/23/2021
Exercise? Yes
Tracking? Yes
Calories? No2
