This May Be Habit Forming
Let's all be habit forming this May
May is such a great month! It’s no wonder that May Day was met with a celebration of flowers and dance! Before summer begins, we get a glorious month to delight in birdsong and flowers in bloom.
So what kind of habit will YOU be forming this month?
How about a small change to your food choices:
- More veggies?
- Drink more water/fewer high calorie beverages?
- Change up those macros?
- Fewer snacks?
Maybe you’ll be adding in some new exercise:
- More walking in the May meadows?
- Strength training?
- Yoga/flexibility?
Maybe you want to tackle a personal goal:
- Better sleep?
- Journaling?
- Meditating?
Try setting up your habit using this loop!
Cue:
Seedling Habit:
Reward:
Or
Try framing your goals along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This May I will...)
2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal
3. My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit
5. My reward for maintaining the habit (anything from a self-compliment to a mark on the calendar)
6. How can we support you?
7. What will success look like at the end of May?
So let’s be forming good habits this May, making it a month of movement, motivation , and more personal growth!
Happy May
Please review our Newcomer’s Guide and our Nuts and Bolts of Habit Building as it will help you get started.
Replies
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@77tes thanks for setting us up. I think I have decided on my May habit. I was debating on 2 but settling now. Now I need to line out how to make it happen!
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Bonus poem
May Day
By Sara Teasdale - 1884-1933
A delicate fabric of bird song
Floats in the air,
The smell of wet wild earth
Is everywhere.Red small leaves of the maple
Are clenched like a hand,
Like girls at their first communion
The pear trees stand.Oh I must pass nothing by
Without loving it much,
The raindrop try with my lips,
The grass with my touch;For how can I be sure
I shall see again
The world on the first of May
Shining after the rain?3 -
So checking in early.. But this is a really important habit so I want to focus daily on it and keep myself accountable. This is one I need to add to my daily workout routines and if I can make it a consistent habit I think it will have HUGE benefits. I also want to make it EASY to keep up with (like Aprils' dental stuff) so that I am not just piling more and more stuff on all the time until things go boom
1. My goal for this month (This May I will...)
This May I will work daily on my balance with standing on one leg for a timed interval several times a day with trying to work up to x time2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal
Day one I will time how long I can do each leg and move forward with recording the data
3. My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit
Looking for some input here but I think working on 2x a day perhaps after my walks when I am warmed up will help.5. My reward for maintaining the habit (anything from a self-compliment to a mark on the calendar)
This is easy. I will be less wobbly when putting on shoes/clothes and getting up in the middle of the night. Hereditary bad balance and it seems to be getting worse every year so want to turn it around to keep from being a fall risk and injury from that.6. How can we support you?
Keep engaged here7. What will success look like at the end of May?
Success will be having done this daily 2 x ⚖️✅✅ and seeing what the data shows. I don't think I will be disciplined to actually time it every time but if I time it today and then at the end of the month I would like to see a 50% improvement.2 -
@SummerSkier , balance is such an important habit, I may join you although
However this month, I want to focus on dialing in my afternoon snacks because I am struggling to get down to my maintenance level, and I know that extra serving of (usually peanut butter bread) is the problem. I’ll think about how to set up my plan and come back to it.
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1 May balance
Initial test am. Right leg 45 sec, Left leg 34 sec. Not bad as I wasn't sure I would be able to tree pose for more than 5 seconds… So that is starting point and will practice now a couple times a day.. off to floss. LOL.
@77tes if you want I can give you a link to a TDEE chart. I was in my maintenance range but over the years noticed that I was getting a little fluffy so I have spent the last 17 weeks doing a minor minor cut to drop about 5 pounds. I feel SO much better and will have to reset my maintenance range down. The TDEE tracker helps me because it encourages you to eat and is not some earn your calories thing. Just strictly a weigh and cal daily. Is it accurate? I dunno but you can manually see how many miles or how active you were and get a feel for what your baseline is. Sucks that things are always changing even in maintenance. Hahaaha.
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Thanks for the TDEE Spreadsheet, @SummerSkier . Maintaining is tough, and I’ve definitely added fluff. I have a pretty good idea of my baseline, and if I stuck to it, I would definitely lose some of the weight. I’m just struggling to eat at that level as I’m changing my low-carb diet to one that’s more plant-based. The author of Fiber Fueled claimed that if you up your fiber, you will lose weight , but I didn’t believe him. Of course, I am not going 100% plant-based, and I’m not eliminating dairy, so my results don’t really undermine his claims.
So Here goes:
1. This May I will lose 4 pounds. (Feels impossible like my 100 miles in April).That’s 1 pound per week, so it definitely is possible.
2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal. I will preplan my meals, strictly sticking to my lose-weight calorie goal.
3. My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit. Logging my breakfast
5. My reward for maintaining the habit (anything from a self-compliment to a mark on the calendar). I will trot my list of celebrations and done each day..
6. How can we support you? Cheer me on and suggest low calorie, healthy, filling afternoon snacks.
7. What will success look like at the end of May? My jeans will be more comfortable, and the scale will be more welcoming.
