Gemma is satisfied with her care

[Gemma]

14 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

 

 

 

This is so familiar to me I sometime feel like I should seek professional help...

 

Sarah Andersen is my spirit animal. I bought a copy of Adulthood is a Myth and gave it to my husband, told him it would explain everything about me that still makes him roll his eyes after all these years. He rolled his eyes. 

 

 

14 hours ago, RedStone said:

And gurrrrl the library has a ton of potential! It's been Mr Red's lifelong goal to have a home library and it's worth the work. And it's one of the few instances I really love IKEA One black/brown billy bookcase became 2 became 3... and the whole thing matches and looks massively peaceful now  Cheers to a solid and fulfilling goal!

 

I am one of the rare animals who has never yet set foot in an Ikea, but when this room became The Goal of the Year I broke down and went to their website, and the Billy bookcases became the very first thing on my wishlist. So very perfect! There is an Ikea store about a seven hour drive from me, a road trip to there is my planned reward for finally getting that mess cleaned up. 

[Mike Wazowski]

2 hours ago, Gemma said:

 

Sarah Andersen is my spirit animal. I bought a copy of Adulthood is a Myth and gave it to my husband, told him it would explain everything about me that still makes him roll his eyes after all these years. He rolled his eyes. 

D’aww!!! I love that title, time to hunt down the book (possibly for a friend who’s my friend group’s Leslie Knope).

 

Quote

I am one of the rare animals who has never yet set foot in an Ikea, but when this room became The Goal of the Year I broke down and went to their website, and the Billy bookcases became the very first thing on my wishlist. So very perfect! There is an Ikea store about a seven hour drive from me, a road trip to there is my planned reward for finally getting that mess cleaned up. 

I should never invite @RedStone near my apartment - my decor style could best be described as “ikea and target menagerie.” I dunno how expensive or how far they cover, but I’m pretty sure ikea delivers at least some of their products, if you’re looking to save a 7-hours each way road trip (or avoid this at all costs, if online shopping is a danger zone for you).

[Gemma]

3 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

D’aww!!! I love that title, time to hunt down the book (possibly for a friend who’s my friend group’s Leslie Knope).

 

I should never invite @RedStone near my apartment - my decor style could best be described as “ikea and target menagerie.” I dunno how expensive or how far they cover, but I’m pretty sure ikea delivers at least some of their products, if you’re looking to save a 7-hours each way road trip (or avoid this at all costs, if online shopping is a danger zone for you).

 

I'm a big fan of online shopping, t'is true, but for a purchase of this magnitude I want to see the bookcases in person before I commit. I'm mostly sort of pretty solidly committed to the brown ash veneer, but I might change my mind when I see the brown-black up close. Also I have my virtual-shopper eye on a wing chair and ottoman combo (Strandmon, if you're playing along at home) but under no circumstances would I invest in a reading chair without personally sitting in it first to evaluate comfortableness. 

 

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Adulthood-Myth-Sarahs-Scribbles-Collection/dp/1449474195 

[JustCallMeAmber]

21 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

decor style could best be described as “ikea and target menagerie"

Same. I think nearly all of my furniture is from one or the other. I was so happy when they put an Ikea less than an hour from me. Their online catalog is cool, but there's something about actually being in store and seeing the things in person. They just know how to utilize every amount of available space which is super important to me.

 

19 hours ago, Gemma said:

under no circumstances would I invest in a reading chair without personally sitting in it first to evaluate comfortableness

This is an excellent idea. Much as I love Ikea, some of their chairs/sofas/fabrics seem to be designed more for style than comfort. 

[RedStone]

On 1/6/2018 at 8:38 AM, Gemma said:

 

Sarah Andersen is my spirit animal. I bought a copy of Adulthood is a Myth and gave it to my husband, told him it would explain everything about me that still makes him roll his eyes after all these years. He rolled his eyes. 

 

 

I immediately sent that one to Mr Red. Dewey Decimal was P.I.M.P... all the way. (Speaking of, are you planning on organizing in a particular way? We have a loose DD set up. It's baller lol)

 

On 1/6/2018 at 8:38 AM, Gemma said:

 

I am one of the rare animals who has never yet set foot in an Ikea, but when this room became The Goal of the Year I broke down and went to their website, and the Billy bookcases became the very first thing on my wishlist. So very perfect! There is an Ikea store about a seven hour drive from me, a road trip to there is my planned reward for finally getting that mess cleaned up. 

