[Stronkey Kong]

 

Hi.

I'm Stronkey Kong.

I'm 38.

I'm fat and I don't want to be fat anymore.

I lift.

I have a vague idea for how I need to eat to keep this weight loss + get stronker thing going.

I write... in fact, I'm doing a writing workshop during this challenge.

Also, I have weirdly intense hobbies that I tend to jump between at random intervals.

Okay.

Goals.

 

Goal 1: DO NOT EAT A PIZZA

 

As I've mentioned in the holiday mini. My worst habit/downfall is I'll go grocery shopping on the weekend, pick up a Meat Lover's-esque pizza and a bottle of wine/six-pack/booze/etc. and undo a week's worth of good eating in one evening.

 

This challenge, I am not going to do this.(every week) Further, I'm going to track how I'm not eating a pizza.

 

For the duration of the challenge I am going to avoid eating any ingredients that belong in that meal: 1 large meaty pizza and a bottle of wine. Those ingredients are:

12 servings of junky meat: any meat that can be described as fatty, salty, processed, cured, etc.

12 servings of cheese.

12 servings of junky carbs: white breads, pastas, desserts, candy, etc.

5 servings of alcohol.

 

These are all foods I need to work on my relationship with, which is why they will be limited so much.

 

Tomato sauce is fine.

 

I'm going to track this by drawing a picture of a pizza, and drawing on the crust, cheese, and toppings, next to a bottle of wine that I'll fill up with reddish-purple ink. This will hang on the fridge. It will be an ever present visual reminder in my kitchen. And when I make mistakes, drawing stuff on will force me to spend time pondering my mistake.

 

If I make it through the five weeks without eating a whole pizza, I can reward myself with a small pizza and a couple glasses of wine or beer.

 

Other than that, I'm emphasizing proteins, fruits, and veggies, minimizing condiments, and judiciously adding whole grains and legumes for protein/mineral/fiber support.

 

Goal 2: GREYSKULL and CARDIO
 

Lift weights following Greyskull 3 days per week.

 

2x30 min med. intensity cardio sessions 2 days per week: stat bike, ring fit, racquetball, or any reasonable substitute.

 

This has been going well the last two weeks. I just gotta keep doing it.

 

Then I'm gonna take my 24 lbs. kettle bell to work. I don't have time for long walks... or even a good place to walk... when I'm at work, so I can do a quick KB sesh after food breaks. Not sure what. I just want to get my HR up and burn a few extra calories.

 

Goal 3: COMPLETE MY WRITING WORKSHOP

 

Starting Jan 15, by every Sunday I have to write 2500 words, and read up to 9 other people's 2500 words and provide feedback.

 

Between now and then, I need to write 2500 words on a handful of projects, and pick one for the workshop.

 

Goal 4: PLAY CHESS

 

I've been on a chess kick lately. I used to play casually in high school. And the occasional game here and there. And I've been playing online games, and they stress me out in a weirdly good way. I've always wanted to really learn it and get good at it.

 

Daily: play a game or study a game. (watching a YouTube video doesn't count... unless I set up the board and play through and analyze something I guess).

 

Also, this counts as research for a middle grade novel I might do for the workshop... a portal fantasy about a chess prodigy.

 

 

Goal 5: LEARN (at least some) UKRAINIAN.

 

I've tried learning Slovene in the past as some way to connect to my own heritage, but resources are limited. Another way in is to learn another Slavic language. Though Russian is an obvious leader in terms of resources, learning Ukrainian is kinda trendy for solidarity.

 

 

I started doing the Ukrainian course on Duolingo, and it's been fun and interesting so far. But I realized this morning all the sentences I've learned rely on an implied but omitted 'is.' I know no verbs, and the inflections are coming.

 

Also, Pimsleur, I found out, is giving their Ukrainian course  for free through 12/31/23 if you sign up by 12/31/22.

 

[Everstorm]

Here for pizza-free solidarity 

 

[Sovalis]

Here to cheer on the writing and moving in this pizza free zone! 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

[Snarkyfishguts]

I totally understand the "no pizza" thing. Especially since you're avoiding specifically this big ol' pizza and the booze that goes with it.  You have my full support.  I also like that you have a smaller version waiting for you if you complete this challenge. You're not saying "NEVER AGAIN" you're saying "Look I'm just taking a break and giving myself some healthy space to work in." 

 

 

[Stronkey Kong]

No pizza today. If I was tracking,  tho, I'd have to count some feta cheese and some leftover holiday candy someone put out at work. 

 

Greyskull: given what I did for squatmas and boxing day deadlifts, then 100 bench presses for the helluvit, I'm good on lifting until Friday.  I do need to do to cardio sessions, and tonight I did the first of these: stat. bike 60 min total with min HR 130-140, and 3x2 min HR 160-170.

 

Writing: none today. 

 

Chess: I played a couple of bullet games (1 min. timed) between things at work. Also did a bunch of puzzles, and blew my puzzle rating up to about 1250.

