[DrFeelgood]

My return to mindfulness has been a welcome change, but it hasn’t quite yielded the results I’m after.  I’ve been carrying extra weight again for a long time, and I want to get rid of it.  So I’m invoking Fitness Fall™ to get a jump start on Dadbod ’24.  By the time next summer rolls around I want to be comfortable in my own skin, not to mention my clothes.  Intermediate objective is to drop 20 pounds by Thanksgiving (we'll see if it ends up being American or Canadian).  For this challenge I have these three goals:

 

DRINK - one Dr Pepper each morning, only water thereafter.  32-ouncers from the quickie-mart count as one, but the plan is to use up my remaining punch-card freebies during Week Zero then switch over to 12-oz cans.

 

EAT - 1900 calories per day.  My digestive requirements already exclude enough foods, so I don’t feel in any way obligated to arbitrarily pile-on additional restrictions.  Energy is energy, and if my constitution insists on “spending” calories on a bowl of ice cream for dinner then that’s exactly what I’m going to do.  That said, I’ll be prioritizing sound nutrition, specifically with regard to fiber and protein.

 

MOVE - 3 days per week (MWF) do 20 consecutive minutes of literally anything that doesn’t involve sitting in a chair.  No carry-overs or bonuses, anything else goes.  Over the years of working this desk job I’ve developed a nasty lower cross syndrome, and I need to increase my core & glute strength to start reversing it.  I also want to improve my golf conditioning, which requires cardio and flexibility.  And I’m going to keep working on my swing…

 

 

If you’ve been around for my previous challenges then you may have noticed that I’m not including a sleep goal this time, and that’s because I don’t think I need one anymore.  I’ve developed a very good daily routine of bedtime and morning rituals.  I'll track progress with my usual spreadsheet.

 

Let’s go!

[DrFeelgood]

[DrFeelgood]

W0 Sunday: one Dr Pepper in the morning, only water for the rest of the day.  Lunch was GF spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and an Italian sausage link that braised all day in the sauce.  Dinner was MFG’s homemade jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, and andouille.  I added some pecans and cheese for a snack and rounded out the day at 1892 kcal.  The jambalaya had cayenne pepper which is on my no-no list, and it hooked me up.  All green for the day.

 

W0 Monday: one Dr Pepper in the morning, not-quite-enough water for the rest of the day.  Lunch was a bowl of GF corn cereal in whole milk.  Dinner was chicken rolled tacos, fried in peanut oil and served with salsa.  I added more pecans and cheese for a snack to bring the day’s total up to 1744, which was plenty.  The rolled taco filling has green chiles in it which don’t seem to upset my stomach, but I’m keeping an eye on it.  I did plenty of exercise during the day, starting with some glute bridges and general stretches in the morning and culminating with cleaning the garage shop, finishing the restoration of my offset smoker, and doing the quarterly pest-control treatment of Casa Feelgood—all of which took a little over 2 hours and wiped me out pretty good.  Another all-green day.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Woooo, you're in the challenge threads again!

[deftona]

Ooooh the sexy spreadsheets *fans self*

 

Here to follow! 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Following!

[DrFeelgood]

9 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Woooo, you're in the challenge threads again!

Yes, sir!  Back to keep myself accountable and get un-round again. 

 

5 hours ago, deftona said:

Ooooh the sexy spreadsheets *fans self*

 

Here to follow! 

Anything worth doing is worth doing lovely.   Glad to have you, it'll be like old times, but better!  Somehow...  I'm almost certain...  Well, we'll figure it out.

 

3 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Following!

Welcome, Snarky!  Always glad for the company, and thanks for putting together the PvP--that's going to help me a lot.  👊

[DrFeelgood]

W0 Tuesday:  quickie-mart was out of Dr Pepper (apparently I drank it all ) so I settled for a Coca Cola in the morning, which still counts as meeting the goal.  Lunch was leftover chicken tacos, and for dinner at home MFG made a slow-cooker beef stew that was very nice and protein-laden.  I added a pinch of pecans to close out the day at 1759 kcal, well below target.  Throughout much of the evening I caught myself mindlessly opening the fridge and pantry doors, but I just kept telling myself out-loud that I'd already eaten my calories for the day.  My family may think I'm losing my mind, but it helped.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Nothing in the way of movement, which isn't a Tuesday goal anyway although I'm trying to keep at least a little something going even during off-days.  However, yesterday was saturated with Dadding a car-purchase on Boomer's behalf.  We found a sedan he likes at a reasonable price (used cars are stupid these days) so I've been working out the details of the deal with the seller.  Should have it by this evening, then we'll need to get it insured, titled, registered, etc.  That task along with my regular household office-ing (bills day, hooray) took up most of the evening, and as the night wore on all I wanted to do was practice guitar and play some games before bed.

