Reflecting on Take Charge 10

<div class="thread-entry__content formatted_content"> <div>Niki & Gillian review Take Charge 10, Barbell Logic's first ever nutrition challenge. What worked, what did people struggle with, and what did we learn from the process?<br /> <br /> First, Niki & Gillian would LOVE for you to fill out the survey that you should have received via email. This provides feedback on the challenge. If you started but didn't complete the challenge, WE STILL WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! We'd love to know what caused you to struggle, what worked, and what you might like to see in a future challenge.<br /> <br /> Many commented on the benefits of water in reducing inflammation and bloat, and also helping them realize that apparent feelings of hunger in the past were actually thirst. Water really provided unforeseen benefits to many people.<br /> <br /> Logging really challenged many people. This is why Gillian deliberately did not specify that people should hit calorie or macro goals. This may have caused some discouragement and ending the challenge early. <br /> <br /> The purpose of logging is to really hold yourself accountable and give yourself an honest account of the food and calories you consume. Many people consume foods & drinks that push them over what otherwise would be a healthy amount of calories. <br /> <br /> Journaling can be taking pictures, writing down what you eat, or it can be intensely tracking macros & calories. <br /> <br /> Relatedly, some found that tracking made cooking more difficult: it became easier to cook simple meals or use packaged items, where one can easily track macros and calories, as opposed to, for example, a complicated dish like a stew or casserole. <br /> <br /> Gillian acknowledges the difficultly, and ultimately discusses adding levels of difficulty and complexity with journaling as needed. If you just take pictures of everything you eat, you don't need to track every calorie and macro that goes into a recipe. </div> <div> </div> <div>Many people commented that reducing sugar and drinking wat