Fonzico

I'm from Canada, so yeah, we are pretty used to the snow! I will tell you my most horrific story: We were driving through the Rocky Mountains towards Vancouver. It was night time. We were tired. We decided to stop and take a little nap. When we awoke, and started driving, we turned a corner and saw this lovely sign "You are now leaving the avalanche zone." Three days later, on our way home... we have to spend an extra night in a small town, while they plow through the avalanche covering that very zone. Yeah... that's where those pics of the 3M+ snow tunnels come from! (Also sometimes just peoples houses... but not usually where I live).

I don't see any reason why you can't change your goal.. what's the point of having one that you know you won't be able to complete? It'll just be depressing... Why not try to find something that would award you similar stats though? (I'm too lazy to go back and check what that might be ). But otherwise, wonderful week! Keep up the fantastic work.

You had an impressive week! Continue on this track and you will be golden!

Ok, my excitement has just been ramped up to a whole new level This is happening, for sure.

She stood in the yard, chest heaving, the sweat freezing in the tendrils of hair escaping her hood. Her muscles positively burned from the exertion, but she simply stood there, with a goofy grin on her face. How could she have forgotten how wonderful this felt? She already couldn't wait until she had recovered enough for another session. As per usual, wonderful smells pulled her into the kitchens before she had even changed out of her damp clothing. Missy looked up from her dough rolling, and smiled. "I don't suppose I can tempt you with a fresh cinnanmon bun, eh?" she asked, without much hope. Nzico just grinned. Missy sighed and jerked her head towards the cellar. "I saved you a turkey leg from last night." She muttered something under her breath that might have sounded a little like "daft elf". She knawed on her cold turkey leg awkwardly while trying to get ready for the day one-handed. She had taken on a job with a local cleric, translating scrolls for the winter to help pay her keep. While she didn't mind the work, it was irritating to be stuck indoors, inactive, when all she really wanted was to get back to work on her strength and endurance. She tried to squeeze in what she could, where she could: walking lunges to get more supplies, squats while she thought. She always volunteered to do any errand running, which was gratefully accepted, considering the bitter wind. She supposed it could be worse.. and she had to pay her way somehow. Maybe next year she would try to find a position as a stablehand. Lowly, certainly, but mucking out stables was one heck of a workout!

Poor Pookie, I have the utmost empathy for you! I too suffer from the curse of the asthmatic, it is so difficult to get colds out of your chest once they move in But at least you got to walk! And Jo, I have totally been wanting to start kettlebells! My sister does them, and says it's a phenomenal workout. It's cool, because there's a physiotherapist in my town who does 6 week lessons for $40 (which is ridiculously cheap, most 6 week classes on anything would start at a min $60-$80) I think I am going to sign up for the February sessions. They will start just before the next challenge, so that's cool! A couple of my friends are celebrating birthdays tonight... with beer pong in a garage. I forget, am I in high school still? Geez, I don't think any of us are even in college anymore! Lol oh well, I love my immature friends, and I intend to soberly laugh my ass off at them, while taking blackmail photos. Oh, and thanks for the lucky cat! That was a excellent preemptive move on your part, weekends ARE often the most difficult part of the week.

@Ordimoi: No, that's just the stupid in the water. It flares up every once in a while. But I see we took matching walks yesterday! Nice one. @Heranje: Thanks, I always appreciate the input! And I love that about paid walks! Too many employers don't realize what a huge benefit that kind of thing is to productivity! So I scored on the yoga and the no wheat yesterday. Although I did snack more than I should have on tortilla chips But I dutifully tracked them (when I normally would have tried to forget it happened) and it wasn't the worst... I still came in under 2000 for the day. Also, I did my chin up practice today! Hehe I started writing this post, planning to say I was going to do it...then I thought, why not do it right now so you can say it's done? Woot! And I made it to 8 this time! I think I'll get in a walk today as well. We do have a party to go to tonight... I think I better drive though, no need to tempt myself! I am determined to finish this week on a high note.

