[Shello]

1 hour ago, DrFeelgood said:

 If I can't complete the programmed schedule on Friday then I may choose to repeat this week.  Nothing at all wrong with that.

That is indeed a lot of pushups.  

[DrFeelgood]

1 hour ago, Shello said:

That is indeed a lot of pushups.  

They did increase fairly quickly over the span of 4 weeks, and while I'm proud that I've been (mostly) able to keep up I'm not at all above admitting that I'm an aging dude with aching shoulders that might benefit from taking things a little slower.

[DrFeelgood]

W4D5  was a good day.  I had a trail mix in the morning then ate leftover GF pasta for lunch.  In the afternoon I to a break to the Quickie Mart for an Almond Joy (yum!).  For dinner MFG made breakfast sandwiches (ham, egg, cheese, and cream cheese) with her homemade GF buns (heh) and I ate one of those followed by the rest of a bag of potato chips.  I had a few pistachios later in the evening to close out another green Eat day.

 

It was too hot in the backyard until the sun was substantially lower, and by then I didn't have enough daylight remaining to warrant setting up my net, so I grabbed my 7 iron and worked on some posture drills while smacking tennis balls around the backyard--except for the one that I caught pure which cleared the fence, arcing over a passing truck on the road behind our house, and eventually (I'm assuming) coming to rest somewhere deep in the pasture on the other side.  I did not retrieve it.    But 30 minutes of that was sufficient for the Golf goal.

 

Sleep was fine, I've taken today off to do some guitar painting in the morning when it's still cool enough so I didn't press too hard about bedtime last night.  Still I accomplished all of my rituals and was in bed around midnight, where I enjoyed a good night's sleep and woke up with MFG this morning.  All green.

[DrFeelgood]

W4D6 was a decent day.  Breakfast was a bowl of cereal, and I snacked on some bbq potato chips during the morning hours.  For lunch I made another ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on a homemade GF bun.  Throughout the afternoon I was smoking some spareribs and periodically sampling the trimmings.  Dinner was those ribs with mashed potatoes and salad greens.  In the evening I ate another bowl of cereal, which was a mistake--albeit a compliant one.  Eat stays green.

 

My pushups hit a brick wall on the final set yesterday.  I was able to get the first four sets, barely; and I took a longer rest before attempting the last one to improve my chances.  Alas, after 28 I couldn't push anymore, and that's well enough shy of the 40+ I was supposed to do.  Taken together with Wednesday's miss I'm going to repeat Week 4 to finish out this challenge.  I'll postpone the W4 exhaustion test until next week which will close out this challenge hopefully with the 44 pushups I've been working up to.  I think that will also be the conclusion of the Pushups program--I'm ready to do something different in the next challenge.

 

@Snarkyfishguts you can rely on my spreadsheet again for the challenge schedule since I'm no longer legging this one out. 

 

No sleep goal, so I did stay up a bit late.  I didn't feel like I overate yesterday, but I had a reflux attack in the middle of the night that was fairly unpleasant.  Today will be mindful of recovery in that regard.

[Snarkyfishguts]

7 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

you can rely on my spreadsheet again for the challenge schedule since I'm no longer legging this one out

You Are so thoughtful 🥳🎉

[DrFeelgood]

W4D7 was a good day.  I fasted through the morning, then lunch was leftover pork spareribs and mashed potatoes.  I didn't snack at all during the day, and I wasn't even that hungry at dinner time, so I made and ate a nice salad and that was plenty.  Green for Eat.

 

In the morning I took Butch to the driving range for an hour or so to work on golf swing and do some putting practice.  Golf swing is coming along, the work I did at home earlier in the week is paying dividends, but I'm still having to focus really hard to overcome my old tendencies.  Putting practice was superb, I'm getting my stroke dialed in really well for speed.  Green for Golf and all green to end the week.

 

Week 4 Check-in: Scale this morning says 238.1 which is down 0.7 for the week but STILL a bit above where I started this challenge.  With one more week to go and at my current rate of weight loss I should be able to get back down to start weight.  On the other hand things do look quite a bit better in terms of progress photos:

 

 

I'll happily take this 238 over Week Zero's 237.

 

For goals this week I got 17/18 in the green and only one yellow.  Pushups did stall a bit, but I'm perfectly content to recycle the week.  7 more days to finish this challenge nice and strong.

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

There is definite improvement! You are much fitter looking! Its nice to hear you feel good too!

[DrFeelgood]

22 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

There is definite improvement! You are much fitter looking! Its nice to hear you feel good too!

Thanks, Snarky!  Eating light and catching a good afternoon nap on Saturday went a long way toward recovery.

___________________________________

 

W5D1 was a good day.  I woke early and decided to make a couple of scrambled eggs with shredded pork (trimmings from Friday's spareribs), and ate a plate of that alongside a bowl of rice cereal.  For lunch Butch requested Greek-style chicken, so MFG roasted a couple pans of thighs with potatoes, green beans, and tomatoes.  Dinner was leftover spareribs, and I used the opportunity to audtion a couple of new-to-me bottled sauces from ALDI (one passed, the other went in the bin).  In the evening I enjoyed my weekly pint of Haagen-Däzs (Rocky Road, very nice, but not worth the premium over Blue Bell), then I ate another half bowl of cereal as a snack.  I also had some pistachios and a string cheese at various points throughout the day.  I enjoyed my big Sunday and kept everything compliant--Eat is green.

