athousandwords

Congrats on a great challenge and hitting your goal in weight! Looking forward to following next challenge!

I think 80% is a really good success for a 5-week challenge. It's hard to run at 100% for over a month straight, even when you set achievable goals. Doing 80% - and sticking around - is so much better long-term than being bummed out by less than perfection and disappearing. Congrats on a successful boss battle of making through all 5 weeks, and looking forward to following your next challenge!

Maybe give a look at My Body Gallery? You can search by height and weight and see non-edited, non-model pictures of women at that size. Should be easy enough to search for your height and goal weight. That said... I totally support rocking a healthy lifestyle and trying to get to a body composition that feels comfortable and makes your clothes fit well! A number on the scale can be misleading; how you feel is the most important thing. ❤️

Welcome @ArcticEngineer! That's a great start! I find that habit stacking really helps me get started with a new goal. Figure out something you do every day without fail and add your new activity habit on to it. Maybe it's walking out to get the mail - and going for a 10 min walk while you already have your shoes on. Or maybe it's doing 5 wall-pushups while you're waiting for your coffee to brew. Whatever makes sense to you. I definitely agree - check out the 5 week challenges! They're the perfect bite-sized amount of time to make some positive changes and track them in a way that actually feels doable. Plus tons of support on the boards! The current challenge ends this week, but you can take a look at the link Tateman posted to get an idea of what to do. Then next week is a break (Week Zero) but a lot of people start posting their new challenges early. The next challenge should officially start on 10/24.

Woohoo! You made it to Week 5! In the home stretch now! 😁 Yeah I honestly had to stop reading at night for this reason! My ADHD won't let me stop when I'm in the middle of a good part and then, whoops it's 4am! Doesn't work so well when you have tiny, insistent alarm clocks crying at 6:30. 🥴 Sounds like a great goal! That's basically where I was at the beginning of summer - walking consistently, about 5-8k steps a day. My first challenge back on NF (in July) I decided to start the Couch 2 5k, and now I'm running 4 miles. 🤯 I'm sooo not a runner, so I feel like if I can do it, you definitely can!

Week 4 Recap Well the longest challenge ever continues with... a pretty good week? Running: I deviated from the plan a little bit and did a second long (40min) run on Friday instead of interval training. I just wasn't in the mood to sprint. I also finally bought new shoes so hopefully that means an end to the knee pain. 🤞 ST: Tuesday I did a pilates workout which was real intense (in a good way) and on Thursday I tried to find a yoga video on the Peloton app, but they all needed yoga blocks in an apparently crucial way and I don't own any. So I ended up wasting a bunch of time and then did a very short yoga video, which was annoying, but I guess it checks the box. And again, just completely skipped that third ST - although I think maybe sanding my mailbox post for an hour on Sunday should count, because my arms were tired! I also walked in a 4 mile parade on Saturday, so it's not like I'm slacking on weekends. Fasting: Still going pretty good here - used my 1 day off for a "movie sleepover" with my son. We ate junk food past his bedtime and watched Hotel Transylvania and slept on an air mattress in the basement and it was loads of fun. Even managed to stay paleo and just snacked on beef jerky (ok and a few M&Ms) while my husband and son ate popcorn. 💪🏼 Primal Meals: Seeing a lot of improvement here, though I'm still probably eating a little more sugar than I should (looking at you, M&Ms). I'm letting chocolate skate by since it's technically not a grain or legume and I'm not being super strict anyway. I think this is going to continue to be a problem through the holidays, buuut honestly my diet is a lot cleaner and more veggie-focused than it has been in years, so I'm not going to stress too much. Anyway - used my cheat meal this week to get really good wood-fired pizza at a local restaurant and it was delish. But we've also been cooking some great food at home and I'm managing to make some tasty, primal substitutions for grains that means the whole family eats a little healthier (since I refuse to cook more than one meal). Finally, finally in week 5 and I'm looking forward to setting some slightly more realistic goals for the next challenge. I know I wanted to tighten things up after the beach but I think I'm looking for a middle ground where I can still improve myself and not feel deprived or overworked.

