Frequently Asked Questions

deskjockey925

The following are some of the questions that previous members have asked. These don't replace the "rules," but should be considered as a supplement. If you have other questions, please just ask and we'll respond and also add to this file for future months.

1. If I join before the 6th of the month, do I need to count the days prior to joining as pass days?

No. You start the day you join (or the first of the month if you joined prior to month start). So if you joined on the 5th, you do not need to count the first four days as pass days.

If you join after the 6th, you are here for the great benefits of the group, but are not eligible for the champion or winner status. Keep with us for the month and develop excellent healthy habits — because this is truly the most valuable part of this challenge.

2. Do I have to lose weight in order to win the Ultimate Accountability Challenge?

No. You just need to exercise every day, eat within your calorie budget every day, track everything caloric that you consume every day, and check in at least every three days for the entire month. This challenge is about habits and behaviours, not about what happens on the scale.

3. If I'm trying to maintain or gain weight, can I join the Ultimate Accountability Challenge?

Yes. Many people who join this challenge are trying to lose weight; those who want to use this challenge to gain or maintain weight are welcome. Every member needs to exercise, have a calorie goal, track all calories consumed, and be accountable for every day of the entire month.

4. What counts as exercise?

Nearly all physical activity counts as exercise. That includes walking, actively cleaning your house, playing tag with the kids, chair yoga, dancing, gardening, walking your dog, etc. This doesn't mean you should do the bare minimum every day if you're capable of much more. If you want results, you have to challenge yourself. But for the purpose of the Ultimate Accountability Challenge, 20 minutes of any kind of purposeful movement will suffice.

5. What if I only go five calories over budget? Or one calorie over budget?

We are all adults here. Frankly, it's up to you to make your own decision about your calorie limit and then adhere to your own rules. You keep track of your own days and your own fulfilment of the accountabilities.

6. What if I forget to track something I've consumed, but I remember later and update my food diary?

If, for any reason, you forget to include something in your food diary, but you later remember, you should add the item to your food diary. If this puts you over your daily caloric limit, you need to update your tracking of pass days to include it. In the reverse situation (you had pre-tracked something, then never ate or drank it) and a change makes a pass day a "success" day -- update your next daily post and adjust your running count of pass days. Each day, your daily post should include an indication of how many pass days you've used (and “3+” is fine when you go over three). This really helps you around the end of month when you need to declare whether or not you are a "Winner".

7. How long will the Ultimate Accountability Challenge be around?

This challenge is ongoing, as long as we have volunteers to lead and help out with commenting and supporting. Currently, there are no plans to discontinue this monthly challenge. But it is volunteer run, so it relies on folks just like you to keep it going. So click on your team members' posts to note that you like them, are inspired or find the post insightful, send a hug, start up a discussion or give feedback by using the quote function? Optimally, the members should be doing most of the activity that causes everyone to feel encouraged and "seen".


8. What happens if I "slip up"?

Well, mistakes happen, and that is a key indication that you are learning! You will have slip ups as you learn to develop and keep good habits —we all do! The challenge is to be mindful of your healthy living habits every day for one month. If you slip up for one day and you have used all your allowable Pass days, we really encourage you to stick with the challenge and keep practicing the good habits for the remainder of the month. You will not qualify for the monthly Winner's Circle, but you will qualify to be considered a "Champion" at the end of the month. Nobody gets kicked out of the UAC for exceeding their pass days! The UAC promotes a lifelong commitment to learning and practicing healthy behaviours and habits.

9. What if one of the leaders “slips up”?

Oh -- count on it! Nobody has an automatic qualification to be in the Winner's Circle or to be considered a Champion. This includes the volunteer leaders. Since we don't always qualify, you can certainly be forgiven and forgive yourself if you don't qualify! This challenge is harder than it sounds, but it is so worth it to develop and keep healthy habits.

10. What do I get if qualify for the monthly Winner's Circle or Champions Group?

No, there is no cash prize, plaque, medal, or certificate... 🤓 But, you do get the satisfaction of knowing that you stuck to your plan for a solid month and that your healthy habits for your best life are that much further embedded. Your username will be posted in the "Winners' Circle" thread at the beginning of the following month. Note: YOU are the one who will let the leaders and the team know whether you have qualified by noting the number of pass days you have used on every single daily post throughout the month (and 3+ is fine if you’ve gone over). Please remember -- nobody but you is monitoring your pass days and whether you qualify as a champion or winner. If you haven’t posted on the last two days of the month about your status, we’ll assume you are neither a Winner nor a Champion.

11. What if I get sick or go away on vacation?

If you get sick, you need to follow your doctor's orders. We encourage you to remain in the challenge, even though you may not qualify for the Winner's Circle. Unfortunately, we don't have both Sick or “Vacation” Days and Pass Days. Pass Days which are to be used for any day that you are unable to fulfil all three of the daily accountabilities - regardless of the reason. You are always welcome here on this team, whether you are a champion, winner, or simply learning how to develop health habits.

12. If I exercise a lot, can I 'eat back' my exercise calories?

Your daily calorie goal and calorie adjustments are entirely up to you. This is the most often asked question by new and continuing members and if you post the question in "What's on your mind?" you'll be certain to get insights! 💡

13. What is the end goal of this challenge?

The end goal of the monthly challenge is to adhere to your nutrition intake and exercise plan for a month. By having to come here every day and say, in front of the group, "yes, I was active today, and, yes, I'm aware of what I ate today," you ensure (1) that you will focus on what you're putting into your body and the exercise you're causing it all month long, and (2) that you will have an supportive audience to which you choose to be accountable.

14. Who is keeping track of our daily success?

You -- so be honest? All of this is done on the honour system. Some folks do their food and drink tracking on paper or platforms other than MFP. That is totally okay — whatever works for you.

15. How do I find the daily check-in threads?

On the iphone app, tap the three little dots in the bottom right corner where it says More -- I took a screenshot for you and drew a yellow circle around More...

... then you tap on Community...

... and My Groups...

...and here you should see Ultimate Accountability Challenge [Month / Year], tap on that! (I didn't include a picture for this step.) Now you're on the group page. You will need to scroll way down, past the entire list of Announcements...

... until you see Discussions...