Arcelas the n00b

Sunday was my birthday. My girlfriend had food poisoning, my car broke down, I didn't make it to my buddy's magic show...

SO I ordered pizza hut. two desserts, and a 4 pack of sodas. Clearly even after 40 days of healthy eating and calorie counting, at the first sign of trouble, I revert to my old ways. 

In better news, weigh-in Wednesday went well. down to 273lbs. Sick today though.

T'was a good week! Under calories, weigh-in went well, and I only had 1 soda, on date night, as planned! I only did two workouts instead of three, but I'm not too worried, as working out is not part of the challenge.

 

It's actually going almost TOO well... I have this feeling of foreboding. My fitness plans have never gone this well before. I'm waiting to be carried away by a pterodactyl. 

 

What do you do when the demons of dread show up? 

Wacky, wonderful, weigh-in Wednesday! What wonders will it reveal? Will we welcome it with woeful weeping? Will we warble wistfully?

 

WOW! Another Win.!

 

Down to 277.8, the lightest I've been in 3 years!  Calories were on point, steps were solid. I have knocked two NF bodyweight workouts out so far. (1a & 1b) I bought the Tarbell Magic Course, to go back to the beginning and work on my basics. Finally, I have 29 days of calorie tracking in LoseIt. Feeling good about things in general, lets keep this going!

Good morning!

 

Week 1 is in the bag! Here's a quick run down of the good, the bad, the future (how we track metrics at work)

Good:

1. Only went over calories once last week, but average was still under

2. Had only the one sugary soda, during date night as planned

3. Hit at least 5k steps on 4 of 7 days, and hit 11,000 on Saturday

4. Did a 15 minute magic set to open for a local magic shop's Sunday show

Bad:

1. Had a non-date night soda on Monday (sugar-free, but still, rules)

2. Overate yesterday at a pizza buffet

Future:

1. Continue eating sensibly, counting calories

2. 5k steps

3. continue NF body workout level one (started yesterday)

4. See if I can open again sometime for the Magic shop

 

Let's keep this challenge going. My girlfriend and I bought new active wear yesterday, so we can go on walks together, and start working out as well.

 

Journey continues. 

Boss was here for three glorious days of corporate-sponsored lunches! Day 2 and 3, I only had water or unsweetened tea. I did decide I broke the spirit of the challenge, so gave myself a naughty point for the Coke Zero. Accidental went over my calories by 103 yesterday (curse you delicious biscuits!), but my steps were 6700, so I dona feel too badly about it.

 

Here's a random photo I took of one of my favorite decks of cards. (I collect playing cards)

Yes I do. It's just my middle name and my family's original name. So, Jacob Ellison. You can check out my Instagram if you want. I just started it, so not much magic on it yet. Instagram.com/JacobEllisonillusions

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

My family is German, and to this day I can barely count to 5 in German. I can however, recite a dinner prayer. My great-grandfather would not let the eating begin till this prayer was said. Komm Herr Jesus, Sei unser Gast, Und segne was Du uns bescherret hast. Amen 

 

Apologize for any misspellings

Wednesday, April 24 - 5:557 AM (Kiefer Sutherland's voice)

 

1st two days of the challenge went pretty well. Easily hit my calorie goals, even with the boss in town and taking me to a local BBQ place (burnt ends are amazing!). I had a Coke Zero during lunch. I'm not sure if that breaks the rules of the challenge or not. It is zero calorie. Boss is in town till Thursday; corporate credit cards can be bad for staying with your goals.

 

Today is my weekly weigh-in day. Down to 279.6. The 1st time I'm been under 280 in almost 2 years! Long ways to go, but nice to see progress.

Following for horses and vegan parmesan cheese. brings back childhood memories. Did the reaction clear up? Was it a one-time thing? my brother had an allergy to yeast flakes.

So here I go again. Wow, it's been a long time. I'll summarize some major life changes:

 

1. Getting close to a one year anniversary with my girlfriend!
2. Over a year at my IT job
3. Been off my medicine (depression, anxiety) for over a year

 

So now that the good is out of the way, on to the less good. I got really out of shape again. After a photography-related accident, (fell off a cliff) I could not walk for 6 months. Needless to say, health and mental outlook suffered. I've been walking again since January, so time to respawn, reload, and destroy this challenge.

 

2019 Master Quests

1. Lose 63 lbs.
   1. Eat Better
   2. Be Active
2. Get Out of Debt
   1. Review/reduce spending
   2. Organize debts
   3. Contact creditors regarding settlements
3. Become Much Better At Magic
   1. Education
   2. Practice
4. Become A Much Better Vocalist
   1. Education
   2. Practice
5. Perform a magic show
   1. Practice favorite effects till perfect
   2. Build a cohesive routine
   3. Research volunteer opportunities
6. Build my photography business
   1. Do a few TFP photo shoots to build buzz
   2. Consistent marketing
   3. Prospective client engagement

 

Whew! That's a lot of quests! I should probably just buy a quart of pralines and cream, a 2 liter of mountain dew and watch 14 hours of youtube videos right?

