J3NN's got to move it, move it

[J3NN]

Hi - J3nn again... Married, mother of adult daughter, Marketing & Communications career in Southern California. I am in maintenance mode and I need to kick it into getting better mode. To be fair, this year has been overwhelming, and the fact that I maintained should count for something, but by now, I figured I'd be down 15 lbs or more... I am not moving enough... I can't get myself in the habit of it. So, I need to make myself do more. I have issues with a sweet tooth, it's been horrible this year, so I want to do a better job of balancing my diet. I keep dropping out of the challenges too, so this time I'm going to hold myself accountable for tracking and reporting in.

 

Nutrition tracking (Not sure how to do this in My Fitness Pal, Noom does it, but tracking is much harder)

• Green – 30% (Vegetables, Fruits and Whole Grains)
• Yellow – 45% (Lean meats, starches, low-fat cheeses – includes avocado, hummus, etc.)
• Red – 25% (Grains, Processed meats, full-fat dairy, processed Snacks, alcohols, desserts, etc.)

Fitness

• 1/wk Personal trainer led workout
• 1/wk Individual led workout (1 hr, including stretching)
• Strength training, 1 set, 15 reps every non-workout day
  • Exercises that qualify: 
    • Squats
    • Push ups (counter)
    • Lunges
    • Bicep curls
    • Tricep curls
    • Flutter kicks
    • Russian twist
    • Reverse crunch
    • Reverse sit-up
    • Dumbbell rows
    • Muscle ups
• 5,000 daily Steps

Level Up Your Life

• Test crochet patterns/styles to write an ugly Christmas sweater beanie for our hockey team
  • I want to write a custom pattern to create an ugly Christmas Sweater version of a beanie in my hockey team’s colors. Last year they did a special jersey auction and I want to do something similar as a beanie to wear all season. Here are a couple pics
    • 
    • 
  • The team colors are Black and White and Gray, so I want to use that color scheme. 
  • The following patterns all have pattern elements that I may want to incorporate, so I want to do test swatches of each of them to figure out how I can incorporate them into a single piece.
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/snowflake-knit-look-hat
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/big-bay-beanie
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crown-ear-warmer-2
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/neva-hat
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/201-16-andes-sunrise
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/buffalo-plaid-dishcloth-set
    • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/c2c-geo-bag
• Daily tracking in my tracker and reporting here at least 5 times a week.

 

So that's me this time... here we go.

[Tateman]

Good luck this challenge. I've been using Cronometer for food tracking, but I don't think there is a way to separate out percentages for vegetables vs meats etc. They just have things listed under protein, fats, vitamins, and such.

[Diadhuit]

I'll try to follow, but I'm a sucker...
I can have a look at your pattern to see if I can follow it (I'm a crocheter too). If you wish to, summon me with the power of the @ [emoji4]
Good luck with the dense challenge!

[Wobbegong]

6 hours ago, J3NN said:

the fact that I maintained should count for something, but by now, I figured I'd be down 15 lbs or more...

I feel this in my bones. I try to tell myself maintenance is just as important, and resetting to a new (lower) "baseline" is worthwhile and might prevent relapse. But... I want to see forward progress! I've been eating strict for months, and most of those have been spent maintaining initial losses! Ugh. Good luck, J3NN. 

 

Great looking challenge! I'm rooting for you! 

[Rookie]

 

Kick butt J3NN!  I am following along 

[Waanie]

21 hours ago, J3NN said:

I am not moving enough... I can't get myself in the habit of it.

You are starting to move more! Compared to 2 challenges ago, your step-goal has now more than doubled. It might not seem like much, but every step forward helps . 

 

Following!

[J3NN]

Week 0 Day 1

Nutrition tracking (Not sure how to do this in My Fitness Pal, Noom does it, but tracking is much harder)

• Update: It turns out Noom doesn't do this with home cooked meals (unless I enter every single ingredient and portion) or meals that have nutrition values provided, so I won't be able to do this. So I have a New goal: Track food daily and limit sweets to 1 piece of candy/chocolate/cookie after lunch/dinner and alcohol only on workout days (unless eating out, but then make a healthier choice of a lower calorie alcohol)
• Track Food (1/7)
• Sweets  (1/14)
• Alcohol (0/2)

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (0/1)
• Individual led workout (0/1)
• Strength training: Bicep curls (1/5)
• Steps: 5145/5000

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: Picked the knit look hat as first project and downloaded the pattern; Finishing up current project first
• Tracking (1/7)
• Reporting (1/5)

Week 0 Day 2

I was at home all day with a pain in my neck (no literally), a migraine (due to said pain in the neck) and 2 sick cats. I didn't do anything much

Nutrition tracking 

• Track Food (1/7)
• Sweets  (4/14)
• Alcohol (0/2)

