Mac

Late, late, always late! But, I started my new challenge thread, finally. Mebbe I see you over there? And I will get caught up on folks' new challenges over the weekend!​

I am starting late, but not as late as it seems: I was on vacay at the start of this challenge, but I've been "on it" since Tuesday, so I only missed Monday, really. However, by missing the opening of the challenge, I didn't get my starting weights and measures in, and I'm sure I sacrificed some early momentum. Time to make up for lost time!! Goal 1 (or are they supposed to be quests now? I can't keep up): Keep on keeping on So, this is sort of the theme of this challenge for me: keep doing what's working. For me, that is limited grains and very limited sugar, a little bit of dairy, a little bit of red wine but no other booze, and everything else primal. My short five day vacation from this eating last week has definitely kicked my butt in terms of getting back on this program! And, very important point: no work snacking of any kind unless I pack it myself or it's a very unique occasion. That falls under my 90% good/10 % as good as possible rule. Bonus goal for this challenge: cook at least once a week! Goal 2: Play it again, Mac I'm liking the workout pace I set in the last challenge--5 times a week if possible, definitely no less than 4. Two strength training sessions, and two runs, plus whatever else I like. My running pace has gotten a bit better over the past challenge--my last two 5k-ish runs were under 37:30! woot!--so I'm also trying to work on pace by working in hills, the little hills in my neighborhood anyway. I'm shopping for a cheap fitness band to help me do a better job tracking distance, so I can vary my route without worrying about how many miles I'm getting in. Bonus goal: 5k in 33 minutes by the end of the challenge. Goal 3: Finish what you started During last challenge I only got about 75% of the way through my goal of putting my financial house in order so that I can start working on buying a house for real, so I need to finish that up. The remaining steps are: annual credit check; rolling over old 403b to new 403b and seeing what I can do about my old pension, if anything; opening account with my credit union and getting pre-approval letter for mortgage; filing medical reimbursements; invoicing for current freelance editing gig; find realtor. Bonus goal (cause it's fun!): set budget for end-of-year charitable giving. Goal 4: Honor your commitments This is the only new part of this challenge, but it ties in with all the others. Lately, I've found myself way too ready to bail out on things/events/people that I've committed to. I know that it's a symptom of feeling stretched a little too thin this time of year, but it's also not how I want to be. (Today I read on some blog about "the LA yes," by which folks in Los Angeles say yes they'll be there when they really will not. I so do not want to be that person.) So, I am going to a) not overcommit, but also show up when I say I will or when I know that I should, even when I don't much feel like it. Hibernation, like Twitter, is on hold until the holidays. Bonus goal: make sure to call my mom at least every other day. Super important around the never-ending holiday season that is upon us, and I've been falling down on this front lately. I'm going to start on goal 4 by getting ready to head to a dinner party with colleagues whom I don't know very well that I don't much want to go to, though this will probably not help me much on goal 1, since I will have no control over the food. But, I can be good the rest of the weekend, so it's all gonna work out.

OMG, I thought that my place holder thread had failed to post, and then I was so vexed and crazy busy that I didn't have the wherewithall all week to come back and start over. Silly Mac! Okay, now, I'm going to write my challenge post for reals!

Placeholder post! I'm on vacation through the end of the day, but I'm noodling on my challenge goals. Have a good start everyone!

Hey, how was the sugar challenge at your visit to your girlfriend's parents? Did you break your streak (for a good cause)?

Here's to finishing strong! Good work keeping the workout momentum going during the conference!

