Porkchop

Keep rockin it out JAS, you're doing great! It sounds like you have quite a week planned out, don't forget to blow off some steam on the weekend and allow yourself some JAS-time. Good luck on everything!

Yeah I think there was just something in the end of the 3rd week or something *shrug*. I got looked at sideways for liking Guinness the other day because I'm not Irish hahaha. As far as splurge days go...Agreed. We all need them, but once I stray off into the darkside, its hard to come back. I tend to overdo it just a little (by a little, I mean alot) but it helps to keep my sanity somewhat intact. I think I can roll with that one. New day. New week. Challenge half done. Lets get back on it Goal #1 - Went to gym and did half-ass workout in my opinion. 15 minutes on treadmill and a quick run through a full body routine. Oddly enough, I felt less stiff and sore after the workout. We'll see if DOMS pays me another visit tomorrow or next. Goal #2 - No fast food. Thank God Goal #3 - Couldn't get face time with an advisor today but made an appointment for Friday. I may have more credits than I thought I had. As it turns out, 22 year old Ben (thats me 11 years ago) got a C in 2 classes and a B- in another one. I thought I would have to retake these but since they are not prereqs, all that matters is that the credits were earned. I may only take the next level up in math prep or at the most, one other class. My hat is off to anybody that mafe it through school successfully, you absoloutly have my respect. Goal #4 - Had 2 bowls of chocolate chip oatmeal and some hash browns this morning. So easy to make, I could've done it in my sleep...and I kind of did

Good going LW. Ah yes, family drama can be soooo much fun Maybe the results you achieve will be the best argument for your point of view, use words only when necessary. As in other parts of life, the most rigid opinions are usually held by the people with the least amount of knowledge (of the given subject). Besides, you should see it as a form of validation that your younger sis wants to emulate your success. I think thats really cool! It shows you're being a good role model and apparently doing something right diet-wise. Anyone that can combine chilli and chocolate is okay in my book. Keep your head up El Dubya, and let the haters hate.

Alright RG! I dare say that you kicked some major ass this weekend, and damn...some pig sounds mighty good Glad to see you're feeling better, that stomach bug will think twice before messing with you again. Keep on rockin it out!

Lets start this new week off strong. Don't sweat the pushups, as long as you keep working at it they'll happen in their own time. Good job on Goal #2! Keep going strong!

Thank you Sam. Haha if I even get to date her, I'll buy a lottery ticket after the initial shock wears off and hopefully parlay that luck into early retirement Invite NF? I don't see why not. Maybe a cosplay bachelor party??? Yeah I'm being a dork right now lol. Thanks PA. Besides getting called into work, it went well. I'll like the overtime, but my days off are kind of sacrosanct. Thanks RG! Yeah I'm totally taking credit where its not due because I just kinda handed it over to the tax guy, its all good though I must admit though, its kind of frightening seeing grown-ass men doing aerobics to Britney Spears. Nothing wrong with it of course, to each his own. But I can't help thinking that this is what the entire free world would look like if the nazis had won the war. Thanks Laureleye - My sister used to say that to me as a kid when I turned the tv on while she was doing her homework lol. You make a good point about rounding everything up, I'm just happy to have it all done. It was pretty simple, but just another nagging to-do thing. Goal #1 - I didn't get to the gym today. I'm kind of sore from the weekend still and needed a lazy day. Goal #2 - Well, I made it through Friday without any fast food. Then I totally caved. I didn't eat McD's or anything, but I helped a friend move and he ordered a bunch of pizza. I totally pigged out and lived up to my namesake. And I had some sausage links earlier in the day. And I helped polish off a case of beer. Today wasn't much better. I didn't drink, but I didn't exactly show restraint when it came to eating pancakes this morning and ribs for dinner. This weekend was fun but EPIC fail on the diet front. I think I have a food hangover. Tomorrow its back to basics and back on the wagon. Goal #3 - Since I was called into work on Friday, I couldn't talk to an advisor at school. If I get off early enough tomorrow, I'll stop by. Goal"#4 - Breakfast? Yep.

Ouch ! Any injury involving the foot are extremly annoying. Good to see your ankle is okay, you're a machine ! Good to see you got the classes you wanted, does "no 2 days off anymore" mean not consecutively, or just NO 2 DAYS OFF ANYMORE? If you do better being under the gun like that, this schedule might be good for you. Just do yourself a favor and divide the house chores with the people who live there. Oh...Porkchop rule # 11 section 3 line 5 states that "Anyone who clocks (however many) hours at your place has passed guest status and should therefore help with chores " You're doing great LW, keep up the awesome!

