The Borg Queen

WOOOO HOOOO, congratulations, you are amazing!!!!!!! I am so excited for you!

I wish more LC products were stevia sweetened. That only has the side effect of tasting weird, sometimes.

REST WEEK OVER. +0.5 con I feel really rested now, and I'm biting at the bit to get back in the game!!!! I'm going to take a nice, long run tomorrow, and then find a yoga class to go to. Also, I'll probably throw in some pushups, cause why not. And maybe a bike ride? What the heck, I'll do it all!!! In other news, I'm going back to a job that requires some physical exertion, so it's going to be interesting to incorporate my workout schedule with that. I'll see how it goes... I may have to change things around. Also, now's my chance to complain about maltitol. Have you ever had it? IT'S DISGUSTING. I fooled myself into eating some "low carb" coconut ice cream sweetened with maltitol, and it completely wrecked my stomach. That momentary sweet taste is not worth all the pain and suffering. I'd trade it for real sugar and an insulin spike any day. There should be a warning on the label, like there is with Oelestra chips. Yuck. *shaking head* Thanks to snarky, starbon, l'irlandaise, and cb3 for the very nice notes. And starbon, I really appreciate your pokes and prods. It can be hard to remember to update.

Wooo, sounds like you have a busy work schedule! And you're sticking to your workout plan, which is awesome. So you fell into the kiss trap... that's rough. At my old job, they had this big bag of peanut M&Ms, and I used to raid that all the time. It's hard when you're hungry, and you know it's there, to resist.... Planning to have convenient snack food in advance a really good idea. I think that's the only solution. Little tomatoes are so yummy, and they are getting to be IN SEASON

AHHHHH the toenail! Don't let it get infected, cake! Swing dancing sounds so fun! Have you been doing it awhile? I was just trying to talk my h-band into taking a dance class w/me, but he's shy. Have fun at the music festival

Are you gluten sensitive? Is it possible that you gluten'd yourself, causing the headache? I get wild and crazy headaches when I snarf bread, even if it is topped with delicious bacon. I am imagining jumping while not moving the head, and it's kind of funny. It might take some grace and skill. If you liked that, you might belong in the assassin guild... Glad to hear the walking happened! Are you seeing anything nice on your walks?

It's funny because I'm exactly the opposite. The only way for me to quit things is to go cold turkey... otherwise, I drive myself crazy with crushing desire. Somehow, saying "No" to myself is easier than saying "yes, but..."

Holy crap, 19% is awesome! Way to go. That is super exciting! Did you drop 5% during this challenge, or since you started (or both)? How are your sprints going? Is it getting easier, or is it terrible every time?

Glad you got through the slump! Nice job on meeting your morning goal, I know that's been a tough one and it's nice to see some success

Hahaha I like it. I remember liking whoppers. I haven't had them in... years! I've heard that sometimes people use a type of aversion therapy when avoiding foods. For example, if you're avoiding cheese, you try to think of something disgusting every time you think of cheese in order to transfer the disgusting feeling to the cheese. This would never work for me, but it works for some people.

I like this idea! I'll do it, but I have to put some thought into it. I'm liking some of these mini challenges. Love it!

Hey, I love your new avatar! Who is it? Looks like you're doing a good job doing the bodyweight workout. Keep up the good work!

Great job, cake! Glad to see you are able to enjoy some of the fruits of your labors!

WEEK 4 RESULTS: I'm taking advantage of Mini-challenge 5 to have a week of rest and repose, but I started the rest week at an awkward time... and honestly, my schedule is already awkward compared with the rest of the groups', so everything's crazy I finished one scheduled run before the break (from Friday-Thursday), but I'll be back starting on Friday of this week. In the meantime I've been walking a lot, playing with kids, and going to yoga for my kicks. Here are the grades based on what I got done: Goal 1: Lifting I made it to the gym 2 x and lifted, as planned. A People are starting to make comments about my muscles. "Look at your shoulders!" they say. "Pumping lead," I say. Goal 2: Running I got 1 run in, so technically that's a B. Goal 3: Not Eating Out I didn't eat out at all. A Overall Grade: A- I'm pretty happy with the way my goals are going. It's nice to have NF pressure so I actually keep track of my progress and stick to my word. For the next challenge, I have big plans for refining Goal 3 to include more specific cost analysis. I've noticed that when I'm keeping close track of money spent on food, I don't spend as much. It's the same with eating- when I keep a food diary, I make better food choices. This concept will be incorporated into the food goal for the next challenge. Also, I think I've lost 5 lbs.