 

All green, we're streaking!

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

7 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

 

 

Hulk not streak, Hulk wear pants.

[Shello]

Nice to see you challenging again, especially the good ole spreadsheet.  Following!

[DrFeelgood]

4 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Hulk not streak, Hulk wear pants.

This Hulk is also not particularly green, but that's what I found today at work.

 

When @SomeGuyFromScotland returns I presume we'll have more than our fill of proper streaks. 

 

1 hour ago, Shello said:

Nice to see you challenging again, especially the good ole spreadsheet.  Following!

Thanks, it's good to be doing something on purpose again.  I have enjoyed carefree living for a good long while, but I do need to actually take some care of this old-and-busted body if I want to be able to enjoy it for another 4 or 5 decades.  And you know I love my Challenge grids--they help keep me on task.

____________________________________________

 

Today's exercises were revelatory.  If my butt survives then I'll update in the morning.

 

Also, I just spent over $100 on several new pairs of jeans (38s) and I've already begun swimming in them.    Seems the first place to start shedding excess volume is my thighs.  Not that I mind, of course; I've still got the 36s and 34s stored in the closet.

[DrFeelgood]

W0 Wednesday:  still rocking Coca Cola in the morning since the quickie-mart Dr Pepper machine hasn't been replenished yet.  After nearly 8 years you'd think they'd know me by now.   Just the one soda then water all day--easy pass.  Lunch was leftover beef stew, then for dinner MFG made burrito bowls:  Mexican rice; fresh pinto beans; chicken stewed with chiles, onions, and tomatoes; and a little bit of cheese to top it all off--very nice.  I needed nothing else to close out the day at 1849 kcal.

 

Move was, um, fun?  I guess?  I got home later in the evening than usual, so while MFG was taking the Boyz to youth group I flipped on the TV and did 20 minutes of deliberate something.  Since the proximal goal is fixing my posture I focused on stretching the tighties (lower back and hip flexors) and strengthening the mighties (abs and glutes).  I alternated various stretches and exercises without needing a break, so it ended up being pretty concise.  The crazy one came when I added in some supine leg lifts.  Holy freaking crap!  I hadn't even really begun the movement before literally everything in my posterior lit up like Times Square.  Anyway I kept working a few more reps of those in with planks, crunches, bridges (a couple of variations), and Supermans, then I did some static stretching again to finish up and get on with my day.  22 minutes--(slightly less) easy pass.  This morning I'm just the right amount of sore, which means I didn't overdo it. 

[DrFeelgood]

W0 Thursday:  Drink and Eat were carbon copies of Wednesday, all passes.  Five in a row, that's a Streak Plus!

 

The car purchase is complete, and Boomer seems pleased with it.  It's tough to get a read on a 16-y/o lad's emotions since he's still trying to play everything cool.  It'll need a few things right away to get it in dependable shape, and I still have all the TT&L stuff to do, but at least we got the deal done and the car parked in my driveway.  There's always some anxiety that comes with bearing expensive responsibilities, and it was messing with my sleep a little bit this week.  I'm glad that's finished--last night I slept like a king...in a queen-size bed...well, on my fragment of it anyways.

 

The bulk of the evening was devoted to band practice.  I'm not overly fond of the song choices for this week, but I was still able to find some good parts to play.  It wasn't exercise but I was upright and mobile for 90 straight minutes.  Maybe I should take up the drums.  After band I chillaxed at the house listening to music, surfing the web, and playing some games before bedtime.

Week Zero is shaping up to be a fantastic priming of the pump!  This meat-suit is already feeling better than it has in a very long time.

[DrFeelgood]

W0 Friday:  plan for Drink is right on track; I used the last of my freebies at the quickie-mart this morning for one last 32-oz Coca Cola (still out of Dr Pepper, grrr) and then drank water for the rest of the day.  Tomorrow morning I switch to 12-oz cans which will help reduce my sugar intake and free up a few more calories for other foods in the budget.  Lunch was leftover Mexican stewed chicken with pinto beans, then dinner at home was rotisserie chicken with rice and a nice garden salad.   Day complete at 1797 kcal.  I need a break from chicken, so tomorrow I'm burning-out and seasoning the new smoker and then putting a couple racks of spareribs on for the first cook (after a biscuit test to identify hot/cold zones).  Good way to start using up the mesquite tree that I cut down last year, too.