Yay, end of challenge wrap-up post! Week 6 has not been so good for posting updates, but it was otherwise pretty good. With a couple of unplanned work events in the evening, I missed out on one of my five weekly workouts, but I managed four. Okay, here's the round-up: 1. 90% FTW...and track it!​ Hmm, well, I did okay with the tracking for the first 3-4 weeks, and then I just lost steam. But, I think I was pretty good at sticking to a 90% grain and sugar free ​anyway, so I don't think tracking is useful for me. This is definitely a way of eating that's good for me, so I'll stick with it. I do have a friend visiting for a long weekend, though, so I will take advantage of being on a break week to indulge in some good meals! I'm going to stay on my stricter eating through Thursday, though, so it will only be a brief window of indulgence before the next challenge. ​ ​2. Lift x 2, walk x 2, something else x 1​ I think this went really well. I started off this challenge totally resistant to running, which I used to like, and for whatever reason I just started liked running again, even though some miserably hot and weirdly humid weeks here in Los Angeles. So, I've been running very, very happily this challenge, and over this past weekend I started clocking some faster times than I had in a while. The time on my regular neighborhood route has gone down from like 40:30 to 38:15 in the last week or so. I have decided that I'm going to get myself a Fitbit or the like to free myself up to try new routes. The lifting has also been going good (when I haven't been pulled away by running), and I just hit triple digits on my squat on Friday--yay! I've returned to the New Rules of Lifting for Women as my go-to program, and I think it's definitely time to reduce my sets from 15 (the entry point) to 12 so that I can start upping the weight. My friends who's visiting this coming weekend has been my yoga guru for years, so I'm going to have her go with me to check out a yoga studio in my neighborhood that sounds good--something else x 1! ​3. Be Healthy... I managed to complete all my initial goals, but due to paperwork kerfuffles in my PCP's office, I didn't get my referrals to specialists in time to book appointments with them this week, which was part of my extra goals. But, I'm definitely parked on the downhill slope for getting this done, so I'm not worried about losing momentum. Oh, and I got my bloodwork back from my checkup, and it looks like I'm all kinds of healthy. AND, I've been religiously flossing since my dentist appointment! ​4. ....and Wealthy and Wise​ This one was a little bit too ambitious, I think, given my extreme resistance and cluelessness to dealing with finances. I got through the first four tasks, but didn't finish the last two. These will definitely carry over to the next challenge. Bonus Goal: No Twitter for 6 Weeks​ Like I said at the outset, I made this one easy on myself by changing my password and cutting off my access. I definitely had some painful moments of feeling weirdly cutoff from breaking news and the like, and I miss the sense of connectedness to interesting conversations happening about issues that I care about. So, I think that in the end I will need to figure out a way to get back to using Twitter without letting it become a voracious time suck. In some ways, I feel like I just replaced that form of procrastination with others...though there is really no digital distraction as bottomless as Twitter. Anyhow, I'm re-upping on this one for the next challenge.​ Oh, and final measurements (with initial stats in parentheses): Weight: 159.0 (164.0)-- yay! 5 lbs was like my unspoken goal for this challenge. Next challenge goal will be 155. Chest: 33 1/8 (32 5/8)--uh, okay. Who knows? Waist: 29 3/4 (31 1/2)--yay! Bellybutton: 33 3/8 ( 34 1/8)--not much, but I'll take it! Hips: 38 1/8 (38.0)--honestly, I think I suck at taking measurements Thigh: 24 3/8 (24 1/2)--meh Arm: 11 1/2 (12 1/8)--okay, fine Alright, looking forward to a relaxed and yet disciplined break week, and to the next challenge to take me through the holidays!

Yayyyyy!!!!! Congratulations to you both, and I hope that you have so much fun planning your wedding. Since you're already married in your minds and hearts, you can focus on having a hell of a great party. Also, the emotional if not physical reunion with your rugby-playing self sounds like fun. (that sport is too dangerous to play for real--much better to provide moral support and expertise to the team, and let them go out and get busted up!)

This is a badass weekly report. That is all.

Sometimes the forums posting is the commitment too far, but it sounds like you're staying focused! Good work!

This is an epic workout repot! Super strong week 5!! This is some epic cross training you had going on this past week! Good luck with the hotel workouts, fellow conference-goer! Embrace the change of scenery.

Thanks!! I'm gonna try! Maybe that's true with the tracking. And, I have NOT tracked today, but I'll do so before I go to sleep, I promise! I was good all day except that my "one bite" of the dessert at the luncheon turned into like 5 or 6 bites, while we were sitting there listening to the plenary speaker. Lesson learned for tomorrow: do not take the first bite! I did manage refuse much chocolate being offered in the various conference sessions, though. My meetings today ended a little earlier than I expected, so I hopped straight on the freeway and drove back to the gym at work to lift some weights. I think I'll really feel it in my upper body tomorrow, but my squat is back up to 85# at 15 reps, woohoo! I think next week I'll step down the reps to 12 and up the weight. I want to see those triple digits!

