DrFeelgood - The Defattening, Take Two

[DrFeelgood]

Well, I'm bulky again.   This year has been a serious yo-yo, and up here at the crest of this most recent "yo" I'm needing to re-focus on my continual stated goal of getting lean to start dropping again.

 

Once again I'm going with four goals with some minor tweaks over last time:

 

1. Sleep.  Still going to play it loosely, but I've recognized that I have a weakness for binge-watching TV late into the night.  To address that I'm going to limit myself to two episodes of whatever I'm watching on Netflix.

 

2.  Wake.  In the previous challenge I attempted to get up and do a bodyweight circuit every weekday morning.  I realize now that was super-ambitious.  Plus, I kinda hated it so by the end of the challenge I had blown it off completely.  This time around I'm going to throttle back and try something new to me: yoga.  Three days per week I'm going to start my day with a 15-minute beginner's yoga routine I found somewhere on the webs.  Hopefully this will be a more pleasant way to start my day so I'll actually look forward to doing it.

 

3.  Eat.  I'm going back to counting calories--it's always been the best way for me to manage my intake.  Six days a week I'm aiming for 2000 kcal, then Sundays will be a relatively free day.  Macros aren't important, but food quality is.  I'm aiming for 80% Paleo/Primal during target days.  Free days need to be mindful without being restrictive.  I think I can drop 1 pound per week with this approach and keep it sustainable.

 

4.  Lift.  After getting back to lifting in the previous challenge I'm really enjoying being in the gym again, but I'm finding that I still need to be careful with my knee and that the 5/3/1 (modified) program I was using to build strength isn't necessarily optimal for fat burning.  I'm going to go with a 3x10 program and count on the increased volume (with shorter rest periods) to keep my heart rate up while still preserving lean mass.  Gym target is still just two days per week which makes for a pretty comfortable life balance right now.

 

With school starting back up and nothing really on the horizon until Thanksgiving I think I'm primed for a good run over the next few months.  A strong challenge would be the perfect way to kick that off.

 

Time to get after it.

[DrFeelgood]

 

[Wild Wolf]

First to comment! Woot woot! Eff you dad bod! Leave my friend, DFG, alone! This looks like a solid plan dude and yoga should help start the day off right. I'll keep you motivated with clean eating since that's kind of where I'm at right now too and I'll post yummy (and healthy) recipes for you and the FeelGood Fam when I can  

 

Dat spreadsheet, tho!

 

Wolf

[Shello]

I was almost first!  

 

I like your new approach to sleep.  I've thought about trying that before so I'm curious to see how it works for you.  

[DrFeelgood]

20 minutes ago, Wild Wolf said:

First to comment! Woot woot! Eff you dad bod! Leave my friend, DFG, alone! This looks like a solid plan dude and yoga should help start the day off right. I'll keep you motivated with clean eating since that's kind of where I'm at right now too and I'll post yummy (and healthy) recipes for you and the FeelGood Fam when I can  

 

Dat spreadsheet, tho!

 

Wolf

Coulda used some of that motivation about 30 minutes ago.    The line at Subway was way too long, so Civil Coworker and I ended up at Burger King.  I didn't need a double whopper with cheese and bacon plus large fries, but that's what I'm working with (it was either that or the chicken parm).   I'll put it to good use this afternoon at the gym.

 

I hope this spreadsheet winds up less bloody than the previous one.  That final week was full of red squares.  Green means lean.

 

17 minutes ago, LadyShello said:

I was almost first!  

 

I like your new approach to sleep.  I've thought about trying that before so I'm curious to see how it works for you.  

Technically I was first.

 

 

I hope I can get my sleep smoothed out.  Ten days ago I stayed up way too late watching Longmire with MFG and I haven't been right since.

[Salinger]

Good plan DFG, looks solid. Will be here cheering you on! x

[T2sarahconnor]

Smart challenge and very attainable!  Let us begin the execution.

 

i am also going back to 80% Paleo/primal.  We can keep each other attainable.  And in order to start off on a good note tomorrow I polished off the rest of of ice cream in the freezer.  No ice cream challenge begins tomorrow 

[DrFeelgood]

11 minutes ago, Salinger said:

Good plan DFG, looks solid. Will be here cheering you on! x

Glad to have you back for another run. 

 

10 minutes ago, T2sarahconnor said:

Smart challenge and very attainable!  Let us begin the execution.

