Whisper

I would think it would count; but I'm not a judge in this What did you do? Exercise 2: Try a class or exercise you haven't tried in at least ten years. I stole @Tateman's idea and did "Windshield Wipers" for the first time. What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? Made it to 7 and had to stop for a minute before finishing. Could not get my legs at all straight, and wasn't going all that far side to side. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? It is good to try new things, or revisit old ones. Not sure about as a challenge itself, but maybe.

Happy to know that you're getting back at it. I know for me the longer I go off, the easier it is to stay off.

Update for Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. No hiking in this week; I've had stuff that I've needed to take care of after work each day. I'm am hoping I can get at least a short hike in today. 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. Doing good with getting my breakfast and lunch in. Dinner is harder but I am making an effort. Last three days I have gotten into nighttime snacking that is not getting logged. Need to just not buy snacks. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. a. Bible Study -2/3 b. Improve My Space - 2/3 I'm not making the progress I would like here. I'm trying to get the shelves straightened up, but keep feeling overwhelmed and not able to start. Getting at least a little done but find it dumb that I'm not getting more. c. Practice Violin - 2/3 Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 - 7/7 b. all other electronics off by 7:30 - 1/3 c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED - 1/3 4. Keep up with the Rebels. Reading others, but procrastinating on my own posts. A couple neat things: Tuesday, I took Em to a doctors appointment after work. She wanted me to go into the appointment with her (just an ADD med refill). When the doc came in, she took one look at me, said I looked good and asked how much weight I've lost. Doc also happens to be my doc, but I haven't seen her since the start of the year. First person to really notice my progress and it felt good. Because the mini challenge made me take progress pictures, I noticed a change too that once noticed I keep noticing and helps give me some motivation. My gut is still disgustingly large, but there is an area on either side of my belly button that has started to hollow out.

I've been using the Fitbit app for food tracking, ‘cause it is tracking everything else right now. It works ok, but I've thought about trying to find something that will give me a gram count for fat/protein/carb/fiber rather than just a % breakdown. At some point, I want to do a challenge with net carbs under 100...

That... that is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Fine that you asked; I'm just weird. Most of the time, I am happy to let other people's assumptions stand, but I'll try and give you an answer. I rarely find other people to be physically attractive, but when I do, that person is more often male than female, or androgynous. Even when I am physically attracted to someone, I feel no impulse at all to do anything about it; they're just nice to look at. In the abstract, I'm not sure I like the thought of growing old alone, but in the now, I have no interest in being in a romantic relationship. How much all this ties back in to Avoidant Personality Disorder, I don't know and is a problem for another day; for now I'll keep working on myself.

Was this the friend of your friend's friend, or someone else?

Because it is drilled into us as the "right" thing to do, even though "right to work" laws mean that they can fire us at any time?

Hi Nic; I've been hoping to see you! I went through almost that exact situation last challenge. You've got time to look, and this time you know you'll be staying in the area longer term which might make it a bit easier than last time you were looking and unsure if you would be shipping out. It is really hard to give up a dream and you'll need to grieve for it. On the plus side, you have achieved one of your other dreams with working for the DA's office. Your work still serves the public good.

Rare - Common - Epic - Good You're doing really good with your points!

What did you do? M5: Go 24 hours without push notifications, work-related messages outside of work hours, and time-wasting websites (facebook, reddit, etc. -- use your discretion to determine what websites are non-beneficial timesinks for you). Then do it again once more this week for a total of 48 hours unplugged. What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? So, I don't get much in the way off work emails, don't have push notifications, don't use Facebook or reddit, and frequently spend most of the weekend offline, so this was really easy for me. I find being around people that do get a lot of notifications on their phones to be really stressful, so have chosen not to inflict that on myself. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I think I'll keep to my normal on this. What did you do? Mindfulness 3: Do a 25-minute guided bodyscan (see linked video for details) What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? I tried this as I was going to sleep last night, and found it a good way to relax. I take sleep meds, and sometimes have trouble finding the balance with them between tired enough to sleep, and stupid enough that I want to keep doing stuff. This was a good balance as it was something to be doing while the meds kicked in, but also relaxing enough that I could sleep while it finished itself out. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I like bodyscans for sleeping, but don't know how to balance them with my "phone and laptop off and in a different room" sleep rule. I would be open to exploring solutions to that, and would also be open to other medications. What did you do? Food 2: Cook and eat a vegetable alternative for a high-carb ingredient twice this week. I made Zoodles with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce and Cheesy Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken (with Keto breading) What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? With the exception of Zoodles, I'm not a big fan of replacing carbs with veggies. I'm fine with eating veggies, just not with trying to pretend that they are something else. Most of the time I would rather just make something that doesn't have the carb, and trying to replace it. Chicken with Cauliflower? Wonderful! Chicken with cauli-rice? Gross. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? Most of what I cook for myself is low carb, and I'm going to keep doing that.

