Kiss My (Pant Size) Goodbye! [Hi, I'm Kunoichi22.]

[Kunoichi22]

Hello, I'm Kunoichi22!  Nice to meet you, my fellow n00b challenge co-questers!

 

My (first-ever-omg-i'm-so-excited) main quest:

 

I will fit comfortably into at least one size smaller jeans (currently Gap 30S) by the end of 6 weeks, ultimately fitting into my old BDU pants (x-small, x-short)  Not only will I be kissing my pant size goodbye, I'll be kissing a good deal of my derriere goodbye, as well!  For good.

 

I will accomplish my main quest by:

 

Doing the Beginner Bodyweight Workout at least 2 times per week

 

Reducing liquid (empty) calories to only: 1 store-bought 12 oz. coffee drink and two 6-oz. glasses of red wine per week

 

Not engaging in distracting activities during lunch/dinner at least 12 of 14 nights per week.

 

 

I'm also electing to tackle a Life Quest:

 

During the next 6 weeks I will complete 6 chapters of my online Medical Billing and Coding course (Chapters 4-9).

 

My Motivation:

 

I'm doing this because I want a strong, healthy body.  I want to look good naked and be sexy.  I want to set a good example for other women who struggle.

 

I stand an intimidating 4' 11" and am 35 years old.

 

I was quite mortified to see before photos of myself, they are here in my photo gallery:

 

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/gallery/album/993-kunoichi22s-beforeduringafter-photos/

 

I also took my measurements, here they are:

 

chest: 35"    waist: 35-1/2"   hips: 44-1/2"  thigh: 25-1/2"  calf: 14"  bicep:  14"   neck: 13-1/2"

 

I'm looking forward to being part of this thriving, active, and supportive community.  Now, let's go slay us some dragons!  (Or kill swamp rats to lvl up... woot!)

[bluecarfuffle]

Hi Kunoichi22, 

You and I have the same quest, so it's interesting to read how you plan to get to it. My drinks are under control (water, unsweetened coffee only) so I focus more on food, and by food I really mean chocolate (and butter on bread). But why the distracting activities? (Just wondering what you mean by that). Anyhow, this all looks like a feasible plan, with realistic changes. Good stuff!

BlueCarfuffle

[RES]

Distracting activities are an issue for me as well....I need to focus more on what I'm doing while eating...good luck with your goals!!

[Kunoichi22]

Hi Kunoichi22, 

You and I have the same quest, so it's interesting to read how you plan to get to it. My drinks are under control (water, unsweetened coffee only) so I focus more on food, and by food I really mean chocolate (and butter on bread). But why the distracting activities? (Just wondering what you mean by that). Anyhow, this all looks like a feasible plan, with realistic changes. Good stuff!

BlueCarfuffle

 

Hello, BlueCarfuffle,

 

It's awesome that we have the same quest!  That's great that you have drinks handled already!  To be honest, my drinks are 'largely' under control, too, but I still have some cleaning up to do in the drink department.  Mostly, since this is my first-ever 6-week challenge, I wanted to pick goals that I absolutely cannot fail at, and I'm sure I can finish the liquid calorie cleanup!! =)

 

What I mean by [eliminating] distracting activities is: I will practice mindful eating at mealtime.  No more eating while I'm watching Sons of Anarchy stream on Netflix, or while I'm playing around on my computer.  I am committed to ONLY EAT during mealtime, thinking about the meal that I'm consuming.  (This also means I won't snack while I'm watching movies or on my computer.)

 

I am glad to make your acquaintance, and excited to follow your progress, BlueCarfuffle!

 

~Kunoichi22

[tomboy22]

Hi,

I'm doing something similar for my first 6 week challenge as well. My goal is to lose two pants sizes. I have actually finally gotten my drinks under control. I have beaten my soda addiction. Woooo! My problem is going to be eating healthier. Its crazy hard in college. 

 

I am also starting the beginner bodyweight workout as one of my goals. Do you find it difficult to complete? And what do you use to do your rows with? I don't know how I am going to do that particular move.

 

Good luck on your goals. 

[Mdowning]

Your goals look great. Good luck to you. I need to take a page from your book and practice mindful eating.

And don't worry about the before pics. They won't be accurate for long

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kunoichi22]

Hi,

I'm doing something similar for my first 6 week challenge as well. My goal is to lose two pants sizes. I have actually finally gotten my drinks under control. I have beaten my soda addiction. Woooo! My problem is going to be eating healthier. Its crazy hard in college. 

