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Four Mega Man bot bosses down, four more to go. On tap for number five--Air Man. This stage requires patience and timing. Some enemies are best avoided since battling them exposes our hero to environmental hazards. I'm sticking with my ongoing Mega Man 2 theme for the year, but I'm going to change things up a bit. Halfway through the Eight Bosses I'm feeling a bit lost. My workouts have gotten stale, my goals have been a little too concrete, and I've managed to grind my fitness endeavors in to a pretty useless rut. I like routine and boring consistency, but this rut isn't helping me any more. Moreover, I've been too exclusive with exercises that aren't progressing toward my ultimate goal. I am not a Warrior, even though I like being strong. I am a Ranger. And it's time to range out and make this body a little more useful. For exercise I'm going to dial back the barbells. It was fun pushing toward the 1,000 LB Club, but ever since I achieved that I haven't really had the drive to continue improving. Lately I've been tentative because of nagging aches and pains, and I'm no longer seeing the benefit of continually pursuing strength alone. I experimented with adding a bit of cardio to my previous barbell schedule but it wasn't working. Instead, I'm going to take a page from last year's highly-successful Challenge 15-5 wherein I lifted only twice per week and did non-barbell stuff on two other days per week along with deliberate rest periods. What I really want is a lean and strong body that can run relatively freely and do pull-ups for 3 sets of 10. I'm going to sacrifice (some) muscle mass while burning fat to reduce my body weight so I can push and pull it around my environment more easily, plain and simple. I'm still programming strength, but I've left the non-strength days more broad so I can be flexible. Activities will include sprint intervals, NF BBWW, hiking, bike rides, and monkeying around with the Minions on the playground. I'm going to roll with whatever the weather, my mood, and our collective calendar permit. I have been terribly inconsistent with my eating this summer. This challenge is an opportunity to bring that back under control. Some of my absolutist positions regarding particular types of foods (ice cream and diet soda, primarily) have been counterproductive, so I'm repealing prohibitions. Taking another page from Challenge 15-5, I'm going to raise my daily allowance and incorporate a maintenance day once per week in the hopes of stabilizing my appetite and fueling my workouts. I'm also going to attempt to focus on macros. Admittedly this will be tough since 2/3 of my food is planned and prepared by MFG. If nothing else then this challenge will be a good opportunity to log 4 weeks worth of protein and carbs to see how I'm currently living. I'm going to need to do some research to expand our repertoire--that's not a bad thing at all. My non-fitness life has been needing something of a jump start lately, too. I'm going to incorporate a Creativity goal in this challenge as a rut-buster (or at least a rut-decorator ). I'm leaving this pretty broad, too, since I have a fair number of interests and any one (or five) of them could take a spark of inspiration on a given day. Activities could include music (write a guitar phrase or learn a new song), drawing, woodwork, design (not related to my paying job) or construction, poetry (at which I'm terrible), or some kind of craft project with the Minions (they're big in to Perler beads lately). The point is to disengage my critical mind and just do something lovely for a little while. I'll think of it as seasoning my day. The last goal I'll focus on is sleep. I've been too loose with my bedtime goal in previous challenges--even my qualified passes weren't really helping me from day to day. This time I'm going to make a stronger effort to actually improve my life and not just tick the box on a spreadsheet. The only real obstacle here is MFG's sleep schedule--I'm hoping she'll work with me. Parallel to fitness items, I'm going to make a list of life tasks that need to get completed. This is more for the sake of organizing my brain than actually getting things done, so the list itself