Accountability - Plan Bee

[Bee]

Spurred on by Jon's achievements, I've also been thinking about how taking an incremental approach to change is more sustainable for me, and more likely to yield the long term results that I want.

A year ago, I was recovering from a sudden, shocking illness that nearly cost me my life. After leaving hospital, I made a number of changes and saw great results. But, last year brought a lot of stress with it too and bad habits started to creep back in. As a result, I don't feel as well as I did and I know I am putting weight back on, but more importantly, I don't have such good control of my blood glucose - and poor glucose control = poor health, leading to poor eating habits and less inclination to exercise, leading to poor glucose control...

I pledge to do 3 things:

1. Set a realistic step count.
So, I am going back to basics. I wear a Fitbit but my step count is erratic. Some days, I am way over target - particularly if I go to London to have a wander round. Other days, I'm doing a third of what I should be. Using the incremental approach, I've analysed my average step count and will aim to increase it so that I am consistently closer to the 'ideal'. As I reach each goal and the habit is formed, I will then increase it so that it no longer seems such a huge gap to bridge.

2. Install the LoseIt app
I did have it for a while, but it was a chore keeping it updated. This time I will research how to get the best from it and set it up so that I have minimal input over time.

3. Re-start my accountability campaign
I was 50 last August and in the lead up to it, I ran a 'campaign' on Facebook where every Saturday, I would update my progress. I've always been very independent and didn't think I needed that type of support. At first, it seemed a little narcissistic, but actually, hearing the positive comments and interacting with people who were interested was very helpful. I now know that to succeed, I need to tell people what I am doing and why. I will therefore resume my FB posts and will also post on here.

Today is Day 1.

 

[Jon]

Well done Bee. Good to have you join the self-improvement waggon. Hop on or get left behind.

but it was a chore keeping it updated

It is a (small) chore keeping LoseIt! updated. It is also a chore going into hospital. It is a chore feeling ill. It is a chore carrying excess weight all day every day. I wish I didn't have to enter anything in the app. But the more you use it, the faster it is to use. You build up your own My Food section and this helps you enter your frequently eaten foods faster. From a cost-benefit analysis perspective, for me at least, it is an exception return on effect expended. Without it, I don't get the incredible insights such as thinking my steak meal was about 700 calories, when in fact it was 1,350! These insights stay with you for life. It is only 4 days in and I am already learning much about what is happening with my food.

LoseIt! puts you in food university.

I look forward to seeing how you get along with your progress. I know you don't want to let anyone down.

 

[Bee]

To date, I have been logging everything I eat like my life depends on it (it kind of does).

I've hit my step target.

And, I've lost 3lbs since Saturday. I know most of it is water weight - but I also know it won't go back on, so a loss is a loss.

 

[Jon]

Fantastic work Bee. What is more important than the amount of loss is the direction. Once you switch from gaining weight to losing weight, the psychological benefits are profound. It is a question of building up momentum. I know that it is hard not to make progress if you use an app like LoseIt! You can dig into the data to find the kryptonite culprits. You can find if it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks that pack on the calories. You can identify which days of the week are harder, and then target them. You can find if it is carbs, protein or fat that is the issue. Break it down by the specific foods you eat, which to cut and so on.

I've spent the last hour chatting with a guy in my local Costa. He goes to the same gym as me and since talking with me about LoseIt! last week, he has bought the premium edition and started tracking. He is going for 2lbs per week weight loss. It is not so much an app as a movement!