miss america

I hope you feel better soon! And I definitely think you deserve an A grade for everything you've done so far... just look at all those O's!!

Exactly! When I was doing things on my own, I definitely tended to try to make big lifestyle changes all at once and then feel like I'd failed if I wasn't 100% committed every moment of the day. NF and the challenge system especially have been great in teaching me that I *can* actually make these changes even if (or maybe especially if) I'm starting out small! DAILY UPDATE 12/3 Mission 1: woke up and did my BBWWs—and I will say, getting up earlier a few times a week has made those other days feel SO special and luxurious, even if it's only an extra 15 or 20 minutes! Mission 2: tracked and stayed right on target for my calorie budget Mission 3: walked, luckily had stopped raining by the time I went out but required a bit of puddle dodging (which was probably good for quad strength, right?) Wrote this a few hours later than normal and I really had to press myself to remember what had happened... but I'm pretty sure this is all right

I'm trying! My mini-missions are fairly "softball" in terms of difficulty, so I'm not seeing Biggest Loser-style (scary) weight loss or Michelle Rodriguez sculpted arms after two weeks... but I figure once I have all these habits in place, it'll be a lot easier to increase the difficulty and starting to make some real physical progress DAILY UPDATE 12/2 Mission 1: no BBWW required today Mission 2: went overbudget due to wine + cheese at a friend's house, but I still tracked it all (as best I could), which was the main goal of this mission! The good thing about having this streak going now is that once I've started a day's logging, I really feel like I need to complete it for the whole day so it doesn't mess up my overall tracking. I'm a sucker for data and charts. So as long as I make sure to do my breakfast/morning snacks, I'm usually good about following through for the rest of the day. The two days I missed during my vacation started out with, "Eh, I'll log my breakfast later." And then look what happened... Mission 3: I totally called this yesterday... but I did NOT go on my walk! Argh. I think I will start keeping track of any missed walks and forcing myself to make them up on the weekend, though limiting myself to one "miss" per week (so I don't end up having to do a 2-hour walk). Other stuff: I've started looking into a few boxing/fighting gyms in the area, which may be involved in my next challenge! There seems to be a huge range of prices/resources/personalities so this is going to definitely take some research...!

That's what I'm going for! I want that shirt! DAILY UPDATE 12/1 Mission 1: woke up early to do BBWW, even on the Monday after a vacation?!?! Mission 2: tracked all food, and I think came in under budget! (My Fitbit hadn't charged over night, so I didn't get the slightly more accurate estimate of my actual activity...) Mission 3: walk completed! Rainy day here, and I have evening plans... let's see how I do with a couple of imperfect variables today!

Here's my post on point distributions! And updated sig as seen below.

I joined a week late but I'm playing along with the mini challenges as they come up so I don't forget to do them. I may revise my point distributions at the end of my Week 3 if anything changes... but here is the Week 4 challenge. 1. Goal allocation: Q1: Do Beginner Bodyweight Workout 3x a week = 2 STR & 1 DEX Q2: Log all food in tracker = 3 CON Q3: Do 20 minute walk = 2 STA LQ: Apply to grad school = 1 WIS & 1 CHA 2. Mid Challenge Summary: Q1: Week 1: 4 BBWWs, Week 2: 2 BBWWs = B (84%) Q2: Tracked food 11 of 13 days = B (85%) Q3: Walked 12 of 13 days = A (92%) LQ: Finished applications to 2 of 3 schools = C (67%) Technically some of these are within my established "A" ranges, but for the purposes of point distribution, I'm grading myself on a harsher, 100 pt scale... especially since I'm a week early! 3. Challenge allocation: Q1: B (84%) = 1.7 STR & .8 DEX Q2: B (85%) = 2.6 CON Q3: A (92%) = 1.8 STA LQ: C (67%) = .7 WIS & .7 CHA I don't love the decimal points, but I figure it's good motivation to push myself to be able to round up at the end of all this 4. Signature: STR 1.7 | STA 1.8 | DEX 0.8 | CON 2.6 | WIS 0.7 | CHA 0.7