Week 1 review 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. Got moving outside on 5 days. 3 days on hiking trails, 2 days in the neighborhood. 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. Mixed results, but the best week of logging I've had in awhile. I'll work on improving here. Weighed in Saturday at 333.4 lbs, down nearly 5 lbs from the week before. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. a. Bible Study -6/7 b. Improve My Space - 7/7 c. Practice Violin - 6/7 Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 - 7/7 b. all other electronics off by 7:30 - 5/7 c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED - 5/7 4. Keep up with the Rebels. Doing ok.

Sunday W1D7 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. Walked two miles to church this morning. 5 of 4 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. Didn't keep up with food log. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. a. Bible Study - with group. b. Improve My Space - Cooking and cleaning in kitchen. c. Practice Violin -none. Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 - Check b. all other electronics off by 7:30 - Nope. Off my 9:30 c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED - Up till 9:30 4. Keep up with the Rebels. Wasn't online much.

Questions for the Judges: 1. I finished a couple tasks on Sunday, but didn't have time to write them up; can I still count them for last week? 2. If I can count them, on Food two, I made a pasta dish substituting Zoodles, and I made a breaded chicken dish, but used keto breading, can I count that or does it have to be a veggie sub instead of a low carb sub? This week: Food 3: I have bulletproof coffee (butter, MCT oil, splenda) as a breakfast replacement, does that count, or would I have to give that up for two days? Food 4: Most of my cooking is out of a cookbook, would there be copyright issues with me sharing the recipes out of it?

Friday W1D5 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. Today was kind of awesome. I went on the same hike as I did on Tuesday (mapped this time as 1.5 miles), but this time, I got to take my freshly made walking stick with me! I also met a couple ladies, one new to the area but experienced in hiking, and her friend with no experience. We talked about some of the local trails and I pointed them to what I thought would be a more friendly first hike. 3 of 4 so far. 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. I think I was around 2,679 cals yesterday. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. a. Bible Study - did another section in John for Everyone b. Improve My Space - started sorting out a bookshelf. c. Practice Violin - while sorting the shelf, found some sheet music that I wanted to play through.. Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 - I thought about playing late, but decided that it would be better to hold the habit even if I didn't need to get up as early the next day. b. all other electronics off by 7:30 - Basically shut everything off with the Xbox c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED - Was asleep by 8:09. 4. Keep up with the Rebels. Spent time poking around. Saturday W1D6 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. Took my friend Em out for an easy hike. She was ready to head back after a half mile, but felt inspired to keep working so she can go farther. 4 of 4 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. I'm not sure at all how to log dinner of "leftover casserole" At a guess I'm sitting a bit above 3,000 cals today. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. a. Bible Study - did another section in John for Everyone b. Improve My Space - laundry day! Got all my shirts hung and shorts folded. Need to fold my socks tomorrow. c. Practice Violin - played so more. Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 - Check b. all other electronics off by 7:30 - Nope. 8:05 right now. Shutting this off soon to get to bed. c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED - Gonna be a little late tonight, but shouldn't be too bad, and I get to sleep in tomorrow. 4. Keep up with the Rebels. Trying to keep up my own posting. Still reading some of others but not as caught up as I would like.

What did you do? Exercise/Movement 1: Spend five minutes stretching while doing a sedentary activity (reading, working, watching TV, etc.) What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? I didn't really like this. Stretching takes too much attention and head movement to comfortably while reading or playing games (at least for me). I finally did it while waiting for my computer to boot up. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I think it would be easier for me to dedicate 5 minutes to stretching than to try and multitask it, but stretching more is something that I need to do. What did you do? Life 2: Try a new skincare routine. Used body lotion after showers What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? I don't really like the way lotion feels on my skin, but this did spark some interest in learning more about skin care. I know my feet and hands tend to get really dry and finding something that works for me would be good. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I've got the skincare reddit open in another tap and plan to explore that some.

I didn't have any time to work on art last challenge, but decided that the next time I had time to paint, I wanted to do a sea turtle. Finally had time this week! Not done yet, but ghost turtle is evolving.

Thursday W1D4 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. There was rain today and I was worried that the trails would be too muddy, so didn't go for a proper hike. I did however spend some time exploring my neighborhood for the mini-challenge, so I'm going to count it here. 2 of 4 so far. 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. Lots of gusse work in logging dinner, but I think I was around 2,772 cals yesterday. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. a. Bible Study - did another section in John for Everyone b. Improve My Space - hung some pictures that I had originally tried (and failed) to hang with command strips. Was good to get them up and out of the way. c. Practice Violin - just flipped through a hymnal playing what caught my fancy; it was fun. Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 - Check b. all other electronics off by 7:30 - Check c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED - Did really good with this. Was reading some, closed my eyes for a moment and realized that if I kept them closed for just a little bit, I would be asleep, so kept them closed, put down the book, took off the glasses and shut off the lamp. Was asleep by 8:06. 4. Keep up with the Rebels. Working on catching up with people's challenges.

