Amdhiel's perpetual quest to become BAMF

[Amdhiel]

This is not my first attempt to clean up my fitness. It is the attempt that will succeed.

 

I'm already a month into making eating and fitness changes and am 3 lbs lighter. Thus far I've been walking and doing the BBWW 3x a week. I've done a pretty hefty clean up of my eating habits by going mostly paleo and I've been tracking all my calories in MFP to keep me honest. 

 

My plan at this point is to focus on body weight training. I'm still figuring out my exact goals but I know I want to be able to do pull ups, push ups and pistol squats. I'd also like to start parkour and/or climbing classes and find a dressage barn for lessons. 

 

I'll be joining the next 6WC and probably be joining the YAYOG ladder as long as my PT eval says my knee is/can be up for it (stupid muscle imbalance).

[Amdhiel]

I started getting back into tracking at the beginning of August because I finally started walking over 10k steps a day. The tracking led me to add the BBWW 3x a week and start a diet overhaul.

 

August 10 Numbers (lbs and inches)

• Weight: 188lbs (down 4 lbs from 192 at doc visit on July 8)
• Neck: 15.3
• Chest: 39.9
• Waist: 37.5
• Hips: 43.3
• L/R Bicep: 14/14.25
• L/R Thigh: 24.9/23.9 (not sure if location is same on each side)
• L/R Calf: 17/16.5
• Est BF%: 40% based on measurements

I've been taking measurements and pics weekly because I'll start forgetting if I do it less frequently. 

 

Long term goal: Loose 30 - 40 lbs and get BF% down to 20-24% while developing healthy habits that I can maintain going forward.

 

[Amdhiel]

Breakfast: protein shake and coffee
Lunch: chicken, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower
Afternoon snack: same as lunch
Dinner: chicken, green beans, apple with PB

 

Calories: 1399, Protein: 150

Steps: 11200 and counting

 

My day did not go exactly how I wanted, on the bright side I prevailed and got stuff done.

 

PT eval was interesting. Nothing structurally wrong with my knee /me cheers. Therapist thinks its actually issues with my sciatic nerve, he also said it could be part of my plantar fasciitis problems too. He said to do short stretches frequently basically standing quad stretch and seated/laying down hamstring stretch. On the hamstring stretch I'm supposed to manipulate my ankle and see if there is a movement that helps with the discomfort. He also gave me some suggestions for working on foot strength and conditioning.

 

Work went well although I was later than I wanted due to changes in the bus schedule. I still brought my lunch and managed to eat it all. Walked home because I didn't take a walk at lunch.

[lishvicious]

Yay you have a battle log - a great place to keep yourself accountable and reach your goals.  Your diet is sounding pretty darn good - keep it up! And I think concentrating on the BBWWs  and walking is a great way to transition to a healthier life. 

 

Sounds like you might be heading down the Assassin path - exciting!

[Amdhiel]

I figured starting a log was a good idea, it will give me a way to remember the journey . 

 

My diet is pretty good as long as I avoid the temptation of getting a latte everyday. Part of my prevention plan is making coffee at home and having tea if I need an afternoon pick up.

[Muscle Professor]

It's great to see you in the logs. I have seen you posting a lot in other logs, so it's great to find yours. Thanks for being awesome and posting in the forums of others. It really helps motivate others!

[Amdhiel]

It's great to see you in the logs. I have seen you posting a lot in other logs, so it's great to find yours. Thanks for being awesome and posting in the forums of others. It really helps motivate others!

Thanks Lanithroe!! Being social is a big challenge for me which is part of why I joined NF. I figure if I'm ready to focus on diet and exercise there's no reason not to add being social into the mix.

[Amdhiel]

Not the best day today. A few storms rolled through today so I spent most of the day with a headache from the pressure changes and ended up leaving work early. Food was okay but didn't have energy to get all my steps or do any exercise at home.

 

Breakfast: protein shake and coffee
Lunch: chicken, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower
Afternoon latte and protein bar
Dinner: protein shake, mixed nuts, dried blueberries, cranberries and apricots

 

Calories: 1709, Carbs: 180, Fat: 47, Protein: 138

Steps: 4467

 

I'll do some stretching and foam rolling before I go to bed. Tomorrow I'll get my 10k steps and either try a yoga video or do a BBWW. 

[Muscle Professor]

It may have not been the best day but I know you will make for it by having a better day as soon as possible. You still got this!

[MegaShe-Ra]

Yay! Starting a battle log is a great way to track your progress!

Looks like you're off to a great start. good luck and a great day!

[Amdhiel]

Thanks guys, today is going much better!

[Bonsai]

If this is the attempt that will succeed, then this is the attempt I will follow!

 

Great start! I'll see you in the next 6wc! Starts in a little over a week, exciting!

[shaar]

Hooray for better days!!

[Amdhiel]

Well I'm happy, had a really good day. I made sure to get salmon out to thaw before I went to work so I'd have something for dinner and walked part of the way to work. Also made sure to go for a quick walk at lunch. Stopped at the store to pick up groceries and then walked home. I actually weighed my bags when I got home and figured out that I carried an extra 40lbs (stupid work laptop) for the mile walk home. Still have to go for another walk after dinner and will do some yoga as well. Oh, I also have done my nerve stretches 3x so far today!

 

Breakfast: protein shake and coffee

Morning: 2 packs of trail mix

Lunch: chicken and green beans
Afternoon: tea and protein shake
Dinner: salmon and veggies, apple w/ pb

 

Calories: 1814, Carbs: 122, Fat: 77, Protein: 161

Steps: 9290

 

I also can't wait for the 6WC to start. Getting a bit of the head start next week because I joined the YAYOG ladder. I think I have my goals and quests mostly nailed down, still have to define success measures tho. (Wow, that really sounds like me talking about process improvement or something). 