 

I am also starting the beginner bodyweight workout as one of my goals. Do you find it difficult to complete? And what do you use to do your rows with? I don't know how I am going to do that particular move.

 

Good luck on your goals. 

Hello, tomboy22!

 

I love that we have very similar goals.  Losing pants sizes is going to feel sooooo good! (And baggy!! I only own one pair of jeans, so it's going to get interesting for me as I under-grow them... hee, hee!)

 

I'm so glad you've beaten soda addiction.  That's a tough one in modern society, in my opinion.  Eating healthily in college IS a struggle, but I'm confident you can make changes!

 

I've done the Beginner Body Weight Workout twice now, and it's been okay for me to complete.  It is much more difficult than I though it would be when I was just reading the exercises involved, though; I was sweating and huffing and puffing and really enjoying a quick water break between the sets!!  

 

For the rows, I use a large styrofoam cooler I picked up for free (love Craigslist) as my platform, and I lift a 2.5 lb water container as my weight.  It's the kind you can pick up from the grocery store, bottom row where the water bottles are sold, and it's got a nice handle on the top that's centered, so it makes a great weight!  Honestly, I have a bit of natural upper body strength, and I will be upgrading the weight for something else that I own that's heavier... I just have to find what that might be... =)

 

I am glad to be on this site with folks like you, similar goals and good habits started.  It really helps having community and support from like-minded Nerds!  Let's stay in touch and cheer one another on!

[Lizzetta]

Good luck! Limiting wine is something I need to do too.

[Nuala]

First of all, welcome to the Rebellion! We are proud to have you with us and hope we will be the support you may need to achieve your goals.

 

So, I'm Nuala and I'm one of the assassins guild leader. I'm poking in your thread because you are doing the BBWW and, as anything bodyweight, it's the assassin's speciality! Considering your workout, I have tagged your thread as @assassins (that doesn't mean you can't be a monk next challenge, it's just that your workouts this challenges are more assassin-y), technically, that mean the assassins and I will make sure to follow your progress for the whole challenge, I can't post much but be sure that I, or an assassin ambassador, will check your thread at least once a week to inquire about your previous week.

In the same way, if you click on the @assassins tag on the main page of the level 1 forum, you will find many people who are training using the BBWW, easy way to make friends!

 

If you have any questions about the BBWW, feel free to ask us anything, in your thread or even better in the Assassin's den:

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/44299-assassins-den-general-chat-thread/

 

You can also find a list of assassins doing the BBWW in our Assassin phonebook:

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/44718-the-assassin-phonebook/

 

Don't hesitate to visit their threads to get some tips about the BBWW I wish you good luck for your challenge!

[Kunoichi22]

WEEK 1 PROGRESS

(Feb 24, 2014 - March 2, 2014)

 

                                            MON  / TUES  / WED  / THUR /  FRI   /  SAT   /  SUN                 TOTALS (+ descriptions)

MAIN QUEST:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 1 (BegBodWW)         1       /      0     /      1   /     0      /     0    /     0     /      0                      2/2 (of at least 2 BBWWs)

Goal 2 (liquid calories)      0      /      2     /       0   /     0     /      0    /     0     /      0                      2/3 (of not more than 3 caloric drinks: 1 coffee & 2 wine)

Goal 3 (mindful eat)           1      /      0     /       0   /     1     /      0    /     0     /      0                      2/2 (of not more than 2 'distracted' meals)

LIFE QUEST:__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 4 (Ch. 4)                  (still studying)                                                                                        0/1 (of at least 1) <--- I've decided not to grade this goal; got a 6-mo. extension on study time

 

WEEKLY GRADE

 

MAIN QUEST:           Goal 1: 100%

                                  Goal 2: 100% (AND I didn't end up having any "foofy coffee" drinks at all during the week!)

                                  Goal 3: 100%

LIFE QUEST:         Goal 4: Chapter 4 not complete, but I did get the 6-month extensions approved, this is not a gradeable item.

 

Weekly Summary:

 

I'm not going to lie, this was surprisingly hard!  I ended up eating out a few meals, due to traveling over the weekend, and MAN!-- do I have a habit of ordering alcohol with meals.  I didn't realize how much of a habit until I actually had to be accountable for my drinks.  I also got sick later in the week, fever, digestion problems, etc.  That unexpected down time (and my husband's insistance that I take it easy to get better) prevented me from doing a third BBWW, which I'd planned on for Friday.  (I also applied for a job and had an interview later in the week, so that's exciting, though not directly related to my main or life quests.)

