Community Challenge Archive

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The November Challenge: 30 Days Perfect On Plan!

Welcome to November 1st, the official opening day of Holidays-R-Us. Whatever holiday traditions you celebrate, from Halloween to Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving to Christmas, Purim to Hanukkah, chances are that celebrations will surround you from October 31st through January 1st. Reduced-for-clearance Halloween candy is already on the shelves and your family may already be making plans for the annual Thanksgiving feast. It's hard enough to stay on plan on a normal day—but how will you cope with the challenges of continuous celebrations, often centered around food, that come one after the other at this time of year?

One way to stay focused during busier, more challenging times is to simplify the plan to its essentials. Maybe you always track several `extras,' but during the holiday season you feel overwhelmed. Well, this month, let's save a little sanity and just track the basics! The essentials of Protein Power, the 80% of the plan that will benefit most people, are menu-focused and very simple:

--get at least your minimum protein requirement every day (do you know yours?)

--drink at least 64 oz. of water or non-caloric fluids daily

--average at or under the ECC recommendations for your phase of the plan every day.

Exercise is important (and just because we're starting the holiday rush is no excuse to stop moving and shaking!) But for November, when you're surrounded by traditional foods that aren't always on plan, it's time to focus on practicing the best eating habits possible, and let the basics of the plan work their magic.

Our Challenge this month is a quest, a treasure hunt. How many of us can tally up 30 perfect days on plan? Wherever you are in your Protein Power journey—Phase I, 30-40g ECC per day; Phase II, up to 55g ECC per day; or Maintenance, discovering your own daily ECC limits—November's Challenge is for you. Beginner, bootcamper, old-hand or maintainer at goal weight, aiming for consistently perfect days will help all of us focus.

What is a perfect day on plan? It's a day when your menu shows that you chose several protein-rich meals and snacks. It's a day filled with healthy fats and a healthy variety of carb-smart vegetables and fruits. It's a day when you got all the water you should be drinking. It's a day when you know that you did the best you could do for your health.

And what will you get for 30 perfect days on plan? BIG CASH PRIZES? hmmm…no. An all-expense paid trip for two to the destination of your choice? hmmm…no. Two tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York? Nah…they might go on strike, anyway.

What you WILL get is support, and satisfaction, and that amazing feeling of owning more control over your menu choices every day. This year, you won't be gnoshing your way through the holidays, at the mercy of every celebratory family dinner or unattended plate of strudel, cookies, fudge, cake or pie at the office. You'll be on plan and on target, sure of your own needs, and you'll know how to make the plan work for you.

Watch every day for a thread called `Nov. Challenge - Perfect on Plan'. When you see that thread in the message list:

--post a reply with your menu for that day

--update everyone on your efforts to be Perfect on Plan since the last check-in thread.

Monitor Monday Menus will count as a check-in, and other random check-in threads will be posted every week. I'll be keeping track of everyone's `perfect on plan days'…and at the end of November, we'll all celebrate having stronger habits in place to help us enjoy the 2005 holiday season—perfectly on plan.

Who's up for a challenge? Who wants to try to be Perfect on Plan, every day? Who thinks they can hit 30 perfect on-plan days? Join in, and let's prove it!

Gaelen

[Shadow]

December Challenge – Fun for You!
This is really a three part challenge—and before you gasp, it is about taking care of you and about having some fun.

The first part…The 12 Days of Christmas challenge is going to be about taking care of you. During the rush of the holiday we have learned that taking good care of ourselves is most important. I mean how can we ever take care of anyone else if we don't? So for the bell ringers, the moms, the dads, the aunts and uncles, the kids, the chorus lines, the singers, the neighbors, whoever you are, you are important.

Alrighty then, the 12 days of Christmas challenge is easy! We are going to ask you to do one thing each day to take good care of your body. Nourish it with rest, with a good protein rich meal, fresh veggies or fruits, but taking good care of you in some way you want. Maybe it is finding 20 minutes for a hot bath, or 20 minutes to read or 20 minutes of alone time to go for a walk, whatever it is. That is the challenge.

On December 13-23rd the challenge is going to take a fun route…it is going to be what are the top 10 things to do with fruitcake! Yes, anything goes, anything to make you smile and relax to enjoy the season. With this group I am thinking we will come up with some phenomenal fun ideas!! Stay tuned and get ready.

On the 24th-25th we are not going to challenge, we are going to enjoy the season (if you would like to take these days during a different time in December, you just do it). But starting on December 26th we are going to talk about PP goals for 2006. WE will be greeting the season ready and strong!!

December 1-12 we will post the heading, How did you take care of yourself today?
December 13-23rd will be something crazy about fruitcakes I am sure!
December 26th-31st will be setting goals for good health in 2006.

Be a part of some of it, all of it, none of it! The December challenge is just to keep us thinking and moving and taking care of one of the most precious commodities we have here--YOU!

Billie

[Shadow]

January Challenge – Success Starts in the Pantry
Protein Power can be a very simple plan.
1) Get adequate protein, and spread it throughout the day, every day.
2) Reduce your carbs to the level that works best for you, and keep carb intake per meal below the amounts suggested for your phase of the program.
3) Incorporate exercise and adequate fluid intake into your day.

With that in mind, the January challenge is also simple…
-- double-check our daily protein and carb goals
-- incorporate exercise into our day
-- ensure success in 2006 by powering up our pantries to be sure we have on hand what we need to prepare a healthy meal.

FIRST, let's start 2006 off right by taking measurements and a starting weight to help measure our progress. At minimum, measure your waist at the level of your navel, and measure your lower hips. These numbers will let you compute your waist : hip ratio so you'll know when you start to lose abdominal fat.

Use the measurements you take to compute your lean body mass (see the calculations from the first `Protein Power' book), or to give you a reference for your own month-to-month comparisons. Just remember that calculations of lean body mass are only estimates! Use your measurements and the charts in one of the Protein Power books, or the Wake Forest BMC calculator:

http://www1.wfubmc.edu/heart/Being+Heart+Healthy/Health+Calculators

to compute your recommended minimum protein intake. The Wake Forest BMC protein calculator uses a formula very close to the calculations in the original PP book. To gauge your frame size, use this estimate. Circle your wrist with your thumb and index finger. If they overlap, you have a SMALL frame. If they just touch, you have a MEDIUM frame. If they don't touch, you have a LARGE frame.

SECOND, once you know your minimum daily protein requirement, pick a daily ECC target…30g to 40g ECC if you're in Phase I (just starting the program, or trying to get medical issues like high blood pressure or poor lipid values to improve); 50 to 55g ECC if you're in Phase II (still trying to lose weight, but not facing any medical issues); 55 to 60g ECC if you're transitioning into maintenance.

THIRD, commit to exercise. If you didn't exercise regularly in 2005, commit to gradually incorporating regular exercise in 2006. Start exercising once per week in January, with a plan to increase to twice per week in February, three times per week in March, and so on—or plan to exercise for 10 minutes every other day in January, increase to 15 minutes in February, and so on. Sneak exercise into your day one day at a time, and by the end of January, regular movin' and shakin’ will be a habit. If you're already exercising regularly, commit to varying your routine…take a look at other types of exercise, try something you've never done before. Aim to find a backup exercise for your normal favorites. There will be a daily M's & S's thread to keep us all on track, and to discuss the new exercises we're trying this month.

Once we know how much protein and how many carbs to aim for daily, and we've committed to exercise, it's time to ensure our success by taking a hard look at how prepared we are to follow through on our plan. Open your pantry and take a look around. Could you stay on plan with just the foods you have in the house—or do you need to make a trip to the store right now? Let's take the time in January to kitchen-proof our plan, so that we have on hand what we need to stay on plan at the end of a long hard day.

THE SUPERMARKET/CUPBOARD MEALS CHALLENGE…
We've talked about `cupboard meals,' quick-fix dinners from pantry staples that are economical, and turn into a quick, on-plan meal with a minimum of fuss. But before you can create Protein Powered cupboard meals, you have to stock your low carb pantry with staples…and that means a little homework in the supermarket reading labels. Since the best foods aren't often labeled `low carb,' we need to learn to
recognize the things in the regular supermarket aisles that fit on plan, make shopping easier and quick cooking a reality.

Every Saturday in January, look for the `SUPERMARKET FINDS' thread.
This thread will continue all week long until the following Friday. Make sure to post your supermarket finds in this thread--at least one regular grocery item that you can use to help make a meal simpler or more interesting. The item doesn't have to be labeled low carb if the nutrient counts keep it on plan…and normally available proteins (like plain eggs, cheeses, meats, fishes, tofu, etc.) DO NOT COUNT!

Novelty foods (Greek yogurt, Halloumi cheese, kosher-for-holy days coconut macaroons) DO count as supermarket finds if they're new to you, or only seasonally available in your area. If your label-reading uncovers a dynamite brand of roasted tomatoes in juice, a new source of daikon radish that you can substitute for potatoes, a brand of cracker without hydrogenated oils, a frozen or shelf-stable entrée that fits PP protein and carb guidelines or a wonderful new nut butter or fruit chutney that will spice up a plain-jane dinner, post away (and please include the brand names if they have them!)

The person with the most supermarket finds at the end of January will win the `Be Prepared' part of the January challenge, including all the honor and glory that goes with that. I'll be submitting 'finds', but since I'll be keeping track, I won't be competing.

Hand-in-hand with the `Supermarket Finds' thread will be the `CUPBOARD MEALS' part of the challenge.

Every Wednesday, we'll start a `CUPBOARD MEALS' thread. Cupboard meals of all types and flavors are welcome. Cupboard meals should rely on staples that are easily maintained in the canned food pantry, the freezer or the fridge. They may be so simple that they don't really need a recipe, or take more than a few minutes to prepare…and they should fit into a Protein Power meal plan with a minimum of fuss. At the end of the month, I'll put all the cupboard meal suggestions into a file that will be mailed to all members and uploaded to the recipes section for permanent reference…and we'll ALL win as we create a file of go-to meals for those days when cooking is just not our first priority!

Here's to kicking off 2006 with success that starts in the pantry! Are you in?

Gaelen

[Shadow]

The February Challenge – Affairs of the Heart
This month, let’s focus on our healthy hearts--making them healthy, and keeping them healthy. We already tend to our heart by careful menu choices, so let's also pay attention to the mental and physical aspects of building healthier hearts.

1. Eating for heart health. The biggest part in taking care of our heart health is something we’re already doing – following this WOE. So this part of the challenge is simple – know and follow the plan! Make sure you’re getting enough good quality protein at each meal; eat at or below your ECC level at each meal; and focus on using the healthiest fats.
In each week of February, let’s pay a little extra attention to a different aspect of our menus in our daily menu threads and each new week will have a different focus.