 

22 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

I should never invite @RedStone near my apartment - my decor style could best be described as “ikea and target menagerie.” I dunno how expensive or how far they cover, but I’m pretty sure ikea delivers at least some of their products, if you’re looking to save a 7-hours each way road trip (or avoid this at all costs, if online shopping is a danger zone for you).

 

hahaha nah, I've got my share of alllll those bits. My IKEA dressers are 14 years old and sorely need to be replaced tho. There's only so many times I can repair them! I used to work a few blocks away from an IKEA and would often ride my bike there for lunch. (Swedish meatballs wutwut!) I knew the whole place inside and out and every little thing when they changed it. I think my very favorite IKEA item of all time are the round cork trivets. I have used them for EVERYTHING from custom dart boards to floor slides.  Over the years we've collected odd bits of furniture during our road trips, antiques and garage sales and stuff. It's a heathy mix lol

 

(Ah, and when we moved out of the city and needed more billys (obviously not something we needed to see in person AGAIN), delivery made it worth while, but we did crunch the numbers first to make sure...)

 

[Gemma]

8 hours ago, JustCallMeAmber said:

Same. I think nearly all of my furniture is from one or the other. I was so happy when they put an Ikea less than an hour from me. Their online catalog is cool, but there's something about actually being in store and seeing the things in person. They just know how to utilize every amount of available space which is super important to me.

 

This is an excellent idea. Much as I love Ikea, some of their chairs/sofas/fabrics seem to be designed more for style than comfort. 

I'm strangely looking forward to this, all the humans I know have been talking about it for so long and I've never lived anywhere near one. One of my close friends recently blogged about his Ikea maiden voyage - and now it's like, "hey, even R.V. has been to an Ikea and I still haven't, dang!"
 

8 hours ago, RedStone said:

 

I immediately sent that one to Mr Red. Dewey Decimal was P.I.M.P... all the way. (Speaking of, are you planning on organizing in a particular way? We have a loose DD set up. It's baller lol)

 

My fiction gets grouped into bookstore-like categories (YA fantasy, Mystery, Humor, Classics), with special places set aside for my peculiar obsessions (Tolkien gets his own set of shelves, ditto Gaiman, Arthurian Legend). Non-fiction will be loosely DD, but again certain groups will just have their own set-aside areas where I can get to them quickly and they don't get spread out over different shelving units (Welsh and Irish mythology, self-defense and violence theory, writing resources).  And some things work better for me without traditional categories - e.g. I will be keeping the entire body of C. S. Lewis work together, without regard to fiction vs. non-fic distinctions. 

 

Family late Christmas weekend went great despite Winter Storm Grayson, in fact we took advantage of the rare circumstance: 

 

 

I did sustain the writing habit, along with all the other streaks. Ate too much, of course, don't care, nutrition challenge starts next week. 

 

And then this morning, illness hit. I'm okay so far, but hubs is down hard. He woke up feeling like he'd been hit by a truck. So after the kids and grands left this morning, I spent most of the rest of the day pouring bone broth and elderberry syrup down his throat and doing this:

 

 

[Blocky]

15 minutes ago, Gemma said:

My fiction gets grouped into bookstore-like categories (YA fantasy, Mystery, Humor, Classics), with special places set aside for my peculiar obsessions (Tolkien gets his own set of shelves, ditto Gaiman, Arthurian Legend).

 

I do this too in a way, but they are also arranged by which sets look the nicest - 1 shelf has Tolkein, GOT and some others because they look amazing on the one shelf. Then of course, 1 entire shelf for Terry Pratchett

[Gemma]

On 1/7/2018 at 7:29 PM, Blocky said:

 

I do this too in a way, but they are also arranged by which sets look the nicest - 1 shelf has Tolkein, GOT and some others because they look amazing on the one shelf. Then of course, 1 entire shelf for Terry Pratchett

 

I'm jelly. I love and adore Pratchett and have read every word I can get my hands on but I don't actually own any, my library has it all so I've never "had" to buy them. (yes, "my library doesn't have a copy yet" = purchase justification)

 

But there will be elements of this too - shelving aesthetics is important. 

