Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

deskjockey925

First, a quick reminder:
❗The 3 Daily Rules:

1. EXERCISE EVERY DAY FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES. We define exercise as an intentional and planned choice to be active beyond your "run of the mill" day to day activities. This can be traditional high intensity exercise (gym, running, swimming, weight-lifting); it can be gentle exercise (chair yoga, physiotherapy, stretching); or it can be any other activity that gets you moving when you otherwise wouldn't have (vacuuming, washing windows, gardening, walking instead of taking the car or elevator). You can do a mix of activities, and you do not have to do all 20 minutes at once.
2. CONSUME ONLY YOUR BUDGETED CALORIES. Set your own personal calorie goal for the day, and don't exceed it. (Yes you may "eat back exercise calories" if you wish.) Any day you went over what you planned, counts as a pass day. If you're unsure of how to set a calorie goal for yourself, please check out our Resource Center and/or ask the group for help.
3. TRACK ALL CALORIES YOU EAT AND DRINK. How you choose to track is up to you: you may use a paper tracker or journal, MyFitnessPal, another app/website, or any other (online or offline) tool that works for you. And, you guessed it: any day that you don't track all your calories, no matter the reason, it is a pass day. Please note: Some folks fret about finding an "exact" match on their tracker. We encourage you to find the best possible match and if in doubt about a meal or snack when dining out, overestimate.

❗ Rule #4:
Each member is expected to report in within three days of each check-in day. This is to help us build helpful new habits through daily consistency. You may check in later if needed, but this counts as a pass day. If you do need to check in late, you are free to post a combined check-in to catch up.

Now for the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The following are some of the questions our members have asked. If anything is still unclear after you read through the FAQ, please ask below. We'll respond and also add to this file for future months.

❓I don't even know how to start, this sounds overwhelming/scary/impossible to me. How am I supposed to do this?
The realization that something needs to change, and I don't even know how to start is intimidating. We've all been there! Fear not: nobody expects you to be 100% perfect immediately (or really, ever). The UAC is designed to be a long-term tool to help you help yourself; a place where we can learn and practice new skills that will help us improve our long-term health and happiness. Your challenge, should you choose to accept, is to adhere to your nutrition intake and exercise plan for a month. If an entire month seems daunting right now, picture yourself three months down the road, looking back and saying Wow! I have come a long way already! By coming here every day and saying, 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 how you are choosing to move your body; and (2) that you will have a supportive audience to which you choose to be accountable. By making a commitment to make small changes for the better, every day, you will set yourself up for some really big successes. Just focus on taking that first step, today; and see where your path takes you.

❓What's a Pass Day?
Whenever you do not observe all 4 UAC rules, any day, for any reason, that day is considered a pass day. Pass days can happen due to injury/illness, emotional eating, lack of planning, family issues, busy schedule, forgetfulness, vacations/celebrations, hormone fluctuations, "didn't feel up to it," or a myriad of other reasons. We will never judge anyone for taking a pass day: they exist as a tool for you to keep track of how you're doing, and learn where you can improve.

❓What if I get sick? What about travel days? What if I lose internet access?
We do not distinguish between types of Pass Days. So if you travel, do the best you can to stick to your healthy habits. If you lose internet access, track your food on paper as best you can, and check in once you get back online. If you get sick, follow your doctor's orders, and focus on getting better. Whatever is going on that causes you to take a Pass Day, simply include it in your tally and move on. We encourage you to remain in the challenge, even though you may not qualify for the Winners' Circle. You are always welcome here on this team, whether you are a Winner, Champion, or simply learning how to develop healthy habits.

❓What’s a Winner? / What is the Winners' Circle?
Any UAC member who fulfills the UAC accountabilities with no more than 3 pass days for the month will be included in the monthly Winners' Circle, which is announced and celebrated at the start of the following month. This is a coveted achievement to those who seek a better life through thoughtful, healthy habits. Please do not get discouraged if you are not immediately able to join the Winners' Circle! Many of our members have found great success in their health journeys, by following the UAC rules to the best of their abilities. You do not need to be a UAC Winner to improve! What matters is that you commit to being accountable to yourself, and making positive changes.

❓What’s a Champion?
A Champion is a UAC member who joined no later than the 6th of the month; who has more than 3 pass days for the month; and who reported in to account for every day, regardless of their success with the three individual accountabilities. Daily accountability is the first step to making lasting changes in your life.

❓What’s a Learner?
All UAC members are considered Learners. We are all here to encourage and support each other, and learn together. We believe that as long as we actively engage in learning and improving, there is no such thing as failure. So whether you qualify for Winner/Champion status, or whether you are “only” a Learner, you are always welcome here and we hope you find your UAC time beneficial.

❓I joined after the beginning 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.

Please note: if you joined after the 6th, you are not eligible for the Champion or Winner status until next month. Please don’t let that stop you from staying! Take advantage of what our group has to offer, and start to develop excellent healthy habits right now. This is truly the most valuable part of this challenge, and the best time to start is today.

❓Who’s in charge here?
The UAC is run by its members: decisions are made by group consensus. We do have a small “Admin Squad” (volunteer group leaders) who do most of the administrative work. Currently that is @deskjockey925 and @takinitalloff following in the footsteps of all previous UAC leaders who have helped to run this group since its inception.

❓I don't want to lose weight. If I'm trying to maintain or gain weight, can I join the Ultimate Accountability Challenge?
Yes. This challenge is about habits and behaviors, not about what happens on the scale. Every member needs to exercise, have a calorie goal, track all calories consumed, and check in at least every three days for the entire month. Whether you use this challenge to lose, maintain, or gain weight; or whether your focus is on entirely different health goals that can be furthered by following the UAC rules, is up to you.

❓What if I only go five calories over budget? Or one calorie over budget?
We are all adults here. 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. So if you feel that you exceeded your budget, take a pass day. Remember, pass days don’t exist to make you feel bad: they exist to help you learn where you can improve.

❓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.

❓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! 💡

❓What happens if I "slip up"?
Recognizing that you slipped up 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 the entire 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 Winners’ 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 behaviors and habits.

❓What if already checked in for the day, but then something happens that changes my answers to the daily questions?
Please come back to the daily thread and post an updated check-in. Alternatively, you may use the following day’s check-in to report your change. Either way, please remember to update your pass day tally. So if you forgot 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 calorie limit, you need to update your tally of UAC pass days. Similarly, if you had pre-tracked a meal/snack, but then never ate or drank it; or if you included planned exercise in your check-in, but didn’t get around to actually doing the activity: simply post your change as needed. Keeping track accurately really helps around the end of month when you need to declare whether or not you are a "Winner".

❓Who will keep track of my daily success?
You do! Each of us is responsible for our own health and happiness. All of this is done on the honor system.

❓How do I find the daily check-in threads?
Please click the spoiler for a picture guide to accessing the 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...