Food and exercise log - no matter how bad it is

[Scumspawn]

I'm on day 15 of walking! I think I'll take it to 21 days then allow myself a break - otherwise it's going to get really sad when I get to high figures and I can't for some reason walk - I'm thinking of this as damage limitation, I'll feel like I fail unless I build in a fail system.

 

I'm really enjoying the book, I don't get the koolaid reference yet though.

am thinking of adding another habit......

 

but I'm clearly not good at writing down everything I eat every day

[peelout]

1 hour ago, Scumspawn said:

I'm on day 15 of walking! I think I'll take it to 21 days then allow myself a break - otherwise it's going to get really sad when I get to high figures and I can't for some reason walk - I'm thinking of this as damage limitation, I'll feel like I fail unless I build in a fail system.

Rather than a fail system, how about a plan b, c, and d?  On a day you can't walk, how about a simple body wt routine?  And for absolute worst case conditions (sick, didn't sleep the entire night, issues that I as a man will never understand, etc), decide on a placeholder like 10 squats or some arm stretches. For me it's all about the feeling that no matter what, there are somethings I am in control of and exercise is one of them.  I may feel shit, the entire wt of the world might be bearing down on my shoulders, and life wasn't fair, but by God I exercised and therefore my day was a success.  

 

1 hour ago, Scumspawn said:

I'm really enjoying the book, I don't get the koolaid reference yet though.

lol.   To drink the Kool-Aid, is to unquestioningly accept someone else’s vision, program, or belief system.  The phrase Drinking the Kool-Aid actually grew out of a heinous instance of mass murder-suicide in the 1970s, the Jonestown massacre. On Nov. 18, 1978, more than 900 members of a religious cult led by charismatic madman Jim Jones were enjoined (and in some cases, forced against their will) to down cyanide mixed with grape Flavor-Aid.  When I said "I drank the koolaid" it meant I was almost a cult like follower of his process.

 

1 hour ago, Scumspawn said:

am thinking of adding another habit......

but I'm clearly not good at writing down everything I eat every day

My suggestion is to make sure of several things when creating a new habit:

1)  Make sure you are comfortable that your previous goal is fully embedded and automatic.  

2) Ask yourself if this is really something you want to do for the rest of your life?  I try to only use habit formation for things I seriously think I would want to do for the rest of my life (or at least many years).  Otherwise its just a short term goal.  You mentioned logging food.  I think thats a good tool.  But is it something you want to do forever?

3)  Make sure you write it in a way that allows for success.  I was on another website and a person would inevitably decide "no sugar ever" was going to be a new habit.  Seriously?  Did this person think that they would never, ever, ever have sugar again.  No cake at a party, no desert after a meal, not a cookie or donut ever?  Delusional thinking.  I wanted to exercise daily as a habit.  But I gave myself an out w/ the Placeholder.  Sure its all in the mind, but it allowed me a way to keep the habit under all circumstances other than a coma.  

4)  Make your initial habits something you can do daily.  Keeping a habit daily is actually easier than 1 you do 3 days a week.  Think of exercise.  If you decide 3 day/wk is what you will exercise, there is a good chance you will put if off when you are a little tired at the start of the week, then wind up having to do all 3 days worth at the end of the week, then something prevents it one of those days, then you feel bad cause you only got 2 days in.....  Get the picture?

5)  Think small.  If a person wants to start drinking more water and they currently drink none, they should shoot for a habit of 1 glass/day for starters.  They can always drink more.  I saw a lady who wasn't drinking any decide to make a habit to drink 72oz/day.  Seriously?  Go from 0 to 72?  She set herself up for failure and then failed.    Better to have a small success than a large failure.  Small successes add up to big things.

6)  Think measurable.  There are a lot of good tools out there but not all of them are measureable.  Take mindful eating.  Some people use this and feel like it helps them.  Thats great.  But you can't measure it very well.  At least for the first few habits, I would recommend something you can see and measure.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention:  Super awesome job on 21days of exercise.  

 

[Scumspawn]

lurgy, will report properly later when my brain works

[SevenofSeven]

Hope you feel better soon.

[Scumspawn]

still here, my sleep is getting better with the new HRT but I'm wary of pushing myself too much with tackling my diet before my sleep is sorted.

however, today is a mostly paleo day so I'm nudging towards the better choices.