is the goal. Completing any agenda items will just be icing on the cake. This is an untracked and ungraded goal, but I may upload screenshots of my journal (can't call it a BuJo, sorry gals) for accountability's sake. METRICS Goal 1: Exercise - Complete two barbell-centric strength workouts per week. Hit all programmed lifts. - Complete two BW/HIIT/Cardio circuit-type workouts per week. Minimum workout length is 36 minutes. Log all activities. - Rest for 48 hours twice per week. - Increase pull-ups to a single set of seven reps by September 16th. I've been failing at this one for three challenges in a row, and it's time to make some actual progress. Goal 2: Eat - Sub-goal 2A: Calories. Stay within 4% of target for total kcal every day. Target is 2100 per day, except on Sunday which increases to 2700 for maintenance. - Sub-goal 2B: Protein. Get at least 180g of protein each and every day. - Sub-goal 2C: Carbs. Stay within 4% of 200g carbs every day. - "Junk" food won't be an automatic fail, but everything consumed in a single day must satisfy macro targets. Emphasis will be on maximizing clean whole foods prepared at home, moderating caffeine and dairy, and avoiding excess sugar. I have a feeling I'm going to be eating a lot of rotisserie chicken and microwave-steamed vegetables. - Weight loss. I usually avoid making goals for scale weight since it can be so finicky, but I need a concrete target to shoot for. By the end of this challenge I want to have shed six pounds from the end of the last challenge. That calculates to a target scale weight on the morning of September 18 of under 213.4 lbs. Goal 3: Create - Spend at least 20 minutes in the evening doing something creative that is completely unrelated to work. Target is 100 minutes per week, spread out over a minimum of four days. Goal 4: Sleep - In bed with lights out on time every night. That's 10:30 pm before work days and midnight on all others. - All media devices must be turned off and set aside to pass the goal. As usual I'll track challenge goals and exercise specifics with my standard spreadsheets, this time themed for Air Man himself (much better looking than the previous Wood Man files). I'll also continue my series of progress photos and scale weights during weekly check-ins. This Week Zero I'll audition the program and make any minor tweaks necessary prior to running it full steam when the Challenge kicks off on Sunday morning. Mega Suit Up! And we're off...

Three Mega Man bot bosses down, five more to go. On tap for number four--Wood Man. This one is always a fun stage. Last challenge fizzled at the halfway point then imploded in the final week. Family vacation was eventful and stressful, but we made the best of it. It wasn't terribly relaxing, but it was productive--we were able to give MFG's mom a lot of much needed help with various things in her life. I ultimately ended up taking two weeks off from all fitness endeavors to concentrate on other stuff, so I'm basically starting from the same place as last time; therefore I'm simply rebooting my goals: Goal 1: Workout - Warm-up and stretch at every workout. - Continue my barbell regimen. - Progress with my accessory work, i.e. pull-ups, dips, rows, etc. Target is for 7 strict unassisted pull-ups by the end of this challenge. Goal 2: Eat - Eat clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. - Zero ice cream, period. No excuses, no rationalizations. None, zip, zilch, nada. I can't afford the hit points if I want to reach my goals. - Stay within 4% of 1,800 calories per day, and no more than 13,000 in any single week of the challenge. Goal 3: Drink - Predominantly water: no juice, milk, or regular sodas. All beverages must contain zero calories. - Diet sodas are permitted: caffeinated varieties in the morning or before a workout, caffeine-free varieties sparingly at other times. Goal 4: Sleep - In bed with lights out on time every night. That's 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. As usual I'll track challenge goals and exercise specifics with my standard spreadsheets, this time themed for Wood Man himself (they're so ugly, I kinda like it). I'll also continue my series of progress photos during weekly check-ins. Mega Suit Up! And we're off...

