April Challenge: Wrap it up with Results!

[Gaelen]

The April challenge:
Take daily positive steps to change or build one new habit.
We chose one positive behavior to change or build, and focused on making that change during the month of April. We picked positive, active, measurable, specific things -- one thing designed to increase self-esteem, or build a more positive attitude about food, or strengthen our support systems. Then we checked into the positive steps thread and shared tips and stumbles and progress.

Some of us jumped into the challenge, and some of us participated via the weekly challenge polls, analyzing where we’re strongest (and weakest) about following Protein Power.

Poll #1: What one thing is your biggest challenge to your commitment to low carb eating (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278)? 29 voters picked these top three responses:


Temptation from OFF-plan food choices (at work, home, social gatherings) (10 votes)
Stress/emotional eating (7 votes)
Lack of planning/under-planning (5 votes)


Poll #2: Which three things are most likely to help you stay on plan? (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348) 30 voters picked these top three responses:


Being active in an online support community (23 votes)
Making time for regular exercise in my day (16 votes)
Journaling privately (food intake, exercise) (9 votes)

(Tied for 4th with 8 responses each: Supportive family members and Success in reaching short-term goals.)

Poll #3: What’s the first thing about this plan that you let slide when life intervenes? (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=411) 22 voters picked these top three responses:


Sticking to my planned ECC per day or per meal (5 votes)
Regular exercise (5 votes)
Ensuring that I drink enough water (4 votes)


Poll #4: Which THREE Protein Power recommendations do YOU follow most closely? (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=482) 20 voters picked these top three responses (with lots of comments! ;) ):


I meet my minimum recommended high-quality protein requirement every day (17 votes)
I avoid unhealthy food additives (transfats, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup) (9 votes)
I stay within ECC guidelines for my phase of the plan (6 votes)


Now April is ending, and it’s time for the payoff…
How close is your chosen positive step to becoming a new habit?
If you’re tracking something health related--weight, measurements, body fat percentage, fitness, lipid ratios, blood glucose, fitness, strength--did focusing on a positive new habit affect your results this month? How?

Post your April results here…and tell everyone what part(s) of the April challenge helped you take charge will positive steps forward, on plan. Here’s to a great kick-off to spring!

[gitfiddle]

My goal was to destress by decluttering my home little by little instead of making a HUGE project out of it. My PP WOL suffers from being overwhelmed by everyday obligations. I'd rather pursue my hobbies than dust around knicknacks!

I have enjoyed some success and still have some more to do. I have the habit now of setting "white elephants" aside for charity. I expect it to be an ongoing journey and I already feel good about the simplicity of not having so much "stuff". I suspect I may be a "minimalist" at heart.

[Mitra]

The second half of the month, with having builders in the house, and a few other distractions, I'm not sure I actually met my target for the amount of time spent on study and music, but I did keep something going. Overall, I think I'm where I expected to be - I've made some progress towards building a good habit, but it will take longer than a month.

The single thing that helped the most was the original challenge - the prompt to get started. I can't think of anything specific in the daily and weekly threads that made a difference, but seeing them there kept it in my mind, and helped to keep me going.

Now comes the difficult part of maintaining the impetus. Looks like I'll have to start an "other 20%" study group to support me ;).

[Shadow]

Now comes the difficult part of maintaining the impetus. Looks like I'll have to start an "other 20%" study group to support me ;).
Agreed, Janet :D!

Well, my goal was to focus and by golly I tried ;). Unfortunately I had to give up the puzzles at the beginning of the month - but that's good because business picked up so I had actual work to do. Well, I guess that's good :p. But at least the increased work load made me focus on something even if it wasn't anything fun :rolleyes:...

[LisaS]

I'm in for the other 20%. My habit-related goal(s) this month were not exactly reached - but they were started. I wanted to have some more time to exercise my brain, learn new things, express myself.
I didn't do alot of anything in those areas, but I was able to assess what sorts of things might fill the need and what things didn't really scratch that itch. So now, I have more of a game plan for the upcoming months - set time for X, time for Y, goals for Z. So while I didn't really practice or develop any new habits, I was able to develop a preliminary set of potentional target habits.

[Gaelen]

...while I didn't really practice or develop any new habits, I was able to develop a preliminary set of potentional target habits.

