Bee Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Hey there! I'm Bee, and I've been working on reclaiming my health for the past 10 months. Over the summer I made some huge strides toward understanding nutrition and fitness, which propelled me into fall with a solid foundation on which to build solid goals. I'm still very much a beginner in the world of wellness, but am ready to commit to the next level. A few months ago I read the first couple chapters of The Power of Habit and was instantly struck by the concept of overcoming one bad habit at a time rather than attempting to cure several at once. Although I struggle with the slow game, I decided to give it a shot and chose one habit to drop completely: drinking soda. Everything else was allowed to have slip-ups, but drinking soda was the one action I committed to erasing completely from my life with no exceptions. And you know what? It worked. The next change I committed to was removing meat from my diet. Again, it was the only ultimatum I gave myself (well, that AND staying away from soda). Both of these were hurdles that at one time seemed impossible to clear, but tackling them intentionally, one at a time, with greater focus helped me rewire my brain much more easily than I had anticipated. Although I have three habits below that I am either overcoming or building, they're not all from the same category of life. I can focus on each of them individually within their own context. Main Goal: To wake up one morning and find my current pair of jeans to be too large (aka: drop 1 dress size). Goal #1: No sweets/treats/dessert (except for a few special occasions that have already been planned) I am SO much better than I used to be, and I'm proud of myself for that. However, November and December are (clearly) full of so many opportunities to over-indulge and I don't want to take too many steps backward. Taking the judgement out of the equation greatly reduces my anxiety about whether or not I can handle "just one" or reward myself after a tough day at work. If I have the option to eat something sweet then I will - and over time it'll creep from one here and there to several per day. I'm ready to take that pressure off myself and give my body a break! To keep myself from hitting a wall and binging, I'm allowing myself to enjoy what I want at some special occasions that I have to look forward to over the next six weeks. 5 CON = 37+ successful days // 4 = 32-36 successful days // 3 = 28-31 successful days // 2 = 24-28 // 1 = 24 or fewer Goal #2: Live on (mostly) plant-powered fuel. For many reasons, my ultimate goal is to fully transition to a vegan diet over the next year. Meat has been off my plate for about a month and a half, but dairy occasionally sneaks its way into my meals - whether through blatant consumption of cheese or through "added ingredients" in pre-made foods. My body is much happier with a plant-based diet and I love the experience of learning to cook new and tasty foods! My exception is being out at a restaurant or a friend's/family member's house where something I'm eating might have a trace amount of non-vegan ingredients, such as in sauces or bread. Again, I ultimately want to move past this, but it's a way to keep me consistent without becoming too overwhelmed. 3 CON, 2 WIS = 37+ successful days // 2/1 points = 32-36 successful days // 1/.5 points = 28-31 successful days Goal #3: Hydrate with at least 70oz of water each day. I decided to update this goal and change it from an exercise goal to a water goal. I want to stick with challenges that help me build daily habits, and right now I'm not including exercise as a daily habit. So, instead I choose to focus on water! 5 CON = 37+ successful days // 4 = 32-36 successful days // 3 = 28-31 successful days// 2 = 24-28 // 1 = 24 or fewer 3 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Congratulations on the progress you've already made! I have some struggle with gearing up to exercise, but if I can get out the door the rest comes without too much trouble. The best of luck to you! 1 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Thanks, Koaladle! I'm excited to be experiencing some ongoing success (rather than stalling after a few months!) and am looking forward to the challenge Same to you! 1 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Bee Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Today I spent some time prepping lunches, chopping veggies, and getting rid of temptation from the house. I'll be glad to have a place to check in and stay accountable each day! 1 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Whoo! GET PUMPED! Chop all the things! 1 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 So far a successful morning. Avoiding candy and focusing on lots of water. Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Those are worthy goals, and if you're anything like me resisting candy is a toughie. Well done on day one! 1 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Those are worthy goals, and if you're anything like me resisting candy is a toughie. Well done on day one! Thanks! Little by little. I keep reminding myself that every little win adds up to big wins over time! 1 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Bee Posted November 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Successful Day 1! No sweets, stuck to my diet. Today isn't an exercise day. I revised my second goal a little - I went out to dinner tonight and while I stuck to my diet, the veggie patty and sauce had a little dairy. Over time I'll be able to avoid these situations through learning appropriate alternatives, but for now I feel that giving myself a little leeway when out with friends or family (or over at someone's house where they may be attempting to feed me but missed a few ingredients) will keep me focused in every other setting - at home, at work, etc. Keeping in mind building habits slowly and purposefully . . . 1 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Keep at it! The little wins make the big wins! The wee wins make GIGANTIC wins! 1 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 I'm feeling pretty pumped having started this challenge and focusing so intently on my goals! So thankful to have had these in place by the time this week rolled around - some stresses that usually would have had me diving into the candy bag are being managed now in much healthier ways. Successful Days 2 & 3-NO sweets (not even one little piece of candy from the freezer)-A tiny bit of dairy with takeout-Workout at the end of this week Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Stress management win! Dietary changes win! You're doing wonderfully! 2 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Stress management win! Dietary changes win! You're doing wonderfully! Feeling awesome, Koaladle! Getting into the groove 1 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Bee Posted November 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Day 4 - 100% success! -No sweets (still, not even that lonely chocolate treat in the freezer)-No dairy or eggs-Workouts at the end of this week/over the weekend 2 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
