4: Tracking & Accountability

During my earlier (failed) attempt at this lifestyle change, I went back-and-forth between taking my weight daily and weekly, eventually it was rarely!

With my Lead Measures established, I still wanted to track my weight (lag measure), and, most importantly, I had to track those lead measures every day. I created a simple tracking sheet and hung it by my bedroom door. I placed my bathroom scale in an obvious location, where I see it every morning and get on it. I then record my weight on the tracking sheet , and score myself on each lead measure for the day before. Did I meet my calorie limit? did I take my supplements and ACV? did I avoid the problem foods? did I exercise? did I keep my fasting window?

There are two elements to my “scoreboard“. The tracking sheet is one, it’s posted conspicuously by my bedroom door so I remember to record my weight and lead measures daily, which helps keep those key actions at the front of my mind. I also take a snapshot each day of the readout on the bathroom scale, and keep those photos in my phone. From time to time I’ll look at what I weighed that morning, and I can look back and see where I was a week ago or two weeks ago and be encouraged.

 A few times a week I also post those scale photos to the Accountability group on Facebook*. It might be a day that I’ve hit a goal or made progress, or it might be a day that I had a bounce and my weight slid up some. Letting my accountability partners know how I’m doing allows them to encourage me as well.  On Sunday evenings the accountability group gathers on a conference call and shares the week’s challenges and victories, tips that seem to be working well and new ideas that we’ve come across that could help each of us in this lifestyle journey. Sometimes just knowing that others are out there trying to accomplish the same thing, and going through the same struggles, is the best encouragement, just knowing that I’m not alone on this journey.

We’ve now covered the four disciplines of execution I have kept me motivated in this lifestyle change, and the eating plan and patterns that have brought the results. Coming up I’ll share some thoughts on dealing with the restrictions in the eating plan, what a typical day is like in my journey, some of my favorite recipes and foods, as well as some other ideas and tips.

* if we are friends on Facebook, and you’d like to join the accountability group, send me a message and I’ll add you.