Katydid's Battle Log

[Katydid]

Current quests:

- BBWW twice a week

- run twice a week

- eat 5 freggies per day

 

Today's log: Saturday, July 26

 

BBWW:

3 sets of 20 overhead squats

2 sets of 10 kneeling pushups + 1 set of 7 (last workout's total: 23)

3 sets of 20 twisting lunges (last workout: regular lunges)

3 sets of 10 bent-over rows each arm, 20 lbs (last workout: 15 lbs)

3 planks, 35 secs each

3 sets of 30 jumping jacks

 

Bolded are improved since last workout.  Recently I've been increasing the intensity of my workout fairly quickly, since I'm just getting started and still trying to find exactly where my limits are for each exercise.  Today felt quite challenging, so I'll probably stick to this routine for my next couple of workouts before advancing further.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt, grapes, and honey (+1 freggie)

Scramble with smoked salmon, onions, mushrooms, spinach, cheese; grapes; brownie bite (+2 freggies, -.5 junk)

Garbanzo bean curry with roti bread and spiced potatos; dark chocolate (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 3

Total junk items: 1.5

[Katydid]

Sunday, July 27: rest day.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt, blueberries, honey and toasted oats (+1 freggie)

Turkey pastrami and brie with crackers, carrots with ranch, cherries (+2 freggie)

Red pepper and hummus, pita chips (+1 freggie)

Macaroni with peas, cherries (+2 freggie)

Oreo shake and a few cheese puffs (-1.5 junk)

Total freggies: 6 (Yay!)

Total junk: 1.5

 

Monday, July 28: Running day

 

Run: 2 mi in 22:39.  I decided to disable zombie chases in Zombies, Run! because I found that a) they made it harder to track my progress because they tired me out in a way I couldn't control or measure, and I actually ran slower during the rest of my run out of fear that I wouldn't be able to speed up enough during the chases otherwise.  I was proud of myself today because I woke up and just mentally did not want to run, and bickered with myself about it the whole time I was getting ready. But I went anyway and didn't even cut it short!  I was a little slower than last time but that's ok.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt with blueberries, honey, toasted oats (+1 freggie)

Tuna salad with crackers, carrots with ranch, cherries, shortbread cookies (+2.5 freggies, -0.5 junk)

Celery and half an apple with peanut butter, soy milk chai latte (+1.5 freggies)

Seared tuna with rice, ice cream sundae (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 5 (yay!)

Total junk: 1.5

[Katydid]

Tuesday, July 29:

 

BBWW: didn't change anything today; attempted a 28th kneeling pushup but couldn't quite make it.  Maybe next time!

 

I also went rock-climbing with a friend in the afternoon.  I finally bought some climbing shoes so I can go more regularly and not have to rent them.  Having spent all that money on shoes will also motivate me to use them more  I'm hoping to get belay certified soon so that my friend and I can be belaying partners.

 

Food journal: 

Greek yogurt and strawberries (+1 freggie)

Steak sandwich, random salad (it had peas in it?), chicken wings (+1 freggie)

Red pepper and hummus (+1 freggie)

Chicken and bean burrito, cherries, chips and guac (+1.5 freggies)

Total freggies: 4.5 (almost made it!)

Total junk: 0 (woot!)

[Ciara]

I like the way you monitor your food intake. I am stealing your method! How do you measure how much a certain junk item is worth?

[Katydid]

It's really just a guesstimate, mostly based on my own perception of the purpose of the junk.  If it's a couple of bites of something just because I want something sweet after a meal (leftover tuna fish taste, bleh), I'll count it as half a junk.  If it's like "ok, I'm having dessert now" or otherwise clearly not just a couple of bites, it's a whole junk.  Same with freggies - "I'm eating a salad" is a whole freggie, but "there's some lettuce on my sandwich" is at most half a freggie.

