Ian Fin 8

Week 3 Round Up and Week 4 Day 1 Thursday was good - more of the same food and exercise wise.Friday - no gym, but food stayed on pointSaturday - Good fruit salad and yogurt/granola but added 1 piece chicken and waffle. Had a few beers today, but also walked a little bit around SF, dinner was just some tri tip.Sunday - fasted until dinner and had a home made cheese burger and some ice cream (kind of felt low on personal issues so I treated myself)Monday - wasnt feeling well (foot hurt, could have been gout as it feels better today but not 100% after taking some over the counter stuff for it), but I just had banana and PB for lunch, and then turkey and asparagus for dinner.

Week 3 Day 4 30min on Elliptical for 3.0mi, add .25mi in 5min cool down 60min on Treadmill walking pace of 3mph, so 3mi achieved Breakfast - none Lunch - Thai drunken noodle Dinner - Broccoli, after a bigger lunch wasnt that hungry, Might need to repurpose this as I started adding more walking to each workout

Sorry for the long delay, unexpected week last week and this week. Week 2 ended in a prolly a C. 2 days of working out, too many freebie meals...though one was extraordinary...got into an exclusive dining club in SF. So definite setback, and Monday and Tuesday lunch was catered for trainings. Monday was not so great but Tuesday was better. Dinners both nights were good, meats and veggies. Wednesday was better on track, curry and brown rice, dinner chicken and veggies. Made it to the gym Mon-Wed so far, going today as well. Gym wise, this week has been good too - trying to make up for last week. Weight wise, weighed myself today - 290lbs, 10lbs down from the start...would have been better if I didnt slip last week... So back on track...

Week 2 Day 3 Meh day. Didnt have a great evening the night before and carried over. Used my freebie lunch because coworkers were going to Ikes. Cardio - 30min on Elliptical for 2.65mi, felt a lil slower and I think the resistance was up as I tried hard at the beginning but tired quicker than yesterday. Cardio - 1hr 20min walking on treadmill for 3+ miles. Elbow was a little sore so skipped weights. Breakfast - banana Lunch - Ikes sandwhich = freebie Dinner - tri-tip, asparagus, orange I think I will just add more walking to my gym days to cover this week's extra activity

Week 2 Day 2 Due to missing yesterday workout, I combined cardio and weight training today. Thurs I have dinner with friend i havent seen in awhile. Thought Friday would be something too, but that is probably out so I can fit another workout there. Cardio - 3mi in 30min on elliptical. Good pace throughout. Started a little behind the 1mi in 10min mark, but caught up and gained some ground early on for when i would tire later. Weights - same routine minus the assisted chin up and dips (too tired to do those) I also went up to 25lbs dumbbells for biceps and hammer presses. Breakfast - Banana Lunch - Leftover steak and broccolini Snack - Pear and Orange Dinner - Sriracha chicken breast strips (meh, were a little dry), the rest of the broccolini, and the last of the Korean Pears. Tri-tip for tomorrow's lunch and dinner with asparagus cooked. Trying an Amazon seasoning that has cocoa and coffee in it. No activity yet. Yeah its really a self destructive behavior. Often accompanied with a behavior wanting to be be alone which then just compounds it. Acknowledging this is a step in the right direction...

I think that is awesome that you are also focusing on your health even while there are other things going on...takes true commitment! And good work on your personal goals and deal with the stressful situations. Looking forward to seeing you progress! What marathon are you signing up for? There are so many these days between just a straight marathon to some theme/twist being added on or having it in a cool location. I have a friend doing one in Disneyland, which sounds pretty rad.

