'BoutThatActionBoss

Hey sarakingdom! Thanks for the shout outs! And for the menacing manner of accountability, haha. Swimming is awesome, I am taking a couple of months off running, so I will fill it with swimming. I hate vegetables! But I will eat them. I think...

Waddup Monks! I am a former Ranger who decided to switch it up, mostly because I am taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and am looking for some support with that and to help support others on their journeys. A bit about me: I am a 37 year old male who has been into fitness and exercise my whole life. Mostly either team sports or distance running, though surfing is my favorite (although I am stuck in Boston..,not great waves). The martial arts are a new thing for me. Since I hit my mid-30s, however, I have been having a hard time with food and nutrition. I am way too heavy for my frame and would like to drop 20 pounds eventually (I'm 5'7, currently 185.8 lbs). I also have tons of stomach problems so I HAVE to be careful about what I eat going forward. Plus my cholesterol is a bit high, so I need to get ahead of that. This is my third challenge and am ready to step it up. The last two haven't been overwhelming successes, but I feel like I have learned enough from them to build toward something special with try number three. It's not about if you fail, but how you respond to that failure, right? Or something like that?!? MAIN QUEST 1 My main quest is to lose 11 lbs by December 4. I will use today as the starting point, so the end goal is 174. I will weigh myself on Monday mornings in a t-shirt and shorts. It's an aggressive goal, but I think it is doable. At the very least, I would like to get down into the 170s. My eventual goal is 165, but that is outside the scope of this time frame. Thanksgiving may make things a bit tricky, but I am ready to navigate it. MAIN QUEST 2 Attend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class 2x a week. Test for my first stripe. I haven't been good about going to class until the last month or so. I actually had an OK Cupid date cancel on me, and instead of moping, I decided to give BJJ another try. At least this relationship is working. GOALS 1) Use MyFitnessPal to track food *every day*. No exceptions. I haven't been good about sticking with food tracking before, but I feel ready this time. This is an important step for me as I get better about eating. 2) No soda or Coke except on Halloween and Thanksgiving. I am a wicked soda fiend but I haven't had any in a couple of weeks so it's just a matter of keeping that momentum. 3) Lift weights 3x a week and swim 2x a week for overall fitness. I have to think of a new weightlifting routine, so if any of you monks have any suggestions, I am all ears (or eyes since I am reading this on a computer screen). 4) Eat a salad or a healthy serving of vegetables 3x a week. This may not sound like a lot to many of you, but this is hard for me. I hate vegetables. Hate them. Yet they are critical to health, so I will suck it up and try to do things so they actually don't taste horrible, haha. I will post each Monday with an update of my results and if I achieved the goal or not. It would be AWESOME if anyone would want to help keep me accountable. And I would be happy to reciprocate, like checking in once or twice a week in your thread. Not many of my friends are into fitness, so it would be really rewarding to help someone else along this path and get some help in return. Good luck fellow monks!

Thank you, Xena! I appreciate the support. It was nice of you to check in! I need to think more strategically about diet going forward. Like I said, telling myself to simply 'try harder', although part of the equation, shouldn't be it. I will mull it over and get ready for the next challenge!

Final check in for this challenge. I will see it through to the end, even if my wrap up is a bit late. These will be overall grades for the challenge. MAIN QUEST 1 (Lose some weight): F I weighed myself on Sunday, and I was clocked in at 186.8. This is a bit above my initial weigh in, but it could be due to water weight that morning, so I would say that I am more or less the same as when I started. So, no weight lost. Food tracking: D I tracked on and off the first 3 or 4 weeks, but eventually got away from it completely. Cut out soda and sweets: D I had good moments here and there, but for the most part this was a loss. I will have to re-think how I approach diet and cheat days. I will try to modify this for the next challenge. Eat vegetables: B I actually did pretty good for me. I am not the best eater, but I was much better than I have ever been about eating salads and greens. So this is something to build on! MAIN QUEST 2 (100 pushups): B+ I didn't miss a single workout. I didn't achieve my initial goal of 80 in a row, but that is OK. It is hard to project performance. Although I have had to repeat weeks, I have stuck with it and have gotten stronger. So my biggest victories were the pushups and vegetables. I am not surprised with the pushups since sticking to a workout plan isn't hard for me, but sticking with a diet is. I am pleasantly surprised with how much I ate vegetables. Probably not that great compared to most people, but for me, it was a great victory. The weight loss and diet are more frustrating. I will have to re-think goals or ways of approaching it. I think sometimes I am left with 'try harder', which is part of it, but also new strategies. Maybe two cookies a day? Maybe the occasional, built in soda? I have no idea, but for the next challenge I will re-think things a little bit. Thanks to everyone for their help with this! I really appreciate folks who chimed in and gave their support!

Congrats honeybadger! I think you did an awesome job and you should be proud! You have laid done a solid foundation so keep up the good work!

