theamiableviking

Not great, but thanks for asking Certainly had trouble meeting some of my goals, and even though my excuses aren't great, I do have them - its ok though, I'm not easily discouraged and plan to pick things back up again today. I'll just call last week my mulligan. To address the specific goals: Definitely did not log 10mi - only got 2.5mi. We've had some winter weather here this week, and although my 2.5mi came during a snowfall, it all kind of went over with a glaze of ice, which made it difficult, both in terms of getting around here and also getting to the gym to a treadmill. Its all pretty well cleared up now though, so I'm quite certain this should fall into place easily now. I had a dream I logged 10mi on one trip, and was going to have log another 10 to get back, but I'm guessing that doesn't really count! For the drinking, see the aforementioned snow days When I know I'm going to be stuck and not having to go to work, Its nice to have some around. So I definitely did more than I intended, but while the frequency was still higher than the 2x a week I wanted to shoot, I did manage to keep the quantity low each time, so I'd say this goal was maybe half attained. I DID try a new veggie though - lol only problem is that I really didn't like it. Arugula - too bitter! If I'm going to have a salad, make it spinach please (so far). So, yeah, I didn't quite hit everything this time, but that just makes my determination to do it this week even stronger. Also, I did a fairly decent job of eating well, so I did manage to knock off a couple of pounds despite the hiccups. On to week 2!

Yeah, I really can't imagine live music without a drink or two, that will be tough... luckily there aren't many shows heading this way in the immediate future! Cheers Evicious! So what kinds of wine are you cutting with water? I'd imagine that some styles hold up to that better than others. Making a switch to wine helped me also (well, more like just offsetting the beer quantity) until I bought a good box of Malbec for making braised short ribs, and well, that box wasn't going anywhere.... so I did my best Game of Thrones impression and drank it like mad. Its still sitting there on the kitchen counter, staring at me through this challenge

Well, Day 1 in the morning started off somewhat discouraging - crappy weather precludes getting the run in this morning (at least outdoors anyway), and I see that I may have overdid it this weekend in terms of getting all the fun in before beginning, as my weight has spiked up to 245. Guess that just means I have 25lbs to drop now instead of 20! But I'll turn this discouraging feeling around into a positive one way or another - if nothing else, I'm getting my nutrition in line and ready to succeed, so that's a plus.

Hi Jess! Good luck to you on the challenge - I'm looking to cut back on the drinking too (to two days a week also), so I know your pain I've started a thread for those of us doing so over in the accountabilibuddies section. Where are you moving to the States from?

Best of luck to you on this journey! What are you studying for your master's?

I've got a whole ton of music in me that needs to be committed to some sort of recording, and its definitely one of my goals to finally get this done!

Well, besides myself I know I ran across at least two other people who have reducing their alcohol intake in their goals - thought I might start us a thread where we can share in each others' struggle to keep our consumption in control! For me, I'm looking to reduce to two nights of drinking in any given week, and absolutely no more than three drinks in those sessions. What is everyone else looking to do?

I already know from recent experience that carrots aren't quite my thing, but green beans and broccoli are probably worth a go - this week will be arugula I hadn't planned on doing any races specifically, but once I get better at it, I certainly wouldn't put it out of question. Music, I like doing all kinds - metal will always be my base, but I'm also a classical and jazz guitarist and I dabble in EDM as well I see you're from Colorado - my brothers are doing the devil on the Divide 50K this year (they're crazy)!

I'm in Cary also!

mr_willes: Yeah, I can't give up drinking altogether I enjoy them way much more for their taste, and trying different styles and what not, so its really hard to give up. Its also nice in a social situation too. In that sense, I have to go with limitation rather than giving it up. Can't be much worse than a soda, no? And yes, music makes all the difference for running! Need to build some playlists. JMitch: I think it really has to be a textural thing more than anything else, because mostly the flavors I don't necessarily mind. For instance, if I'm eating my wife's beef stroganoff, I'm cool with the beef, the noodles, the sauce... OH WAIT. That was different. That was a mushroom Totally throws it off for me because its what I'm not used to. But I think because its a texture thing more than a taste thing, it will likely be a bit easier to get over with practice.

Alright! Time to get this thing moving - can't wait for Feb 23rd to roll around! Jumping right in: Main Quest - Lose 20 lbs For many years, I've felt like I would be most comfortable at weight of 220 lbs. I haven't been there in a good 15 years, however. I reached a peak of 270, and have whittled my way down over time by trying to make somewhat better food choices and getting on medications that regulate my underactive thyroid, but I seem to have stalled out at 240, and I'm really ready to make that push for the last 20. So to with that goal in mind, here's what I'm planning to do: Subquest 1 - log 10 miles a week (or more) of walking and/or running Really, I'd prefer more of this to be running. Recently, I discovered that running was not nearly as hard as I imagined it to be for a person of my size, and was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by that... but I let it drop off. I'm ready to pick that back up again. Two of my three brothers got pretty doughy and soft in their 30s, but eventually one became an ultrarunner, and the other also does ultraruns and triathlons. I may not want to get to that point (really, it seems brutal), but I would like to at least be able to hang with them for a while when I visit. They've got 8-10 years on me, I should be able to do this They serve as a pretty constant source of inspiration for me. Subquest 2 - cut back on the drinking I've made some gains on this as well, and have learned that if you're paying attention to your diet while doing your dinking (and not overindulging), that it can work. However, if you're not paying attention, its very easy to push yourself over on a consistent basis. So, during this challenge, I would like to limit myself to two nights of drinking during any given week (because sometimes the weekend really isn't the most convenient time), and never more than three pints in a sitting. Subquest 3 - Try a new veggie (alone or in a recipe) a week Odd quest goal, yeah? Well, most of my life, I've hated veggies and avoided them like the plague. Its only later in life that I've come to accept some of them, and appreciate. Still hate most of them. But I realize how important they would be in helping me to achieve a more balanced diet. So, to that end I'm going to need to find some healthy veg that I only don't mind eating, but perhaps actually enjoy eating. The spinach and red bell peppers are good, but I think they're probably feeling pretty lonely in my stomach without their other veg friends around. Will this get me to my ultimate goal in six weeks? Hard to say, but I think it will get me started on the right track, AND I can look to specialize out a bit more from there. And for the life side quest? Well, music has always been a big thing for me, being a musician since I was 11 years old. However, in these later years I've grown rather complacent with it, knowing that I can just pick it up only very casually without losing any skill level, and never getting anywhere with it. I've got a large backlog of material that I've been meaning to shape into some sort of musical release over the years, but I just never have done it - its time to stop that. With this six weeks, I'm going to get the planning stages going of putting together a collection of my music for release. Even if its for free, and I make no money off of it, it will still fill me with pride that I was able to do it. I look forward to seeing all of you move forward in your quests as well, and hope we can all help each along the way!

Good luck on the beer my friend, I know precisely how hard that is!

Just making my introduction here - figured this seemed like fun and decided to give it go, especially since i've stalled out on my weight loss journey (actually crept back a little the wrong way) and need to get things in gear. I started at 270, and made it down 245 without too much effort - got on an experimental group thing with Fitocracy for a bit and made it down to 235, but that ended and since then I've made it back up to 241. The social aspect of it really helped, I think, and that's what I'm looking forward to here - and it appeals to my nerd sensibilities a bit more as well. Look forward to getting involved, achieving my goals, and helping/seeing others achieve theirs as well!