Big Show tracks ALL the things!

[Big_Show]

Last challenge I finally accepted where the downfall of all my weight loss attempts so far this year ultimately lies - I don't track exactly what I'm eating, and my tendency to snack + inability to say no to food and/or drink means I have been eating like an arsehole all year.  So I set myself the challenge in one of the NFA FB groups of tracking EVERY. DAMN. THING. I eat or drink for the entirety of August (including my week-long holiday away with the Welshman's family) so it seemed like the perfect basis for this challenge!

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP: I need to record every single thing that I consume for the length of this challenge, including water intake and tea/coffee.  I don't put milk in them, but they still count.  The act of tracking should keep my honest and hopefully make me reconsider before I choose to eat something I don't necessarily want/need.

 

2) Run three times a week:  I have a half-marathon next month and the Spartan Beast three weeks.  I just plain need to get those miles logged.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week:  Again, that Beast is weighing heavily on my mind.  I need to get stronger and fitter, and I'm going to continue following the NFA workouts (hopefully with a bit more consistency now).

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Need to save for a wedding.  Budgetting a bit harder means keeping the books balanced all the time instead of every week or two.

 

Notable events in the next four weeks:

- the aforementioned week in a house by the beach in Devon with the Welshman's family (Week 2) - I'll be taking running kit and hopefully getting bodyweight workouts in too.

- the Framlingham 10k (end of Week 3) - it's an undulating course, but I'm going to have another shot at getting back under 50mins.

 

That's all I can think of this far in advance that might either derail my diet or alter my training.  So should otherwise be plain sailing...?

[Sloth the Enduring]

Following.

[Big_Show]

Week 0, Tuesday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 2/7: I did all my meal prep yesterday, so today was very easy to log.  I did have four little chocolate eclair sweets in the office, but they only came to an extra 148 calories so it wasn't the end of the world.  Total calories for the day came to 2339.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  It was too warm & humid for me to enjoy running today, so I sat on the bike at the gym for 45mins doing hill intervals instead.  This still counts as a valid alternative in my training programme.  We're due some thunder tonight and then the temperatures will drop for the rest of the week, so actual runs will definitely happen on Thursday & Saturday.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 0/2:  Goy my bag packed and session planned for tomorrow on the way home from work.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Spent some time yesterday evening properly updating everything, and today I spent another 5mins making sure it was all properly current still.

 

A solid start to the challenge, even though it doesn't actually start until next week...

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again, because DAMMIT BIG SHOW!

[Big_Show]

Week 0, Wednesday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 3/7: Was feeling very hungry after lunch today but managed to make good choices all the same.  Made a big cheat cottage pie for dinner with broccolli & sweetcorn to go with it - massive plate of food!  Overally rhe day came to 2526 calories.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Planned out my routes for tomorrow and Saturday.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  DId the NFA Level 3A circuit today - upped the weight of the kettlebell to 20kg and definitely felt it by the end of the 3 circuits.   4 circuits next time!  Also added burpees on to the end of the workout, because Spartan.  5x5 today, next time it'll be 5x6.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Didn't spend any money today, so nothing to update.

 

Tired now.  TV time then bed.

[jonfirestar]

11 minutes ago, Big_Show said:

Also added burpees on to the end of the workout, because Spartan.  5x5 today, next time it'll be 5x6.

  

My tactic is to pretend they are not a thing until the race! 

[Big_Show]

Unfortunately I know all to well this is not the case...

Started off with 5x5 yesterday. Next time I'll do 5x6, then 5x7, etc. until I can do multiple sets of 30 burpees. Because I *will* need to...

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[deftona]

Following again! 

[jonfirestar]

On 8/9/2018 at 6:54 AM, Big_Show said:

Started off with 5x5 yesterday. Next time I'll do 5x6, then 5x7, etc. until I can do multiple sets of 30 burpees. Because I *will* need to...

 

I've perfected a hella slow burpee technique so that I can just get through the 200+ burpees I incur during the average Spartan race  I don't think there is anything I can do to actually prepare for that! 

[Big_Show]

Mega Update time!

 

Week 0, Thursday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 4/7: Kept everything logged for the day.  Dinner was the second half of yesterday's cottage pie - definitely going to be making this again, as it's so lazy and yet tastes damn nice!

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Didn't make it out - we had an appointment to view a hotel as a potential wedding venue (and really liked it!) and I just ran out of time to fit it in.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  Nope

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: All up to date still - prepped for the weekend.

 

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Week 0, Friday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 5/7: Ate like an arsehole today, but still recorded it all.  Made some healthier choices while out for dinner with my parents as a result, so I'm taking that as a win.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Planned out Saturday's long run route.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  Nope

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Yep

 

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Week 0, Saturday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 6/7: Surprised myself with how little I ate throughout the day!  Also cooked dinner on a Saturday night, which is somewhat of a rarity for us - no takeaway tonight!