2. Love Yourself! February is International Boost Self Esteem month, so let’s do all that we can to feel good about ourselves. This part of the challenge focuses on something we don’t do often enough – loving ourselves. Where eating right may seem simple, reinforcing our self-esteem may be the hardest thing to work on every single day.
Once a week we'll start a thread that focuses on loving ourselves in a variety of ways, and asks you to check in with the positive reinforcers you've used that week. Feeling good about ourselves reduces our stress levels and creates a more positive outlook which in turn makes us happier all around. Choose anything at all that makes you feel happy, pampers you, makes you smile. Every positive reinforcer you give yourself counts, from making a good eating choice to enjoying a satisfying workout, trying a new recipe, taking time for your favorite hobby, giving yourself a manicure, taking time for you, pausing in your day to enjoy a beautiful sight, reminding yourself of your accomplishments, etc. - anything that makes you smile and feel good!

3. Exercise for the Heart. The M’s & S’s group has really been going strong lately, but let’s take that just a step further. All too often we focus on the hard part of exercise – but this month, let’s focus on the “feel good” part. The more fun we can have at exercise and the better we feel about what we’re doing, the more likely our chances of sticking with it. So let’s remind ourselves of why we’re doing what we do. Each week we’ll discuss different “feel good” aspects of exercise. You just never know – it might inspire you to try something different!

So for week 1 (Feb 1 – 7)
-- Daily Menus: Let's talk Protein! What’s your favorite protein source? How do you make it? What do you do to “shake it up” and keep some variety in how you prepare it?

-- Celebrate "Love Makes The World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy" Week! Laughter makes us feel good. What makes you laugh? What story or joke would the rest of us get a kick out of? Share whatever brings you a chuckle with the rest of the group, and spread the smiles. Take a few minutes every day to do whatever it is that brings laughter into your life – read a funny book, watch a sitcom, enjoy time with your children, play like a kid again. Find something to make you laugh every day this week--and remember, sharing the smiles is your goal.

-- M's and S's: Let's look at our favorite exercises. What is YOUR favorite exercise and why? If you were to try a new exercise, what would it be? This can be a new move or even a new discipline.

[Shadow]

Week 2, Feb 8 – 14:[/B][/COLOR]
-- Eating for Heart Health: Let’s talk Vegetables and Fruits! What are your favorites? How do you eat them? Is there something new you’d like to try?
-- Celebration of Love Week ~ What are you doing for yourself this week to feel good about who you are? How are you loving yourself? Are you reminding yourself of everything you have achieved? Or are you working on appreciating a good body part? Every day of this week, find something to love about yourself.
-- M's & S's - Where do you feel best about exercising? Where do you like to exercise and why? If you could create the perfect workout atmosphere, where would it be and what would it have?

[Shadow]

Week 3, Feb 15 – 21:
-- Eating for Heart Health: Let’s talk Fat! What are your favorite fats? If money were no object, what fats would you like to try?
-- Random Acts of Kindness Week ~ I’m sure we often catch ourselves going one step further for our friends and even strangers. We take extra time to hold a door open, send a friend a message to make their day, give an extra big smile to someone who looks down. But how often do we do that extra step for ourselves? Your goal this week is to do a random act of kindness for yourself. Whether it’s something simple like interrupting chores to drink a cup of coffee, or getting in some extra stretching because you feel tense, or taking the time for a bubble bath instead of a shower – every day, perform an act of kindness for yourself.
-- M's & S's - What makes you feel good about Exercise? How do you keep your workouts from getting repetitive and boring?

[Shadow]

Week 4 - February 22 - 28:
-- Eating for Heart Health: The Ultimate LC Meal. What would be your favorite meals for a day if time and/or money were no object? What delicious creations would you make?
-- National Friendship Week ~ I’m sure we’re all aware that we treat our friends better than we tend to treat ourselves. Your goal this week is to treat yourself just as you would treat your best friend. Whether it’s just stopping critical self-talk, or taking time to give yourself a pep talk, or getting yourself something small that would make your day, this is your goal for each day this week.
-- M's & S's - What is your favorite piece of exercise equipment? If money (or space) were no object – what would be your “dream toy”?

[Shadow]

MARCH MAGIC
We are going to start off March with a challenge that is different than usual. It is going to be based on your own goals, very personalized in three areas, exercise, water and protein

Here we go!

You will earn one point for every minute of sustained moderate or vigorous physical activity you engage in.

Lets say you have chosen 30 minutes 5 times a week so your goal would be 150 points for a week. (We are not going to say what is moderate or vigorous, that is your personal option, we are just trying to get you to move)

In addition to your activity points, you want to give yourself 10 points a day for everyday you ate your minimum amount of protein—so lets say 70 points for your protein. (Filling up on protein is the cornerstone of this program, lets start today)

You can earn an additional 25 points per day for drinking 48-64 ounces of water. So you could earn a maximum of 25 (points) x 7 days for 175 points.

Here are my weekly goals:

I will drink a minimum of 48-64 ounces of water for 7 days So 7 x 25 = 175 points per week

I will eat my protein minimum 7 days a week for 70 points

And I will exercise a minimum of 45 minutes, 4 times a week for a total of 180 points.

Billie’s total weekly points are 425!

Fill yours out and lets work some March magic. Our week will begin on Sunday and run through Saturday, just for ease of computing. And after we have everyone registered, we will keep a running chart for you to see your progress!

Prizes, incentives—how about your own good health!

Some tips:
Be Specific—specific goals are easier to stick to than vague resolutions like, “ I will lose 10 pounds”

Change for the right reason—don’t decide to change a behavior to please others or because you think people will like you more if you change. Studies have shown that negative feelings are a frequent cause of relapse.

Anticipate roadblocks—make a plan for coping with inevitable obstacles of lie, don’t let a few days of relapse turn into a year.

Be Realistic—Be sure that your action plan is a realistic one that can fit into your lifestyle.

Be creative—Can the behavior you want to change be combined with other goals to accomplish—for example do you need to exercise and spend more time with your family, how about taking your kids on a bike ride.

Billie

[Gaelen]

April Challenge—Build one positive habit in 30 days

Habits. Routines. They are the things we do every day without thinking. We always park in the same place in the parking lot, do laundry on Thursday night, weigh ourselves every morning, start the day with two cups of coffee, make a list for every task with more than three steps. Some of our auto-pilot habits are the glue that holds our lives together—if I park my car too far from my normal spot, I can’t find it! ;) But while habits can relieve some of the stress of our days, some habits can also make us such slaves to routine that the habit is no longer a positive step in our lives.

This April, the challenge is to focus on the habits--the routines and rhythms--that drive our responses to eating and exercise. For many of us, what we choose to eat is not limited to fuel and sustenance—food is pleasure, family, fun, and sometimes, our drug or vice or passion of choice. But although habit often drives our approach to food and exercise, we can still take positive steps to create or modify a habit into a behavior that is healthier and reinforces our eating plan.

People tend to set too many behavior goals, make those goals too broad, and fail to define realistic measurements and due dates to evaluate progress. But this month, let's choose to focus tightly, and build the groundwork for ONE positive habit--either something new, or a modification of an existing habit. A new behavior won’t become a new habit in 30 days, and no positive substitution for a seriously ingrained bad habit will make that bad habit ‘go away’ forever. But we can take the right steps forward by concentrating on one single positive behavior. All it takes is a clear goal, a way to measure progress, and a month of positive reinforcement to make that desired behavior a real part of our lives.

The Challenge:


Pick a single positive behavior change to make this month. In the 'Positive Steps' thread in this forum (Challenges), tell everyonel what single positive step you'd like to turn into a healthy habit. Then, take this month to build that habit. Pick one thing that builds a more positive attitude about food, increases your self-esteem, or strengthens your support system. Your goal should be specific, positive, active, and measurable. Choosing your new habit is completely up to you, but everyone will be here to cheer you along the way.

Participate in the “Positive Steps” thread in the Challenges forum. This April 1st, let's take the foolin' out of April Fool’s Day. Make sure to introduce yourself and tell everyone where you are on plan (Phase I, Phase II, transition or maintenance.) If you'd like to share your beginning stats, post them or edit them into your signature. Then, in the daily “Positive Steps” thread, update everyone as you pursue your particular new habit--whether you're meeting your goal or whether challenges are getting in your way. Find out ways to treat every small improvement as its own success, and discover why backward steps are part of the learning process. Remember that every step you take can help you reach your goal if you learn from it!

Every Saturday, participate in the weekly poll in the Challenges forum. Each poll will ask you to look at a different aspect of following this plan. You can identify the things that challenge you and reinforce your efforts to stay on plan, pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, and help the moderators understand how to build helpful challenges.


All month, we'll be posting articles and thoughts in the forum “Making Protein Power Work 24/7” on topics that give us all pause--self-esteem, emotional eating, plateaus, family holidays and building support systems. On April 29th, we'll wrap up April with a progress report on your new habit and, if you care to share, your latest stats.

POSSIBLE NEW HABITS
Here are a few ideas, but feel free to focus on a behavior change that is meaningful to you. Remember, to be successful, the habit you're creating needs to be specific, positive, active, and measurable.


I pack a nutritious on-plan lunch and snacks X days of every week in April.
I do (--name the exercise type or program--) X days every week in April, rain or shine or schedule conflicts.
I control my snacking by using snack bags to divide my favorite legal snack(s) into one portion packages.
I keep my pantry clear of (off-plan foods) (transfats) (foods containing high fructose corn syrup) and add one new on-plan alternative to my shopping list every week.
I weigh myself only (once a week) (once a month).
I build better eating habits for my family/myself by making time for a sit-down (breakfast) (dinner) X times a week.
I learn a stress-reduction method (meditation, visualization, etc.) and apply it for (X minutes) per day.
I set aside time for a practice/hobby that recharges me (playing an instrument) (reading a book) (studying a new language) X times per week.
I find and use one new recipe each week in April.
I bring one on-plan dish to this month's family dinners or holiday gatherings every time.


Look for a new poll in the Challenges forum every Saturday (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29).

Commit to making one small change toward a new habit throughout the month of April...and at the end of the month, you'll have learned how to build the first of many new positive habits. So--who's in? This April, let's get stronger in our positive habits, our commitment and our bodies...no April Fools here!

[SherryJ]

I was watching the Disney animated movie “The Fox and the Hound” with my boys the other day. Ever seen it? Then, for sure, you’ll remember the scene where Big Mama (the wise owl) is teaching Tod (the naïve fox) that his friend Copper (the hound dog) WILL track him some day. Tod refuses to believe it, and there’s a drawn out drama in which Boomer, the little bird, falls over dead when Big Mama (pretend) shoots him. “Elimination! Lack of education!!!” ACK! :eek:

Now, there is NO lack of education in these parts… we’ve got the good doctors; those who have paved the road before us and are now in maintenance; resources on file, and people who know WHERE to find other resources, if need be.

