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My main goal for this challenge is to start the downwards trend of my weight. - track food in MFP daily - aim for 2200 calories intake per day - do the walking mini challenge ✅ Now 2200 calories is higher than I’ve tried in the past and I won’t lose weight fast with that but I am trying something new. I am experimenting with a smaller deficit because I have a pattern where I do really good for awhile then go a bit crazy for a week straight. I have some fun and a bit crazy news ☺️ Mr.R and I decided to bring home my favourite puppy from his parents litter. She’s just so sweet and we bonded with her and we think maybe her with us. So we are very excited haha 😂 I’m hoping she will be able to become my barn dog because the other 3 failed in that department.

Another challenge, another lack of direction. Here, have some goals.. 1. One vegan meal a day. 2. 10 minutes a day of cleaning/organizing/improving my space. Includes doing dishes and posting things to facebook to get rid of. 3. Movement goal I’m not sharing because gremlins. 4-7 times weekly depending how things go. 4. Daily stress-related goal I’m also not sharing. 5. Drink all the water. edit: also over the course of the challenge, attack my closet: - clean out - de-moth/de-spider - make moth and spider repellant bags of smelly stuff - remove nasty carpet that’s older than I am?

So here is a placeholder for the challenge. Basically, I am trying to slim down things. I am busy as all get out, I have no energy, PT has been making my knee hurt when it didn't before, and work is still crazy. So I backed the challenges down and am hoping to do just these jobs. If I can get this down, then maybe I can get better and get somewhere. So yeah, the whole challenge is do the things every day. Max number of things I need to do is 55 things, goal is to do 50 things since those HAVE TO get done. Here is to hoping I don't flake out and hide and say "Nope" when the answer should be "Do it." Oh and anything that is marked as green 1 under value HAS TO BE DONE, no excuses Nerd Fitness Challenge 9/7/2022 Day of week Day Goal Value Description Strength 1 Desk Push Ups 5 1 Raised Arm Circles 1 PT exercises 1 Calf raises 1 Backward Leg Raises Flexibility 1 Wrist Extension Stretch 7 1 Wrist Flexion Stretch 1 Meditating Groot 1 Toe Touch 1 Warrior 1 1 Cresent Moon pose 1 Ankle Circles Life and Family 1 Brush Yappy dog 1 Brush Ninja dog 1 Water Garden 8 1 Water Front beds 1 Spend time with Agents 1 One good thing 1 NF status update 1 Talk to Hubby Future Me Favors 1 Floss in morning 1 Take Morning Vitamins 1 Find one way I am not like mom 1 Read a book 1 Take Bloodpressure 12 1 Out of work by 5:30 1 Take anti-inflamatory med 1 Japanese practice 1 Check orders account 1 Nightly downtime 1 Floss before bed 1 Be in bed by 10:30 Daily Skirmishes against Chaos 1 Desk 1 Clean off file cabinet 5 1 Clean off tall dresser 1 Clean off nightstands 1 Clean off Dresser Campaigns against Chaos 1 Pick up one furtumbleweed a day 4 1 Empty out car daily 1 Pull one gross thing from fridge or cabinet 1 Purge 1 thing a day Walking 1 Walk 10000 steps 1 Walk 15 minutes a day 1 Walk 5 minutes at lunch 6 1 Walk 5 minutes in morning 1 7 hours with 250 steps 1 Walk to Mordor Fuel 1 No eating after dinner 1 Take Probiotic 1 < 4 bottles of tea 8 1 Eat something for Potassium 1 Eat dried Apricots 1 Eat Breakfast 1 Eat Lunch 1 60 oz of water Total Points Possible 55