Two Mega Man bot bosses down, six more to go. On the docket for number three--Flash Man. Fitting since this challenge is going to go fast, I think. Weight loss is going gangbusters! Since getting back to running strict deficits 5 weeks ago I've lost 10 pounds, 7 of them coming from pure body fat. I'm taking Week Zero to eat at maintenance and let my metabolism recover a little before pushing another round of deficits for this challenge. With discipline and a little luck I should be able to drop another 8 pounds which would put me in sight of Onederland for the first time in several months. I'm excited for how this is shaping up. The caveat: we're going on family vacation for two weeks beginning July 1st. Those vacation weeks will cover Week 4 of this challenge and Week 0 of the next one--that's just good fortune for me, since I'll get to spend a maintenance week while MFG and I get to enjoy a sort-of second honeymoon. Unfortunately, I'm going to be away from my gym for the duration and without access to a local gym for a decent portion of the trip. I'm going to have to get creative with exercise when we're camping or sightseeing. With everything working as intended, I'm not making any changes from the last challenge: Goal 1: Workout - Warm-up and stretch at every workout. - Continue my barbell regimen. - Progress with my accessory work, i.e. pull-ups, dips, rows, etc. Target is for 7 strict unassisted pull-ups by the end of this challenge. Goal 2: Eat - Eat clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. - Zero ice cream, period. No excuses, no rationalizations. None, zip, zilch, nada. I can't afford the hit points if I want to reach my goals. - Stay within 4% of 1,800 calories per day, and no more than 13,000 in any single week of the challenge. Goal 3: Drink - Predominantly water: no juice, milk, or regular sodas. - Diet sodas are permitted: caffeinated varieties in the morning or before a workout, caffeine-free varieties sparingly at other times. Goal 4: Sleep - In bed with lights out on time every night. That's 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. As usual I'll track challenge goals and exercise specifics with my standard spreadsheets styled after Flash Man. I'll also continue my renewed series of progress photos during weekly check-ins. When I lack access to a scale or mirror I'll do my best to estimate. This Week Zero I'm going for the 1,000 pound club with my barbell lifts. There's a special spreadsheet to track this week's exercise progress--I've styled that one after Bubble Man to give him his due. Mega Suit Up! And we're off...

Ten challenges complete since Jan 2015. Seven more to go this year, and lots of progress yet to be made. Here's the next baddie standing in my way--I'm calling him Ice Cream Man in my head. His life is about to suck. Last challenge I defeated Metal Man and got equipped with the Metal Blade. Now we're going underwater to acquire the Bubble Lead. It will take dexterity and discipline to complete this stage: the ceiling is lined with mines that detonate on contact. I have to stay low or risk exploding--that's the perfect analogy for my nutrition plan in this challenge. Weight loss is back on! I'm relatively confident that I've built my metabolism back up enough to support another round of deficits. Since I've been hanging out around 220 lbs. and 26% body fat for the last few months I'm definitely ready to bail this excess weight and get back down to Onederland on my way to 180 lbs. and 10% body fat by the end of October. My usual challenge goals will be in place with slightly modified targets to help support the cut. Goal 1: Workout - Warm-up and stretch at every workout. - Continue my barbell regimen. - Progress with my accessory work, i.e. pull-ups, dips, rows, etc. Target is for 7 strict unassisted pull-ups by the end of this challenge. Goal 2: Eat - Eat clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. - Zero ice cream, period. No excuses, no rationalizations. None, zip, zilch, nada. I can't afford the hit points if I want to reach my goals. - Stay within 4% of 1,800 calories per day, and no more than 13,000 in any single week of the challenge. Goal 3: Drink - Predominantly water: no juice, milk, or regular sodas. - Diet sodas are permitted, but only before a workout (caffeinated) or a single glass with dinner (caffeine-free). Goal 4: Sleep - In bed with lights out on time every night. That's 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. Returning for this challenge: The Selfie Mirror (and deftona's favorite shorts)! I'm going to resume my series of progress photos starting Sunday morning. They're the most motivating thing I've done in this fitness quest, and I've been sorely missing them since I had to pack everything up in Iowa last October. Therefore it's been determined that on Saturday I'll find a good spot in the house to hang it up so that I can get back to documenting and comparing my progress on a weekly basis along with my weigh-ins. This Week Zero I'm getting a jump start on the challenge, so even though it won't show up in my (Metal-Blade themed) spreadsheet I'm already conquering my goals. In subsequent Week Zeroes I'll be eating at maintenance to keep the metabolism primed, otherwise every challenge from here on out is going to look exactly like this with a new robot boss to defeat. Mega Suit Up! And we're off...

