Metafilter team on WholeLifeChallenge? April 28, 2015 8:06 PM   Subscribe

A friend recommended I give WholeLifeChallenge a try to help me kickstart some healthy habits. There doesn't seem to be a Metafilter team that I can find, but I thought I'd check if any other Mefites are on there and might be interested in one.

If there's an existing group please let me know, or else I can probably create one, I think? The next challenge starts May 2.
posted by synecdoche to MetaFilter-Related at 8:06 PM (37 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite

what if metafilter is already your whole life?
posted by Jacqueline at 8:50 PM on April 28, 2015 [16 favorites]


I nominate bswinburn as Floss Czar for Team MetaFilter
posted by Jacqueline at 8:51 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]


Is this free? I'm intrigued.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:34 PM on April 28, 2015


I am also intrigued. It's the kind of thing I could totally get behind and participate in.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:47 PM on April 28, 2015


Have you been flossing, jacqueline? I'm looking forward to making your 30 day badge.
posted by bswinburn at 11:34 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


I have not been flossing. I'll play.
posted by samthemander at 12:15 AM on April 29, 2015


I'm not sure I need my whole life challenged. Is there a 2/3 life challenge?
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 2:00 AM on April 29, 2015 [8 favorites]


This costs $49. It's intriguing to me but not that intriguing.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 2:14 AM on April 29, 2015 [13 favorites]


It's intriguing to me but not that intriguing.

No kidding.

... but I'm still likely to join in some sort of 'reboot-new-years-resolutions' thing that will make me walk, jog, neti-pot, drink green tea, and take vitamins more reliably. If it's just a few people then a google spreadsheet might even suffice.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:42 AM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


Is Health Month still alive? (Looks like!)

There used to be an active MeFi team on there and, though I haven't used it in years, it seems like it did a lot of the same things that Whole Life Challenge does, allowing you to customize your own goals.

These days I just use Nike+ and MyFitnessPal, because I have decided to just accept all of my bad habits except eating junk food and not running.
posted by 256 at 8:57 AM on April 29, 2015 [3 favorites]


Direct link to Health Month Team MetaFilter.
posted by Kabanos at 9:21 AM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


Joined! It looks interesting, that's for sure. It says I get a free month but is a bit hazy on what happens beyond that, I'm guessing it becomes, literally, pay-to-play... will investigate a bit more perhaps but hell if it works out I'll pay a nominal amount for the service.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:52 AM on April 29, 2015


It says I get a free month but is a bit hazy on what happens beyond that

After that, they literally own your whole life. You signed in the Blood Font, yes?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:00 AM on April 29, 2015 [3 favorites]


No, I used Noodler's Dragon Napalm with a vintage fountain pen. I did it wrong didn't I...
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:03 AM on April 29, 2015


Yeah, you have to pay; I tried Health Month but I am hopeful that the fact that I had to pay will motivate me to keep up with it a little better.
posted by synecdoche at 4:23 PM on April 29, 2015


I'm in, if you can let us know how we join up with other MeFis, synecdoche. I was a loyal Health Month member until the month something went awry and some technical problem apparently kept everyone from seeing/responding to my posts on our thread. I found that site technically very buggy anyway so I'd be fine with paying for something that works better, as long as there are MeFis there.
posted by bearwife at 5:06 PM on April 29, 2015


Okay, I went ahead and created a team. You should be able to join here.
posted by synecdoche at 6:23 PM on April 29, 2015


Worked for me. Though I don't see any other team members there yet. Thanks.
posted by bearwife at 7:48 PM on April 29, 2015


I am very interested in this. I am coming off a bad couple of months because of moving, renovating, and recently, vacation, so I am in desperate need of getting back on track with my healthy habits.
posted by Kitteh at 4:53 AM on April 30, 2015


I signed up. Thanks for organizing this, it's great timing for me.
posted by shrabster at 5:52 AM on April 30, 2015


I signed up, too. See you there, MeFites.
posted by Zosia Blue at 11:19 AM on April 30, 2015


Not only is it pricey, but even at the easy level, no bread at all, nothing with flour, no baked goods with sugar, no cheese? At level two they cut out milk? It seems like they have particular nutrition views that one might or might not share. Why not allow people to set their own goals on these things?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:21 PM on April 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


