Eboncat's Quest to Eat More and Get Stronger

[Rocker3722]

I reached my body weight for squats and deadlifts a few weeks ago, it's a great feeling keep it up!!

[Eboncat]

Thanks, everyone!

 

To recap last week - I got 100% (or higher!) on everything except the dang journal.  I even had something I wanted to write about Sunday night, but with one thing and another (darn you Netflix, and hubby) I forgot about it.  I havent written anything yet this week either.  I suppose it would help if I got it out of my backpack and put it back on the nightstand where it belongs.

 

I did a new short workout before work Monday.  I'm pretty happy with it, it only takes about 25 minutes with warmup/stretching,  no equipment needed.  And I'm a sweaty puddle at the end of it, so yay for that too.

[idealistinfire]

What was the workout?

And congrats on the 100% on everything (except that pesky journal.  Sneaking away and hiding from you to make it harder - shame on that book!)

[Eboncat]

I found it on Pinterest and modified it a little.  1 min each: Jumping Jacks, Wall Sit, Pushups, Bicycle Crunches, Burpees, Alternating Lunges, Dips, Front Kicks, Plie squats, Superman, Bridges, High Knees, Squat Jumps, Banana, Plank Punches.

 

I found where it was hiding and made an entry last night.  It's back on the night stand where it belongs.

[BlamedCat]

Good workout!  I didn't know you could find workouts on pintrest, but that's neat

[Eboncat]

This week I'm back on track.  Need to eat enough today and get enough sleep tonight and I'll be golden. Finshed my 3rd entry in my journal this morning.  Got 3 PR's in my lifting yesterday: Step-ups, Squats, and Bicep Curls.  Makes me happy.  My back is a little sore, but it's all good.

 

I do, however, need to get back on the cardio wagon, at least a little.  My friend wants to do her first obstacle race next month and I've promised to do it with her.  I've run once in the last month.  Run, Eboncat, run!  I should probably sit down tonight and set up a workout schedule for the next 3 weeks.

[BlamedCat]

Very cool! You're doing a great GREAT job.  oooh cardio wagon (looks at his own leaving him in the dust) yeah.. you get on that  Seriously though, I think that's a good idea, Proper Planning Prevents Pathetic Performance, ya know?

[Eboncat]

So I did 20 minutes of intervals on the treadmill yesterday.  Now I know how far I've slipped in the last month.  Sigh.

 

Last week I got 80% on diet and sleep.  Need to get that back up this week.  I did get all my required journal entries done and some PR's, so good there.

 

I've stopped weighing myself and recording my BF% every morning.  As long as the muffin top doesn't come back, I've decided not to worry about the actual #'s.

 

Have a good week, everyone!

[idealistinfire]

This week I'm back on track.  Need to eat enough today and get enough sleep tonight and I'll be golden. Finshed my 3rd entry in my journal this morning.  Got 3 PR's in my lifting yesterday: Step-ups, Squats, and Bicep Curls.  Makes me happy.  My back is a little sore, but it's all good.

 

I do, however, need to get back on the cardio wagon, at least a little.  My friend wants to do her first obstacle race next month and I've promised to do it with her.  I've run once in the last month.  Run, Eboncat, run!  I should probably sit down tonight and set up a workout schedule for the next 3 weeks.

Congrats on the PR's!  That feeling of accomplishment never gets old, does it   And I'm excited to race you this week to help with the running challenge

[Rocker3722]

Don't feel too bad im running once a week and i can only do 18 mins of intervals

[CB3]

So I did 20 minutes of intervals on the treadmill yesterday.  Now I know how far I've slipped in the last month.  Sigh.

 

Last week I got 80% on diet and sleep.  Need to get that back up this week.  I did get all my required journal entries done and some PR's, so good there.

 

I've stopped weighing myself and recording my BF% every morning.  As long as the muffin top doesn't come back, I've decided not to worry about the actual #'s.

 

Have a good week, everyone!

Don't feel too bad about the running thing, it was one of my goals and I am totally slacking on it. At least you got as much as you did! Yay, you!

 

Good for you! Tracking your weight is not an accurate indicator of you progress!! Continue to focus on how you feel and look, not your weight!! Not to mention a pound of fat takes up more space then a pound of muscle, so you can weigh more and be more compact and smaller!!! Keep up the great work and that Fabulous attitude!

[Sulinar]

Maybe you haven't achieved your running goal, but you've achieved freedom from weighing and bodyfat percentage slavery, and that's a really difficult mental leap, so go you!

[Eboncat]

Oh, wow, I haven't posted on my own thread in a while.  Ooops!

 

To recap the 4th week (which I forgot to do): 80% on eating, 80% on sleep, 100% on journal writing, 4 PR's.  Pretty good week, I seem to have gotten the hang of remembering to write in the journal at this point.

 

Recap for week 5: so far 100% on everything with one day to go. (actually 120% on the sleep 7 hrs.  yay!). Only 1 PR (well 2 if I count dips, but that wasn't really what I had in mind when I started this goal).  That's ok though, I decided at the beginning of this week that I was going to work on solidifying my lifting form for a couple sessions at least.  No need to get all gung-ho and hurt myself.

 

I also started running again (have a race in, well, 2 weeks now).  It's amazing how much you lose skipping a month.  My legs are fine - it's mostly my endurance (lungs, heartrate) that need to be built back up again.  I've been doing intervals for 30 min on the treadmill last week and a mile outdoor run for Idealistinfire's race.  Tomorrow or Tuesday is going to be a 5k distance to see where I'm at.  Whether it's outside or not will depend on how early I get my butt out of bed.  It's still pretty hot here.