Avast ye mateys, I'm adventuring again! New name, new ship, new me! It is time for a fresh start. Me tale so far... I have been part of this community for a few years, but have never been able to stick with updates or commitments here. It has been the same with my health journey. When I first started with Nerd Fitness I was doing great! I was reading the articles and was really putting in the effort. Then Covid happened, I gained a little of the weight back, but was still on track. At this point my doctor recommended that I go on some pills (phentermine) to help with the weight loss. I thought ok, this will be a good thing. Turned out- not so much. While they helped at first, there were side effects (no sleep-like ever, mood changes, insane migraines). I kept on these for a long time and worked through my fitness goals. I was doing well, except mentally. I had lost about 60lbs and was well on my way to my goal. The effects of the pills got to be too much, so I stopped taking them. When I realized I'm not a pirate, i'm an idiot. This is when it all fell apart. I had been struggling with binge eating disorder, but with the pills I was able to get that in check. I thought. I just had no desire to eat. I relied on them too much and didn't learn/stick to what I learned through nerdfitness about nutrition. So, I fell into my old habits, renewed hunger, and binge eating. I gained it all back. I feel awful, sad, and depressed about my spiral - but it is time to say enough! Setting sail on a new adventure I am exhausted and burnt out, so my main goal is just simple consistency. Sounds so easy, right? Goal - Be consistent! I will work out 3 times a week (nerdfitness 5k) I will meditate twice a week for 5 minutes Eat without distractions once a week If for some reason the wind is gone from my sails or there be bad weather: 10 squats instead 1 minute of mindful breathing Acknowledge what I am eating From the deck of the Cunning Cutlass, Captain Gilly

Week 0 Mini Walking Challenge Goal - complete all 5 days 5-Week Challenge ***of Exploration!!!*** It's been a minute since I've done a 5-week challenge. Consistency, small steps, building habits - none of those are my strengths. My word for 2022 is "Forgiveness," mostly for myself, so I'm just gonna remember my achievements and keep moving forward. So for this challenge, it's going to be a little nebulous but be a space for finding what I like to do and when. I keep trying to wake up at a certain time (never happens) or work out after work (fall asleep instead - thanks fatigue issue!). I've completely realigned my life to better match my values so I better take advantage of this! Goals: I asked myself what activities I really like doing. Walk, belly dance, yoga, Les Mills workouts, and roller skate (though I can't stand up on roller skates anymore ). Finish the 6 week online belly dance beginner class strong. I have 3 more classes left as of this week. Try these different activities at different times with the GOAL of regular exercise (even if once a week) by end of challenge. Eat the stuff in my pantry. I'm really bad at nutrition and overeating, but I think working on the pantry will get me out of my little box, too. Use my pantry goods as the inspiration for the grocery list Drink more water. (Not drinking water is practically my current challenge: how long can I go without waaaaater.) Track water and drink the cool new turmeric & ginger tea before coffee. Me trying to wake up before 7am

Once upon a time I was quite active within the community and had some great times with the fellow doodlies. Life happened and a bunch of other things and I drifted away. I was recently reminded of this community and realized how much I have missed it, thus I wanted to make my return! My overall goal for the year is to build up my endurance and loose weight so that I can re-learn to ice skate/rollerblade and be able to enjoy being in the ice with my little one. She is learning to play hockey and I would like to be able to help with drills and practice. Current representation of my ability. This challenge is all about making weekly schedules and sticking to them. I have a very hard time scheduling things out and thus many things are either done at the last minute or get pushed off to the following day or week. I have 3 main goals to work on this. Develop a meal plan for work lunches, schedule my workouts, and plan out house work and hobbies. Fitness My main fitness focus this challenge is to develop a schedule and stick to it. I will work on this by incorporating the below into my weekly plans. 1. Complete 30 miles of walking or running 5.48/30 2. 2x beginner KB workouts each week 1/10 3. 1 hour bike ride each week 0/5 Food My main food focus is to be mindful of what I am eating and portion control. 1. Cut out all alcohol 10/34 2. Bring lunch to work at least 3x a week 5/15 3. Track all food on MFP. 3/15 Life This section is primarily to balance house work requirements, school prep, and hobbies 1. Spend 15 min doing something around the house each day 6/34 2. Post on here at least 3x a week 3/15 3. Spend 1 hour painting each week. 1/5

Last year I lost about 15lbs, within the last few months I’ve gained it and more back. I’ve turned a lot to junk food & sugar, and have stopped exercising-basically losing all motivation to be healthy. With my hubby’s encouragement I’m trying to get back on track…..so my goals for this challenge is: - stop drinking soda - cut back on sugary treats - move more by walking more. little by little I know I can get back on track and be healthy again

Dealing with some friend drama at the moment, so this challenge will be small, but I want to make sure I at least do something and try to stay above water. Anyway, goals: - Workout 4 times a week, doesn't matter what it is. As long as I spend at least 10 minutes on it, it counts. - Cook 2 times a week. Right now, I'm sticking mainly to breakfast foods. I'm fairly decent with scrambled eggs, simple breakfast burritos, and breakfast sandwiches at this point so now I'm working on omelets. - Do writing-related things 4 times a week. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as I spend at least 20 minutes on it. That's all I've got. Happy challenge, nerds.

