Kirby R.

ugh - so busy and haven't been able to get around to calling the doctor's office. I was planning to do it last Monday, but , Inothing happened anywhere in Houston Monday or Tuesday for some reason... Anyway - checking in! Had a couple of indulgent meals, but eating otherwise has been 85% on plan. It's not perfect, or even great, but it's sooo much better than where I was two months ago. I've been meditating and rowing as planned. I feel so much better and am sleeping better as well. I have been taking a very low dose of time-released melatonin before bed, and I think that's helping with my insomnia and restless sleeping. Win! Anyway, as far as I can tell there is no physically measurable progress, but I feel so much better.

Another week closing and the only thing I'm really keeping up with well is my food, but that's the most important thing for me right now! Got together with a friend Friday night - she will be going on my big birthday trip to Iceland in August and we both want to be in better shape by then so we can really enjoy the trip. She wants to check out a women-only boxing gym in town, and I'm up for that. She struggles because she has to travel so much for work. I'm keeping up with my rowing, but I'm actually feeling weaker the last few days rather than stronger and have had to shorten my sessions. I tried doing squats on strength day, and had a horrible shooting pain on the top of my left thigh. I tried adjusting my stance, but couldn't find one that worked. My quads have always been my weakest muscle group, which I know is weird, but there you go. I'm going to have to ease into the leg strengthening exercises - it feels like I'm always starting over sometimes. Anyway, I'm staying on track with my food (80-90% paleo) and my cardio, but I'm not losing weight. My measurements aren't changing, either. Nothing seems to budge. My new insurance has kicked in and I got my corrected card in the mail yesterday, so tomorrow I will call and set up an appointment to see my doctor. I talked to her in January, and she wants to check my thyroid - my symptoms are textbook. While I don't want to have thyroid issues, it would be a relief to know there's a definite reason why my body is so stubborn.

First week done - the weekend was super tough. A friend was in from out of town and there was lots of temptation. I wasn't 100%, but I did so much better than I would have 6 months ago. I was mindful of everything I ate or drank, and did not overindulge - just indulged. Monday, right back on track, although some additional work responsibilities are going to be problematic. I am feeling overwhelmed and need to make doubly sure I am eating right, sleeping, and taking care of myself so I handle the stress in a healthy way!

Morning check in! Yesterday I flossed and meditated and ate a bunch of fruit and vegetables. I didn't row, which I had intended to do, but I'll do it today along with my strength workout. Had trouble hitting the water. My day got off to a late start and I just couldn't get in the groove. That's okay. Each day is a chance to start again.

I did Bikram yoga for years. There are a lot of studios that offer "hot" yoga that may or may not be the actual Bikram sequence. Some of them switch it up, which could help keep you from getting bored. Some of them don't get the room as hot as a Bikram studio does. Some studios used to be Bikram studios, but have disassociated themselves from Bikram recently, but still do the sequence with minimal modifications. You just need to do research. Anyway, I've done this style of yoga for years - off and on since 2000 whenever I have had access to a studio. Right now I'm not because there's not a studio close enough. I never got bored because my body was different every day - the personal challenge to myself was different every day. Every joint and muscle in my body was getting worked, and doing the same posture sequence helped me gauge my progress and see what needed work.

Morning check in to keep myself on track. Yesterday was great! After my on-plan breakfast I came home and tried to write. I mostly stared at the screen, but some days are like that. I had one of my pre-cooked meals for lunch. For dinner we had giant salads with some thinly sliced lamb from the giant leg I cooked on Friday (on sale at Costco). I kept a water bottle at my side all day and drank constantly. I hit all my goals except the meditation one, which I have to admit completely slipped my mind. I'm going to put a reminder up so I will start doing that today!

Sounds like you're off to a great start! Taking care of my skin is a priority for me and I think it's a great challenge goal if it's a habit you're trying to build. But I'm pretty minimalist with it - I very rarely wear make-up, and never foundation. I use products by Cerave which are pretty simple, but very effective for me. Don't be afraid to try new things to find what works for you, and it doesn't have to be expensive or complicated!