I've been wanting to read that one - glad to hear it picks up. I think I've read her other series, The Inheritance Trilogy, though it's been a while.

I'm the same - seeing the # once isn't enough, I need to be hitting it or under for a few days before it counts!

Welcome back! October has a get-things-done-before-the-holidays kind of feel to it, doesn't it? Good luck with the academy, I hope you update us over here on the boards too!

Yup, your turn! Get yer turkey trot on! I've got a pork shoulder in the slow cooker and dinner's at 6!

I just registered for a 5k on November 20th! It's quite far away, but also it's a cross-country run with steep hills, so I think I'll probably need the extra time to practice. I'm also considering a Superhero-themed 5k in late October with the family. There's a Tot Sprint (2-5 years old) too - and my 4 year old has been on a real Spiderman kick so he'd love it. Plus that one's a road race, so it would be a lot closer to how I normally train. And since I'm here, updating mid-week (!) I thought I'd share some tasty primal/paleo dinners we've made in the last couple weeks: Roasted zucchini/summer squash with marinara and meatballs I can't stand zoodles, but diced and roasted with some olive oil and seasoning, buried in pasta sauce? :chefs-kiss: Perfection. I make regular pasta for the rest of the family, and they just have zucchini on the side Roasted spaghetti squash with shrimp, broccoli, and diced tomatoes in alfredo sauce Seeing a theme here? Yet another dish that I make pasta for the fam - but they mixed the spaghetti squash in too The sweetness of the spaghetti squash works really, really well with the rosé sauce Smoked pork belly in lettuce wraps with pickled cucumber and onion salad, drizzled with ginger soy sauce My husband smoked a pork belly for 6 hours and it was melt in your mouth good Also I love this cucumber salad with everything, but especially BBQ Pork chops with roasted apples/onions/sweet potatoes I sear the pork chops, then set them on top of the vegetables and let everything roast in the oven. Tastes like fall. 🤤

Hey just wanted to check in and see how you're doing? How's M? You've had some pretty intense events in the first couple weeks of this challenge between sleep deprivation and M's health and work stress. I know that's when most of us just say "F*** it - I'll try again next time." Just wanted to say we're here for you and I hope you come back and give us an update either way! Plus we want to see how that painting is going!

That hiking picture is so beautiful! I love those candid shots of motherhood. ❤️ And I love the stories you shared of your friend. I know you're worried, but I think it's amazing for her to have someone to look up to - you've kept up with your kettlebell training even with two kids! I'm sure she's looking at you as a role model of how to stay active and competitive through parenthood. And it's lovely that your kids will be close in age. In just 2-3 years, all the little ones can run around the yard while you lift!

Um, I feel like that should count for EXTRA credit! That's 20-30lbs* of added weight and resistance, not to mention the extra balance needed! *totally guessing based on the weight of my toddler

I love doing this - I end up reading way more often! What are you reading? There's definitely something about Week 3 that starts to get hard and uncomfortable and tempts you to walk away. Congrats on sticking with it - hoping to see you around to finish the challenge!

I've had that same issue with challenges before - if I'm already going to lose points/credit for the day/week/whatever, then there's no motivation not to just continue overindulging! I find that I have to be very crafty with my challenges to avoid this all or nothing mentality. I think giving partial points is a great option! Congrats! That's -2lb more right? Totally doable!

I walk my kids to daycare and back before my runs - so it's a good 20min walking warm up most days! I officially ran over 5k for the first time since I started! 😂

