Mizbrek Takes Argus

[Mizbrek]

 

The portal deposited the Hobbit Brewmaster on a pristine vessel of some kind. Mizbrek pushed himself up. A quick look told him that he was somewhere in the Azerothian universe. Draenei, Goblins, Tauren, Orcs were abound. Few paid him a second glance. He stopped a Goblin, a hunter from the looks of it, who was running around.

 

“Hey, buddy, where are we?”

 

“The Vindicar!” he cried out, as if it was obvious. “We’re on Argus man! The final assault on the Burning Legion! Come on! Let’s kick some demon ass!”

 

Miz could get behind that.

 

The Hobbit Brewmaster followed the goblin as he ran up the main platform, placing his hand upon a device and disappearing. Miz shrugged and followed suit. Suddenly he was surrounded by demons, attacking everyone around him. Miz pulled his staff from his back, and grinned.

 

Time to get to work.

 

Last Challenge Review

Overall the last challenge went well, but I allowed myself still more variances and allowances on the weekends, and I think in the end this is what sunk me slight. I did lose about 2lbs, but I struggled to stick with my calorie goals. I don’t think going off the Apple Watch in terms of calories and deficits is working well. It’s nice to look at, for sure, but it doesn’t seem to be working at motivating me to get moving. I do think the drink rule worked well, and the reading was a nice treat to myself.

 

This Challenge Overview

With this challenge I’m putting two or three things on “autopilot.” I’m going to continue to read daily, do housework, and post and read on the Rebellion, but I won’t be tracking those here. They’re all relatively routine for me now, and I don’t want to clog up things. We have a renewed emphasis on calorie intake this time, which I think is where I’ve been losing ground. I’ve been eating back calories, and I think the results of that show that’s not the best idea. I’ve also been drinking a bit much, and we have two goals related to that. I am looking at doing some activity in a less structured way, drinking more water, and getting more sleep. I also am not building in any particular punishments. I don’t know if they’re effective, for me, but I am putting in a couple smallish loot goals.

 

No beer except self-made/out - I was looking back at my banking and realizing I’m spending a lot of money, and calories, on beer. I don’t plan to never drink beer again, obviously, but these days I’m having trouble controlling myself. I make exceptions for self-made beer, and if I’m out at restaurants/someone’s house.

2000 calorie limit - Pretty self-explanatory! Most TDEE calculators I take have my maintenance around 2500, as well as the large spreadsheet I’ve been using, so trying to stick at a 500 cal/day deficit, and focusing on just consumed calories, not eating any back. Allowing one maintenance variance per week.

2 drink rule - Again pretty self-explanatory. 2 drink maximum per day, with one variance day per week (I suspect this will be Saturdays or Sundays generally). My hope is not to use those, but we’ll see.

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - Continuing with my sleep goals, pushing bedtime up by half an hour. I thought about setting a weekend goal but I think I’ll need my rest, truthfully. I also have a couple vacation days where this won’t apply coming up.

3.1L water per day - All the water!

Close activity ring every day - My Apple Watch tracks my activity, and my goal here will be to close the “activity” (as in burned calories) ring every day, with a goal of 700 calories burned per day. I’m allowing myself two variances on this for the whole challenge, as opposed to per week.

 

Loot

50% Completion - 84 Points - Stronglifts Pro App Unlock

75% Completion - 126 Points - Pedicure/Equivalent Value Thingy

 

Points

Pretty simple point system, 1 point per day per item!

 

[Elastigirl]

I like your plan of no drinks except what you make yourself. Budget and calorie saving=double bonus

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again, I'm also struggling with calories.

[Emerald Eagle]

3.1L of water seems very specific, care to share why you picked this number?

 

Nice goals btw  I like how you take the time to reflect and change things up when they're not working. I'll be following along.

[jonfirestar]

I've also been struggling with sticking to my calorie goal. Following again.

[Mizbrek]

8 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

I like your plan of no drinks except what you make yourself. Budget and calorie saving=double bonus

Well that's just beer to be fair, I'll still have wine and liquor, but beer is really where I was spending a lot of my calories and a decent chunk of money. And I'm hopeful it'll push me to make sure I have an adequate supply in the pipeline. Right now I have a hefeweizen bottle fermenting, planning a peanut butter pumpkin spice ale soon though.

8 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following along again, I'm also struggling with calories.

Glad to have you! And yeah, I think the summer can be really tough, and especially when you're adapting to a new living arrangement too. We'll get back on track!

6 hours ago, EmeraldEagle said:

3.1L of water seems very specific, care to share why you picked this number?

 

Nice goals btw  I like how you take the time to reflect and change things up when they're not working. I'll be following along.