 

Ukrainian: Did a shit ton of duolingo lessons. I know some animal names now. 

[Rurik Harrgath]

Ugh, pizza is my #1 weakness too.  A good BBQ chicken pizza takeout and some fancy beer is both my kryptonite and the meal I want on my last day 😆

 

Solidarity, brother!  I'm here for it.  👊

[Stronkey Kong]

Ugh.  

 

I did not bring enough food to work. Once I've finished my second lunch, I'll be at roughly 1300 calories. 

 

According to recent calculations, I'm set to eat about 3000 to lose 1lb. per week. 

 

I have 300 calories,  two small lamb chops and some cauliflower rice left. And there's a Subway right around the corner from work. 

 

This is gonna take some will power.

[Everstorm]

You can do eeeeet

[Stronkey Kong]

I want to eeeeet so bad! 🤣

[Sovalis]

Did you win the Subway skirmish?

[Stronkey Kong]

Yes.  That second lunch was more filling than I thought it would be. 

[KB Girl]

Are you using the chess app? Maybe we could play?

[Stronkey Kong]

6 hours ago, KB Girl said:

Are you using the chess app? Maybe we could play?

 

You're on! 

 

<wonders if KB secretly stands for Knight-Bishop>

[Stronkey Kong]

@KB Girl

 

Your move.

 

Btw... I'm totally going to cheat and use outside resources for the opening.  I won't mind if you do too. 

[Scaly Freak]

On 12/28/2022 at 12:31 AM, Stronkey Kong said:

No pizza today. If I was tracking,  tho, I'd have to count some feta cheese and some leftover holiday candy someone put out at work. 

 

But this isn't pizza, so it's still a win.

[KB Girl]

3 hours ago, Stronkey Kong said:

@KB Girl

 

Your move.

 

Btw... I'm totally going to cheat and use outside resources for the opening.  I won't mind if you do too. 

No problem  it’s a good way to learn. I probably wont have the patience so I’ll just see what I can drag up from memory- it’s been a while. 

[Kishi]

Man, I started digging into chess when the pandemic closed up all the matspace. It's good stuff. I hope you have fun. Let me know if you want to play a game!

[Stronkey Kong]

Feeling strong. Workout completed today:
Greyskull (better back), Day 3, Week 2
5:24 PM (44 min) - 5895 lb
Overhead Press   
        2x5    45 lb
        3x8    85 lb
Squat   
        2x5    45 lb
        1x3    95 lb
        1x3    125 lb
        3x5    150 lb
Chinups    3x3    5 lb

...using Personal Training Coach - The best app for training - https://maxtrainingcoach.com

 

Good workout!

 

I decided to drop front squats from the main routine. They will be kept for an accessory routine to be used in upcoming weeks. I think I'm gonna do assistance lifts as a weekly to do list. Just make a list and do them whenever I can... or with kettle bells at work!... That's an idea!

 

This concludes three straight weeks of greyskull. Yeah.  I subbed other stuffed in this week for squatmas and boxing day,  but I'm counting it.  That's a big deal to me. It seems like in the last few years i've had a helluva time sticking to a workout routine for more than two weeks. And it feels good.

 

Tonight I'm prepping for my usual New Year's trip to my uncle's. There will be more junk food and beer the next couple of days. I got myself a pizza for tonight cuz that'll be the last one for a while. 

 

It was a stressful week at work... mostly on Thursday, but I'll vent about that later. 

[KB Girl]

16 hours ago, Stronkey Kong said:

 

This concludes three straight weeks of greyskull. Yeah.  I subbed other stuffed in this week for squatmas and boxing day,  but I'm counting it.  That's a big deal to me. It seems like in the last few years i've had a helluva time sticking to a workout routine for more than two weeks. And it feels good.

That’s a good streak to break  

[Stronkey Kong]

Okay. Time to get this challenge moving.

 

I made my junk food tracker:

 

spoilerd cuz big foto

Spoiler

 

 

 

That will hang on the fridge. Every time I have a serving of the forbidden unclean troublesome(?) foods, I color in its representative part of the drawing. If I can make it to the end of the challenge, I can have a pizza night (1 med or small pizza). There are 12 slices to fill in over 5 weeks... so plenty of opportunity to flex, misstep, etc.

 

I will be getting my next Greyskull workout in soon. However, this Friday I will be skipping. I am doing a 3-day juice cleanse to reset from all the holiday junk food. Since I'll be only consuming 600 cals/day I'm going to  just rest and do nothing more strenuous than walking or light stretching.

 

I also did my pre-challenge measurements and calculations. 50 in. waist, and 300.4 lbs. on the scale. Oof. That's got to go. I'm totally full and bloated right now and I anticipate that by next week, post cleanse I'll be much lighter. But, I'm still going to stay off the scale until the end of the challenge.