I am really trying to keep the momentum going for this last week of the challenge, but I must admit it's flagging. But, I shall rally! A brief summary: Measurements: Weight: 158.2 (159.8)--I think this is a little artificially low, though. I must have been dehydrated. Chest: 33 1/8 (33 5/8) Waist: 29 7/8 (29 7/8) Bellybutton: 33 1/4 (34 1/8) Hips: 38 1/4 (38 3/8) Thigh: 24 3/8 (24 3/8) Arm: 11 5/8 (11 3/4) So, little miniscule changes. I'm not really sure why I bother except that the accountability of posting seems like a good thing. Goals: 1. 90% FTW...and track it! Okay, I didn't track my food at all this past week. I feel like I ate okay for the most part, but I didn't track a damn thing. A sign that tracking isn't necessary anymore? Anyway, I'll try to finish it up this week with tracking. 2. Lift x 2, walk x 2, something else x 2 As I posted above, I had no patience for lifting weights this week, particularly once the weather cooled off. It's such a surprise to me how my love of running has come back during this challenge, even during the super hot and humid weather last week. Anyway, I sort of made the decision that I would just run this week, and as long as I got 5 runs in, it would count as a success for the week. Totally enjoyable, and I even got the last couple runs in under 40 minutes for my 5kish distance. Still so, so, so slow, but inching forward bit by bit. 3. Be Healthy... Finally made it to my check-up which was disappointingly minimal, but at least I got a prescription for my recent migraines out of it. She referred me to the wrong specialist by accident, though, so I'll have more phone calls to make next week. I might not get all these appointments booked before the end of the challenge! 4. ...and Wealthy and Wise Okay, I got nothing whatsoever done on this this week. I have no excuses to make. Total fail. Tomorrow morning I have to get up at the crack of dawn to drive to a conference in downtown LA that I'll be at the next couple of days, totally messing up my workout schedule for the first part of the week. But, I'm not gonna let it ruin my week 6!!

Yes, I'm trying to learn to be an adult when it comes to money. I'm very good at saving money (it must be all the Scottish blood), but I suck at planning, analyzing my options, optimizing investments or basically anything that involves having to actually think about the future. If it were up to me, I'd just keep my money in the mattress. This weekend is much cooler here, so I may really try to take on a steep hike and actually make it to the top this time. I will check out the blog you recommend to keep me motivated to finish up my self-audit this challenge! Week 5 is good so far except that I have been exclusively running instead of doing any lifting. This doesn't fit my goals per se, but it's actually been a long time since I enjoyed running so much, so I'm just going to go with it this week. Now that it's finally cooler and nice outside, I just can't force myself to drive over to the subterranean gym when I can step outside my door and go for a really pretty run in my neighborhood. As long as I get my 5 workouts in, I'm going to call it a win, even if it's all running.

Too many happy emojis should never been outlawed! Or, maybe that's just the best kind of outlaw to be.

Oh, and a little week 5 update before I fall behind again. First of all, it's been really, really hot and muggy here in Los Angeles, but I have not let it stop me (too much). Did I mention that my neighborhood lost power for hours on Friday and Saturday night due to the heat? I don't even use my a/c all that much, but not even having a fan is pretty miserable. Yesterday, since we oddly had the Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day holiday off at work, I went for a long, steep hike in Malibu. I thought it would be cooler on the coast, and maybe it was, but it was still kinda miserable. I didn't even make it to the end of the trail, but I was still wiped out. This evening was a little bit cooler but still humid as hell. I went for a run and even though I felt really strong, my time wasn't great, 40:32. It was fun, though. With the days getting shorter, I'm probably going to be having to run in the dark more often, so I'm on the hunt for running clothes with a lot of reflective areas. No time for the gym tomorrow, so I'll have to do my lifting workouts back to back on Thursday and Friday, which is not my preference, but it's better than having to go back to the gym at work over the weekend! And, they've even been talking about a little bit of a cool down later this week, maybe even rain. Rain!!!

I've been having ongoing connectivity issues with my mofo laptop so I'm behind on updating. Anyway, quick final report on week 4: 1. 90% FTW...and track it! I will confess that I have not been tracking for the past two days. I think I've been doing okay, but I did commit to tracking for this entire challenge, so I need to get back to that. 2. Lift x 2, walk x 2, something else x 1 I've gotten back into running the past few weeks, so I ran instead of walked, but otherwise good. My something else was a couple of hours of heavy gardening in my sister's unbelievably overgrown backyard during the heat wave in LA that Will. Not. End. It was not a fun something else! 3. Be Healthy.. Still waiting on my already scheduled appointments, but I've been religious about flossing every night since I went to the dentist and got yelled at! 4....and Wealthy and Wise I've fallen a little behind my ambitious schedule. After the morning of terrible hot gardening, I sat down with my brother-in-law and figured out that I should up my 403b withholdings for the rest of the year to max out my contributions this year. It's going to cut into my savings rate toward a down payment but after my b-I-l explained what it would save me on taxes, I was sold. I'm still working on my week 4/5 homework. I'm gonna try to make it happen! Still Twitter free!