So, how does this work into the May challenge? I know for me, personally, it’s not lack of education, but lack of PREPARATION! I’ve been on – and off – lowcarb for over five years now. And, yes, there’s been a LOT of stuff I’ve worked out medically, etc., but still, I have 80 pounds to lose… Yet, in spite of the head knowledge, I keep “falling off the wagon”, so to speak. So! I volunteered to write this challenge, not only to help you, but to put the responsibility of LEADING this on me, and hopefully, by the end of 30 days, we can be on the road… and, STAY on the road!

The May 'Get Prepared' Challenge is simple: Every week, each challenger will try, and share, one - two new main dish protein recipes, be they elaborate or simple. If we share what works (and what DOESN'T), these will provide the building block for a file of several meals (my personal goal is to have 14, two weeks' worth) that we know we can be comfortable making, and that everyone in the house will like! With those "go-to" meals in our kitchens, we can concentrate on staying prepared for anything our schedules turn up! By May 28 (the Sunday before Memorial Day), every participant will have personally tried 4 - 8 new recipes...and every challenger will have not only his/her own trial runs, but a new recipe list based on the other challengers' efforts. After each of us tries a recipe, we share it:


by posting the actual recipe (if posting it doesn't violate copyright rules)
by describing the recipe and linking to the copyrighted electronic version
by describing the recipe and listing the cookbook and author

In the recipe review, include at least this information:


Did we like it, LOVE it or hate it?
Did the family like it, LOVE it or hate it?
Will we make this recipe again?
What did we change in the original recipe?
If we made it again, would we change anything we did the first time?


The only rule is that a recipe can only be submitted once during the challenge. If a recipe has already been 'tried' and 'reviewed' by someone else, you will have to pick another recipe to try and review for the challenge.

If you don't have a way to figure out the nutrient counts for the recipes you try, Gaelen will run your recipe through MasterCook after you post it. Just be sure to include ingredient amounts and the number of servings for the entire recipe. She'll edit the counts into your post, so that they're available to everyone.

Each week, recipes will posted in a weekly thread. At the end of the month, we'll put them together into a "May Challenge Cookbook".

Let's ROCK! :cool:
Sherry

[Billie]

Welcome to the June Challenge! This challenge will be different from what we’ve done so far.

The June Challenge is all about learning… New Learning! Remember how important New Learning is to make Protein Power a true lifestyle? New Learning is an integral part of Protein Power and here is your chance to go back to basics, get your notebooks ready and be willing to commit yourself this month to increase your knowledge so can truly find the reasons why you have adopted this way of life, this way of eating, and this way of thinking!

Let’s kick it of with a provocative quote from Herbert Butterfield (author of The Origin of Modern Science):

“…the most difficult mental act of all is to re-arrange a familiar bundle of data, to look at it differently and escape from the prevailing doctrine…”

We’re all witnessing a true war of concepts and ideas. Anywhere we look, there is contradicting information all around us. On one hand, the bombardment with nutritional information disguised as ‘fact’ with little, weak or no solid evidence behind it. On the other hand, a rather re-emergence of evidence-based nutritional information, so counter-intuitive that it is either banned or even dismissed yet not refuted by the ‘experts’ and ‘nutritional gurus’.

We’ve all learned or at least heard that dietary carbohydrates are not absolutely essential to sustain life as we’ve been taught since we were little school children; we’ve all heard or read somewhere that there is no solid link between fat consumption and heart disease or atherosclerosis, but how much do we actually trust in that information? How to separate weak from solid science, evidence-biased from evidence-based?

Since we can find almost everything with a simple act of ‘googling’ these days, then how do we know what’s worth learning from what’s trash? Perhaps one of Francis Bacon’s quotes comes in handy:

“Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted… but to weigh and consider.”

That is the fundament of New Learning.

So we’ve learned how to estimate the amount of ECC in a meal and how to choose the best sources of good fats and protein. We’ve even developed a keen eye for choices when we eat in restaurants. We’re very diligent in making sure that we have a good intake of omega-3s and a good balance between those and omega-6 fats. We’ve even read that exercise is great and it makes everything even more efficient! But… are we really convinced that what we’re doing is precisely what we need to do for ourselves to improve or even re-gain our health?

Are we still thinking old thoughts like ‘fat makes you fat’, ‘it’s all about calories regardless where they come from’, ‘a calorie is a calorie’, ‘low-carb is ok but I’ll go low-fat just in case’?

How much do you trust your own knowledge of what you’re doing? Knowledge is not only the power but also the key to success. Without knowledge, the rest is useless in the long run for long-term behaviors depend on how much knowledge we have, and not how many times we repeat an action. Without convincing ourselves, boredom quickly ensues, routine sets and next thing we know, we fall of the wagon and can’t find the reasons to get back on it.

So, here’s the June Challenge:

During the month of June, each week research a topic on nutrition or any other topic related to your adopted lifestyle. Examples of these topics are Nutrition, Physiology, Psychology (the psychology behind overeating, binging, etc.), topics found in Mike and Mary Dan Eades’ respective blogs. The sources need to be scientifically based—not just something off the Internet without any background data. This doesn’t mean that you need to subscribe to Nature or Science but make sure that the material you choose does provide references. There are several sources that offer free access to their online versions of their published material.

Here are just a few:


Mike Eades Blog (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/)
Mary Dan Eades Blog (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmd/)
BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/)
American Society of Nutrition (http://www.nutrition.org/)
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders (http://www.liebertpub.com/publication.aspx?pub_id=115)


Once you find an article that catches your eye, we want you to read it, share the source and bring to the discussion forum some thoughts on what you think about the article, questions, etc. Maybe for example, how does insulin respond after a protein-rich meal or how you will implement concepts from something you read if it turns to be sound and supported by solid facts. The objective is for you to discover how this new learning gives you a better handle on how this program works.

Each week, write down those new bits of information you’ve learned and share them with us each week of the Challenge. You’ll be surprised at the amount of new things you will learn!

The June Challenge is definitely more cerebral than exercise, counting carbs, or trying new tasty recipes; we wanted something different and new and as well something that would keep your brain in a state of constant calisthenics!

Each week there will be a discussion thread for the challenge, something like June Challenge week one, please share you new information with us all!

Remember Butterfield’s quote at the beginning? At the end of the challenge, re-examine yourself, find out if you’ve escaped from the prevailing doctrine and share your wisdom with all of us.

Billie and Gabe

[Mitra]

For the July Challenge we want to nourish body mind and soul. We're going to focus on vegetables and fruits. Reading the antioxidant chapter in Protein Power LifePlan will give you a great reminder of why eating a wide range of low carb vegetables, nuts and fruits is such a good thing to do.

Body - I'm afraid there's no way round it. For your body to benefit, you actually have to eat your greens (and reds, and yellows and purples :) ).

For this part of the challenge, think about your routines and your tastes, and set yourself a target. You could decide to eat 5 portions of veg or fruit each day; or to make sure you include some at every meal; or to try a new one each week; or to eat as many different plants as possible each week ... pick a goal that you think will work for you, then report on your progress on the Daily Menu thread, or the Monitor Monday thread.

Soul - Most of us don't just want to plonk a pile of leaves on our plates. The way our food is prepared and presented can make a big difference to our enjoyment of it. We can take pleasure in combinations of colours and flavours; in food that provides comfort or stimulation as well as nourishment, and in sharing meals with our friends and families. So look around for recipes that take your fancy, or experiment in the kitchen to find combinations that are satisfying for you and your family. Each week we'll have a thread where you can post them in the Challenges section, and at the end of the month the moderators will move them over to the appropriate recipe section so they'll be easy to find later on.

Mind - for those who've been enjoying the June Challenge, or who like to understand all the whys and wherefores, here's your chance to keep those research skills alive. Share with the rest of us any information you find about the nutritional benefits of veggies, the best ways to preserve those nutrients when you store and cook your veggies, how to make the nutrients most available to your body, how to avoid anti-nutrients, the effects of waxes and sprays ... Post your findings in the Challenge section, and we'll move them for long-term reference at the end of the month. (The guidelines here are the same as in June: "The sources need to be scientifically based - not just something off the Internet without any background data. This doesn’t mean that you need to subscribe to Nature or Science but make sure that the material you choose does provide references.")

Happy hunting!

[Shadow]

August Challenge – Beat the Heat!

While I know summer has been here for a while, the dreaded “dog days” are soon approaching for most of us. So this month, let’s focus on surviving the frenetic summer pace and the heat. And since I can’t forget our friends in the Southern Hemisphere , I hope you will all join in and let us know what techniques you use when summer is upon you.

For a lot of people, summer is a head-long rush. There are vacations, outdoor gatherings, reunions, celebrations, and a whole lot of heat to be dealt with. So how are we to survive without falling off plan? What do we do when we’re away from our homes and at the mercy of someone else preparing our meals? What do we do when we’re really craving that big bowl of something sweet – water melon, ice cream, strawberry shortcake (whatever your particular summer weakness is) – and the last thing we want to think about is protein? How do we keep up with our exercise routine when we’re just sure climbing that next hill will give us heat stroke? Whatever your particular summer challenge may be, this is where we can get together and discuss our strategies and plans for handling the summer while keeping our eyes on the “thinnish” line.

Each week we will cover a different aspect of summer survival. A different subject will be given every week and then you can fill in the blanks on what your specific challenges are in dealing with the situation and what your coping strategies are. The topic list is certainly not all-inclusive, so if you think of something that isn’t “assigned” a week but is related to the week’s discussion topic, please feel free to bring it up!

This is a no-holds-barred, beat-the-heat challenge . With all of our diverse experiences, we should be able to cover a wide spectrum and hopefully help anyone here who struggles this time of year. Please join in and share your experience and insight with everyone!

[Mitra]

Motivation

"Unfortunately, as anybody has tried it knows, changing your eating behaviour is tough, hard work."
Protein Power

Obviously many people here agree with that statement, because staying motivated was right at the top in the recent poll about what topics would be helpful. Here are some of the thoughts from Protein Power on building motivation:


The first decision is making the changes a permanent part of your life, not just to lose weight or lower your blood pressure, or whatever.

In the corrective/intervention phases, it's best to follow the programme to the letter, adopting a boot camp attitude. These phases are for a finite period of time to turn your health around.

Don't get hungry. It's much easier to avoid temptation when you're not hungry. Try to eat before you get ravenously hungry. Don't skip breakfast, and keep allowable snacks available.