[Stronkey Kong]

Feeling strong. Workout completed today:
Greyskull (better back), Day 1, Week 1
10:20 PM (48 min) - 8805 lb
Bench Press   
        2x5    45 lb
        3x8    115 lb
Squat   
        2x5    45 lb
        1x3    95 lb
        1x3    125 lb
        3x5    155 lb
Barbell Row    3x8    90 lb

...using Personal Training Coach - The best app for training - https://maxtrainingcoach.com

 

 

[Stronkey Kong]

 

While doing some research for this post, I learned that in Chinese, the word for crisis is not the same word as opportunity.

 

Venting about work...

 

Our quality engineer gave two weeks notice and in turn was fired and walked out of the building. He was very upset (justified), and he made a lot of noise while putting his personal items in a box.

 

<the compliment sandwich>

 

He was a very careful, detail-oriented individual -- which is a definite asset in a quality inspection lab.

 

But he often got caught up on little things, was often unable to resolve issues himself, and wound up creating a lot of work for himself and others and it greatly hindered his and others' productivity. He wasn't incompetent, but he lacked some key skills and seemed unable to learn them, possibly because he was so busy with other things, but I think mostly because he wasn't that sharp. He leaned on everybody else, especially me, and one other person who refused to shoulder his burdens or help him. In the end he broke because he couldn't keep up with the work load.

 

He was nice, and always put forth effort to unite the lab as a team.

 

I think a year on the job our manager realized this, and started putting more on his plate to see if he'd sink or swim. A few months ago the engineer cleared out a bunch of pictures from his office, saying he did it to help him focus on work. I think, and we all suspected, he did it because he was planning on quitting or anticipating getting fired. And the thing is, we're so short-handed, nobody is getting fired because we need hands, so long as they're more productive than destructive, to keep moving. So much so, I'm surprised our manager didn't just let him finish his two weeks. In his explanation of the decision, my boss said "We've got a lot going on, and you're either in or out." He delivered that message with an upbeat tone, but the words speak for themselves.

 

So it's pretty clear, the shit-pile is higher, and we're all gonna have to shovel harder.

 

However, this engineer's absence leaves a position open, and I'm likely to fill it if they decide to keep a second engineer role. About a month ago, someone else was promoted to engineer, which was a new position since we'd always only had one. This may have been a planned replacement, and the woman who got it deserves it, in fact, deserved an engineer role all along... or at least some kind of promotion. So yeah, he was holding her and myself back by being there. <sigh> I don't have evidence of sexism, but implicit bias highly likely... At the time of his hire, the manager was new as well. They both knew each other from a previous job, meanwhile he was surrounded by new faces and personalities, one of which was resisting the changes and left within two weeks alongside another lab member.  So he played a conservative and safe move -- like playing d3 to support your pawn on e4, but you hinder development of the King's side bishop. And this has created quite a bit of tension, off-and-on, and I worry about it too much.

 

But my own job security is good. If I leave that lab, it will be a huge hit to the company. I know it sounds arrogant, but I'm pretty sure I could ruin a couple quarters.

 

And now it's January, performances will be reviewed. They said they were gonna do a cost-of-living increase. I didn't complain when they didn't because I had negotiated a big one for myself with another job offer I had on the table. A year ago I was edging above average for my role/state, but after of year of 9% or so inflation I'm well below average.

 

I'm not super stressed, but I have a lot of bland food for thought. Thinking about this work situation is like eating plain, boiled, slightly under-cooked lentils for every meal for days on end. It's not satisfying, and though you're fairly nourished, you're gonna feel bloated and tired -- or at least I do when I don't prepare lentils properly.

 

So, for now I'm gonna have to buckle down, and I'm not likely going to be able to play chess with @Kishi and @KB Girl while I'm at work for a while.

 

Now I have to cram a bunch of Ukrainian so I can stay in Gold league and not get demoted.

 

And I have that writing workshop coming in less than two weeks. <sigh>

[Kishi]

Hey, man, take it easy. It's been fun playing with you, and I'd love to keep going, but I'd hate for you to see the game as a source of stress in a stressful time. You gotta do what you gotta do, and I mean to support you either way, so to be clear you have no obligations to me about when or how you show up to play.

 

Besides, it's a daily game, right? We could do 1 move every 5 days and it be fine.

[Stronkey Kong]

3 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Hey, man, take it easy. It's been fun playing with you, and I'd love to keep going, but I'd hate for you to see the game as a source of stress in a stressful time. You gotta do what you gotta do, and I mean to support you either way, so to be clear you have no obligations to me about when or how you show up to play.

 

Besides, it's a daily game, right? We could do 1 move every 5 days and it be fine.

 

Yeah. I'm having a blast... which means this is gonna be a distraction if I don't keep it in check. (pun not intended, but accepted nonetheless)... wait! ... is this phrase a chess cliche?

 

Oooh...  I see. I thought it was a 5 day time limit. We're playing way too fast XD