Back pain is the worst (thank you Captain Obvious aka Porkchop). You did good to stretch it out, whatever makes it feel better. Are you going to post any of those pics on here? Living right next to Boeing and a slew of military bases, and the recent decision to make WA state a drone practice area, probably has made me numb to seeing odd things flying around in the sky I'm sure.

Aggressive-aggressive - I like that one. I looked at that tough mudder, and it looks aptly named to say the least. I have to admit, I kind of cringe when I hear people talk about a 10 mile "fun run" and such. However, sliding down a hillside of mud on my belly made the 13 year old (and the 33 year old for that matter) in me...smile widely I would imagine those obsticle courses feel alot better when they're over though haha. Its good to see you're feeling better. Don't sweat the run times for now, Once you feel 100%, you'll have those times down for sure. Ellipticals are a good choice btw, there's hardly any impact and they're not affected by crappy weather. Keep on keeping on!

YAY for MW ! Hi five up high AND down low with a double fist bump. Against the sugar demon, a win is a win Good job for avoiding the ice cream, you're kicking ass right now. Keep showing that sugar demon who's boss!

I'd make fried rice if it didn't take more time haha. Minute rice works for me for now though In the morning I can have an "eat now, taste later" attitude, but my mask of diet sanity slips a little in the afternoon unless I pack a lunch. Its a surprisingly good mix of stuff, it tastes better than it sounds IMHO. Yes, they play Britney Spears at my gym and other like sounds (music?). So unless I have my mp3, I drink the hater-ade when it comes to their music selection. I'm thinking the home gym will be a late christmas, early birthday, and challenge-reward-for-the-next-year present to myself. It'll pay for itself with canceling the gym dues, and I figure skipping the gym will be alot harder when its 10 feet from my back door. I already have a 300lb olympic weight set (that was in my garage and has not been used since the Bush administration...the first term ) so I'm part way there already. Anything I get will involve a cage/smith machine/squat rack with some adjustable dumbbells along with the most sturdy bench I can find. I'm not exactly a small person, so I need to keep an eye on the max weight for any bench I get. A pullup station and punching bag in addition to that will round it out nicely. I plan on scouring craigslist for the bench and extra weights, there are some crazy deals on there due to the nature of people burning out too quickly when they buy stuff like this (like me with the weight set from last decade). I'm thinking it'll either be a great investment, or a giant waste that will end up on craigslist for half what I bought it for. Only time will tell You hit the nail on the head Pallas Athena - To me, music is very important for motivation and setting a tone for a workout. To each their own, but my music taste doesn't mesh very well with late 90's/early 2000's pop and I always find it alot harder to get through a workout when they play it (and they always do) haha. They played talk radio at your gym? That would be different. Call me crazy, but just hearing the voices of some of those clowns makes me want to hurl. That would go double were I doing anything cardio. Goal #1 - Went to the gym right after work after missing yesterday. Crazy day at work (lots and lots and lots of traffic), but back on track for today. Patting myself on the back as we speak Goal #2 - No fast food AGAIN! This has to be some kind of personal record (again...patting myself on the back) Goal #3 - TAXES DONE ! Well the tax place did them technically, but I'm happy to take the credit for it (yes I'm horrible ) Goal #4 - Ate some cereal for breakfast. Again, not anything cool, but corn flakes, ugh. Breakfasts' boring cousin thats never even had a girlfriend

Theres a dive-cafe near where I live that has that same omlet except for one little detail. They use 12 eggs and not 2 haha. I couldn't tag a picture to here, but its kinda crazy looking. Good job on your exam btw, you really are a person that can juggle alot of things at once it looks like. Thats a great intangible to have. Chocolate chilli? That just sounds too good to be true. Thats right up there with open bar night or girls in bikinis shooting machine guns! Keep up the kicking of much ass L Dubya!

It sounds like you're playing the "hurry up and wait" game. Taking in that much information must make your head spin sometimes, you must feel like a knowledge sponge. How are your workouts coming along?

The subtle strength of passive-agressiveness can move mountains when applied correctly haha. I should know, thats how people from my area communicate mostly. That sucks that you got sick, there is a bug going around and the daylight saving switch over never helps anything. Dr Porkchop says - Plenty of rest and chicken noodle soup, you'll feel better in no time. Seriously though, get better soon. Is the Dirty Girl run like Tough Mudder? Those look like a blast!