There are so many things I can do. I can do this, or that, or…wait what’s that over there? So I have ended up doing nothing. For the past few months I have done nothing. I sit in my chair and watch DVDs or just look out the window. Part of that was the stress of being a front line healthcare worker during a pandemic, part was simple introspection. Who am I? What do I want? For a few years after I bought my own place I was trying to catch up to the mainstream culture and working hard to try and fit in. The shutdown helped me call that experiment a failure. I have gone back to church a couple of times when covid cases were lower and I realized that the people at church don’t really like me. They weren’t mean or anything but they weren’t making any kind of effort to get to know me or try to make friends. So this reinforced the failure of my fitting in experiment and made it easier to break away from that mindset and go back to figuring out exactly who I am and accepting my weirdness. After all those months of doing nothing I am quite bored and ready for a proper challenge. I did NO exercise those months other than getting out of my chair to change DVDs. So Goal 1: Exercise again. Add a couple of more exercises to my motley assortment and get to doing them again. Goal 2: Piano. Go back to memorizing favorite pieces and learning new ones. This one might not get done on a busy day, or recovery day. Goal 3: Homework. In the before times I went to Starbucks for a quiet cuppa and light reading before work. Starbucks are open again and in this area, pretty quiet without a whole lot of people. I will bundle tea, a sometimes snack, and homework before going to work. Goal 4: Clean clothes every day. There is no excuse but laziness for wearing the same lunch covered shirt all week. Most importantly, STICK WITH IT! The paradox of choice must not be allowed to win. P.S. Flea, I am still watching or listening to Romeo and Juliette every day. I am in love with Benvolio. Merci beaucoup pour la presentation.

I started my fitness journey about 3 months ago - unfortunately the exercise part was derailed thanks to a back injury which is still ongoing. It has been and continues to be frustrating to be hampered at a point in my life when I am ready to make changes and become more active. Being unhappy, frustrated and in pain also means self-medicating with sugar. I have been trying (and succeeding) in slowly increasing the number of steps that I do every day - with working from home for 2 years and having little energy, I averaged about 1 600 steps a day for last year. I'm up to 2 300 a day now and increasing by 100 a week. I might hit a ceiling there soon though, as sitting, standing and walking all aggravate the pain in my back. On a work day, that means being in a fair amount of pain by about 3pm. Unfortunately painkillers are not much of an option during the day. I'm seeing a specialist on the 27th of September - that will most likely result in being referred for an MRI - all in all, I don't see any physical improvement happening until the end of this challenge. Which means that I need to focus on mental health and Nutrition, two things which are closely linked for me - my weight has been seesawing a bit - some weeks I've managed to eat well, others, not so much. I'm actually not entirely sure on specifics for this challenge yet. I need to find ways to decrease the effect that ongoing pain has on my mental health. I need to find an alternative to reaching out to sugary snacks when feeling down or frustrated. And being less negative - it feels like I've just been full of negativity and complaints lately. Always lamenting the injury and how it is affecting everything (case in point the preceding paragraphs). Time to accept it as the new reality and build from there. So, for the remainder of week 0, I'll set the following goals: 1. Research mental pain management 2. Figure out an alternative to snacking when feeling down 3. Do not buy new sugary snacks

This is a place holder. I'll come back with more later, but the basics are I was wrung out at the end of the last challenge, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I realized I've taken physical rest as needed but not mental. I've been pushing for a long time. So this time I don't care. I'm not reaching for anything. I'm coasting by design. I'll spend some time focusing on finding metal balance. I'm here!

Last challenge I didn't do so well with taking my vitamins, so I decided to not track those this time because it started to become a discouragement and wasn't really helping. Was excited to be able to start working out again after healing from birth enough to do so, but found out I hadn't healed as well as I thought and might need some help with the healing process. Because of that, I won't be working out until I know for sure I can/should. Guess that'll just have to wait till next challenge On the upside, my family has a vacation planned for during this challenge, so that will be a lot of fun! D's brother will be joining us and I'm looking forward to interacting with him and for the two of them to have some good brother time. Anyways.... on to this challenge!!! For a while now I've been wanting to cut out sugar, but it's just SOOOO addictive! >>> My goal this challenge is to only have one purposeful sugar thing a week. (Vacation won't count, that's gonna be a free for all. lol) <<< I have a long To Be Read list, and a decent ways to go towards my reading goal for the year (I think it's 15 books, but I don't remember 😅) >>> This goal will be to read or listen to a book at least twice a week. <<< I've been working (slowly) through a course on HTML5 >>> This goal is to complete a "task" in the course at least once a week. <<< Ready for this challenge and hoping things go better than last time.