Week 2 Day 1 Meh day. Wasnt feeling so hot, so skilled working out (will make it up this week) but had good meals so that is good. No workout Breakfast - PB Lunch - Steak and broccoli Snacks: Banana, Orange, and Pear Dinner - finished off leftovers No weekend activity planned yet House in relatively good shape. Went to grocery story and spent about $100 for 8 meals - meat/veggie for each, oranges and bananas, picked up some jumbo korean pears (they looked good, but only 3 per container...looked better than any of the regular ones, so am trying them out. Pretty good, big which is nice, not super full of flavor though. Takes a while to eat, so that is a plus) and some more seasonings. I did get some brussel sprouts to diversify my veggies haha Dinner is ready for tomorrow - chicken tenders which I lightly marinated in Sriracha and broccolini. I have two pieces of steak at the office so bringing some asparagus and an orange to work tomorrow.Random musings - I get into patterns pretty easily and hard to deviate after i get home from work and the gym, hence the often repeated meals. I try to add new things, like the brussel sproats haha...but I find myself uninspired a lot when cooking just for myself. So I do what is easy and quick - steaming broccoli and asparagus in the little silo steamer that I have. I thought about getting salad mixes, but those never seem substantial enough compared to real veggies. Though enough spinach would be a good addition, add in some chicken or steak with some salsa as a "dressing"... Also, having a non-green veggie seems weird for some reason...like if I just had carrots or beets that it wouldnt be as healthy haha. Thoughts? Good idea on the real veggie thing, at least 1 good serving a day...even if its a side at a restaurant or something. I was hoping the crab feed would have something besides a salad which was drenched in ranch (bleh). And on Sunday after kind of skipping a real lunch while working, I was like I worked hard, not as hard as my friends, and they wanted a burger and beer and that sounded damn good haha. So I am adding that to my goal - real veggies at least 1x per day. During the week is no excuse, but will add it to weekends since I am rarely at home during the weekends. Thanks. Positive attitude waxes and wanes...part of the reason why some of the previous challenges werent as successful. Trying to make strives this time in not letting getting down about something affect my eating like it used to where i would go really unhealthy in a weird mix of comfort/consoling food (ie the proverbial ice cream or cheese which is one of my biggest cravings haha) and as a "punishment" which is a little harder to explain without getting all psychological and whatnot. This time, trying to train my thinking to think that maintaining eating under this challenges guidelines serves the "punishment" by not letting me indulge in my so called "comfort food" that got me in the bad shape I am in now. Luckily eating out with friends is easier to follow the rules to an extent when this happens (either by having them help me make the right decision or just not wanting to indulge too much) than it is at home alone when I easily do so. And trying to do some forward thinking/projecting hoping that if I can do this challenge and the next and at least get a B in both, that I will be in much better shape for Coachella...big music festival in the CA desert near Palm Spring where is can get damn hot with a fair amount of walking and standing to do over the 4 days. Ok, I'll get of the psych's couch now haha

Very good week. Like you said, you can make up the workout. What book is up next?

Just catching up from being away this weekend, sounds like a strong week! Congrats man. Curious on the fasting goal. I always heard that missing meals was "bad" and all that (fitness noob here), though I think I get the idea of a whole day, but I'm curious on the science/thought behind it.

Weekend Report Decent weekend goals wise. Here is the recap: Friday - No real workout unless you count 1 long SF block up hill (also downhill) and a couple blocks to the movie theatre and back. Food wise i had some of the left over steak for lunch and broccoli and pear and oranges as snacks. Finished the broccoli before leaving work to the movie. Had a couple of gummi bears at later, 5-6, so nothing major. Saturday - Scrambled eggs with ham, veggies, and some cheese. 1 slice of toast, a couple of bits of hash browns. Lunch was a grilled cheese, freebie lunch really, but small in size as was saving up for an unexpected cioppino crab feed. No real physical activity. Spent some money on crab feed but won a raffle that more than covered it plus some. Sunday - omelet with pork, veggies, cheese. No real lunch, but had a burger and small portion of sweet potato fries and 2 beers (limit achieved but not exceeded). Helped friends clean and move stuff for the remodel of their house, spent about 2-3 hours or so, so in a loose way this counts as the physical activity. Overall, I would say a B+ or A- week overall. I felt pretty good overall, Mon-Thurs was pretty solid, as was Fri. Sat and Sun were not too bad, but could have done better with more veggies as sides instead of just in the eggs. i did eat a good amount of fruit though, so that was good. Been a long time since I have seen it and forgot how much there was, but it was really good. Everyone got into the singing and the queues to say or do stuff (like when you see Ursula or her eels you hiss), so that was fun. "Date" wise...not sure, it's complicated between me and the girl, so hard to tell...

Little Mermaid Sing-a-long at the Castro Theatre in SF, should be a good time!

