DrFeelgood - The Dad Bod Buckles Down

[DrFeelgood]

Alright, I'm finally back home and getting an early start on this challenge since I ended the last one early due to unplanned travels.  I'm going 5 weeks as hard as I can to get ready for the holidays.  The final week will actually be the first week of my Thanksgiving vacation wherein we will again be traveling, so I'm going to have to modify my goals to finish out the challenge strong while out of my routine again.  This time I'm going in with a battle plan for the road, but we'll be staying at my mom's house for the first time ever, and I can't possibly know what to expect.  All I can do is give my best.  And if I'm able to wrangle the Dad Bod into decent shape for SoCal adventuring then I'll have a little more motivation to maintain mindfulness during the off-week when the holidays get going in full and I'm surrounded by dangerous eats 24/7.

 

I'm going to rock with the same four goals:

 

1. Sleep.  In bed on work nights by 10:30 pm with lights out and ready for proper sleep.  This time of year brings new challenges with football and hockey games that sometimes run late, but I'm just going to exercise my good judgment and impose the discipline of prioritizing my sleep to turn off the TV and go to bed as planned.  I'm still limiting my night-time Netflix viewing to a max of 1 hour, which is helping greatly.

 

2.  Wake.  Good days also start on time, so I'm going to continue to push myself to get up at the appropriate hour.  I still haven't managed to establish a sustainable morning routine, so I'll continue to try and build one around rolling out of bed, doing a few minutes of warm-up stretching, reading a quick Bible passage, and getting ready for work.

 

3.  Eat.  Still pushing with calorie counting via MFP.  I'm not adjusting daily targets for this challenge since I'm already losing at the max rate I think is sustainable for me.  As usual I'll take a break on Sunday to eat a little higher and looser.  Macros aren't super important, but food quality is.  I'm aiming for 80% Paleo/Primal on program days.  Free days need to be mindful without being restrictive.  And again I'm abstaining from ice cream for the duration.

 

4.  Move.  I'm sticking with my new Power Cardio regimen (semi-heavy powerlifts at higher-than-usual volume with shorter rest periods to keep my heart rate up) without adjusting any of the weights.  I completely failed to inject afternoon yoga on non-gym days like I intended, so I'm going to take another run at making it work this time around.  In Week 5 I'll be completely off my routine, so the current battle plan is to sub in a bunch of bodyweight work for those Move days and still try to do yoga on the tweeners.

 

The usual spreadsheets are fabricated and ready to go for tracking my progress.  Standard weekly check-ins will consist of belt notch reports and progress photos.  There's still a long way to go in returning to non-Dad-Bod glory, so let's get under way.

[DrFeelgood]

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

First to follow. I'm here for pics of your chest hair growing back.

[deftona]

Here for the bod. 

[Salinger]

Goooooood luck will be here to cheer you on x

[Terah]

Here to see the hulk return!

[Wild Wolf]

10 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

All I can do is give my best.

 

Good thing you always give MOAR then that  Following along sir! 

 

10 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

1. Sleep.  In bed on work nights by 10:30 pm with lights out and ready for proper sleep.

 

Any chance to work in some power naps during the day? This might help you balance some things out if you can swing it. 

 

Wolf

[Shello]

Following! 

[DrFeelgood]

14 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

First to follow. I'm here for pics of your chest hair growing back.

I'll even assemble a time lapse for you.

 

10 hours ago, deftona said:

Here for the bod. 

The bod appreciates your support.

 

9 hours ago, Salinger said:

Goooooood luck will be here to cheer you on x

Thanks!  Glad to have you along.

 

4 hours ago, Terah said:

Here to see the hulk return!

 

4 hours ago, Wild Wolf said:

Good thing you always give MOAR then that  Following along sir! 

 

Any chance to work in some power naps during the day? This might help you balance some things out if you can swing it.

I strive to be the man you think I am.   I appreciate you, Wolf brother.

 

I've never been able to power nap.  If I'm out then I'm out for the count, and on days when I nap (like yesterday) it has a tremendously un-balancing effect.

 

4 hours ago, LadyShello said:

Following! 

Me too!   Some day I'm going to try and find out who's leading this thing.

_____________________________

 

W1D1 - 1/2 point.  And that's being incredibly generous.  I started the day with too many snoozes (after a late Saturday night getting caught up) and scrambled out of bed just in time for morning rehearsal before the church service.  Practice was frustrating, but somehow it once again all came together during the worship sets to sound really good.  God's hands are definitely faster and cleaner than my own.   After service we went home for lunch, which for me was leftover half a burrito, a plate of tater tots (proper ones, Shello ) and all of the remaining ice cream.   That much sugar conspired with too little sleep to knock me out on the couch for a good hour or two while the NFL chippered meaninglessly in the background.  Once I came back around I watched some football until MFG called the family to dinner of ham and cheese quiche with steamed broccoli.  Bubbles made a pan of brownies for dessert, so I stacked a large double serving with a heavy layer of peanut butter in the middle and washed the whole thing down with some ice cold milk.  I didn't count any calories, and I'm perfectly happy not knowing.