hi my name is flea and i’m a grumpy motherfucker. take magical mystery pills for research study every morning use daily inhaler as prescribed 🙄 wash & moisturize face AM/PM one Duolingo lesson daily

...but now you are bitter, bitter as gall My goal last challenge was to stay engaged through the challenge, and I did an ok job at it. Struggled to keep up, but didn't totally vanish. This time, I'm I need to try and push a bit more. Work remains a huge stressor for me. 50 hours / week is the base level, often going even higher, and I'm stuck in a bit of limbo doing a bunch of work as a Lead / Supervisor without the formal position, while also trying to get the company to address the fact that they really aren't paying people enough in the current market. We've been losing people at work. I don't want to leave but at the same time, I don't know that I can justify staying to myself. I've got a friend, M, that I am something of a caregiver for. I've cut back on how much I'm doing for her because I just couldn't maintain it, but we're still in a situation where I feel like I have to worry about her or she's not going to be able to care for herself. A couple weeks ago I got blood work done and I've been looking at the results as they come in. As always, my bad cholesterol is on the high end of fine, but my good cholesterol is too low. My testosterone levels are extremely low, my estrogen levels are high. I should just grow out my hair and start wearing earrings. Oh, wait. My A1C is now 6.4; diabetes starts at 6.5 I would really like to not be diabetic, but at well over 350 lbs, what do I expect? Been trying to get this up for two days. Hitting post so I can work on it other places. I have a point, I just can't seem to get to it.

Given all of my fun at the dentist / doctor's office this past week plus more to come, I figure that would be an appropriate theme for this challenge. So the name of the game this time around is fixin' stuff. What specifically needs to get fixed? -My piano routine needs to get dusted off and re-calibrated. -Need to tighten up the lug nuts on my weight-lifting routine. -Need to top up the fluids on my planning routine. -Need to adjust the torque on my self-care habits. -And just for good measure, maybe spend the rest of this challenge beating this metaphor to death with a hammer. More specifics to come in a later edit, but I at least wanted to get this one on the page first.

Let the power of youth explode!! "It's not always possible to do what we want to do, but it's important to believe in something before you actually do it." - Might Guy I will eat veggies with every meal.... And if I cannot eat veggies with every meal then... I will eat max 1 carb portion with every meal.... And if I cannot eat only 1 carb portion with every meal then... I will walk up and down the hill by my house 2 times a week.... "If you want to be free from your suffering, make up your mind. If you give up on your dream, you will suffer more." - Might Guy

So I keep disappearing and I don’t mean to. Things have been a bit unusual of late here. Work ramped up and I went from getting out at 430 to 5 (I got off at 330) to 6-630 pm days. Which means boxes were harder and it’s hard to be like “Do stuff” when it’s almost 7 and I am trying to be in bed by 1030, and Oh I am supposed to eat and walk. In other news, towards the end of last challenge, the Agents got to go a LARP in a similar system to what we use to do 20+ years ago. So that is a thing. We go back for Day 2 today. I already know it will be super hard for me to not fight since my knee is a mess. But all this means is I have not had time for home stuff. Agents are going to want clothes and things for the larping. The garden is getting ready to explode which means canning/preserving will need to happen. School is going to start and I would like to well, be home and sleep. Oh and I want to try and get the bad knee looked at so I can get out larping too. Which right now I can’t do because we are all afraid of one bad blow to it. And more than likely, getting it looked at will mean getting to drs and tests and ugh So part of this will be doing non work things. I also added a box of “out of work by 5”. Yes that still allows overtime since it is needed, but still allows me to be home at a reasonable time. I need to be here or I will stop doing everything and fall further into the bad stuff. That’s it, that is the plan, back down at work on how much they get of me, hope nothing explodes and try to do all the other things. And be here to talk to people. Totally doable right? Wish me luck and energy and not to lose my mind.