Because I'm not a very good cook? Yesterday was an unusually unappetizing day. The food I had cooked for lunches wasn't bad enough to throw out, but won't be made again, and then I found the place I stopped to grab supper to be truly mediocre. Honestly, there is very little food that I find to be worth all of my attention. Eating with nothing but the food is boring, I'd rather be reading/watching something, or talking with others if I'm not eating alone. What did you do? Life 1: Take progress pictures. What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? I only did it so I could sign off the stupid task, but decided to go ahead and compare them to the pictures I took at the start of the year. The most obvious thing is that my hair is a lot shorter, but that isn't really progress, but while I was looking at the front picture, I was thinking that maybe I look slightly less bad? I'm not really sure. Wasn't hard, but it was a little bit unpleasant. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I do see the value in having the pictures, and it would be a good idea to keep taking them occasionally, so thanks for the push to get them updated. What did you do? Mindfulness 1: Write down three things you enjoyed during the day three times this week. Day 3 1. Continued working on my walking stick (see photos above) 2. Played hymns on violin 3. Played Fable 3 4. Listened to the rhythm of the falling rain. (I love rain, it started falling while I was typing this and had to be added to the list) What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? I have totally fallen out of the practice of journaling, and this was a good way to get started on doing at least a little bit again. It was easy to do. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I don't think I would incorporate it in a challenge, but I do think that I want to add it to my daily practice. Maybe keep a journal by my bed and do an enjoyed/grateful list before going to sleep. What did you do? Exercise/Movement 2: Go geocaching or otherwise explore your area. Minimum 2km walked, biked, or run. What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? Today I decided to explore the neighborhood I live in some. Took a somewhat random path around for a mile and a half. It was good to do, but I little bit scary too. I tend to always follow the same paths and do the same things. Different/new things are hard for me. Even watching a new movie or reading a new book is hard; safer to stick to one I know I enjoy. At the same time, I've been discovering a lot of new and enjoyable lately, so pushing out of my normal rut is good, even if it is hard. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I need to upgrade my phone, and when I do it would be good to explore some of the outdoor type apps that people seem to like. Also important for me to try new places and things, so yes.

Wednesday W1D3 No hiking today, instead I went to an oil painting class after work. There wasn't time to go home between work and class, and it was too late when I got home for violin and bible study, but I turned my phone off on time, never booted up the Xbox, flossed and tried going to sleep. Couldn't sleep, turned phone back on (which doesn't help) and ended up staying awake late. And then I ate ALL THE FOOD, which throws my food log for the day. Was thinking about getting up and playing on the Xbox, but decided that I really needed a shower instead, so did that and got myself back in bed. Asleep around 11:30 I think having my phone off and charging in a different room is really helping overall, even if i did go and get it last night. There have been other nights where I've thought about doing the same thing, but decided it was too much of a hassle. I think a chunk of the problem was being way outside my normal routine. I was trying to just get to bed when I got home, but I thinking slowing down for a little while and showering right away would have helped me get to sleep faster than trying to go right to bed. Anyway, here's a picture of a ghost turtle.

What did you do? Mindfulness 2 - Eat two meals without distractions. Lunch and dinner Wednesday. What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? We hates it! Stupid hobbitses... Honestly, I don't get the point of this one when eating alone. With other people, sure, focus on the ones you're with! But alone? It is just boring and lets me focus on just how much I don't really like what I'm eating. Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? Unless someone can convince me that this is truly beneficial, I don't see making a regular habit of it. What did you do? Food 1: Post a picture of your homemade meal. Chili con Carne for lunch yesterday. It was... I'll try a different recipe next time. What is your experience with it? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or hard? Simple point and click interface... Would you incorporate it in a future challenge, or otherwise do it again later? Why or why not? I already home cook my lunches for the work week, so I'll keep doing that. I might try and post better pictures some time, but I'm not sure that I'll be cooking again before this part of the challenge is up, so gave you guys what I had. What did you do? Mindfulness 1 Day 1, Tuesday 1. Stopping on the little bridge over the creek near the end of my hike, enjoying the cooler air and flowing water. 2. Playing Fable 3 3. Reading Feet of Clay Mindfulness 1 Day 2, Wednesday 1. Working on making a Walking Stick (sand and stain) 2. Going to oil painting class. 3. Reading Feet of Clay

I did have a large storage unit. Sold a bunch of stuff, donated some and the rest got fit in here. I was encouraged to do this, but the lady of the house is feeling a bit overcrowded in a few places now. A chunk of that is in the garage, but that is all stuff I was fine donating, but her husband wanted to bring home for a garage sale that hasn't happened. A bunch of other boxes was stuff that I needed to sort through and figure out still, but stalled out on doing that when I thought I was moving. I need to get some bookshelves sorted out, then I need to get books out of boxes in the "storage room" ( and get rid of ones I don't need), which should help a lot with the space concerns. Worst case, I'll get a smaller unit for a while. As for living vicariously: enjoy!