Great job on getting a workout in! I'm kind of worried about slipping shoulder joint... I hope you don't hurt yourself! My mom, who's a PT, recommends putting cardio before weight training in a sequence. It apparently puts you at some sort of metabolic advantage, although I'm not sure about the specifics. Sounds like you had a really difficult eating week, and I'm sorry to hear that. Sometimes it takes a good tumble off the wagon to figure out why you were eating a certain way in the first place. It can be a constant test of willpower not to eat what everyone else is eating, especially when hungry or stuck somewhere with a group of people eating non-paleo like it's nothing. It's tough being healthy in an unhealthy world. Also, I have the feeling you might be like me in being a perfectionist about things, which means you are probably especially hard on yourself when you slip up. I do that, too! So in some way, by adopting a particularly strict diet like the paleo diet, we are setting ourselves up for these mini crises and failures, because it can be a maddening diet to follow 100% of the time. For me, sometimes, eating paleo can be more about willpower and control than simply eating food. That's something I have to work on all the time. However, the diet is so healthy that it's worth it! I know that I felt 3000x better when I went paleo with many noticeable health improvements, maybe you experienced the same thing. I think the solution is cultivating a light heart about food. So you ate some french fries and what, deep fried cotton candy and a side of spam? That sounds kind of unhealthy, but you can always pick up and start eating clean tomorrow. You just have to forgive yourself and start over.

Thanks for the input... I am doing legs and assisted pullups already. Also, I can squat until the sun goes down and comes up again, I have wicked strong legs from biking and distance running. I really don't want to delve into things that involve barbells, because that would require the professional assistance of a trainer for pay... which is why I am seeking free information on this forum

Sounds like you were emulating Bruce Lee. Not a bad choice! Maybe adopt as an avatar?

I agree, sounds like you had a case of the normals, lol. You had a little break, and now you're posting again! Welcome back! I think it was a very smart biochemist who once reminded me that "our greatest glory lies not in falling, but in picking ourselves up when we fall"... You just got to find the will to keep going, and get it done! Since it sounds like you had a nice rest period, now perhaps you will have the energy to finish off the six week challenge with a bang. As far as accountability goes, maybe you could try updating more frequently, even if you haven't done anything, so that we can cheer you on! Otherwise, is there a specific type of structure that we can provide you with to help you get back on track?

Here you go, bread lovers: http://nourishingfoodways.com/2011/07/26/gluten-free-french-bread-recipe/ Dori is an expert at making GF breads from tapioca and rice flours. Above is a french bread recipe. Hope you like it!

Are you speaking from personal experience on that one? hahaha

I made a spicy scramble with bacon, some squash from my neighbor's garden, mushrooms, and fresh basil. Maybe making a scramble is too easy, but whatevs, it satisfies the criteria.

I 100% agree with you! Running in the early morning is a sweet way to start the day. Is it your back injury that's preventing you, or something else?

I have an idea. Try sitting in lightening bolt with eagle arms, and practice cat/cow motion in the upper back. To intensify, give your elbows a little lift. If it doesn't work for you, I got I friend who specializes in yoga for the busty who I can consult.

Hi there! I want to post my strength routine and get a little feedback to fine-tune to get ready for the next challenge. Thanks for looking. I aim for 3 sets of 12 reps of everything for "condition upper body goal," and sometimes start with fewer reps when I introduce new weight. My 2nd goal is to eventually rely on bodyweight activities... but I need to get stronger! Here's where I'm at, in the order I do it: Day 1 (Back, Shoulders, Biceps) 10 minutes cardio (usually running but I mix it up) Seated Row, 75 #, 10 reps, 3 sets Assisted Pullup 120#, 12 r, 3 sets Shoulder press 50 #, 10 r, 3 sets Bicep Focused activity (currently shopping for new) Abs Day 2 (Chest, Legs, Triceps) 10 minutes cardio (Stairmaster) Leg Press 135#, 12 r, 3 sets Assisted Chest Dip 105#, 8 r, 3 sets Cable Fly (recently substituted in place of lever fly contraption) Tricep focused activity (currently shopping for new) Abs Also, I am trying to incorporate the 100 pushup challenge. I can get 'er done on Day 1, but Day 2 becomes way too much chest. Thanks in advance for reading. Hope I'm not inspiring too many face palm moments. I'm the type of nerd that jumps into the game before reading the directions, and this is no exception. If you have any specific ideas about exercises to add or subtract to each day, I'd be interested in reading.

Yeah dude what's the story! I must know the next thing you're up to. Poke, poke, nudging.