Now off to adjust my food choices for the rest of the day. I think I can!
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My goal is to floss at least once a day. Thanks for the idea @SummerSkier.
I normally keep floss out of sight, but obviously I’m an out of sight out of mind person, so the floss is now next to my toothbrush. I’ll also continue with strength training and water intake.
🦷💪🏻💦
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@hcoleman232 that's awesome! I found that having it available/visible is really critical and also if I was feeling lazy if I just did 1/4 of my mouth it was better than nothing.
@77tes after being in maintenance so long it was way too difficult for me to cut the 500 per day needed to lose a pound a week. It too me over 3 months to lose the 5 pounds but I did not feel bad energy wise or deprived … Good luck avoiding or cutting back on the high cal choices. Just even closely logging and weighing seems to help also.
I did my second set of balance "tree pose" yesterday evening. almost forgot. But actually logging on here was a good reminder to me also. I was not as stable as I was after my run in the morning but I kept after it for a few times. Practice makes perfect. 1 day done!
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@hcoleman232 , great plan and idea. My floss lives on a shelf above the kitchen sink, so available in the same room where the food goes in the mouth.
I will be happy if it takes me 3 months, but I decided to give myself a tough challenge for the Merry Merry Month of May. @SummerSkier This month is really about controlling my eating, and I’m hoping that will result in the weight loss.This May I will lose 4 pounds
May 1 - Although I started with a high calorie breakfast, I was able to eliminate my after dinner snack and came in under my losing goal. Yippee 👏
May 2- Friday is Weigh in day. I’m actually down 2 pounds, but I’m not sure if I should use this number as my starting number or count last week’s number. It may well be just a fluctuation , which happens. Weight -2.2 🙌
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May 2 update- Total win bringing my calories in under goal!. I’m excited about this. I do enjoy a challenge! Patting myself on the back!
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WIN! @77tes I usually drop quickly the first day or so also in a deficit so I would count it all!
Tree pose done 2x for 1 and 2 May. Right now I am trying to do it with my eyes focused down which is easier than ahead of me and easier than with eyes closed. Perhaps I will progress. For right now I am just trying to make sure I keep trying….
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@77tes Excellent job staying under your allotted calories! 👏🏻👏🏻 My original goal at the beginning of the year was to lose weight because I wasn’t going to buy new shorts for summer, and I also wanted to focus on a healthier diet to lower my cholesterol.
@SummerSkier You’re well on your way to the 50% improvement. Keep it up! When I started my lower body strength training there was definitely a difference in balance between my right and left leg. And I was all over the place when doing lunges! 😂
3 days of flossing! 😀2 -
Hi everyone! Just joined this group today! Previous MFP user, achieved and MainStage goal weight for a few years…. Until 2-3 years ago, perimenopause, life, slacking… so I’m back this week, I actually started May 1st.
This May I want to stick to my Makro/caloric goals and see what this journey nearly 10 years later looks like!
May 1-4 went well and managed to track all my food and stay within my goal!
Nice to be here!
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A busy month and it’s only 3 days in but I have a 5k on May 17 so I need to walk more at a faster pace and I think quite a lot about my guitar so I think I need to incorporate kind of practice routine let’s start with 2-3 times a week that gives me some wiggle room.
I will walk at a faster pace 5/7 days to prepare for 5k.
I will make time for guitar 2-3 times a week.3 -
Last Saturday, playing Kickball, of all things, I wiped out pulled muscles in both my left quad and right hamstring. I bruised up and I couldn't hardly walk for a couple of days and have been off the bike all week. I started with light stretching over the past few days, and hope to do some modest spinning this coming week at the gym. It has been very frustrating as I have been progressing well over the past 8 months.
On the good side, I have been maintaining my weight at my goal weight and below for the past month, and believe that I will be able to continue this with my current nutrition routine. Sitting at 180.5lbs this morning after my weekly 36hr fast.
1. My goal for this month to get myself back up to my fitness level I was before my injury.
2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal are to start with light stretching and progressing towards my normal weight workouts and cycling HIIT.
3. My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit is to continue to log both my food intake and fitness activities.
5. My reward for maintaining the habit is to feel really good about myself, both physicially and emotionally.
6. Support of this group, my spouse, dietitian, and fitness trainer are important components to my success.
7. Success at the end of May will be to be back at the fitness level I was at prior to my injury, and to maintain my goal weight for the month.
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Oh MFP, why do you hate me! I just wrote a long reply to all of you, and MFP ate it. So I’m refilling my coffee and writing in Notes now.
May the Fourth Be With You
Welcome @NadiaMayl , you and I can be tracking buddies. Good job starting the months strong! Every day of success helps keep the momentum. Four days is a great way to get the ball rolling.@SummerSkier, thanks for the cheer! I know my enthusiasm is a habit honeymoon, but I am basking in the glow right now. Good job on the balancing act. 🙌 It’s amazing how much a little practice can make a huge difference.