 

I am also going back to 80% Paleo/primal.  We can keep each other attainable.  And in order to start off on a good note tomorrow I polished off the rest of of ice cream in the freezer.  No ice cream challenge begins tomorrow 

I ate my last pint of Ben & Jerry's (Peanut Butter World, yum) last night, and I was on the fence between doing a no-ice-cream challenge or still allowing it on Sundays.  But you've pulled me off the fence and I'm joining you for a no-ice cream challenge.  Maybe it won't suck if I can get the scale and my belt moving in the good direction again.   And if it does suck well then we'll be miserable together.

 

[T2sarahconnor]

Mine was Phish food.  Miserable together is better.   I am taking it a step further I think.  More details later.

[Shello]

3 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

Glad to have you back for another run. 

 

I ate my last pint of Ben & Jerry's (Peanut Butter World, yum) last night, and I was on the fence between doing a no-ice-cream challenge or still allowing it on Sundays.  But you've pulled me off the fence and I'm joining you for a no-ice cream challenge.  Maybe it won't suck if I can get the scale and my belt moving in the good direction again.   And if it does suck well then we'll be miserable together.

 

 

2 hours ago, T2sarahconnor said:

Mine was Phish food.  Miserable together is better.   I am taking it a step further I think.  More details later.

Milk and Cookies.  I am going 80% paleo this time too.  But I'm feeling a bit guilty about my 3 variances a week...  I could dedicate one to each of you and eat ice cream in your honor.  

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again to Remind you how Awesome San Antonio is...

and for support, but mostly the San Antonio thing.

[DrFeelgood]

2 hours ago, LadyShello said:

Milk and Cookies.  I am going 80% paleo this time too.  But I'm feeling a bit guilty about my 3 variances a week...  I could dedicate one to each of you and eat ice cream in your honor.  

I don't think that would help me at all.

 

More power to you if it works for your goals, though.

 

2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following along again to Remind you how Awesome San Antonio is...

and for support, but mostly the San Antonio thing.

I need no reminders, sir.   I'm scouring the job listings on a weekly basis.

[Terah]

Yoga! You'll turn into a proper hippy yet, sir

 

Good luck this challenge

[deftona]

Yay! I was the first to post after 6 other people had posted! 

 

[RhiaWolfe]

Hey DFG! I'm here and following. 

 

Your goals look manageable for this challenge and I think you're taking a smart tactic towards trying to gain control of what you are eating. I love the spreadsheet you have laid out to track your progress. I may do the same thing this challenge. Maybe get back into my bujo-ing. Totally here for the weight loss, muscle gainz, healthy eating, and shenanigans! 

 

[DrFeelgood]

6 hours ago, Terah said:

Yoga! You'll turn into a proper hippy yet, sir

It's just morning stretching.  I'm not about to start dodging showers or promoting vegan bacon.

 

If I could I'd do it at the gun range.

 

6 hours ago, deftona said:

Yay! I was the first to post after 6 other people had posted! 

 

The honor of seventh is reserved for the Queen of Everything.  Welcome to the party, Majesty.

 

47 minutes ago, RhiaWolfe said:

Hey DFG! I'm here and following. 

 

Your goals look manageable for this challenge and I think you're taking a smart tactic towards trying to gain control of what you are eating. I love the spreadsheet you have laid out to track your progress. I may do the same thing this challenge. Maybe get back into my bujo-ing. Totally here for the weight loss, muscle gainz, healthy eating, and shenanigans! 

 

You have absolutely captured my shenanigans.  All that's lacking is a pint (or larger) of ice cream on the floor to cushion my face's landing.

[DrFeelgood]

So far it's been a Week Zero of baby steps getting back on track.  I've been getting up earlier each day which is helping with my go-to-bed motivation.  My two-show limit at night is also helping, though I haven't quite figured out how to quantify my Youtube surfing.  I've pared back the diet sodas to just a single 12 oz can of DDP in the morning, which is just enough to stave off any headaches from lack of caffeine.  When my current stock runs out I'll switch to Walmart's store brand (Diet Dr. Thunder, hereinafter DDT) because it has less caffeine and tastes worse.

 

I resumed counting calories in MFP yesterday (new streak, woo!) and had a decent day.  Our church small group met last night so dinner was a potluck affair of mainly cheesy-bread dishes (pizza, Hawaiian-roll sliders, crescent sandwiches, etc.) that I moderated with a couple servings of freggies.  If MFP's figures can be trusted then I ended the day with 2172 kcal and only 22g of sugar.  I still haven't done any deliberate exercise since Week 3 of the previous challenge, but tomorrow's baby step might include a trial run of the yoga morning stretching video.   My knee is appreciating the down time.

 

Since I finally feel like I'm returning to some semblance of stability I went ahead and weighed in this morning to set the start point for this run of fat burning.  The scale said 236.1 lbs., and I have no reason to suspect that number at all.  The scale is my friend, it's only telling me the truth about my choices.