Thanks Tank - All I ask is that I don't get worse Thanks RG! My acountabuddy group and I had an insentive where we named something we would allow ourselves to buy if we finished last challenge. My original idea was to get a new bass guitar and amp, but since cleaning out my garage, I decided to hold out and save for a nice home gym (if I have to listen to One Republic or Britney Spears dubstep version over the PA at my gym one more time, I'm going to cancel my membership in protest lol). That reward would fit these challenges a bit better I think. I had no idea how much money I could save just by brown-bagging it for lunch most of the time. If the health benefits didn't get my attention, the invisible hand surely would. Goal #1 - Going to the gym at after I finish laundry and eating dinner Goal #2 - No fast food again. Woot! Goal #3 - I have Friday off this week and I need to talk to an advisor about this coming quarter Goal #4 - Ate a mix of rice, turkey meat, eggs, and peas this morning. It was alot better than it sounds, I promise

150 pounds?!?!?! Thats incredible! Congratulations! I hope you take some time to pat yourself on the back for that one. Thats the kind of thing that will inspire the people around you even if they don't know it. Sorry you feel like crap, RoseMadder is right, this is the bad time of year for that. We're almost out of the woods for this season though and you'll feel even better than before very soon. Just be good to yourself and drink lots of water and get lots of rest.

Glass is full or empty, not half anything. I think that would make you a super optimist As far as weekends go, thats an awesome idea to always have someone around. It would help alot with the idle thoughts and eating out of boredom. One thing that worked for me was to keep some rice cakes on hand. They have flavored ones now, or putting some salt/pepper on a plain one works well for some. Popcorn is another good choice for idle eating, low calories and almost all fiber. Even sugar free gum works for me when I'm on the road and don't have any food on hand. Show this challenge whose boss Metal Keep kicking ass!!!!!

Great going JAS, I dare say that you're rocking the hell out of this challenge! Don't kid yourself, prison pushups (halfies) are no joke. They can make us more tired than the standard ones because of how fast they're done. How do you feel being free of the junk food for this long? Personally, I find that salty foods are much harder to give up than sweet foods because the previous are much more prevelent. I just created a Myfitnesspal account too, but all I use it for is logging diet, not exercise. It seems to work well for calorie counting, which is just what I need it for. How do you like it? Make sure you keep your room clean too , you've been doing really well on that front. Its really easy to let it snowball and get out of hand though, show it whose boss.

Thanks JAS! I was going to finalize everything before spring quarter starts (April 1st). I still may switch to an online class just because of the conveinience of it. There is an option for people like me that meets only on Saturdays for a couple hours and the rest is online. That sounds perfect for me. Haha Pookie - Yeah breakfast joints are as common as Starbucks almost anywhere you go here. We have many of those greasy-spoons too, we call them dives (dive is also a name for a run down bar/pub). They usually have pretty good food and the angry waitresses and scary clientele all add to the dive's charm, seriously. I used to eat out at restaraunts alot, but not so much anymore, way too expensive. Every Sunday though, a group of us meet up for a pancake breakfast. Anywhere from 5-20 people show up and it gives everyone a chance to catch up/vent/brag, whatever. Diet goes out the window and I'm glad I don't do it very often haha. Goal #1 - Went and did strength training at the gym today. I forgot my music again and had to suffer through house music thats made for 13 year old girls it seems like. Oh well, I'm sure it made me hurry and I got done quickly even though I used the free weights (there was barely anyone there). Goal #2 - Avoided fast food ONLY because I packed a lunch and ate a big breakfast. Woot! Goal#3 - Garage done. Finalizing plans and securing funding for school next month. Goal #4 - Had hashbrowns, 2 eggs, and yes...porkchops (2)

That would be just my luck haha. Oh well, ice breaker if nothing else I guess. Thanks Tank - no way but up Thank you Laureleye, it sucked less than I thought it would Goal #1 - Thought I'd do a quick update before I head out shopping and maybe to the gym. No gym as of yet obviously Goal #2 - No fast food. I missed it until I realized how much $$$ I'm saving Goal #3 - Called goodwill for friday pickup of give-away stuff Goal #4 - Bowl of cereal and a latte for breakfast. I AM MR. SEATTLE haha

