LadyWitch Ranger in Training

[LadyWitch]

Good afternoon folks!

 

A friend just told me about NerdFitness, so I immediately snuck in for a look around... and now I think I'm here to stay!

 

My goals:

 

1/ Do 30 minutes of Strength and Flexibility training 3 times a week (I already do two dance classes a week, which I'm not including in this count) (Str/Dex)

 

2/ Restart the 'Zombies, Run!' 5K programme (Str/Sta)

 

3/ Stop eating Nutella... by the spoonful... and generally eat more veg! (Con)

 

4/ Reduce the amount of Diet Coke I drink to one glass a day (I currently drink 5-6 ) (Con)

 

 

My starting stats are:

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 180lb

 

I look forward to posting lots of positive updates over the next 6 weeks... 

Good luck everyone!

LW

[Faery_face]

Great goals. Go for gold.  I know you will do well!

[noileum]

good luck - there seems to be quite a few aiming for the 5k mark (and lots mentioning the Zombies Run app!)

[Nusuth]

Good luck.

 

Just for the name only i got to look up that 'zombie, run' programme.

 

On the Nutella & Diet Coke , remember to take it slow, it's 6weeks ; diminish the amounts with a little bit evry week to make it last

[LadyWitch]

I love the Zombie, Run app... I got about half way through and then developed shin-splints and had to stop for a bit... But I'm now healed up, and I've found somewhere off-road to run, so hopefully can get all the way through it this time!

 

As for the Nutella and Coke... I dont think I could go cold turkey if I tried It's that much a part of my daily routine, or at least the Diet Coke is, that its as much a habit as breathing... but, I managed only one glass yesterday, and no Nutella... so thats a good start!

[Nusuth]

Cold Turkey is bad idd.  I suggest using a smaller spoon for the nutella for starters.  For the Cola follow the advice of our Guru Steve : set a weekly goal of glasses & substract 1 or 5 or X /week ; it gives you the flexibilty to do your thing daily ; none, alot, a bit, good or bad mood  & still win easely on a week-basis ; it works wonders

[LadyWitch]

That's good advice Nusuth! I hadn't thought about being that specific about cutting down the coke intake... I was just going to wing it... but I guess that's a good way to fail, and is probably why I've failed before... However, saying that... I've not had a glass of the 'nasty stuff' yet today and don't really feel the craving that I expected to get... Will keep my eye on it, and if I do need some later, I will switch to a smaller glass than normal!

[LadyWitch]

So today has been great on the exercise front but not so great on the diet front...

Started the day with my first session of the Beginners Bodyweight workout... managed 2 sets... so my goal for the next week is to manage 3!

I then tried (and failed) to fix my bike, so moved onto Goal 2 and went for a run... Loved every minute of it, although next time I'll put on some sunscreen! (I'm a little bit burnt!)

My diet was going well too... up until my Finance did a 'salad' for dinner... Salad is fine, but he adds things like pork pie and scotch egg to the plate... and tear and share garlic bread... The calories quickly mounted and I have yet to develop the will to say no, when he's put in on my plate... Something to work on over the next few weeks maybe...

On the plus side, I've only had one glass of coke again, and no Nutella... so those goals seem to be well in hand (for the moment!)

[kraynger]

Hey LadyWitch, keep it up! I know how hard it is to say no when someone is eating delicious things in front of you! Maybe you could invite him to do the challenge with you, start eating healthier together? Maybe you can find healthier alternatives to your favorite meals and make those instead (I replaced pasta with julienned zucchini, tastes the sames with only 80-100 calories for 4 zucchinis!), that might help get him on board as well. Here is just a quick example of a healthier scotch egg recipe: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/37554-healthy-baked-scotch-eggs-vegetarian
 

That looks a little involved, I'm not sure how much you or your fiance like to cook, but it's a start

Good Luck!

[Nusuth]

I've checked the site of the zombies app, seems funny & usefull.  Especially since i've taken a liking to the idea of going out for short interval runs, instead of regular classic runs.

It's just i'm a Nerd, IT-geek of the second'ish generation of pc-dom (grew up with evolution of Dos -> Windows) & I Loath evry gimmick that tries to impersonate a PC.  Yet,  I was contemplating of buying a .. smartphone.. for the excellent camera feature, so.. on top of that thiszombie application, I might consider buying one :  about in two months.  & run my ass off .

 

 

and is probably why I've failed before... However, saying that... I've not had a glass of the 'nasty stuff' yet today and don't really feel the craving that I expected to get...