 

I've had a lot of doctors/nutritionists/therapists/parents etc warn me against counting calories, so even though it's tempting sometimes I try to stay away from it, especially since I have no medical reason to lose weight and I'm prone to unhealthy obsession about food and weight.  So this way works well for me

[Katydid]

Wednesday, July 30:

 

Today was a rest day from my morning workout, but I did go rock climbing again.  My friend Nick and I were both a bit tired today, as well as I haven't gotten used to my new shoes yet.  There are a bunch of V0 routes that I'm stuck on, but I'm excited because that means once I improve just a little bit I'll be able to finish a whole bunch of routes and it'll be super great!  It's so much fun to just go to the climbing wall and suddenly it's an hour later and I'm covered in sweat but I didn't feel like I was "working out" at all!  

 

I tried cooking my own spaghetti sauce tonight.  I was going for a light olive oil based sauce with fresh tomatoes and other vegetables, and a bit of cheese.  I got plenty of vegetables in there, but I went too heavy on the cheese and oil.  It was still decent if I just ate around the giant chunks of melted cheese...well now I know

 

Food journal:
Oatmeal with soy milk, blueberries and toasted coconut (+1 freggie)

Tuna salad with crackers, carrots with ranch, cherries (+2.5 freggies)

Trail mix and cookies (It was free food at my weekly research seminar...always a carb load, but at least they had nuts this time!) (-1 junk)

Spaghetti with olive oil, cheese, mushrooms, onions, garlic, tomatoes (+1 freggie)

Cherries (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 5.5 (yay!)

Total junk: 1 

[Katydid]

Thursday, July 31:

 

Running day: ran 2 miles again!  Actually a teensy bit farther than my last run.  That's my fourth 2-mile run in a row, so I think I'm ready to move on to my next goal: running the first mile in 10 minutes.  Today my first mile clocked in at 11:42, so next run's goal is 11:30 (baby steps!).  I've noticed that my second mile is usually faster than my first, so I'm hoping that once I get the first mile down to 10 mins I'll already be fairly close to a 20-minute 2 miles.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt with blueberries, honey, rolled oats (+1 freggie)

Starbucks tall chai latte with skim milk (wanted a grande but didn't order one - go me!)

Subway chicken teriyaki 6-inch on honey oat bread with spinach, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion; baked bbq chips (+1.5 freggies because Subway claims getting all those veggies is 2 servings but I'm not sure I believe them; -1 junk)

Red pepper with hummus (+1 freggie)

Scramble with smoked salmon, mushrooms, onion, spinach, swiss cheese; cherries and strawberries (+2 freggies)

Chips and guac, cheese puffs (-.5 junk)

Total freggies: 5.5 (yay!)

Total junk: 1.5 (I'm sad about this because I wanted apples instead of chips from Subway but they didn't have them )

[Katydid]

Side note: I was getting mixed up for a while about what things I wanted to post here and what in my challenge thread.  I've decided for right now I'm only going to post bare-bones, tracking-related things here - workouts and food journals, with some comments on my progress and my goals.  More fuzzy things like how my day went and how I'm feeling about things will stay in my challenge thread(s).  That way this thread can stay a bit cleaner, making it easier to look back and see my progress.  But of course suggestions and encouragement/just saying hi are still welcome on any thread of mine

 

Friday, August 1:

 

Moved my scheduled BBWW to tomorrow, and took a rest day today instead.  

 

Food journal:

Strawberries and toaster pastry (+1 freggie)

Jasmine lime tea cooler drink from Peet's coffee

Leftover spaghetti with tomato and cheese (+1 freggie)

Dragon roll sushi: eel, avocado, shrimp tempura (+0.5 freggie)

Evening snacking on chocolate chip pumpkin bread, tortilla chips (+1 junk)

White Russian (+1 junk because half-and-half...so good but so rich!)

