Kard

Day 7 - A stumble through the finish line of the leg So it has been several days since I last updated. After day 3, I had some serious swelling in my left foot. I was limping around in pain so I shelved exercise for the time being. That and my adherence to my new eating plan took a dive. That was the bad news. The good news is that I weighed in at 259lbs today! I am definitely not starving myself but I credit the loss to eliminating diet soda from my drink selection and avoiding Frankenfoods. I think this coming week will be much better. My foot is healing and I can start some light exercise and refocus on my new eating plan.

Day 3. It's a bumpy ride! I did okay today. It was my day off from physical activity but the change in food selection is beating me about the head and ears now. Not whining about it, just taking note so I can adjust. Meals: 0650 - 2 scrambled eggs, a couple pieces of ham, and some cooked cabbage. 1200 - A small portion of baby carrots and celery. Two portions of left over meat and spaghetti sauce. 2100 - Some cooked cabbage, a couple pieces of ham, spaghetti with noodles, and 2 pieces of garlic bread. Highs: 1. No sweets today 2. No sodas 3. Bag lunch! 4. Protein supplement Lows: 1. Felt cravings all day (grrr!) 2. Spaghetti noodles and cheesy garlic bread 3. Not enough sleep Personal note: My diet for the most part is pretty clean now. I'm probably feeling cravings because I am used to snacking on chocolates every now and then. I think the cravings are also a symptom of not eating enough either. I have to find that fine balance of eating just enough to fuel the body but promote fat loss as well. Making some adjustments starting tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I am adding a protein drink to my regimen as a part of the program I am following. The protein drink will be the first thing consumed after I wake up. It may slow down my workout a tad, but I will see. I also found a recipe for black beans that I plan on using for my actual breakfast. The addition of beans in the morning will give me the sensation of fullness while helping meet my calorie needs.

It's a start.

Ripple, They say if you do a job you love you will never work a day in your life. I think the same applies to exercise. Just find something to love and go with it!

Rippleberry, I am starting another class this week. I got a little soft on the break! So yes, I would love to share this over cake! I will bring carrot cake; its my favorite!

Guzzi, Thanks! I will be more than happy to tell you the story as it unfolds. The first chapter starts will be unveilled in less than four weeks!

Hi KaitSith, Welcome! It's good that you mapped out the obstacles in your daily routine. Just make sure to take small steps and gradually expand. That way you can stay motivated with your goals. Not much of a Pearl of Wisdom, but it seems to work for me.

Hail Mister, Welcome to the rebellion!

Welcome back alexc. I'm coming back myself with decidedly less ambitious strength and endurance goals in mind.

I've hit some highs today but I am feeling a little low right now. I will explain later. Meals: Breakfast - 0645. Had 3 eggs and half a portion of left over prime rib. Yum! Lunch - 1200. Started off with a handful of raw baby carrots and a stalk of celery. Then ate some asparagus, followed by half a can of garbonzo beans. Chased that down with a portion of left over prime rib. Not much of that left. Snack 1 - 1650. One serving of peanut butter. Post workout craving. Dinner - 1930ish. Half a jar of dill relish. 1 cup of hominy seasoned with butter. 1 portion of ham and about a cup of boiled cabbage. Finally sated. I feel a little guilty about the hominy but the wife made it and I was still feeling hungry. I did manage to control my consumption to a reasonable portion. Hominy is not on the approved list of foods, but I think it might be a good comfort food - yum! Activity: 0645 - short yoga sequence to wake the body up. 1625 - Beginner workout routine by Homemade Muscle. See explanation below. Highs: 1. No Sodas or carbonated drinks! 2. Hit 40 minute mark on exercise activity for today! (Challenge goal) 3. No binge sweets 4. Bag lunch (Challenge goal) 5. Had a good exercise session 6. Used inginuity to overcome lack of required equipment for pull ups and chin ups Lows: 1. Weighed in at 265lbs today 2. Hominy and butter 3. I couldn't finish all parts of my workout today. I am still recovering from a bout with gout I had a couple weeks ago. I was forced to cut short my leg exercise. After my exercise, my ankle felt okay but it is letting me know that it isn't happy with me right now. I am going to have to substitute lunges with isometric exercises to avoid excess load bearing on my afflicted joints. Exercise routine: 1. Pull ups 2x5 2. Chin ups 2x5 3. Lunges 3x5 4. Push ups 4x5 5. Leg raises 4x5 6. Prone cobra 3x30 second isometric holds My 1996 self would have eaten this routine for a snack and then go for a run afterwards. But this isn't about then, it is about becoming the best version of me now. I used a suspension trainer for most the upper body exercises. I am using the trainer to help ease me into more difficult exercises or help me replace items that aren't available, like a pull up bar.

Hi TheHailey, I like the way you are tracking your day to day activity. I would like to adopt your method for my log if you don't mind. I think you made the right choice by ditching the app. I think it is easier to go for time or just say that you walked a lot. I find that counting those steps, like macros and calories are more stressful than just enjoying the activity. I hope this helps!

Hiyo VintageCustard! I've been using DDP Yoga on and off for a couple of years. I can't claim success like Disil has but I am using it to meet two of my quests this year. I like it because of the structure, and I think it is a good introduction to other forms of yoga. It has energized my research in to the other aspects of yoga. Good luck with your endeavor with DDP Yoga!

Hiyo! I thought I would just add my two cents. I doing a self-study Xingyi Quan. Its one of the three major internal styles. I have played with Yang Style Tai Chi for a while, but I really wanted to learn Xingyi after watching the "The One". I've grown to like the system so much that I haven't put much thought into anything else. I haven't found a partner willing to study with me so I guess my forms will be "flowers with paper stems." I also have some experience with Kenpo and Karate, so my "paper stems" will be like lollipop stems, thin sheets of tightly rolled paper that is nearly impossible to rip or break but can still put an eye out if not handled properly! Just keeping the thread alive! Hiyo!

Thanks fleaball! I really appreciate your encouragement! (I thought this was kinda funny, hope you enjoy fleaball!)

Okay here it goes, I am taking the first leap! My challenge isn't all that ambitious compared to other rebels here. That said, my challenge is really about building the foundation for the rest of the year. Very simply my challenge is to lose one pound per week for the duration of the challenge. Here is how I am going to accomplish this: Commit to exercising at least days per week. I will exercise for at least 40 minutes each day I exercise but I don't have to do all 40 minutes at once. Commit to eight hours of sleep each day, more if I can squeeze it in. Omit all carbonated and fizzy drinks. I've done well with eliminating regular soda due to gout, but I can over indulge on diet soda. (It's not good for us anyway, so why drink it?) Generally I will only drink water, coffee, tea, or freshly juiced vegetables. The only exception is organic tart cherry juice which can only be found in stores. My sub challenges are: Be able to perform one complete unassisted pull up (not an easy task at 118 kilos. ) Bring homemade lunches to work at least 3x per week. Eat at least one cup of fresh cruciferous vegetables with every meal. Everything here contributes in a small way to my overall quests for this year. I like to think that the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, not one humongous leap!