Meranna

I started my first version of this back in the middle of the last quest of 2014. I did well for about a week, but then the holidays happened and we went out of town, and the preparation for that got me completely off track. (Not to mention my husband's pay-schedule changed and we were scrambling to reschedule all our bill payments and still be able to afford groceries.) We were surviving mostly on rice, ground beef and Little Caesar's $5 pizza for a while, which made focus and motivation difficult. We're back on track financially now so it will be a lot easier to afford healthy food going forward. I've also simplified my workout process, as I realized by making it more complicated than it needed to be I was psyching myself out. Three SMART goals Workout, both strength training and High Intensity Interval Training, at least 5 times a week. This will involve: Strength Training at least 3 times a week HIIT at least 2 times a week Individual goals within this step: establish full-body strength training routine and be comfortable with it by the end of the challenge - this should include increasing weight, time and/or reps for each exercise every week; increase to 10 intervals at a time when doing my HIIT workout. Continue to wear my Fitbit daily (taking one night off a week to charge it) and track all exercise, food intake, and sleep each day. I have a food plan on my Fitbit account aimed for a 500 calorie deficit every day. The best way to measure whether I’m tracking accurately and being honest will be by my weight; my hope is to lose 1.5-2.5 pounds per week (weighing on Sunday mornings). Strive for a 40% protein, 40% fat, 20% carbohydrates balance, following Paleo guidelines as much as possible. Limit my eating out to three times a week, and avoid eating out at lunch as much as possible. It’s harder to find good food for lunch that meets my current dietary needs, while if I eat out for dinner with my husband we tend to eat healthier and be more careful. (This will also help financially.) Life Quest: Take steps to boost my confidence in three other ways by the end of the challenge: Complete application process to UIU so I can start working towards my bachelor degree again. Start tracking how much time I spend each week reading, watching TV, playing on the computer, writing and doing chores - this is so I can start making improvements on how much time I spend idle and how much time I spend productive. I’m an introvert, so some idle time is a necessity for me to recharge my batteries, but I know I spend too much time being idle right now. Start taking better care of my appearance so I appear more professional at work. I don’t want to become vain, but I do want to look like I take care of myself. This means occasionally ensuring I have the time to put on make-up and do more than brush my hair in the mornings. Ultimately, this comes down to getting enough sleep during the week so I can wake up in time to do a little “grooming†in the mornings. Motivation: I want to improve my health so I can start a family, sometime later this year is the goal. I want to build good habits before then so I can be the best person I can be for my kids and give them a good example. A more immediate Motivation: my cousin is getting married on February 7th. Even if I don’t look at that different by then, I want to FEEL different and more confident in myself by her wedding, knowing that I’m well on my way towards building good habits that can continue for the rest of my life. No Attribute points at this time for me, but I do want to outline how I want to measure each of my Quest steps at the end of the challenge. Workouts A = 10-12 Strength Training workouts, and 7-8 HIIT workouts completed by February 15th B = 8-9 Strength Training workouts, and 6 HIIT workouts completed by February 15th C = 7 Strength Training workouts, and 5 HIIT workouts completed by February 15th D = 6 Strength Training workouts, and 4 HIIT workouts completed by February 15th F = 5 or less Strength Training workouts, and 3 or less HIIT workouts completed by February 15th Fitbit and Weight A = 26-31 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 9 or more pounds lost by February 15th B = 21-25 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 7-8 pounds lost by February 15th C = 16-20 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 6-5 pounds lost by February 15th D = 12-15 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 4 pounds lost by February 15th F = 11 days or less tracked on my Fitbit, and 3 pounds or less lost by February 15th Eating Out A = Eating out 12 or less times B = Eating out 14 times C = Eating out 15 times D = Eating out 16 times F = Eating out 17 or more times Life Quests Completing UIU Application = Pass/Fail Tracking Idle and Productive Time A = Track all 4 weeks, and show at least 10% reduction in Idle time B = Track all 4 weeks, and show 5% or less reduction in Idle time C = Track 3 weeks or less D = Track 2 weeks or less F = Track 1 week or less Appearance/Grooming A = Get 8 hours of sleep 90% of the time, and do hair/makeup 8 or more times during the work week B = Get 8 hours of sleep 75% of the time and do hair/makeup 6-7 times during the work week C = Get 8 hours of sleep 60% of the time and do hair/makeup 4-5 times during the work week D = Get 8 hours of sleep 50% of the time and do hair/makeup 2-3 times during the work week F = Get 8 hours of sleep less than 50% of the time and do hair/makeup 1 or less times during the work week

