ninjakitten - How to Reboot a Cat

[Alanna]

53 minutes ago, ninjakitten said:

Maybe I'll try some of that. I'll be honest. What I really want to do is work more on my upper body strength. But my shoulder still hurts too much, so it is out of the question currently. (I'll lose all my progress. Stupid shoulder. ) But I do like the idea of just walking a bit more.

 

Shoulder injuries are always frustrating because they prevent you from doing so much. I hope it heals soon.

 

53 minutes ago, ninjakitten said:

Thank you! I'm not quite sure if you can call it a style choice if you literally cannot help yourself. But if I don't improve I will consider to pretend that it is!

 

 

Haha, true - style imposition, then?

 

53 minutes ago, ninjakitten said:

In the book he is introduced at a dance, where he doesn't want to dance with any of the local country bumpkins because they're all just kind of ugly to him. Officially that is excused by him being very socially awkward, but I don't know... I manage to be socially awkward without telling everyone they're really unsightly and offend me with their presence.

 

I think I interpreted the "not handsome enough to tempt me" line as more of an excuse because Darcy felt awkward? I.e., Bingley's put him in a tough spot by doing the 1800s equivalent of egging him on to ask someone to dance. He's too proud to tell Bingley, "I'm too shy to talk to people I don't know," so he does the easier thing of negating Bingley's assertion that there are lots of "handsome" women there. Although he did think that most of the people at the ball were loud, unrefined, and beneath him socially - but not because of their appearance. 

 

47 minutes ago, ninjakitten said:

Oh no, I cannot put into words how disappointed I am that Darcy isn't a dragon. But I will try: I am very, very disappointed. I hope there is another version with dragon Darcy, though. Or some weird fan fiction somewhere on the internet.

 

Hmm, apparently there are versions where he is an AI, pug, or were-platypus - do those make up for it? 

 

 

Great job with Week 1! 

[Shello]

Well done on the goals despite the scale not cooperating.  It's tough to say if your target is too high or if your body just isn't ready to give up that weight.  I've followed goals diligently and not lost anything more times than I count.  Sticking with it and the scale eventually cooperates.  

[ninjakitten]

I forgot the summary for Saturday when I summed up week 1...

 

Saturday May 15th

 

#1 - I stuck to my calorie goal that day. (I had to look that up. I usually even forget what I had for breakfast, so it's not all that surprising.)

 

#2 - No run on scheduled. And nothing else done either. Unless I count the weird ways I lay on the couch as some kind of mobility routine.

 

#3 - Did my stretches in the morning. Whenever I do things like that (yoga, any body weight exercises on the floor, stretching), the pet comes over and I feel like he is judging my life choices.

 

Sunday May 16th

 

#1 - Stuck to my calorie goal again, but it could have been better. Who decides to have a snack 20 minutes before going to bed? I do apparently. A snack and a coffee.

 

 

#2 - I did go for a run and was really excited about it at first. It was early, not hot outside but sunny and it wasn't too busy yet. I thought it would be amazing. Until I realised how humid it is and the moment I started any form of faster movement I felt like going home again. But I did the thing anyway. Partially that is thanks to the guy in the park, who was being yelled at by his personal trainer while doing some terribly hard looking exercises and seemed way worse of than me. It gave me that "it could be worse" feeling and kept me from quitting. So thank you kind stranger.

 

#3 - I did stretch. Not a second longer than I felt I needed to. But I did.

 

Monday May 17th

 

#1 - Maybe writing it down now will at least keep me from another late night snack, but I was over my calories today... by almost 200. I blame it on being a bit more active today. (Even though I ate snacks rather than anything... that would have been helpful in any way.)

 

#2 - No run but I went for a walk (about 10k, half of it uphill).

 

#3 - I tried to switch things up with a bit of foam rolling today. While watching TV. Because I really didn't feel like stretching.

 

[ninjakitten]

On 5/16/2021 at 8:42 AM, Alanna said:

Haha, true - style imposition, then?

 

Thank you! My shoulder is getting better slowly. I wish I had a better idea of what exactly caused it, so... you know, I could avoid to repeat this amazing experience. Also I haven't sketched since then, so I suppose for now I am stuck with the curvy house style. We will see. If I end up being stuck with it, I will pretend I do it on purpose and never said otherwise.

 

On 5/16/2021 at 8:42 AM, Alanna said:

I think I interpreted the "not handsome enough to tempt me" line as more of an excuse because Darcy felt awkward? I.e., Bingley's put him in a tough spot by doing the 1800s equivalent of egging him on to ask someone to dance. He's too proud to tell Bingley, "I'm too shy to talk to people I don't know," so he does the easier thing of negating Bingley's assertion that there are lots of "handsome" women there. Although he did think that most of the people at the ball were loud, unrefined, and beneath him socially - but not because of their appearance.

 

I think your reading of this is absolutely correct, but I want to see him as a dragon and I need to make it work. I have to say though, while I didn't read it (yet anyway) I also quite like the idea of a platypus. I'd like it even more if it was poorly written to be honest. I have a soft spot for extremely terrible "literature". 