 

The rest of the evening was getting caught up with daily life again.  I'm sorting through the medical billing fallout (yuck) while preparing for another round of follow-up appointments--first one starts in an hour.  I did as much as I could before 10:15 pm then headed upstairs for rituals and lights-out on time.  Alas, I was too wired after too much afternoon napping and ended up staying awake past 2 am watching Netflix shows.  I'm giving the half point for at least pretending to try to get to sleep on time, but mostly I'm just dodging the red square to start because I don't want to sap my enthusiasm.

 

This morning naturally got off to a poor start, but I'm back in my office now and attempting to find my groove again.  This week has a couple of potential pitfalls already, but I think I'll be able to spin up well and make some quality progress with my goals once I'm back up to speed.  The real spark will come from my first session back in the gym tomorrow, but I don't want to wait that long for green squares.  I think I'll be able to pick up three points today--I just need to be deliberate.

[Shello]

[Snarkyfishguts]

I believe in you, DFG. You can do anything you set your mind to! 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Today a young teacher told me I was putting on a dad bod. I don't think she meant it as a complement. I'll be following along.

[DrFeelgood]

2 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

I believe in you, DFG. You can do anything you set your mind to! 

Thanks, Snarky!  I gain power from your support and encouragement!

 

 

34 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

Today a young teacher told me I was putting on a dad bod. I don't think she meant it as a complement. I'll be following along.

Dad bod is a right of passage, and I say it's time to pass it.

 

I'm a dad, and this is my bod:

 

 

I just need to find it again underneath all this other stuff.

[Emerald Eagle]

5 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

 

Me too!   Some day I'm going to try and find out who's leading this thing.

 

 

I'm here for the Dad jokes  your Sundays always sound great to me, especially the brownies and peanut butter parts.

[WhiteGhost]

12 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

Me too!   Some day I'm going to try and find out who's leading this thing.

Coming to help you look around

 

[SomeGuyFromScotland]

Also here for the bod manly encouragement.

[DJtrippyT]

On 10/15/2017 at 11:32 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

First to follow. I'm here for pics of your chest hair growing back.

 

Pffft. You never say that about MY chest hair.

 

 

[DrFeelgood]

16 hours ago, EmeraldEagle said:

I'm here for the Dad jokes  your Sundays always sound great to me, especially the brownies and peanut butter parts.

If I weren't abstaining from ice cream during challenges then the peanut butter brownies would be happening on sundaes on Sundays.

 

10 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

Coming to help you look around

Excellent!  You can keep an eye out on that side of the globe.

 

6 hours ago, SomeGuyFromScotland said:

Also here for the bod manly encouragement.

_______________________

 

W1D2 - 1 1/2 points.  Well that didn't go quite as I hoped.  I'm pretty sure I didn't earn even the half point for waking up since it was both late and rushed, but once again I didn't want to crash my momentum by starting the challenge with red squares.  Even so, I had my eyes on a solid day with three greens until the kids went to bed and I lost all semblance of discipline.  After work I went home and did a brief yoga session (15-min Youtube video) before dinner, and even though I feel like a chunk of dried-out Playdough it was still refreshing and effective.  I hope to improve my flexibility over the next four weeks by sticking with it.

 

I failed my eating goal after dinner ended and I was only at 1100 kcal for the day (morning protein bar, lunch of grilled chicken breast, dinner of broiled pork loin chops with steamed green beans).  I ate the last piece of leftover quiche in the fridge to try and get that number up while watching hockey with the boys, but after they went to bed I got in to the snack crackers and started picking at the remaining brownies.  Picking quickly turned in to piling the rest of the batch on a plate with peanut butter and another cold glass of milk to crank my day up to 3252 kcal (about 500 over maintenance) with a lot of protein and just a bit too much carbs and sugar.  It's red, but not the reddest I've had by a long shot.  I'll do better today.

 

I purchased the NHL's season streaming package last night when I discovered a veteran's discount that knocked it down to under $100, so the boys and I watched Detroit lose at home to Tampa Bay (boo!).  The game ended in time for me to get to bed with an hour to spare, but instead I decided to stream all episodes of the few shows MFG and I watch to get caught up with the current seasons.  That kept us up until midnight, and even when I did get to bed I stayed awake for a while crushing candy.  If that wasn't failure enough in and of itself then it also destroyed my morning today.  On the upside I'm feeling much better today than yesterday.