LisaS, I think we DO need to give ourselves some time and space to figure out what we want to spend time pursuing. I can technically play several musical instruments, but the guitar (which was always my favorite) became a lot harder to play after I had a stroke. OTOH, playing a recorder or the piano was easier (maybe because I could see both hands...not sure) -- but I had to give myself time to explore which instrument(s) would be the most satisfying.

My goal was to make sure I got in at least 60 oz. of water every day...water intake used to be a no-brainer for me, but I've noticed I wasn't always getting enough in the last few months. After a suggestion about how BelfryBat was monitoring her own water intake, I started with a liter bottle that I kept in the 'fridge and used to 'measure' intake...one bottleful in the morning, and another by dark...and seeing that bottle in the 'fridge helped remind me and keep me on target.

A week ago I was checking the kitchen stuff at a local thrift store, and found a half-gallon lidded glass juice pitcher for $2 (and a couple other treasures...). I've switched to filling the glass bottle with water every night, so it's nice and chilled first thing in the morning. The new bottle is pretty in or out of the refrigerator, and its eye-level spot in the door reminds me to keep drinking. Plus, although I never really noticed a taste difference before, I'm really liking the taste of the water stored in glass over water stored in plastic.

I know that when I drink enough, I lose more easily...and this month reinforced that. I started April at 196 lbs, and I'm down four pounds to 192.

I also took a page from Gitfiddle's progress at decluttering 'little by little' and started my kitchen, one cupboard at a time. Progress in getting them back into the organization I prefer is slower than I'd like (four cupboards done in two weeks, ten more to go!), but it's progress I can see right away that's keeping me going. I started with the cupboards I use most...the spice cupboard, the dry staples cupboard, the canned stuff cupboard and the junk drawer. Seeing each one better organized every time I open it makes me want to start the next one (look out 'containers' cupboard--you're on deck!)

[Belfrybat]

My challenge was to drink a quart of water in addition to other liquids I normally drink (decaf coffee, tea, flavoured water). I'd grade my success at about 85%, not bad, but not enough to really form this as a habit. :( But at least I'm more aware of the water, even when not drinking it!

[Gaelen]

My challenge was to drink a quart of water in addition to other liquids I normally drink (decaf coffee, tea, flavoured water). I'd grade my success at about 85%, not bad, but not enough to really form this as a habit. :( But at least I'm more aware of the water, even when not drinking it!

Another way to look at it...85% is a B+, not half bad for a start! ;) New habits do take time, but if you continue to be more aware of the water, the habit WILL keep growind!

[AliB]

I signed up a little late because what I wanted to do didn't quite fit the parameters of the Challenge. I just wanted to get my PPWOL back on a good and steady track, like it used to be! Over the last month, that has happened. My food choices are good and on plan and I don't think I had any foot cheats, I don't think I've missed any supplements, excercise was phenomenal for me (logged 820 minutes which represented 11 - 50 minute Curves visits and the rest in walks as fast as I could go), I've been logging my food and counting the values, water has been back at the 3L mark for the past two weeks (I wasn't sure I'd ever see that again!), my attitude feels on track and I've been back here at the PP board receiving support and hopefully giving some back! I haven't gotten the body measuring done so don't have actual numbers to share, but clothes are significantly looser and the scale has moved a very little bit (of course, the scale is the last thing I go by!). I am VERY pleased with April for Alice!

The only blemishes I feel like there were came last Thursday and Friday evenings when I ate too many nuts, adding in about 1,500 calories that really weren't needed. Also, some of the days my over-all consumption was probably a little high in total calories even though the protein, ECC's, and fiber were in line. It is very easy for me to eat more than I really need without really meaning to do so.

Especially the past two weeks I've gotten back to the point where it didn't feel like food in general was controlling me. Granted that sentence doesn't really seem like it should work with the previous paragraph, but there is a major difference here for me. I guess the best illustration is that nighttime grazing has been absent, and not even wanted.

Congrats to all for their plusses and positives during April!

[gitfiddle]

Ali, I think that's phenomenal! I don't see, for the life of me, how that wouldn't have fit into the challenge. It's just a super-huge commitment and you've made measurable progress. What's not to like? Way to go!:cool: