mevre

today, i'm missing baking. and also missing the inevitable eating of the baked goods afterwards, but not as much as the actual baking. i'm day dreaming about having my family over for brunch, making herb biscuits with eggs and bacon, or making scones with cream for tea with my girl friends. or just decorating sugar cookies with my mom, or whipping up my signature ginger snaps. *heavy sigh. the eating went pretty well today, but i've been having too many sweets, so i'm starting a no-added-sugar week. i'll try to carry it over to next week too, but we'll see how this one goes first. one step at a time, Mevre. i took a day off from working out today because holy lord i am SORE! feels so good. and i played Dutch Blitz with some friends and went out to coffee. all in all a good Sunday.

i felt pretty much the same way about it when i was doing it. i also didn't like how short it was. which is sort of silly, since that's sort of the point... there's also an advanced bodyweight workout you can look into if you want. i think i'm going to try the new Jedi workout starting tomorrow and see how that goes. i like how Steve has those levels built into it, and it looks long and tough enough that i can feel like i spent my workout time well. if you think that the beginner one is the right fit for you for right now, you can always adjust the individual exercises [as you have been] and also push yourself to do them in a shorter time. this is one reason i like the timed workout i'm doing right now - i can push myself to do more reps in the given 2 minutes.

woooow wow wow, i just realized that you're Gallifreyan?! i didn't know there were any more of you left! very glad to be wrong. the wind's been picking up here, too. i love it. also, how are you liking that BBW workout?

lol i guess they do kind of have cold, hollow eyes that bore into you. i just saw the picture and thought "FLUFFY!!" and saved it. thank you both so much for the kudos! knowing you guys have my back means a lot to me. so thanks.

Ceasefire, that actually looks a lot like my M/W/F routine. hmm...so maybe i'll do the Jedi workout M/W/F and my current M/W/F on T/Th instead... alright nerds, the moment of truth. goal 1 - work like an otter. result: accomplished! yaaaaay! here's a picture of a bunch of baby otters cuddling. goal 2 - eat like a panda. result: accomplished! woohoo!!! here's a picture of a sleepy panda cub. and finally, goal 3 - explore like a cat. result: accomplished! here's a picture of a kitten being silly. i also accomplished my life quest goal this week, and i decided i could do a wild card for this one! so this week's wild card is... these alpacas in the snow! wooh! now, on to next week!

haha man, i dunno, dropping 5 pounds and having the first good day in a long time sounds like reason enough to celebrate to me... ya gotta take the wins where you can get 'em. also yes, most people experience loss when they switch to paleo. i'm one of the very few i know of who didn't, and i realize looking back that it was because i was eating SO MANY sweet potatoes.

well, i thought i would get this 3-part celtic knot thing on my upper left ribs, but then i was telling a friend about it and he was all "oh, like the Boondocks Saints!" it turns out that it's the same tattoo those guys had in the movie haha so i don't like the idea so much any more. but it's kind of a common knot design, so maybe if i stylized it, it would be ok. my first [and currently my only] tatto is a V on the inside of my right ankle that stands for veritas. i recently wrote "witch" in dwarfish runes on the inside of my left bicep, and it looks AWESOME but i don't think i would ever actually get it tattooed on... and that's my long-winded tattoo story! i really like the idea of tattoos that celebrate family. i think it'd be neat to [someday way down the road] get a family tree sort of thing, but have the trunk be me and husband's names stylized [if i end up with a husband] and have our parent's and grandparent's names stylized to look like roots and our kids names stylized to look like branches. and maybe have all the names in Elvish script, because it's beautiful and because i'm a real big nerd. hahaha i'm the same way! it's ok, if everyone else is grossed out, we can be stinky exiles together.

yay!!

wooh! glad to hear from ya, King. stay sharp!

hey look, it's me again! ok, questions: is 1200 cal/day going to be enough? what do your cardio and strength workouts look like? are you doing the paleo thing, or giving yourself any other diet restrictions besides the calorie count? do you have a goal weight? what's your book about? [big lit nerd here, i could talk books all damn day.] there's lots of evidence that says BMI is total shit, so i wouldn't worry about that number too much. the number i personally am focusing on is my bodyfat percentage. i don't care how much i weight, but i want to be around 19% bf. there are various online calculators that can give you a rough idea of what yours might be, if you're interested. some people do post before and after pics. even if you don't post them, i would take them for sure. once a week, once a month, whatever works. just make sure you're wearing the same clothes [sports bra and underwear or short shorts are best, or anything skimpy, really] and you take the picture under the same conditions every time [in the same spot in your house every Monday before you eat breakfast, or whatever]. also a friendly reminder: diet is at least 80% of the battle for good health. if you're eating poorly, you will make minimal progress. my advice to you here is to stock up on [fresh or frozen] veggies [easy on the carb-dense stuff though, like sweet potatoes/yams and carrots] and make each meal centered around a large serving of those. palm-sized servings of protein and a little bit of healthy fat, and minimized carb and sugar intake [this includes fruit!] are pretty much the standard ingredients for weight loss. ok, and the last advice i'll give and then i'll shut up: go make friends with the people in your guild! if you announce yourself, others will be more likely to check in on you and give you a boost when you need it. speaking of guilds, it looks like you signed up to be an assassin, yes? will the workouts you have planned for yourself be fun? i mean, if you're into rock climbing or parkour or something, and that's what you really want to be doing, you should do it! my point is, don't do cardio and strength training just because you think that's what you're "supposed" to do. do whatever makes you happy! do what's fun! i can't wait to see you rock this challenge!!!

hi Maja! so glad to have you here at NF! if you're looking for support, maybe try signing up for an accountabilibuddy group, or find a sidekick in the "find your sidekick" subforum. i can't say that i've ever had to battle through serious anxiety or depression, but i do know for sure that i came here to get smaller, but stayed to get stronger. it's so amazing to actually be able to see the outline of my crazy leg muscles through my jeans, and to actually have biceps to show off. so when the going gets rough, just remember that you CAN kick all the ass! i'll stop by your challenge thread and check out your goals, too. oh god, also: i died. lol too funny.

oh that sounds like fun! care to send me a link?

having a good diet is by far the hardest part of being in shape. it's something you constantly have to think about, whereas a workout only takes up a certain amount of each day. that being said, the biggest favor you can do for yourself diet-wise is to make smart, sustainable changes. some people can do it all in one go, most need to start small and work their way up. there is nothing wrong with either approach as long as it works for you. decide right now what you will and will not tolerate in your diet, how often and how much you will eat of certain foods, and stick to it. if you're better today than you were yesterday, you're doing great.

Phoenix is dead on. tweaking diets is essential, and picking what you eat based on what your needs are is also key. also remember that not all calories [or carbs] are created equal. though both are high in sugar, eating a handful of blueberries is healthier than eating a handful of M&Ms. same goes for grains; a slice of Wonder bread and a well-portioned serving of wild rice will not do the same things to your body.

man, if knowing that you're a scout will get you motivated and working toward your goals, then i'd say go for it. i mean i'm not a mod, i have no authority, but i'm pretty sure everyone here is in favor of increased health and fitness. maybe message one of the scout guild leaders and ask them?

yeah, i love burpees! haha i think HIIT is a blast! the only problem is that it's such a short routine, i have a hard time believing that i'm actually doing much. Steve's new Jedi workout look like a lot of fun though, so maybe i could do that and HIIT on the same day, and then something else on the off days? i dunno, what would be a good workout to alternate with those? or should i keep the Jedi and the HIIT sessions on different days?

^ this. food is SO HARD! i feel your pain there too, but we can improve! i know we can. keep doing what you're doing with the stuff that's going well, remind yourself that you are actually doing well, and try to be better tomorrow than you were today with the things that aren't going so well.

ooooh massage rewards! that is an amazing idea. once i hit my ideal bodyfat percentage, i'm getting another tattoo. but that's not exactly a sustainable reward system, unless i either make very very slow progress or if i want to be covered in ink.

pictures of the great outdoors to come soon, Silkie! stay tuned! no, there's no problem with it, but the Tabata protocol - what you're "supposed" to do - is 8 rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest. so pretty much, do as many burpees as you can for 20 seconds, try to catch your breath and not die for 10 seconds. repeat. it's something that you have to ease into, though, and at one point i had worked up to the protocol standard, but then i got lax and had to make the rests longer when i started back up. well, i had a great workout today, and a good breakfast. now if i can just manage to eat well for dinner and all day tomorrow and work a jog in there, you all will be getting some pretty cute pictures of cats, pandas, and otters!

i might be beating a dead horse here, but this is my two cents: when i did my whole30 i had already been pretty much eating only paleo and i was STILL miserable. i went downhill real fast when it ended, bingeing on sugar all the time. but i've gotten better and better about it, and i've been on a slow upward trend since then, craving and eating sweets less and less. well, except for Christmas time, but i mean, come on. my point is - it's hard for most people, the results will almost certainly be different for everyone, and you're not failing if you're eating better than you used to. plus, if you do the 80/20, your body will probably get used to the healthy stuff while getting weaned off the junk, which will make it easier if you ever decide you want to do a whole30 or something in the future. lol i had ice cream in my coffee, so don't feel too bad.

well i just finished my HIIT session for today. i got to round 5 of 8 before i realized that the break was 10 seconds instead of the usual 15 i've been doing. haha i guess that's one way to drop that time down! and here i was planning on slowly weaning myself off of those precious seconds... breakfast was super healthy, workout was making me sweat, i feel like a beast. rawr!! and now, time for me to soak my muscles in an epsom salts bath.

so true. the royalties you get from traditional publishing is something like 20% and from self-publishing it's closer to 90. craziness. and there are many other websites you can self-publish on other than Amazon. but of course if you self-publish you have to be in charge of cover design and editing and marketing...

sorry you're feeling like crap lately. as far as the cooking thing goes, i used to feel the same way. i've been baking since i was about 12 years old and i LOVE it, but cooking was a different story, until i did my whole30. i realized a big reason i didn't enjoy cooking was because it took me so long to do everything. with baking, i had been practicing it for so many years that i had learned all the shortcuts, which steps could be combined, and generally to anticipate what came next in a certain kind of recipe, so i could make stuff really fast. after my whole30, i had started to develop a lot of these same skills on the cooking front, and i found a few very simple very fast recipes that i liked which i could use as fall-back meals. so maybe with some practice, things will be faster for you in the kitchen. hang in there! you've made it almost a week already!

aw, dang! being sick and stressed is no good. sounds like someone needs TRIPLE relaxation time! hope you feel better soon! keep on plugging away at those goals of yours [except for the cardio for this week, of course] - success will make you feel better on the inside and give you peace of mind. we're rooting for you!

sounds awesome! i've been on an urban fantasy kick lately. read Kraken a while ago, and am now about half way through The City & The City. but both are by China Mevielle, so i'll need to branch out after i finish this one. and as far as the historical fiction goes, it sounds like a lot of fun! i'd like to read something like that... maybe i can pick a copy of yours up once it's published. [that's pretty amazing by the way, that you could potentially get them put out through a traditional publishing house. i work with a lot of self-published stuff, so the loyalties i have to that whole scene sort of want to fight against the big publishing companies, but i can't help but be impressed. ]