Ocelot

Sprinting is awesome. You could do a speed session where you randomly pick items in the distance and sprint til you reach them. That's what I do and it's way more fun than timing it plus I'm sure I go faster (though sometimes I time as well!)

Yes, I suppose you're right! Only if you took the amount I ate and averaged it out, I may as well have had chocolate every day! But really the best thing was that I am building the habit of just not ever having it, and it gets easier and easier to just not even think about it. So that's good. The running and weight training are on track (I've even started to come to terms with the leangains ideas) I've decided I'm going to strength train on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Job wise? Well I'm writing an application right now. And remembering how much I SUCK at this. I have absolutely no confidence that the normal, money-earning world will accept me. (Despite having had three paying jobs before!) So I pick apart my application piece by piece until I don't want to send it off. I WILL tomorrow though, when I've finished getting together all the details I need. I WILL I WILL I WILL. (and its only a damn coffee shop! Stupid brain!)

Hello The Curse. Great name. I am planning to keep on your good side that's for sure!

REST DAY. So the first thing I did was run 9 miles. (Still counts as a rest day for me because it wasn't speed work or anything, though I did sprint up one hill, and my body is very adapted to running - so I know from experience it doesn't give me an excuse to eat more or overdose on carbs!) I'm still on the 'leangains but totally winging it' plan (as well as eating clean re my adventure challenge). Basically today I aimed for equal fat to carbs, the right amount of protein and sub-maintenance level calories. I'm pretty happy, though I did go over my 'optimum' amount it was still at a big enough deficit. I was amazed: once more with ZERO planning ahead and ZERO working it out as I went along, I ate close to my 'leangains macros'. Carbs: 3 grams over. Which is like... nothing! Protein: 2 grams over. Fat: 10 grams over. Acceptable! This is promising: I'm almost automatically eating the 'right stuff'. Also... I wasn't going to start doing the IF thing yet if at all, because I am pretty reliant on having breakfast. BUT. Today I woke up. Not hungry. Thought okay, if I'm not hungry I won't eat. I did make breakfast, but I ended up putting it in a bag and taking it with me to the stables, LMAO. I didn't eat it until 1pm, at which point I STILL wasn't hungry but I felt like I really should eat something. After that, I lasted til 8pm when I made some chickpea burgers with wild green vegetables. Which was delicious, but totally filling. I guess this is the protein level raise.. it's awesome whatever it is! Its so nice not to constantly bargain with my stomach.

Haha, sounds like a superhero moment. Great time, go you

Hey! How much of that distance can you already run? Nice goals, good luck.

Tennis Running Badminton Riding (endurance) Cycling Frisbee Parkour Yoga Hiking Swimming Ninja Hide-and-seek Staff/Poi/Juggling/Miscellaneous circus skills This is making me want to steal everyone's lists and try everything once. The one sport I would LOVE to do as a regular thing would be to play football. I absolutely love it when I get a chance, but I've never been in a real game as there are no women's teams anywhere around here and I don't know anybody who plays.

Yes! He got this book (then gave it to me, but I don't practice enough to get anywhere): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Contact-Juggling-James-Ernest/dp/1898591156 It is HARD and takes a lot of focus and time but yeah, awesome skill.

I love the avatar! Its awesome, where'd you find it? Welcome, too, by the way!

Good day to you good sir! Your dad sounds like a good person. One of the saddest facts of life is that bad things can happen to good people. I really hope he has a speedy recovery. Welcome to the forum anyway... Random fact: we share a birthmonth. But you clearly know a lot more about martial arts than me: I have never even tried it. If I knew where to start I probably would. Good luck with your goals.

I think shaved heads look great on women and its very practical in terms of takes no time at all to look after. My mother shaves her head sometimes and it suits her so much better than when she had long long hair. And I have a friend who does the same, to stubble-length and it is really beautiful. I'd be tempted but I tend to use my hair to hide behind. And it would be such a radical change, as my hair is actually even more crazy, thick and orange than my centaur avatar. So I'm a little nervous of doing it. I've got to do something soon though, my hair is becoming larger than the rest of my body mass (and probably the reason I've been gaining weight!) so maybe I will, especially in this hot weather it would be a relief to get rid of all these curls!

Why are the appealing jobs always so far away? No matter how often you move? I have the same issue. Nice work on all that productivity, definitely a 100%.

Hi Arian. You're similar in stats to me, so you might find like I have, that you don't lose much weight but your body will still dramatically change if you start following some healthy eating/fitness goals... it just won't necessarily show up on the scale very dramatically (I've only lost 7lbs over the last 3 years and I look completely different. Not only that I've actually gained some of it back this year and I STILL feel like I look more in shape, and I am a lot stronger too) Sounds like your in the stage of building some concrete goals so good luck with that if so!