 

That's why i'm stressing the long term.  You, we all, know from experience what's 'bad' for us; it's just our body, or mind, or subconsious.. i don't know, but something is ever & ever tricking us into believing us it's 'under control' short term & afterwards it all goes terribly wrong.

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/09/robots/  It's the first post of Steve I could find short-term with some significance.

 

To get personal: I myself in my challenge , I need to cut down on grains, so to abolish the dreaded coffee&bakery in the morning I've taken to work 0,5liter of smoothie last 2days, my third one is in the fridge allready for tomorrow.   = Win ?  i dont know ..  I love the smoothie, it's delicious, for hours i'm drinking it ; but even then it's no garantie it'll last.   lasting change comes over weeks: you'll have to win, fail, win again, relapse, win again, find alternatives, go through the shock of .. 'not liking the old addiction anymore' .. ; fail again, win again & suddenly  awaken & being the same person with a new perk  :   small win

 

so ye, i'm just saying : cut down slowly.  Jolly good if you got like 5days a week where you are doing much more then your goal.  And to bad If circumstances got to you & you screwed up 5days next week , just stress yourself those 2days to cut down enough to make that weekly 'small' goal & make it last for 6weeks.  

 

6 x 'small cut' > 1 x 'big cut' 

[LadyWitch]

Thanks for the link Kraynger... My Fiance, lets call him K, does like to cook but rarely has time and although he says he'll help and do healthier meals, after a couple of days unhealthy foods creep back in... he specifically has a failing for anything in pastry (i.e sausage rolls, pie) and cheese (although, I do like a nice bit of cheese myself!) I have tried taking over more of the cooking duties, as I work from home, but I do a lot of my work in the evenings, so it conflicts with dinner time! He's also of the opinion (like a large portion of the UK) that a meal has to have pasta, rice or potatoes or its not a meal... and very rarely does he add veg to the plate - salads yes, veg no (he doesn't like tinned or frozen veg apparently, and can't be bothered faffing with fresh stuff!) Think I may buy a book on the Paleo Diet and leave it on the sofa for him to read!

 

I love the sound of your smoothie Nusuth! It sounds like a great start in cutting out the breakfast bakery run... I definitely find it easier to not eat something if I'm not exposed to it at all... but things like coffee (like my coke habit) need to be done slowly, as they can have withdrawal effects. And of course, the moment you get a head ache or start getting crotchety from the lack of caffeine then it becomes doubly hard to resist the temptation! So far I'm doing well in my 'reduce coke' goal, but I'm sure it'll get harder at the weekend

 

As for tech... I don't normally use my computer anymore for anything other than work... all non-work stuff is done on my smartphone or tablet Although I'd probably still be desktop-bound if not for K who is a bit more tech-savvy than me! Don't get me wrong, I love gaming, but I'm more of a RP kinda girl than computer games! 

[Heisenberg]

Congrats on sticking up with the Coke addiction... we are talking about Coca-Cola here right? 

 

We all knoiw the asparthame and other nasties in the diet colas are no good for us but I too developed a mentality of "hey, it's diet so who cares if I drink 5, right?" Wrong. 

 

I like the idea of gradually cutting it back, I'm doing the same thing now with coffee and diet colas and trying to replace it with water and herbal tea (which is actually good for you).

 

Keep up the good work and WATCH FOR THE ZOMBIES.

[LadyWitch]

Thanks Heisenberg! I'm actually finding it fairly easy to cut down on the coke (and yes, it's coca cola!) but I know it's early days yet... However, with the weekend looming, I expect things to get far harder!

 

For an update, the last couple of days I've stuck fairly well to a Paleo diet, and definitely within my calorie range... I've also done two sessions of the Beginners Bodyweight workout and been belly dancing. I'm feeling stronger already, although that may be all in my head! I've managed to avoid Nutella for the most part, although I did succumb on Wednesday, but once in a week is better than my previous daily snack!

 

I'm off to meet my Fiance's extended family this weekend, so have no idea what I'll be eating or drinking, but I'm determined to make the best choices possible... And do as much walking etc as I can...

[Heisenberg]

Belly Dancing, cool! 

 

Kudos on sticking to the Paleo, the benefits will be great.

 

Good luck at the in-laws, it's always tough "away" from home but a little deviation (if you have to) is no biggie. Just try to control the portion size and you'll be golden. The danger is over-indulging. I used to think "Oh well, I already cheated, might as well have some more" and that's not how you want to go about it. 