Visualise your goals, and don't get caught up in the trap of deadlines. Set reasonable goals, and visualise clearly the changes that you wish for.

Remember you're the boss. You're the one who puts the food in your mouth, and you are the one who controls what you eat. You can't control the weather, the behaviour of the people around you, but you can control what you eat!

Temptation - there are several components in temptation:
physiological - you see some sweet temptation and start to produce saliva etc;
feeling - you start to feel hungry and crave the food;
thinking - you think how good it would taste, how just one wouldn't hurt.... ;
doing - you eat it.
Only the last part, the doing, is totally under your control, and with time, the thinking can change, too. You can physically turn away from the temptation, maybe grab a "legal" snack instead, or find some distracting activity for a few minutes.


The Challenge

Like the advice on temptation, this challenge will focus on thinking and doing. We'll talk about what helps keep each of us motivated, what undermines our motivation, and how we can cultivate the things that will help us.

For the doing part, we'll each check our protein and carb requirements, and report here whether we've kept to them. They're expressed slightly differently in different books: g per day, or per meal, or S/M/L servings. It doesn't matter which you use as long as you follow the advice in The 30-day Low Carb Diet Solution:

1. Always meet your daily protein requirement.
2. Never exceed your carbohydrate limit per day or per meal.

So, for the month of September, there'll be daily menu threads (which we can keep going afterwards if they're proving helpful). You can report all of your food for the day, or just your carb and protein totals, and discuss anything that helped or hindered your motivation. If you really don't have the time for a daily check in, or if you are finding it pretty easy to stay on plan, then you could just report in once a week on the Monitor Monday thread.

If you want to join in, just say what your goals are (maybe put them in your signature line), and jump in.

[Billie]

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.
(Mike Murdock)


For some of you the words “bootcamp” are very foreign in regards to this bulletin board. For others you go back right away to a time and a place that evokes hard work, wet noodles and lots LOTS of support! It seems to me we are doing a good job of talking the program but how about a hard month of putting an action with it and putting all the pieces together?

The October challenge is a return to bootcamp. It is all about being accountable and measurable. And it is the basic of this program.

The challenge is incredibly simple.

You will report in each day—that is the accountability part.
On these basics components; Protein, carbs, supplements, exercise and water.

It should look something like this:

Protein 90 grams, (Whatever your personal protein amount maybe)
Carbs 30 ECC,
supplements (yes or no if you take them)
exercise: 30 minutes or number of miles walked however you
wish to report it and
water, 3 litres for example


There will be a daily challenge report and your presence is required—if not I will hunt you down!!! Support will be very strong, with PMs and encouraging words each day. On the other hand, we will be strictly holding you accountable. Many of you have indicated to me this is an approach you have missed, so hopefully this will fill your needs.

One other extra component, if you are willing and only if you feel comfortable, a supportive phone call during the month. An actual live voice saying hello, getting to know you and continuing to encourage you. That is completely optional, only if it is something you would be interested in, no pressure on that part.

Are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready for a month working towards accountability, I hope you will join us for the October bootcamp!

So what do you do now? Sign up, begin on October 1st recording your 5 components each day! There will be a thread each morning in the challenge forum with the date on it and some glimmer of conversation. All are welcome!

[Gabriel Guzman]

November Challenge

The November Challenge is essentially a continuation of your success during the October Challenge for those that joined it… but kicked up a notch! For those new to this month's challenge, we'll focus on EXERCISE! Regardless of your level of physical activity, we'll encourage you to challenge yourself this month. If you've never moved a finger, this is a great way to improving upon your already improved way of eating. If you exercise regularly, what a great way to push it a bit harder this month. Wherever you are in your physical activity, the November Challenge will encourage you to be accountable, no matter what!

For those who joined the October Challenge, look where you are now! A month ago, you may have been hesitant to participate in any challenge. Now, a month later, you’ve proven to yourself that it pays off to step out of your comfort zone. The accountability during the October challenge was unprecedented for this kind of activity. You have gathered momentum! Now is time to take advantage of that momentum and aim high!

Accountability is key to keep you on track. That pretty much applies to anything in life. So far, if you're new to the program, you've learned how to estimate your minimum protein intake, and how to journal your food intake. Those who joined the October challenge made a habit of taking a moment to check what and how you did during the day… yes, you either learned or remember what is to be accountable.

So, what’s next? Now is time to start fine-tuning! And this month we start with EXERCISE!!! Yeah… you read that right! We’re going to take all that momentum and fuel our November challenge with enthusiasm until it’s just contagious! If you're just joining in, this is a great time to get in the mood for success!

So far, we’ve been accountable for PROTEIN, ECC, EXERCISE, WATER and SUPPLEMENTS. We’ll continue with that but we’ll put special attention to EXERCISE.

Here's how it will work:

The strategy

Yes, we need a strategy. Planning is a key factor in any successful endeavor and the following strategy will give you some guidelines to help you enjoy your November challenge. I found a simple six-step strategy that Mayo Clinic recommends for weight loss. The general approach makes sense and I've borrowed and adjusted some of them for this challenge. So, let’s get on to it.


MAKE A COMMITMENT. This sounds so obvious that we sometimes neglect what it really means. When you adopted Protein Power, you did it because you wanted a permanent change in your eating habits… yes, a permanent lifestyle change. Making a commitment to exercise regularly, or at the very least increase your level of physical activity, is also part of that lifestyle change. Making a commitment means to ‘be ready’. You need to feel ready… You need to want it so badly that you’ll plan for it, you’ll make time for it and you’ll make it part of your life. More important, you need to want this FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. This month’s challenge will help you start that commitment by helping you being accountable, not only for your protein, ECC, and water, but also for your exercise effort.


GET EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. Ultimately, ONLY YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF MEET YOUR GOALS, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Did you notice how the posts during the October challenge started, more ‘matter-of-fact’, and how they developed into posts full of support and encouragement? Some of you shared thoughts you’ve never thought you’d share on a discussion group, let alone an electronic one. You’ve all grown comfortable with the rest of the ‘troopers’ and you’ve made a very cohesive group that cheer each other through rough times and celebrate each other’s victories, big and small. If you didn't join any challenge in the past, this is your chance to experience how rewarding that can be.


SET A REALISTIC GOAL. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the challenge. We all have goals… but we don’t always pass those goals through the reality sifter. One of the reasons may be lack of proper knowledge. During the October challenge, some of you thought you would lose a dramatic amount of weight until you learned that it’s okay if weight loss is only half a pound a week. You learned that safe weight loss occurs not only slowly but also in small amounts. Now it’s time to set realistic exercise goals and this is crucial if you’ve never exercised before. Now, you’ll learn that exercise helps you in ways you didn’t think before. Also, if you didn't before, now you’ll learn the benefits of resistance as part of your regular exercise.


ENJOY HEALTHIER FOODS. This needs no discussion. You’ve already learned how to choose your food. The challenge for you during this month, however, is to be even more careful with not going below your minimum protein intake and increase your water intake. Regardless of the type of exercise you do or will be doing, you’ll need more protein and water to keep your lean body mass and keep you always nicely hydrated once resistance is thrown into the mix.


GET ACTIVE, STAY ACTIVE. Recomposing your diet has helped you thus far. As we’ve discussed before, carbohydrate control is more effective than exercise ALONE to induce weight loss. However, the combination of carbohydrate control and exercise has synergistic effects. That’s what we are after during the November challenge. Exercise makes things happen more efficiently. Somebody posted during the October challenge that ‘a little exercise is better than no exercise for the day.’ That’s exactly the state of mind you need for this challenge. Stay active, no matter what. If you currently go to gym and can’t make it one day, stay active! Go for a walk and count that as exercise, but stay active!

Move, move, move!!! That’s the challenge for this month!


CHANGE YOUR LIFESTILE. This is an ongoing process. You already started by changing your eating habits and the way you look at food now. You already committed yourself to be accountable every day towards your own goals. Now, to be equally successful with your exercise goals, you need to think that is almost the same as brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t go to bed without brushing your teeth first, would you? Well, if you commit to exercise 3 times a week, don’t go to get those days without having accomplished that task.


Let's make things simple

Now, to make things simple, let’s just agree on some definitions so you know exactly what to report:

RESISTANCE
Working out with machines or free weights, Pilates, Power bands, Good old ‘Army’ type of training (you know… pushups, sit-ups, crunches, etc.) If you do Yoga with powerbands, wrist/ankle weights in yoga, devices that involve using external resistance, or picking more demanding postures, doing them in a more challenging way, or doing more of them, that will also be taken as 'resistance'.

CARDIO
We’ll use the term for now but includes what you normally call ‘Aerobics’ (jumping up and down at some nice music), Yoga, Tae Bo, Biking or ‘Spinning’, Swimming, Jogging, Hiking.


THE CHALLENGE



DON’T THINK POUNDS! Neither as a weight loss goal nor as minimum pounds to lift or move (resistance exercise). The scale won’t tell you much this month so don’t focus on total body weight. Let exercise combined with the program work their magic on you. The challenge is to create the habit of exercise if you don't do it regularly, incorporate resistance if you only do 'cardio', and incorporate a little cardio if you only do resistance (to keep it 'fresh' and always fun).


MAKE TIME FOR IT. Only you know how your schedule is so set your exercise goals accordingly. Don’t leave it for when you have time because you'll never have time for it. Pencil it down in your calendar and treat your exercise time as though it’s a meeting with your boss! However, we challenge you to exercise A MINIMUM OF 3 TIMES A WEEK (if you do resistance only), or a minimum of 3 DAYS OF RESISTANCE per week if you only do ‘cardio.’


So basically, the notches you’ll kick up this month in your exercise department are:


Select the number of days you’ll exercise (3 days per week minimum)
Make time for exercise during the days you choose (pencil it down)
Do resistance exercise minimum 3 days per week
Be extra careful with not going below your minimum protein intake.
Increase your water intake
Report the type of exercise you did (accountability… this will also help us suggest tips or changes)


Keeping with the usual format, your report should look something like this:


PRO: whatever your minimum protein intake
ECC: whatever the level you chose
EXE: yes, resistance + cardio/ yes, resistance only / yes, cardio only
WAT: the amount
SUP: yes or no (feel free to specify which ones)


So, when you report RESISTANCE and/or CARDIO, we’ll know you did one of the activities listed above.

When you report your resistance exercise, you don’t need to add what type of exercises you did and don’t need to specify ‘upper body’, ‘lower body’, ‘incline, decline or twisted chest press’, etc. Your focus this month is to create the habit of exercising. We can work on the specific exercises and routines later if you want.

Join this challenge, it will be fun, accountable and at the end of November a more healthy YOU!