 

 

 

 

I'm wiped. I had the two weeks off work post-surgery, then I was back at work one day, and then the Bomb Cyclone/Winter Storm Grayson/EOTWAWKI hit and the world Southeastern U.S. shut down ... finally got back to work on Monday and our major semi-annual inspection started Tuesday. I just today got caught up with my e-mail backlog. Now if I can do about a week and a half's worth of work in the next two days (working around the inspection team and a change of command ceremony) then I will only be a few days behind starting into next week. Hehe. No worries. Got this. 

 

• Morning Pages still good - along with all the other streakydoodles (I'm cautiously astonished by this, normally it would have all fallen off the rails under these conditions)
• Gym has been good so far, but I'm going to have to get creative this week because our inspection out-brief is during my usual gym slot Friday morning. Coach wants me to start *cautiously* getting back under the bar. I can't do low-bar squats yet, but she thinks I might be able to pull off high bar. I can't do regular front squats, I tried Monday and ouch. It might be genie squats. But something. I need ... something. 
• No money inappropriately spent, because who has time to shop in weeks like this? (Full disclosure: I was this><close to buying that Run Like Hell metal workout album that @Grumble pointed me towards in his thread, but I settled for adding it to my wishlist)
• Nutrition Challenge starts this Saturday. I am trying not to use that as an excuse to eat like crap until Saturday, but the hubs bought me two bags of Lindor truffles as stocking stuffers, plus there's stress and limited cooking time so ... I'm kind of eating like crap right now.

 

 

 

 

 

[CourtnieMarie]

nice job this week all the things happening! i hope high bar squats work out for you. and don't worry about the food. if lindor truffles are fueling your body and you feel good, then let 'em eat lindor truffles!

[Mike Wazowski]

4 hours ago, CourtnieMarie said:

nice job this week all the things happening! i hope high bar squats work out for you. and don't worry about the food. if lindor truffles are fueling your body and you feel good, then let 'em eat lindor truffles!

Seconded. Treats are v. important. Though eating them til you feel ill, as I've done too often, is less good.

[Jord]

15 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

Seconded. Treats are v. important. Though eating them til you feel ill, as I've done too often, is less good.

 

the benefit of that is maybe you get so sick them you run to vegetables like a long lost lover?

[Mike Wazowski]

1 hour ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

the benefit of that is maybe you get so sick them you run to vegetables like a long lost lover?

I. Wish. The effect is mostly just skipping dinner because too many treats.

[Gemma]

On 1/11/2018 at 3:37 PM, MikeWazowski said:

Seconded. Treats are v. important. Though eating them til you feel ill, as I've done too often, is less good.

 

On 1/12/2018 at 7:27 AM, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

the benefit of that is maybe you get so sick them you run to vegetables like a long lost lover?

 

On 1/12/2018 at 8:44 AM, MikeWazowski said:

I. Wish. The effect is mostly just skipping dinner because too many treats.

LOL, y'all know me too well. If something is tasty and I have the teensiest little bit of stressification in my life, I will eat myself into a monster tummyache. Every. Single. Time. And it doesn't have to be chocolate (although chocolate certainly works if available!), in fact I'm even more kryptonited by salty-crunchies. I can kick my own ass with a big bag of cheese doodles. That's actually my ninja talent. 

So speaking of stressification status, I just finished hell-week at work (site inspection + bomb-cyclone-blizzard + change of command ceremony), so I'm a little behind the power curve on working out. Which means after I post this, and before I go off to meal prep and jump on the "Protein Pancakes because @MikeWazowskiis trendier than Tieks" bandwagon, I'm gonna go upstairs and swing my kettlebell for a while. Peer pressure. Thanks for that. 