Hi Aldi! Now, after reading your thread, I think we have even more in common than you thought originally! I love to write as well, though I haven't been as disciplined in it as I would like, lately. That is definitely something that I will be working into my life goals in the future! I'll keep in touch on your challenge as well; we have a lot of the same goals and focus (I'm hoping to join the Rangers as well once I transition out of the Level 1 Rebels) so I think we could make good Accountabilibuddies! How's your week going so far?

Week 1 - Update 1 Day 1 - Tuesday December 2nd Workout: Fitbit steps tracker: 6,496 steps totalWarm-up: slow jog for 10 minutesBench Press (smith machine), 3 sets of 10 reps each; sets 1&2 at 30 lbs + Bar (15 lbs/side), set 3 at 20 lbs + Bar (10 lbs/side)2 sets of Dumbbell flys - 10 lbs; set 1 - 10 reps; set 2 - 14 reps (supposed to be 12 and 12)Kneeling Pushups - 15 total40 Hip Raises (bridges)40 Donkey Kicks (20/side)40 Oysters (20/side)40 Bird Dogs (20/side)Metabolic Finisher: High Intensity Cardio/Ab Endurance Superset - "Do any cardiovascular activity at an intensity you can only sustain for 2 minutes; switch to a push-up plank and hold as possible (up to 1 minute)." I did two reps, cardio was the row machine, keeping it between 2:30-2:45/500 meters, and I held the push-up plank for 30 seconds each time.Nutrition: Total Calories burned: 2,483Total Calorie intake: 1,676Deficit: -807 Day 2 - Wednesday, December 3rd Workout: Fitbit steps tracker: 10,616Cardio day: walked/ran a total distance of 4.9 miles, 2.5 of which were at the gym on the treadmill, and 2 of those I ran without stopping. (Yay! I've discovered I actually really enjoy running. It's something I've never really been able to do until I started training for my first 5K which I completed the first weekend in November, which I ran about half of, interspersed with walking as fast as I could. The fact that I can actually run for 2 whole miles now without stopping is a HUGE accomplishment for me, and frankly makes me feel stronger than almost anything else....except for when I can leg press more than my husband.) Tee-heeNutrition: Total Calories burned: 2,702Total Calorie intake: 1,976Deficit: -726Day 3 - Thursday, December 4th Workout: Squats (smith machine), 2 sets of 12, 50 lbs + Bar (25 lbs/side)Barbell Deadlifts, 5 sets of 8; set 1 - Bar only; sets 2-5 20 lbs + Bar (10 lbs/side)Smith-machine lunges 3 sets of 8; 20 lbs + Bar (10 lbs/side)Calf Press/Leg Press Superset; 1st set at 180 lbs, 10 leg presses/20 calf presses; 2nd set a 175 lbs, 8 leg presses/20 calf presses; 3rd set at 175 lbs, 10 leg presses/20 calf presses Metabolic Finisher: Row Finisher - row 500 meters, rest 3 minutes; row 300 meters, rest 2 minutes; row 200 meters, rest 1 minute, row 100 meters. (All sets rowed at a 2:25-2:45/500 meters pace) *Note* I wanted to do a sprinting version of this finisher, but my legs were like rubber and I felt like I was going to throw up if I stayed upright much longer.... rowing was definitely the wiser choice on Leg Day, plus it then also worked my chest and triceps!Nutrition: Total Calories burned: 2,689Total Calorie intake: 2,265Deficit: -424 As far as eating out goes, that hasn't been going as well...I've eaten out during lunch 4 times this week, though I have made dinner every night. Goal is to definitely do better next week... I think I need to buy a bunch of chicken this weekend and grill it on the George Forman.

Hi Aldi! Thank you very much - and I saw you started the challenge recently as well! Looking forward to see how your journey goes over the next couple of weeks - good luck!