[Shadow]

The December Challenge

In October, we came to realize the importance of accountability and reporting in. Then in November, we kicked it up a notch by moving more and focusing on getting some resistance in. From what I read of both of these challenges and their results, I would call them both a roaring success for all who participated!

So hopefully in December we’re going to keep the momentum going :). In the December challenge, we will continue to monitor and report daily our intake of protein, ECCs, water and supplements. We will also continue to do the level of exercise we did in November (or even kick it up a notch :p ). But to these we will also add accounting for our monthly goals to ensure we survive the holidays.

I don’t mean just muddling through. I mean ending the year on plan, having met your goals for the entire month. After all, who wants to start next year having another 5 – 10 pounds to lose? I don’t think that’s what anyone here wants, self included! But we can all make it through this month and end the year on a high note – not a higher weight on the scale ;) . Since you have all shown great support for each other the past two months, I hope we can keep the momentum going and work together to ensure the holidays are as good as they can be for everyone here.

To kick off the December challenge, let’s start by Setting Goals. Setting goals for the holiday may seem like a restrictive thing to do – but actually, it’s quite the opposite. Knowing your limits, your goals, what you’re going to achieve for the month is a very freeing thing. It will help keep you from shrieking in terror at the scale, will help keep your emotional balance stable (since there’ll be no guilt), and will ensure you get the New Year off to a great start – all while not derailing all the progress you’ve made thus far!

The second step to the challenge is to Plan, Plan, Plan!!! Know yourself and plan your battles wisely! For example, if decide you will allow one indulgence during the holiday, then plan on having it and know exactly when you are going to have it. However, if your plan is to allow one indulgence, don’t let that balloon into any more than that. By the same token, if you plan on allowing a full day for a trip to the “honey tree” then stick to your planned day. One day is one day – not a week, not a month. Decide from the very beginning of the month what your plan is going to be. Also don’t forget to schedule that exercise! The holiday season is not an excuse to skip the gym. If nothing else, you worked so hard making it a habit in November, the last thing you want to do is let it slide in December and have to start all over in January. Besides, the exercise will help you beat the extra stress the hectic holiday season can bring :razz:.

As much as possible, mark your calendars for any events that are going on for the month. Now, I know a lot of people have whirlwind social calendars during Dec – and please don’t think you have to allow for “cheats” at each gathering! Know in advance just how many/which gatherings you’re allowing yourself leeway – and stick to those plans! And don’t forget to plan on all the carbage around the work area, too.

I will post a separate sticky thread at the beginning of the month so we can discuss strategies for making it through the holiday season. Whatever your tips are to survive holiday parties, dinner with the family, office carbage or even holiday-related depression, please chime in and help us come up with some great ideas for anyone who is struggling. There will also be a separate recipe thread going for the holiday season. Being armed with good substitutes for the old favorites is a great way to ensure success. So we hope to hear from all of you with your favorite holiday recipes and treats.
Note - The recipe thread is now up and running here (http://72.32.36.211/forum/showthread.php?t=1890).

So, in keeping with the reporting you’ve been doing, your daily accounting will look something like this:
• PROTEIN: whatever your minimum protein intake
• ECC: whatever the level you chose
• EXERCISE: yes, resistance + cardio/resistance only /cardio only
• WATER: the amount
• SUPPLEMENTS: yes or no (feel free to specify which ones)
• Monthly goal: State your goal here. ( For example, your goal for the month may be to maintain your current weight.)
• Monthly plan: State your plan for the month here. (For example, if you are going to stay on plan every day other than Christmas day, your plan would be 30 days at ____ ECC, 1 day with an additional _____ ECC allowed.)

I hope whoever gets here first each day and has the time will feel free to begin the daily check-in threads :). Most of you are ahead of my time zone so I'm afraid if you wait for me, it will be bedtime for a lot of you before I even get the thread going :lol:!

*Note – Because of the holiday, I realize that very few will actually be checking in all 31 days. So please go ahead and join us even if you know you’re going to be absent here or there. Whenever you can post will be great and since I’m making a list (and checking it twice), I will hunt down anyone who is absent too long :evil:.

So ... are with me in the December challege :)?

[Billie]

January Basic + One Challenge

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful”.


The January challenge is a return to the basics. It is all about being accountable and measurable.


The challenge is incredibly simple

You will report in each day—that is the accountability part.
On these basics components; Protein, carbs, supplements, exercise and water.

It should look something like this:

Protein 90 grams, (Whatever your personal protein amount maybe)
Carbs 30 ECC,
Supplements (yes or no if you take them)
Exercise: 30 minutes or number of miles walked however you
wish to report it and
Water: 2 Litres for example


AND…You will choose one “action item from the list” and be accountable for that as well. Sure you are welcome to work on whatever you wish, but keeping it simple and targeted may bring you the best results.
:
For example:

Reading one new journal article a week about nutrition
Trying one new recipe a week or a month
Working on ways to look at the bigger picture, in other words finding more gratification in feeling better and getting things like blood sugar and blood pressure in line RATHER than the scale.

Staying off the scale for the entire month

Re-measuring and calculating your protein needs at the start of the month

Using a positive energy approach
Drinking Water
Using fresh vegetables or fruits for your carbs
Meeting daily protein requirement - especially at breakfast
Sticking to daily carb limit for the entire month
Exercise
Your choice

There will be a daily challenge report and your presence is requested. There will also be a motivational message each day. We are purposely keeping this challenge basic and as easy as we can with some choice for those wanting to work on more than the basics.

Are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready to start out 2007 with as much as you can? So what do you do now? Sign up, begin on January 1 recording your Basic plus 1.

[Shadow]

The February Challenge – Tough Love

Okay gang, hang on to your hats – it’s gonna be a “challenging” ride this month! Since February is a short month, we have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. But, I have watched all of you over the past several months and I know you’re up for the challenge :thumbsup:!

Since February is the month we celebrate love, I think we should devote our “loving” this month to the one we always give it to last – ourselves! The rules are simple:
1. Set your goals for each day regarding protein, ECC*, water, and supplements.
2. Exercise! If you already exercise, your goal will be to bump it up a notch. If you don’t currently exercise, now is the time to begin!
3. Each day, you will show yourself some love. Whether it’s stopping negative self talk, taking a bubble bath, reading a chapter in a book, trying a new recipe, or whatever else you enjoy but don’t often take time for, you need to show yourself some love each and every day. And yes, I know by eating right and exercising we're already showing ourselves some great love - but I want you to go the distance this month and give yourself some extra :).

This challenge will work regardless of what level of the plan you’re following or if you are IFing. Just account for your first two goals (along with your level) in your signature line. Any who are IFing will simply put down the number of days they’re eating/not eating. For the 3rd goal, that will simply be reported on a day-to-day basis. For example, my signature will be:
1. Maintenance – Daily goals: less than 45 ECC (27 days), less than 55 ECC (1 day). Minimum 81 grams protein.
2. Exercise - 5x/week (resistance and cardio)
Edit - I just realized the signature part is limited in what you can say, so just do your best to get it all down. Whatever doesn't fit can just be stated in your "sign-up" post and then remember to report on everything every time you check in. Probably the most crucial info to list in your signature line would be ECCs, protein and exercise goals. The water and supps you can just report on every day.

Scoring - You will each have a score card that I will keep for the month. I will post a thread every 7 days to let you know where you stand for the previous week. You get one point for each day you meet all your goals. Yes, that’s right – ALL your goals. The month is short – so let’s give it our all, each and every day. (If you can only check in once in a while, you will need to report for each day you were absent.)

Now, since all of you are very social, please make it easy for me to spot your day’s results . At the end of your final report for the day, please place at the end of your post, all by itself, whether or not you met all your goals that day. For example:
Goals – Yes
Goals – No
If you are not able to report daily, in your catch-up post, you could do something like this for every day you are checking in for:
Monday the 5th – Yes
Tuesday the 6th – No

While you will all be winners (or losers :p ) by the end of the month, there will be a “Sweetheart of the Month” announced at the end of the challenge. Do you have what it takes to be THE winner?

Bonus round – Since I know this challenge is going to be a “no-brainer” for all of you, if it comes down to a tie, the final decision will be based on:
1. Color and variety of your Monitor Monday meals.
2. Exercise effort. This does not mean that the one who exercises the most or does the most complicated routine wins. This will be based on the actual effort to get out there and do it, time after time, with no excuses. (Since there are several who don’t habitually exercise now, this is your extra motivation to start moving it this month :).)

You take the time and make the effort to care for those you love every day. Now it’s time to do it for YOU. Do you have what it takes to meet the challenge?

*Note – Some of you may have already planned on a “honey tree meal” for Valentine’s Day or some other occasion this month. If that is the case, not to worry :). You will still get credit for the day as long as you stay within whatever boundaries you have set and meet each one of your other goals. But this is not a “get out of jail free” pass. I still expect you to give it your best and keep it within reasonable limits.

So - who is ready for the challenge :)?

(Note - you still have some days left in January and while I want you geared up for February, I don't want you shirking the rest of this month ;). I'm going to be watching all of you :evil:.)

[Mitra]

The 80/20 Philosophy

In accordance with the 80/20 philosophy, 80% of the benefit of this plan will derive from the nutritional changes you'll make, the other 20% from the ancillary facets. However, if you want to live your life to the fullest, to extract every ounce of wellness you can from your life and drink it in, work the plan in its entirety.

from Protein Power Lifeplan, Chapter 13

That's the basis for this month's challenge: extracting every ounce of wellness you can from your life and drinking it in. Each week you can earn 10 points: 8 for meeting your nutritional plans, and 2 for everything else.

Nutrition
There will be one point for each day that you meet your protein and carb targets.

The eighth point for the week is a wildcard to encourage you to work on an area that you feel is weak. You set your own goal for this one. Some examples might be:

take supplements every day
drink enough water (specify the quantity you're aiming for)
eat five portions of vegetables each day


The Other 20%
There will be one point if you meet your exercise goals for the week. The other point is another wildcard. The areas that the Eadeses mention in PPLP are rest, relaxation, meditation, new learning, sunlight. If you want to remind yourself of the benefits from these things, then they're all described in PPLP. Pick something that you think will be good for you, and set yourself a weekly goal (it doesn't have to be the same each week).

To join the challenge, just reply with your targets. You'll need to list:

your protein and carb goals
your extra nutritional goal
your exercise goals
your extra "other 20%" goal.


As we've done for the last few months, we'll have a daily thread to report day to day progress. I'll put up a weekly summary as Shadow has done this month.