TSN, this gives a new meaning to the phrase 28 days later! Four solid weeks is amazing. And, incredible work on the meditation. I know how hard it is to build that habit--the hardest for some of us! Hope week 5 is off to a solid start. I agree. I have had some serious withdrawal pangs from my Twitter Fast these past five weeks, but I've already decided to re-up for the next challenge. I sometimes feel like I'm missing out on information and worthwhile conversations or news coverage, but mostly it's allowed me to spend time on other things that I also value--including, yes, using the community here to stay focused on my goals. I still waste time on stupid internet crap and worthless Netflix time, but much, much less.

Wow, that is one hell of a motivational kick in the arse! I think I need to bookmark this page for future reference! All very good advice for those of us who say "if only I could just find the willpower, the motivation, the drive that I had back when." I identify with everything you've been writing about, Erick, and it sounds like a lot of us do. You're clearly still in the game, even in only halfway, but you haven't walked away. That means a lot.

As long as I don't end up all alone on the spaceship like Mal in "Out of Gas"! Even though it's gotten a bit quiet around here, I will assume that the rest of the crew is struggling along to the finish line--it's so close!

Jody, I'm so, so sorry to hear about your friends' bad turn, and it sucks to be unable to help except by being there, which I am sure you are. I went to Crystal Bridges and northwest Arkansas around this time a few years ago, and I remember how beautiful it was. I hope that you saw some great foliage and scenery this weekend (as I remember, the art isn't so bad, either).

Yay, Jess! This has been a good week for learning to accept limitations and keep moving at whatever speed our bodies will allow. Hope that the cooking this week involves lots of healthy and comforting foods, and that you're feeling a bit more caught up at work. Forza Jess!

Quick measurements update this morning from my tablet and a fuller report later if i can get my laptop to cooperate (FU Windows 10!). I was more aware and conscientious about my eating this week, and it seems to have worked: Weight: 159.8 (161.6) Chest: 33 5/8 (33 3/8) Waist: 29 7/8 (30 1/4) Belly button: 34 1/8 (34 3/8) Hips: 38 3/8 (38) Thigh: 24 5/8 (24 1/2) Arm: 11 3/4 (11 5/8) I don't really see a lot of change here, but I'll keep measuring anyway. Very, very happy to see the 150s again on the scale. That was actually my private goal for this challenge. With two more weeks to go, it would be great to exceed that.

I might do that, but maybe i can get a cheaper used one....i imagine that like any and all exercise related equipment, it often goes unused by many purchasers after the first month or two. And, if any phone manufacturer ever decides to go after the small screen smart phone market again, they have a customer in me. I keep thinking I'll figure out when are the busy times in my new gym, but I keep getting taken by surprise. It's decently equipped, but the floor area is really small, so you're tripping over people even when you're not using the same equipment. I did finally see one other woman lifting there, though, so that made me happy. Oh, and a guy was using the machines wearing a technical workout T, jeans (with a belt), and dress shoes. So, that was notable as well.

Just a quick update that all is going well in week 4 so far. I think my eating choices have been solid this week, especially now that I have pledged not to eat any more of the endless parade of baked goods and chocolate at work until the end of this challenge. I took a night off at the gym yesterday to go hear an incredible live conversation with Guillermo del Toro at the Acadmey--wow, he is so eloquent and really erudite about the history of film. Fantastic. Tonight I lifted weights at the gym, and I had to improvise a bit because it got crowded: Deadlift: 15 x 65#, 15 x 85# Overhead dumbbell press: 2 sets of 15 x 15# Widegrip lat pulldown: 15 x 62.5#, 15 x 72.5# (this weight was too big a jump, I had to break it into 2 sets and my form got weak) Swiss ball jackknifes: 3 sets of 10 Lunges: 2 sets of 15 per leg x 15# Otherwise, I have nothing to report--tomorrow, I have to work on gathering my financial records while I'm at work, so that I can get moving on that goal over the weekend. I feel like I'm slipping behind on that front!