The remedial portion of this year is over. I'm all caught up (at least strength-wise) with where I left off in 2015, and now it's time to start collecting upgrades on my way to becoming Mega by the end of the year. With 8 challenges remaining in 2016 I thought it fitting to tackle them according to a well-known and well-loved classic game: Eight bosses = eight victories with eight new abilities and armor to gain. First up is Metal Man. He's fast, he's nimble, and the entire stage is built with conveyor belts that are constantly changing direction; but he's got the Metal Blade and that's the weapon I want first. Plus, my current fitness regimen is built around iron so this is the most natural place to start. Since this is the first Robot boss I won't be able to use any new abilities during the challenge, but I will gain one at the end to use in my next challenge. In each successive challenge I'll add a physical/culinary/life skill to learn in order to defeat that particular boss' stage. Metal Blades are powerful, broadly effective, and can be aimed in any direction. Ability to gain: the two-minute prayer. New armor: a red or yellow shirt. Goal 1: Workout - Warm-up and stretch at every workout. - Continue my barbell regimen. - Progress with my accessory work, i.e. pull-ups, dips, rows, etc. Target is for 7 pull-ups by the end of this challenge. Goal 2: Eat - Stick to eating clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. Avoid refined carbs and sugars. - Continue rebuilding metabolism with progressive calorie increases from week to week. Target is to be at (calculated) maintenance by the next Week Zero. Goal 3: Drink - Only water throughout the challenge period: I'm keeping this rolling at least through May. Goal 4: Sleep - In bed on time every night. That's 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. Goals are pretty much identical to previous challenges. I'm going to keep doing them until I get them right. This should be the last challenge of reverse dieting to rebuild my metabolism, so I'm going to work really hard on being disciplined, especially during the weekends where I've struggled the most in recent challenges. Week Zero (post Easter, no less) was a bit extreme, so I pushed back my composition measurements to Monday morning to coincide with the start of this challenge. I'll make that my standard from here on out. This morning's scale weight was 222.1 lbs, for a small increase after the holiday week. Yesterday was the annual health fair at work, and one of the booths was from the local med college with students who wanted to practice taking my blood pressure and reading my blood glucose. Pressure was higher than I'd like to see (it always seems to be these days) but non-fasting glucose was only 92 mg/dl! Given my family history of adult-onset type II diabetes this was extremely good news indeed, and doubly so after a week of eating Easter candy and drinking soda. The end of the last challenge coincided with the partial closure of my usual gym--they've severely truncated their hours. The good news is that our new facility is finally open, so I did a single deload workout last week to get familiar with the new setup. It's new and clean so there's a lot to like, but there are fewer power racks and only a single deadlift platform. Hopefully I'll still be able to get my lifts done in a reasonable time frame, especially on Wednesdays because we're finally making some friends through a small group from church that meets at 6 pm each week. At any rate, I'm pretty much back on track as of yesterday and intend to hit this challenge at full speed. Come Monday morning, I'll press start on Metal Man. He's going to wish that Dr. Wily had never created him.

