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Hi all. Stronkey Kong here. I'm back. For anybody new stopping in on one of my challenge threads for the first time... I've been doing this for over 8 years now. I'm still fat, and either trying to figure things out and/or make the best of it. THE BIG LIST RETURNS Last year for the holiday challenge I made a list for Santa of all the things I really, really wanted for the next year, and did a lot of reflection and planning. That was really useful for the majority of my challenges this year since it helped me stay focused on goals and planning. So I'm gonna redo/repeat it, and that will be the main focus of this challenge. WEEK 1: REFLECTION Reflect on the old list. I need to go back and think about my old goals. Why/how did they succeed/fail? Should I keep pursuing it or move on? Etc. Then think about ideas for new goals. Here's the old list... just as I left it three challenges ago. WEEK 2: DROP/ADD Next, I'll decide what the new goals are for the year and decide what's going on the list. This means deciding which old ones are staying, which are going, and what new ones I can include. WEEK 3: PLANNING Here's where things come together, and I decided how I'm going to achieve my goals. For example, if want to lose weight, and I also want to learn how to box, then I'll set a goal to practice boxing and get better at it so I can get more exercise and lose weight etc. I think you can all see where this is going now. ========================================== Here are some other non-goals that I'll be talking about during this mini challenge... and that will probably influence the list heavily. BOXING: As I mentioned in the very last post of last challenge... I bought a 100 lbs. heavy bag and hung it in my basement, and I very much enjoy punching it for exercise. So I'm gonna plan on centering my training on boxing for the foreseeable future. No doubt, some boxing training regimen will make it onto my big list for 2022 YOGA: I'll be doing this on my active rest days. NOOM + LUMEN = I'm spending too much money on fitness gadgets. Anywho, I started using NOOM in the summer. What I was hoping for was some kind of AI in the app or something that gives useful feedback based on your habits and progress. Following it was helpful at first, but in the end it just boils down to a food/activity tracker app, with some mildly educational/inspirational articles chock full of nerdy fun and a support group that you can share your victories and setbacks with... which means it's not much more than I was getting with NF anyway, so I'm quite disillusioned with it. However, I paid $200 for it so I might as well finish what I can in the articles and such. It would be a good place to start for a weight loss noob, but I've been in the trenches for years. I want to try something else. Enter Lumen, the metabolic tracking breathalyzer. I bought one of these yesterday and downloaded the app. It measures your O2/CO2 ratio in your inhale/exhale to figure out what your metabolism is doing. Then it gives you suggestions based on your fitness goals on how you should eat for the day. I'm hopeful for this thing to be at least useful since I think it will be able to at least tell me what my intuition is likely missing. Here is a detailed review of the device if you're interested in learning more than I feel like discussing here: https://latestfuels.com/reviews/lumen-review/ If it inspires you to buy one also, DM me and I'll give you a coupon/code. JOB/CAREER STUFF: I need to set my sights on moving up in the world, at least a rung or two on the ladder. My house and the upkeep expenses it has are stretching my dollars more thinly. Not to mention gas prices, food prices, and the overall post-covid inflationary economy... I need more money. I need to research some certifications to boost me on my current career path (quality inspector--> technician--> engineer) so I can either move up at my company, and more easily secure work in the uncertain future. I should also get back into programming on the regular and pick up more skills in other programming languages, operating systems, etc. ===== I had something else, but I stepped away to do some chores, and now I forgot. I'll add it later. Good luck surviving the holidays to all!

Hello. I'm back. I am Stronkey Kong. I'm still trying to figure this out. Last challenge took an early nose-dive. I was training with weights, losing my enthusiasm for my nutrition plans. Then I started stockpiling Halloween candy... You know how that ends, and now I feel shitty and I'm back to where I started at the beginning of summer. So now it's time to reboot, and reset a balance, and work on some goals that are satisfying too. MEDITATE -- Once a Day, Every Day: I actually broke my streak. I had meditated every single day since March 21st. Then last weekend, as I was preparing to shift my wake sleep cycle to dayshift for a week of training, I missed a day, then another, and it's been almost a week now. Anywho, it's time to get back on it. MOVE -- Everyday, As often as possible: I am not touching a barbell until my weight is down. To many here, that sounds like blasphemy, but I've proven to myself time and time again that every time I get into a strength routine, and go for too much strength or intensity, I either give myself permission to overeat or burn myself out. Right now, and until I get my weight down to... idk... 225 lbs., I just need to keep moving, lightly even, and I need to avoid the couch potato days. So every day I need to do some kind of movement, or at least get something done. I'll just be asking myself "Did I move today?" -- that is anything beyond getting up, eating, going to work etc. Chores and projects would count, purposely going for walks, yoga or stat bike in front of theTV... it all counts. Pay back the Halloween candy calorie debt -- I still have over 28000 calories to burn. NOOM -- Daily Tracking. Weigh in and track the foods. All else is optional. ART-- I am making a big painting, and started prepping a huge canvas... (spoiler'd cuz huge) 75 x 60 in. I have an idea and sketches, I just need to do it. Not sure what the goal is here. First and foremost work on the painting. Second, finish the painting. I have a feeling I'm either going to finish it Alla prima this weekend or agonize about it all challenge. We'll see.