I'm not planning to follow their rules blindly myself, if only I had a penguin. I'll be tracking a nutritarian diet and am not going to ding myself if I have whole fruit instead of a vegetable for breakfast, for example.
posted by bearwife at 12:33 PM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


It seems like they have particular nutrition views that one might or might not share.

i.e., Crossfit/Paleo-flavored bro-science. Fine if that's your thing, but be aware that, apart from a few totally uncontroversial suggestions like cutting down on refined flours and sugar, you will mostly be leaving the world of mainstream nutrition.
posted by en forme de poire at 1:51 PM on April 30, 2015 [3 favorites]


Aw, never mind then. Bro science bugs me and as a vegan, I'd probably have a harder time.
posted by Kitteh at 4:00 PM on April 30, 2015


To be fair to them, they do have veg*n meal rules -- they just involve giving up things like whole wheat/barley, tofu, soy milk, and edamame.
posted by en forme de poire at 5:02 PM on April 30, 2015


Whole wheat is toxic? Okay, this is not for me, then.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:22 AM on May 1, 2015


Why would anyone have to follow their diet rules? I signed up and I am taking this seriously but I plan to go right on eating whole grains and soy products. I think challenges are great for getting on track, but have no plans to sign in blood about following their particular diet limitations.
posted by bearwife at 8:40 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Not only is whole wheat toxic, but its byproducts are too.
posted by bswinburn at 12:19 PM on May 1, 2015 [4 favorites]


It is fine for you to believe that, but it is not true.
posted by hydropsyche at 12:33 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Oh, yeah? Historically, everyone who has ever eaten whole wheat or its byproducts has died.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:40 PM on May 1, 2015 [19 favorites]


Oh, yeah? Historically, everyone who has ever eaten whole wheat or its byproducts has died.

More than 6 billion people (surely) are exceptions to this supposed pattern.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:57 PM on May 1, 2015


More than 6 billion people (surely) are exceptions to this supposed pattern.

But their clocks are ticking.
posted by Literaryhero at 9:56 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


People who have just been diagnosed are not exceptions to mortality rates. We are all just zombies-in-waiting.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:13 PM on May 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Literaryhero: their clocks are ticking.

We don't know that for sure. Six billion people who have never died so far surely have some statistic relevance?
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:08 AM on May 2, 2015 [5 favorites]


For what it's worth, I'm not planning to follow their nutrition rules terribly closely. I see a dietitian and I'm using her nutrition guidelines, which we've drawn up together based on my relationship with food and my history. So my points system isn't based on avoiding bread and pasta, but on eating with the "healthy plate" at all meals (so 1/4 whole grains, 1/4 protein, 1/2 fruits and/or vegetables), and just combining either fruits and vegetables or whole grains with a lean protein for snacks.

If I only had a penguin, at the lowest level the only things that are "non-compliant" are bread and pasta; cheese and ice cream; candy and added sugar; beer and soda; and potato chips, french fries, and corn chips. All of those thing are probably things I could stand to eat less of, but I'm not big on making any specific foods forbidden. So I won't. I didn't plan on docking myself points for having a slice of whole wheat bread or some cheese in the context of my healthy plate approach, but if people on the Mefite team are upset about that, I'll do it. Whatever. I fully expect to dock myself points for having a cookie at some point, too, and ice cream when it's a nice day. I'm shooting for about 75-80%, not perfection.

I'm actually more interested in the other stuff that it recommends—the exercise, stretching, etc--and the habit forming possibilities there. I think that it could be a good motivational tool for me, just to get some momentum going. With the food, it's more about giving me a good reason to play closer attention about the decisions I make.
posted by synecdoche at 10:09 AM on May 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


I'm also in it more for the habit building and prompting rather than to win a gold medal synecdoche, as one of your team mates I hope we won't be policing the scoring! I can stand to eat less bread and definitely need to stretch and sleep more. I will score us points on water and exercise though!

Their diet seems like the Whole 30 (although they allow potatoes) rather than paleo though. I thought the paleo people didn't eat fruit.
posted by jamesonandwater at 3:40 PM on May 2, 2015


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