dauntlesslittleevil

Week 1, Day 3: MQ1. Happily Hydrated - Drink 1.2L of water per day [3/42] Hrmm. I think it's early enough in the challenge to realise: 1.2L is a lot to start with, when I'm not in the habit of drinking. I love water, and when I'm in the habit I can do this, but, I'm not in the habit. So I'm revising my goal down to 600mL. In that case, I made yesterday and today, and will continue to aim for that. No future downwards revisions allowed! MQ2. Nifty Nutrition - Eat two healthful meals per week [1/12] Technically I had leftovers, but that doesn't count. Have the ingredients to make this again (didn't want to waste the rocket and feta), and will make the roast sweet potato and chickpeas tomorrow night. MQ3. Ebullient Exercise - Do a basic workout three times per week [2/18] Done! Did barbell squats today, barbell press and pushups. The barbell carries 7.5kg but I'm not sure of the bar weight - I'll have to find out some time. SQ: Spiritual Stimulation - Learn one new Elder Futhark rune each week [0/6] Still haven't started. It's only Wednesday. I've been too excited about London and Paris! Also, put on my shorts for the first time in ages - since I was in the early stages of pregnancy #2 (and weighed about 5kg less). Eep! Hubby says I look fine but I feel really flabby - not cool. Also, I bleach-faded a gorgeous but too-bright-blue summer dress I had, then went to try it on, and it wouldn't zip up! Not sure if the heat from the bleach process shrunk it slightly, or it's my weight around my upper-midriff. But another goal to work on - it motivates me to exercise! Calorie counting is good - as a couple of you have said, it does mould your habits a bit! I think I went over one day, but was under the three previous days. My goal is 1,300 calories, and my pattern went 1000/1150/1600/1150 and thus far I'm probably around 1300 today. Still, I'm improving, and it's making me focus on ways to have nutritious, filling foods in the house to both make sure I don't go over calorie-wise, but also feel full and healthy!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that husband and I have started using a calorie-tracking app, EasyDietDiary, which is Australian. It has a barcode scanner to automatically look up foods that are packaged, and is great with other things. It's also easy to use and compare to your daily goal. It tracks but doesn't compare macros, but at this point, neither of us are concerned about that. I've found already in four days that it's made a difference to how I eat - I'm not just eating whatever, I do pause and think about it. I do have an eating disordered history (about a decade), but I don't think I'll become obsessive about it because the root cause - my deep insecurity - is gone, and while I care about how I look, I'm not obsessed with it. The first three days I was 200 calories under my limit (that is, a smidge under 1,000 calories out of 1,200), and then today got a muffin that I didn't realise had 600 calories, and ran 300 or so calories over. I'm not fussed, but again, it's just brought my attention to the calories (a chocolate bar would have had a third of that!), and making healthier and/or lower calorie choices in future. We also decided we'd have one no-track day per week, but thus far we've eaten pretty normally and haven't felt the need to stop tracking - even on Hallowe'en (as our toddler got most of the chocolate ). My husband's weakness is curry, and while he started using a small plate to reduce his portions a few weeks back at my suggestion, I think again that tracking the calories is highlighting how calorie-heavy they are, and that will in time slowly alter his eating habits. We're visiting England in late July/August next year to see his parents, and will also be going to Paris for two nights, child-free, to scatter some of my mum's ashes and enjoy an early anniversary alone. It's both of our goals to look great by then - fit and toned and healthy - so hopefully we're starting off on a great journey! So, onward and upwards (and downwards on the scale!)

Week 1, Day 1: MQ1. Happily Hydrated - Drink 1.2L of water per day [1/42] I'll admit, I forgot about this too as I left my 1.2L bottle in the baby's room, and forgot to get it when she was awake. So I've chugged most of this in the last 20 minutes! But still, better late than never MQ2. Nifty Nutrition - Eat two healthful meals per week [1/12] Woot! One out of the block - made a delicious Pearl Barley & Rocket Risotto with Pumpkin. I'd made it before, and buggered it up a bit tonight because I for some reason put in 375mL of water, not 750mL, which I had to add near the end, but it was filling and tasty. MQ3. Ebullient Exercise - Do a basic workout three times per week [1/18] Got this done today, although I realised having three arm exercises was just too much, so I'm going to do tricep dips OR push ups. Today it was the former. I did the weights for the press but not the squats - I kind of forgot I was meant to exercise until about midday! SQ: Spiritual Stimulation - Learn one new Elder Futhark rune each week [0/6] Haven't started yet, but I have plenty of time.

Thanks, guys! I am veggo, but one of my recipes that I'll be making involves roasted chickpeas - AMAZING and really good. I didn't know that about pumpkin seeds but I do like them I will do that! I actually had an awful migraine yesterday (Sunday), as did my husband, and we were both basically as inert as possible while looking after two little ones - hopefully that gets the bad stuff out of the way!

