JGER

The streak is still ALIVE. I fell way behind on my MFP this week, but I just sat down and cranked it out. I didn't hit my macro targets everyday, but the goal was just to be honest and track it all - not to nail the perfect formula all the time. IF has been great. I don't get too serious about the exact timing, because I'm never close to the 16 hour benchmark - it's always more like 18/20 so I don't sweat it. I doubled my activity target to match pace with a new friend who happens to be a pretty great marathoner. That's definitely kept me going on days where I would've probably just phone it in. Still not taking the scale very seriously - just one measurement since 1/1, but it was solid progress. More interested in measurements, and as of today I'm down 3ish inches on my waist. So I'm gonna keep focusing on consistency of these habits. I find that just keeping these mechanics in mind has naturally helped me stay 'pretty good' on my nutrition, and more importantly it's continued to bring me back on track MUCH more quickly and without as much shame or guilt as I've had in the past. It seemed like before I would get a little sloppy on my nutrition at a HH or something, then I'd feel that shame/guilt and instead of just resetting the next day, I'd let it drive me into the ditch for several days because I felt like a failure. Focusing on these simple tasks takes some of that pressure off the actual food compliance and I'm still making progress.

LOL - OMG how I wish I was actually soloing. Alas no - I mean solo parenting a 1 year old and a 3 year old. Sleep will be fleeting, stress will be high We got this though, right?

Wait, what? Did an internet stranger just proactively check-in on my status? WTF kind of place have I stumbled into? Errrm... I mean... Thanks! Things are great! - Intermittent fasting is still on track. I hit at least 16 hours every day and was generally closer to 18-20! - MFP is totally on track. I think this is the longest I've consistently tracked. I've been making 100% of my food so I've gotten pretty good at making the time to import recipes and get stuff logged in advance. - I closed all my rings, every day. Wrapped up the week with a beautiful early morning run with my two chocolate labs (Maeby and Rhubarb) today. It made all three of us SO happy. I didn't do full measurements and I haven't been on a scale in a week, but I did a quick check and I *think* I'm down like 3/4 inch off my abdomen. So I'm not planning on changing the approach on week two. But seriously - thank you so much for checking in. I was just spending some time tonight trying to plan ahead for the week and get my head in the zone. My wife is traveling for work so I'm flying solo. It's pretty exhausting, but I'm feeling like I'm as prepared as I can be.

If anyone is in Denver (esp somewhere near downtown) - I'd definitely be down to help organize a regular meetup to keep everyone supported and accountable.

She's a great mom and an amazing partner, but she doesn't have the same troubled relationship with food as I do - she can eat a little bit of anything at all and be completely satisfied. She's supportive 80% of the time, but I'll DEFINITELY have to deal with her occasionally suggesting deep dish pizzas, cookies and ice cream after a long day at the office. I don't think it's her not being supportive, she just still doesn't quite get it that I'm going to fail at moderation (for the time being). We've had that chat SO many times. It's just easier for me to try and find consistent support and accountability elsewhere right now. I REALLY want to get to the point where it's easy for me to sit in front of a lot of terrible food and have a sensible amount of whatever I want. I don't really feel like now is the time to push that particular boundary. I'm trying to focus on easy, simple foods that I know work well for my body. Maybe after I hit some of my weight loss goals I'll feel like I'm in a better position to work on my ability to moderate garbage. Or maybe I'll still prefer a zero tolerance approach. //shrugs//

Hey New Friends - My name is Joe! I found NF about a week ago when I stumbled across an amazing article on intermittent fasting. I read through some more content and was totally hooked. Signed up for the NFA that night and I've spend a few days tinkering around with my profile working through the mindset module. A big part of what I was most excited about with NF was the community/accountability aspect so I'm excited to be part of my first challenge. I LOVE to workout. Going to the gym is one of my favorite parts of the day. But over the last 4 years my nutrition has been total garbage. I have a high pressure/stress job (that I really love), grad school on nights and weekends, and being a new dad to a now 3 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. Those aren't excuses - my attention has just been elsewhere for awhile. But the time for change is overdue. I know I can continue to handle all of those things and find the right patterns of living that keep me at a healthy weight and body composition. My main quest: I want to lock in some new habits (mostly around nutrition). That's all in service towards the general NFA leveling up around happy, healthy and looking/feeling great. I feel pretty good. I carry a lot of muscle, but I know I have a good 50 pounds to lose. My side quests are all about consistency. For every day in January : I want to keep my intermittent fasting streak alive for all of January (at least 16 hour fasts each day). I've been going at it for about a week and I really like it. Track all that food, every day - I'm using MyFitnessPal. Close the exercise loop on my apple watch every day. This is probably the easiest one for me. I almost always get 4-6 days every week, but something about getting exercise to be a daily habit feels really powerful to me. Looking forward to feedback on whether the goals are the right idea. Also looking forward to getting to know you all better.