Total freggies: 2.5

Total junk: 2

[Katydid]

Saturday, August 2:

 

BBWW day:

3 sets of 20 overhead squats (I'm focusing more closely on my form and squatting deeper)

2 sets of 10 kneeling pushups + 1 set of 8 (last workout's total: 27)

3 sets of 20 twisting lunges 

3 sets of 10 bent-over rows each arm, 20 lbs

3 planks, 40 secs each (last workout: 35 secs each)

3 sets of 30 jumping jacks

 

Food journal:

Pancakes with peanut butter, syrup, banana (+1 freggie)

Red pepper and hummus, banana (+2 freggies)

Pho noodle soup with beef

2 Blueberry gluten-free scones

Total freggies: 3

Total junk: 0

 

Sunday, August 3:

 

Rest day, but went for a long walk in the evening for about an hour.

 

Food journal:

Leftover spaghetti with tomato and cheese, cherries (+2 freggies)

Orange chicken and diet soda (+1 junk)

Greek yogurt, honey and blueberries (+1 freggie)

Trail mix

Baked chicken nuggets, carrots (+1 freggie)

2 brownie bites (+1 junk)

Total freggies: 4

Total junk: 2

[Katydid]

Monday, August 4:

 

Running day: Current goal: 1 mile in 10 mins.  Ran the first mile in 10:32, although had to walk some during the second mile.  Last run, my first mile clocked in at 11:40, so I'm pleased.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt with strawberries and honey (+1 freggie)

Thai curry with chicken, rice, mushrooms, carrots and potato (+0.5 freggies since there were a disappointingly small amount of veggie in it )

Celery with peanut butter (+1 freggie)

Salmon scramble with mushrooms, onions and spinach; cherries (+2 freggies)

Graham crackers, more cherries and brownie bites (+1 freggie, -1 junk)

Total freggies: 5.5

Total junk: 1

[Katydid]

Tuesday, August 5:

 

BBWW day.  I managed all 30 kneeling push-ups, but I think my form suffered a bit on a few of them.  I'm going to stick with kneeling pushups for a few more sessions until I can do them consistently with good form.

Everything else was the same.  I think I'm ready to increase the difficulty of my leg exercises.  I'm going to do them as usual one more time to make sure I can do every one with good form, then I'll consider adding weight to the squats or trying assisted pistol squats.  After that transition, I think I'll be ready to up the weight on my bent-over rows to 25 lbs.  Seeing progress is so exciting!

 

Also I went rock climbing and took a belay class in preparation for getting certified

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt, honey and blueberries (+1 freggie)

Roast beef and turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, avocado; fruit salad, chocolate chip cookie, diet soda (+1 freggie, -1 junk)

Cherries and toaster pastry (+1 freggie)

Macaroni and cheese, peas, milk (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 4

Total junk: 1

 

 

Wednesday, August 6:

 

Rest day from morning workout, but went rock climbing in the evening.  Passed my test and got belay certified!

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt, honey and strawberries (+1 freggie)

Tuna salad with mayo, mustard, celery and onion; carrots, cherries, wheat crackers (+2.5 freggies)

Salted almonds, chex mix, cookies, diet soda (-2 junk because I ate a lot of cookies...)

Clam chowder, edamame, strawberries (+2 freggies)

Total freggies: 5.5

Total junk: 2

[Katydid]

Thursday, August 7:
 

Running this morning was tough; did my first mile in 11:17, which is worse than last time but better than the time before.  Had to walk a fair amount but still completed the 2 miles.  Also did lots of walking and standing while in the city.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt with honey and blueberries (+1 freggie)

Carrots with ranch (+1 freggie)

Lobster roll with french fries and diet soda (-1 junk)

Chai latte and chocolate-covered macaroon (-1 junk)

Large bowl of melon, 2 chicken tenders and a few fries (+2 freggies, -1 junk)

Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, special sauce; diet soda and a few fries (+0.5 freggie)

Total freggies: 4.5

Total junk: 3

[Katydid]

Friday, August 8:

 

BBWW day: form looks good on everything except pushups, which are still quite tough.  Next week I'm going to start leveling up other exercises, starting with doing Bulgarian split squats instead of overhead squats.