@hcoleman232, , I need a wardrobe goal item to track my progress like your shorts. I’m not sure four pounds will do it to make my Colonial jacket, which was such a lot of work, and somehow it got tight hanging in the closet during 2020. 🤪. Good going on the flossing ! 👏
That 5k sounds Ike a great motivation. @snowshoe072And playing the guitar is a wonderful goal. Years ago, a member of the group, @themedaist did playing guitar as a goal, and she really nailed it. You go, girl! 🏃 🎸
Losing it in MayMay 3 - Came in under calories (by 1) ! Yay for another good day! ✅
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well my balance was really off today but I did it! I think it's hard with a stuffy head but I will continue to do this at least 2x a day and work on it. try try try
I hate when MFP loses our posts… grrrr.
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@Interbeing Ouch! That’s a nasty bruise. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
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@Interbeing - oh my! those are some bruises! Kickball is clearly a dangerous game ! Still, it’s better to be injured being active than to suffer the consequences of inactivity.
Rehabbing after an injury is a real challenge, so that is a great goal! It sounds like your plan is a smart one.
@SummerSkier , hey, practice is practice! Bravo getting it done in spite of feeling bad. 🙌. Hope you are soon feeling better.
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Happy Cinco de Mayo - I’m all ready with burritos and my homemade salsa.
Losing it in May
These first four days have been mild activity days, so I haven’t been hungry, but this week will be very active and I am gearing up to be ready.
May 4 - In under calories and I even managed a couple squares of dark chocolate. 👍
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back at ya on Cinco @77tes. AND oo OW OW on those bruises. @Interbeing 😳
2 balance sessions down today and will try for a third later. This is going to take a lot of practice to get better at and is most likely something I will need to add to my routine moving forward forever and not just a month. I see why I get unbalanced more at night since eyes closed is impossible.
My nose has finally stopped leaking non stop but my sinus headaches are awful. wow. I was trying to avoid more dayquil/niquil but nothing for it …
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Reporting in no guitar today but a 2.76 mile walk at lunch my average pace was 18:40 which came out to be 3.2 mph my total walk was 54:29 for time let’s see what tomorrow brings. I must be honest and tell you I do not stop my watch while waiting to cross traffic when I do I sometimes don’t turn it back on☹️
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@77tes Dark chocolate eaten in moderation is a great snack! I am still a bit tentative on making changes to my diet plan, but now that I have been able to maintain my weight over the past month, I may try to add in some comfort foods. One of the issues I’ve had in the past is to stop myself from overeating treats when they are around, it seems it’s either all or nothing.
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Good job keeping your balance! @SummerSkier. I love the idea of your multiple sessions, that’s going to get your balance better more quickly.
@snowshoe072. Great lunchtime walk! 🚶♀️I don’t turn off my walk timer while waiting for cross traffic either. I’d surely forget to turn it back on. My exercise tracker seems to know.
It sounds like you’ve been doing a great job with your food choices - adding in treats can definitely be tricky. I find having a high quality 90% chocolate bar that I can break a square off helps me control . If I open a bag of chocolate chips, I’m doomed.
Losing it in May
I’m still feeling enthusiastic and looking forward to Friday weigh-in.
May 5 - In under calories and I am getting more creative about eating lower-calorie snacks while upping my plant variety.
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Not as long as walk today but still a good day between raindrops .93 miles in 20 minutes with an elevation gain of 90’. I am pleased maybe more tomorrow.
I did manage some guitar time it’s been so long my fingers are sore 🎸
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Balance today a few times / attempts. My thought today was that balance is all about posture and posture is thinking about a string pulling you up thru the top of your head. Still here day 6 and it's not really getting easier but practice will make it better I hope. Of course I am just doing the tree pose thing and most of the time I never get to the hands over the head part. LOL.
@77tes sounds like you are doing well so far! I hope your efforts pay off on Friday weigh day.
I am also managing to keep up my habit from last week for more dental attention which is a win I think.
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First day on the bike since my injury yesterday, I took a leisurely 10 mile loop on our local trails. My quad was a little stiff and sore this morning, but no pain. Second day at the gym this morning post injury, I bumped my weight up a bit, the workout went well, hope to be back to baseline by the end of next week.
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@snowshoe072 , Great short intense walk , Well done! 👍 And hooray for the guitar 🎸 practice, your fingers are in training. 🙌
@SummerSkier , balance is so foundational that it’s hard to see improvement, but every single second of practice is progress! Good job keeping at it.
There’s no keeping you down @Interbeing ! 10 mile loop on the bike and a workout at the gym with more weight! You are a beast! 🦁 (I mean that in the nicest way).
Losing it in May
May 6 - I’m surprising myself that I’m not struggling to stay within calories. I made a lovely pot of stew in a new fabulous pot that I haven’t had a chance to use before.
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Losing it in May
One Week Done Successfully!
✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
May 7 - After saying I wasn’t struggling, today was a struggle, but I called upon my willpower and managed it. It was a very active day, and I knew that would harder - and the rest of the week will be hard as well. I’m singing “We Are the Champions” to celebrate and encourage myself.
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@77tes Hang in there Tess, one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time!
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