Captain's Log

[Shakespeare]

Hey guys! I'm just getting used to this battle log thing, so please be patient with me. I'll try to make it as entertaining as possible. 

 

Well, let's start with base stats:

 

Height: 5'1"

Weight: 218 lb (I didn't weigh myself before doing that intro post. 2 pounds lost! Yes!)

Obstacles: Anxiety, depression, self esteem issues

Strengths: Determination, creativity

 

So basically, I'm a hobbit. 

 

My main fitness goal is to get back to my healthy weight of 130 lb. (I recognize some people **cough** Wii Fit **cough** think this is overweight for my height. In my previous experience, this was the lowest weight I could get to and maintain without feeling miserable, so that's where I'm setting the bar.) I'd also like to be a little more graceful. I tend to kind of fall over my own feet sometimes, which is good if you're pretending you're Hugh Grant, but otherwise annoying.

 

Mentally, my goal is to try to be more confident. I tend to be that person who's always second guessing herself, even if my first instinct is absolutely correct. Or who lets another person boss her around because they obviously understand the situation better than I do. Naturally, this gets in the way of a lot of things I want to do, including getting some of my plays produced (and stories published). That voice that a lot of us has that says "You can't do that. Don't even try. You'll only end up embarrassing yourself" is basically the bane of my existence. I am trying to prove that voice wrong. 

 

So, to recap:

 

Main Goals:

1. Lose 88 lbs (Hey, it used to be 90)

2. Gain self confidence 

 

Now, these are two really big main goals. I don't expect to be done with them for awhile now. So, let me state some smaller, more easily attainable goals that lead up to those big goals:

 

Smaller Goals:

1. Lose a pound per week (which seems to be the recommended pace)

2. Set a task for each week to boost self confidence

 

I recognize that second one is a little shaky, but I feel the confidence one is actually going to change from situation to situation more frequently than weight loss will. One week it may be "buy something that makes you feel pretty" and another it may be "learn thirty words in German." Who knows?

 

I'll probably set some more goals in the future once I get an even better idea of what I want to do (like which profession I'm in, etc.) But for now that's it.

 

Oh, also, head's up. I'm not on Paleo. I do Weight Watchers (Well, the old version. I don't go to the meetings. Never did actually.) Because of this, I'm going to be measuring my food intake and how well I did diet-wise based on points and not on the amount of protein. I'll try to remember to post the basic rules so that people won't be too confused.

 

Live long and prosper.

[Shakespeare]

Right so I just looked it up and for Weight Watcher the amount of points I need (given my stats) is between 29 and 34. So far, I've consumed 8 points and burned off 2 through exercise for a total of 6. That's less than 1/4 of the points I need today. And it's nearly 5pm.

 

This may be a problem.

 

Right. What can I do to healthily solve this? Because the last thing I'm doing is going out and buying a whole bunch of donuts to get my points up. That just spells trouble.

 

While I think about this, some of you may be wondering how I've managed not to eat. I mean, I'm over 200 lb. Surely I'm eating donuts every day with a side of double chocolate cake for dessert. 

 

 

The medication I'm on for anxiety and depression suppresses appetite, so I actually have trouble remembering to eat enough. Not quite sure how I've managed to stay this heavy when I keep accidentally starving myself, but there you go. 

 

Yogurt. Maybe yogurt is the answer.

[Shakespeare]

Oh my God. I'm an idiot.

 

I just did 20 squats. In a row. And then 10 lunges right after it. 

 

 

My thighs are on fire. 

[Shakespeare]

Stardate 9.6.2013

 

Food Log:

 

Breakfast:

A pot of Earl Grey (hot) and two low fat whole grain waffles [2 points] (5g protein)

 

Lunch:

Grilled cheese sandwich (rye bread, non-fat cheese, limited butter) [6 points] (14g)

Crystal Lite pink lemonade [0 points] (0g)

 

Snack:

1 low fat cheese stick [1 point] (6g)

1 yo-crunch yogurt [3 points] (3g)

1 fiber bar [2 points] (2g)

 

Dinner:

SmartOnes Three Cheese Ziti [6 points] (14g)

2 servings of brussels sprouts [2 points] (5g)

Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt [2 points] (4g)