Week 3 Summary I can't believe we still have 2 weeks to go on this challenge - quite possibly the longest challenge ever. 😵‍💫 Anyway - last week went well. Got all my runs done and 2x ST. I decided to do a pilates workout on Thursday and I liked it better than the bodyweight workouts I'd been doing - maybe I just need to mix it up a bit and focus more on restorative workouts as I cross train. My runs are getting more intense (40 min today!) and I feel like I need to start building some rest into my schedule to heal properly. Which is also my excuse for just flat out neglecting that 3rd ST workout again. Seriously don't know what my past self was thinking setting a goal of 6x exercise every week. Food wise, I've been doing better. Still eating too much sugar to really call my diet paleo or primal, but I've definitely been settling back into meal planning and eating vegetables again after the carb-fest beach trip. Also, my husband and I went out on a lunch date and I willingly went for the salad (it was tasty!) - so I feel like my eating habits are starting to evolve a little. Speaking of habits - I'm not tracking these in any way other than Habitica (and even that is a bit touch and go) but I've been keeping up with them. Saturday was a little rough - I didn't drink enough water and just skipped out on flossing because I was so tired - but every other day this week I got everything done. Outside of just the challenge stuff, life is good! The kids have been in school all week and I've been able to get a lot of work done. This weekend I decorated the front yard for fall and repainted our mailbox a cheery cherry red. My sister and her baby came up and visited for the weekend, and we spent some time with my in-laws on Saturday. Also I got super into Ted Lasso and binge watched both seasons during the week, so there may be a Ted Lasso themed challenge coming up in a couple weeks....

omg we're supposed to stretch before the runs too?? 😬 I was doing the NF BWW, but I've switched to doing some video workouts on the Peloton app, since my husband has it for biking anyway. I'll have to check out the Neila Ray ones though!

WEEK 2 SUMMARY I'm tracking with the world's ugliest spreadsheet this time, but it gets the job done. 🤷‍♀️ Last week went... ok? Diet took a hit - I used up a lot of the "non-primal" meals I earned on vacation because I was eating retreat snacks. On Saturday we went out for dinner at a local restaurant, and I very nearly stuck to primal... but fell into "night out mode" and ordered a beer. Then got ice cream anyway. But like, holistically, this week wasn't too bad. I meal planned and had healthy dinners and lunches most days. Running is going well. I'm seeing my time inch down on the long runs and the interval runs are wiping me out appropriately. The ST workouts... I'm less enthused about. I know it's important, but I just don't think I like what I'm doing. I'd like to find a form of ST that feels more fun - like bouldering or weight lifting or ??? - but options are limited right now due to time and pandemic. The Peloton workouts are at least letting me switch it up a bit, but I honestly don't know why I challenged myself to 3x a week for strength. Feels like overkill and I'd rather do something active with my kids vs. doing a video workout on the weekend. Oh - and habits aren't being tracked anywhere on the spreadsheet, but they are getting done! I think I missed one day with water this week. That's the hardest one for me to remember. And I chopped all my nails short so that I didn't have to deal with them breaking and the temptation to bite. I really need to start stretching more. I keep blowing it off after runs and doing the bare minimum, but my body feels old and creaky and it hurts to walk down stairs. Apparently stretching can help with this?? Maybe next challenge I'll sub out ST for yoga, but for now I think I'm just going to try to do better at stretching after every workouts.

I've been trying out the Peloton app for ST workouts and I'm liking it so far! I did a 20-min intermediate video on Tuesday that truly kicked my ass. I think I'm still sore from it today (or is that from the interval running yesterday? 😅). Today I tried one of the beginner workouts instead and found it a touch too easy. But it's nice to have the option to go easier, especially since I'm doing ST 3x a week. Frankly, I just don't want to be sore all the time. My mom is helping us out with childcare this week, and the company retreat has meant no actual work yesterday and today. So I've had a break from waking up early and so far the week is much less stressful than I'd expected. Meanwhile, our virtual retreat has been an outright blast. Lots of games, fun presentations from coworkers, and these cool 8-min "speed convos" to help us meet more people. I've been at this company about 2 months now and I really love it. This is definitely the most fun place I've ever worked. Even with everyone being fully remote, they make an effort for you to get to meet people and build connections. ❤️