You know I can't remember exactly! I use an app called Waterminder and it reminds me to drink and tracks my water intake. That was the amount it set for me! And thanks on the goals! I think the reflection can be helpful, so I try to include my reasoning in case it helps someone else! But it's mostly an exercise for me!

2 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

I've also been struggling with sticking to my calorie goal. Following again.

Seems to be a trend! We'll get back on track though, I always find the kinda celebratory summer a bit tough. Though now I get a short break before Christmas and it all comes up again! Bah, ah well. Glad to have you back!

 

Had a very nice gym workout this morning, but realized on the way to the gym I forgot to implement a point system here! Will work on that soon. For now I'm doing a bit of a soft launch - working on these goals, and likely tracking them, but not worrying too too much about missing a bit.

[Terra]

5 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

For now I'm doing a bit of a soft launch - working on these goals, and likely tracking them, but not worrying too too much about missing a bit.

Sounds like a perfect week 0!  

[Mizbrek]

18 minutes ago, Terra said:

Sounds like a perfect week 0!  

Thanks! I think so too!

 

Added in a simple point system - nothing too crazy to keep track of. I'm going to give myself points for what I complete during week 0, as I am working on this stuff. I'm particularly excited for this challenge - I like the simple goals, the simple tracking, and the back to basics sort of goals. Had a gym session today that was great as well. Love lifting those big weights (well, small weights, really, but they feel big to me!).

 

Thanks again all for chiming in! 

[Shello]

I'll just raise my hand too for the calorie struggles.  I feel your pain.  

[Mizbrek]

Alright, not a bad launch day yesterday! Got a good gym workout in, got my water. Looking like the calorie limit will be a bit of a struggle, but I mean, it should be, right? We'll see if it makes sense to try and up it a bit, but so far I'm striving for that. My TDEE calculating spreadsheet says I'm at a TDEE of around 2600 currently, and that I should be eating at 2150 for a 500cal deficit, so I'm not too far off if that's the case.

 

No beer except self-made/out - I feel like this one will be relatively easy, as the barriers mean I need to go and BUY beer to break this. +1

2000 calorie limit - 300 cals over this yesterday. Little too much to drink (as I broke the third goal too). But not too bad, and I'm hopeful the exercise calories offset that somewhat.

2 drink rule - Had an extra glass of a very nice bottle of wine. We chose to open a nice bottle, partly cause we ran out of cheap wine, partly because why not? 

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - This one I managed on both ends. I've been targeting spending an hour in the gym or so every day, which means being there at 5, so this should be pretty doable. The 10pm is a bit early for me, but that is kinda the point! +1

3.1L water per day - Done and done. +1

Close activity ring every day - Done with calories to spare! +1

 

Points

4 points

 

Also wanted to share this photo I posted on my Instagram recently from Monday. I really felt good about this photo - I liked the way I'm starting to look, the way I can see what I think are muscles starting to form. So wanted to share that little victory!

 

 

 

[Mrs Van]

All the sleep and all the water!

[jonfirestar]

15 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

Also wanted to share this photo I posted on my Instagram recently from Monday. I really felt good about this photo - I liked the way I'm starting to look, the way I can see what I think are muscles starting to form. So wanted to share that little victory!

You should feel good too. It's a good photo! Progress, visible and tangible progress, is being made!

[Mizbrek]

22 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

All the sleep and all the water!

Working on it! So far so good!

7 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

You should feel good too. It's a good photo! Progress, visible and tangible progress, is being made!

Thanks! I seem to be taking the same photo most days, but I like having that record.

 

Yesterday was pretty good overall. Not perfect, but I did better on calories and drinks. I'm still trying to figure out what to do on my "off" days from lifting at the gym. I used to just alternate bodyweight exercises when I was working at home. All well and good, but here because I'm using some big compound movements it's different. I've been trying to work at targeting some different muscle groups, mainly back and the like, and triceps. We'll see how that goes. Tomorrow I think I might do a "leg day" kinda thing, since today was a heavy lift day (which I'm increasingly enjoying).

 

No beer except self-made/out - I was tempted I'll admit! My local liquor store has some kind of special spotlight on fall craft beers! I stuck to it though. +1

2000 calorie limit - Right on this yesterday at my best estimates, which I think is fine. I'm tempted to try and go below it, but I think staying within it is a bit more reasonable. +1

2 drink rule - On track with this. One whiskey, one glass of wine. +1

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - This one I got in the morning, but ended up distracted in the evening.

3.1L water per day - My focus on this is making it pretty easy! Done with water to spare! +1

Close activity ring every day - Done and done! +1

 

Points

9 points

 

 

[Mizbrek]

Missed posting a day unfortunately! Both were good ones though. Yesterday I had the day off and went to speak with a mental health nurse to take some steps in handling my anxiety. It was very productive, and I'm happy about the path I'm on. Also hit a new weight low of 197.2 yesterday! And ticked up a bit today, which is odd because I was solid on calories I thought. Ah well. Who knows? Still not too high up which is good!