Back home and catching up on my updates—did not realize I'd missed so many days!! DAILY UPDATE 11/27 Mission 1: skipped BBWW for the holiday... my official goal was only to do it three times a week, though, so I'm still good I've actually been doing it every other day so far, which averages 3-4 times a week. Mission 2: I actually TRACKED on THANKSGIVING guys. I'm sure it was completely off because I was at someone else's house so I didn't really know what they put in their recipes... but it felt like an accomplishment for sure. Mission 3: Got my walk in wandering around the mall watching people shop! DAILY UPDATE 11/28 Mission 1: did hotel room BBBW! Mission 2: Soooo this was sadly the point in my trip where I got super lazy and stopped tracking my food I normally don't eat out very often, so it was hard to make myself do the mental mathematics to try to estimate everything I was eating while on vacation. Part of my success in tracking so far I think is that I basically eat the same thing everyday, so it's not too hard for me to keep track normally. I need to get better on this. I had some really good tacos this day though! Mission 3: Wandered an artsy shopping district for about an hour this day, which I am counting DAILY UPDATE 11/29 Mission 1: no BBWW Mission 2: no tracking this day either, booo! (I am SO happy to be back in the land of accessible nutrition information now, phew!) Mission 3: Covered 400 driving miles AND made it back in time to do my normal walk back at home, whoo DAILY UPDATE 11/30 Mission 1: no BBWW, but will be back to work at it on M-W-F next week (and hopefully going back to my every other day schedule as well from there) Mission 2: BACK TO TRACKING, yay Mission 3: And back to normal walks All in all, not TOO terrible on my goals—the tracking was my main weakness and showed me how dependent I really am on being able to shop for, plan, and control my own meals. Luckily I'll be in town for the rest of the challenge, so I can fully utilize my beloved MFP barcode scanner and not have to depend on an empty hotel room fridge and the grace of the few restaurant/fast food places actually open on holidays So happy to be back here on the boards! Let's eat some LEAN PROTEIN, YEAH!!!!!!

Hi guys! Checking in from the road... I don't think I can format or add pictures via Tapatalk, so I will stockpile some extra gifs for when I get home! DAILY UPDATE 11/25 Mission 1: As I mentioned in yesterday's entry, woke up early to do my bbww, so all good there. Mission 2: tracked all, came in under budget again. Mission 3: walk happened, though in bits and pieces due to travel prep. DAILY UPDATE 11/26 Mission 1: no bbww required Mission 2: tracked all, went a bit over foodwise but I think I ended up relatively balanced overall due to... Mission 3: not only did a 20 minute walk, but actually scored my first Fitbit step goal win! I had to do laps around the hotel hallways to get my last 700 steps, but totally worth it! I had one indulgence meal today, but stretched it out into both lunch and dinner... my road snacks could have been healthier, but I smartly portioned out my favorite indulgent snacks into single servings, so at least I want mindlessly eating out of the bag as I drove Happy Thanksgiving, Americans... Happy Thursday, everyone else!

I'm a simple Level 1, but I'm playing along! miss america: 9 I - I'm thankful for Inspiration! For everything and everyone that motivates us to be a greater version of ourselves, whether it's a kick-ass fictional character, an impressionable family member, or a punching bag that's just begging for a whuppin'!

Yup, I have an awful memory so I would probably forget everything I'd done per day, and my scumbag brain would probably take that as an opportunity to slack off. Plus, if I mess up, I figure it's limited to one day's update... I can move on to kicking butt right away tomorrow! DAILY UPDATE 6 Mission 1: "recovery" day, but I think I found a surface with my optimal incline push-up height for now! So I snuck some of those in. (It's my office desk, so I have to be VERY sneaky.) Mission 2: tracked all food, and came in well under my goal! Mission 3: walk completed! I hope to be on the road for T-Day by this time tomorrow, but I should be able to keep updating over the next few days, and keep up my motivation to stay on target for all my missions. My hotel does have a free breakfast though; pray for me. In case I don't update tomorrow, I'm noting here for the record that I have already done my BBWW for the day... I woke up early again AND ate my oatmeal, which always makes me feel like a beast!

I'm not doing paleo for this challenge but definitely considering for the future based on all the success people seem to have had here. And for my road snacks, I'm trying to find a balance between my normal, everyday foods and stuff that's actually going to be appealing after six hours... or at least, an acceptable alternative to fast food! So these are totally perfect, thanks!

Too bad about the gym—but awesome job working with what you can get! The true spirit of NF!

1. My biggest problem for ALL of my goals has been making backup plans. If everything is going smoothly and on schedule, I have absolutely no trouble fulfilling my quests. However, what I need to watch out for are the wrenches thrown in my plans: when I get home late, when I'm eating out with a friend, when I forget something I needed at the grocery store, and things like that. 2. Right on target, I found this article about What MacGyver Can Teach Us About Plan B. 3. Looking at that article, I think my solution here is going to be PLANNING. My goals are pretty modest, and I should be able to fit a 20-minute walk or workout somewhere in my day if I know I'm going to get home late. Before going to bed, I will go over my schedule and figure out whether I should get up a bit early to do my stuff in the morning. I will also figure out some alternate cardio activities for days when I do miss my walks, and start better utilizing my freezer for last-minute meals.

Wow, that's awesome! It's challenging enough to stay on target when you're doing your own grocery shopping, and an extra special challenge when literally surrounded by food at office potlucks! For me, it's especially hard to turn off the little part of my brain that's whining, "But it's free...." Nice work, Spockgrrl! |\/|_ LL&P! _|\/|

Whoo hoo!!! Awesome work on the running, peeing, and reading! That boxing class sounds totally perfect too—small enough to get personal attention, but enough people to make it fun.