Day 4 Great day fitness wise. Weight routine same as last time, though I upped the biceps curls and hammer press to 20lbs after the first set of 10. Could feel the soreness today from Tues workout Cardio - did 20min at walking pace for 1.0mi holding two 10lbs (one in each hand), then did 30min Elliptical on the random setting for about 2.0mi Breakfast - Banana and a few spoon fulls of PB Lunch - Chicken breasts, broccolini, orange Dinner - Same as lunch haha, though I added a pear I thinik I am helping a friend defloor his condo on Sat, that should be quite a bit of work strength wise. Beer brewing is now on Sun. House in good shape, will take out trash and do laundry tomorrow based on current usage No money spent today, I did cash in some reward points for Amazon giftcards. CC doesnt offer cash back and the credit to account could take up to 8weeks (wtf?) and I plan to have it paid off before then and cancel that card, so figure getting Amazon was better - I will have some purchases coming up like sister's, bro-in-law's, and niece's bday...Sis and bro-in-law have same bday (day month and year) and my niece was born the day after. Plus there are some books/games that I want that are coming out soon Planning for the weekend: So tomorrow's lunch so be the steaks I am cooking tonight and some veggies. Not sure what the plan is for dinner just yet as the movie date tomorrow is at 7pm, and dont think we'll have time for dinner before and will be too late afterwards. So I plan on bringing some extra steak and eating it before leaving work. If time and weather permits, it would be good to do frozen yogurt or hot chocolate or something afterwards to spend a little more time than just meeting before the movie and driving her home. Sat should be breakfast with friend before working on the floor - will do eggs scramble or something similar to be good. Lunch I plan to also be good as I am saving my freebie lunch for Sunday (delicious Ikes sandwhiches!) Sat dinner will be at home I believe so will stay healthy. Sunday dinner may be freebie if brewing lasts into dinner and what my brewing friends want to do. Could end up with healthy dinners all week for bonus points haha.

Day 3 - Another good day Cardio Day: Elliptical machines were taken, so started on Treadmill 1.98mi on Treadmill in 30min, did 0.50mi jog in 7min, brisk walk most of the rest, but did a 2min30sec fast jog, and the last 2min sprint, 2.25mi with 5min cooldown 1.0mi on bike in 5min waiting for Elliptical 2.00mi on Elliptical in 30min, slower than normal pace on it but felt more "exercise" than Monday's 30min walk on the Elliptical Breakfast - Banana Lunch - Tomato-basil soup, scrambled eggs with veggies and a little cheese, some whole grain toast - restaurant items Midday snack - some beef jerky and dried fruit and nuts Dinner - 2 small tri tip steaks, asparagus, orange, and pear Brewing beer on Sat, will require some "physical" activity like lifting heavy things...will not really count, but better than nothing haha. Will also do walk around complex to compensate House in good shape - nothing to note Bought groceries tonight at my local Whole Foods-like store, so meat/produce was a little pricey but good quality. Needed new spices so spent some there, nothing egregious I also bought tickets for Little Mermaid Sing-a-long at the Castro Theatre in SF for a "date" for Friday night...only $38 for two tix, so not too bad.I did pick up fresh made peanut butter! I saw the machine at the nicer grocery store and always wondered about it...now I get to try it!

Agree with everyone else on the food sounds awesome, especially the brisket! Good work on Day 2 of the challenge. I am impressed with the spending no more than 2hrs on the internet!

Cool article and def worth thinking about...especially the low threshold and future projection techniques! Keep up the good work! And I dig the recipes. Will have to steal some of those haha

Awesome story! Looks like you have everything in order, so you should smash this challenge! Also, sweet song choice. I havent heard Kerli in awhile, but will have to look up tydi as well now. And isn't trance...well most electronica, the best to work too haha

I have thought about doing weighted leg things...mainly after watching this clip from Naruto - HERE I have worn a backpack with random stuff in it before backpacking awhile back...though vest would make more sense. As for bigger lifts, I think I would like to add squats in future challenge, trying to take some weight off to help the knees a little, which are not 100% at the moment. Though the gym at my work doesnt have much in terms of weights...just a set of dumbbells. I used a grill pan for awhile before I got my BBQ, works well enough for not too think of steaks.. Also, a favorite of mine is doing a tri-tip using an oven rack/pan. Works well. Thanks! I went to Australia a few years ago...visited the Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.