BUT... I met 100% of my graded goals, spent today grocery shopping for a MOUNTAIN of awesomely healthy stuff, and am set up for success in Week 2.  Feeling accomplished.

 

MY REWARD / PUNISHMENT SYSTEM FOR THIS CHALLENGE:

 

I decided on a strange reward system, but I think it will work for me.  Each 6-week challenge is the start of a "new" reward.  For every week I successfully complete, I give myself money, set aside in a separate savings account, that I can spend on new workout/health-related gizmos.  Week one's reward is $1.  It's not a lot, you say?  Well wait!  There's a catch: each week of the challenge I get TWICE as much money as the week before for successful completions.  Power of compounding is awesome, don't you know?  The reason I can't do this indefinitely and have to re-set to $1 each challenge's first week is because I couldn't afford to double weekly rewards for long!  (Do a little math, it's pretty awesome to see how quickly $1, $2, $4, $8.... grows!)

 

There is another catch, and that is another motivator I am building into this reward system:  If in a given week I do NOT get my 100% goals (Goals 1-3, the graded ones) then that week I only get 1/2 the money I would have otherwise gotten, and in the future I'll only double that dollar amount for the following week.  So say in Week 5, when I would have gotten $16 for my 100% goals, I don't get 100%.  I only get $8 for Week 5, and can only get $16 maximum for Week 6.  The same premise that quickly increases the reward amounts can cripple them!

[Lizzetta]

Wow, you are so organized with your chart! Looks like you are doing great so far!

[Nuala]

ohhh, I love charts so much, it makes my work so easy

[Nuala]

Waiting for my shiny complete first week chart

[Kunoichi22]

Waiting for my shiny complete first week chart

 

Nuala,

 

Week 1 chart COMPLETE!  Thanks for checking on me.

[Kunoichi22]

WEEK 2 PROGRESS

(March 3, 2014 - March 9, 2014)

 

                                            MON  / TUES  / WED  / THUR /  FRI   /  SAT   /  SUN                 TOTALS (+ descriptions)

MAIN QUEST:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 1 (BegBodWW)         1       /      0    /      1    /     0      /     1    /     0     /      0                        3/2 (of at least 2 BBWWs)

Goal 2 (liquid calories)      0      /      0    /       1    /     0     /      0    /     1     /      1                        3/3 (of not more than 3 caloric drinks: 1 coffee & 2 wine)

Goal 3 (mindful eat)           0      /      0    /       0    /     1     /      0    /     1     /      0                        2/2 (of not more than 2 'distracted' meals)

LIFE QUEST:__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 4 (Ch. 4)                  (still studying...)                                                                                   0/1 (of at least 1) <--- This goal is not graded.

 

WEEKLY GRADE

 

MAIN QUEST:           Goal 1: 100% (+ a bonus BBWW, yay!)

                                  Goal 2: 100% 

                                  Goal 3: 100%

LIFE QUEST:         Goal 4: Chapter 4 still not complete, but this is not a gradeable item.

 

Weekly Summary:

 

My second week was much easier than my first.  Easier to resist getting caloric drinks when eating out or when being social.  Easier to complete my BBWW and my 100 push-up programs.  Easier, feeling like it's a habit, more than a "thing I have to get done" each time.  I'm pleased, proud, and super motivated for more!  I'm enjoying eating more "real" foods, cooking, etc.  I'm already looking forward to my 2nd 6-week challenge, the kinds of dietary food changes I'll take on for that challenge, and I know I'll be ready to hit the weights then, too.  But also, just pacing myself.... succeeding at this first challenge every week is my #1 goal right now, and it has all my attention.

 

REWARD:

 

Week two's reward is $2.  (If that seems whacky, see my Week 1 PROGRESS post for my reward system breakdown.)

[ARock10]

Hey, how did this week go for you?  I read your Grand Adventure blog and am really inspired by your land-owning.  That rocks!  

Just curious, have you done medical coding and billing before?  I've worked at a student health center for 2 years as a front desk receptionist and wonder if that might be viable for me.  Is it something you can do on your own time/schedule?

[Nuala]

Seems like you had a good second week too. Keep at it! (and yay, charts!)

[Kunoichi22]

WEEK 3 PROGRESS

(March 10, 2014 - March 16, 2014)

 

                                            MON  / TUES  / WED  / THUR /  FRI   /  SAT   /  SUN                 TOTALS (+ descriptions)

MAIN QUEST:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 1 (BegBodWW)         1      /      0     /      1     /      0      /     1    /     0    /      0                    3/2 (of at least 2 BBWWs)

Goal 2 (liquid calories)      0      /     1     /       0     /      0     /      1   /     0     /      1                    3/3 (of not more than 3 caloric drinks: 1 coffee & 2 wine)

Goal 3 (mindful eat)           0      /      0    /       0     /      0     /      0   /     1     /      0                    1/2 (of not more than 2 'distracted' meals)

LIFE QUEST:__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 4 (Ch. 4)                  (still studying...)                                                                                    0/1 (of at least 1) <--- This goal is not graded.