Hey all - Decided to join this challenge, seeing as how it dovetails nicely with the end of July, for which I'd set a number of goals. I'm hoping that becoming part of a community of fellow goal-/challenge-seekers will help me remain motivated, as I am expecting some of my progress to plateau off a bit, given that I'm basically into month 3 of training after a long, long, long time spent doing far too little. The novice effects of resuming training after my extended layoff are starting to taper off, so I'm tempering my goals accordingly. Hope no one minds that I've set quite a few more than three goals, as these are all based upon my current programming and overall goals for improvement: Goalset 1: Bodyweight - To drop ~13 lbs, from current weight of 277.9, to 265 lbs. This is with a concurrent goal of maintaining sufficient caloric intake and rest to support strength improvement goals, which helps toward doing as much as I can to make sure the weight loss is as much fat as possible, and not muscle tissue. Goalset 2: Strength/Power - To improve my (calculated) 1 Rep Maxes for the following: Squats: Increase current 1RM of 444 lbs by 30, to 474 lbs Deadlifts: Increase current 1RM of 488 lbs by 45, to 533 lbs. Bench Press: Increase current 1RM of 289 lbs by 10, to 299 lbs. Overhead Press: Increase current 1RM of 210 lbs by 5, to 215 lbs. Power Clean: To (finally) stop allowing flexibility issues from preventing me from making this part of my regular training, by working on improving the flexibility and developing proper form. Goalset 3: Quirky fitness stuffs Deadlift Challenge: In July I completed a challenge of completing 60x315lb DL singles in 30 minutes (reps done every 30 seconds). For this 5-week challenge, I want to improve on that, working toward completing 30x375lb doubles (2 reps), done EMOM (every minute on the minute). So it's still 60 reps in 30 minutes, just with a heavier load and a slightly different interval structure. Loaded Carries: I started adding these in to the end of my workouts as fat-burning boosters in the past week. For this challenge period, I'm going to aim for reaching a point where I can complete carries of 300 lbs, for 5 x 60 second intervals (with 60-120 seconds rest between sets). KB Swings: Will push to complete 10,000 KB swings. For July, I did ~16,000, but since I'm making loaded carries a regular part of my programming, I'm reducing the loading from KB swings. I usually do the swings in 15 minute interval sessions (15 intervals, each 30s on/30s off), using either 57 lbs x 23 swings/interval, or 60 lbs x 21 swings/interval. I'll see if I can get up to 70 lbs x 22 swings/interval by the end of the challenge period. Best of luck to all, and happy to be joining this challenge group!

Kitchen Witch that is..... First Goals - then explanation for those interested Goals this challenge: 1) Work my sleep\wake cycle to in bed by 11p and up by 7:30a. 2) Weather permitting - get in a short morning walk. Still a small daily goal of 3500 steps - increase up to 5000 steps if I can be consistent here 3) Unpack 1 box per week - it's more than I'm doing now - more is better! 4) Keep up with general cleaning - Run Rosie at least once per week (ideally twice), keep up with laundry, Clean Kitchen most nights (ideally every night - but most is better than none) Over the last few months, I've really done more to embrace my love of cooking. I've learned a bunch of new (to me) techniques during the pandemic as I've cooked more and more at home since I had time and more energy (mental) to do so. While I'd worked remote before, there was all kinds of stuff going on and I really neglected that side of me as requiring "too much" and taking the easy way out by ordering in, going out and doing the absolute minimum in the kitchen - just to avoid like, cleaning the kitchen. I don't know if I've flipped a switch or what - but I'm more apt to think "You know, I can get this kitchen fully scrubbed in 10 min" and actually DO IT than I ever did before. Maybe it's a switch turning 50. Maybe it's being in a beautiful house with an almost perfect kitchen in the mountains. It's still a chore - but no longer an insurmountable chore. Heck, last weekend I did 6 loads of laundry, folded AND put it away. Anyway - back to Kitchen Witchery. I've.... done a thing. If you didn't read my last challenge - long story short - I've obtained Vanilla Beans wholesale. Only 4 oz to start.... But I'm going to make 4 mall batches of Vanilla Extract. I want to test a couple of techniques for a flavor I like. Then.... I may get and order (or so) in for more quantity for gifts - and to sell. And I'm planning the beginning part of next year's garden to contain herbs and such that I can gather to make extracts and Simple Syrups. To use, for gifts, and sell. It won't be enough to replace my income..... but I'll be doing something I enjoy and make enough to at least pay for what I've done for myself (and gifts) and who knows - make a little bit of $$ for other things we want to do to the house. I have some research still to do - basically get up early on a few Saturdays and hit the local farmer's market circuit to see if this is something others are already doing (and if so, WHAT they're doing and the price points) as well as hit the local shops where I may be able to sell through them. ALL of this is 12 - 24 months out - but I'd like to know now if the local market is already saturated or if I need to focus my potion making in a particular niche