A glass of water [0 points] (0g)

 

Late snack:

1 serving of lean grilled chicken breast [2 points] (21g)

Chips Ahoy thin crisps [2 points] (1g)

2 slices seeded rye toast [3 points] (6g)

A glass of water 

 

Which all adds up to:

31 points and 81 grams of protein  

 

Exercise Log:

 

20 minutes of yoga

10 push ups/side planks

10 jack knives

20 squats

10 lunges

2 minutes balance training

7 minutes aerobics

 

Which burns off 2 points, making today's total: 29 points (aka the minimum number of points for my weight and height)

 

So, all in all, pretty good. I keep seeing conflicting advice about how much protein a person should get per day, but it seems like the medical journals are pointing towards 46 grams per day and the fitness experts are stating that it ought to be 1 gram per 1 pound of a person's weight. Considering I'm 218 pounds and I'm not trying to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I'm going to go with the 46 gram rule.  

[Shakespeare]

So I messed up.

1. I didn't post yesterday
2. I overdid it

Specifically, I overdid it with the exercises that I listed last entry. Even more specifically, the squats and the lunges. That pain in my legs never went away. In fact, it started to hurt worse. Today I asked my Mom (who majored in Biology and has been the unofficial doctor for her children's medical problems for years) what was up. She said that I overdid it, that I had some serious muscle pain, and that I ought to take Aleeve and apply heat.

 

"Well, this means I'm getting stronger, though, right?" I asked.

 

She paused. "Technically, yes," she replied. "But there's better ways to do it... You need to slow down."

 

And, as if to put the metaphorical cherry on the "you overdid it" sundae, I got the email from Steve Kamb today giving me my first challenge. At the very bottom it said, "Take small steps every day, make small changes, and eventually you'll end up with epic results."

 

 

So I need to slow down and the leg pain is pretty much ensuring that. 

 

[CactusWren]

Be patient, you'll get there!

[Shakespeare]

So since my legs are kind of messed up at the moment, I decided I was going to work on my arms. 

 

I think I did right this time because I stopped the moment the reps got too shaky. 

 

Anyway, here's what I did (all seated with five pound weights):

• 10 bicep curls (each arm)
• 15 overhead tricep extensions
• 10 front raises
• 5 lateral raises

I only did 5 lateral raises because that's when my arms started to shake. And it kind of hurt.

 

Wait a minute...

 

 

Oh no... I've done it again, haven't I?

 

 

Well, let's see how my arms feel tomorrow. 

[Shakespeare]

Be patient, you'll get there!

 

Aww!

 

 

Thanks. I'm going to try to be more patient, but I just get so excited about things. 

[CactusWren]

Aww!

 

 

Thanks. I'm going to try to be more patient, but I just get so excited about things. 

 

Me too! It can be hard to slow down, but it's better than burning out. Love you gifs btw!

[Shakespeare]

So I weighed myself today and apparently I gained 2 lb? 

 

 

My best guess is that it's from late night eating (since I forget to eat during the day and then frantically try to make up the point difference in the evening). It's been especially late night eating since my stage managing job has rehearsals from 6-9pm and my family generally eats dinner around 8pm. I also have to get to the rehearsal space about 15 minutes early because I have to orchestrate everyone getting there. 

 

Also, I weighed myself after I'd eaten breakfast, which adds to the weight a bit. I wouldn't think 2 lb worth though. 

 

So, new goal, try to eat more often during the day. 

 

Hmm... I may actually have to eat Elevensies.

 

 

[Shakespeare]

I think I'm doing pretty well with my goal of eating during the day rather than at night. I consumed the majority of my points before 7pm yesterday and today I'm starting off with my usual breakfast of two whole grain waffles and tea, with the addition of a veggie sausage patty.

 

On a side note, I'm not actually vegetarian. Sometimes I eat like one, though, because vegetarian burgers and patties have much less fat and calories. Chicken salad is my weakness, though, which is why I've looked up a low-fat recipe for it. It's basically just low-fat mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise, but it makes a huge difference.

 

Oh! Yes! Exercising from yesterday! (Sorry. I was working really late into the evening. And then by the time I'd finished working I was so tired I just went to bed)

Soo...