 

• Morning Pages still going good, in fact starting to feel easier <frantically knocks on wood>. 
• I went to the gym on Monday, but didn't make it yesterday because the inspection outbrief was scheduled for who-works-this-early a.m. Hence the kb swing requirement so I can metaphorically look y'all good people in the eye. 
• I just dropped almost $100 on Amazon. On books. And one fountain pen converter, because my fave Pilot Metropolitan came with a weird squeezy-bulb ink reservoir, and, well, nope. So now in order to successfully complete this challenge I need to not spend another non-need dime until the challenge ends. Yeah. I did that to myself. @CourtnieMarie, I want you to know that part of that list was Runaways Vol 1 (which is out of stock and they "will ship when available," which made me wonder if NF Warriors bought all the copies they had after reading your challenge. Hey, it could happen ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). The rest of y'all nerds, I am mildly embarrassed to admit that part of it was also my very own copies of The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy, which despite having read manymany times, I don't actually own. I started off reading my mom's copies, and I guess I've borrowed it from libraries or friends since, apparently? I have a huge Tolkien collection, just - not those. Odd? Prolly. But this is me. Plus I pre-ordered Beren and Lúthien, because of course I did. That line between "need" and "want" seems really blurry sometimes. 
• Nutrition Challenge introductory meeting was this morning. Coach Awesome gave us some introductory info, we got weighed in and took intro measurements, she recommended taking starting pictures (this sounds very NF-ish already), and we filled out questionaires regarding our goals, training habits, diet roller-coaster experiences, etc. The plan now is:
  • Coach Awesome will review our information, with input from our respective weighlifting/crossfit/strengthlifting coaches (this gym has all three programs running concurrently), and determine what she thinks our maintenance calorie level probably is (subject to tweaking throughout), then assign us to one of six "tiers" of her initial eating plan - same basic plan, different calories levels. E.g. Billy, who is 200# and trying to bulk up and get strong, and isn't worried about his waistline right now, might need to eat 12 oz. of sweet potato at a particular meal where Sally who is trying to fit into smaller jeans might be assigned 4 oz. of sweet potato at that same meal. 
  • She will e-mail us our eating plan
  • We will meet again next Saturday to discuss meal prep, then we have all weekend to prep, and
  • We start actually following Coach A's eating plan next week Monday, aka Jan 22
  • First month we follow her plan strictly
  • Second month we can try substituting some things but sticking very close to her macros and timing
  • By the third month her goal is to have us all equipped with the knowledge and decision-making skills to write our own meal plans, make smart choices in restaurants, and basically go forth in life sustainably, sensibly, and without further Coach A handholding. With regular follow-up check-ins, and the option to do this all over again next year if the wheels come off or if we want to change our goals and take it to another level. 

 

My homework for the week is to track my calories - not worried about macros yet, just get a real sense of how many calories I am consuming per day now. I already know how to do this, of course ... but I haven't done it through the holiday season, because let's face it I didn't want to know. Because truffles. And vaguely stale cheesy popcorn in cutesy tin tubs. 

 

So that's what I'm going to document for accountability for the rest of this week, until the eating plan actually starts - did I put every bite that went into my mouth into MFP as well? 

 

 

[Mike Wazowski]

7 hours ago, Gemma said:

LOL, y'all know me too well. If something is tasty and I have the teensiest little bit of stressification in my life, I will eat myself into a monster tummyache. Every. Single. Time. And it doesn't have to be chocolate (although chocolate certainly works if available!), in fact I'm even more kryptonited by salty-crunchies. I can kick my own ass with a big bag of cheese doodles. That's actually my ninja talent. 

So much this. Bag full of BBQ chips = single serving size (and reason I no longer buy them for at home consumption).

 

7 hours ago, Gemma said:

So speaking of stressification status, I just finished hell-week at work (site inspection + bomb-cyclone-blizzard + change of command ceremony), so I'm a little behind the power curve on working out. Which means after I post this, and before I go off to meal prep and jump on the "Protein Pancakes because @MikeWazowskiis trendier than Tieks" bandwagon, I'm gonna go upstairs and swing my kettlebell for a while. Peer pressure. Thanks for that. 

So honored to be a noted trendsetter here!!! Hope the protein pancakes are delish for you!!

 

7 hours ago, Gemma said:

• Morning Pages still going good, in fact starting to feel easier <frantically knocks on wood>. 
• I went to the gym on Monday, but didn't make it yesterday because the inspection outbrief was scheduled for who-works-this-early a.m. Hence the kb swing requirement so I can metaphorically look y'all good people in the eye. 