 

No beer except self-made/out - None on this yet! I did have some while out for dinner on Wednesday, but that doesn't count for this! I do miss it a bit, but it's nice to explore the wine and whiskey a bit more. +2

2000 calorie limit - Missed this by a couple hundred calories on Wednesday, but not tooooo far off, but still trying to be honest and whatnot. Was on board yesterday. Technically like 30 calories over yesterday, but still counting it! +1

2 drink rule - Had an extra glass of wine on Wednesday. It was a bit of a tough day, got some less than great news, all is well though, but we needed a bit of comfort. But stuck to it on Thursday! +1

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - Since Thursday was a day off, didn't count this on Wednesday. On Thursday I was a bit over but not too bad. +1

3.1L water per day - Done both days. +2

Close activity ring every day - Done and done! Enjoying the weight lifting a lot. Love that ache in your muscles! +2

 

Points

18 points

[Emerald Eagle]

15 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

Enjoying the weight lifting a lot. Love that ache in your muscles! +2

 

 

It's truly an addictive feeling. Good job on the last couple of days and on taking some steps about your anxiety - hopefully you can find something to help  

[Mizbrek]

On 9/16/2017 at 4:03 AM, EmeraldEagle said:

 

It's truly an addictive feeling. Good job on the last couple of days and on taking some steps about your anxiety - hopefully you can find something to help  

Thanks! So far even just taking action has seemed to help! I feel better already!

 

Well, disappeared for a couple days, sorry folks! Slightly busy and indulgent weekend, but not too too crazy. I mostly stayed within or close to maintenance, got lots of working out done, and stayed under drinks for one of those days. I did get lots of water though! Let's see what I can do to capture everything!

 

No beer except self-made/out - Still good on this. I did have some of my homebrew, which doesn't count, and it turned out really well! Need to brew this weekend. Gonna try a pumpkin peanut butter ale. +3

2000 calorie limit - Missed this every day unfortunately, especially on Friday, where I did 3000. The other two days were over, but not as badly as in the past, so that's good, but still need to work on this.

2 drink rule - Hit this on Sunday, but not the other two days. The biggest hurdle for me is finding something to replace the drinks with - I love just sitting out back with a book and a beer, and it's gotten to the point that reading is almost tied with having a drink. I tried replacing it with sparkling iced water and lime, which worked well, and still felt kinda like a "treat." So glad for that. +1

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - Missed this all 3 days, though doesn't really count on Saturday!

3.1L water per day - This one I've been good on! +3

Close activity ring every day - Done every day. I even went for a long run on Saturday, which I haven't done in YEARS, and hit the gym on Sunday for a light workout. Normally I lower my activity goal on Sundays, so this was a solid change. +3

 

Points

28 points

[Mizbrek]

Better day yesterday! Even managed to have some cookie dough as a snack and, by my estimation, stay with calorie goals (well like 2090 instead of 2000). My weight has ticked up kinda steadily, but I'm attributing that more to a renewed emphasis on working out. I've done weight lifting or running almost every day for the last week or so. That could definitely cause some water retention.

 

No beer except self-made/out - Solid here. +1

2000 calorie limit - Just a couple calories off, so counting it. +1

2 drink rule - Maybe a bit of a generous pour of whiskey, but still at 2 drinks. +1

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - Managed this on both ends yesterday! +1

3.1L water per day - Done and done. This one has been easy with some focus. +1

Close activity ring every day - Managed! +1

 

Points

34 points

[Mrs Van]

13 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

I've done weight lifting or running almost every day for the last week or so.

Nice going!

[Emerald Eagle]

Awesome day! Great job  

[Mizbrek]

10 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

Nice going!

Thanks! I'm now on a...10 day streak of doing some form of workout every day!

3 hours ago, EmeraldEagle said:

Awesome day! Great job  

Thanks! Doing my best!

 

Yesterday was alright until the end, where I fell off the rails a bit. I had to do a bit of a full clean of the litter boxes, and bribed myself with an extra drink, which turned into an extra large drink, and I think contributed to me deciding to each a couple cookies, which threw me over my calories for the day, and left my weight going up again. I do think some of the gain is due to the increased focus on lifting - I've heard from a few people that heavy weightlifting can cause extra water retention, so I think that's part of it, but I'm still a bit disappointed in myself. Ah well. All we can do is our best! Today will be tough - out for dinner and at a soccer game, but I'll do my best to limit things where I can, while still enjoying myself. Perhaps today is the day to use the variance.

 

No beer except self-made/out - Solid here. +1

2000 calorie limit - So only about 300 over when all was said and done, but enough to not count it.