Big Long Overdue Beach Update, or how did a vacation challenge really go, by the numbers: DIET: IF 16/8 at least 4x a week: 3 / 8 Bonus Primal meals: 4 In terms of diet, this week could have gone much worse. I fasted through breakfast most days (but usually didn't fast after 8pm, which is why that IF number is so low). I occasionally ate Primal, but most days it was just easier to eat a sandwich with the kids for lunch and whatever was being made by the group for dinner, so I didn't really stress about it. I didn't want to feel like girl-on-a-diet this trip, and I think I mostly made responsible choices while getting to cut myself a break. Admittedly, the second week was much more of a break. We were with a group of friends who filled 4 coolers with beer and soda and the countertop full of chips and snacks, and it definitely got harder to resist all the yummy treats. I actually went to bed with a stomachache twice from eating or drinking poorly. The second time it happened, I definitely course-corrected and cut down on the beer and salty foods. Still, I don't think I set back my goals in any real tangible ways, and I generally practiced more intuitive eating than I might have, say, six months ago. EXERCISE: Run at least 20 min: 4/5 Bodyweight workout: 0/3 I will straight up say that I'm proud of running even 4 times on a 2-week trip. Every day I laced up my shoes and left the house to run felt like an accomplishment. I ran on sand, in heat, on hillier courses than at home, and generally enjoyed it. So that was a win. The bodyweight workouts... just never happened. One thing I didn't anticipate was how straight up sore I was - from running on the sand, from carrying the kids, from walking up 3 flights of stairs at the beach house, etc. Yeah, that's an excuse and I could have pushed through and done it anyway, but it was clear that my body was working way more than it normally does at a desk all day, and I figure that's worth something. 🤷‍♀️ HABITS: Drink 8 cups of water: 12/14 Floss and Brush teeth: 14/14 No nail biting: 14/14 Habits were mostly good! The two times I didn't drink water I paid for it dearly the next day – once with an all day headache, and the other day with a stomachache. The flossing habit went so well that my dentist raved about my teeth at my appointment on Monday (something that has never happened in my adult life). Nail biting was funny because it definitely requires some thinking ahead and remembering to trim any nails that are starting to getting weak before they break and tempt me to bite them. It's a work in progress and requires having a nail filer handy. Overall Like, on a scale from "perfection" to "dropped off the face of the earth and didn't log on to NerdFitness for 3 years," I think this went pretty well! Obviously I didn't hit all my targets, but I didn't really expect to. I just wanted to keep up with my progress and not lose sight of my final goals. I think the real challenge for me is the weeks to come. I have to battle the sugar and bread and alcohol dragons again - once you start letting those back into your diet they tend to bring a lot of cravings. I want to be consistent with strength training workouts (and my body is already sore from starting back up yesterday). And while those habits seem like no-brainers, I know how easy it is to forget and break a streak. Today and tomorrow is my company's virtual retreat and in lieu of in-person celebrations, they've showered us with food: a gift card to DoorDash our lunch, and a box of sugary, salty snacks. So the indulgence continues for two more days. But I've made a meal plan with healthy food for dinners, I'm prioritizing my workouts despite the kids being home from daycare, and I'm not letting 2 weeks or 2 days of mild hedonism derail me.

Sorry forgot to post about this earlier! I ended up only playing 3 games, though our collective group brought a lot more: I played Sushi Go, Blackbrim 1876 (which was a very fun and challenging puzzle-style escape room in a box), and THREE rounds of Hocus Pocus because we just couldn't manage to win!! Easily one of the hardest games I've played, despite being deceptively easy to learn. Quite fun though, and I suspect we'll play it a could more times leading up to Halloween! 🧙‍♀️

Oooh I think I'll join you! I have yet to run the full 5k, but I should be there pretty soon. I won't be at that 30min 5k by T-Day but it'll be a good baseline! Also, I'm in awe that your long runs are 1hr! My "long" run today was still just 30 min (up to 35 next week though). Running for an hour seems otherworldly!

Following along - most of the kettlebell stuff goes right over my head, but how awesome that your team is going to championships and you get to compete! I love your focus on the positive for this challenge - anxiety can be so overwhelming; it's hard to block out the negative voices. I think it's wonderful that you have this opportunity to go and the family support. Your kids will always remember how you prioritized your goals and achievements and carry that lesson to their own lives!