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Failure to launch.  My Achilles was really inflamed when I got up, and then over the course of the day I lost the will to go to the gym instead.  I think it was a relatively new pair of trainers I have that I wore the night before - I thought a while back that they might be rubbing my Achilles, but then I just put the soreness down to the 10k race I'd done this morning.  Gonna be careful with those shoes in future.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  Nope

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Not done any more - weekend update is easier once the weekend is passed.

 

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Week 0, Sunday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 7/7: Tracked all my calories, and also input the meal prep calories I made for lunches this week too!  All set up for Week 1 at work.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Nope

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 2/2:  Headed to the gym at midday for the NFA Level 3B workout.  Had a completely empty gym!  Put the weights up from last time, and also did 4 circuits instead of 3.  Still suck at wall slides.  And added 5 sets of 6 burpees on to the end of it for good measure.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Not done any more - weekend update is easier once the weekend is passed.

 

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Week 0 Summary

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 7/7: A solid start.  It's becoming a firm habit now.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Very disappointed with myself for not getting this done.  Going to make damn sure I prioritise it more over the the next few weeks.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 2/2:  Hit this target easily, and didn't find the workouts particularly hard.  Gonna keep at them for the rest of the month, scaling up the exercises as I go, then have a go at the Boss Battle at the end of the month (an exercise test that determines whether you're ready to move up to the next level of workouts).

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: All good with this one too.  Doing it mostly daily keeps the updates nice & quick.

[Big_Show]

Week 1, Monday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 1/7: First day back at work.  I had my breakfast, lunch, and snacks all prepped so logging was easy.  The Welshman cooked dinner when I got in so I dived into the ingredients and sneakily logged them all.  Successful Monday!

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Thunderstorms stopped play, so I sat on the static bike in the gym for an hour doing a hill session instead.  Legs were nicely goosed by the end of it, so that definitely had a training effect for me.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 0/2:  Planned out tomorrow's session.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Got everything up to date as far as Friday last week, ready to log all the weekend stuff tomorrow.

 

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Week 2, Tuesday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 2/7: My turn to cook today, and as it happened everything had very handy barcodes on the packaging so this took me all of 30 seconds to do.  I did succumb to a chocolate brownie at work this morning, but that pack also had a barcode so I logged it honestly regardless.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Planned out tomorrow's route and laid out my kit.  Aim is to get in from work, get changed, and get straight out again before I can think myself out of it.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  Oh. My. DAYS.

 

NFA Level 3A circuits again.  This time I attempted five circuits through (failing on a couple of exercises on the final circuit), almost managed the 3x30s bar hangs, and then the burpees I've added to the end absolutely destroyed the last of me.  Had to have a bit of a lie-down on the mat at the end - it honestly felt very similar to how I am at the end of a hard 5k race.  So at least it's definitely working...?

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Logged all the weekend stuff.  My totals didn't match but I couldn't work out why, so I'm going to trawl through it all again tomorrow to figure out what I put in the wrong column this time.  Happens more regularly than you'd think...

[Big_Show]

Week 2, Wednesday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 3/7: Input everything again today - I felt a bit bad at myself for having a few custard creams in the office today, but then I realised that beating myself up over a few biscuits was not going to do me any good in the long-term.  Also, running after work anyway so I looked on it as a bit of fuel for that.

 

2) Run three times a week - 2/3:  Just an easy run on a regular route to test out my Achilles - thankfully no problems that I could feel, so that gives me the all clear to run a bit further next week while I'm away on holiday.  3.1M in 27:19 @ 8:47/mile average.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  Planned out tomorrow's workout & prepped my kit.

 

Also had a look at the Boss Battle and the Lvl 4 workouts - I reckon I'm definitely read to try the test, so I'm scheduling it in for the weekend when I get back from holiday.  Also, Lvl 4 involves deadlifts again so I am VERY excited.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Found most of the missing money in my budget thanks to ONE transaction throwing it way out of whack.  Still off by a couple of quid, so I'll have another hunt tomorrow.  Or just create an adjustment and move on with my life.

 

Weighed myself this morning and I have lost just over another pouund - that puts me down 6.5lbs in the last weeks & a half.  Hoping to keep this trend going!

[Raxie]

BIG SHOWWWWW <3

 

I dropped off the map last challenge and didn't realize you were back hoorayyyyy! I'm checking in to say HAI and also to say that I will be following you even though you are a terrible influence. XD

 

Looks like you're off to a great start this challenge  Your running goal his week is already almost met!

 

 

[Big_Show]

Week 1, Thursday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 4/7: EVERYTHING got logged today.  Including the beers and whisky that I treated myself to this evening.