• 20 minutes yoga
• 10 minutes aerobics (specifically that martial arts game on the Wii Fit)
• An additional 10 minutes yoga
• Plus however much exercise is involved in herding cats

By the way, yoga really helped with the muscle pain. I'll have to do more of it whenever I'm feeling achy. 

[CactusWren]

I love yoga! It's one of my favorite things to do, and boy does liking something make a difference when trying to be active.

 

I just wanted to mention that your weight will fluctuate a great deal day to day for various reasons, so that is not really an ideal short term indicator of progress. How you're feeling, on the other hand, is imo. Also, fat is not the enemy! If you haven't already, I highly recommend signing up with your email on the main NF page. You'll get a couple ebooks emailed to you right away that explain these things better than I ever could.

 

Good luck! Am enjoying your log.

[Shakespeare]

I love yoga! It's one of my favorite things to do, and boy does liking something make a difference when trying to be active.

 

I just wanted to mention that your weight will fluctuate a great deal day to day for various reasons, so that is not really an ideal short term indicator of progress. How you're feeling, on the other hand, is imo. Also, fat is not the enemy! If you haven't already, I highly recommend signing up with your email on the main NF page. You'll get a couple ebooks emailed to you right away that explain these things better than I ever could.

 

Good luck! Am enjoying your log.

 

I have signed up. And I read the "15 Mistakes Newbies Make." I'm definitely an Overeager Beaver, Army of One, Good Intentioner, and Scale Watcher. ^_^"

 

Aww! Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[Shakespeare]

Ah. Namaste. I've done my morning yoga so maybe now I can talk about yesterday.

 

Yesterday was... interesting.

 

I did get some exercise in. I was taking rehearsal photos for the play I'm stage managing. Now, I'm a pretty serious photographer. I haven't done any photo shoots or anything, but put a camera in my hand and I'll be looking at light, angle, framing, movement, balance, etc. in each shot. I'd already volunteered to take some headshots (the picture you put next to the actor in the program or, for non-theatre people, a photo similar to what you'd find right next to an actor's name on their IMDb) and had done a pretty good job with them. So, when the producer said we needed some rehearsal photos, I naturally volunteered. 

 

Well, taking photos of people in action is a lot more difficult than taking a beauty shot. I ended up basically doing a lot of lunges and jogging to get the right angle for the photos, plus what seemed like a lot of ab, arm, back, and chest exercises from twisting into different positions to get the perfect shot. I had sweat through my shirt by the end of it and had over 400 photos on my camera. I was also quite literally out of breath. "Thank God," I muttered, as the director called wrap, and immediately sunk to the floor with my back against the wall. I looked through some of the photos, still panting from the strain. 

 

"You alright?" the kindly old man who was playing the lead character's father asked as he watched me trying to catch my breath. 

 

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," I croaked out. I ventured a small smile before focusing on trying to keep down my dinner. I'd been nauseous before I even came to rehearsals--a fact which I'd blamed on nerves. It had waned as I got to work, but now that I was exhausted on the floor it was coming back.

 

The production stage manager looked over at me. "You sure you're ok?" he asked.

 

"Yeah," I said. I smiled and added, "Just a little dyspepsia."

 

"What?" the old man asked.

 

"I-I'm joking. 'Pie gives me a little dyspepsia'?" I replied, tentatively quoting back from the show.

 

"...What?"

 

"If you need some antacids, I have some," the production stage manager said. 

 

I waved him off. "I'll be fine," I said. I took a deep breath. "Just give me a minute." 

 

Well, I managed to keep everything down and show some pictures to the actors. By the time, I got home, though, I wasn't feeling well. I ended up with my dinner plus some crackers I'd tried to nibble on coming back up again. 

 

Which has led me to the conclusion that perhaps I actually am sick.

 

 

...Shut up, Sherlock.

 

So today may not be the most protein-friendly of days. I'm just going to try to eat whatever is best for sick stomachs and drink plenty of water. And try to get some rest. Thursday and Friday are my off-days for the show so I don't have anything that requires immediate attention for the next two days. Hopefully, by Saturday I'll be well enough to go back to standard stage manager duties.

 

[CactusWren]

Oh noes!!! Hope you feel better!