Yeah, I think after the recruit challenge, you have a better idea of your weaknesses and your strengths, and you know what's useful leeway (switching days) versus skipping out on things. Here's a photo of a modified tricep dip (which I'll do); the full version requires straight legs and lowering you bum almost to the floor

Wow, you've been so thorough! I love that you've taken into account possible reasons for not being able to meet a challenge, and worked them in (for example, the chance of rain); it's just setting you up for more success! I look forward to seeing how things go

Here's my new challenge thread, y'all!

Hurrah! Looking forward to following you and your GIFs again

Hurrah! I made it through my recruit challenge, and I'm still here, still fighting! I tapered off a little at the end of my last challenge, due to intense baby-caring and low energy (probably from ridiculously low iron - I needed an IV iron infusion both during my pregnancy and straight after labour; it was borderline for an actual blood transfusion). But I'm here, and I'm ready to get going again! So, summary of me in a nutshell: I'm Daule (DAUntless Little Evil)Mum to a toddler (Arya, 2.5 years) and a baby (Aemilia, 4 months). Arya is in daycare during the week, but Aem is home full time with me (that's just pronounced like "Amelia" and "Em" respectively)Wife to an awesome but obese husband. This is mainly due to the plethora of medications he is on for depression after he had a major manic episode and then depressive episode of nearly two years. He went from 60kg and quite skinny to 100kg in less than a year :/Stay-at-home for the momentInspired by my stepdad (closer to a second father) who passed away in August from cancer; he was strong, intelligent, and kind. He didn't have to intimidate people, but I was never scared with him, as I always knew he'd look after me. My mum unexpectedly passed away a few months earlier due to a complication related to her heavy smoking and drinking. I've never been a smoker or drinker anyway, but this just made me realise how precious life is.Okay, onto this challenge! I have to thank KrsyW for his own first challenge as inspiration for the alliterative nature of this one Life Quest: To reduce body fat from 32% to 22%, and to reduce my bodyweight from 61kg to 51kg (but as I get closer I may amend that goal up based on how I look). While weight isn't the be-all and end all, seeing a reduction in it is a positive tracker for me at the moment, and fluctuates less than body fat. Summary: Main Quest 1 - Happily Hydrated: Drink 1.2 litres of water a day. I'll get a single bottle of water from the supermarket, and then refill daily, so it's easy to keep track of. I love water, and apart from that only have one cup of tea a day, so I think it will be a challenge but not out of reach. MQ1: [+2 CON] Main Quest 2 - Nifty Nutrition: Eat two healthful meals per week. That sounds so lame, but I've said before I'm a perpetual snacker, as is my husband, and I rarely get junky meals, I just don't eat much (ahem. except for the chocolate, as of late). this is a goal which is achievable, but I will have to pay attention to to achieve. it's a start. MQ2: [+4 CON] Main Quest 3 - Ebullient Exercise: Do a basic workout on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. I want to do a basic workout every second day - 25 squats (barbell optional), 15 pushups OR 25 tricep dips, and 25 barbell bench presses. The idea is to do M/W/F, but as long as it's done three times per week, it counts as completed. MQ3: [+3 STR, +3 STA] Side Quest - Spiritual Stimulation: Learn one new Elder Futhark rune each week, and revise all those learnt previously. I've been quite interested in Norse mythology lately, and I'm focusing on the runes. I've covered Fehu ᚠ, Othala ᛟ, Gebo ᚷ and Jera ᛃ so far ("cattle", "land", "gift" and "year", in the most simple form), and understand what they mean and represent. I'm allowed to speed up my learning, if I have the time, but by the end of the challenge I need to have covered six new runes. SQ: [+2 WIS, +1 CHA] So, that's basically it! Starting out ... Week 0, Day 0: MQ1. Happily Hydrated - Drink 1.2L of water per day [0/42] MQ2. Nifty Nutrition - Eat two healthful meals per week [0/12] MQ3. Ebullient Exercise - Do a basic workout three times per week [0/18] SQ: Spiritual Stimulation - Learn one new Elder Futhark rune each week [0/6]