 

2) Run three times a week - 2/3:  No apparent problems with my Achilles following yesterday's run, which is a weight off my mind.  Checked out some potential routes for next week while on holiday, and it looks like I should be able to run along a fair few trails for a change rather than just pavements and roads.  Plus the views should be great - I'll make sure I take my phone with me for photos!

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 2/2:  Back to the gym for the NFA Lvl 3B workout tonight - did 5 circuits with a heavier KB than last week, actually managed full range of motion on the wall slides for the first time EVER, and completed the 5 sets of 8 burpees I have added on to the end.  Knackared by the end mind you, but it's all good!

 

Definitely moving up to Lvl 4 when I'm back from holiday.  Can't wait to deadlift again!

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Didn't get round to it tonight as we were busy packing for holiday, but I'm taking my laptop and will have plenty of opportunities to do it next week.

 

Had good news this morning - weighed in to find myself 8lbs lighter than I was on the 30th July when I started taking my diet seriously again!  Got some strategies in place to limit the damage that being away on holiday will do to my calorie intake, so I'm aiming to add another couple of lbs of weight loss to that total when I weigh myself again in a fortnight.

 

Updates might be a bit sporadic for the next week or so, but I shall return!

 

[Big_Show]

29 minutes ago, Raxie said:

BIG SHOWWWWW <3

 

I dropped off the map last challenge and didn't realize you were back hoorayyyyy! I'm checking in to say HAI and also to say that I will be following you even though you are a terrible influence. XD

 

Looks like you're off to a great start this challenge  Your running goal his week is already almost met!

 

 

 

Good to have you a long!  I've been rubbish at following people much due to spending a lot of my commuting time playing the AR Walking Dead game on my phone...

[Endor]

Ugggh burpees of doom!

Things seem to be going well around here, nicely done on the weight loss.

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[Big_Show]

On 8/22/2018 at 1:05 PM, Endor said:

Ugggh burpees of doom!

Things seem to be going well around here, nicely done on the weight loss.
 

 

Cheers mate!

 

I am back from holiday!  Had a lovely time with the Welshman's family, didn't eat or drink too appalling, only made it out for one run in the end (will explain why in today's post).  Now it's back on with #OperationWeddingSuit!

 

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Week 3, Tuesday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 2/7: I started back on with this yesterday.  I had all the intentions of logging while I was away, but as soon as holiday mode was enabled I just plain forgot.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  I've been having some really annoying pain in my right foot, and last week I became very aware of it (hence only going out for one 4 mile run).  I realised it's been there and getting gradually worse for the last few weeks, but I could not for the life of me figure out why.

 

Until today.  I put on my shoes to go to work, and it turns out they're now really uncomfortable and the sole must be really worn down - they ached all day, but as soon as I put on my trainers at the end of the day it pretty much entirely vanished.  Lesson learned - new shoes ordered off Amazon today, and alternatives laid out for the morning.

 

Due to the foot pain I didn't run tonight, subbing in another 45min hill session on the static bike at the gym (while listening to The Greatest Showman soundtrack - very good for motivation it turns out!)

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 1/2:  I got up and went yesterday morning as my post-holiday respawn.  First workout of the NFA Lvl 4 workouts, and this one involved 3x10 deadlifts.  Now, not only have I not deadlifted in far too long, but I was never used to sets of 10 back then anyway so it was a bit of a shock to the system!  As were the 5x9 burpees with 1min recovery I tagged on to the end of it.

 

Breakfast.  Earned.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Squared up all out spending for over the holiday this evening, so tomorrow I can catch everything up on YNAB.  Hopefully shouldn't take too long though.

 

Ok, time to go look at some other threads!  I have no idea what anybody's been up to for most of this challenge now!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

It's crazy the effect a good pair of shoes can have compared to a bad pair. I'm glad the fix was that simple.

[Raxie]

Glad you figured out your foot problem and it's not an injury brewing or something!

 

17 hours ago, Big_Show said:

As were the 5x9 burpees with 1min recovery I tagged on to the end of it. 

 

Breakfast.  Earned.

 

Any more than approximately zero burpees is definitely breakfast earned.

[Big_Show]

It's crazy the effect a good pair of shoes can have compared to a bad pair. I'm glad the fix was that simple.

 

Me too!

 

Any more than approximately zero burpees is definitely breakfast earned.

 

Does that work for dinner too?  Asking for a friend...

 

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Week 3, Wednesday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 3/7: All fully logged today.  I couldn't stop thinking about food in the office all day today, so ended up having a few of the biscuits that were on offer.  I think this is because yesterday's calorie deficit was a bit more severe (with all the cycling I did), but today I ate more for dinner (a very basic version of Chicken Parmesan) so hopefully it won't be the case tomorrow.