 

Food journal:

Broccoli sauté with chicken, salad, brown rice, Thai iced tea (+2 freggies)

Cherries and chocolates (+1 freggie, -1 junk)

Meaty fries (-1 junk)

Oreos, Moscato (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 3

Total junk: 3

 

 

Saturday, August 9:

 

Rest day; walked about 6 miles while traveling around with friends

 

Food journal:

Soy milk, cherries, toaster pastry (+1 freggie)

Eggs benedict with crab and spinach, fruit, couple bites of hash browns, pumpkin muffin, piece of bread dipped in artichoke soup, mocha (+2 freggies, -1 junk for the mocha - that thing was pure sugar)

Corn dog with sweet potato fries (-2 junk)

Caramel apple (+1 freggie and -1 junk?)

Banana, goldfish, 1 oreo, Moscow mule (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 5

Total junk: 4 (yikes!)

 

 

Sunday, August 9:

 

Rest day.

 

Food journal:

Veggie omelette with spinach, zucchini, mushroom, onion, tomato, cheese; few bites of potatoes and toast; fruit cup (+2 freggies)

Celery, peanut butter, graham crackers (+1 freggie)

Chocolates (-1 junk)

Chicken nuggets, goldfish, cherries (+1 freggie)

Milk Duds (-1 junk)

Banana (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 5

Total junk: 2

[Katydid]

Monday, August 11:

 

Running day: 2 miles in 24:09.  First mile in 10:56.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt with blueberries and honey (+1 freggie)
Chicken nuggets, goldfish, carrots, apple, soy milk (+2 freggies)

Celery and graham crackers with peanut butter (+1 freggie)
Pasta with mushrooms, onion, tomato, garlic; cherries (+2 freggies)

Goldfish, trail mix, 2 brownie bites (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 6 (!)

Total junk: 1

 

 

Tuesday, August 12:

BBWW day:

2 sets of 10/leg + 5 Bulgarian split squats (form needs work)

3 sets of 10 kneeling pushups

3 sets of 20 twisting lunges 

3 sets of 10 bent-over rows each arm, 20 lbs

3 planks, 45 secs each (last workout: 40 secs each)

3 sets of 30 jumping jacks

 

Food journal:

Plum (+1 freggie)

Pasta with meatballs, spinach salad with walnuts, bleu cheese and apples (+1 freggie)

Apple, chai latte, pecan bar (+1 freggie, -1 junk)

Pancakes with peanut butter, syrup and banana; soy milk (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 4

Total junk: 1

[Katydid]

Wednesday, August 13:

 

Running day: 2 miles in 23 mins; 1st mile in 11:40.  Not seeing much progress in time yet, but I'll keep trying.

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt, blueberries, honey (+1 freggie)

Chicken nuggets, peas with salt and pepper, cherries, chips (+2 freggies, -1 junk)

Pretzels, cookies, diet soda (-1 junk)

Quesadillas with sausage, bell pepper, mushrooms, guacamole, cheese; cherries, soy milk (+2 freggies)

Chai tea with soy milk, brownie bites (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 5

Total junk: 3

 

 

Thursday, August 14:

 

Rest day.

 

Food journal:

Greek  yogurt with honey and blueberries (+1 freggie)

Chicken nuggets, carrots, cherries, chips (+2 freggies, -1 junk)

Apple, chocolates, diet soda (+1 freggie, -1 junk)

Gnocchi with tomato, sausage; banana, chocolates (+2 freggies, -1 junk)

Total freggies: 6

Total junk: 3

[Katydid]

Friday, August 15:

 

BBWW day:

3 sets of 7 Bulgarian split squats (getting more used to the movement)

3 sets of 10 kneeling pushups

3 sets of 20 twisting lunges

3 sets of 10 bent-over rows w/ 20lbs

3 45-sec planks

3 sets of 30 jumping jacks

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt, peaches, honey (+1 freggie)

Pasta with tomato sauce, fresh tomato, mushrooms, sausage (+1 freggie)

Cherries (+1 freggie)

Sashimi, rice, fried crab, miso soup, salad, mochi ice cream, oranges (+1.5 freggies, -1.5 junk)

Kettle corn, vodka with cranberry juice, mini donuts (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 4.5 

Total junk: 2.5

 

Saturday, August 16:

 

Rest day.