 

 

I'm estimating that I'm up to around 30% bodyfat again.    I'm not going to go for an actual body composition check until I've reached 220 lbs., then I'll make an appointment to get in the BODPOD and lock in some less subjective data.  I've been updating my spreadsheets and getting ready to hit the ground running on Sunday morning, but I'm already considering myself underway since I'm in the right mindset and ready to make some progress.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Following. 

[deftona]

1 hour ago, DrFeelgood said:

When my current stock runs out I'll switch to Walmart's store brand (Diet Dr. Thunder, hereinafter DDT) because it has less caffeine and tastes worse.

 

But it sounds freaking amazeballs. 

[T2sarahconnor]

On August 8, 2017 at 4:30 PM, LadyShello said:

 

Milk and Cookies.  I am going 80% paleo this time too.  But I'm feeling a bit guilty about my 3 variances a week...  I could dedicate one to each of you and eat ice cream in your honor.  

If three variances works for you....do it.  You can think of me in no ice cream land!   I had no ice cream yesterday and I will soon be going no sugar.  I have to it as a total no cheat or I can't do it.  The last time it really worked and I had no issue saying no to dessert, sweets and even birthday cake and ice cream for social occasions. Once and awhile a dark choc bar with almonds or even a handful of semi sweet choc chips in with some nuts kept my sweet tooth at bay.  Just really hard to get thru the first two weeks.

 

On August 9, 2017 at 4:18 AM, deftona said:

Yay! I was the first to post after 6 other people had posted! 

 

Too funny

1 hour ago, DrFeelgood said:

So far it's been a Week Zero of baby steps getting back on track.  I've been getting up earlier each day which is helping with my go-to-bed motivation.  My two-show limit at night is also helping, though I haven't quite figured out how to quantify my Youtube surfing.  I've pared back the diet sodas to just a single 12 oz can of DDP in the morning, which is just enough to stave off any headaches from lack of caffeine.  When my current stock runs out I'll switch to Walmart's store brand (Diet Dr. Thunder, hereinafter DDT) because it has less caffeine and tastes worse.

 

No ice cream for me yesterday and by Sunday, no sugar.  With that being said, I will still be drinking DCDP ( Diet Cherry Dr Pepper) because it really helped me the last time when I quit sugar.  I usually have mine in the evening when the sugar monster rears its ugly head.

 

Did anyone else catch that DFG will be poisoning himself with DDT?  

5 minutes ago, deftona said:

 

But it sounds freaking amazeballs. 

Of course Deftona jumps in with both feet!

[RhiaWolfe]

3 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

 

Since I finally feel like I'm returning to some semblance of stability I went ahead and weighed in this morning to set the start point for this run of fat burning.  The scale said 236.1 lbs., and I have no reason to suspect that number at all.  The scale is my friend, it's only telling me the truth about my choices.

 

 

I'm estimating that I'm up to around 30% bodyfat again.    I'm not going to go for an actual body composition check until I've reached 220 lbs., then I'll make an appointment to get in the BODPOD and lock in some less subjective data.  I've been updating my spreadsheets and getting ready to hit the ground running on Sunday morning, but I'm already considering myself underway since I'm in the right mindset and ready to make some progress.

 

I'm also having difficulty with this part of the thing. The exercise part. I'm planning on using the camp I'm going to as a spring board for exercise when I get back. I want to do all the things!!! RANGER BRAIN!!!

 

Tonight I plan to do yoga evening stretching once I finish packing for camp. 

 

I've never had a body composition check done. How do you do that? It's good to have a baseline to measure off of. Here's to getting back in the game! 

 

[DrFeelgood]

5 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

Following. 

Aw yeah, Sloth in the house.

 

5 hours ago, deftona said:

But it sounds freaking amazeballs. 

90% of its value is in the name.  The other 10% is that it's 2/3 the price.

 

5 hours ago, T2sarahconnor said:

No ice cream for me yesterday and by Sunday, no sugar.  With that being said, I will still be drinking DCDP ( Diet Cherry Dr Pepper) because it really helped me the last time when I quit sugar.  I usually have mine in the evening when the sugar monster rears its ugly head.

 

Did anyone else catch that DFG will be poisoning himself with DDT?

I'm two days without ice cream now, so the grief is still pretty fresh.  DCDP sometimes has the price advantage, too, plus it's actually pleasant.  I don't know how you drink in the evening without messing up your sleep--I'd be screwed if I tried that.

 

You're 2 for 2 on my recent obscure references.