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (0/1)
• Individual led workout (0/1)
• Strength training: None (1/5)
• Steps: 650/5000

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: Finishing up current project first
• Tracking (1/7)
• Reporting (1/5)

Week 0 Day 3

Nutrition tracking 

• Track Food (2/7)
• Sweets  (5/14)
• Alcohol (0/2)

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (1/1)
  • OMG we had a substitute tonight. She KICKED. OUR. BUTTS. Started with 8 minutes on the rowing machine as cardio. I think I did like 5 minutes of squats. We did a walking push up... That hurt my rest, so instead she had me do plank on me elbow, side stepping, all the way across the room... I'd never even heard of that. We used the big balance balls for arms and core, and OW. 
• Individual led workout (0/1)
• Strength training: None (1/5)
• Steps: 3439/5000 (It's raining so I didn't get my outside walk with my coworkers in today, after that workout, I'm done.

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: Finishing up current project first
• Tracking (2/7)
• Reporting (2/5)

[J3NN]

On 5/20/2019 at 1:17 PM, Tateman said:

I've been using Cronometer for food tracking

I've not heard of this one, I'll have to check it out and see what it does. Thanks for sharing.

On 5/20/2019 at 2:18 PM, Diadhuit said:

I can have a look at your pattern to see if I can follow it

Thank you, that's a great idea! I hadn't even thought about sharing the pattern, I just want to be able to make beanies for my family and I. I guess I could post it on Ravelry.

 

On 5/20/2019 at 4:45 PM, Wobbegong said:

I feel this in my bones.

I'm sorry you know my pain, but thank  you for letting me know I'm not alone! You're right...I'm right... maintenance is good! If I'd been not doing maintenance I'd probably weigh 50 pounds more than when I started NF.

 

On 5/21/2019 at 5:51 AM, Rookie said:

Kick butt J3NN!

Thank you Rook!

On 5/21/2019 at 7:24 AM, Waanie said:

Compared to 2 challenges ago, your step-goal has now more than doubled.

You are right, I hadn't considered that, moving to me is the strength training and workouts, not the stepping, but I know that counts. 

[Waanie]

That workout sounds HARD! I hope you'll recover from it soon. 

 

And yeah, we often forget that stepping, house-work and other daily activity is exercise as well, but it consumes waaay more energy than those 2-5 workouts per week . 

[J3NN]

Week 0 Day 4 (tracking up to now, haven't eaten dinner yet)

Nutrition tracking 

• Track Food (3/7)
• Sweets  (6/14)
• Alcohol (0/2)

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (1/1)
• Individual led workout (0/1)
• Strength training: None (1/5) - I am so sore I may do stretches and count that today
• Steps: 2793/5000 (Still raining, and so cold, we'll see what happens here...)

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: Finishing up current project first
• Tracking (3/7)
• Reporting (3/5)

[Countess D'If]

I never figured out how to crochet, I think it's super cool. Good luck with the challenge!

[Bean Sidhe]

Here to see you rock this. I know you can do it. Good luck

 

[Waanie]

How is the soreness?

[J3NN]

On 5/27/2019 at 2:06 PM, Countess D'If said:

I never figured out how to crochet, I think it's super cool. Good luck with the challenge!

Thanks, I could never figure out knitting... My grandmother taught me to crochet doilies and even though I was young it stayed with me.

On 5/27/2019 at 2:57 PM, Bean Sidhe said:

Here to see you rock this. I know you can do it. Good luck

I disappeared already, so we'll see... not off to a good start, again. Been fighting a headache for three days and today I gave in and stayed home. It's finally eased now I'm just tired. And tired of feeling this way.

15 hours ago, Waanie said:

How is the soreness?

Thanks for checking in. Sunday was when I started to feel less pain. It was definitely killer. I am skipping tonight due to the aforementioned headache. We'll see how I do with two sessions next week.

[Rookie]

UPDATE YOUR SIGNATURE YO. Totally sent me to your last challenge haha

 

-big hugs- How goes it? 

[J3NN]

8 hours ago, Rookie said:

UPDATE YOUR SIGNATURE YO.

Oops.  Done. Thanks for the reminder.

 

Hugs back. It goes. It's Thursday. So there's that. We're having game day at work for a potluck lunch tomorrow, so I have something to look forward to, yay jeans and games and haystacks!

 

Also... decisions... to See John Wick 3, or Godzilla...

[J3NN]

Ack. I totally did an update yesterday and now I'm not seeing it... I guess that's what you get when you operate under the influence of a migraine...

 

[J3NN]

Week 1 Day 4 - Thursday (tracking up to now, haven't eaten dinner yet)

Nutrition tracking 

• Track Food (4/7)
• Sweets  (7/14)
• Alcohol (1/2) - I broke the rule of only having alcohol on a workout night on Tuesday...but I really wanted something different.