[Shadow]

The April Challenge – By the Book

This month’s challenge is very simple and straight-forward. We’re just going to be following the book ;). But in honor of spring, we’re going to add a little sunshine to our lives according to the guidelines in PPLP :).

Your goals for the month are:
1. To follow the plan. This includes meeting your minimum protein at each and every meal along with staying within your carb range each day (preferably within your range for each meal). Wherever you are on the plan – intervention, transition, or maintenance – you will reap the benefits of this WOE according to the effort you give it, so hopefully you will give it your all. Anyone who is helped with a daily menu check in, please feel free to start one – I am sure others will join in.
2. To increase your physical activity. Being active and exercising will help you lose weight, reshape your body and increase your overall sense of well-being, not to mention many other health benefits. I know this part was in every book, whether you read it or not :lol:. Set your goals for the month and keep in mind - anything and everything you can do to move it will make a big difference. The movers and shakers thread will be posted on a weekly basis and we always appreciate any and all who join in. As with all threads – if you are the first one on board, feel free to get it up and running.
3. Get 15 minutes of sunshine every day. In case you missed that chapter:
PPLP Chapter 10: Sunshine Superman
pp 243 - 244
“When we adopt modern living habits that disrupt our connection to the sun, bones weaken, cancers arise, and we fall heir, not to the wellness that is our natural birthright, but to a host of problems ranging from mood disorders (sunlight alleviates depressive symptoms) to multiple sclerosis and psoriasis (where the added vitamin D may offer hope for remission).”
pg 246
“…that means that in those people seeking to boost metabolic rate, burn calories more efficiently, build lean body mass, and trim down the love handles, a daily sunbath may help. For others, sunlight may actually be life saving….”
The book provides a chart in this same chapter for safe amounts of time to be unexposed in the sun. Since the time of safety for all zones is 15 minutes, that will be our goal.
4. Drink 48 - 64 oz of water every day:
PP Chapter 5: Putting It All Together
pp 103-104
“We tell our patients to drink till they float… the more water you drink, the more urine you make, the more ketones will pass out in the urine, and the more fat you lose. So drink up!” The Drs Eades recommended 2 quarts per day – but since water seems to be challenging for many, we will set our goals for 48 – 64 oz per day.

So there you have it. Bask in the sunshine, drink your water, lose some weight. What a deal, huh?! Nothing complicated, nothing demanding.

Now, I realize that the sunshine is contingent upon the weather. What I am asking is that you get out in the sun every day you can. Enjoy it, soak it up, feel its warmth. Take a walk, bicycle, do some spring weeding or yard work, sit and read a chapter in a book, eat your lunch outdoors. Whatever you want to do to get your time in, go for it. Of course, it will benefit you to get some activity while you’re sunning, but actually getting the sunshine is what we’re aiming for.

There will be a daily thread where we will keep track of our progress, but you may post your results daily or weekly. Come and share with us all of your daily successes and challenges. We are here to support you when you need some encouragement – and help you celebrate your victories, too :).

So are you in for the challenge :)?

[Mitra]

Most people don't like feeling stressed, and there is mounting evidence that they have good reason - it's not good for your health (see Dr Mike's recent blog (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=666)). I'm not talking about short term stress or worry - a reaction to some particular situation that clears up quite soon - the problem is chronic stress. Our system gets wound up for fight or flight ... but then no physical response is called for, and we don't wind back down again.

Chronic stress often causes high blood pressure. Increased cortisol can certainly lead to abdominal obesity, and if unchecked, to diabetes. Stress also drives its victims to smoke and to binge on all the wrong foods.

It would seem that a program of stress reduction would work wonders on the rate of heart disease in South America and elsewhere. Based on the findings in this study that would certainly be my recommendation.
From Dr Mike Eades's blog (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=666)


What can we do about it? The strategies are going to come in two broad categories - removing/reducing the stress; and finding ways to minimise the impact of the stresses we can't remove (often the reality is some kind of mixture of the two).

Addressing the Causes of Stress

Think about the sources of stress in your life. Are they things that you can change? Or do you think that at this point they're beyond your control, and finding ways to minimise their effect on your health is going to be a more productive approach?

Are you doing too much? Some things (earning a living, looking after your children ...) aren't optional, but if you've filled your life with more commitments than you can manage, then you may be able to cut down on some of them.

Are you setting your standards too high? For instance, if you have small children, it's not reasonable to expect your house to look like a show home. If you play a musical instrument or a sport, you shouldn't beat yourself up because you're not at concert/competition standard. If you find an ambitious challenge helps with your motivation, then go for it, but don't let it be an excuse to fail, or just another pressure in your life.

If you're always behind, then look at how you can sort out what really needs to be done, and get caught up. If your housework is overwhelming you, try flylady.com; if you have a backlog of paperwork, then set aside a few minutes each day to get and stay on top of it.

Reducing the Effects of Stress

Do one thing at a time (mothers of young children get an exemption from this one ;) ) - when you're eating, sit down, and just eat. Make every meal or snack a sit-down one.

Add moments of calm to your day - enjoy the sight of the sky or the trees as you walk to your car; take a few minutes out for a bath; or meditation (walking meditations are good if you don't find sitting comfortable); or whatever works for you.

Listen to music or a good audio book while you drive - or don't play anything, and enjoy the quiet.

Enjoy spending time with people you care about.

Exercise - moderate exercise is very good.

The Challenge

Take your measurements and weight for the start of the month, so you can assess your progress.

Check your protein requirements and your carb limits, and define in advance any exceptions, such as birthdays or holidays. Set your exercise goals (type of exercise, how often you'll do it, and for how long - and don't forget the importance of rest days). You can add water and supplements if you struggle with them.

Then pick one thing you are going to work on to reduce your stress levels.

Report in each day on:

protein
carbs
exercise
water & supps if you find it helpful
exercise
stress reduction


Let's get started :D .

[gitfiddle]

Hello! It’s time for the June Challenge and the mods are a little short-handed so I’m helping out for a bit. The theme of this challenge will be to de-complicate your journey and focus on what’s really important to you right now.

Three steps:

1) Identify what you really want from the Protein Power program right now, to be shared or not.

2) Do a little research on how to attain that goal.

3) Develop up to three actions that you can do daily (and measure with a yes or a no) to move toward your goal. These will be in addition to the basic actions of keeping track of protein and carb counts.

Goals might be weight loss, lower blood pressure or cholesterol counts, toning up muscles, a stronger body, control of blood sugar, better sleep habits, or any other benefit of the program.

Research might be looking at how supplements or exercise would help, reading from PPLP about autoimmune effects, getting a grasp on carb counts. There are lots of helpful articles on the board as well.

Actions are up to you, but they must be in yes/no terms. It can be as simple as one action but no more than three. Report as your schedule allows.

Hope I covered everything, but feel free to post and work out any questions or concerns. :) Who's on board this month?

[Billie]

http://www.geocities.com/princeorion2/passport3.jpg
Protein Power Passport

This “official” travel document is valid
from July 1st through July 31st 2007.
Collect as many “stamps” in your passport as you are able.

http://www.geocities.com/princeorion2/pppasport-stamp_color.jpg

Travel the world in July, enjoying not only the food and customs of a different country each day, but also a collection of recipes, culinary ideas, sight-seeing and exercise experiences.

The July challenge is this:

Each day receive “your passport stamp” by following the basic Protein and Carb allotments you have established for yourself. We talk a lot about the number of carbs we consume; lets also make sure we are getting our protein minimums each day.

AND
Each day participate in some kind of challenge with the country we are visiting. For example, when we visit Switzerland… you might try a piece of really dark chocolate and we will learn about the antioxidant effects. When we travel to Italy, we might do a day of sightseeing so we want to put on our walking shoes that day. When we travel to Greece we might…

You get the idea!

There will be plenty of motivation, plenty of interactions. We invite you to join the PPP (Protein Power Passport) July Challenge… fun, excitement and health are ahead.

[Shadow]

The August Challenge - The Challenge of Change

“Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” Mark Twain

We all have habits we’d like to change. Whether it’s unconsciously eating what we don’t want (or need), putting off exercise, not drinking water, or finding excuses to not do what needs to be done – there is always something. But habits are formed over a period of time and cannot be changed overnight :). It’s only by taking one small step at a time that can we chisel away on them until we have conquered them :nod:.

So this month our focus is going to be on picking a habit we’d most like to change. Whatever your goal may be - to get protein in at breakfast, to start exercising, to shake up your current exercise routine, to drink water, to stay on plan with more consistency, etc. - take a few moments and think of ways to conquer your habit. What would you like to change – and what small steps can you take every day to accomplish your goal?

Needless to say, the underlying part of the challenge is to meet your minimum protein and limit your carbs to whatever level you may be at. And of course, exercise is always a bonus :tongue:. But in addition, we’re going to work on busting out of a habit that is tying us down :thumbsup:.

“Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers
As some of you know, the last few months have totally changed my daily life and routines. And while I continued to exercise, I will admit that while I was following the letter of the law, the spirit of the law left quite a bit to be desired :o. So my focus this month is going to be eliminating my newly acquired habit of just getting through each workout. Instead of doing workouts I’m comfortable with (which left my mind free to focus on what all I needed to get done for the day), I am going to shake up my workout routine so that focus on what I’m actually doing is required. I am also going to let go of the guilt I’ve been carrying because I can no longer devote the amount of time to exercise that I used to. That was the past - but all I can do is deal with the present. So rather than wasting my time thinking of how it used to be, I need to focus on what time I have now and use it wisely.

So there’s my plan for August. Now all of you need to put on your thinking caps, come up some strategies, and get ready to make some positive changes this month :D!

Are you up for the challenge of change?

[maxlharris]

Welcome to September.



If you’re like me, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Football is back. Baseball is heating up. DC’s oppressive humidity starts to break. Children return to school, the lunch lady, and her mystery meat (I'm sadistic, it makes me smile). In some places, the leaves may start to turn. And, in others, you might start to see Christmas stuff by the end of the month (it seems that way, doesn't it).



The Holiday Stuff is key. It's a reminder that the difficult holiday season is coming. Why difficult? Forget the food choices. That's a talk for November and December. It's the Family. If you are like me, you have several relatives who are maybe less than supportive, or at least generally critical of everything. I also have relatives who like to take pictures of everything, all the time. I also have relatives who are depending on me to show them that this can be done.

With so much coming up so soon, I think it’s time to step it up a notch. The regular basics are great. In fact, they are critical. So, we’re going back to basics. But, we’re going to take our game to the next level. To quote the noted chef, we’re gonna kick it up a notch.

BAM!

