L0coM0tive

Man. The Iron doesn't lie- and I don't like what it has to say. I started up SL 5x5 yesterday, and I have a long way to go. And some really tight hips to loosen up.

Still doing OK- though the out of town wedding last weekend didn't help. I think that the "well, it's a wedding!" excuse is just gonna have to go away if I want to reach my goals. I've already gone out to eat once and happy hour'd once, so I'm down to only one of each the rest of the week, which I think I can manage considering it's already humpday. Also- some stats. Starting weight: 218.4 Goal weight: <200 by end, <205 by wedding (8/24) This morning: 214 I was down under 211 before the weekend, so I think I can still get close to 205 by the wedding. I think a lot of it is water weight too, so I need to double down on drinking a lot of water so my body starts to flush that away. I have another wedding on Sunday, so I'm going to have to dig in my heels and stick to a glass of wine with dinner and that be it. Then dance like a madman. That counts as exercise, right?

Doing well on eating out this week, though it's tough at times. Last night especially, I got the munchies hard at around 10pm. Gotta get on the doing something physical. I helped someone move earlier in the week, which counts, but I should go for a run or do some body weight work in the next couple of days. I am going out of town for a wedding tomorrow, so that will be challenging as far as food and drink, but I think I can manage it.

Just something I've always wanted to do. So why not now? I'm keeping things intentionally vague- the big goals are eating/drinking out less, so I'm focusing on those things. Mostly the physical activity will be blues/fusion dancing, or bodyweight work. For water, I have a ~24oz bottle that I'm trying to fill and drink 4-5 times a day. Ha! Yes, I've been working on that one for a while- though I'm a weird one that likes public speaking. Also, the Maid of Honor doesn't always get off the hook...

MAIN QUEST Lose 15 lbs by 8/24. I'm the best man in a wedding. Eat out/happy hour less- only twice a week. Do something physical three times a week. Drink a lot of water every day. SIDE QUEST Life Side Quest: Take a vocal lesson. My MOTIVATION It's time to actually be who I want to be, not just think about it. This is the first step down the road less traveled.

BL2 stands alone, but there is much to be said for having played BL1 first. The second is a much richer experience having played 1. Wasn't a good finish to last week. So I think I'm going to step up from the aforementioned limit, to Sober October. Minus Sundays, because Sundays are bro time at the bar for football. Jumping rope tonight, and some bodyweight exercise. The scale this morning cemented the fact that I need to make some changes. Mediterranean scramble for bfast today, then field greens with spiced nuts and chicken and goat cheese for lunch. Nom. Not sure what dinner will be.

Borderlands 2 is awesome, I'm loving it. It also serves as a reminder to slow down and take time for myself to decompress. Week so far: Doing well on the BL2 challenge, and am out of drinks for the week. That will only be difficult come Sunday. I have a massage tonight, so there wont be working out, but I will take the opportunity to cook myself some dinner. Well... I do have leftover ribeye and sweet potato... so I take that back. Healthy meal nonetheless.

Keep it simple, stupid. 1. Convict conditioning bodyweight progression, three times a week, focusing on 3x8 set/reps. 2. Jump rope at least 3x a week for at least 10 minutes. 3. Limit alcohol consumption to 2 drinks, twice a week. 4. Cook my own meals at least 2x a week. 5. Beat Borderlands 2. Extra points for completing all 'cheivos.

Would you stick with the same cadence? 2 seconds up/down, one rest at each end of the movements?

The new cookbook is amazing. The best part about it is the 'Weekly Cookups,' which helps me prep for the week. I also made some Moroccan dip that is delicious with lemons, olive oil, parsley, cilantro and spices. I cook up the meat and veggies and pour that over the top. ZING. Deeeelicious. Also, since my last post, 0 drinks! 10 days. Last one was on Saturday, 5/12. It's getting easier to say no, too.

So +10 for motivation- I got my new cookbook today! Well Fed

If you don't have a problem with using any credit you have, you can just leave it open and put a small revolving balance on it (say, Netflix) and pay it off every month. Having more available credit is better. Your credit utilization rate (available credit/used credit) is the single greatest factor that influences your score.

So, I read Steve's recent post on the consumption of alcohol as a part of the Rebellion lifestyle, and it got me to thinking. Especially this part: And even though they all apply (here's to that six pack in August...), that last one is the real question, and despite what I'd like to think of myself, I don't think the answer to that is yes. So in addition to the goals listed before, there's one more. For weeks 3-6, No booze. None. With the additional goal of paving the way for a much reduced consumption of alcohol overall after this challenge. This is going to be the hardest of the bunch, and also the most crucial. Most of my drinking comes after work, at happy hour. Time to move the de-stress time for a long, stressful day at work from the bar to the gym. I've said I was going to do this a number of times. But it's to the point where people just laugh at me, 'Yeah right L0c, you've said that how many times now? See you at the bar.' Even to the point where my boss has made it a bit of a joke to talk about how I'm always up for a drink. Probably not the best thing for my career. Additionally, it is probably a contributing factor to the acid reflex I suffer from, and as a result, a recently developed 'globus sensation' that is driving me up the wall. I've seen the doc about it- so I'm definitely making sure I'm diligent about seeing medical professionals when I should. He says acid reflux. It's annoying as hell (to say the least), so add that to the list of trouble I'm causing myself. Sorry for reading from my medical chart, just need to put down all the reasons to stop drinking. Speaking of 'all the reasons,' the big reason to eat right and get back to the gym for me is to lose the 30 lbs I've gained in the last 18 months. I had a rough 2011 (starting with a break up) that led to a lot of emotional eating and drinking. I figured it was a phase, and it mostly was, but I think I also developed some bad habits that I need to fix. Drinking in excess being a big one. Overall- looks like the bottle is causing more harm than good right now. Sorry for getting a little personal- this reply started to simply add a goal but it looks like I needed to get some of the 'why' out too. And honestly, I've surprised myself a little. I guess I'm just at the point where I gotta be real with myself and not avert my eyes from the reasons I'm doing this that mean the most to me, because they're the most scary. Or the hardest. So you might be seeing 'Today, I went home and cooked myself a good clean meal instead of going to happy hour,' or, 'Today I pounded out a bunch of squats at the gym after turning down drinks.' Support is appreciated.

Gym again last night- Squat 3x5 @ 115 Overhead Press 3x5 @ 55lbs Deadlift 1x5 @ 135 Plank @ 90 seconds Overhead Pull down (in lieu of pullups) 15/12 @ 90lbs, 10 @ 75lbs 20 minutes on a bike

I did! I am doing the 5x5 workout, so will be increasing in weight. I only did 95 lbs, but I have a lot of room to go up. I didn't want to jump in to heavy squats from 0 and injure myself. I'll be adding 5-10lbs per workout until I fail. Ultimate goal is somewhere around 300lbs. Not even sure if that's realistic- but gotta have something to shoot for. Dealing with some second day soreness today. So hoping to get moving some and limber up tonight.