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (0/1) - skipped due to the migraine fighting
• Individual led workout (0/1) - skipped due to laziness and mental battles
• Strength training: None (0/5) - I am mentally struggling with this and just haven't done anything.
• Steps: 3307/5000 (Haven't gotten my rhythm back, but better than yesterday)

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: I'm working on the snowflake, I need to rip it out and start over, turns out it starts with a bunch of rows of chevrons and I didn't want that, so back to the beginning
• Tracking (4/7)
• Reporting (2/5) (I checked in and made my mystery missing post, so I' counting yesterday even though you all can't see it.)

 

I'm struggling mentally with the I don't wanna's. I don't have anything specific, but something has me off my game so I'm in denial about whatever it is. I'm hoping I can figure it out and get back into a good rhythm here soon.

[Rookie]

Want me to bang on a drum to help you get your rhythm back? I would be willing lol... 

 

Yay casual Fridays... The best! I love jeans do much lolllll. What are you making for the potluck? Unless that's the haystacks... If that's food I don't know what it is lol and... I'd say John wick 3. For some reason I'm not super excited for the Godzilla movie. 

[J3NN]

Week 1 Day 5 - Friday (tracking up to now, haven't eaten dinner yet)

Nutrition tracking 

• Track Food (5/7)
• Sweets  (8/14)
• Alcohol (1/2)

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (0/1) 
• Individual led workout (0/1)
• Strength training: None (0/5) - Committing to going home and doing bicep curls.
• Steps: 2365/5000 (So far... plan to kill that with the shopping tonight.)

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: Wrote up the pattern last night so that I only have the snowflake part I need, will go home and rip out the old and start fresh.
• Tracking (5/7)
• Reporting (3/5)

TGIF

[Butternut]

What a great idea to do colors for food! 

[Waanie]

On 5/31/2019 at 3:55 AM, J3NN said:

I'm struggling mentally with the I don't wanna's. I don't have anything specific, but something has me off my game so I'm in denial about whatever it is. I'm hoping I can figure it out and get back into a good rhythm here soon.

That's a pity . Do you have anything that worked for you in the past, e.g. setting reminders on your phone? 

 

Sending some rhythm your way!

[J3NN]

On 6/1/2019 at 4:14 AM, Waanie said:

Do you have anything that worked for you in the past, e.g. setting reminders on your phone?

I've tried reminders on my phone and it's not working, I just dismiss them or snooze them. So what else could I use, any other tricks out there?

[J3NN]

Week 1 Day 6 & 7 - Saturday and Sunday

Nutrition tracking 

• Track Food (7/7)
• Sweets  (12/14)
• Alcohol (3/2)

Fitness

• Trainer led workout (0/1) 
• Individual led workout (0/1)
• Strength training: None (2/5) 
• Steps: 3856/5000 and 4676/5000 getting better

Level Up Your Life

• Crochet: Finished the pattern and ripped out the old one so ready to start again, but didn't get around to that.
• Tracking (7/7)
• Reporting (3/5)

So, I'm working on uncovering my ikigai and I'm also doing some internal exploration by using my Simple Abundance daily reader. I'm hoping this will help get me out of my funk.

 

For my ikigai I've just been mentally making lists of the following:

• What I love
• What I'm good at 
• What I can get paid for
• What the world needs more of

The objective is to find where those things overlap, so that's my goal. I feel like I need to find an organization to volunteer with to give me some sense of giving back and being involved in something bigger, so that's kind of my starting point.

 

The Simple Abundance daily reader is a book I got when my husband and I were married, my Aunt gave it to me. It's a page or so, like a devotional, that you read, but it keeps you working on learning and uncovering your desires. So for that I'm working on picturing what I want my life to be like in the future. Really picturing it, journaling it out in great detail, every routine, scenarios, meals, all of it. So, I guess I have a new goal of discovery which includes journaling, because doing it in my brain is one thing, but I need to get it in print so I can really start working through it. So starting today I'm going to add journaling, and use my 750 words digital journal for that. Last night I had a dream about work and one of my coworkers was taking me aside and telling me he was sorry that I don't get recognized for my work. Then this morning I came in and found yellow roses on my desk from another coworker thanking me for a quick project I did for her last week. Interesting huh?

[Rookie]

Is an ikigai like your purpose in life? I've never heard that term. It sounds very Japanese  the journaling sounds interesting. I have trouble visualizing how I want things to be. I do it in small aspects I guess. 

 

For me sometimes just beast moding it for 10 seconds helps me get started but it sounds like this isn't one of those times for you. A lot of people seem to be going through a funk and I'm not sure why (myself included). 

 

Your dream and the roses is very interesting! That's crazy.