Hi, I'm J3NN. I'm recovering from covid and have a vacation planned this challenge so I'm probably going to be quiet and slow this time. But I want to keep on keeping on, so I have set up a challenge and tried to dial it back, or make the recovery and fun more of a focus. So here's what I came up with this time... Bring elements of adventure into life in big ways and small Gish scavenger hunt 1 shared experience per wk of Craft Lunch, Book Club, SF, etc. Complete a monthly travel multi-day adventure - Alaskan Cruise Become a creator of shared, adventurous experiences of craftiness, creativity, learning, and community Newsletter Hobby Hunter series activity Become a person who practices self-care daily Molding Mobility 3x/wk Daily steps (avg 4000) Add 1 self-care practice to my journal per week Read in Kindle Become a person who believes in the vision of my future and makes my story come true 1 item from list to in my home office Complete Will and share For the above, this is what my actually commitments will look like. Bring elements of adventure into life in big ways and small GISH - 7 days Participate in a shared experience - 6 Complete a monthly travel multi-day adventure - 8 Become a creator of shared, adventurous experiences of craftiness, creativity, learning, and community Send Newsletter - 6 Complete Hobby Hunter series activity - 5 Become a person who believes in the vision of my future and makes my story come true Complete item from the list to clean home office - 1 Complete Will and share - 2 Become a person who practices self-care daily Molding Mobility 3x/wk - 18 Daily steps (avg 4000) - 4,000 Add self-care practice to my journal - 6 Read in Kindle daily - 42

Well, I am coming back in to try to get the ball rolling again Things have been very much bad, so I could use some win here haha. For those that want to know: With all that, things have been crazy. It just makes me think a lot about how I really just need to get myself into much better shape. Wife and I have also been discussing moving out of California. I need to get a job, but even with that, buying a house seems to never be possible here. We still have a year on our lease here, but I don't think we will be here after that. Family seems to be looking more back to the Midwest area. I have family back that way. Over this next year, I'd love to hit a few goals. I want to run again. I'd like to be able to do a pull up. I need to drop some serious weight too. All this with all the craziness going on haha. To get myself going, here are my goals Goal#1 - Sleep I need to get myself into a much better sleep routine. Not only for my health, but also it's school time again for my youngest. This year is a new school, and we are close by. Still, I'll need to be getting up early haha. I'm going to have to get to bed earlier then I use to. Mostly to make sure I have the best chance of getting some good sleep. I do like reading before I head to bed, so I will be doing that here as well. Off to read at 10pm, then off to bed at 11pm. There are a couple of nights that this might not work out the best. One night is bowling night. Sometimes, I don't get home till 10. Then Friday is usually the day the wife and I catch up on tv shows we watch together. New stuff will be coming out soon, so I expect days of watching after I should be reading time. I think the rule for those two days will have to be read or get to sleep right away. Still aim to get to bed at 11. The weekend isn't a worry for getting up early at least . Off to read at 10 pm, off to bed at 11 pm. 10 points per day, 70 points for the week. Goal#2 - Pokemon Go Go Go I want to get to doing gym stuff, and running. I just need get started a bit slower with how things are so crazy around here. Funny enough, there is a new daily incense in Pokemon Go. This last 15 minutes, and pops up pokemon as long as you are walking. There is a chance to see new Legendary pokemon too (super hard to catch). My son hasn't gone with me every time, but I have been walking each day for the last 4 or 5 days. My goal is to continue doing this every day. Hopefully, getting my oldest kid to join me. Maybe after a couple of weeks, I'll get walking further, but for now I'll stick to this. Walk 15 minutes everyday (preferably using the pokemon go app to catch'em all) 5 points a day 35 points for the week. Goal#3 - Track Eating and Blood Sugars To help getting myself on track, I need to go ahead and focus on tracking my food. I also need to at least test my blood sugar levels once a day. I have been thinking of getting back to keto to get my sugars back in control. That just might be a decision that randomly happens at some point this challenge. I'm just not happy with my current numbers, and I am tired of having to take pills for it. Food wise, I'd like to get myself into the 2500-3000 range. My brain really wants me to go lower to lose weight as quick as I can, but I know I really just need to do the slower grind. Once I get back into more and more exercise, then I will be burning a bit more deficit I am currently in colonoscopy prep. Some limited stuff today, Monday is clear liquids and clear candy I can eat. So I am not worried about this for the next few days. Track Blood sugar at least once a day. Track Calories max 3000. 15 points per day 105 points for the week (week 1 75 points) Goal#4 - Declutter and Spring cleaning all the things I did have a goal last challenge to get through some of my cards and comics. I did actually get through a couple of boxes. Not nearly the amount I wanted to haha. Now with the thoughts of moving, I need to do this, plus all the other things. Really, the first thing I do is probably getting through the cards/comics. Though on weekends and such, it might move to areas of the apartment we attack. Throwing things out, and goodwill a bunch of stuff. 20 minutes a day is a good start. Most likely, I will spend much more time on things, but telling myself 10 or 20 minutes sounds better haha. 20 minutes a day decluttering 5 points a day 35 points for the week. Challenge Points: Week 1 (07/31 - 08/06) - 0/215 Week 2 (08/07 - 08/13) - 0/245 Week 3 (08/14 - 08/20) - 0/245 Week 4 (08/21 - 08/27) - 0/245 Week 5 (08/28 - 09/03) - 0/245 Total challenge points - 0/1195 Measurements: Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight - And there is the challenge. Good luck to everyone, and hopefully I can be around for the entire challenge