 

I'm sure you'll report back here on Monday and tell us how great it went :-)

[LadyWitch]

I'm home from the weekend. Got on amazingly well with the future in-laws, and had a lovely time exploring my fiance's childhood home. Managed to stay mostly on track with the diet, with the expected blips... but I still managed to loose 1/2lb this week, which is more than I was expecting! The next few days are actually going to be harder than the weekend, as its a friends funeral on Wednesday. We're heading down tomorrow morning to help with prep for the wake, so I will have three more days of not being in charge of what we have for dinner... and the danger of emotional eating to contend with... Hopefully I'll manage lots of walking and a couple of sessions of the BBW this week, but it also means I wont be getting to either of the dance classes I normally do... In hindsight, maybe I should've waited until after this week to start a new diet/fitness programme! Oh well, no stopping me now

[Heisenberg]

Good luck at the funeral, not a fun place to be for sure.

 

No need to wait to change your lifestyle. You did the right thing, you got started and got aware of your situation, that's the hardest part. You're going to rock it from now on :-)

[LadyWitch]

Well, I knew the funeral would mess with the diet and it did... I had three days of eating crap and drinking far more coca cola than in the previous week combined. But I then got home on Thursday evening and got straight back on the bandwagon... I had three days of eating almost completely Paleo, helped by the fact that my fiance has agreed to do it with me, and had my weigh-in this morning... 1 1/2lb lost! Now, I just need to do it for an entire week and see what the scales say then!

[Nusuth]

Bumps on the ride are unavoidable, good to hear you recover quickly after them & are still in good spirit. 

 

havent heard about your BBW for a while ;  remember: it burns calories while you're sleeping

[LadyWitch]

Yeah the BBW kinda got sidetracked while I was at the family gathering and with the funeral, but I started again yesterday... so I'm now back on track!

[LadyWitch]

So my diet has been going well the last couple of days, but my exercise has been a bit lacking... so I will be going for a walk this afternoon between shifts (I'm aiming for 60-90 minutes) and it's belly dancing tomorrow evening, so hopefully that will get me back into it all. I must admit that I'm struggling a bit today with a craving from Nutella.. I've only succumbed once since the start of the challenge, so I'm doing well, but I may not make it through today without having some

 

I've also been doing really well with cutting down on the coca cola, so my plan now it to switch glasses... I normally use a pint glass for everything (water, coke, squash etc) so from now on the pint glass with be for water only, and a 1/2 pint glass will be used for everything else. My plan for the next week or so is to switch to 2 of the smaller glasses a day, and then slowly reduce it to 1 a day. I'm hopeful that by the end of the challenge I'll be down to 1 small glass every other day...

 

I'm finding it a lot easier to stick to the diet with my fiance on board too... although he does keep going 'Why can't we have (insert item here)' and I have to explain it all over again! I keep telling him to just read the Beginners Guide to Paleo, but he hasn't gotten around to it yet... Hopefully he will when I'm out dancing tomorrow evening, and things will get a bit less stressful!

 

My other goal currently, which I haven't mentioned yet, is to be able to get my foot behind my head I've been doing some stretches given to me by the chiropractor, designed to help with my back problems (another issue completely!) and I've slowly been able to get my feet closer and closer to my head... I'm now able to rest a foot on my head... but haven't managed to get it further than that yet (this is one foot at a time, not both together!)... so, by the end of the 6 weeks I want to be able to put a foot behind my head, which is something I could never even do as a kid!

 

And lastly, I'm going to try and post on here a bit more frequently, and in more detail... hence this post!

[LadyWitch]

Went for the walk I planned yesterday, and added in some jogging and sprints to mix it up a bit... I can't actually remember the last time I sprinted, and it felt really good! I then stopped at a little play area that has a convenient set of monkey bars, figured I'd try some pull ups... didn't even manage one! Apparently I can't life my own body weight even once... so that is now the goal of the BBW, to be able to do a single pull up at the end of the six week challenge.

 

I did succumb to the Nutella yesterday, but don't feel too bad about it, as it was the first time in a week that I've had any. But other than that my diet is still on track, and I've made the 'glass switch' on the coke front... so will see how that goes. 