Day 2 - Another good day. Increased the lunch portion and did better today on being hungry mid day. Also drank about 24oz of yerba mate tea, which in the past has been somewhat of a appetite suppressant...least when i drink a lot of it at Coachella. Weight routine: - Started a little low on all except the assisted, just to get an idea where I am at since it has been awhile Assisted Pull Up - 3 sets of 5 with 200lbs absorbed Assisted Dips - 3 sets of 10 w/ 200lbs absorbed V-ups - 3 sets of 10 Butterfly - 3 sets of 10 w/ 10lbs Triceps curls - 3 sets of 10 w/ 10lbs Biceps curls - 3 sets of 10 w/ 15lbs Hammer press - 3 sets of 10 w/ 15lbs Treadmill - 2mi in 40min at 3.0 walking pace, held 5lb dumbbell in each hand throughout Breakfast - banana Lunch - 2 small tri-tip steaks, bunch of broccolini, 1 orange Dinner - 2 small tri-tip steaks, asparagus No plans for weekend yet - worse case, I will walk around my condo complex for a mile or two...always wanted to know how far around it is haha House still in good shape, nothing to do yet No money spent today besides paying my water bill. Started my own tax returns..maybe be getting a good sized refund, which would def help. Just got to wait for my actual W2 to make sure.

Sounds like you have a well thought out challenge and off to a good start so far...I wouldn't worry about being an hour behind on the first day. Like you said you have time on Wed to practice at home and the rest of the week to make it up. What books do you have on your reading list? Keep up the good work!

First day was pretty good. Solid start I would say... Pre-challenge weigh in: 300lb 30min on Elliptical for 2.7mi (2.95 with add'l 5min cooldown) and 30min on treadmill for 1.5+mi at walking pace (1.65mi with add'l 5min cooldown) Breakfast - 1 Banana, Lunch - 1 chicken breast, bunch of brocollini, 1 orange Snack - bag of coconut flakes and macadamia nuts - store package but was a little hungry after lunch and it was part of a client gift pack I got for Xmas. Not sure if this counts as it was nuts/fruit based and not candy or chips or something. I think I will just increase breakfast or lunch portion a little as the chicken breast was a little small...I think I should get some peanut butter for breakfast too (the good natural stuff not the sweetened stuff) Dinner - 1 chicken breast, bunch of asparagus No plans yet for this weekend's activity. No money spent on Monday (groceries were bought on Sunday night haha, but should last through tomorrow) House was in good shape from the weekend, nothing much to be done at this time.After dinner I crashed pretty early for me haha. So I didn't get to cook the next day's meal...I did wake up early and am working on BBQing some tri-tip steaks and steaming some veggies for the day haha. Thanks everyone for the encouragement and advice! Will try to add something to breakfast. Eggs would be good, but I only prefer them scramble and usually not much of a morning person to cook...usually. Peanut butter would work, or I will look into other options. Good point, though I think I should be ok. What will hurt will be my work schedule, but shouldnt be too bad this challenge as tax season doesnt kick off until mid-Feb or so. Thanks!

Very cool ideas! I see what you mean about the internet-paranoid on posting drawing, but looking forward to hear about your progress!

Good work today! I'd say that shows a most promising start Good luck on the saving plan as well. I'm doing something similar (though to pay off instead of save up haha) and had an idea. Anytime I think I want to buy something unnecessary, say a new video game or whatever I don't need but would under normal situations buy, I will bank that amount - transfer money from my checking acct into my savings acct....this way I get to see how much I would save. Do you have idea's on what you want to do when going to NY? I was there a number of years ago and one thing that helped was buying a city pass, which saved some me some money and time as it allows you to skip some lines. It includes tickets into the Natural History Museum, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, MOMA, the Met, and some others. Worth checking out if you want to see most the sites that are included. Here is the link - NY Citypass Anyway, looking forward to see your progress.

Cool challenge. Great idea about the meal plan, having an idea of what you can and when you can has helped in the past for me. Love the book idea! Need to do that myself... Good luck!

Solid challenge and like someone said before, you know what you're doing and how! Looking forward to watching you progress Also, the title made me instantly think of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"...and wouldn't you know it...there is a video of the Thundercats cartoon intro set to this song - HERE The magic of the Internet!

I like the alter ego approach, good way to not listen to the lazy side As for strength training, Nerd Fitness has some good suggestions - http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ . This is a good start and using the small weights is good. I bought some 10lb ones that I plan to do some basic biceps curls while watching TV or something, just as an added thing to do. For the walk/jog in the mornings, do you have an idea on how far or how long? Just thinking that having a goal would be good...even if you set it too high or low, you can adjust it. Good luck!