 

#$CK NO! Let's break this *$%^ down into manageable pieces:

 

S.M.A.R.T. Goals:

 

1. Drink no more than one 21 once soda a week during the challenge (date night, movie, etc)
2. Maintain 90% or better daily calorie goals
3. Hit 5000 steps a day (average)
4. Perform magic set for one open mic night
    

02/14/18

Life update: My girlfriend broke up with me last night. She said she just cannot handle a relationship right now. Painful. Sad. Motivating!

 

I will use this experience to help me focus on improving myself as a person.

 

Time to join the Rangers:

 

Arcelas the n00b Carries On: Post-New-Year’s-Resolution Challenge

 

Questline: Lose 48 lbs

• Complete all scheduled workouts

  • Rewards/Penalties based on percentage of workouts completed

    • 80% or higher: Maximum effort Deadpool workout t-shirt

    • 79% or lower: I have to wear a plain white t-shirt to the gym, with things written/drawn on it suggested by Nerd Fitness

• Complete all daily food journals

  • Rewards/Penalties based on percentage of journals completed

    • 80% or higher: Super whey tasty chocolate protein powder

    • 79% or lower: I have to buy, cook and eat a spaghetti squash (literally the worst-tasting thing in the world to me)

 

Questline: Become Much Better At Magic

• Read and practice chapter 2 of “Royal Road to Card Magic” (30 minutes a day)

• Practice a coin trick (2 hours per week)

Or maybe this one.

 

 

On 1/29/2018 at 9:34 PM, scalyfreak said:

Strange or not, you are making progress. I'm impressed, you are doing much better than I am.

 

Are you staying with the Rebels for your next challenge?

 

 

Hmm... I'm thinking of changing my guild...

I'm not sure, considering increasing my squat and other lifts by a reasonable % is a considered goal for next challenge. 

I just looked over your challenge, and you are progressing fine. The unexpected is just that. We'll just power on through it.

Keep at it, scalyfreak! You can do it!

This challenge has been strange. On one hand, I have gone days without completing one of my goals. On the other hand, I can show concrete evidence of progress along all four paths.

 

Walking: have not hit my step goals every day, but have been consistently walking.

 

Dining out costs: I am going to end the month under $100 for dining out!

 

Magic: I have finished the 1st chapter of the Royal Road to Card Magic. I added 2 or 3 effects to my routine. 

 

Music/Singing: I have been practicing during my daily commute. I had an audition for a lead vocalist position, but it looks like they are going a different way. I starting to write lyrics again.

 

Non-challenge items: reduced weight to 282 lbs. The lightest I've been in about 3 years. Clean bill of health from doctor. 

 

Got some new stuff planned for the next challenge, focusing more on Fitness. Stay tuned!

 

How's it going [mention=49021]Arcelas the n00b[/mention]? Feeling any better?

Loads. Being sick messed up my weekly routine as far as making food goes. I haven't been to the gym for a while, but I have done home workouts a few times. I'm going to my girlfriend's gym tomorrow for a water aerobics class. We both want to get in shape, but want to start low impact.

On the other hand, my non-fitness goals are going great. I've been practicing my magic regularly, and even have a gig on the 9th of February. I have an audition on Saturday for the frontman of a rock band in Omaha, NE. Going to do my strength workout after work in 1.5 hours. Let's end the month and challenge strong!

Hi!

 

My girlfriend and I want to get in shape, be healthier, all that jazz. I've been doing nerd fitness off and on for 2 years, started NF coaching (really enjoying it) and have a gym membership. She had lap band surgery a couple years ago, lost some weight, but still has a ways to go as do I.

 

I am 6'5" she is 6'1". Yeah, its pretty awesome.

 

I'd like to help her with her fitness-the exercise part- we are already working on our nutrition side. I know men and women are different (thanks for the talk, dad), so I'm curious as to what we should look into for her strength training, and how that might differ from mine.

Dundundun...

 

I have a girlfriend! 

I met her on Tinder, and we went out several times and have been texting in between. After our 4th date, we agreed to drop the number from the front and add 'ing' to the end. She is totally awesome, very funny, sweet, loves her nephews and mine. She wants to come with me to the gym starting in a few days. We are going to get hot together!