Wins all around! Especially making gyming happen in spite of the schedule shakeup.

 

7 hours ago, Gemma said:

• I just dropped almost $100 on Amazon. On books. And one fountain pen converter, because my fave Pilot Metropolitan came with a weird squeezy-bulb ink reservoir, and, well, nope. So now in order to successfully complete this challenge I need to not spend another non-need dime until the challenge ends. Yeah. I did that to myself. @CourtnieMarie, I want you to know that part of that list was Runaways Vol 1 (which is out of stock and they "will ship when available," which made me wonder if NF Warriors bought all the copies they had after reading your challenge. Hey, it could happen ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). The rest of y'all nerds, I am mildly embarrassed to admit that part of it was also my very own copies of The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy, which despite having read manymany times, I don't actually own. I started off reading my mom's copies, and I guess I've borrowed it from libraries or friends since, apparently? I have a huge Tolkien collection, just - not those. Odd? Prolly. But this is me. Plus I pre-ordered Beren and Lúthien, because of course I did. That line between "need" and "want" seems really blurry sometimes. 

*gasp!!!* You didn't own your own LOTR copies? I have my set prominently displayed on my bookshelf - along with my mac n cheese cookbook.

 

7 hours ago, Gemma said:

• Nutrition Challenge introductory meeting was this morning. Coach Awesome gave us some introductory info, we got weighed in and took intro measurements, she recommended taking starting pictures (this sounds very NF-ish already), and we filled out questionaires regarding our goals, training habits, diet roller-coaster experiences, etc. The plan now is:
  • Coach Awesome will review our information, with input from our respective weighlifting/crossfit/strengthlifting coaches (this gym has all three programs running concurrently), and determine what she thinks our maintenance calorie level probably is (subject to tweaking throughout), then assign us to one of six "tiers" of her initial eating plan - same basic plan, different calories levels. E.g. Billy, who is 200# and trying to bulk up and get strong, and isn't worried about his waistline right now, might need to eat 12 oz. of sweet potato at a particular meal where Sally who is trying to fit into smaller jeans might be assigned 4 oz. of sweet potato at that same meal. 
  • She will e-mail us our eating plan
  • We will meet again next Saturday to discuss meal prep, then we have all weekend to prep, and
  • We start actually following Coach A's eating plan next week Monday, aka Jan 22
  • First month we follow her plan strictly
  • Second month we can try substituting some things but sticking very close to her macros and timing
  • By the third month her goal is to have us all equipped with the knowledge and decision-making skills to write our own meal plans, make smart choices in restaurants, and basically go forth in life sustainably, sensibly, and without further Coach A handholding. With regular follow-up check-ins, and the option to do this all over again next year if the wheels come off or if we want to change our goals and take it to another level. 

 

My homework for the week is to track my calories - not worried about macros yet, just get a real sense of how many calories I am consuming per day now. I already know how to do this, of course ... but I haven't done it through the holiday season, because let's face it I didn't want to know. Because truffles. And vaguely stale cheesy popcorn in cutesy tin tubs. 

 

So that's what I'm going to document for accountability for the rest of this week, until the eating plan actually starts - did I put every bite that went into my mouth into MFP as well? 

 

 

This sounds like a seriously awesome nutrition coaching program, I'm a teeeeeeensy bit jealous you've got this at your gym!

[Gemma]

14 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

*gasp!!!* You didn't own your own LOTR copies? I have my set prominently displayed on my bookshelf - along with my mac n cheese cookbook.

 

 

I am hanging my head in shame. I'm a bad nerd. I have tons of Tolkien, including the complete "Histories of Middle Earth" series - and I will have Beren and Lúthien the day it's released ... but still I have failed in my primary Tolkien fan-girl obligation. To make matters worse, I need to order another copy of The Silmarillion. That one at least I did have, but I loaned it to someone and it was not returned. 

 

 

14 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

This sounds like a seriously awesome nutrition coaching program, I'm a teeeeeeensy bit jealous you've got this at your gym!

 

I know, right?! I sometimes get a little jealous of all the resources that people who live in big cities have access to (theatre, giant libraries, real Mexican food) but somehow my little corner of Podunkia is blessed with the most amazing gym run by the most amazing trainers in the world, and I would stack them up against anything available anywhere. My Starting Strength coach interned for and was personally certified by Mark Rippetoe. I am officially spoiled rotten. 