 

Slight bonus Golf goal in that I watched The Open Championship.  Funny watching pros have a bad day and wishing I could be half that "bad".

 

I played games, practiced guitar, watched TV, generally loafed around and relaxed, and took Butch to the store for some last-minute items he needs for summer camp.  It was stupid hot here, and I made the most of this month's electricity bill by staying indoors to enjoy the A/C as much as possible.  I powered everything down at 11 sharp to spend a little extra time on rituals, including a much-needed beard trim, then I was in bed just before midnight for a green Sleep goal.

 

Gonna see if I can pull off a perfect week to close out the challenge.  It'll be tough with the heat (forecast is for 112ºF on Tuesday) but I'm going to try and fit in some extra golf practice every day in preparation for playing 9 holes on Saturday morning.

[Shello]

22 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

112ºF

That sounds absolutely brutal! 

[DrFeelgood]

1 hour ago, Shello said:

That sounds absolutely brutal! 

We've been in triple digits for weeks on end.  Hopefully we'll get a little break on Thursday.  It's not so bad, but it does make the afternoons unproductive.  I need some cooler weather so I can get back in my shop and work on a couple of guitar projects that have stalled because of the heat.

__________________________________________

 

W5D2 was a pretty good day.  I made my weekly fruit smoothie in the morning, then for lunch at work I ate leftover spareribs with a bag of potato chips.  Dinner at home was leftover Greek chicken with potatoes, green beans, and tomatoes.  MFG sliced a couple of peaches for dessert and put a little bit of vanilla ice cream on them--not exactly compliant but I'm calling it good.  I also snacked on a string cheese and some pistachios, then I ate a small bowl of cereal.  I'll have a lighter day today for the sake of balance, so Eat stays green.

 

Pushups went well.  I did the recycled program and got 21-25-21-21-32+7.  That's five more than last week, and I did it in 2/3 the time by taking shorter rests between sets.  Optimistic that I'll be able to get to 44 by Friday.

 

No bonus Golf; honestly when I left my office I was pretty sure I wasn't going to do anything else, including my pushups.  After settling in at home I was able to force myself to do the work before sitting down to dinner with MFG.  But that was it.  I didn't do anything meaningful for the rest of the day.  I powered down at 11 pm and got in to bed for a good night's sleep.

[DrFeelgood]

W5D3 was a good day.  I started the morning with a small pack of trail mix.  Lunch at work was the last 4 of the leftover spareribs with some bbq sauce.  I didn't eat anything else until I got home, and started with a few small pieces of a GF focaccia that MFG had made (really tasty) while waiting for dinner to be ready.  We had chicken and rice, then we ate more peaches.  I also ate the rest of a bag of cheese puffcorn and added a small bowl of cereal to end the day.  Green feels a little generous since I couldn't quite seem to rein it in (actually the last two days I've been hungrier than usual), but I'm feeling generous and willing to show myself a little grace.

 

As forecast it was hot as balls in the afternoon.  My car was reading 115ºF when I began the drive home, and I saw a news blurb that claimed we were the fourth-hottest location on the entire planet yesterday.  Naturally that forestalled any interest in Golf practice.  When the sun was sufficiently low I smacked the dog's tennis balls around the backyard again for about half an hour, this time using my 5-wood which was far less cooperative than the 7-iron.

 

The rest of the evening I did pretty much nothing.  No guitar practice since I didn't want to annoy MFG.  No shop work since the garage faces west and is a bazillion degrees.  I didn't even do the dishes.  I sat at my desk watching shows, browsing the web, playing games, and taking a few chess lessons until it was time to shut everything down and hop in bed.  Can't say it was the most satisfying day, but I'll move on from it.

[DrFeelgood]

Went Beast-Mode on today's pushups and literally growled the last one out after it stalled halfway up.   Just one of many benefits to working out at home--if only I had a good setup for barbells...

[DrFeelgood]

W5D4 should have been an outstanding day.  I had a small trail mix in the morning, then lunch at work was leftover chicken & rice.  When I got home I ate a handful of pistachios to hold me over until dinner.  After I finished my pushups I made a pan of scrambled eggs with ham and cheddar cheese, and that was it for the day.

 

I was so pleased with my pushups that I just had to share the hype yesterday.  I got 25-29-25-25-36+6!  Vast improvement over last week.  No lower body or bonus golf stuff--I'm staying focused on finishing the program strong and therefore avoiding distractions--even the beneficial ones.

 

The rest of the evening was paying bills, helping MFG with a few chores, tackling some guitar practice (new picking drills to try and improve my right-hand technique), more chess lessons, and a little bit of gaming.  I powered everything down at 10:30, completed the rituals, and was in bed by 11 pm.  Alas, the good night's sleep I intended proved elusive when a new pillow made it difficult to find a comfortable position, then I was disturbed for a while with stomach pains.  Even after I did eventually fall asleep I had to get up a couple of times through the night to pee.  Not restful.