The punishment system I had in place last challenge did me the world of good – I got at least a B in all my goals (and 3 A+s) out of fear of having to eat only my least favourite raw vegetables for a whole day, and provide photographic evidence, if I failed a goal more than 3 times in a week. The stakes are being upped this time, same rules, same forfeits, but I’m only allowed two strikes before I’m out. Consider it like a narrow path through a cursed forest – if I stay on the path, no harm will come to me, and I can ignore all the man-sized many-legged things that scuttle about in the undergrowth on either side. And if I stumble once or twice, and fall off the path, it’s not that big a deal, but it draws the attention of the scuttling things so that the next time, they’re waiting. And they’ll make me eat raw, unseasoned cabbage or something. I do see some possible fallen logs blocking my way, so I’m trying to list what they might be now so I can work out contingency plans. Yesterday (28th March) the scales said 101.8kg, and last challenge, I started off at 104.2kg. If I stick to the path, I could expect to get under 100kg, something I’ve not been in a long time now. Goal 1: 1600kcal of good-quality food per day 1600kcal. 1800kcal permitted on strength training days, but only if the extra 200kcal comes from protein consumed straight after training. Must include a minimum of 5 freggies, and 1 litre of water, as has been my standard for a while. No more than one measured serving size of junk per day (poorly defined, I know. I mean chocolate, bread, pasta, rum, and other things that don’t count as a freggie and don’t contribute much other than calories). POTENTIAL FALLEN LOG 1: Food at work. It’s usually high-calorie. Avoid bringing money when I have a packed lunch; try and always have a packed lunch. +4 CON Goal 2: Strength Training I’m trying to develop some sort of split with the workouts: one with horizontal upper body and glute work, the other with vertical upper body and quad work. Yoga daily except Mondays, with difficult poses being incorporated into my warm up and cool down on lifting days, and flexibility related poses being enjoyed on Thursdays and Sundays. Monday: Complete Rest (Theatre group in evening) Tuesday: Bench Press, Dumbbell Row, Dumbbell Flyes, Front Squat*, Lunges Wednesday: Lat Pull-Down**, Overhead Press, Goblet Squat, Deadlift Thursday: Yoga at home. Friday: Bench Press, Dumbbell Row, Dumbbell Flyes, Front Squat, Saturday: Lunges Lat Pull-Down, Overhead Press, Goblet Squat, Deadlift Sunday: Yoga at home. *I have squats in both sessions, but I like squats, and I have three rest days, so I’m not all that fussed about that. **Bent-arm dumbbell pullovers if it’s busy and the lat machine I can actually reach isn’t free. I prefer the lat machine, because I can get heavy without fear that I’ll cave my skull in if my grip slips. POTENTIAL FALLEN LOG 2: I’m getting an implant removed from my arm on the 11th. When it went in, I couldn’t use that arm for about 6 weeks. Removal may be fine. If it isn’t fine, I’ll clamber over that log when I come to it. +2 STR, +2 DEX Goal 3: BQ Long, euphemism-ridden story short, my back HURTS and I desire the lifting of a great weight from my chest. So, I have embarked on a mission to make it so. BoobQuest, as it decided to name itself despite my protestations, is threefold: Lose weight, thereby almost certainly reducing breast tissue, as should result from Goal 1. Do some extra work to the back and chest, as detailed above in Goal 2 (expanding my lifting routine beyond Squat + Press + Deadlift). For self-esteem reasons, take good care of the skin in that general area with massage and moisturiser, daily. +1 CHA Goal 4: Self-Care This is particularly important to me right now, because shark week is consistently every second week. I will have whatever chocolate fits my Goal 1 rules, but my womb is not the boss of me and I refuse to let it rule my stomach. I’m not making an activity-specific goal, because I hate it when relaxation becomes a chore. Strength training has been giving me enough enjoyable time to be alone and not think. But I am going to grade myself on the yes/no question “Have I done an extra kind thing for my body today?” Examples: It could be choosing a soft drink over rum at the pub after writing class, or a bubble bath, or a face mask, or swapping out something junky for a sixth freggie, or doing some bedtime yoga (the kind described as yummy, that mostly involves breathing and cracking your back) or having an extra glass of water. Things I have to do anyway for Goals 1-3 don’t count. +1 CON Goal 5: PAIN Update thread every day, or £1 goes into the Idiot Jar and I have to reveal an embarrassing fact upon the next update. The money in the Idiot Jar gets spent on something atrociously hideous in a charity shop* at the end of the challenge, as a reminder of the fact that I am an Idiot to some degree. If no money is in