 

I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend!

[Rocker3722]

Good luck!!

[BlamedCat]

Totally had a great LDW, hope you did too!  See you Tuesday for catch-up and recaps

[Eboncat]

Sorry I didn't post much this last week.  Got a case of the Blahs.  Work has been really stressful and I don't want to even look at the computer when I get home.

 

Challenge 5 results:

 

Goal 1: Eat a net 2000 cal/day, with 125g protein at least 4 days/week for 3 weeks, then 5 days per week. There. There it is in black and white (ok, green and white). And I realize I may have to adjust this upwards, this is probably too low. But I can't right now. This is my starting point. I will log my food in MFP every day. I am going to start a battlelog to track this, will be linked in my signature. Goal edited 7/31/13.

CON +2, WIS +3, STR +1

Results: A/A+/A+/B/A+/A.  I exceeded my goal 3 times.  I think that makes up for the 1 week I got 4/5 days, so I'm giving myself an A(100%*). CON+2, WIS+3, STR +1.  This ended up being a lot easier than I was expecting, although toward the end of the challenge I was not eating as healthy as I should have been.  I may have to put in a goal for next time of what kind of food I'm eating, not just the protein requirement.  All that panic and stress setting this goal was worth it.  

 

Goal 2: Stay in bed to sleep at least 7 hours at least 5 nights per week. I have a bad habit of staying up past midnight watching Netflix (Fringe is my current addiction). Then I have to get up before 6 or 7 depending on the day for work, or to get my workout in before work. This is not helping any aspect of my life. By "stay in bed" I mean trying to sleep, not playing with my iphone or reading. Edited to fix wording 8/2/13.

WIS +2, CHA +1, STA +1, CON +1

Results:  A/B/A/B/A+/A.  I exceeded my goal once (that week was 7/7) and had 2/6 weeks where I was short one.  I'm giving myself a B+ (90%). WIS +1.8, CHA +0.9, STA +0.9, CON +0.9.  This has become a habit now.  It is much easier for me to do this and I feel so much better throughout the day.  I do have to plan better for the nights before my early shift and watch the clock to make sure I get to bed on time.

 

Goal 3: Increase lifts. Vague, I know. I want to increase my deadlifts, squats, benchpress and rows. I just don't know what a reasonable increase in the the course of 6 weeks would be. Current #'s: deadlift 40lb db x6; squats 35lb db x 6; benchpress 22.5lb db x 6; one-arm row 30 lb db x 8. I also have been stuck on 8lbx8 for side lateral raise for months. It's embarrasing!

STR +1, CON +1, STA +1

Results:  100%.  STR +1, CON +1, STA +1.  I worked very hard on this.  I was trying to increase the weight and maintain my form.  I am using dumbbells at home.

• Deadlift: Started @ 2x40lb (80 lbs).  Finished at 2x50lbs (100lbs).  Increase=25%.
• Squats: Started @ 2x35lb (70 lbs).  Finished at 2x50lbx (100lbs).  Increase=43%
• Benchpress: Started @ 2x22.5lb (45lbs).  Finished at 2x25lbs (50lbs).  Increase=11%
• One-arm Row: Started at 30lb.  Finished at 35lb.  Increase=17%

I also increased other lifts: Chest Flies 14%, Side Lateral Raise 25%, Step-ups 20%, Bicep Curls 29%.  Since getting stronger was the overall goal of this challenge, I am thrilled at the progress I made.  Especially the deadlifts and squats.  <happy dance>  

 

Life Side Quest: Write in a Journal 3 days per week. Haven't done this since high school. I wanted to do it for the last challenge, but decided on the yardwork goal instead. I need to reflect on my life a little more. Doesn't have to be more than a few sentences. WIS +1

Results:  A/C/C/C/A/A. B (83%).  WIS +0.8.  I gave myself 80% when figuring stats.  This goal was so easy, there was no excuse for missing any days.  I enjoyed writing when I did it.  I'm going to try to keep it going.

 

Grading: for each goal: 91% and up A, 80-90% B, 70-80% C, Less than 70%, fail. The main quest goals 1 & 2, fail either = fail challenge. Goal 3 is based on the first two - a way to gauge if they're working, so will not fail challenge by itself. Life goal is extra, will not fail challenge by itself. * Had to change this a little.

 

Overall I am super happy with the progress I made on all my goals.  This is my best challenge so far.

 

 

Thank you everyone who has stuck with me and encouraged me throughout this challenge.  I could not have done it without all of you and I hope you all know how deeply I appreciate your support and encouragement!!

[BlamedCat]

EC!!  You did awesome!  (and I totally understand not wanting to look at the screen after a long day, it's okay.)  You made some really good progress in this challenge, you hit almost everything out of the park and you've got your habits ta boot! (which was the best part)

 

I'm glad we can be here to support you.  I know I really enjoy being here to come along side you with your journey.  Keep being awesome!

[GoodDoug]

Great job! What inspiring results.

[idealistinfire]

Nice work all around!  It's encouraging to see your strength increases (43% on squats!) and hear about your successes!  Looking forward to reading about your goals next time around

[Sulinar]

Great job!

 

"Sulinar does a happy dance with Eboncat"

[CB3]

Eboncat, those increase in strength stats are worth being envious and salivating over !!!  You rocked them weights!  Thanks for the inspiration, I bow the force with in you !

 

See ya next week, lovely lady.

[Eboncat]

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