Monday W1D1 Didn't hike; had to run errands after work. Did at least a minimal with improving my space, violin and bible study before playing on the Xbox. Played a little past the 7 cutoff, but did have all electronics off by 7:30. Took shower, did some light reading and was asleep just before 9. Best gusse with was 2,701, which I am comfortable with. Tuesday W2D2 Went for a roughly 1 hour hike after work. If you can see the switchbacks on the hill, that's where I was! Trailhead is on the far side of the house on the left. Was really tired when I got home and just wanted to up the Xbox, but forced myself to play violin for a few minutes, clean the bathroom some, and a section of N.T. Wright's John for Everyone. It wasn't a lot, but felt good to at least get some done before bumming around. Food was 2,839 cals. If I hit post and turn this thing off in the next two minutes, I'll check off electronics off at 7:30 and should be fine finishing the rest of my habits.

I didn't know I had access to those trails! I live in a desert; how was I supposed to know that there was beautiful mountain forest less than twenty minutes drive from my house?!? (You know, other than basic knowledge of local geography...) Food tracking is really tricky for me right now, but going through the effort is really the key to losing weight for me. I can be really accurate on breakfast and lunch, but dinner/desserts are home cooked without a recipe, so I'm finding the closest match I can in Fitbit and logging that. I'm going to be able to continue renting from the couple I'm living with. Some of the things that they were concerned about on their end have been pushed down the road a ways, and we've discussed some other adjustments that will help. I might need to get a storage unit in a month or so, but I'm hoping to make enough progress sorting through / getting rid of stuff, that it isn't necessary. Staying put was my dream case scenario, so I'm really happy that things have worked out.

Goals for this Challenge: 1. Continue hiking at least 4 times each week. With my current workload, I'm fine with most of them being short 20-60 minute hikes, but if I get two days off in a week, I want to go for at least one 2+ hour hike. The above photo was taken during a 10 mile hike on Friday. I'm doing this to support my physical and mental health. I've only been hiking for a month now, but have already noticed improvements to mood and endurance. 2. Get back into the habit of logging my food. My weight has been ticking back up and a lot of that is because I stopped recording what I eat. I'm not going to aim for any particular food goals right now beyond awareness, but awareness by itself tends to curtail the worst of my overeating. 3. Get in the habit of following my habits. I started trying to establish some healthy habits earlier this year, but I've let a lot of them go by the wayside. I've got an app for tracking them, which I often forget to open it, and I've been doing too many of them before bed, which means that if it is late, it is too easy to say "next time", so the following habits need to be signed off before the tv/xbox go on. a. Bible Study b. Improve My Space c. Practice Violin Other habits: a. xbox off by 7 b. all other electronics off by 7:30 c. at 7:30, take night meds, brush/floss and then ACTUALLY GO TO BED 4. Keep up with the Rebels. I do better when I post regularly and read other people's posts. So I am going to take time for at least a short update each day, and take some time to keep up with at least two other Rebels.

So... I was going to keep updating, but I got behind and there was toi much to do, so I was gonna get an update together later, but then there was even more to update... and then two weeks passed. Going to try and be quick here and break the jam so I can try to be more consistent going forward. Work: did two 60 hour weeks, followed by a week where I worked 40 hours, and used 10 hours vacation time. This week is weired. Working 3 tens (MTW), off 2, then a short day Saturday and a full day Sunday. Hiking: I'm trying (and succeeding) at getting outside a little bit most days, and going for at least two longer hikes each week. Have some more pictures that I'll try to post later. Housing: I'm gonna keep living where I am and I am really happy about it. Several of my long hikes have been with the daughter of the couple I'm renting from (fun fact, our names are pronounced the same way). She helped clear some things up; don't know why, but sosometimes playing "telephone" helps. Depression: still happening. I think the hiking and talking with some people has helped, but still really struggling to do much of anything outside of work and hiking. Habits are all a mess right now, and even with lots of extra activity, my weight has crept back up to nearly 340 pounds On thought I did have when I finally managed to drag myself into the shower: I might be hitting a lot of obstacles, but at least hitting them shows that I'm still moving. Unrelated to anything, but I'm really bummed about The King of Random dying. R.I.P. Grant Thompson: the world was made a better place by your presence in it. I pray that your wife and children can find peace.