[Gemma]

So .... I can SQUAT!!!

 

Okay, it is with a 15# bar, which felt as light as PVC pipe, and it's high-bar squatting which I am very much not used to and feels super weird - but I am touching barbells again. Words cannot describe ... 

 

 

I can also sort of use my right hand in some (very very VERY light) DB and KB lifts now. Coach saw me using both hands on the KB RDL and asked "did your PT authorize that?" Well, I haven't actually seen my PT yet, so, no - but I was very slow and careful with it at first and it didn't hurt. Like at all. And doing it one-handed was starting to be stressful on my UN-surgeried elbow. So ... yeah. I'm trying to not be an idiot, but I'm also seriously tired of not being able to do things and feeling weak. So if I have to lift ultra-light for a while in order to be allowed to lift at all, well, there it is. 

 

PVC Shoulder Dislocates:

2 x 15

 

Stationary Bike:  10 minutes, felt like seven hours, I really need to find a less tragically boring warm-up.

 

KB RDLs: 

16 kg x 3 x 10

 

High-bar squat:

15# 1x10

25# 1x5

35# 3x5 

 

One Arm OHP: 

R - 10# 3x10

L - 20# 3x10

 

DB Bent-Over Row:

R - 10# 3x10

L - 25# 3x12

 

Full disclosure - I tried an experimental OHP with just the 15# bar. It hurt. Not very much, but enough to make me agree that maybe not just yet. 

 

 

[CourtnieMarie]

glad you got through hell week! i think a round of books was well-deserved and we'll try to keep you on track for the rest of the challenge

 

i imagine the new TV show has a lot to do with Runaways being back ordered!

[Scaly Freak]

2 hours ago, Gemma said:

So .... I can SQUAT!!!

 

Okay, it is with a 15# bar, which felt as light as PVC pipe, and it's high-bar squatting which I am very much not used to and feels super weird - but I am touching barbells again. Words cannot describe ...

 

 

No words needed. Those purring noises you're making say it all

 

Seriously, congratulations. You're obviously healing.

[Gemma]

On 1/15/2018 at 12:25 PM, CourtnieMarie said:

i imagine the new TV show has a lot to do with Runaways being back ordered!

Oh yeah, huh? I forgot there was a TV thing happening. (I still like my theory better even though yours is probably more correct)

 

 

Challenge Update:
 

1. Write: Morning Pages, yes - as of this morning a 21 day streak. Anything else, nope. Not a word. Past month has been weird, stressy and busy and tedious all at the same time. 
    
2. Gym: Yes. I can barbell now with squats and RDLs, but coach is making me keep my RDLs *super* light because she doesn't trust my grip strength. She's right. My grip strength is pathetic. According to my phys. therapist yesterday, grip strength is 67# in my left hand, 34# in my right. He gave me a tub of resistive putty to exercise with, and sternly warned me not to get it stuck in my hair. Really?
   
   High-bar squat: 15# 2x5; 35# 1x5; 45# 3x5 - still super light, but enough to give me the DOMS after a month of only leg pressing!
   
   DB OHP: Right: 10# 3x10   Left: 25# 3x7 - will try to get back under a legit barbell press (light!) on Monday
   
   RDL:  15# 1x10;  25# 2x10;   35# 3x10
   
   DB Bent Over Rows: Right: 15# 3x12   Left: 30# 3x10 
    
3. Limit spending on non-essentials: yes (I mean, once I got that one book splurge out of my system ... I haven't done anything else financially foolish)
    
4. Nutrition Challenge: Well ... about that. Um, yes, I'm still doing what I said I'd track - but the Awesome Nutrition Coach, who I *do* trust (truly I do, I promise), sent me my eating plan and it is an easy 300 calories a day more than I am eating now - IF I ignore the last bullet point which says that I can use up to 350 extra calories a day on any snack I want after I have met my protein goal. 600 calories a day more than I am currently eating? Really? I mean, yes, I do want to get stronger, and yes my performance goals are more important to me than any aesthetic fat-loss goals, but I don't know that I'm ready to sign on to be three dress sizes larger in exchange for a 225# deadlift and some unassisted chin-ups. I'm trying not to hyperventilate. But ... dang! That is a LOT of food. And, um, 174 grams of protein. A few months ago I was in "chronically stuffed" status just trying to hit 150 grams. So - um - we'll see? I guess? I'm going to talk to her on Saturday and see if she really meant that. If she did, I'll do it. And trust her. And maybe add some elastic-waist pants to my "needs, not wants!" list. 