So, I didn't discover this forum until this past weekend, so I'm starting this challenge late. I've already been working out with my husband for over a year now, and I've been really getting into the strength training, but I haven't had a lot of success sticking to the nutrition I know I need so I'm hoping I can push myself more through these challenges. So, here goes nothing! (*NOTE* Editing Quest on 12/5/14, as I was able to take the time to work out some more specifics. This may also be due to the fact that I actually just read the Level 1 Guidebook in detail only yesterday... Oh well, I'm glad I posted my initial, though incomplete, challenge notes when I did as I knew if I didn't do it I would eventually convince myself to wait until the next challenge started in January.) Main Quest Improve myself - and my body - physically. I didn't want to make too specific goals here, like weight or clothes size because I don't want to obsess over details like that. But I know I want to be strong - I know I want to get my body fat percentage down to a healthy level, and I know I want to believe that I look good when I look in the mirror. Ultimately, I don't want to set a "goal weight" because eventually I hope to become happy with my body and then just build muscle beyond that and continue to get stronger. I know, at the very least though, that I need to lose at least 50 pounds. I'm only 5'3", and I currently weigh 200 lbs. I think starting with a goal of 50 lbs is a good, healthy goal to start with; once I'm there, we'll see after that! To be perfectly honest....one of the main reasons I'm unsure of the weight I should aim for at first is because I am Latina, and my bust, hips and butt have always been bigger no matter my overall weight. I don't want to get too specific here or weird anybody out, but this is the reality of my conundrum and frankly it's something I worry about a lot - worrying about my bust size especially, as it has never fluctuated in size with my weight. (At least not since my sophomore year of high school when I hit the size I am now....let's just say "the girls" were bigger than average, especially for a 16 year-old girl, and they've stayed pretty much the same size ever since.) I've never worked out and strength trained the way I am now though, either, so I'm nervously anticipating what changes might happen all over my body. I'm mostly just not sure whether I should be worried about the size of "the girls", and how their size may or may not affect my overall health. I'll just take things as they come, I guess, no matter what changes in my body may occur. My goal is to be strong and healthy anyway, and I want that more than anything else. Steps to take for reaching the Goal (For the remainder of this challenge) Workout, both strength training and cardio, at least 5 times a week. This will involve: Strength Training at least 3 times a week Cardio at least 2 times a week Individual goals within this step: run for 3 miles straight without stopping at least 3 times by the end of December; learn to squat and bench press with the free-weight barbell (rather than the Smith machine) by the end of December; be able to complete at least 3 full pushups by the end of December. Continue to wear my Fitbit daily (taking one night off a week to charge it) and track all exercise, food intake, and sleep each day. I have a food plan on my Fitbit account aimed for a 750 calorie deficit every day - I will be flexible with that though on the days that I do intense strength training (in other words, Leg day). The best way to measure whether I’m tracking accurately and being honest will be by my weight; my hope is to lose 1.5-2.5 pounds per week (weighing on Sunday mornings). Limit my eating out to three times a week, and avoid eating out at lunch as much as possible. It’s harder to find good food for lunch that meets my current dietary needs, while if I eat out for dinner with my husband we tend to eat healthier and be more careful. (This will also help financially.) Life Quest I am very much an introvert, and I don’t want these goals to keep me from developing and growing emotionally as well. My goal is to spend some time at least once each week hanging out or talking to a friend outside of work - either going out dancing, having someone over, or going over to a friends house for a visit. (And my husband doesn't count - he sees enough of me, and I know he wants me to be more social, too.) Motivation I want to improve my health so I can start a family, sometime later next year is the goal. I want to build good habits before then so I can be the best person I can be for my kids and give them a good example. No Attribute points at this time for me, but I do want to outline how I want to measure each of my Quest steps at the end of the challenge. Workouts A = 10-12 Strength Training Sessions, and 7-8 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December B = 8-9 Strength Training Sessions, and 6 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December C = 7 Strength Training Sessions, and 5 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December D = 6 Strength Training Sessions, and 4 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December F = 5 or less Strength Training Sessions, and 3 or less Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December Fitbit and Weight A = 26-31 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 7 or more pounds lost by the end of December B = 21-25 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 6 pounds lost by the end of December C = 16-20 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 5 pounds lost by the end of December D = 12-15 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 4 pounds lost by the end of December F = 11 days or less tracked on my Fitbit, and 3 pounds or less lost by the end of December Eating Out A = Eating out 12 or less times during the month B = Eating out 13-14 times during the month C = Eating out 15 times during the month D = Eating out 16 times during the month F = Eating out 17 or more times during the month Alright - let's see how this goes!