Ultimate Accountability Challenge October 2021

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October 14

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  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
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    jjjcat wrote: »
    October 14 (wedding anniversary for us)

    Exercise: Yes - 30 minute dog walk
    Calories under: Yes
    Tracked all: Yes

    My goal for the holiday season is to keep up with this group, even if I have multiple pass days. I need the ongoing accountability of staying honest.

    Great strategy!!! U r in the right place for that. Xo
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
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    jjjcat wrote: »
    October 14 (wedding anniversary for us)

    Exercise: Yes - 30 minute dog walk
    Calories under: Yes
    Tracked all: Yes

    My goal for the holiday season is to keep up with this group, even if I have multiple pass days. I need the ongoing accountability of staying honest.

    Happy anniversary. Xox
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
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    lesdarts180 wrote: »
    Well, Christmas will be difficult this year. It is our first Christmas since my son died earlier this year. Last year the UK government cancelled Xmas, we couldn't get together. It was the last year my son was alive. In December 2019 we were all reeling from the shock of his diagnosis, but it did bring us all together.
    My DIL is going home to the States with the children from Dec 20th to April. I'm happy for her to spend time with her family as she hasn't seen them for nearly 2 years. So my mum and I will spend Xmas with my daughter and her children.
    I don't know how I will deal with it.
    I will stick with UAC and just get through it.

    So nice that u will be surrounded by your daughter's little ones!! Hopefully this will help be a bit of a distraction. Xox
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
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    TerriRichardson112 wrote: »
    ✅ - Exercise 20+ Minutes: 93 minutes, aerobics/walking/circuits/tai chi/dancing
    ✅ - Calories within budget
    ✅ - Tracked everything

    3️⃣ Pass Days left

    Since embarking on my new fitter/healthier lifestyle, my usual December routine has been to continue to track, and eat under maintenance except on Christmas Day. I do extra workouts on days where I am socialising.

    My plans for Christmas this year are very fluid. Up until Covid our home was the focus of many family gatherings, as we are the seniors of our tribe. We took over this role when DMiL/DFiL were getting older and it was too much for them. Christmas dinner was for 15, and we would have half a dozen family members staying over the Christmas period.

    Last Christmas was the first time in over 30 years that we didn’t have guests, and due to lockdown, we couldn’t have family gatherings, except for a Christmas Eve walk, and coffee, mulled wine (non alcoholic for the drivers), etc, and seasonal goodies in our garden afterwards. (The weather was mercifully dry and sunny.)

    Although we missed our usual family celebrations, I have to admit that we enjoyed the lack of hassle immensely, and I was grateful for the lack of the usual surfeit of seasonal goodies, as I had sent most of the Christmas fayre home with the family on Christmas Eve.

    My daughters had been suggesting that they could do the family honours at Christmas, so maybe this year I will finally pass over the reins to them.

    @WhatMeRunning <> I use all the stress relievers suggested in that article apart from the counselling. I find meditation particularly helpful.

    @Mrs_Hoffer <> I only take off Christmas Day from tracking (I do it a couple of days in advance, and adjust as necessary), so don’t have the hiatus of having to get back to it.

    I also use distraction if I feel the munchies. My exercise of choice is to put on some rock music and boogie. 😂 it gets those feel-good endorphins into play.

    @lesdarts180 <> (((Hugs))) You are a amazing and resourceful, the way you have dealt with all of that. As Teresa said, you are a strong woman and you will get through it.

    @TerriRichardson112 u are sooo right dancing is such a fun distraction.. Wenever i can't go 4 a walk and need to entertain bub in wet weather I will dance around with him, he loves it and it automatically puts me on a high! Xo
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
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    jamcnewman wrote: »
    @donna25trinity Thank you for sharing 💛 You have really done a lot of personal work and have identified issues and challenges that get in the way of your well-being and success. Be strong for yourself and your husband and baby. The boundaries you identified are so important.

    And all those “thumbs up” for today — way to go! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

    Will do, thanks a bunch!!! Xo
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
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    SummerSkier wrote: »
    14 Oct
    Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? yes
    Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? yes
    Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? yes
    Pass days used:0

    Holidays. wow. interesting reading and I think Mrs H has the best one yet because it gives her ROOM mentally to not go off the rails. I see SO MANY people who just go all out crazy with food starting with Halloween thru Thanksgiving and Christmas/holiday of choice season and mentally they think "I will restart Jan 1". I learned quite a long time ago that doing that only made it worse and of course when I failed on 3 Jan I was in a much worse position. The same holds true when I hear folks say "I am just going to finish up all this bad stuff I already have in my house and then I will start".. Typically I never hear the after part of that as a success either. But advice is just that. I think we make our own decisions and experience is usually the best teacher.

    This is spot on!!! Xox
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,016 Member
    edited October 2021
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    Katiecan2021 wrote: »
    Exercise - yes 15 mins yoga, 40 mins walking
    Tracking - yes
    Calories - no…just plain hungry today so I went over and I’m still going to bed hungry (should have had more fibre / protein!)

    I think the holiday season is easier in the uk now I’ve read all these entries - it’s just Christmas and new year. December is busy and festive and fun but that’s when it starts. If we had thanksgiving too that would make the whole thing longer (and probably more stressful!).

    @donna25trinity I think I’m the same as you, a pleaser. It’s second nature to put other people before me, I too am trying to get better at that. I really have to stop baking for everyone all the time, it’s a time sucker and sometimes a slippery slope to a sugar filled rubbish day. I think the sugar makes me stressed too!