[Shakespeare]

Well, I've started a challenge log: Back Again. The first post is basically one huge fanfiction with Gandalf stating some of my goals at the end. And then I go over it again in more solid terms (aka lists like they have on the rules).   

[Shakespeare]

1.5 miles.

 

I walked 1.5 miles today.

 

1.3 of them were hiking.

 

Through rough terrain.

 

[Shakespeare]

Right. So after the hike yesterday, I realized something.

 

I may have been a bit overambitious with 50 miles. 

 

That is 50 miles of non-work related, free time walking. I do plenty of walking and running for work. Herding actors does that to people. Hell, I parkoured my way to the top of a brick fence yesterday to get good cell reception to call an actress who was running late. And every day I move at least 2 dining room sized tables--luckily one of them has wheels--and at least 6 chairs from one room to the other and back. There's not really a good way to quantify all that work (Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong), and it leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. 

 

Especially if I add on top of that a 1.5 mile hike.

 

So, I've done some calculations. Walking 50 miles over the course of 6 weeks is 1.19 miles a day, which is 0.31 miles less than the hike I did yesterday. In other words, I'd have to do something roughly equivalent to that hike every dayin order to reach my goal.

 

 

That's too much for this little hobbit. 

 

So, I'm cutting back the number of miles to 30 (which is 0.95 miles a day) and making 50 miles a super special bonus thing. If I make it past 30 too quickly, I'll go to 40 and if I get to 40 I'll try to go to 50. But I figure, in this case, it's better to aim low and then surprise myself than set up something I'll end up panting and upset over in 2 weeks. 

[Azalea]

for me, hicking is not a walk, it's much more intense. It's like doing lunges constantly for an hour

 

and by the way, I'm a 5'2 hobbit as well we'll soon take over the world ! keep the good work !

[Shakespeare]

Right so this week's confidence task is: Flirting.

 

I am horrible at flirting. When I try to flirt with anyone, I've been told, it looks like I'm just angry at them or afraid. And when I'm trying to get someone to go away, it apparently looks like I'm flirting. 

 

 

So, I'm going to try to change that. 

 

Wish me luck.

[Shakespeare]

Right. Still having trouble with the eating thing. I just can't seem to find anything I'm hungry for. Nonetheless, I have stuck to my points range (albeit the lowest possible number) for the past two days. 

 

And today was my first day trying archery for this challenge. 

 

I'd backed up ten yards from my usual starting position, so I suppose I should have expected it to be rough. But, out of about 25 rounds with 3 arrows, here are the stats:

 

White: 5

Black: 1

Blue: 2

Red: 1

Gold: 0

 

And here's a picture of a target so you have some idea of what I'm talking about.

 

 

There actually isn't a black on my target (just a larger blue) so I'm guess-timating how many times I hit the black based on how close to the blue I got. 

 

But first try and I got in the red!

 

I'm already at a "B" on my grading curve! (Well, B-... it was just inside the red.)

 

[CactusWren]

[Shakespeare]

for me, hicking is not a walk, it's much more intense. It's like doing lunges constantly for an hour

 

and by the way, I'm a 5'2 hobbit as well we'll soon take over the world ! keep the good work !

 

I know. It's so intense for something that's painted as so tranquil. 

Also, you might be pleased to discover, I gave myself the hobbit name of "Azaelia Took" for the walk to Mordor (and general roleplaying purposes). Clearly, you and I have similar tastes

 

Also...

 

 

No one's supposed to know about the hobbit take-over for another year yet. 

[Azalea]

I can see that

 

and well done for the archery challenge!

[Shakespeare]

Well, sorry for not writing in awhile. My dog died this last Friday and I've had little time to grieve or to write. The production of the play I'm stage managing is picking up as well. (Perfect timing, eh?)

But enough excuses. I've done fairly well with my dieting. I've only missed the mark on two days (counting today, which I've purposefully taken off since it's my birthday). The exercising isn't going as well (unless you count stage managing as exercise which, frankly, it should). I haven't tried any more archery either, but, since I'm off work for the next few days, I'll probably try my hand at it again.

Also, as a birthday present, I'm getting a bicycle! I've been trying to find good bicycle paths in my area (not too steep, I'm a beginner), and am hoping to both get outside my comfort zone and get some exercise at the same time.