 

My follow-up appointment with the cardiologist was okay yesterday.  She's very knowledgeable, but she has a tendency to talk over my answers to her questions.  It was pretty much what I expected--the previous tests are inconclusive and I have no family history (being adopted and all) so she wants to go straight to an angiogram to get a conclusive picture of my vascular condition.  That's a pretty invasive procedure (physically, emotionally, and financially) and I haven't decided if I'm going to go ahead with it just yet.  I'm still reeling from the previous round of bills.  At the moment I'm scheduled for an echocardiogram, but I'm trying to determine if that will actually show anything different from the stress test I already underwent.  In short, nothing has recurred and we still don't know if there's anything wrong with me.  I'm going to solicit some (free) advice from a few docs on another forum and see if I can streamline my decision tree.

 

I'm still struggling to get back in to a fitness groove, but I know I'll find it before the week is over.  Today's gym session is just what I need to kick the starter on this challenge.  Bring on the heavy things!

[Sloth the Enduring]

First to follow. I'm here for pics of your chest hair growing back.

At a certain point DFG is going to look like a hedgehog.

[DrFeelgood]

31 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

At a certain point DFG is going to look like a hedgehog.

 

 

 

With a special guest appearance by @Ensi. 

 

#'mirin'

[Ensi]

10 minutes ago, DrFeelgood said:

 

With a special guest appearance by @Ensi. 

 

#'mirin'

 

 

I think this is from the scene he was told that the department was going to be shut down or put on hold...?

[Snarkyfishguts]

4 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

I'm still struggling to get back in to a fitness groove, but I know I'll find it before the week is over.  Today's gym session is just what I need to kick the starter on this challenge.  Bring on the heavy things!

 You got this! Working out is a great way to burn off interfering feelings and get into a clear headspace. 

 

 

[Super Starling!]

 

You had me at "Dad Bod." 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

6 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

 

Pffft. You never say that about MY chest hair.

 

 

You never say it about MINE either.

[DrFeelgood]

19 hours ago, Ensi said:

I think this is from the scene he was told that the department was going to be shut down or put on hold...?

It is indeed.   The episode is called "The Master Plan".

 

I have been most pleased with the quality of Ron Swanson gifs you've posted lately. 

 

16 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

 You got this! Working out is a great way to burn off interfering feelings and get into a clear headspace.

Thanks for the cheering, Snarky.  I wish I had heeded this yesterday afternoon, but life isn't being fully cooperative just yet.

 

16 hours ago, Super Starling! said:

 

You had me at "Dad Bod." 

 

Welcome!  Glad to have you along.

 

14 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

 

21 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

Pffft. You never say that about MY chest hair.

 

You never say it about MINE either.

Y'all will have plenty of opportunity to comment on ongoing toplessness in this challenge.  I only hope to inspire (some of) my Doodlies to follow my example.

 

Precisely which Doodlies I'm hoping to inspire is left as an exercise to the reader.

But we all know it's Scotty.

_______________________

 

W1D3 - 1 1/2 points.  Well I scored on the goals I failed from Monday and failed the goals I scored on from Monday.  At least I'm making progress in each area.   Wake was a total bomb after snoozing way past my alarm and skipping all morning stuff in the rush to work (super late).  And since I then stayed late I decided to skip the gym and put in an hour of overtime on a new project.  More red squares, ugh.

 

Eating was better, finally.  I took my morning IF all the way to lunch time and enjoyed leftover pork chops with steamed green beans.  I added a couple of sharp cheddar snacks in the afternoon, then I finally went home to a late dinner.  MFG made ham-and-bean stew (delicious!) with a side of oven-roasted carrots and acorn squash.  I rounded out the day with a serving of prunes (probably not the wisest snack choice) to top out at 1927 kcal.  That's my second green for the week.

 

I was legitimately tired in the evening, so I went up to bed early at 9:30; but owing to a rampage of thoughts and feelings through my brain I was unable to actually get to sleep.  Once again I was awake in bed for hours watching Netflix and crushing candy well past 1 am.  I finally gave up and went back downstairs so as not to disturb MFG, and I eventually tired out enough to climb back in bed around 2:30.  I didn't overshoot my alarm by as much this morning and I actually made an effort to go to sleep early, so that's worth half a point and a yellow square.

 

Still looking for that challenge kick-starter.  I need to make my peace with the ongoing medical junk and try to find some resolution for my own sanity.  For the rest of this week my top fitness priorities will be eating and sleeping.  Whatever else I can add on top of those will be a primer for next week.