 

WEEKLY GRADE

 

MAIN QUEST:           Goal 1: 100% (+ a bonus BBWW, yay!)

                                  Goal 2: 100% 

                                  Goal 3: 100% (only 1 distracted meal, yay!)

LIFE QUEST:         Goal 4: Chapter 4 still not complete, but this is not a gradeable item.

 

Weekly Summary:

 

Following yesterday's one month photos and measurements, where I measured NO CHANGE, I was pretty devastated.  I spent a lot of the day crying.  I also have decided to not wait until next challenge to start a food log, so I got going on that last night.  If it's true that my diet is the majority of what I need to change to see a difference in myself physically, then I should at least start collecting the data about what I eat, every bite.  I have made so many healthy changes that I don't even log as part of this first challenge, I was sure my jeans were baggier, but I must be mistaken.  But, I realize this is lifelong change that I'm making, so I'm going to stop focusing on my "first-world" sadness and keep doing what I'm doing.  It's going to pay off big in the long run.... right?

 

REWARD:

 

Week three's reward is $4.  (If that seems whacky, see my Week 1 PROGRESS post for my reward system breakdown.)

[Kunoichi22]

Hey, how did this week go for you?  I read your Grand Adventure blog and am really inspired by your land-owning.  That rocks!  

Just curious, have you done medical coding and billing before?  I've worked at a student health center for 2 years as a front desk receptionist and wonder if that might be viable for me.  Is it something you can do on your own time/schedule?

 

Hello, ARock10,  thanks for checking out my Grand Adventure, it's a lot of fun!!  (Feels like more fun than work, although I must admit the initial "dive-in" (selling everything I owned, moving, and signing a purchase agreement for the land) was a big, scary, life-changing bit.)

 

As for medical billing and coding, I had a similar background to yours.  I worked for about three years at a foot clinic, starting in reception, and ultimately doing surgery scheduling and insurance billing.  I had an additional background in the medical field; I was an EMT-Basic in the Air Force Reserve, and I've also taken biology and A&P (both with lab) at the college level.  Knowing medical terminology helps with the coding a LOT, even though it's not a strict requirement.  The program I'm enrolled in is through ed2go.com; I chose it for it's better-than-average price and because the course also includes my certification testing fee following course completion.  It was the best program I found, but of course there are many out there.

 

As far as the way the program works, it's 100% online and self-paced, so you absolutely can do it on your own schedule.  It's really awesome.  Something to know about Medical Coding and Billing currently is: there are two "versions" ICD-9 (currently used for everything) and ICD-10 (supposedly going into effect Oct. 1 2014, though it's been pushed back year after year because practices and insurance companies at large aren't ready for the huge changes it's bringing.)  I had originally planned to go straight into ICD-10, but I changed my mind after speaking with a career counselor who advised me if I want a job now, ICD-9 is the way to go.  Also, I plan on ultimately working remotely, due to my obvious off-grid life plans (Grand Adventure), and ICD-9 is something you can do remotely/ from home, etc.  ICD-10, at least in its initial years implemented, will probably be an on-site style of job.  I do plan to be certified in ICD-9 and then also get my ICD-10 cert, but I'm going to wait until ICD-10 actually goes live before I upgrade.

 

That was a lot of stuff... I'm going to send it to you directly in case you don't come back to my Challenge posts here.

 

Hope this info helps, please feel free to let me know if I can help further (or un-confuse ya!)

[xanjra]

Mindful eating is very good,. Have you read / watched Paul Mckenna 'I can make you thin'?

M x

[Kunoichi22]

Have you read / watched Paul Mckenna 'I can make you thin'?

 

No, I haven't read/watched/heard of Paul Mckenna or "I can make you thin."  I'll check it out right now!  Thanks, xanjra!!