 

9 hours ago, Shello said:

Well done on the goals despite the scale not cooperating.  It's tough to say if your target is too high or if your body just isn't ready to give up that weight.  I've followed goals diligently and not lost anything more times than I count.  Sticking with it and the scale eventually cooperates.  

 

Thank you Shello! I know the scales can be difficult. But I also know my deficit is quite low. So there is the very real option that if I made some error here or there, that there wasn't much of a deficit at all. So I'm not sure I want to fully ignore it. But then I'm already over my goal today, so... Maybe I'll keep the higher goal for this week.

[Alanna]

10 hours ago, ninjakitten said:

Unless I count the weird ways I lay on the couch as some kind of mobility routine.

[Shello]

11 hours ago, ninjakitten said:

But I did the thing anyway. Partially that is thanks to the guy in the park, who was being yelled at by his personal trainer while doing some terribly hard looking exercises and seemed way worse of than me. It gave me that "it could be worse" feeling and kept me from quitting. So thank you kind stranger.

This is funny.  Take whatever motivation you can get from the world.  

 

[ninjakitten]

On 5/18/2021 at 8:46 AM, Alanna said:

 

That's definitely closer to what I want to believe... but in reality:

 

 

23 hours ago, Shello said:

This is funny.  Take whatever motivation you can get from the world. 

 

[ninjakitten]

Tuesday May 18th

 

#1 - I overate. By 330 calories. Oops. Guess it's good that I at least didn't try to lower my calories for this week.

 

 

#2 - Went for a run. And came back more or less alive. (I do think I tend to overeat on days I run, maybe I'll try higher calories these days and lower calories on the days I don't run...)

 

#3 - I actually forgot to stretch after the run and did a different routine that night. I am not sure how I managed to forget in the first place though.

[Alanna]

Great job getting your running and stretching in!

 

We're going to have to talk about your gif game, though... you're been posting some really weird looking "cats" recently.

 

 

On 5/19/2021 at 6:39 PM, ninjakitten said:

(I do think I tend to overeat on days I run, maybe I'll try higher calories these days and lower calories on the days I don't run...)

 A lot of lifters use this strategy (and probably non-lifters, too - I just haven't talked about fitness with many non-lifters ). It's very effective! It might help you with running recovery, too.

 

[ninjakitten]

8 hours ago, Alanna said:

We're going to have to talk about your gif game, though... you're been posting some really weird looking "cats" recently.

 

 

 

You weren't supposed to notice! I didn't know there was anyone doing quality control... It's not my fault I swear! It was past me!

 

8 hours ago, Alanna said:

 A lot of lifters use this strategy (and probably non-lifters, too - I just haven't talked about fitness with many non-lifters ). It's very effective! It might help you with running recovery, too.

 

I think I might try it. Even if the little extra might end up just helping with quitting a bit earlier rather than just saying "fuck it, I'm already over my goal anyway". Also it is very generous of you to call what I am doing at the moment fitness and I thank you for that.

[ninjakitten]

Wednesday May 19th

 

#1 - Went a bit over again. The run yesterday for sure didn't help and it is something I more often experience on days I run, but turns out it was also just a bit earlier than expected PMSing. That is something I should work on as well, though. In those two or three days I literally eat anything I can get my paws on. And more. Even when I'm full.

 

 

#2 - No run scheduled.

 

#3 - I did another stretching routine in the morning. It is kind of a nice way to get ready for the day, especially if it is a bit more of the active mobility work rather than static stretches. I do also start to appreciate stretching after sitting at my laptop for hours though. It might have to do with my questionable posture.

 

Thursday May 20th

 

#1 - I am finally on track again! Although I did my best to sabotage myself. Why does my brain go from "let's try and stay in our calorie range for the day" to "let's also make horchata". And make scallion pancakes for dinner of course. (Best recipe I found so far. She goes into details, from the protein content of the flour needed to using some boiling water when mixing the dough and letting it rest over night. It's perfect.)

 

#2 - No run scheduled today. But I did dust the adjustable dumbbells and looked at them for a moment. (I might have even picked one up while dusting.) I think the run would really have helped my mood, though. Maybe I should be a bit more spontaneous with it, but I've been trying to avoid busy hours.

 

#3 - Foam rolling again.

 

[ninjakitten]

Friday May 21st

 

#1 - I knew the day would be a bit off (a family member's cake day) and had planned to eat at maintenance. And I did. Not amazing, but all things considered I am not unhappy. Also cake is almost always worth it. Almost.

 

 

#2 - I did go for a run. Before I had the cake. Otherwise it would have been more of a roll. My allergies are making life real hard right now, though. Why do I need to be able to breathe just to run anyway?

 

#3 - Stretched after the run and had a nice close look at all the pollen responsible for my suffering. The ground was covered in that awful stuff.

 

Saturday May 22nd

 

#1 - Does anyone else almost get a hangover when they eat pretty salty/fatty foods the day before? I assume it's just dehydration? Is it my advanced age? It kept me from overeating today though. So I reached this goal.

 

#2 - No run scheduled. But I went for a longish walk. Altogether about 14km.