Every percent you put towards your goals is a success, because its more than you'd otherwise have done. So keep going, even if it means taking time off or doing only fractional amounts... you might find you can do more than you thought, and if not, no harm done! I hope things look up for you soon.

Like how you refer to us as The Adventurers. I reckon we'd make a great superhero alliance. Joss Whedon could eventually be involved. Smoking seems to be a nightmare to give up, so good luck. A friend of mine learnt to contact juggle to give his hands something to do. My sister has tried time and again with no success... but then, she isn't that determined. Yet!

Chickpeas. My favourite food. How did I forget to mention them?

Sounds like you're putting plenty of effort in! the thing now is to be patient and keep up the work and results will inevitably just get better and better

For people who eat legumes. I wonder what cacoa beans taste like? And if you can cook with them, or just roast them and then crunch 'em up? Might actually be 100% healthy. Off to google...

Very good points. I can't always manage to include jumping jacks as my floor isn't carpeted and there are people below!! In fact, I may also have to take out the burpees. Today was workout day, so I of course gave mine a go for the first time I made it through twice but I was dead meat at the end. The planks were harder than the leg exercises for me (my balance is only just good enough for me to get my hips below my knees in the squats, so I'm not going all the way down yet) I got 1 minute for the first set of planks and the second two I had to go down to 30 odd seconds each. My arms crumbled at that point. It was actually rather satisfying. It was too hot for even me to feel like running today. Despite that I still ran 2.7 miles, but only because it was on a shady forest path that was crying out to be run on. This was during an adventure I made myself go on, walking cross-country to the stables rather than going on the usual track or road. I did end up scrambling down a cliff, dangling from tree roots... but I didn't fall down. This time. I found a huge rock shaped like a mole and an old train tunnel. The latter was incredibly creepy. The wind was howling through its freezing depths - blazing hot summer outside and like the coldest dampest winter's midnight within! And I swear I could hear footsteps in there! I ended up cutting my explorations short and skedaddling. I couldn't sleep last night and I ended up reading about the leangains method of alternating macro-nutrients between rest-days and workout-days. I ended up figuring myself out a sample plan and I thought I'd try hitting the numbers for a few days and see how it's going - possibly make it a permanent part of my cut plan. So. I think I had a sign today! I didn't consciously count anything today - I just aimed for high protein and carb (considering my strength training makes this a workout day). When I sat down this evening after dinner and fed it all into the nutritional analysis machine (yay computers) I was stunned to discover that I only ate THREE CALORIES OVER my EXACT calorie goal for today. I swear this to be true. W. T. F. As for the macronutrients... Well I aimed for 90g protein and got 110. Aimed for 301g of carbs and got 229. Which is just hilarious, considering usually the protein doesn't come easy and the carbs don't seem to have a limit. Anyway, I'm pleased with today despite my utterly haphazard approach, I actually came quite close to what I planned based on the lg calculator/site/Catspaw's brilliant advice! Soo I'll try this for a few more days with the relaxed method and then I will either call it off or do it properly and plan ahead etc. The only thing was food quality wasn't great. OK no sugar, but I think I was down to about 60% Centaur Clean because 1. Finished off some sushi from yesterday. 2. Strawberries accompanied by (oat based) cream happened and it was brilliant in nutrition in every way except being a grain... so I decided to eat it. 3. Added an amount of spelt flour to my home-made pakora forgetting that it's SOYA flour not spelt flour that doesn't come from grain. DUH. (I know, it's all damn starchy but I don't have a problem with beans or potatoes in moderation) I feel like I've been rambling for hours now. So, AND FINALLY, I also did the yoga today. Only two salutations to the sun. But again, I'm reminded how happy my sore muscles feel afterwards. So glad to finally have a reason to find time to do it.

Major improvement there. Very nice! Protein... how about snacking if you can't add it into your meals? Nuts, seeds, I guess maybe protein bars? I'm sure you've thought of this, but yeah. Peanut butter by the spoonful! (Not sure if that's actually great advice. It's high in fat and a legume not a real nut, right?) Well anyway, you don't have to listen to me. Good luck!

Welcome... uh... both of you. =D

That's quite the effective cut Keep it up!

Whoa. You could start a small sweet selling business.

Oh hiya! (O-hiyo?) Welcome, good luck, and I hope to see you around the adventuring guild lots!

Sounds great. Kickboxing really seems to work. And I'm off to find out what the Rebel Race is now. Welcome!