Lately I've developed a taste club soda, maybe with a little lemon or lime. Guilt free, no aspartame, and it keeps your mouth/hands busy! Plus, if you decide to put a little gin in it, it's still not too many calories. (just make sure they don't use tonic water, that stuff is full of sugar!) Also, my phone auto corrected gin to fun... Which also works! Hehe

Ok, I think three agreements in a row counts as a consensus. Thank you, beloved nerds. I shall take your advice. I tend to agree... but was scared. Still am, a little. But it's ok to be scared. Just not to be held back by your fear. For the rest of the challenge, I shall focus on gaining strength (which is much easier to see consistent progress in anyhow) and continuing to eat well. I actually think I will physically hide the scale.. The hubs uses it occasionally, but he won't care if it goes missing for a bit, it's more of a curiosity thing for him. On an unrelated note: I just went for a walk! As I mentioned before, I've been feeling groggy today, and irritable, too. I mentioned this to my boss-lady/MIL, and (bless her heart!) she suggested I go for a walk. Sunshine, fresh air, it's amazing what they can do! And I just checked, it was about a 2 1/2km (1.5 miles?) route, not too shabby for a lunch break jaunt.

That's so great! Man, hiking uphill in deep snow totally counts for extra That is NOT easy. Very good job, I'm quite proud of you!

I've used it with my husband (actually, we've both used it on opposite sides of the bed!) and while it does reduce the accuracy, it definitely still works. I have also heard the 90 min cycle thing, but it would only have to be off by a little each time to be quite off by the time morning comes around. I know this totally did not start out as a discussion about how to get up more easily in the morning, but I'm going to continue spouting advice about that anyhow! Someone elsewhere suggested putting mini-lights (like the small indoor Christmas lights) on a timer in your bedroom, so you're awoken by gentle light about 10 mins before you have to wake up. Also, great job on working in your workout during what could have otherwise been wasted time! That's absolutely fantastic, shows that you're in a good mindset

I've heard that too. Obviously, this doesn't help with the waking up in the middle of the night thing, but I used to use an app that tracks your sleep cycles (by using the accelerometer to keep track of how much you're moving around) and then starts your alarm when you're in a lighter part of the cycle. I don't know why I stopped using it, I should start again! Obviously, it doesn't work as well if there's more than one person in the bed, but I would still recommend it. I'm pretty sure it was just called "Sleep cycle" for ios, or there's one called "Sleep" for android (which has a free trial period, but continues to work even when it's over, at least it did for me...)

Deceptively seductive is right :/ My new strategy is to tell myself that if I behave the rest of the time, I can have some ramen once a month, guilt free! I know using food as a reward is a no-no, buuuuut Imma do it anyways. So the step class last night went well. It was actually more like 35% step routines, and 65% strength training, which was cool. I am feeling the lunges and squats... but it was actually not as high intensity as I was hoping - and I must admit, I'm giving myself a funny look as I type this... I don't think I've ever wished for that before! I don't really think it was worth the drop in fee though (which is only $8, but I'm a cheapskate, what can I say?) or the rushing to get there (no time for supper beforehand!) so I probably won't do it again, unless I end up getting a membership. And you'll all be relieved to know that I dodged the "too much sausage" bullet! ROFL! I had eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns for supper, and brought the sausage for lunch today So, 2/3 for yesterday.. no wheat, and got up early, but no yoga, and the workout doesn't count towards my chin-ups. Tonight, for sure. Also, totally failed at getting up today. I stayed up about an hour later than usual, which may have been the issue. But I also think when I did wake up, it was not at a good point in my sleep cycle, because I feel unusually groggy. Or maybe it was the potatoes! Well, thank goodness for coffee. Mmm, and one more thing: I need some advice. I have been a little frustrated the past couple of weeks, because I've been eating well and exercising more consistently than ever, but the scale is not reflecting this. Now, I know the scale is not the be-all and end-all, but let's be honest, at 5'5 and 170lbs, I do need to lose weight to be healthy. And I often use the thought of my next weigh-in to keep me in line. That being said, losing weight isn't actually one of my challenge goals (you know, it's just something that I think about constantly... no biggie). What I'm wondering is, should I just stay off the scale for the rest of this challenge, and focus on being healthy, and hope the weight loss will naturally come with that, and I'll be pleasantly surprised in 4 weeks? (Haha, nice run-on sentence, eh?) Or should I go down to weekly weigh-ins? (Right now, it's about 3x a week). I have this fear that if I'm not keeping close track, I'm going to gain a bunch without realizing it... because it's happened before. But I'm getting a little obsessive, and I'm not ok with that either. Sorry for the novel... but what do you all think? Edit: I should also mention that I'm not losing inches either.. so it's not one of those "muscles weighs more than fat" situations.