 

 

 

This plan involves a lot more very specific weighing and measuring of food than I have done in the past, so my next few months come with an automatic MASSIVE weekend-meal prep commitment. I expected that, but it's still a lifestyle adjustment. Or a level-up. Yeah, let's call it a level-up. It's a good habit to form, right? 

 

 

 

[Jord]

1 hour ago, Gemma said:

1. Nutrition Challenge: Well ... about that. Um, yes, I'm still doing what I said I'd track - but the Awesome Nutrition Coach, who I *do* trust (truly I do, I promise), sent me my eating plan and it is an easy 300 calories a day more than I am eating now - IF I ignore the last bullet point which says that I can use up to 350 extra calories a day on any snack I want after I have met my protein goal. 600 calories a day more than I am currently eating? Really? I mean, yes, I do want to get stronger, and yes my performance goals are more important to me than any aesthetic fat-loss goals, but I don't know that I'm ready to sign on to be three dress sizes larger in exchange for a 225# deadlift and some unassisted chin-ups. I'm trying not to hyperventilate. But ... dang! That is a LOT of food. And, um, 174 grams of protein. A few months ago I was in "chronically stuffed" status just trying to hit 150 grams. So - um - we'll see? I guess? I'm going to talk to her on Saturday and see if she really meant that. If she did, I'll do it. And trust her. And maybe add some elastic-waist pants to my "needs, not wants!" list. 

 

 

the other thing is we often lie to ourselves about how many calories we are eating. so what your nutrition coach is probably talking about is TRUE calories, not the "this looks like 2tb of peanut butter so I'lll log it as such but it's really 4tb" kind of calories. I think this is what trips a lot of people up when they get calories goals from coaches.

 

If I think I'm eating 2000 calories per day, it's probably more like 2200 because of margin of human error.

 

My thoughts are to trust her and see what happens.

 

This is just one research study of many, I just picked the first one that came up: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084 

 

Quote

 

In contrast, the subjects in group 1 underreported their actual food intake by an average (+/- SD) of 47 +/- 16 percent and overreported their physical activity by 51 +/- 75 percent.
 

 

 

Up to 47% less than what they were really eating!! In other studies I've seen the error was more like 10-20%.

 

[Jord]

Found what I was looking for: http://38r8om2xjhhl25mw24492dir.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/16-07-12-Counting-Calories-Final.pdf

[CourtnieMarie]

TZ speaks the truth! and if you think you are actually super meticulous with counting, you can always ramp up to the prescribed amount in the next week or so (i forgot when it starts!). i do not think you will gain as much weight as your imagining! though that mindset is a tough one to come to terms with after eating around the same amount for a long time!

 

you got this.

[Mike Wazowski]

GAAAHHHHH SO EXCITED YOU CAN SQUAT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

 

Love the level-up framing on meal prep. And I'm wondering if maybe the increase in calories will be something like a reverse diet (goal not to gain weight, but get metabolic activity back up) for you? You'd been sorta cutting for a while, right?

 

As my kinda sorta GF* says, "The only people with scales in their kitchens are bodybuilders and drug dealers" guess you get to be part of the club now! *She's a bodybuilder, no offense meant by the joke.

[Gemma]

7 hours ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

the other thing is we often lie to ourselves about how many calories we are eating. so what your nutrition coach is probably talking about is TRUE calories, not the "this looks like 2tb of peanut butter so I'lll log it as such but it's really 4tb" kind of calories. I think this is what trips a lot of people up when they get calories goals from coaches.

 

If I think I'm eating 2000 calories per day, it's probably more like 2200 because of margin of human error.

 

My thoughts are to trust her and see what happens.

 

This is just one research study of many, I just picked the first one that came up: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084 

 

 

Up to 47% less than what they were really eating!! In other studies I've seen the error was more like 10-20%.