The Plan:

Focus on the basics of Food, Exercise and Everything Else.
Set goals for Food, in terms of carb limit and protein minimum.
Set a plan for exercise, if you're there.
Figure out if there is something in the rest of the world of Protein Power you are looking to work on (water, supplements, or the other 20%... this is not required)
Find one thing in your goals you want to take to a tangible One Step Beyond. (this is)
Execute and report regularly. The immediate question you might have is like this:
“Fine, so we want to go one step beyond. What step? What’s this gonna look like? What does a tangible step mean exactly?”


Good, you’re engaged. I’m winning the battle with boredom and other choices.


Some Ideas:
Let's work with FOOD, for starters.


One thing I have been very interested in is making an effort to eat local and seasonal. So, a reasonable goal here might be to make Sunday Dinner a seasonal, locally grown, high quality sit down affair with DW and possibly guests for all five Sundays this month. This would involve research (what is seasonal in NoVa, how to cook that, "quali sponsano bene?", etc). And it would involve execution (the dinners) and something tangible (again, the dinners).

Another idea might be to just try new foods/recipes for at least one major meal each week (again, the tangible here is the food/dish).

Another idea might be to slow down, and make an effort to cook a dinner every night instead of nuking/takeout (tangible? Yes!)

Further: If you are hedonist, maybe you want to take it to dilettante level for a month (or Dil to Purist, or maybe the other way to see. Either way, it’s going to have actions that are there, beyond things in your head or reading.)

If we work with EXERCISE, let's focus on things you can do, rather than results.

If you're doing flat cardio, maybe you want to try intervals.
If you bike, maybe you want to do some treadmill sessions.
If you lift, maybe you want to try supersets or circuits, or even add a couple sets.
It might be as simple as taking a second to align your posture before every set.
Again, the key is that you are making a change to what you’ve always done to take it up a notch.

On the other stuff:
It's a wide wide world with a lot of stuff in the "other 20%".

Here comes the legal fine print:


Whatever your extra step is, it MUST align with your long term goals. I'm sorry, I'm nuts on this, but it's for your own good. You wouldn’t want me any other way, and I wouldn’t want you to do any different.
Your extra step must be something tangible in the real world. Rereading the book is not a Step Beyond. It's a worthwhile endeavor, to be sure, but if you've already done it, it is not beyond. Sorry. Feel free to reread all of the books anyway. Maybe your step is in there.
I'm not going to be an LAPD cop about this, and I'm not going to do Freedom of Information Act searches to make sure of this, but, please, please, please pick a step beyond that is new to you, not something you want to reestablish. We are breaking boundaries here. If you really want to reestablish something, I already said I'm not going to check and no one is gonna cop you on it. But, if you’re going to think of that as cheating, who are you cheating exactly?
I will be taking attendance and logging yes and no in my spreadsheet. 95% compliance will win a custom assembled mix CD filled with exciting music largely from 1977-1985, perfect for working out and completely within the realm of legal music sharing. It might even feature original design work by my wife, who is a rockstar at this kind of thing.
So, who's up for the challenge?

[Shadow]

The October Challenge: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF!

School year routines are settling in. Days and nights are both cooling off (unless you’re in the southern hemisphere…and if you are, I’m jealous!) October starts the ‘holiday’ quarter of the year—leading off with celebrations of bounty and plenty: Oktoberfest, Harvest Festival, Chinese Moon Festival that celebrate all of the summer’s bounty. Then we wind up the month (at least here in the States) with the sugarfest, Hallowe’en. If the stores in your area are like the ones around me, you may already have seen your first Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.

As fall moves relentlessly from one holiday to another, it’s easy to feel squeezed between schedules, stuff you need to do before winter sets in (or summer, if you’re in Australia), family holiday celebrations, and the ‘demands’ of your eating and exercise plans. You tell yourself you’ll make time to take care of you--but all too often push comes to shove, and it’s your trip to the gym, packing a lunch or stocking your pantry with the right foods that gets squeezed off your to-do list.

Protein Power is flexible enough that you can get most of its benefits with a minimum of effort—as long as you commit to making that effort every day. Other plans may include 'weekends off' or 'planned cheat' models--but this is Protein Power. If you want to reverse insulin resistance and correct metabolism issues so that you can lose weight, then you need to stick to the plan every day until those issues resolve--and when you deviate from your plan, you make it harder to be true to your goals. So this month, the goal is to bring commitment every day, and be true to yourself. To do that, we'll explore some coping strategies against the inevitable time crunches and food challenges we face as the holidays get closer.

For many people, a simple plan is the easiest to stick to when the going gets tough. So let's work on being successful at the simple things. Stay focused on the basics—they never go away—and all month, we’ll share ways to put Protein Power on auto-pilot, and make it simpler for each of us to be true to ourselves every day.

What are the basics?
-- your minimum protein intake, every day
-- respecting your carb limits, every day
-- adequate hydration (at least 64 oz. of non-diuretic liquids every day)
-- doing something to keep your body active and strong, every day
-- exercising your mind, every day

What isn’t on this list? -- Planned ‘time-outs’, days ‘off-plan’ and ‘cheat days’

Protein Power doesn’t ‘forbid’ foods. You can eat anything, as long as the portion you eat doesn’t exceed your recommended maximum carb intake.

That doesn't mean some foods aren't 'off limits' -- but it's for what they contain, not their carb content. Protein Power recommends avoiding foods containing partially hydrogenated oils and asparame, and more recent books have also added avoiding fructose. That puts things like Twinkies and Hostess cup cakes off-limits. However, since even a straight teaspoon of regular sugar is permitted if you can digestively and physically (and mentally) tolerate it, there’s no need to forsake your sweet tooth. You just might have to learn to make your own cream-filled, portion appropriate cupcakes.

Since you have permission to eat just about anything as long as you stick to portion sizes that don’t put you over your ECC for the day, eating what you want to taste in the appropriate portion size is NOT cheating. And falling off plan or once in a great while designating a day on which you'll indulge in a larger carb portion isn't cheating, either.

But if you find yourself PLANNING to ignore your daily ECC on a regular basis, you’re not cheating--you're just not on plan. Coming 'off plan' on a regular basis makes getting to your goals harder the more you do it, not easier. Being true to our goals of getting healthier means being true to what the plan asks, every day. Some people call this NEAN--not even a nibble. Others call it being 'perfect on plan.'

This October, we're going to call it the challenge to be true to yourself and your goals—every day.
The only penalty you pay for falling off plan is in how your body feels after you choose to eat more carbs or less protein than you should be eating.
The only person you cheat is yourself, of progress and better health.
And the only person who can learn to keep steadily aiming at progress is YOU.
And if you aren't quite 'perfect' on a single day, your days on plan count starts over again...at 1.

We’ve got several ways planned to work through some of the basic Protein Power exercises—or you can work through them on your own.

Let’s start out by figuring out and writing down where we are on October 1:
-- Write down the single main thing you most often use to measure your progress (whether it’s your body fat percentage, your scale weight, your waist size, a clothing size, your stress level or your current state of fitness). Post where you are on that progress measurement on Oct. 1 NOTE…don’t rely on your signature or ticker. If that sig or ticker changes, it will update ALL of your posts and erase your ‘history.’ You’ll need this information in a post so that you can get back to it on October 31.
-- Post how much protein and what carb level you aim for every day.
-- Name your preferred non-diuretic beverage(s) and how much you plan to consume per day
-- Name what you plan to do every day to
1) be more physically active
2) get stronger
-- Name what you plan to do every day to exercise your minds
And finally, write down ONE WAY that you can SIMPLIFY staying on plan this month.
-- Check in every day.

We’ll celebrate a low or no-sugar Hallowe’en by reporting in at the end of the month, and measuring ourselves against our own personal progress measurement.

First on the board is welcome to open every day's challenge thread...

So, who wants to focus on being true to yourself...and aiming for 31 perfect October days?

---------------
Note - Gaelen is off on a camping trip right now so I am posting the challenge for her. She will be back on Monday :).

[Gabriel Guzman]

NOVEMBER CHALLENGE – FUND RAISING FOR MY HEALTH!

Welcome to November, holiday heaven. :)
This month's challenge is simple: make time to stay on plan!

Each of us has commitments for weeks in advance at this time of year. Some of us are busy outside the home, some busy with family, and some are just busy 24/7!

So this month, let's challenge ourselves to make time--at least 15 minutes every day--to stay on plan.

You can make time in many ways:


starting the daily challenge thread
sharing humor and inspiration in your daily posts
giving feedback to others
making regular entries in your journal that talk about your personal challenges and successes
committing to exercise (you don't have to limit yourself to 15 minutes!)
planning for and trying new recipes
setting aside personal 'me' time every day
sharing your daily menus
committing to packing your lunch regularly
committing to regular family dinner in this time of crazy schedules (again, you're not *limited* to 15 minutes!)



To spread the time commitment among all of us, some of you might want to commit to starting the daily challenge thread on certain days...so please let us know who is in to start the daily thread on Mondays, Tuesdays, weekends, etc?

Now, how do we turn those goals in to a ‘fund raising for our health’? Every day, we choose our pledge (our goal or goals) and keep track of the points (funds) we pledge every day. There are different pledge levels, from the very basic to the ‘leadership circle’ (see below). Our challenge this month is to raise as many health points as we can while accomplishing our goals. The outcome can only be one: a great month staying on plan and making not the easiest but the best choices during the Thanksgiving holiday!

And this month is our preparation for the next one so we can still stay on plan while enjoying the holiday to the fullest with love ones and friends.

That's it, challengers...short and simple...stay true to yourself and your goals by MAKING TIME for yourself. So, let’s pledge and let’s pledge big!!!

Who's in?


Pledge system:

Basic level (10 health points each)


starting the daily challenge
sharing humor and inspiration in your daily posts
sharing your daily menus
sharing your pledge of the day;)


Middle level (50 health points each)

making regular entries in your journal that talk about your personal challenges and successes
planning for and trying new recipes
setting aside personal 'me' time every day
committing to packing your lunch regularly


Leadership level (100 points each)

giving feedback to others
committing to exercise (you don't have to limit yourself to 15 minutes!)
committing to regular family dinner in this time of crazy schedules (again, you're not *limited* to 15 minutes!)


Maximum points that can be accumulated per day: 540 (what if you want to meet all these goals? By all means! ;))

The leadership level, rather than an elite kind of designation, is nothing but a recognition of the effort you put into your own health and the precious time you share with us.

We can combine these goals in any way to meet your personal goals for the day (and to come up with as many health points as we can!:) ) However, let's remember that even the smallest thing will help us, so if tomorrow we can only pledge at the basic level, then let's do that and plan to pledge at the leadership level, say during the weekend, etc. Every little bit counts... a lot of fews make a whole lot!

[Gaelen]

What inspires you?

Simple question...but not always such a simple answer.