Can you mail me some meatballs please! They hold up while being delivered, right?!

honeybadger! Thank you so so so much for your kind words and support! I actually saw the message while I was at the gym and it put a smile on my face. You are awesome and supportive and have really made a difference for me on this challenge! I truly appreciate it. I even finished my pushup workout today! Woop woop! I'm hoping to keep improving! I even had salad for dinner again. There is still hope!

Hey world! Week 6 check in. MAIN QUEST 1 (Lose at least some weight since last week): A Last week I weighed in at 186.8. I weighed myself this morning and dropped three pounds to get down to 183.6! This is a good way to end the challenge on a high note. I will weigh myself again on the 6th. If I could lose a half pound more by then, it would be BOSS. Food tracking: C- I did use MyFitnessPal a bit over the last week. I still should be better about tracking my eating. Cut out soda and sweets: A This week I did much, much better than in weeks past. I didn't have any soda or sweets and in general have been eating healthier. This is good! Eat vegetables: B+ I had salad two nights in a row this week for the first time...well, ever! Granted, these came on days where I had a big burritio for lunch. But still. Progress. MAIN QUEST 2 (100 pushups): C+ I didn't miss any workouts, but did struggle with them and wasn't able to complete them. Still, I expected a bump along the road at this point, which is week 5 of a six week program. I am just happy that I am sticking with the workouts and haven't missed one yet. I ended the week strong, and I expect this week to go better than last. OK! Not the greatest challenge for me, but there are some positives. I will do a final check in this weekend to tally it all up.

Awesome job with all your goals! You crushed it in week 5 for sure. Keep trying all the things!

Yes! And I like the Bill Murray photo -- one of Chicago's great performers. Yesterday and today I ate much better than usual and how I wanted to eat during this challenge. I hope I am laying the foundation for the next challenge!

You're killing it! Sub 10 mile, food goals hitting. Keep it up! You're making me think even I can get my stuff together eventually.

Week 5 check in. MAIN QUEST 1 (At this point try to lose some weight...any weight): Audible sigh I kinda pigged out in Chicago. I didn't go too crazy, but it was enough to gain some weight so I am clocking in around 186.8 right now. If I am being honest, I have a lot of personal stuff going on, and am trying to find roommates, and my body hurts from training for a race, so I feel like my motivation/will is weak when it comes to nutrition. I feel like I used to have more discipline, but it has waned a bit the last few years. Not good. Food tracking: F I simply haven't done it. Part of it is that I have been eating like crap and not really caring and/or am mad at myself for the crap I am putting in my body. Not good x 2. Cut out soda and sweets: F I was kinda YOLO-ing in Chicago but I can't eat too much crap or I get sick (especially with fatty foods) although I took it to the limit more than I should have. And I have continued since I got home. Not good x 3. Eat vegetables: C- I ordered a salad in Chicago! That will make it go from an F to a C- because I need something. And it wasn't really in Chicago but at the airport on the way, but still. MAIN QUEST 2 (100 pushups): B+ I stuck with this and was able to complete the week's workout! Last week, I wasn't able to, so I was able to advance to week 5. I tried to do my first week 5 workout yesterday and wasn't able to complete it, but that's ok. I may be doubling or even tripling up before I get to 100 pushups in a row, but I expected this. Not a great challenge for me. But I will at least try to drop some pounds for the final week of the challenge. Ya win some, ya lose some.

Hey all! Thanks so much for the advice, honeybadger and Xena! You all rock. Glad to know I have folks helping me out! I have to re-think things and your thoughts about mixing up goals a bit may work. And the idea about new favorites and new rewards is something else to consider. Maybe go for something healthier than eating crappy foods as a reward. I will marinate on this! Chicago was good. Of course my flight got delayed (after I got to the airport) so I had to leave the next day BUT they bumped us to first class. Then I did a practically scene-by-scene remake of Ferris Bueller's Day Off so it was all good. Got to see my Red Sox even win a game, which hasn't been a common occurrence this season. Saw old HS friends. Did some push ups. Went for a run. Ate too much. Time to get back on the horse.

I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! Congrats!

Thx for the support honeybadger! Been a bad week. You're right, I have to get my mental correct for the next challenge. The challenge with the eating has been really difficult. I will brainstorm different ideas/methods and try them for the next couple of weeks. Oh and my flight to Chicago was cancelled tonight, LOL. We are leaving tomorrow though. We'll get there eventually (hopefully)!

Oh I am SUPREMELY confident you can do a sub 10! As long as you are consistent in your training, it will happen. If you throw in a few intervals during your intervening runs, you'll get there even more quickly. You got this.

The mile time is great! I think you can definitely get under 10 minutes. Like within a week or two. Just put the pedal down a bit harder for like 10 seconds two or three times during the run and you'll be very close. Nice job with everything!