 

 

7 hours ago, CourtnieMarie said:

TZ speaks the truth! and if you think you are actually super meticulous with counting, you can always ramp up to the prescribed amount in the next week or so (i forgot when it starts!). i do not think you will gain as much weight as your imagining! though that mindset is a tough one to come to terms with after eating around the same amount for a long time!

 

you got this.

 

y'all may be right, and I am going to trust her - even though I think I'm pretty diligent about tracking when I am tracking. It is true I may be eating 3 tbsp of peanut butter in some spots where I only logged two, because I haven't been that picky about measuring and I eyeball a lot, but I don't think I've been off enough to make up the difference between 1800 cals/day and 2150, which is the baseline that she gave me, before the 350 cal. "anything you want" snack allowance. Maybe, though. Good thought ... 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

GAAAHHHHH SO EXCITED YOU CAN SQUAT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

 

I know, right!!! 

 

5 hours ago, MikeWazowski said:

Love the level-up framing on meal prep. And I'm wondering if maybe the increase in calories will be something like a reverse diet (goal not to gain weight, but get metabolic activity back up) for you? You'd been sorta cutting for a while, right?

 

As my kinda sorta GF* says, "The only people with scales in their kitchens are bodybuilders and drug dealers" guess you get to be part of the club now! *She's a bodybuilder, no offense meant by the joke.

 

Well, kinda sorta trying to cut, and failing. 

 

I had held steady at 150# (plus or minus two) for years. Couldn't move the needle at all, no matter what. Was eating keto, dropped a few jeans sizes/inches but didn't change weight at all (novice lifter, in that golden phase where doing anything at all meant building muscle - ah, those good ol' days of 9 months ago).

 

Then when I started with my coach and started lifting "for reals," I was completely running out of gas halfway through workouts. So I started eating carbs again. And, on coach's advice, eating more overall. Got up to about 2100 cals/day, 150 gms protein, and was killing it with the strength gains and recovery ... but I also put on 12 pounds in 3 months, and it was not all muscle. At 162# I have a fair bit more cushioning around the belly and thighs now than I did when I took my Nerd Fitness "before" pics back in June of last year. I know, because I just took a new set of "before" pics for this challenge, and they make my old "before" pics look like what I would have expected from the 3-month or 6-month "progress" pics that I never took. 

So before the Marine Corps ball, back in October, I tried to drop some of that. I cut back to 1800 cals/ day and have been hanging out there ever since (well, except for that post-Christmas-post-surgery truffle-fest). Which was meant to be a cut ... except it turned out to be maintenance. I still weigh exactly 162#. Stopped gaining - but didn't lose an ounce. The whole thing has made me possibly oversensitive to how easy it is for middle-aged women to gain bodyfat, and how hard it is to cut. 

And that is not offensive at all, it's hilarious. And possibly true. Yay, club! 
 

-So- 

I have tentatively decided that if prolonging my strength gains and reaching goals like unassisted chin-ups and a 225# deadlift means that I will have to buy bigger jeans - well, who cares? I'm 51 years old and my husband already thinks I'm cute, so who am I trying to impress with some arbitrary standard of leanness anyways? If I ever do compete (a far far distant goal) it will be in Masters Strengthlifting, not Physique.  (<- full disclosure: some of that is bluff. I do want to still respect what I see in the mirror. But I also want to be strong. #firstworldproblems) 

[Jord]

14 hours ago, Gemma said:

I have tentatively decided that if prolonging my strength gains and reaching goals like unassisted chin-ups and a 225# deadlift means that I will have to buy bigger jeans - well, who cares? I'm 51 years old and my husband already thinks I'm cute, so who am I trying to impress with some arbitrary standard of leanness anyways? If I ever do compete (a far far distant goal) it will be in Masters Strengthlifting, not Physique.  (<- full disclosure: some of that is bluff. I do want to still respect what I see in the mirror. But I also want to be strong. #firstworldproblems) 

 

1) I love this mentality aaaaand 2) no decision has to be final, you can always rock this strength based maintenance for a year or more or forever or change your mind in a few years and lean out then. THERE IS NO HURRY. Life is a journey or some other cheesy life mantra.