 

#3 - I tried stretching but it made me feel more nauseous so most of it was me rolling from one side to the other and whining about how unfair it all is.

 

[ninjakitten]

Summary Week 2

 

#1 – This week was a bit harder. A mixture of PMS binging and just plain old failure. I decided to try to have a lower goal for non-running days in the next week and a higher calorie goal for days I am running. I'll see how that goes. Maybe it'll allow me to cut back a bit more without struggling too much. I won't count Saturday's weigh in I think, we'll see how good that decision was. However, after eating take away the day before my weight was up by several pounds and I cannot really tell how much progress I made (or didn't make after this amazing week).

 

 

#2 – I did all my runs, but thanks to seasonal allergies this has been a bit harder than before as well. I don't really enjoy running on the treadmill though, so that's not really an alternative. Guess I'll just deal with it and pretend it's my version of high altitude training.

 

#3 – Sticking to a daily stretching routine is getting easier. Sometimes it's really short to be honest, but I think doing it regularly will be more effective in the long run than coming up with some super complicated routine I do once a month because I just can't be bothered.

 

Sunday May 23rd

 

#1 – The higher calorie day (to no one's surprise) worked out just fine. Now I only need to cut back tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. (I start to think having a run on day one of this week wasn't a good idea.)

 

#2 – Did the run as scheduled. Tried to breathe while running. Didn't perform all that well in either category, but I finished the session.

 

#3 – Did the stretching. Not a flexible person yet.

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

On 5/23/2021 at 2:33 AM, ninjakitten said:

Does anyone else almost get a hangover when they eat pretty salty/fatty foods the day before?

Yup.  I have to drink so much more water than before. I feel like I just drink water all the time now. Glug glug glug. 
 

trying to run with allergies sounds super hard!! 
 

also PMS makes everything g horrible. You’ll feel better soon!

[ninjakitten]

2 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Yup.  I have to drink so much more water than before. I feel like I just drink water all the time now. Glug glug glug. 
 

trying to run with allergies sounds super hard!! 
 

also PMS makes everything g horrible. You’ll feel better soon!

 

Thank you Snarky.

 

I think I just make the running sound harder than it is, because I'm not that great of a runner to begin with.

[ninjakitten]

Monday May 24th

 

#1 – Getting started with doing some lower calorie days was a bit rough to be honest. But it is mostly poor planning. I did most of the shopping for dinner this coming week before I decided to do this and some meals are just a bit too high in calories for the lower calorie days. Most dinners tend to be around 600-700 calories. (I tend to eat two meals a day and one or two smaller snacks, so this always worked out ok.) But today it made planning my other meals really difficult. I did ok until the evening and then went a bit over when I was still hungry and ate a bit more than planned. I think the easiest way to fix it for now will be to prep some more salads/veggies on the side and eat a smaller portion. For next week I'll plan better.

 

 

#2 – No running scheduled, but even though the weather was a bit crap I went for two walks today. So I'm quite happy with that.

 

#3 – Since yesterday's run my calves felt really tight, despite stretching. So I focused a bit more on those today, it does feel better. But it also made me wonder if there's some strength exercises I maybe should do... or if my form has been a bit shit recently. (Without someone to point it out, it is always easy to slip back into bad habits.)

[ninjakitten]

Tuesday May 25th

 

#1 – I stuck to my lower goal for the first time today. Adjusted the portion as planned (more veggies, less of my poorly planned meals). And experimented with some food like substances for breakfast. (Oat fiber in everything.) I only made it to 85g of protein. So I have to plan a bit better there maybe. Or maybe add a protein shake at some point during the day instead of one of my less than ideal snacks.

 

#2 – No run today. I have on scheduled tomorrow. We'll see if the rain will sweep me away and I can swim instead. Also didn't do anything else, so that was a bit of a fail.

 

 

#3 – I did stretch after my run, though. Still focusing a bit on my calves.

[Rookie]

I am digging this food exploration of yours I am feeling motivated to try something of my own. 

[ninjakitten]

2 hours ago, Rookie said:

I am digging this food exploration of yours I am feeling motivated to try something of my own. 

 

Thank you! Maybe I'll note down some of the results here. There usually isn't much of a grey area, it's either quite good or hilariously bad.

[ninjakitten]

Wednesday May 26th

 

#1 – Running day, so I ate a bit more as I had planned and at least for now that really helped me. Now could I have spent those extra calories on something more useful? Probably. Will I do so next time? Hm...

 

 

#2 – I really didn't want to go out for a run. Not sure if I ever mentioned it here, but I do have cholinergic urticaria which is just a fancy way of saying I get hives when my body temperature goes up. So in a way I have an allergic reaction to exercise (also to hot showers, hot weather, etc. but let's focus on exercise). Does that sound like a good excuse? Eventually I still went for that run, though. Probably because I wanted to eat more.

 

#3 – Did stretch after my run.

[Shello]

That seems like a legit excuse.  You are doing spectacularly though! 

[Snarkyfishguts]

I get hives too but mine is water-based! High fives for hives!

 

Wait... maybe not 

 

Yeah, not feeling like getting a case of hives is a legit excuse!