Even those quick trips can do a world of good! Especially when your mental resources are being taxed. And Jo: Yes! You are right! And I fully expect the meaning of epic to change... right now it shall be defined by "when they can lift my body off the ground until my chin reaches my hands!"

Heh. I'll take it, intended or not! They are hard! But now it's a matter of pride...

@Jo2926: This is true! I fully expect my butt to get kicked I probably won't make it a regular thing, but it's a good option to take advantage of every now and again. @Pookie: Thanks for getting my head firmly stuck in the gutter! lol I have too many inappropriate responses, so like you, I'm just going to leave it to everyone's imagination

Mmmm envious of the dahl... that was the hardest part of giving up legumes! Hoping to end the week strong here.. and I mean that literally and figuratively! I want epic muscles so bad

Hey, if you can't get your workouts in, at least you're dealing with you life goal! I absolutely think that counts. And time spent cuddling cats is never wasted.. you have to invest the time, so they don't kill you in your sleep.

That's completely awesome about your rings! That has to feel good And congrats on being 6 pounds down, you totally have this! And you still have 4 days left this week to get a couple workout in. GO JO!

It's always exciting to realize you're getting stronger, isn't it? One step closer to being a BAMF I am seeing that a few of us have had some small set-backs recently. So, my overarching statement is: Don't Be Too Hard On Yourself, Don't Overdo It If You're Sick or Injured, And DO Get Back On Track As Soon As Possible!

Good couple of days! Best of luck with the apartment hunting!

Woot! I did not eat any cupcakes! There are still a couple left, but I made my brother and husband promise to eat them ASAP. Suckers. Sadly, I did not get my yoga session in though. My brother took over the TV and the living room is the only large enough space. Oh well, I'm still on track to get 4 or 5 this week, so it's not the end of the world. But I did get up early yesterday and today! And I am going to go to a drop-in step class tonight. I tried to do step for a while a year or two ago, and while I really enjoyed it, it was at 6am, and mostly I just didn't go. But I figured I shouldn't turn down an invitation to be active.. but that means my chin-up workout might get delayed again. I will try, but there's no point if I'm too tired to do it properly. So today, I've got garlic sausage and cheese for breakfast (not the best, I know, but it's so good and easy). Chicken parm and homemade coleslaw (purple!) for lunch. And I'm thinking zucchini noodles and sausage for supper. Probably too much sausage in one day! Oh well.

Omg, my in-laws brought cupcakes. Babycakes cupcakes (as in gourmet). God, grant me the strength...

Proud to say that I slayed the wheat dragon today! (I know the day isn't over, but there's not really anything wheat-y at home, lunch is usually my big hurdle). It put up a valiant fight, let me tell you. It was all: "Hey Fonzico, remember how incredibly delicious those ramen noodles were yesterday? You could get some more of those, you know. Come on, they're dirt cheap, and just down the next aisle. How easy! How delicious! You know you waaant to!" and I was all, "STFU wheat dragon, I'm on to your tricksy ways! You gave me this pot belly, and I won't have any more of it! I don't need you! You're not even real food! Even if your enriched wheat flour and hydrogenated oil noodles are heaven in a brick." And then I bought some chicken parm (not breaded, it was good, and I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!). Plus, bonus points because I walked to the store (about a 20min round trip). Which was actually a terrible idea; there's no sidewalk, everything is either covered in ice or a two foot deep puddle, and I was terrified of getting splattered the whole time. But I still get the bonus points Now I just have to do my yoga tonight, and I get 3/3 for the day!