the Idiot Jar, I can spend up to £10 in a charity shop on a proper reward, and any remainder on something awful to amuse LadyShello. Either way, at least £1 goes to charity this challenge. If I miss two goals in a week through laziness (i.e. not through illness or injury), then I have to suffer a forfeit. The following Monday, I am only allowed to eat raw veggies that I find unpleasant raw, like broccoli. All day. And provide proof. To up the stakes this time, every time I miss one goal through laziness, my next meal can't contain any seasonings. No salt, no pepper, no condiments, no butter, no interesting cooking methods, just plain bland boiled protein and vegetables. If you saw how much peri peri sauce I go through in a week, you'd see how much that makes me tremble. +2 CHA, + 1 STA Life Goal: Writing It's less than a month till the Scratch Night for the playwriting course I'm doing. We each have a 5-10 minute play to write that'll be performed on the 22nd of April. I am second guessing myself a lot. It’s a very common thing to never think your work is good enough, and I’m trying to remind myself of that, but I could really use a beer after this. Work on writing, as and when needed or wanted, but I must have a new draft of the play by the end of each week. +1 WIS, +1 CHA Tracking: Monitor goals daily, with a yes/no checklist (I made a paper chart) Weigh self, weekly. If weight loss plateaus, double-check calorie totals, recalculate BMR, and adjust intake accordingly. A for Goal 1: Something fancy from the fruit section A for Goal 2: A new vest I can do downward dog in without flashing everything – under £5. A for Goal 3: Better moisturiser. A for Goal 4: Something pleasant for the bath A for Goal 5: As dictated by whatever’s in the charity shop A for Life Goal (by which I mean getting to the end of the Scratch Night alive): BEER. ONWARD!

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I will definitely not regret this challenge about two weeks in. Goal 1: Yoga Work diligently towards the following three targets, by doing yoga that challenges me, DAILY.1.) Put legs behind head2.) Hold Crow Pose for longer than it takes to fall haphazardly through Crow Pose3.) Move forward from Down Dog to a forward fold in one fluid movement, without taking my hands off the mat and without doing a Night of the Living Dead shuffle. I don't expect to achieve them this month, but that doesn't mean I won't give it a square go. +3 DEX, +1 STR Goal 2: Food and Drink - Consume no more than 1400kcal/day, through a combination of calorie counting and intermittent fasting. (My normal fasting method is 23hr fasts. I'll decide whether I'm having several weeny little meals throughout the day or just one meal in the evening at the start of each day, but I have to do one or the other.) - Record calorie intake daily. - Eat at least five portions of freggies within that calorie allowance. - 2 pints of plain water down the hatch every day. +4 CON Goal 3: PAIN Since a reward system doesn't seem to work, we're going to go for a punishment system this time. Ho. Ho. Ho. - Every day I don't update my thread, I put a £1 coin in the Idiot Jar, and reveal one embarrassing fact when I next update. - If I miss a goal more than three times in one week, I am only allowed to eat raw vegetables the following Monday. Photographic evidence is required. Not nice, delightful, refreshing vegetables like cucumbers and bell peppers, either. We're talking cruciferous vegetables here, my friends. And onions. - At the end of the challenge, the money in the Idiot Jar is taken to a British charity shop of your choice, selected from the following list of ones near me:- The Bethany Christian Trust - Providing practical help for homeless people across Scotland- The British Heart Foundation - Research into heart disease- Cancer Research UK - What it says on the tin.- Marie Curie Hospice - Support and palliative care for people with terminal illnesses throughout the UK- Capability Scotland - Help with education, employment and care services for disabled children and adults in Scotland. - I then spend the idiot money on the thing I find most hideous and useless in the whole shop, be it a weird fluorescent mesh bodysuit with Nameless Stains, an earthenware arse, a 5-video VHS boxset on How To Use Your Filofax, whatever. This will serve as a reminder that I am an idiot. The remaining idiot money will then go in the wee collection box on the counter. - If there is no money in the Idiot Jar, I can reward myself by spending up to £10 in the chosen shop on something I really fancy. +2 CHA, +2 STA Life Goal: Write a Play Produce a first draft of the play I need to write for the playwriting course I'm attending. Redraft until I'd be happy seeing it professionally directed and performed, because it will be, on the 22nd of April, no matter what. Pressure is good.Pressure is good. Then redraft it even more. +2 CHA, +1 WIS LET US NOW DO THIS THING.