[evedaline]

Yay, I'm glad you had a good day after yesterday's crappy weather. Pressure changes/weird weather sink me all the time and it's such a weird thing to explain sometimes--Oh, hey, the weather is crap and now my head is POUNDING and I am loopy, sorry.

 

It's also cool to hear about someone else with a nerve injury who has to do those darn stretches/glides! (My left ulnar nerve is perpetually borked.)

[Muscle Professor]

Sounds like you talking about reaching some goals! I'm happy to see you talking for success in your goals.

[Amdhiel]

Yay, I'm glad you had a good day after yesterday's crappy weather. Pressure changes/weird weather sink me all the time and it's such a weird thing to explain sometimes--Oh, hey, the weather is crap and now my head is POUNDING and I am loopy, sorry.

 

It's also cool to hear about someone else with a nerve injury who has to do those darn stretches/glides! (My left ulnar nerve is perpetually borked.)

Yay for issues with weather and nerve issues! I have probs with the ones going down my arms too... Yay for making your hands go numb on demand?

[Muscle Professor]

Are you ok? When you say nerve issues I worry.

[Amdhiel]

Ehh the arms of from years of RSI. I played flute for a solid 10 years and was a more advanced player and somewhat driven (think practicing 3 hours cuz I felt like it). The flip side was that my teachers never corrected positioning issues meaning that I played with my right shoulder wrenched back during high school.

One of my goals is to seriously work on my flexibility and loosen stuff up because my right shoulder still acts up after something like 10 years of not playing. Thankfully its not nearly as bad as it used to be.

If you wonder why it didn't get taken care of when I was a kid... Well I've been a severe asthmatic all my life, tested for CF and hospitalized 3-5 times. So my parents were generally more concerned about me continuing to breathe. The breathing issues gave me really good skills to shrug stuff off and ignore/work through being uncomfortable. For a long time, any minor level of exertion like a 100 yard jog would cause an attack. Although I've always wondered why swimming didn't trigger me as much.

Anyways the TL;DR is that like everyone I had/have a complicated family situation and my parents did the best they knew how. But focus split across 3 kids leads to issues when everyone has ISSUES. So I dealt with pain and built a tolerance to certain types of pain and anxiety. These are not things I'm actually proud of but it is part of who I am. It's part of why I'm here on my seriously epic quest to improve myself.

Oi... that's probably more info then you ever wanted

[Amdhiel]

Sept 6: #2 Weigh in and measurements (lishvicious the metric is just for you )

 

Weight: 183.2lbs/83.1kg down 4.8lbs from Aug 10, 8.8 total

 

Neck: 15 inches/38.1cm down .3 inches/.76cm

Chest: 38 inches/96.5cm down 1.9inches/4.8cm

Waist: 35.75/91cm down 1.75/4.4cm

Hips: 41.75/106 down 1.5/3.8cm

 

Well to be honest I'm shocked but not shocked. I've always known what to do to fix my weight it was just impossible to get up the gumption to do it. I'm glad that I've taken another step towards proving my self-critic wrong.

 

 

 

 

[shaar]

YEAH!!  You're on the right track, good for you!  I'm the same way - I know what I have to do,I just need to -do- it.

[MegaShe-Ra]

Wow! That's already some excellent progress!

I also just noticed we have some pretty similar measurements, though I'm over all a few inches bigger. Ahem.

Anyways looks like you're doing well. keep it up!

[Amdhiel]

YEAH!!  You're on the right track, good for you!  I'm the same way - I know what I have to do,I just need to -do- it.

 

Isn't that the truth. It's so easy to say/think something the challenge is always in doing. I'd say that us being here is definitely a step in the right direction. Support and accountability make a big difference.

 

Wow! That's already some excellent progress!

I also just noticed we have some pretty similar measurements, though I'm over all a few inches bigger. Ahem.

Anyways looks like you're doing well. keep it up!

 

Thanks Mega! Looks like I'm a whee bit taller I'm 5'6.5-5'7. Not to sound like a mother but don't discount your own progress because I know you're putting in a lot of hard work too :). 

 

I also noticed we both are suckers for fancy coffee too.

[Amdhiel]

Not the most stellar food for breakfast but soooo good and I'm still under calories and did pretty good on protein. Also did a fair chunk of walking since the weather was good.

 

Breakfast: Belgian waffle, sausage, 1/2 c blueberries and strawberries, 16oz carmel macchiato
Morning: protein shake with 8oz whole milk
Lunch: salmon with cauliflower, broccoli and carrots
Afternoon: protein shake with 8oz whole milk
Dinner: salmon with cauliflower, broccoli and carrots

Calories: 2002, Carbs: 137, Fat: 85, Protein: 168
Steps: 13129

 

Tried doing a "beginner" yoga video that was NOT beginner. Found a different one to try tomorrow and I'm open to suggestions. My flexibility is lame sauce.

[shaar]

Tried doing a "beginner" yoga video that was NOT beginner. Found a different one to try tomorrow and I'm open to suggestions. My flexibility is lame sauce.

 

Haha, I hate that!!  "Ooh, beginner!"  *10 minutes later I am stuck in a pretzel shape* *sigh* XD

 

[edit] Do Yoga With Me has an awesome selection of yoga videos; I've done some of the basic stretch ones that are truly beginner and won't leave you feeling like you can't accomplish anything (like I sometimes do)!  http://www.doyogawithme.com/