Update Day 16 - 01/16/18:

 

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Hit my daily step goal of 10000 steps. 5000 the first week, then add 1666.66 (repeating of course) steps each week until 10000 is reached

Hard to want to walk when you are coughing lungs out your back. I'm supposed to be at 8333 steps this week, but it feels impossible. I think I'm going to back off a bit on the speed of this challenge's difficulty curve.

 

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Cook as many meals on Saturday and Sunday as possible to reduce dining out spending by 50% (dropping from $220/mo to $110/mo)

Didn't cook a darn thing, but I'm still well under my dining out limit for the month.

 

Quote

Read Royal Road to Card Magic: Chapter One and watch the accompanying videos

Alright! Re-read the chapter and re-watched the videos. then practiced for over an hour yesterday. Feeling very comfortable with the move.

 

Quote

Complete KTVA Streaming Lessons Vol 1 and practice 30 minutes a day 3 days a week

No music yet this week as I am getting over a cold.

Sad Update:

Day 12-15 (01/12/18-01/15/18):

 

The good: I'm in the lovey-dovey teenage phase with my new girlfriend. We are awesome together!

The bad: absolutely everything else. I haven't been to the gym since the 8th of January. I haven't hit my step goal or practiced any singing or magic. I was sick the past few days (including today), so no food got cooked. Fortunately, I have soup and a few microwave dinners left.

 

#movingforward

I need to budget my time, the way I learned to budget my money. During the week, I sleep 8 hours a day and work 8 hours. This leaves 8 hours to do the rest of the things in my life. That is the time I need to budget better. Does anyone have any suggestions for this process? Any apps that help with this?

 

#notgivingup

I'm going to walk around my work during lunch today, as I am sick and not interested in food today. 

Update Day 10 & 11 - 01/10/18-01/11/18:

 

Wow, having a girlfriend is exhausting (not like that, ya pervs) (well, maybe a little)

OK! I have been a baaaaaaad boy this week. Queue sheep noise:

 

Quote

Hit my daily step goal of 10000 steps. 5000 the first week, then add 1666.66 (repeating of course) steps each week until 10000 is reached

Not even close. I've got to buckle down. I need a time budgeting program like YNAB for time.

 

Quote

Cook as many meals on Saturday and Sunday as possible to reduce dining out spending by 50% (dropping from $220/mo to $110/mo)

Looking good. Going into the third week of the challenge with $17.89 spent on dining out so far. Not to mention the added health benefit from making your own food.

 

Quote

Read Royal Road to Card Magic: Chapter One and watch the accompanying videos

Practiced some basic moves yesterday during movie night. I have read/watched chapter one twice now, next comes solid practice time.

 

Quote

Complete KTVA Streaming Lessons Vol 1 and practice 30 minutes a day 3 days a week

I have not been practicing this week at all. I think I am going to download the practice audio and practice during my daily commute.

 

My nephew is better. They decided to just leave him with the missing tooth. 

29 minutes ago, TGP said:

a beautiful soul was battling an anxious mind

This is the most beautiful description of mental issues I have ever heard. Thank you!

Update Day 9 - 01/09/18:

 

"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" - Helmuth von Moltke

 

I had a family emergency, my 8-month-old nephew fell out of his high chair and drove his front tooth through the roof of his mouth. I spent yesterday helping my brother and his girlfriend clean up the house, figure out their insurance, and book a few appointments. I felt like I was running around like a maniac, but I did not get my 30 minutes of walking in, nor hit my step goal.

 

I went to the movies with my lady friend. We saw Molly's Game. (Which is fantastic by the way. Highly recommended.) It was our fourth date, but we dropped the number from the front and added 'ing' to the end.

 

Challenge Quests Update:

 

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Hit my daily step goal of 10000 steps. 5000 the first week, then add 1666.66 (repeating of course) steps each week until 10000 is reached

Although I was walking around a large hospital yesterday, I did not hit my step goal. In fact, I barely got 50%.

 

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Cook as many meals on Saturday and Sunday as possible to reduce dining out spending by 50% (dropping from $220/mo to $110/mo)

Delicious homemade meals are a go again. A lot of chicken and vegetables right now. Organic Normandy Blend from Costco is wonderful. Instead of grabbing a bite to eat from some narly fast-food joint before the movie last night, my lady friend and I bought ground beef and broccoli. We made hamburgers on the stove that were quite tasty. 

 

Quote

Read Royal Road to Card Magic: Chapter One and watch the accompanying videos

No magic practice yesterday. Too busy with family stuff and ?girlfriend? stuff. (I'm new to this dating/relationship thing, bear with me)

 

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Complete KTVA Streaming Lessons Vol 1 and practice 30 minutes a day 3 days a week

No vocal practice either yesterday. Tonight for sure: Lip rolls.