Thanks guys! I definitely have learnt a lot in this challenge - namely, that the way I first started truly working out before I had kids (I did 25 barbell squats and 25 barbell bench presses) worked for me as a beginner - it was simple, I saw rapid, noticeable changes, I had a healthier appetite, and it took next to no time. My main reluctance to exercise has been "ugh, that's so *complicated*". And I know it's not, but for me, I like simple. I understand that you don't want to do the same exercises or work only a certain set of muscles, but as a beginner, *anything* is always better than nothing. For me, that's what has helped me - what I do do is better than nothing. Having said that, my final day: Week 6, Day 7: Main quest: Lose 10% body fat [0/10] Who knows? It was 31.4 this morning, and I'm allllmost below 60kg! Sub-quest 1: Cook 3 new clean vegetarian meals [3/3] - DONE! I've actually cooked another new, healthy meal, so I wish I could get bonus points for that! Sub-quest 2: Take kickboxing class once a week [2/6]. Didn't happen. I think taking a practical self-defence class (kickboxing/MMA/krav) will be great ... once I get to a basic level of fitness, and am not looking after a tiny human. Sub-quest 3: Do my personalised workout 3 x weekly [17/18] So I did all my workouts, except this week I did half of two of them, if that makes sense? So I'll let myself count that as one workout. This week has been rough - baby hasn't been feeding well, almost half of what she should be drinking, and as a result her sleeping has been awful, my sleeping has been awful, and I'm just fucking knackered, really (can you tell I'm Australian?). I've been living on chocolate. I'm not even kidding. Apart from the one healthy meal I've cooked twice this week because it's great and simple and protein-filled and delicious, I've only eaten chocolate. And weetbix a few times. But mainly chocolate. I know it's so unhealthy, but I've been craving it, and emotionally it's just been too much - it's my only thing to look forward to for emotional relaxation. I mean, I'm not on the edge of a precipice, but anyone who has looked after a young baby 24/7, especially an unsettled one, knows what I'm talking about. As you guys have been so great to support me and point out, I have learnt a lot. I've even excitedly sketched out my goals for the next challenge, as an assasin. I want to try and participate in the mini-challenges, but otherwise, I want to do (roughly): 1. drink 1.5L of water per day. I'll get a single bottle of water from the supermarket, and then refill daily, so it's easy to keep track of. I love water, and apart from that only have one cup of tea a day, so I think it will be a challenge but not out of reach.2. I want to do a basic workout every second day - 25 squats (barbell optional), 15 pushups, and 25 barbell bench presses. I have to get the barbell from the garage between now and the challenge other wise I'll have to modify it.3. eat a healthful meal twice a week. that sounds so lame, but I've said before I'm a perpetual snacker, as is my husband, and I rarely get junky meals, I just don't eat much (ahem. except for the chocolate, as of late). this is a goal which is achievable, but I will have to pay attention to to achieve. it's a start.4. I'll also add in a spiritual god related to norse mythology, I think. maybe. Anyway, time for my wrap up of points! Allocated already: Cook 3 new vegetarian meals = 100% = +2 CON Do kickboxing video once a week = 67% = +0.5 DEX +1.5 STA Do my workout 3 x weekly = 100% = +2 STR +1 STA +1 DEX PvP Cold Ass Viking Challenge = 30% = +0.5 CON Bonus points: 1st week recruit challenge: +1 WIS 2nd week recruit challenge: +1 CHA 3rd week recruit challenge: +1 CON Points for the second half of the challenge: Cook 3 new vegetarian meals = completed = +1 CON Do kickboxing video once a week = not completed = 0 points Do my workout 3 x weekly = completed = +1 STR Technically you have four points to allocate, but I dropped my side-quest at the halfway point. I'm not sure if it's ethical to move that attribute point to another quest, or just leave as is? At any rate, for recording purposes, my current total stat count is: STR +4 STA +2.5 DEX +1.5 CON +4.5 WIS +1 CHA +1 When I open my next challenge thread, I'll post the link here. If you're happy for me to follow you back, please feel free to post the link to your challenge thread here, too, for me to follow! Given life's chaos I've basically been only logging onto my thread, and I hate being rude to others who take the time to help me out and support me!

Oh wow - that looks awesome! My hair isn't long enough right now, but it does look like a great way to keep your hair up and looking good - and I love hair styles I can wear for several days straight

I was initially planning to join the monks, but during the recruit phase have decided I'd sit better with the assassins for now!

Thanks, guys! I knocked off another workout last night, so just one left this week. TBH I think my kickboxing goal which kind of changed has fallen by the wayside, but I'm okay with that. I've learnt what works for me, and have bigger and better plans for my next challenge

Lazy update: Week 5, Day 4: Main quest: Lose 10% body fat [0/10] Who knows? Sub-quest 1: Cook 3 new clean vegetarian meals [3/3] - well, it wasn't clean clean - it was a quiche, but that's such a big improvement for me, and it had vegetables in it *ahem* so that's a win. I'll still try to make another healthy meal if I can. Sub-quest 2: Take kickboxing class once a week [2/6]. Ahem. Sub-quest 3: Do my personalised workout 3 x weekly [13/18] And a half. One and a half to do this week!

I think you're doing well, given life gets in the way, and sometimes our goals aren't what we thought they'd be when we started. But I guess that's part of the challenge, and learning about ourselves