ixaera Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 It's not lonely! It's in cryostasis and doesn't register the passing of time. When you do finally choose to eat it, it will have no idea how long you ignored it (Plus, it gets to live longer. Bonus!) 1 Quote Link to comment
Bee Posted November 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 It's not lonely! It's in cryostasis and doesn't register the passing of time. When you do finally choose to eat it, it will have no idea how long you ignored it (Plus, it gets to live longer. Bonus!) Ha, ixaera, it took me a minute to register what you were referring to - love it! Yes, my lonely chocolate is blissfully unaware and will be that much sweeter when I enjoy it 2 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Meushell Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Your main goal amuses me. The way you phrased it makes it sound almost spontaneous. Lol. Maybe that's just my wishful thinking for myself. :-) 1 Quote Orc ~ Level 4 ~ Michaela's Profile 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 Strength 8 • Dexterity 3 • Stamina 4 • Constitution 7 • Wisdom 3 • Charisma 3 Link to comment
Bee Posted November 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2015 Your main goal amuses me. The way you phrased it makes it sound almost spontaneous. Lol. Maybe that's just my wishful thinking for myself. :-) I'd definitely love to wake up tomorrow and have my pants far too large! I used to get really stuck on goals that involve weight loss, but I finally realized that it just wasn't a good enough indicator of progress of health. Shrinking in size is something I've enjoyed doing over the past couple months and hope to continue enough so that I can fit into my smaller wardrobe again!! Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Bee Posted November 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2015 Days 5, 6, 7 -Slip up with sweets on Friday, which went from fine to incredibly stressful by the end of the day. No worries! I forgave myself and moved on. This weekend was one of my pre-planned celebration days, so I enjoyed a very moderate amount of sweets (actually cutting a pastry in half today to save some for later this evening!)-Only dairy in my sweets on Friday, and other than that all vegan! Even my treat today was from a vegan coffee shop, which was delightful Slowly but surely I'm getting there!-1/3 workouts for this week. I'll have to plan ahead a bit better for next week and set a reminder so I don't forget! Although it's not officially in my challenge I'm really working on water intake. I'm noticing my skin getting blotchy and lips getting chapped with the sudden change in weather. I'm lucky in that I can take more bathroom breaks than most in my job so I'm going to take advantage of that next week! Chug chug chug! At the end of week 1 I'm feeling super confident and proud of myself. I've learned from past mistakes of being too hard on myself and throwing in the towel after one off-day. Life is full of off-days and that will NEVER change. I might as well build up a lifestyle that allows for falling off the wagon and teaches me how to get right back on! Here's to Week 2! 1 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 9, 2015 Report Share Posted November 9, 2015 I have water intake as part of my official challenge, and it's made a huge difference! I can't wait to hear about how it improves things for you! At the end of week 1 I'm feeling super confident and proud of myself. I've learned from past mistakes of being too hard on myself and throwing in the towel after one off-day. Life is full of off-days and that will NEVER change. I might as well build up a lifestyle that allows for falling off the wagon and teaches me how to get right back on! Here's to Week 2! I love everything about this. I can definitely learn a thing or two from you! 1 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Day 8 - SUCCESS! -no sweets (not even the little bit of leftover celebration chocolate that I would have been okay eating - I'll save it!)-100% stuck to my diet (even when I went to a local fast food place that has vegan burgers and they were out, so I settled on a salad and sweet potato fries; definitely not the best, but it was what I could do with my short break!)-also, managed to drink over 80oz of water today; I've found that if I can get 32oz before leaving for work, I can get the rest in throughout the morning and early afternoon and not have to get up a million times in the night to use the restroom - win! A couple things I've learned about myself that are continuing to improve little by little with greater focus in this challenge . . . I can stop myself before binging, and my body knows how to tell me when I'm full. This afternoon I had some chips - instead of going overboard I was able to tell when I was done eating them and stopped before I made myself sick. At lunch today I only had about half my order of fries because I just got too full and knew I wouldn't be happy finishing them. I thought about eating my chocolate after dinner but realized I just didn't want any, and would rather save it for my next "celebration day." Even over the weekend I ate far less than I normally would have because my body was simply able to tell me it'd had enough. In my ideal world I'd cook from scratch using fresh, whole ingredients every day. Some weeks I get pretty close to that, but the rest of the time (one of those times being now) I settle for making the best choices I can while I continue to learn, grow, and improve. I believe that someday I'll get there and it'll be second-nature to prep weekly and cook hearty, wholesome meals. For now I have accomplishments for which I can feel mighty proud! 2 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Koaladle Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 A FABULOUS DAY! Congratulations! 1 Quote Koaladle Current Challenge Daily Battle Log Link to comment
Bee Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Thank you Koaladle for your positivity and encouragement!! Day 9-NO sweets. Not even the candy sitting on my desk all day long, which looked oh-so-tasty.-100% stuck to my diet! Getting better and getting easier! Big Celebration: I fit into some pants today I haven't been able to wear in a long time! They're still a little bit tight but they fit me and that's what counts I'm on the right track! 2 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
Bee Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Also, I updated my third goal and changed it from exercise to water intake. It's important for me to start building daily habits, and since exercise wasn't something I was focusing on daily I realized I truly wasn't going to put as much effort into it. However, water intake is something I started focusing on again over the weekend, and decided that was a more worthwhile goal for this challenge. That way I'm focusing on three things to do each day that I can easily track. I have some ideas in mind for next round's exercise goal, but this is where I'd like to start! 2 Quote Moon Bee // Druid // Level 4 Challenges // DBL 1 2 3 4 5: Bee is Everything Link to comment
ixaera Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Great job sticking to your diet goals!!! 2 Quote Link to comment
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