 

Move was pretty much the same as Wednesday (with Mike Rowe on the TV instead of Rick Bayless), but I also added in some flutter kicks.  The supine leg lifts are still crazy painful.  I'm also noticing a pointer in my left hip that's responding well to the new regimen--I can actually lift my leg all the way up again while donning my pants in the morning.  Hopefully it continues to subside.  Today's work left my lower back a little tight, so I spent an extra few minutes stretching it out.  All green!

 

Today is forecast to be the last 100ºF day for at least the next 10 days, so naturally next week is supposed to nose-dive into the 70s (50s overnight) with rain on the agenda every day.   But I'm bound and determined to play some golf no matter what.  Looking forward to a nice weekend, hope y'alls' is blessed and productive/restful as needed!

[DrFeelgood]

W0 Saturday:  back to Dr Pepper for my morning Drink, but the switch to a single 12-oz can was made rougher by a restless night's sleep and an early morning.  Since yesterday's dinner was the last of some leftovers I had to improvise a lunch today, so I just ate a bowl of cereal with a string cheese and some pecans.  Dinner was smoked pork spareribs (very nice!) with mashed potatoes and a nice garden salad, and that closed out the day at 1840 kcal and put two more greens on the grid.  I even got some bonus exercise first thing in the morning splitting wood for the smoker--very manly, at least according to what I told MFG...

 

Week Zero wrapped up with a SuperStreak™, and I iced the cake with a loss of nearly 5 lbs over last week.  Today's scale weight was 242.2 lbs which is a new low for the year.  Good time to be streaking.

 

The smoker rehab proved it's worth today:  I started with burn-out and seasoning (using coconut oil), then I laid out a grid of canned biscuits to identify any hot or cold spots.  That took several hours, and in between baby-sitting the fire I helped MFG with some kitchen preps and got my racks of spareribs ready for the afternoon.  They went on right before lunch and came off just in time for dinner, and they turned out really nice!  I've still got some learnin' to do about how to manage temps on this new smoker, but for a first effort I'm very pleased, and it's already a league above what I was making with the old kettle grill.

 

I'm feeling tired and worn out today, but in that good way.  It's been a productive and gratifying week.  I'm glad to be back challenging again.

[DrFeelgood]

W1 Sunday:  one Dr Pepper in the morning--when I'm on church duties I drive through McDonald's en route--and water for the rest of the day.  Lunch was leftover ribs, mashers, and salad.  For dinner I made smash burgers and ate a pair of them as lettuce wraps.  Very tasty!  That closed out the day at 1882 kcal, all green for the official start.

[DrFeelgood]

W1 Monday:  one can of Dr Pepper in the morning, only water for the rest of the day--check.  Since I took the day off to do administrative things for Boomer's car and since there were no leftovers from the night before I whipped up a nice GF pasta dish for lunch.  It made four portions so now I have three additional lunches in the fridge, sweet.  For dinner we made tacos with the chicken I grilled after Sunday night's smash burgers.  Easy and delicious!  I added a string cheese and some mixed nuts throughout the day to clock in a respectable 1751 kcal.

 

Move was accomplished by working on Boomer's car in the morning.  After lunch I was completely exhausted and didn't do anything but couch-surf through my Youtube playlist.  The car work wasn't exactly taxing (except for the literal, actual taxes when I took it to the tag agency for title and registration) but I was upright and mobile for a sufficient amount of time.  If the weather holds today then I'm going to play some golf after work, so I'll have plenty of bonus Move to make up for any shortfall.  Still calling it an all-pass and keeping the streak alive.

[DrFeelgood]

W1 Tuesday:  one can of Dr Pepper in the morning, only water for the rest of the day.  The reduced caffeine to start my day is hitting me harder than I expected, but there may also be a bug going around that's compounding tiredness.  Nothing for it but to keep pushing through.

 

Lunch was leftover GF pasta.  The Rad Dad Van™ threw a low-tire indicator at me in the morning so at lunch I drove over to the quickie-mart and aired 'em up, and while I was there I treated myself to some Reese's cups.  Actually they didn't have any regular ones, but the King size were on sale--2 for $4.  I figured I'm reasonably kingly and that's a decent price for a treat, so I bought the pair, took them back to my office, ate half of one, and secured the rest in the snack box in my cabinet.  I was very proud of myself.  And you know what they say about pride...