No clever intro again this time. Sorry. I’m giving myself 24 days (starting yesterday, because my laptop’s Wi-Fi card or whatnot is officially dog water now) to lose whatever I can because I have officially put on 16 pounds in six weeks, and I’m pretty much done with everything on this planet. (I’m suspecting it’s a side effect of this medication I’ve been taking for anger management – the IRONY – because it’s not like I’ve been eating double Big Macs every day to account for this nonsense). To make it more of a SMART goal, I’ll say...hmm, three pounds sounds like I’m really setting the bar low but anything higher than that and I know I’m doomed to fail...and in the face of gaining an average of half a pound every day since the end of June, I’d say that’s a relative win. 😒 My current plans (recycled from past challenges because again, I’m done with everything): 1) 1500 calories a day, emphasizing protein and avoiding anything with carbs and sugar as much as possible, I guess (because I know I’ve been fog eating but again, it’s not with massive burgers or anything that would make this weight gain make sense) - let's go with 4 out of 7 days at least 2) 30 minutes of “I hate this but I’m still alive”-level intensity exercise at least four times a week (summarized context: exercise-induced asthma for years, long story, no puffer, no family doctor to prescribe one) – back to hula hooping I suppose… 3) 1 tsp of cinnamon every day as recommended by my naturopath (I started doing this with my coffee for a while, but that 1 teaspoon is a LOT and I couldn’t keep up with it…I’ll figure out something else) - I'll probably start with 4 days a week here too 4) Ease into taking inositol (also recommended), starting with 1 tsp four days a week, working up to 2 tsp a day every day – hopefully this will encourage me to drink water more and, you know, not eat anything 😐 5) Come back and post some kind of an update every Monday, plus one final update by the 3rd. Good luck with that one, Future Cherry_Bomb Bonus: try to find something to make me laugh or at least smile for 20-30 minutes a day so I can feel like life isn’t all that bad…which hopefully it isn’t. I don't really know anymore, I'm guessing here. Total: ___ / 20 I don’t really know what I can reward myself with or look forward to if I actually hit this goal. My current plan is to just quit NF altogether if I fail because I’m really not disciplined in keeping up with it or maintaining accountability. Maybe just seeing the number on the scale going down will be rewarding enough. And if I never post again, thanks for reading and good luck with your respective challenges.