    @jjjcat happy anniversary

    @lesdarts180 you’re right, one day at a time is the only way. And you might not think of yourself as strong but you have consistently kept up this group and your healthy habits at a time when everything must be so difficult. And by doing that you are also doing your best by your mental health and hence your family. Honestly, I think you are an inspiration.

    @TerriRichardson112 I’m so impressed by you only taking a pass day on Christmas Day! That’s discipline!

    Yep I think ur right, we are a rare breed we are!!! Ha ha!!! Great idea with not feeling like u need to bake for others all the time esp if it's stopping u from reaching ur goals!!Xo
  • ashleycarole86
    ashleycarole86 Posts: 6,135 Member
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    Mrs_Hoffer wrote: »
    I'm excited about heading into the holidays..... because I have a plan!! Lol. And it did work well for me last year.......

    Last year as it got closer to the holidays, I decided to put my daily calorie goal up closer to a "maintenance" level.

    I did close to this exact same thing for my Canadian Thanksgiving trip to my Dad's - we left home Thursday and got back Tuesday, and I knew there would be lots of dinners out and things outside my control. Rather than try to hit my normal deficit, fail, and feel frustrated, I purposely set my calories to maintenance - 10%, and that was my measure of success for the timeframe that I was gone.

    I think this can be a GREAT strategy for many. It kept me accountable to something - I still had the Thanksgiving meals but it gave me space to enjoy.

    I still lost weight - I tend to overestimate calories in these meals out as I prefer that over the alternative so it ended up being the right plan for me.

    In terms of Christmas, by that time I'll be coming into the later stages of my weight loss goals and my calorie deficit won't be as large. My strategies will be:

    1) continue to get my exercise
    2) take maintenance - 10% calorie days when I know I'm going to family dinners
    3) otherwise, follow my normal plan (allow treats IF they fit into my deficit)

  • ashleycarole86
    ashleycarole86 Posts: 6,135 Member
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    jjjcat wrote: »
    October 14 (wedding anniversary for us)

    Exercise: Yes - 30 minute dog walk
    Calories under: Yes
    Tracked all: Yes

    My goal for the holiday season is to keep up with this group, even if I have multiple pass days. I need the ongoing accountability of staying honest.

    Happy anniversary and great goal! This will be another strategy for me as well.
  • ashleycarole86
    ashleycarole86 Posts: 6,135 Member
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    lesdarts180 wrote: »
    Thanks for the kind words. I have to say, I'm not "strong", there is no choice but to get through the days. I still cry a lot, have some days when I really struggle. One day at a time is a all you can do.

    I think there is a lot of strength in sharing your experience with others - thank you for your vulnerability. My heart goes out to you as well.

  • calvin20874
    calvin20874 Posts: 1,160 Member
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    10/14

    Exercise: 45 minute biking, 22 minutes elliptical, 50 minutes weight training, 55 minutes stretching and PT exercises

    Tracking: yes
    Calories: under
    Pass days: 1
  • Caroline_slowandsteady
    Caroline_slowandsteady Posts: 842 Member
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    Oct 14
    Exercise - yes, 2+hours of walking in the woods at a work retreat
    Tracking - yes, but had to do some estimating for the walking and the ice cream
    Calories - under, but I do fear that I overestimated the walking and underestimated the ice cream

    Friday is to be my high calorie day in my new eating plan, but I am going to keep it a low calorie day to see if I can actually get to some loss. I had 2 high calorie days last week with the pass day, so 0 this week would average out.

    Re: holidays - I have loved reading others' insights.
    Since beginning this recent weight loss 2.5 years ago, I have had 1 small treat every night. It's often a seasonal one. And I can usually confine my treats to that time of day (usually with an exception for the actual holiday, when I eat them all day).

    Looking back at my weight loss data, it looks like Thanksgiving is often a gain of a few pounds but evens out in a week or two. Thanksgiving leftovers are usually the kind of food that I can incorporate into my calorie budget in reasonable portions and still lose weight. We usually host Thanksgiving. Last year we did it by ourselves. This year we are hoping to have just a few family members over.

    It was interesting to look back at data for Christmas. Looks like I usually have ended the year with a loss, because I usually end the year sick. Last year, due to covid precautions, I did not get sick. Christmas has always been with my wife's family and with multiple family gatherings. Last year I was honestly really happy to skip it. Even pre-covid, I could not see the wisdom of gathering so many people together in small rooms to share food in cold and flu season. Yes, I am literally the Grinch :smile: It is just that etiquette seemed to demand everyone show up even if they were sick. There was one year we all got norovirus when we had a 2 year old - and we knew people were sick but gathered anyway! I just can't see going back to that after covid - not just because covid is a possibility, but because I have gotten used to getting sick so much less often. I have asthma and an autoimmune condition so every cold lasts weeks for me. I do actually enjoy my in-laws - and this summer I pushed my wife to plan get togethers with them outside and we did do some. We'll see what happens - a fight may be brewing :smile: . It all depends if kids can be vaccinated by then - if not, we're definitely not going anywhere.
  • Lilinchen92
    Lilinchen92 Posts: 487 Member
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    Pass day.
    But at least I went hiking. I'd also guess that I was within my calorie budget but since I didn't track, there is no sure way of knowing.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 4,805 Member
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    MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »
    Oct 14
    Pass day 2
    Lots of walking
    Didn’t weigh all my food

    Hope everything is OK. This is not like you to not keep track for 2 days in a row... Hope your weather is great for hiking and even though you aren't tracking you are "on track" so to speak.

    ***hugs***

    today is a new day.

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