Week 4 check in. MAIN QUEST 1 (Get to 174 lbs ((from 186)) by the end of the challenge): ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This has been an outright failure this week. I weighed myself yesterday and was 185.8. Almost back to the original weight. I have had some things going on in my personal life that have taken some of my focus away, but honestly it has been a complete lack of discipline with my eating. Argh. Food tracking: D Another outright fail. I tracked it a little bit last week but nothing since then. Cut out soda and sweets: F As Chinua Achebe said, Things Fall Apart. Horrible week. I have been eating peanut butter out of the jar, having coke and cookies and all the bad stuff. And I am about to head to Chicago for five days to see some old friends. This grade next week will likely be LOL. Eat vegetables: C- I had a salad the other night! MAIN QUEST 2 (100 pushups): B I had a setback last week and had to repeat a week, which I started today. The good news is that I was able to complete the workout today, which I wasn't able to do last week. So that is a step up! Overall, I am pretty disappointed with myself in this challenge. My goal, realistically, is to come back from Chicago weighing the same as I do now. With the next challenge I am going to have to re-assess some of my methods.

Hey honeybadger! Thanks for checking in! Unfortunately, things are going pretty terribly. I will be weighing myself tomorrow and I know the results won't be good. I pulled a muscle in my leg and all manner of discipline with eating has left me. I am super stressed out at work and I have to find roommates by Sept. 1 and haven't had any luck, plus a mother who was in the hospital, etc etc. I will write more tomorrow, but thanks for saying hello!

I gotta big up myself for a second. I was hungry after lunch and was really craving something bad (cookies/brownies/cola). I went to the store across the street and even had my hand on a Coke, but eventually I put it down and went back to the office and had my oatmeal instead -- albeit brown sugar oatmeal, but still better than what was in the store. Small victory of willpower!

Totally true honeybadger. There is certainly time for redemption. And that time is now. 179! 179!

HEYO! Week 3 check in. MAIN QUEST 1 (Get to 174 lbs ((from 186)) by the end of the challenge): F Welp, I weighed myself this morning and went from 183.4 last week to 184 lbs. So I gained about a half pound. That isn't going to do it. And with two bad weeks, I am not going to be able to hit 174. At this point, I will have to adjust the MAIN QUEST goal. I think getting under 180 is still realistic, so I will shoot for that. The culprit was poor diet. I have lost my momentum. A couple of things didn't help: I live in Boston and my favorite ice cream place is closing before too long (it is only open during summer) and I hadn't had any ice cream from there yet. So I had that. And I hadn't yet visited my favorite burger and fries place by the beach, so I got that as well. And I took my niece to a local water park one day and did the whole fried dough/pizza/coke thing. Last week was pretty YOLO regarding food, but I think I got that out of my system and I can re-focus. Eating like shit makes me feel like shit so I have to remember that. I am traveling to Chicago at the end of the month to see old friends and watch baseball so that has potential to hurt me as well. But I can still get under 180 if I stay focused. Food tracking: D I will post a couple of things for a meal or two each day but never follow through. It doesn't help that my work schedule has been weird and it has disrupted my diet. It has been a bit harder to control what I am eating. And I have been super tired and not taking time to cook and instead just having a PBJ (or two). Still, a few extra taps on a smart phone shouldn't be too taxing. No more excuses. Cut out soda and sweets: D D is probably generous. I had a giant ice cream and fried dough. A few cokes as well. And there was a work cookout last week where I had brownies. Now that I think about it, it's almost a miracle that I only gained 0.5 lbs. Where is my discipline? Eat vegetables: C+ I went to lunch the other day and ordered a salad with grilled chicken. Of course I overate the appetizer that was cheesy nachos, so it was probably a net negative. Still... I had some vegetables with one of my PBJs last week, so that is good. This wasn't a total loss. MAIN QUEST 2 (100 pushups): B I have been sticking to the plan, doing them three days a week and following the app to the letter. Unfortunately, this morning I couldn't complete the workout so I will have to repeat this week's plan. I was feeling a bit tired and run down this morning and this requires me to go all out three days a week. If I am not feeling well, it can be difficult to go max effort. But that's exercise for you. You can't always hit your goals without experiencing a setback. I figured I would hit a wall eventually, although I was hoping it would be week 5 or 6, not week 4. It happens though, I will deal. I am getting to 100. So. Not a great week (although it was fun). Time to hit the reset button. 179 here I come.

Nice work with the Russian. I know the visa is a pain but you'll manage fine and it will be worth it. I like that you're not going to quit. Even if you have two or three bad weeks, you can still have 3 good weeks. And 3 good weeks is better than 0 good weeks. Keep it up!

SUP is awesome! I go once in awhile and really love it. Seems like you have stayed on target even with vacation. Awesome work. Keep up the momentum!

Good job with the cardio. Days we don't want to work out are tough to fight through. Most of the time, once I am at the gym or running, I feel better. But there are days where I have just shut things down. My body just wasn't feeling it. Those are OK too. So 40 minutes of crap cardio is better than zero minutes, so it is a win for sure. Have fun on the vacation. I totally get the stress about it, but it sounds like you are being mindful of your diet so I am sure you will be fine. I guess try not to let it overwhelm your experience but I know that is tough for people who tend to overthink things and/or are neurotic. I am one of them. Telling me not to think is like telling a fish not to swim. SUP is waaaay fun and so is kayaking. Enjoy!