Awesome work on your goals so far! I am totally motivated by my rewards too—even though I guess technically I could just buy them now... but it wouldn't be the same! And so great that your wife is getting involved in the finances... hope you guys are able to move soon!

Yes! I always see sample meal plans that have a different thing for every breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, etc... which seems exhausting! (And a lot of groceries to buy!) I will sometimes eat leftovers for lunch or switch to something else after a few weeks, but it's much easier to not have to think about what I'm going to eat for every meal, and just know. DAILY UPDATE 5 Mission 1: Woke up early on a weekend to do my BBWW, checkmark there for sure. Mission 2: Tracked all food and again came under budget for my daily goal! Mission 3: Did my walk, plus a little extra for 35 minutes total. Other stuff: - I did my laundry, which should give me infinite life goal achievement points based on how much I hate doing it. - Picked up some healthy snacks for the Thanksgiving road trip! Does anyone have suggestions for stuff that's easy to eat on the road, but enjoyable enough to avoid the siren call of fast food?

Hello all! DAILY UPDATE 4 Mission 1: "recovery" day but I did try some incline pushups in good form! Mission 2: tracked everything and was under my goal again! I tend to eat the same thing everyday, at least for breakfast and lunch, so I think I've found a good combo that keeps me full throughout the day and also leaves me plenty of room for fun stuff for dinner or snacks. Mission 3: walked! No wildlife spotted today, sadly. Other stuff: - Finished reading my book within the 3 week library deadline, which hardly ever happens. Now to pick a new one... - Went to the movies last night (Birdman) and brought my own popcorn pack - Coming home from the movie, stopped at the GROCERY STORE to get a quick, healthy dinner I could make instead of just grabbing take out - Always struggled with going overboard on the weekends... stayed on track this time (so far) and my weekly weigh-in is DOWN this week! Funny how those almost correlate with each other... thank you, thank you

Yayy!! I've definitely had moments where in the past I normally would've let myself slide—but then realized I didn't want to record a slip-up for you all... I wanted a WIN! Awesome work so far!!

This is amazingly helpful, thanks so much! I'm mentally arranging all the furniture in my house by height now...

Great tip, thanks! I'm definitely going to start experimenting to keep this up—even just a small amount keeps me feeling full throughout the day. Oh wow, perfect! I'm looking around my house trying find things I can incline off of now... thanks for the heads up!

Oof, migraines are the worst! It looks like you have been getting some good sleep throughout the challenge so far though, and hopefully not too much stress!

Happy weekend, everyone! DAILY UPDATE 3 Mission 1: woke up early to do some BBWW in the morning (as I spoiled yesterday), so that's a check! I also tried another bodyweight workout from My Fitness Pal that was pretty fun, and had wacky names like "lizard plank" and "glute bridge." It's here, so I can find it later. I may continue adding this on to the BBWW base when I can, for extra credit. Mission 2: tracked everything, and came in right on budget! Mission 3: went on my walk! Rewarded when I saw a funny pair of raccoons staring out at me from someone's yard, then try to slink away as though they hadn't been spotted. Other stuff: - Fitbit band DID make it here safely so I'm adding that to the routine. - Considering switching back to MFP for my food logging for better accuracy, though may wait 'til challenge is over since this seems to be working fine for now. "Well, I logged that I ate a WHOLE cookie, so these crumbs are technically mine."

Thanks! I'm trying to make it fun so I keep coming back to post—and hopefully fun for people reading along!

That's a great idea—I knew I couldn't do 10 full ones on my toes, but I will definitely try adding them into the rotation on a partial basis to transition up, instead of just doing all or nothing! DAILY UPDATE Mission 1: no BBWW due today(/yesterday), but I did a few sets of incline pushups throughout the day. Mission 2: tracked everything! Mission 3: I MISSED MY WALK. Before the challenge, I had been doing 20-minute walks most days, but in aiming to do them everyday, I forgot to account for the fact that I usually only miss them when there is some extenuating circumstance. So, last night, I went straight from work to go see a movie (during the time I would've normally done my walk) and then didn't get home until late. I think what my actual challenge is going to be here is to anticipate these changes in my schedule, and find a time to do the walk earlier in the day. Other stuff: - My Fitbit band was allegedly delivered this morning, but I see no sign of the package... hopefully it actually arrives safe and sound later today. - I actually got up a tiny bit early this morning to do today's BBWW! I was really excited and proud about this because sleepy-me is usually able to convince regular-me to just stay in bed, even if it's just an extra 20 minutes. Take that, sleepy-me! - I also ate a WHOLE BOWL OF OATMEAL for breakfast, which is an accomplishment because I really do not like the stuff. It also takes me a long time to eat, so being up early gave me some extra time to scarf it down. I managed to condition myself to like almonds last year, so I'm hoping I can do the same for oatmeal now. More cinnamon is the answer, probably. - I should've saved all of these entries for tomorrow's update (because they all technically happened this morning), but I was excited. EYE ON THE PRIZE