 

Food journal:

Pancakes with peanut butter and syrup, peaches (+1 freggie)

Iced mocha (-1 junk)

Grilled artichoke, chips and guacamole, scallops with corn and garbanzo bean salad, shrimp cerviche (+1 freggie)

Ice cream and cookie sundae (-1 junk)

Apple (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 3

Total junk: 2

[Katydid]

Sunday, August 17:

 

Rest day.

 

Food journal:

Spinach salad with chicken, goat cheese, walnuts, balsamic dressing; fruit cup (+2 freggies)

Celery and graham crackers with peanut butter (+1 freggie)

Grilled cheese with tomato, carrots, kettle corn, a few chips (+1.5 freggies)

Hazelnut boba, salty fried chicken (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 4.5

Total junk: 1

 

Monday, August 18:

 

Running day: 2 miles in 21:36; first mile in 10:11.  New PR!

 

Food journal:

Greek yogurt with honey and strawberries (+1 freggie)

Eggs with mushrooms, onion and cheese; strawberries, kettle corn (+2 freggies)
Celery and graham crackers with peanut butter (+1 freggie)

Pizza with green and red peppers, mushrooms, onion; random cheese and crackers, chocolate-covered dates (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 5

Total junk: 0

[Katydid]

Tuesday, August 19:

 

BBWW day:

3 sets of 8 Bulgarian split squats (Last workout: 3 sets of 7)

3 sets of 10 kneeling pushups (I tried to do a full one and can't complete it yet, but I definitely felt stronger than on my last attempt!)

3 sets of 20 twisting lunges

2 sets of 10 +7 rows with 25lbs (Last workout: 3 sets of 10 with 20lbs)

3 45-sec planks

3 sets of 30 jumping jacks

 

Food journal:

Pancakes with peanut butter, syrup, strawberries, soy milk (+1 freggie)

Rice, chicken curry, cauliflower and potato mash, potato samosa, few bites of peach cobbler, diet soda (+0.5 freggies, -0.5 junk)

Smoothie with kale and fruits (Jamba Juice claims 3 freggies...I'm skeptical so I'll say 2)

Apple, chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, honey mustard; fries, diet soda, few bites of vanilla ice cream (+1.5 freggies, -1.5 junk)

Soy chai latte, kettle corn

Total freggies: 5

Total junk: 2

 

Wednesday, August 20:

 

Rest day.

 

Food journal:

Pancakes with peanut butter and jam, strawberries, soy milk (+1 freggie)

Turkey burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayo, cheese; salad (+1.5 freggies)

Jasmine lime tea cooler

Banana, chex mix (+1 freggie)

Grapes, blueberries and strawberries (+1 freggie)

Salad with roasted red peppers, goat cheese, artichoke hearts; gnocchi with tomatoes; bread; half a spumoni truffle (+2 freggies, -1 junk)

Total freggies: 6.5 (!)

Total junk: 1

[Muscle Professor]

Awesome job on tracking your food!

[Katydid]

Thanks, Lanithroe!  I think this is probably the longest I've ever done it consistently, it's nice seeing the slow changes.

 

Thursday, August 21:

 

Running day: 2 miles in 24 minutes.  Took it slow because it was my first treadmill run...discovered I really don't like those much It was easier on my hips, though.

 

Food journal: 

Eggs, bacon, pancakes with syrup, mixed fruit (+1 freggie)

Vanilla chai

Falafel, hummus, pita, yogurt sauce, Greek salad (+1 freggie)

Garlic toast, linguini with clams in cream sauce

Granola bar

Total freggies: 2

Total junk: 0

 

 

Friday, August 22:

 

Rest day.