2 drink rule - I gave myself an extra drink in order to do a full clean of the litter box. Not ideal, but it was a choice.

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - Managed the morning, but not the evening.

3.1L water per day - Done and done. +1

Close activity ring every day - Managed! +1

 

Points

37 points

[Elastigirl]

On ‎9‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 9:54 AM, Mizbrek said:

Alright, not a bad launch day yesterday! Got a good gym workout in, got my water. Looking like the calorie limit will be a bit of a struggle, but I mean, it should be, right? We'll see if it makes sense to try and up it a bit, but so far I'm striving for that. My TDEE calculating spreadsheet says I'm at a TDEE of around 2600 currently, and that I should be eating at 2150 for a 500cal deficit, so I'm not too far off if that's the case.

 

No beer except self-made/out - I feel like this one will be relatively easy, as the barriers mean I need to go and BUY beer to break this. +1

2000 calorie limit - 300 cals over this yesterday. Little too much to drink (as I broke the third goal too). But not too bad, and I'm hopeful the exercise calories offset that somewhat.

2 drink rule - Had an extra glass of a very nice bottle of wine. We chose to open a nice bottle, partly cause we ran out of cheap wine, partly because why not? 

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - This one I managed on both ends. I've been targeting spending an hour in the gym or so every day, which means being there at 5, so this should be pretty doable. The 10pm is a bit early for me, but that is kinda the point! +1

3.1L water per day - Done and done. +1

Close activity ring every day - Done with calories to spare! +1

 

Points

4 points

 

Also wanted to share this photo I posted on my Instagram recently from Monday. I really felt good about this photo - I liked the way I'm starting to look, the way I can see what I think are muscles starting to form. So wanted to share that little victory!

 

 

 

Woot for muscles showing! And your face looks slimmer too. Congrats at getting up in the middle of the night and working out.

[Mizbrek]

On 9/20/2017 at 3:39 PM, Elastigirl said:

Woot for muscles showing! And your face looks slimmer too. Congrats at getting up in the middle of the night and working out.

Thanks! It's been a bit tough but definitely worth it! Though my weight hasn't moved, I'm seeing some good results in my arms and chest!

 

Had a rough day yesterday - missed the gym, but otherwise stayed on task mostly pretty well. The day before that was good until the evening, when a night out at a soccer game threw a few things for a loop. Boss offered me her tickets for the game at the last minute, and my wife and I had never been, so we ended up going out and having a blast. Going to do a quick recap I think of those two days!

 

No beer except self-made/out - Still good here, though I've been very tempted by all the tasty fall beers coming out! +2

2000 calorie limit - Good yesterday, but off the day before, however I'm using a variance. It was a special occasion. +2

2 drink rule - Variance again on Wednesday, but stuck to this on Thursday. +2

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - Missed this both days unfortunately.

3.1L water per day - Missed yesterday. It's funny how much missing the gym throws me off! +1

Close activity ring every day - I turned them down yesterday since I just couldn't close them without the gym, not without missing a lot of time with my wife in the evening, so that's 1/2 times I'm allowed to do that this challenge. But I did manage it on Wednesday. +2

 

Points

46 points

[Mizbrek]

Had a nice and relaxing weekend, though missed checking in, sorry folks! Weight tied my old low, which was good, and I got lots of exercise! Will try to summarize the last few days!

 

No beer except self-made/out - Yup, good on this. +3

2000 calorie limit - Made this on Friday and Sunday, off by 300 cals on Saturday, Not too bad overall! +2

2 drink rule - Missed this on Friday and Sunday, though not by too too much (just one extra each day). +1

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - No points on the weekend, and unfortunately missed this yesterday. Whoops!

3.1L water per day - Made this every day! +3

Close activity ring every day - So far so good on this! Every day closed it. +3

 

Points

58 points

[Mizbrek]

I'm tempted to say yesterday was okay - not perfect, but okay. I'm calling a variance on drinks and calories, as I was watching the first new episode of Star Trek in like decades. I thought that deserved a toast of some scotch, and an extra treat.

 

No beer except self-made/out - Still good! Was tempted though. +1

2000 calorie limit -Variance! +1

2 drink rule - Variance! +1

Devices off by 10pm/out the door by 5:30am (weekdays) - This one I managed both ways. +1

3.1L water per day - Missed this one unfortunately, just lost track of things a bit in the evening. 

Close activity ring every day - Hit a new record of consecutive days on this yesterday! 85 so far, let's see how far I'll go... +1

 

Points

63 points

[Emerald Eagle]

13 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

 

Close activity ring every day - Hit a new record of consecutive days on this yesterday! 85 so far, let's see how far I'll go... +1

 

Points

63 points

 

Woohoo! Nailing it