Don't you hate it when something you like to do becomes instantly lame when its framed as homework lol? I know what you mean. At least you have a creative outlet for yourself and your feelings, and thats a good place to be. Without that, the feelings kind of fester and sometimes get worse. It seems like most of, if not all, good artists/writers/musicians have that same trait of making their best art when they're in their zone. I'm always in awe of how deep and rich it can be when people turn what they're feeling into art/writing/music. It sucks that you have to have the negative emotions to go with it, I guess you're blessed with a burden Nice picks on the book genres there too, I still like to go to the bookstore to get stuff as opposed to downloading them. I do have one of those kindles, but I guess I'm just kinda oldschool in that way haha. I have a few friends that are into WoW and they all say its really fun. Remember Everquest? A friend of mine ended up selling his account and got like $2500. He was really far and probably had the best character in the entire game, but it made my jaw drop when I saw that haha. Anywho, keep your head up and kick some ass in WoW for your NF buddies !!!

I was talking to someone else about how there was a late-season stomach bug going around this year. Those are almost worse because they kind of blindside us with their suck-ness. Three words...Chicken noodle soup. Also, if your appetite comes back, you get a pass on eating things you normally wouldn't eat. Get lots of rest and drink lots of water (sounds like you already are anyway) and feel better soon.

You said it man, that fast food is easy to say no to a few times, but over and over gets tricky. If I didn't pack my lunches, I would've caved many times over by now. Yeah this summer should bring some overtime and I'm leaning on a pool table versus motorcycle. I want to get my endorsement by July so I can enjoy the 2 or 3 months of summer we get around here. Thank ya Sam. Luckily I get my keys and paperwork and leave 9 times out of 10, but its still tempting as all hell though.That toaster oven they got to make cookies with just adds insult to injury sometimes Lol. Although I didn't finish it on Friday, I had some help on Saturday and we ended up giving the garage monster the royal beatdown . It feels so much better to have that done before the weather gets nice (well, better anyway.This is Seattle afterall). Yeah I'd love to put the kibosh on the gym membership and just get some equipment for here. Better music here than the gym anyway. Leg press and pulldown machines will be hard to replace, but I'll make something work. I know the siren call of the girlscout cookies very well Lol. I always feel like I'm being mean when I tell them no, so I go all the way to the other enterance to avoid them, even if its way farther (pathetic, I know). I think they put crack in those thin mints, just sayin. The garage is finally done, well the part that I can do anyway. I still need to call goodwill tomorrow and set up a pickup for a few boxes. As for me giving the cookies away, I'm kind of sweet on this one lady, and in the back of my mind, I think I might be trying to girlscout cookie-regift my way into her heart Lol. I don't know, maybe I just wanted rid of them too, both reasons seem legit Goal #1 - Got to the gym tonight and did the usual full body routine. I used dumbbells for the most part today and rode a stationary bike for 30 minutes. Very tired, but in a good wayI guess. Goal #2 - Well, this is tricky. I avoided fast food ALL weekend and didn't miss it that much. However, today was pancake breakfast Sunday and that isn't really fast food so I'll give myself an A on that front. Buttermilk pancakes and sausage, most likely took a few minutes off my life, but...yeah. Plus its always nice to break bread with everyone too. Goal #3 - Hear that? Thats the sound of me NOT bitching about cleaning my garage. HA! Don't get me wrong, complaining has its place, but sometimes shit just needs to get done. I had 2 friends come over and help me get squared away and done. It only took a few hours and we didn't even work too hard. Much easier with help than without though. PLUS the accountability brought about by everyone on here. No way could I have done it without you all, THANK YOU. Goal #4 - Breakfast? Duh.. Edit : Sometime in my lifetime, I would love it if they got rid of daylight saving time. OR make the lost hour on Friday afternoon, not Sunday morning. That is all

Way to dominate, jnicole! It looks like you're doing an awesome job so far. As for Mondays, I try to work out in the morning before work. This isn't because I'm hyper-motivated, its because I'm too tired on Monday mornings to talk myself out of it (success through laziness ). Besides, after mondays' shift I'm kinda spent. The morning workout (when I manage to get it done), gives me a boost to start my day and, strangly, makes me less tired. I'm more of a creature of habbit, but picking different exercises for the same body parts would keep you on our toes I imagine. Either that or just do a gentle workout on Mondays and continue to close out the week strong, both roads lead to the same place.