Checking in - first day went great, except for a little behind on the water. Yesterday was rowing day and it was great. At the 5 min mark I felt bad. By the 10 min mark I was ready to quit and trying to justify that to myself. Then I told myself not to be that person and at least go for 15. At 15 min I was pushing into the full range of motion and decided I could go for 17, then I pushed for 20, and finished at my day's goal of 22 min. Calling that a total win. This morning I met some girlfriends for breakfast - it's something we try to do at least once a month to catch up. Luckily, breakfast is a really easy meal to eat out and keep it clean. I had an omelette (whole egg, but I was offered whites if I preferred) with spinach, tomatoes, and avocado with grilled tomatoes on the side. No cheese. It came with a biscuit or toast, but I gave my biscuit to one of my friends and had not a single crumb. Washed it down with two big glasses of water and some coffee. Now it's three hours later and I'm not starving, not feeling tired or bloated as I would if I'd had pancakes or waffles or something like that. I am doing this.

Sunday morning and I'm getting ready to start my batch cooking. Chicken and broccoli and cauliflower and all kinds of stuff. Hoping this works. I went to Costco and bought stuff that will help make it easier - pre-cut and washed veggies, that kind of thing. Costco now carries organic, pastured eggs! Whaaaat? Sometimes we have a tendency to set ourselves up for failure by trying to do too much or make changes that are too radical. Not me, not this time. I'm making everything as easy as possible for myself and doing what I can to set myself up for success! Challenge starts tomorrow and I feel ready. I just have a few household chores to take care of today, like vacuuming and making sure my water bottles are clean and filled. Good luck to anyone who happens to read this - we can do it!

I had the best breakfast - a GIGANTIC hot fudge sundae! haha, no! April Fool! Camp NaNo starts today, but first I have to make a trip to Costco and do the shopping! I will think better with good food in the house. Yesterday was a rowing day and I got to 20 minutes. Feeling my abs today in a lovely way. Last night we went out to dinner with a friend and his sister who are in town and overindulged a bit. This was out last big dining out commitment for a few weeks, and I'm going to try to avoid eating out for a while, until I get into healthier eating habits and have the confidence to make good choices when eating out.

Beautiful gown! I love to sew and make costumes, but it hasn't been fun since I put on all this weight. Another incentive to get in shape - thanks for sharing the picture!

My eyes are blurry this morning and it looked like Dawnwings liked that you have a goat. The lazy throw-together meals are my biggest problem. I'm going to start experimenting with batch cooking to try to get around that. Maybe even freeze some meals as a back-up for crazy hectic days. Make it happen! You can do it!

JuniperBlossom - I have put all of my husband's "naughty" snack foods in a box and told him to take them to his office to snack on there. All kinds of stuff - his father sends him these "care packages" from Greece with candy and gum and peanuts and sweets. I don't like peanuts, so that's not a problem, but the smell of them makes me gag, so off to the office they must go! So far the box is still sitting on the kitchen table, but at least the stuff is out of the pantry and I can't see it, Dawnings - it looks like there are a few of us doing NaNo! Maybe there should be an accountabilibuddies group for us writers! Counting down the days - today I'm going to try to get a bunch of stuff gathered up to take to Goodwill while I have the car tomorrow. Also going to go to Costco, reactivate my membership, and stock up on groceries for batch cooking. I haven't been going because the closest Costco is a good ways away, but I recently found out that they are going to be building one about a mile from my house!!! Here's the thing about food and cooking for me. I like to cook, but a lot of the time I don't have the energy. I'm also one of those people who loves to try new foods and I'm an adventurous eater, but at the same time I can eat the same thing for lunch every day and not get bored. But... I work from home and sometimes I forget to eat because I'm caught up in what I'm doing, or more likely, I'll be hungry but cooking or fixing something just feels like too much trouble. So I think cooking up a bunch of food on the weekend will really help me with making healthy choices during the week. Also, it will make taking lunch to work easier for my husband. We all benefit! And the batch cooking is something we can do together. I've started my strength workouts, to learn the moves and try to get over the worst of the DOMS before the challenge starts. The only thing that really bothers me is my quads, which have always been weak. Okay, back to work!

Thanks all - I'm super excited about the challenge - I'm a sucker for a challenge. I'm spending the days leading up to it getting everything organized, cleaning my desk, grocery shopping, washing my water bottles and cleaning out the fridge, etc. I like Camp NaNoWriMo much better than the regular NaNo in November. The cabins make it fun and I'm lucky enough to be in one with a core group of writers I've met online and we do well together - most of us write either mysteries, fantasy, or paranormal mysteries. Very supportive - just like here!

Hi! I'm new to Nerd Fitness and these forums, but I sure do know about feeling like you're just respawning all the time - seems like the slightest thing can set it off sometimes. I'm also trying to set a steadier pace. Good job on that water! It is something I struggle with constantly.