 

2) Run three times a week - 1/3:  Packed my gym bag for tomorrow to use the bike again - running is happening on Sunday come hell or high water

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 2/2:  First attempt at the NFA Lvl 4B workout - this involved 4 circuits of step-ups, DB shoulder press, and bent-over DB rows.  I managed 5 circuits in the end, so next time I'll up the weights slightly and try again.  Didn't quite manage 2x30s bar hang (1x30s + 2x15s instead) but I'm pleased I made the full time overall, so next time I'll try again until I get it.

 

5x10 burpees with 1min recovery to finish.  Yowzer.

 

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Everything is now up to date as far as last Friday, so tomorrow I'll do the rest of the week so far.

 

Very glad it's only a four day week over here.  Halfway through it now, and looking forward to a nice family day out on Saturday!  Haven't seen them for a couple of weeks, and it's my sister's birthday, so should be a fun time!

[Big_Show]

Week 3, Thursday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 4/7: Been good at my logging again today.  Biscuits occurred in the office again (custard creams again) but I accounted for them in my diary despite the temptation to pretend a couple wouldn't matter.  Tonight's dinner is reheated leftover cottage pie from Tuesday, with a bag of veggies steamed in the microwave.  Nice and easy to prepare, serve, and wash up after.

 

2) Run three times a week - 2/3:  Back to the gym for another 45mins hill session on the bike.  My foot feels a lot better now, so I'll definitely be heading out Sunday morning to test everything out.  Only two weeks out for a half-marathon and I haven't run in over a week, or run over 10 miles since January - what could possible go wrong...?

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 2/2:  As Saturday is a total rest day (due to family fun time) I have packed my gym bag for tomorrow in case I muster the willpower to do the Lvl 4A workout on the way home.  If not, not biggie - I've already done both my planned sessions for the week!

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: All up to date!  I'm still out by around £1 somewhere, but frankly I cannot be arsed to hunt through my statements to find it.  Time to create and adjustment and move on with my life!

[Big_Show]

Lazy cottage pie and lazy veg:





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[Big_Show]

It's weekend update time!

 

Week 3, Sunday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 5/7: I lost track of things on Friday & Saturday due to having an impromptu evening out with the Welshman followed by a takeaway, and then yesterday was a big day out up to the coast with Southwold for my sister's birthday.  Much fun was had by all, and my step count was just shy of 23k so it was definitely a full day!  I got back to it today though, and tracked all my (much better) food choices while also prepping my lunches & breakfasts for the week.

 

2) Run three times a week - 2/3:  Well this is no officially no longer a thing.  My foot still hurts today and I have had to accept that I just can't run until it heals up properly.  On top of that, I am still too heavy & immobile enough that any real distance will cause another injury at the moment.  Hence my decision to attack the gym for the next month and use the stationary bike for cardio instead.  Let's see how that goes.  Once I'm lighter it'lll all work out a lot better for me!

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 3/2:  Gym trip this morning for NFA Lvl 4a - the deadlifts were fun, but I wasn't feeling it with the burpees I normally tag on to the end and so sacked them of affter 2 sets in favour of sitting on the bike for 15mins.  I was in a stupid mood due to officially withdrawing from the half-marathon, so I think that's why my motivation had dipped so much.

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Used my YNAB data to make sure I paid the correct amount of my credit card bill this month, and everything is all set up to keep myself up to date all through September.

[Big_Show]

Final week already!  And for once, I'm still here!

 

Week 4, Monday

 

1) Track EVERY. DAMN. THING. in MFP - 1/7: Logged everything today.  For some reason I wasn't that hungry today, so there's quite a large deficit.  Presumably that means I should be hungrier than usual tomorrow!

 

2) Cardio twice a week - 1/2:  First session of this altered goal complete - 45mins on the bike while listening to the first episode of a new podcast that I had reccomended to me - Dungeons and Drag Queens!  Bit ropey but it made me laugh enough to persevere to the better quality episodes.

 

3) Go to the gym twice a week - 0/3:  Planned out my weights for NFA Lvl 4B tomorrow.  All set to work up a bit of a sweat!

 

LQ) YNAB the hell out of my finances: Weekend update planned for tomorrow night.

 

Monday kinda kicked my arse this week, so tonight I shall mainly be sat on the sofa reading a book or watching some TV.  X Factor started last weekend and Strictly starts this week, so we're going to have to actually remember to watch TV regularly for the next few months!

[Raxie]

On ‎9‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 3:08 PM, Big_Show said:

Strictly starts this week

 

Oh gosh I'll have to renew my Brit Box subscription so I can watch thissssss.  Claudia Winkleman is my spirit animal.