[Kunoichi22]

WEEK 4 PROGRESS

(March 17, 2014 - March 23, 2014)

 

                                            MON  / TUES  / WED  / THUR /  FRI   /  SAT   /  SUN                 TOTALS (+ descriptions)

MAIN QUEST:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 1 (BegBodWW)         1      /      0     /      0     /      0      /     1     /     0     /      0                     2/2 (of at least 2 BBWWs)

Goal 2 (liquid calories)      0      /     1     /       0     /      0     /      0    /     0     /      2                      3/3 (of not more than 3 caloric drinks: 1 coffee & 2 wine)

Goal 3 (mindful eat)           0      /      1    /       0     /      0     /      0    /     0     /      0                      1/2 (of not more than 2 'distracted' meals)

LIFE QUEST:__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 4 (study)                   (still studying...)                                                                                  (This goal is not graded.)

 

WEEKLY GRADE

 

MAIN QUEST:           Goal 1: 100%

                                  Goal 2: 100% 

                                  Goal 3: 100% (only 1 distracted meal, yay!)

LIFE QUEST:         Goal 4:  N/A (not gradable)

 

Weekly Summary:

 

I only did BBWW twice, I injured my elbow a few weeks ago, and have been "toughing it out," which turns out not to allow it to heal at all.  I'm hoping the Ibuprofen and extra rest this week has helped it rest enough for me to hit it harder for next week!  Other than that, things went well.  Tracking my calories now, and hopefully won't be out of town EVERY WEEKEND NEXT MONTH, as I have been this past month.  Eating out definitely is sabotaging my excellent eat-at-home diet.

 

REWARD:

 

Week four's reward is $8.  (If that seems whacky, see my Week 1 PROGRESS post for my reward system breakdown.)

[Kamaitachi]

Good job on getting allot of 100%

You will get there. Also maybe u wont fit into those jeans by the end of this challenge, since ur body will decide where you will shed the fat, and not you But if u keep this up u surely will be able to in the near future, just dont go hating urself and feel like u've failed if ur not able to jump into those jeans (it took me 6months of graduately shedding weight to go down one pants-size, since my bodies priority was loosing cm's around my upper body more than lower body )

 

Neat progress and keep this up!!

[Nuala]

Good progresses! Keep at it

[Kunoichi22]

WEEK 5 PROGRESS

(March 24, 2014 - March 30, 2014)

 

                                            MON  / TUES  / WED  / THUR /  FRI   /  SAT   /  SUN                 TOTALS (+ descriptions)

MAIN QUEST:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 1 (BegBodWW)         1      /      0     /      0     /      0    /      1    /     0     /     0                       2/2 (of at least 2 BBWWs)

Goal 2 (liquid calories)      0      /     1     /      0     /      2     /      0    /     0    /      0                       3/3 (of not more than 3 caloric drinks: 1 coffee & 2 wine)

Goal 3 (mindful eat)           0      /     1    /       1     /      0     /      0    /     0    /      0                       2/2 (of not more than 2 'distracted' meals)

LIFE QUEST:__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goal 4 (study)                   (still studying...)                                                                                  (This goal is not graded.)

 

WEEKLY GRADE

 

MAIN QUEST:           Goal 1: 100%

                                  Goal 2: 100% 

                                  Goal 3: 100%

LIFE QUEST:         Goal 4:  N/A (not gradable)

 

Weekly Summary:

 

Two awesome things about this week that helped me stay on track:

 

#1 (a BIG one) was all my NF allies.  You know who you are... either I'm following you, you're following me, or both... everyone's posts and check-ins and check-ups are something I look forward to.  I definitely would not be as successful at this if it weren't for the community and friendships I've found here... so grateful!

 

#2 Was not going out of town this weekend.  Which translates to a LOT less eating out (only one meal this week).  I've been doing well with healthy eating while we're at home, and that's been a lot lately.  Have two delicious recipes from my new Paleo Slow Cooker book picked out, ingredients already in the fridge for the coming week.  Loving Paleo changes I've made so far.

 

REWARDS:

 

Week five's reward is $16.  (And next week will be $32.  I can't WAIT to get some new food/ exercise 'toys' with my victory spoils yay!)

 

Also, this week a much anticipated reward: I can finally tell I'm losing some size in my lower body (waist, hips).  I wear the same old Gortex pants every time we work out on our property (waterproof/ weatherproof old Air Force gear FTW!) and although they were very baggy on me "back in the day," before I'd started lifestyle changes and this challenge, they had gotten SO TIGHT and UNCOMFORTABLE.  Well, it's been about three weeks since we'd last gone out to our property, but today we went to cut down some trees and work on clearing the driveway, and those pants FIT now!  They're not as baggy as they once were, but MAN!  They don't feel awful anymore.  If I were shopping for new pants, I would have picked this size... and that's a happy place to be.

 

... and now, I'm off to watch Cosmos!