 

Still all green for the day; I made good choices whose consequences were entirely beyond my control.  Despite dragging butt a little this morning I'm feeling pretty good about yesterday, and I'm optimistic for the rest of this challenge.  I'm also looking forward to a week off to plan the next one, but no need to get ahead of myself.

[DrFeelgood]

W5D5 was a good day.  I started the morning with a banana at home then added a small trail mix at work.  Lunch was a much-too-large serving of leftover chicken and rice.  I had a couple handfuls of pistachios for a snack when I got home.  MFG made breakfast sandwiches on GF buns for dinner, and I stuck to just the one.  Later in the evening I mixed a small bowl of pistachios, pecans, and chocolate chips.

 

We actually had a break in the heat wave with temps near 80ºF and a nice overcast drizzle when I got home, so I forewent Golf and spent that time in my shop constructing and installing a pair of diagonal braces to my workbench since it's been slowly losing rigidity over the last year or so.  Naturally as soon as I got in to the project with the garage door fully open the clouds rolled back and the sun hit my garage full bore, so by the time I was done I was absolutely soaked in sweat.  I'm still calling Golf yellow since I watched another video tip.

 

Sleep was fine, I powered down at 11:30 and completed my rituals before midnight.  I tried out a different new pillow and slept pretty good despite a few weird dreams.

 

W5D6 has been a great day.  I ate another small trail mix in the morning.  Lunch was a single leftover GF breakfast sandwich.  I had more pistachios for an after-work snack, and MFG is making a chicken-veggie stir fry (with rice) that smells absolutely delicious.  That will be it for today.

 

I just finished up my final round of pushups.  I got 29-33-29-29-40+4!  That's the full Forty Four I was aiming for during this challenge, so now I don't even need to do tomorrow's final exam.  I might anyway, but it's nice to know I already crushed it.

 

One more day of rigor before Sunday morning's final check-in.  It's been a good challenge. 👍

[DrFeelgood]

W5D7 was a good day.  I started with a bowl of rice krispies (the generic ones that are GF) with a sliced banana.  Lunch was leftover chicken-veggie stir-fry over rice.  I had a string cheese for a snack in the afternoon.  For dinner MFG and I worked side-by-side in the kitchen to make tacos.  In the evening we ran out to the store and I added a Hershey bar just because.  An excellent day.

 

As this challenge drew to a close I decided to let the Golf goal slide.  I hadn't done nearly as much practice as I wanted to, and I wasn't really interested in playing an actual round at any point--especially since I'd be out there alone.  Instead I allocated that time and energy to working in my shop for the last few days.  Yesterday morning I built the wooden base plate for a new set of towel hooks to be installed in the Minions' bathroom (I also replaced their broken TP holder, but that didn't require me to build anything) before they all get back from summer camp, and I also carved a custom handle and epoxied it to a cut-down metal file to be used for guitar fretwork.  I have a few more tools and jigs I want to build, plus I'm designing a mobile cart to use as a stand for my table saw which will do triple duty as an outfeed surface and a router table.  And I still have guitar projects out there making slow progress since comfortable shop hours are super rare right now--basically any time after noon is like working in a giant oven.  Plus MFG has plans for raised garden beds that I'm trying to help her with.  All that to say, Shop over Golf for now.

 

Challenge Wrap-up

I was feeling really good pulling in to the station on this one, then I hopped on the scale this morning and got punched:  239.4 lbs, for an increase of 1.3 over this final week and a total increase of 1.7 over the course of this challenge.    Certainly not where I feel like I should have been.  The positive takeaway is that I've grown stronger than I thought since my final Pushups set was 46 in a row at a weight slightly higher than when I started.  Another positive takeaway is that my belt still seems to be slimming, albeit agonizingly slowly.  I feel slightly leaner and significantly stronger, so all is well and moving in the right direction.

 

Eat:  Once I got in to the groove I stuck to my standards and managed to more-or-less maintain.   A

Move:  Accomplished every workout and achieved my goal of at least Forty Four pushups in a row (twice).  A+

Sleep:  A few misses here and there, but I made definite improvements and saw good results.  B

Golf:  Made good efforts despite the weather and before recalibrating; swing is improving, but I still want to play more (I need golf buddies).  C+

 

Anyway, it feels good to be back.  This is the first challenge I've completed in a long, long time and I'm remembering the benefits of making my fitness a priority with measurable goals, a proper schedule, and good accountability from y'all.  Going to have to figure out what I want to do for the next challenge so I can keep building without overdoing things and burning out.

 

 

But first, there's steak and ice cream in my fridge... 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Way to kick butt on this challenge! The scale doesn't always reflect your progress, and based on your photos and how you say you feel,  I'd say you've definitely made progress. The scale is limited- it doesn't see the whole picture. 

 

Enjoy your steak and ice cream!  

[Shello]

Well done!  You definitely made a lot of progress.  

[Elastigirl]

Well done on the challenge!