Hello. I am Stronkey Kong. I've been on NF for over eight years . I'm still fat and making the best of it. learning from my mistakes. 🤔 GOALS: MEDITATION+: Still practicing the Buddhism. Still on a meditation streak since March 21st. That's all fine and good, and is habit. Now I need to step it up and memorize the "King of Aspiration Prayers: Samantabhadra's Aspiration to Good Actions." The prayer/mantra itself is a guide to the essential meditation preliminary practices we do. It is also 259 lines long. But for the benefit of all sentient beings I will memorize it... in English at least. Then I'll start on the Tibetan. Settle in to the WIZARD TOWER: As some of you saw last challenge, I bought a house and moved in. While I'm almost done upacking, now is not the time to stop. So definitely want to get all that finished up this challenge. This weekend I got the bedroom in order by unpacking all the clothes, doing ALL THE LAUNDRY EVAR, and putting clothes away. There's one more box in there, then I need to get the office and kitchen done. MOVEMENT: Now that the house moving and all is tapering off to just regular chores, I need to start working out again. So I'll be lifting weights and following the Greyskull LP... M, W, F or S. It'd be great to get a little cardio and yoga on top of that, but that'll be a bonus. NOOM: Just showing up and getting it done. Weigh in, log food, read articles. I think that's all. I thought briefly about a writing goal, but maybe I'll add one when the office gets settled. And there will be pictures of and stories about this idiot...

September’s the real New Year, if you ask me. Probably I feel this way because I’ve been in schools or universities pretty much my whole life. I’ll miss the long unstructured sunshiney days of summer, but I always dig getting into some sort of fall routine. Plus, fall foods! Blazers! Kilts and boots! Where do I want to be at the end of this challenge? Well, in terms of outcomes, a little leaner (losing 3-5 pounds would rock), a little more grounded, a little happier. Mens sana in corpore sano, as they say. In terms of actionable things I can do something about, Sound mind: 1. Delete twitter from phone and tablet. Restrict checking in to an hour over lunch. 2. Max of one alcoholic drink per week. Zero is better! 3. Start in on a morning and evening routine: workout, shower and leave the house by 9 am on weekdays. Screens off by 10 pm on weeknights. Sound body: 1. Track food (this is the bare minimum). Even better, stay within ‘good’ zone in the app. 2. 700 active calorie daily goal 3. Strength workouts 3 days/week. Fall treats: Do nice things for myself each day. This could be as simple as coffee outside on the patio on sunny days, walk around the block after dinner, Jackbox gaming with the fam, stop by the departmental cafe (still virtual right now, sadly), bubble bath, new piano music, lunchtime walk with work friend, new jammies.

Hello. I am Stronkey Kong. I've been on NF about eight years . I'm still fat and making the best of it. I just bought and started moving into a house... aka WIZARD TOWER. For the next two weeks I'm going to be packing and moving things over. Then there are projects coming. Lot's of projects. The house is 101 years old. It's in good condition and the living areas are solid, but the basement gets quite wet and even floods when it rains heavily. I now have grass to cut regularly. More chores than before and a bigger space to maintain and take care of. Also, I am getting a cat. Soon. My cousin found a stray and can't keep her. I meditate and am for all intents and purposes a Tibetan Buddhist of the Gelug Lineage. I am have it in my head to hit the trails and do some camping this summer, tho I will be quite busy. Right now my fitness goals are basically: Stay functional and limber and don't throw out your back doing stupid shit. Eating so I can maybe drop a few pounds And get some movement in so I can push back some of the medical trauma that runs in my family. I am also writing my fantasy novel again, and reading for inspiration. And, yeah, here's that big list I keep bringing up at the beginning of these things. GOALS WIZARD TOWER: I finally have my Wizard Tower. But that means things to do... I have to finish moving out of my old apartment and into my house... goal is by Aug 14. I have one major project that needs to be done ASAP, install a sump pit/pump. I want to be at least ready to start on that by challenge end. I need to go through my home inspection reports, and make a big list of repair projects. Also, add to this, listing improvements I want to make, then prioritizing and scheduling, so I can plan ahead for the future. Also, making this place friendly for my new house mate, Arya: MEDITATE: maintain my current streak since March 21st (127 days) MOVE: I have plenty to do to keep me moving daily. There's plenty of house chores and projects. If not I can go for walks or do some exercise. NOOM: There's quite a bit of daily stuff with Noom: Reading articles daily. Weigh in. Log meals and water Try to hit calorie goal READ/WRITE -- Set up a writing space in my new place and strive for 15 min per day. And get back on following my writing success guidelines.

New challenge to be found on a later post.... For Bouncer's Golden-Eye Dragon Curse Challenge. More info on old challenge below: Bouncer has a Spreadsheet challenge put aside.

Stronkey Kong's Battle Log -- since 7/20/2021 Remember when parents and teachers would threaten us with "That's going on your permanent record." Then you grow up and realize no such thing really exists. Well now at least one does, but it only goes from 7/20/21 and on. I have been on the forums for 8 years and under almost as many names (Darwin's Demon, Curl Brogo, Brogo, Chris Tarly, and now Stronkey Kong). I started my journey at 270 lbs. I am currently 270 lbs, though I've been higher and lower. I started this battle log as Chris Tarly in Jan. 2020 -- you all know why it fell by the wayside. As of 7/20/21 I am: Buying a house Getting some weight loss traction using Noom Sitting on top of 50K words of a novel Practicing Tibetan Buddhism Realizing all my goals are becoming super long term, and I'd like to see a more permanent record With that I'm rebooting and rennovating this Battle log. More to come. BIG DISCLAIMER: To followers and would be commentors, in the spirit of keeping this battle log organized, please restrict comments to thoughtful questions, comments, or words of encouragement about the process on this thread. Please no funny gifs, shitposting, or offtopic/derail posts. You can do this stuff on my challenge threads which I will link from here and/or in my signature. I want this to be an organized record so I can find things later. When in doubt, do not post. Simply using the like buttons/emojis will be sufficient to show support. Victories (large and small): 1/9/2020 -- After little over 1 week in the NFA, my weight dropped 5 lbs. and my measurements all decreased by 0.25-0.5 inches.