 

3 hours ago, RhiaWolfe said:

I'm also having difficulty with this part of the thing. The exercise part. I'm planning on using the camp I'm going to as a spring board for exercise when I get back. I want to do all the things!!! RANGER BRAIN!!!

 

I've never had a body composition check done. How do you do that? It's good to have a baseline to measure off of. Here's to getting back in the game!

Ranger Brain can be a powerful ally, but you have to be able to tell it "No."  In my case I have to be careful not to let me deliberate "No's" become universal "Nah's".  I also think parents are somewhat less susceptible to it after years of being worn down by children constantly wanting to do all the things.  My brain has lost its Rangerlin-sensitivity, so I have Type 2 Fitnabetes.

 

I'm lucky that my Wellness Center on post has a BODPOD that I can use.  It's a dry method that uses air-displacement to evaluate your composition.  To use it I have to wear compression shorts and a swim cap then sit in an airtight egg-shaped chamber for a few minutes.  It's super simple and supposed to be pretty accurate.  I've used other methods like electro-resistance scales and calipers, but I like the BODPOD best so far.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

6 hours ago, T2sarahconnor said:

Did anyone else catch that DFG will be poisoning himself with DDT?  

Nah, my brain went here:

[Ensi]

Following!

 

I appreciate the ice cream elimination goal, but I hope we could find a way for you to have an occasional portion of ice cream without it being too much. Baby steps, but could you maybe learn to make your own ice cream for this challenge? With frozen bananas, milk of your choice, and protein powder? You could also experiment with replacing the milk with greek yogurt

 

I'm not saying that I doubt your willpower. What I'm saying is, I know that we all have a lizard brain that will fight restriction by making you think about ice cream 24/7, if it's not available  I'm not a big fan of creating substitutes to replace the actual yummy food you want, but I personally see no harm in having something healthy and sweet for breakfast, or for post-workout purposes.

[DrFeelgood]

21 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Nah, my brain went here:

If I can find a pair of Jake the Snake tights then my progress photo problems will be solved, too.

 

15 hours ago, Ensi said:

Following!

 

I appreciate the ice cream elimination goal, but I hope we could find a way for you to have an occasional portion of ice cream without it being too much. Baby steps, but could you maybe learn to make your own ice cream for this challenge? With frozen bananas, milk of your choice, and protein powder? You could also experiment with replacing the milk with greek yogurt

 

I'm not saying that I doubt your willpower. What I'm saying is, I know that we all have a lizard brain that will fight restriction by making you think about ice cream 24/7, if it's not available  I'm not a big fan of creating substitutes to replace the actual yummy food you want, but I personally see no harm in having something healthy and sweet for breakfast, or for post-workout purposes.

Yay!  It just got super foxy up in here.

 

The no-ice-cream portion isn't a permanent goal, I'm treating it as a booster to kick off this initial fat burning challenge.  I might revisit some "healthier" options in future challenges, but my experience with those is that they're a lot of work to leave me just dissatisfied enough.   And all of the prepared versions have artificial sweeteners that don't agree with me.  I'm actually excited about strict prohibition this time around--I think it'll help me remain focused on what I'm trying to accomplish.  Then I can moderately and deliberately enjoy a double serving over the next break.

________________

 

I'm still baby stepping my way toward Sunday's kickoff, but that sadly didn't include any yoga this morning.  My sleep was disrupted by waves of thunderstorms which contributed to overshooting my alarm again this morning.  All else yesterday and today has been easy and on track.

 

I've set an intermediate goal of getting back down to 220 lbs. then continuing on to my ultimate goal of Onederland.  Whenever I do finally drop below 200 lbs (not likely until next calendar year) I am finally going to reward myself with a new suit and the requisite tailoring.  I've been talking about that for a while now, but this time I'm going to follow through and snazzify myself properly.  I need an intermediate prize for the 220 mark, though.  Maybe something from my Amazon wish list that I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on--a guitar pedal or somesuch, I'll figure it out.

 

My design for a guitar cabinet is nearly done, but construction is going to require the purchase of a new power tool  so that's on temporary hold until funds are suitable.  My evenings lately have been spent playing video games with my boys, right now we're working our way through the original SNES Chrono Trigger.  The game allows you to name the new characters to your party, so I've been tagging them with monikers from my NF peeps.  So far I've had Deffy and Tank helping me out, and by luck I just happened to assign Deffy to the character who turns out to be the princess.   How fitting.  Tank was the battle-hardened sword-wielding frog who joined the party to rescue the queen, and he served admirably.

 

A rainy weekend awaits, and I have nothing planned.  It's going to be a great one!