This December, our challenge will be a little different.

Find (and share)
at least one thing that inspires you.

You can share as many inspiring things this month as you like...no extra credit for quantity, but quality of the inspiration (how many other people appreciate it) will matter later. ;)

Who ever is first to the board each day, please start an 'inspirations' thread--even if the only thing you can share at that moment is "Good Morning," you'll be getting your own and everyone else's day off to a great start!

Look for inspirations which are goal or life-oriented, things that in the telling/sharing could also inspire someone else.

What inspires you from day to day could be:

a milestone you've reached
a quote
an generous action you didn't expect
something you tried that you didn't think you could do
a picture you find especially beautiful or funny
a story you find particularly motivating or moving
an incident about your day that surprised you
a good joke (yes, wacky Wednesdays live--all day, every day!)
a person around you who makes you want to try harder to be your best
Your inspiration can be ANYthing that makes you say, 'hey, it's good to be alive' -- ANYthing that makes you take a deep breath and smile.

No points or check-ins this month--there will be a weekly menus and goals/totals thread for those who want to post those things, but no group obligations. This month is about sharing inspirations, collecting our thoughts and enjoying the wrap-up for 2007 before charging off into our days.

From Dec. 26-30, we'll vote for the top 5 most inspiring of everything we've shared (by poster and date). Votes will be tallied up and and the winning inspirations spotlighted on Dec. 31 to start us strong in 2008.

The posters of the top 5 shared inspirations will each get a CD of motivating workout music (must be willing to provide a mailing address--one CD per winning person.)

This is an example of one thing that inspires me. But sharing the things which inspire other people also gives me a fresh start. So who's willing to share, and tell us all what inspires you?

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/31885/1540585409063921405S425x425Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1540585409063921405PssjPg)

[Billie]

80% of success is just showing up!
Woody Allen

Stop Dieting. Start Living is Weight Watchers newest mantra, however “us PPers” learned that long ago. Protein Power is not a diet; it is a way of living that encompasses so many things. Stopping the Diet thinking is a big hurdle, embracing living is where it is all centered for the January challenge.

As January rolls around, we thought a Back to the Basics; self directed approach might be just what is needed. You all do a marvelous job showing up on the board—there is that 80% success rate! And we know from many months of challenges and history that people who do frequent the board have a greater tendency to stay on the program. So putting it all together this is the January Challenge.

Basics,
Eat the minimum of your protein requirement
Make sure you are accurately counting those carbs
And we would love to have you report on your day, everyday if possible.

(And certainly we would like to see you think consciously about fiber, good sources of carbs in veggies and fruits, and don’t forget to drink water).
Many of us think of exercise as a basic, if you don't add it to your program or enhance it, lets bring it in all the ways we can!

During the month we invite you for discussion on stop dieting, and start living kind of thinking. We will post occasionally threads on life healthy, living healthy discussions for your input. 80% of success is showing up! Start for a great 2008 by doing just that, welcome to the January challenge.

Who's in?

[Mitra]

February is the month we celebrate love. Of course, we usually focus our attention on those who are important in our lives. But here on the board, let’s do something different and focus on loving ourselves this month.

While there are many ways to do this, for the purpose of this challenge we are going to stick to the basics of PP/PPLP. After all, isn’t losing weight and regaining our health the best way to show ourselves some love? We don't follow the plan just to see different numbers on the scale or the lab report: we do it so we can enjoy time with our families and friends; or doing other things that enrich our lives; or even just doing life's daily chores more easily.

This month, pick the area where you most need to improve in following the plan. Set a goal that gets you focused on strengthening this area. Each day when you check in, report on how you’re doing at meeting your goal. Remember that the biggest effects come from the basics of just getting enough protein and not too many carbs, so if you're new, just getting back on track, or just like to keep it simple, that's where to start. If you've got a good handle on that, then you could look at making sure you're getting enough sleep, or exercise, or relaxation, or intellectual stimulation, or trying some new recipes...

That’s it. So think about where your focus needs to be most – carbs, protein, exercise, etc – and formulate the plan. Then come here, tell us about it, and support your friends along the way. There’s a whole lot of love to get working on here if you’re in for the challenge!

[Shadow]

In January, the challenge was to return to the basics. In February, we stayed with the basics and threw in some love. This month, let’s evaluate how successful we’ve been so far and come up with some strategies to end the first quarter of the year on a successful note :thumbsup:. For those who did not join either of the previous challenges, never fear - you are more than welcome to start now! The sooner you begin, the sooner you'll meet your goals, whatever they may be :nod:.

How are you doing on your goals? Are you hitting some obstacles that prevent you from keeping to your plans? What are you going to do to overcome the barriers? Is there a specific area where you need to refocus your attention?

If you’ve successfully met all your goals so far this year, what new goals are you going to set? Is it going to be starting an exercise program, getting in more water, eating more protein, or something else?

As always, whoever gets here first will start the daily thread :). On Wednesday, don’t forget to let your wacky side come out and share some laughter.

The luck of the Irish won’t get you to your goals, but good, hard work will. So, are you up for the challenge?

[maxlharris]

Hit the April Showers so you can be a May Flower


The assignment:
The Basics:
Protein
Carbs
Exercise
Water
SupplementsThe Plus:
If you want to bloom in May, you must learn something in April.
Pick 1-3 topics.
You will be responsible for learning something you've wanted to learn/know that touches, however tangentially, the 8 prongs of PPLP.

Weekly status report on where you're at with your learning.
At the end, we collect all that knowledge. What a resource. Could maybe add to the required/suggested reading. How exciting.

A quick example (stolen from other threads): Find some studies on L-Carnitine and figure if it has a place in your routine and share enough information so people can make the same informed decision.

Your deadline is April 30th.

As always, we will have regular check ins.

[BlancE]

So far this year, we’ve tackled:

The (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4107) January Challenge

The (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4373) February Challenge

The (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4644) March Challenge

The (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4891) April Challenge

Now we’re into May. Expanding on the April challenge, this month’s challenge is to focus on the “other 20%.” In PPLP, the Drs. Eades say that while 80% of the benefit of PP/PPLP comes from nutritional changes, “ if you want to live your life to the fullest, to extract every ounce of wellness you can wring from your life and drink it in, work the plan to its entirety.”

Wow, is that a goal to strive for! :)

Our challenge for May is to explore the other 20% of the PP program and enhance at least one aspect in your own plan.

The overlapping circles of health that surround nutrition (with some quotes from PPLP) are:

Stretching – “…stretching is something we hope you’ll do every day as a part of greeting the world…stretching is usually the first order of business to shake the cobwebs out of the muscles and ready them for whatever may lie ahead.” (pp. 284-285)

Exercise – “Once you begin to feel the increase in energy that comes from regaining your hormonal balance and the lightness of movement that comes from reducing body fat, you will very likely discover a pleasure in exercising that you may never have experienced before.” (p. 277)

Rest - “more is not always better…overexercising...adds stress, raises cortisol and with it increases insulin levels.” (p. 297)

Meditation and Relaxation – “But just as stress increases cortisol levels, the opposite of stress – total relaxation – can reduce them. And the best means of totally relaxing is to learn to meditate.” (p. 300)

Sunlight – “we humans ‘eat’ the sun as a nutrient…the action of sunlight on our skin produces the ‘sunshine vitamin’, natural vitamin D.” (p. 257)

New learning – “new learning should open up more blood flow along new circuits and pathways within the brain.”

So there it is…pick one or more of the “other 20%” to focus on this month, while maintaining adequate protein and keeping carbs within plan limits.

Let’s report in weekly for progress reports.

Who’s in?

[Feelix]

I went a head and started a June 1 thread because I wasn't sure where to post and I need to for me! :)

Challenge - Who Do You Love? I'm choosing to love me today. With each action and eat bit. I am also choosing to put my baby first with me. She needs a good foundation to start life on. What better reason to enjoy a Sunday Chicken Wing or Sunday Steak or a Sunday Pot Roast?

Choose whether you will do the same gift for yourself every day for the month or surprise yourself. I have a few gifts for myself this month.
1. I am going to sew. It is so fun for me. I love it. So if I don't actually sew, I'm going to look at fabric or patterns or design my own.
2. I am going to read before bed instead of watch tv. It's usually only 15 minutes while I'm waiting on dh, but it's 15 minutes that I could enjoy a good fiction or non-fiction.
3. I am going to keep SONIC ICE in my freezer.

Yay! To a Great New Day!

[Feelix]

Happy Canada Day to all Canadians!

Independence... Freedom.... Liberty.... It's all wonderful!

It's July 1st... for some, its an excuse to Step Off Plan to Celebrate, For others, it's a new beginning. The first of the month can wash away all the "sins" of the past and start over. What one area do you want to start over again?

************************************************** ****
What one area do you want to start over again? Relationship with the in-laws

Today I am starting over my relationship with the in-laws. They may not know it, but today is a new day for me with them. I wash away all past history on both mine and their side and seek a healthy relationship.

DH is gone on travel and the In-Laws usually don't come to visit when he's gone. However, last night MIL asked if they could come over. I usually stress out when they come over without an agenda (birthday, grill-out, dropping off or picking up something) or if DH isn't here. Last night I decided if MIL & FIL were coming over, I would put them to work in the baby room.... I figured it would be the most helpful place to spend our energy. So I got up this morning and started washing baby clothes. I want it to be fun to sort and organize all the baby clothes. However, When I woke up this morning, I realized that i waste A LOT of energy freakin' out and stressin' about when they visit AND THAT can not be helpful to our relationship. So I did a quick breath through, accepting that they do love me and the soon-to-be delivered child I am carrying. I can imagine that if I were the grandma, I would want to be apart of the experience. I would hope that my child's SO would want to share the experience with me.

So my guard is lowered. Today, I see my in-laws and myself as a team who will influence and raise this child I am carrying. I don't need to stress about the past or worry about the future, we will deal with what we need to when we cross those bridges. Our relationship can't help but be different if I'm not on the defensive. :)

Grandparents - Do you have any advice for me?

[Mitra]

What are your plans and goals for August?

In the M&S thread, Shadow asked people to just do one extra bit of exercise. If you don't have any special thing that you're working on at the moment, how about doing that with your food. Pick one area where you're weak, and focus on that. Getting enough protein, avoiding something that's not so good for you, eating more veggies... whatever you feel is your weak spot.

I'm doing something I started a while ago, but then let it lapse - the food tracking software I use monitors vitamins and minerals, so I'm trying to pick my foods to get adequate amounts of all the important stuff.

If you're new, or newly returned, then sticking with the basics of getting enough protein and not too many carbs is probably enough for now.

Whatever you're doing, don't forget to drop by and tell us how it's going :).