 

For dinner MFG made her ham, cheese, and potato casserole with a side of steamed green beans.  I ate right up to my number for the day and was plenty satisfied.  I went about my evening just fine until about 9pm when the cravings attacked.  I tried to appease them with a string cheese, then some mixed nuts, then another string cheese with some slices of salami, and finally just gave in and had a bowl of cereal with a sliced banana.  All that snacking (can you really even call it snacking if it's larger than your actual meals?) tacked a ton of calories (and nutrition, I'm not too upset with the choices) on to the day and ratcheted the total up to 3233 kcal.  Big red, and the first (of more than a few, I'm sure) blemish on the grid.  I'm okay with it, but I'm trying not to be too okay with it.  I'm sure that will happen again, I just don't want it to become a regular thing.  I have been eating pretty low for a while, so we'll call yesterday a refeed and move on without trying to "make-up" for it.

 

The weather was awesome, so I did get some bonus Move by hitting golf balls for an hour after work.  It was good exercise if not particularly constructive toward my golf swing.  Putting and chipping are improving, though, so the time was gainful on most fronts.

[Shello]

2 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

I have been eating pretty low for a while, so we'll call yesterday a refeed

A refeed day sounds like it's what your body needed.  

[DrFeelgood]

20 hours ago, Shello said:

A refeed day sounds like it's what your body needed.  

 

Yeah, I may have overdone it a little (maintenance at my current weight is around 2700 per day), but I don't mind too much.  I'm still on the right track, and little pauses here and there are no big deal.  I think that 'tiredness' bug/adjustment/whatever also required more energy to surmount, but I seem to have kicked it or pushed through.  Additionally, I was eating way extra low:  my usual minimum for max burning is 8 cal per lb which currently puts me at 1936 per day, and I was significantly below that for several consecutive days.  And even at that extreme level my old zig-zag strategy would've included a 2100 day and a 2300 day spaced out in the week to break it up.

 

I just went way extra low while I could since the body was okay with it, but now that I've used up the "easy" reserves I'll adjust targets and reinvoke the zig-zag. Good news!  I get to eat more.  

 

[DrFeelgood]

W1 Wednesday:  one soda in the morning, only water the rest of the day.  Lunch was the same pasta, and I ate another Reese's in the afternoon.  For dinner MFG made tacos, so I assembled four biguns and chased those with a handful of tortilla chips to finish off the last of the salsa.  1829 kcal and green for the day.

 

Move was outstanding.  I drove home from the office, changed into my gym shorts, turned on the TV, and got to work.  Lots of stretches, plenty of planks and bridges (3x20), all varieties of leg lifts and flutter kicks,  added in some crunches and pushups, and lots more stretching.  This left hip in particular is being a crabby old bastard, but I'm still working it out and feeling improvements.  Some Z-sit transitions really help to open it up, and I only look & feel moderately uncoordinated while doing them.  Everything feels well worked today and just the right amount of sore.

[WolfDreamer]

Both delicious food and a great workout?! Sounds like an amazing day to me!

[DrFeelgood]

1 hour ago, WolfDreamer said:

Both delicious food and a great workout?! Sounds like an amazing day to me!

 

It really was!  Interesting since it was nothing special, just solid performance across all sectors.

[DrFeelgood]

Targets adjusted, zig-zag is back in action: I've reconfigured my spreadsheet to program my calorie intake using my weekly bodyweight as the basis of calculation.  Now I'm targeting a minimum of 8 calories per pound per day, and if I go below that then the spreadsheet will issue a cautionary yellow square.  Too many of those in a row is not good.  My upper limit is set using 11.25 calories per pound per day, and if I go over then that square will be red.  Too many of those in a row is also not good.  Green is the broad sweet-spot between 8 and 11.25 per pound per day.  I've also programmed Sundays and Wednesdays to be Zig and Zag days, respectively.  Zig is 20% over min, and Zag is 10% over min.  That should keep me from falling into the Pit of Despair again, at least for quite awhile.

 

Maintenance at my goal weight (196 lbs) is estimated at around 2400 kcal per day, depending on exercise frequency/intensity.  Theoretically I could just set there and wait patiently to arrive at the goal.

 

[DrFeelgood]

W1 Thursday:  one morning soda, only water thereafter. Lunch was the last serving of that pasta (praise the Lord!) with yet another Reese's.  For dinner MFG made beef stroganoff over rice.  I measured out enough to exceed the min on my revised grid and closed out the day at 1949 kcal.  All green...

 

Bonus Move was band practice, again not terribly demanding but still better than sitting at my desk, which is what I did for most of the rest of the evening.

 

Waistline is coming in nicely; I'm flirting with the last notch on my belt.  Would be nice if in a couple of months or so I had to buy a new one.