 

Food journal:

Breakfast sandwich with eggs, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo; fries, mixed fruit (+1.5 freggies)

Caffe mocha, chex mix (-1 junk)

Carrots with ranch, pizza with mushrooms, onions, tomato (+1.5 freggies)

Total freggies: 3

Total junk: 1

[Katydid]

Saturday, August 23:

 

No workout today, but lots of cleaning/moving things.

 

Food journal:

Pancakes with peanut butter and syrup

Granola bar, pretzels, graham crackers with peanut butter

Chocolates (-1 junk)
Pho with beef, thai iced tea with tapioca

Apple, cranberry juice with bourbon (+1 freggie)

Total freggies: 1

Total junk: 1

 

 

Sunday, August 24:

 

BBWW day: did 8 reps on last set of rows instead of 7; no other changes.

 

Food journal:

Veggie scramble with zucchini, tomatoes, arugula, cheese; fruit, a few potatoes, mocha (+2 freggies)

Apple (+1 freggie)

Navrattan korma (cheese, peas, carrots, potatoes, sauce) with rice and naan (+1 freggie)

Gelato (-1 junk)

Total freggies: 4

Total junk: 1

[Katydid]

Monday, August 25:

 

Running day: 2.18 miles in 26:29.  First mile in 11:42.

 

Food journal: 

Greek yogurt with honey and granola; banana; lime tea Starbucks drink (+1 freggie)

Turkey sub on wheat bread with spinach, tomato, cucumber, pickle, onion, green pepper, mustard (+1 freggie)

Apple, nuts, granola bar (+1 freggie)

Chicken wings, veggie puree (+1 freggie)

Fruit, pudding, a few mochis (+1 freggie, -1.5 junk)

Total freggies: 5

Total junk: 1.5

 

 

Tuesday, August 26:

 

Bodyweight workout day:

 

Warmup: (I want to start tracking and improving this until I'm doing the full Dynamic Warmup)

30 jumping jacks

10 bodyweight squats

10 front leg swings each leg

10 side leg swings each leg

5 hip rotations each leg

5 hip extensions

5 spiderman steps each leg

 

3x8 Bulgarian split squats

Pushups: 1 set of 1 full + 10 kneeling, 1 set of 1 full + 9 kneeling, 1 set of 10 kneeling (full pushups not full range of motion/form yet)

3x20 twisting lunges (need to work on range of motion on twist; don't rush it!)

3x8 each arm dumbbell rows @25lbs

3 45sec planks

3x30 jumping jacks

 

Food journal:

Granola bar and apple (+1 freggie)

Small turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, mayo; salad with bleu cheese, almonds, cranberries, balsamic dressing; mixed fruit with melons, pineapple, grapes (+2 freggies)

Jamba Juice kale and fruit smoothie, white cheddar corn puffs (+2 freggies, -1 junk)

Turkey burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, special sauce; spicy fries (+0.5 freggie, -1 junk)

Total freggies: 5.5

Total junk: 2

[Muscle Professor]

Still posting strong I see. How are the results coming along for you?

[Katydid]

Still posting strong I see. How are the results coming along for you?

 

Well I'm definitely getting stronger!  I'm seeing pretty consistent progress in strength workouts.  I've hit a bit of a plateau with running; I'm thinking of shortening my runs for a bit and focusing on getting faster.  My focus with food right now is eating more freggies, which is definitely becoming a habit!  So overall it's slow but visible progress, and I'm pretty pleased.  Thanks for checking in!

[Muscle Professor]

Well I'm definitely getting stronger!  I'm seeing pretty consistent progress in strength workouts.  I've hit a bit of a plateau with running; I'm thinking of shortening my runs for a bit and focusing on getting faster.  My focus with food right now is eating more freggies, which is definitely becoming a habit!  So overall it's slow but visible progress, and I'm pretty pleased.  Thanks for checking in!

I would suggest wind sprints for improving your overall run game.