 

Plan for today, BBW during my next break at work, followed by an hour of belly dancing tonight (which also involves a 30 minute walk to get there and again to get home!) I'm trying to plan my meals out a bit more so lunch today is a salmon salad, and dinner will be grilled chicken with a plate full of roast veggies! With lots of fruit for snacking on and maybe a boiled egg too

[Nusuth]

 I then stopped at a little play area that has a convenient set of monkey bars, figured I'd try some pull ups... didn't even manage one! Apparently I can't life my own body weight even once... so that is now the goal of the BBW, to be able to do a single pull up at the end of the six week challenge.

 

I did succumb to the Nutella yesterday, but don't feel too bad about it, as it was the first time in a week that I've had any. But other than that my diet is still on track, and I've made the 'glass switch' on the coke front... so will see how that goes. 

 

Been there, done that ^^  ; check the post of steve on doing a pullup, it's really hard.  I'd say, don't change your good goals at this point, as too many goals is formula for disaster.  Just do some 'inverted rows' on the low monkey bars  in 'secret' whilst jogging, to increase your triceps & back muscle; so you're a step ahead: when posting a pullup as a goal in the next challenge. (it'll be hard enough even then, trust me)

 

don't feel 'too' bad about the nutella; it's normal: it's a long term change.  Even after i had encounterd a moment with my favorite 'salt&pepper' & 'pickles' chips, when i succumbed to them, & had a moment of : .. this shit actually tastes like shit :s (pardon my french)

, why was this tasting good a month ago ?  , in the months of 'staying clean' i once in a while 'relapsed' to eating a pack  (being weekly or montly instead of daily) ; all about changing habits & building alternatives... 

 

 

PS: (I ate a chocolate bar today at work!! whilst feeling drowsy, must be a 4-5months ago;  feeling ok with it; but big Gestapo-evil eye on it for not turning that back in a habit

[LadyWitch]

Yeah, I'm not changing my goals at this point, its more like refining them but my list of possible goals for the next challenge keeps getting longer! Wish I had a time machine so I could jump forward and see how well all my hard work will pay off! And as you say, I'm not going to kick myself to much for the nutella, I'd had two slips in three weeks, so I think thats not bad I'm trying to change my life and get rid of bad habits, and undo 15 years of neglect on my body... that will not happen over night, and each little step in the right direction should be celebrated!

 

Update on yesterday - I sweated buckets at belly dancing! Not sure if that was all due to the intensity of the workout, or the sheer muggy temperature, but either way I had fun and the diet went well, up until I added a dash of soy sauce to my dinner (I had stir fry rather than grilled chicken and veg). I'd forgotten that soy sauce has wheat products in... and noticed a definite reaction to it (that I wont go into details about )

 

On to today... I'm going for a walk/run when I finish work and then we're out for a Steampunk gathering tonight, so as we're eating out the diet may not go to well... But I will do my best with what's on the menu!

[LadyWitch]

Started the day with a BBW session, and then we walked into town for lunch. Took a while to find a restaurant that had anything on the menu that we could eat, but we did in the end. K had a scallop salad and I had a grilled salmon fillet, with fresh tomato salsa, steamed broccoli and salad... It was yummy!

Dinner is an attempt at meatloaf, which is cooking as I type (and smells lovely!) and then if its not raining, we may go for a walk after dinner... But as its been raining all day, I'm not holding out much hope.

Tomorrow I have work for 13 hours solid, so I'm trying to plan healthy things to eat that don't take much to prepare... Probably wont have anytime for exercise but I'll definitely try... Even if its just some star jumps between projects.

[LadyWitch]

So I weighed in this morning... I've lost another 2lb! If I can loose 1 1/2lb more, I will be at my lightest weight in years!

 

I started the day with a BBW session, and I have a dance class this evening... so that's today's exercise sorted. Lunch will be a chilli chicken salad, with mackerel for dinner with lots of fruit and veg in between!

 

There are a few hurdles this week, the big one being my 30th Birthday on Saturday! We're having friends over for gaming during the day, and then we're out to a Turkish restaurant for dinner, followed by cocktails... And on Sunday we're going to my parents for a family buffet (my mum is terrible for ignoring diets, and will no doubt serve up sausage rolls, sandwiches and cakes galore - my coping strategy is to take a paleo salad and some cooked meat, and a couple of close friends who will devour the buffet for me!) 

 

But, I'm determined to loose that 1 1/2lb this week, if not more, so if that means being 100% paleo Monday-Friday and 85% over the weekend, then that's what I'll do... I'll just increase the intensity of my workouts, and throw the Nutella out!

 

Oh! That reminds me! I only had one small glass of coke yesterday! And didn't even realise until this morning Go ME!!!!