So, I failed so hard at the last challenge, that I am pre-emptively failing at this one now too, starting so late as I am. So since I am starting a week and half in, and I I really struggled to just hit the basics from last time, I am just going to revisit the same goals, as follows: 1) Hydrate!! 2) Walk and Stretch every day!! >>>> Literally how I look when stretching, only less cheerful 3) Log Everything!! Win conditions and loot: Make an effort at all three items each day (doesn't have to be perfect, it's about effort and habit building), and complete at least 2 side-quests to make up for missed challenge days and I will win myself that long coveted sticker for my water bottle. Side-quests (pick two): - Tailor in the bodice on my Landsknecht gown in time for Oktoberfest - Finish cleaning out the garage to make room for the swing set kit being delivered and to make a work out space - take the kids on at least 2 more solo adventures - clean off desk in library - finish writing the fanfic chapter I have been sitting on for 2+ years - finish my embroidery project and applique it to my sleeve - pick a new first day of preschool outfit for the Red Panda Things I need to remember: - I am a battering ram when I want to be! They may be my least favorite siege weapon but the analogy is apt. Cumbersome, unwieldy, but once you get them moving that wall is going to come down. - One day at a time. Before I can even GET to "never miss two in a row", I need to focus on the step in front of me - This isn't just for me it's for my kids. I mean, it's also for me, as my kids really don't care about how I look or feel in a pair of jeans (for now). But I want better for them in their lives so I need to model the habits I want them to have. Just doing it for my own vanity or comfort is never going to be enough impetus. But them . . .they are -If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly. Even if I can't do it perfectly, something is better then nothing. - Spite is a perfectly acceptable motivation if it gets me moving

I started on here in 2016. The TLDR is that I met some inspiring, intelligent, and funny people and made some progress on my goals for several years (rock climbing! mental health! C25K! intuitive eating to battle an eating disorder!), and then I got cancer at the end of 2018 and had surgery for it in early 2019. Unsurprisingly, it turned my life upside down and recovery was challenging. I was just starting to get my shit back together when the pandemic hit. A few months ago, I moved internationally (from Boston, USA to Vancouver, Canada). There are a lot of positive aspects to the move, but being in an unfamiliar city is still hard, and I don't know anyone here (the feelings of alienation are real). I know that I need community and accountability to do anything other than spin my wheels, so I'm respawning here yet again, thanks to (1) the incredible patience of @fleaball, who always texts to remind me when a new challenge is starting, and (2) finally mustering the wherewithal to confront the dauntingly gigantic mountain of goals and problems I need to tackle. I am smarter and stronger in some ways than when I started in 2016 (and I definitely understand myself better), but I am also facing new challenges, including being in an unfamiliar city and dealing with the lifelong impacts of having my thyroid surgically removed. Also, moving meant losing my awesome therapist and nutritionist, and replacing them is on my (disgustingly long) to-do list. Current most pressing problems: My sleep is a mess. Insomnia, irregular sleep schedule, terrible sleep hygiene. Anemia. Recent bloodwork revealed this (I was almost glad, since it might explain why I'm always so tired) and I want to get it sorted. My doctor has me on iron supplements for three months to see if it helps. I'm in terrible shape right now. I get winded super easily and my resting heart rate is way higher than it used to be. I'm overweight to the point that it's impacting my physical abilities and feels bad. I'm not eating as healthily as I want to be. Also, disordered eating habits resurfaced during the chaos of the pandemic and the move and I am finding it hard to get back on track. My focus and concentration are not where I want them to be, and I think this is in part due to some mental health stuff. I have to do yearly follow-up scans and tests to make sure my cancer is still in remission and it's a source of some stress for me. I actually have a scan coming up on Monday, so wish me luck. The good news: I found a family doctor almost immediately after moving here, and I like him so far. Health care costs are not a worry thanks to a combination of the universal public plan and a work-provided extras plan that covers things like nutritionist visits. My blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. are all fine. I have an interesting job that I like, and I work from home, which means more time to devote to goals or interests. I have a happy and supportive home life. I've made real progress on health-related goals in the past, so I know it's possible. MY ACTUAL PLAN Anyway, the main question is what to tackle first. I need to take it slowly to avoid overwhelm, and I want to avoid the all-or-nothing mentality that has screwed me in the past. So here's my plan (suggestions/feedback welcome): MOVEMENT: Walk every day: ideally I'd like to walk about 30 min a day, but for this respawn I'll count anything, even five minutes up and down the block. This is more about building the habit than anything else. IRON: Take my iron supplement every day (with dinner). NO ADDED SUGAR: Eventually, I want to tackle a lot of food goals, but this is an important first step. I've been working on reducing my intake of sweets lately, and I want to go back to avoiding them altogether (I did so for over six months in 2021 and it really made me feel better). Only things with added sugar count; fruit and other natural sources of sugar are fine. SUPPORT: Search for local nutritionists/dietitians and make at least one enquiry with someone who looks promising (I already found a potential therapist who seems like a good fit, and I am on his waiting list). I still need to make a sweet tracking spreadsheet, but I'll post it here once I have.

Excited for my SEVENTH challenge! I'll be continuing my journey from my sixth challenge: