Tzippi Longstockings Starts Again

[Tzippi Longstockings]

JUSTIFICATION MONKEY may have had a point. My plank and Chaturanga were pretty weak, since I'd done them just before. Felt good, though.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Whew! Day before yesterday, I went on the South Fork run in a slight misty drizzle, and returned in a weak but steady rain.

Yesterday, did the Start Body Weight Beginners' program, and am feeling it in my pecs today. Then, went drinking so I'm a little delicate.

I've been trying to do macros, but have never managed to hit my protein, have gone way over my fats, and have been having headaches, weird waves of dizziness, etc come and go. So clearly, my recommended macros are off? I wanted to give it a chance, in case my cycle was affecting it, but I think I haven't been eating enough. So I'm doing a bit of recovery eating. I'm still trying to log everything on MFP, but I'm now deciding between a.) Just trying to hit macro percentages, rather than grams, b.) Just logging stuff for the next six and keeping a log of what works, or c.) Upping the total calories and trying again with macros, in case I didn't give myself enough time.

I'd really like to continue my weight/inch loss, since I've gotten some amazed looks from people who hadn't seen me in a month or so, and it feels really good. I want to keep getting better, but I also want to not push my body too hard, and especially not to stall out on training or losing because I'm not eating enough.

I ordered some protein powder, which should help, and (for now) am trying to eat semi - clean and just keep training.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Last night, I went to the store directly after work to purchase some new outdoor/work shoes. In Japan, this means slip-on shoes that look reasonably professional-ish, and won't get walked through in a month. (like the last ones.) I'll mostly wear them to my visiting schools and when biking or walking to my main school, where I will then take them off to don my "indoor shoes". I also bought a new skirt, some thin "base layer" leggings and shirt for wintertime, a can of salmon, and some more yogurt. Department stores are fun.

 

I used what I thought was my last milligram of WP getting out of these without buying a strawberry/whipped cream crepe. I was so hungry, and so tired.

 

I went home, put everything away, and believed I was done. I felt done. Even though Monday was a rest day, it was already 6:30, and pitch black outside. I never work out in the evening if I did errands first. But I tried on my new clothes again and saw how good I looked in Japanese Ladies' size Large. yeah. LARGE. This Valkyrie who towers over most of the women here wears a snug but not unpleasant JAPANESE SIZE LARGE! I decided to do something. To keep up what I've been doing, and to maintain and go further. To dress for a run and go out the door. Maybe just a little 20-minute run.

 

But I didn't bring my watch.

 

I'm not sure if that was my subconscious or what, but I didn't want to short-change my already short run, so I convinced myself to just go to the docks, but not along them. Then I saw that it was well-lit and near abandoned, so why not go along, just skipping the stairs? Then I got to the first set of stairs, all empty and available, and up and down I went. I hit all twelve and made it to the midpoint of my run. I walked back to the docks from that side, then trotted all the way home.

 

admittedly, I walked a bit more than I needed to on the way out. I kept letting myself off the hook. But then again, I let myself onto the hook for the entire workout I had planned not to do. 

 

When I got home, I thought I would go to Hamazushi (cheap conveyor-belt sushi). I was craving french fries. But then I was stretching out before my shower, watching a few second-season episodes of supernatural, and I thought . . .

 

 

I can stay here, brush my long, luxuriant hair, eat a salade nicoise and a smoothie, Take a shower and a bath, and munch on the only thing better than fried potatoes:

 

RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

 

i know that I won't always manage days like that, (for example, slept in this morning, didn't pack a bento, need to get something reasonably good but probably not enough protein from the convenience store) but I'm going to rock it anyway, and try to hold onto that feeling and do it some more.

 

Thank you, beautiful men of Supernatural, for this moment of inspiration.

 

[mevre]

yes!!! great work on that run, home girl. BASK IN YOUR AWESOMENESS. you deserve it.  

also, super jealous that you live in Japan. it'll be fun for me to live vicariously through you for a little while.

keep doing all the good things you're doing!

p.s. how did you end up tweaking your diet? is it working for you? i know the pains of trying to eat well and feeling like shit because of it. very frustrating stuff. just keep experimenting and remember that there's no one-size-fits-all diet. for example, Waldo, a mega-beast he-man of epic nerd proportions here on NF, eats chocolate and bread every day, and he did when he lost all his weight as well. just goes to show that different bodies need different things.  

[Tzippi Longstockings]

i know that I won't always manage days like that, (for example, slept in this morning, didn't pack a bento, need to get something reasonably good but probably not enough protein from the convenience store) but I'm going to rock it anyway, and try to hold onto that feeling and do it some more.

 

Thank you, beautiful men of Supernatural, for this moment of inspiration.

 

Maybe I should skip the ranger thing and take a level of Oracle. Because last night and this morning? Sucked. I did my BW thing last night, but then hit Hamazushi with a vengeance. Sick husband needed sushi and soup. I made about half the good choices I meant to.

Then overslept this morning, so I got through almost all of today with no protein. One downside to Japan? If you're not near a konbini? Difficult to find anything but bread stuff.

But I got home and went for a run, because of how I felt Tuesday night, and be cause of all the exciting, amazing Rangers who have stopped in here and on my new Challenge log. I even found a new route, that leads up a slow incline , and took a steep side hill up and down on the way up and again on the way down. Hills. Whew. I need more of those in my life.

And now to have eggs and tuna and a tofu-chia pudding to put a dent in that protein macro. I really can't wait for that protein powder to show up. It should help.

Thank you all for the wonderful amount of support!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

p.s. how did you end up tweaking your diet? is it working for you? i know the pains of trying to eat well and feeling like shit because of it. very frustrating stuff. just keep experimenting and remember that there's no one-size-fits-all diet. for example, Waldo, a mega-beast he-man of epic nerd proportions here on NF, eats chocolate and bread every day, and he did when he lost all his weight as well. just goes to show that different bodies need different things.  

I've been trying to just eat, and try to hit protein. So far, I haven't managed it. Found cans of tuna and salmon, though, so those should help. Ditto doing half-and-half whole eggs to egg whites. I'm continuing to log food, and hopefully I can find a happy medium.

I'll try to figure out how to use the "my content" thing to share photos of Japan. It's a lot of fun being here!

Aw yiss elf rangas!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Yay today! Went for a longer-than-usual pre-BW warmup run, and then did my 3 sets of each!

I also bought some protein powder, and am getting used to it!

Bad news, though? I left the blender too near the stove while cooking breakfast, and melted the cheap plastic base. So I need to buy another one, to make smoothies and yummy protein pudding. So I know what I'm doing tomorrow.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Okay, on October 25, I wrote this:

 

So I haven't been weighing myself regularly, because part of my fitness philosophy is that I don't care how much I weigh, as long as I keep getting denser and stronger and better. That said, I weighed myself the morning, and I am 72.4 kg! Which is just a hair under 160lbs! I don't know when I last weighed less than 160. And I kind of had a curry fest last night, too.

So yay for seeing results! I still need to take measurements, and post pics in my battle log (which is really scary), but results are happening! Next challenge? Let's continue running and lifting (myself), and clean up that diet!

 

[end quote]

 

I once again am really not basing this entirely on weight, but getting on the scale in the morning every couple of days tells me i'm right around 70.6 kg now, give or take a few. Which is 155 lbs. and again, more importantly, I see a difference in not only how my clothes fit (clothes can stretch), but how I look in them.

 

And so, let's go! I need to not get complacent, and keep going!  

[mevre]

hells yeah!!! good news is good!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Okay! I am now in "between the Challenges time", so I am back to the log. And frankly, I hadn't read the second page pf this since mevre's response, and I needed it! so yea! Let's keep it moving!

 

Confessional:

 

I let myself off the hook big time with food. A lot. I logged stuff into MFP, and often was close to on total calories, but I have gone back to buying bread a lot, eating way too much candy and sweets, and stopped being good about protein intake because it isn't convenient. i also went some days without any greens (WTF? I LOVE greens?) and stress-ate a lot. I'm lucky that my weight hasn't suffered, but my willpower is being sapped by all these little sweet and fatty presents I keep giving myself. also, bread is back? When did I do that again?

 

So clearly, I have some work to do. Some of my plans include:

^   Asking the Home Ec teacher if I can use the school kitchen for tortilla making, then freeze them. I will then ruthlessly ration them.

^   Finally trying out the Adai recipe Maj. Bloodnok posted a million years ago. Getting a container to keep batter in the fridge and see about making them a regular breakfast with eggs and salsa.

^  Getting a brush to clean my suribachi, so I can keep making my own goma dressing, instead of using mayo-based ones from the store.

^  Rededicating myself to bentos. Minimum 3/week, no more than 25% purchased product included.

^  Greens every day again! 

^  Seriously clean the sink every week, minimum. Get gloves and a mask if I need to (which I might - ugh!) but just keep the damn sink clean so that I actually WANT to cook. If the kitchen is disgusting, I like to just pretend its not there.

 

I'm also thinking about how to want to clean. I like the idea of giving myself rewards, but small rewards have always been food or drink treats, which I would rather not do. Some ideas for potential "prizes" for completing x number of weekly tasks on time:

Trip to the Bakery (strict limit on what)

CRUSTY BREAD WEEKEND! (the bakery only makes proper crusty baguettes 1/week)

Music on iTunes

____ minutes gaming time - I fall in and out of interest with gaming, so we'll see. 

$__ purchase at Dream (local yarn/craft store)

Massage

Choli from Flying skirts

Skirt from Flying Skirts

[Tzippi Longstockings]

What I intend to do today:

Heeding warning signs of incipient lycanthropic activity*, I intend to get some shit done tonight.

List:

Go to Aeon (department store), resist the place with strawberry cream creped. Purchase supplies to clean and unclog kitchen sink (including gloves, because gross.)

Go home, wash dishes so I can reach it, and then clean the sink.

Wash hands, but am not allowed to shower (I really get squicked out by the sink, so psychologically I will not be able to rest until I shower.) until I complete one Neila Rey workout. Maybe the Shieldmaiden one again, or Xena or Korra.

Quick shower.

Make nabemono for dinner. Delicious and righteous (it's pretty much just huge amounts of vegetables and some fish in miso broth with a few soba noodles for interest).

Bask in my awesomeness. Maybe play some Skyrim, if it's not too late.

Edited: Managed almost all of the list! I only did two reps of the Xena one, because my legs got shaky (I spent a lot of today on my bike running errands around town), and ate some sushi for dinner, with miso soup. My sweet husband brought me dinner, so I ate it. 😄

* Once on a forum, I mentioned my "Lunar Complaint", and someone responded"

"You're a werewolf?"

Best euphemism ever.

[Companion]

I'm havimg a hard time understanding the sink situation. Why is it so gross?

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I'm havimg a hard time understanding the sink situation. Why is it so gross?

There are no garbage disposals in Japan. So everything has to be washed or drained over this little strainer thingy lined with special paper bags. Mine is tiny, though, and I don't want to waste the strainer- bags by replacing them all the time, so it often overflows, getting bits of food and crumbs down in the secondary strainer contraption which sits in the drain.

The big reason it's disgusting is because I'm squeamish in general about little wet bits of ick suspended in water. Dry them out, no problem, but the texture turns my stomach. If I cleaned the thing every day, or even every few days, it wouldn't be so bad, but I'm not doing super-well at building multiple new habits at once (cooking more, working out, sleeping enough, and cleaning regularly).

I know it all comes down to my laziness, really, and I'm working on that. Until I get over it. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I definitely have to *make* myself do it.

[Companion]

I don't have a garbage disposal either. Scraping plates with a rubber spatula helps keep stuff out of the sink to start with. We have these little screen strainers. Washing the dishes ends with washing the sink, tapping the strainer into the trash, and rinsing the strainer out.

Lucky me, I'm the only one in my house who seems to know how to do it. Lol! But my way it doesn't stink.

Is your strainer deal removable? The bags sound wasteful to me. And I know the trash sorting in Japan is a pain in the ass.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Okay, after Monday, there has been little going on. Tuesday was a holiday (I have no idea which one), so my husband and I went for a long-ish (40-minute) walk to the mall where we would be meeting people for bowling much later. I didn't move fast for most of the day, but it was nice going for a walk with him.

 

I also was awful at bowling, but had a lot of fun. I think that may be something we'll do together now and again. I like bowling.

 

Wednesday and Thursday, though, I was prostrate with cramping and exhaustion. I'm pleased I haven't gottrn sick yet this year, but I'm getting a bit worried about this tiredness. I'm going to knock wood, however, and chalk it up to hormones/SAD/recent lack of exercise. I intend to do something tonight. Probably a short run and then body weight because it has been a while and it isn't quite so insanely cold. Then I can stretch and take a bath and chill the rest of the night. I hope to go for a long run tomorrow.

 

Still not sure if we're going somewhere next week/my week off. It depends mostly on whether or not we can get a hotel. 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I have a tickle in my throat.

Not cool.

Anyway, this morning I went and did this:http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/start-bodyweight-basic-routine.html

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Throat tickle still hanging around. Nonetheless, I got up this morning and took a 30-minute run. I have all week off, so I can take longer ones, but as I've been off for a week, or nearly a week, I decided to just go and get back in the swing of things.

 

It's funny, I got more and more concerned the more days went by without a run. I was worried I'd lose it all, that I wouldn't be able to go any more. But the great thing about the changes that bodies go through is that they don't get undone immediately. I guess this is part of the "antifragile" thing - that I got stronger, so now I can bounce back faster from things like my usual cramping, etc. And I'm braver about things, too - my knee was a little odd-feeling, and I knew it was going to rain lightly, but I figured: "Hey, it's only half an hour, I can pace myself as necessary, and take a nice hot shower when I get home.  A tiny bit of misty rain won't hurt me, and the feeling of getting out and going will do me good."

 

 

So I played a bit of Skyrim, and am now cooking chickpeas to freeze for later while my husband plays FF7 and does the laundry. Either adai with scrambled eggs and mango salsa (thank you, Major Bloodnok, for the recipe!) or leftover veggie curry for lunch. 

[Muscle Professor]

I hope that tickle stays just that and then goes away. Awesomeness for getting the run done. 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Found some information about how to soak, cook, and freeze chickpeas for future use. Since Japan is a land without canned beans (you can get tiny tins of small beans, but not enough for two hungry vegetarians), I think this will come in handy. (http://toriavey.com/how-to/2012/10/how-to-soak-and-cook-chickpeas/)

Went out with an Australian friend and my husband for drinks last night. Phew boy. I hadn't had that much to drink for a while, and I'm feeling a bit delicate. So for the time being, I'm recuperating and hope to do something weight-related this afternoon. In the meantime, soaking more chickpeas!

[kaelvan]

Oooh I'm going to steal that.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Adai and scrambled eggs with broccoli and mango salsa.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Well, I've been doing some walking (including walking to the castle for New Years' Eve), but that tickle has kept going. So I'm recuperating with water and tea and lots of sleep. Can't wait for the next challenge, though!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Well, unfortunately, this last challenge (Jan. 5 - Feb 15) went off the rails due to illness. I managed to mostly keep going while taking care of my husband, but when I got a week-and-a-half-long sore throat and cough, all bets were off for weeks five and six. I still feel like I learned some stuff, though, and as it gets warmer (yay spring!) and I recover (Immune systems - GO!) and my family comes to visit (I've never been away so long before), and my husband is fully recovered (so I can go out of nursemaid mode) . . .

 

I FEEL GREAT!

 

I learned that my sugar habit is a more serious issue than I thought, and will be on the menu for next challenge. I learned that I love running, and miss it like crazy when injured or sick. I learned how to soak, cook, and freeze chickpeas for future use (great news for a vegetarian living in a country without copious canned beans). I learned that cleaning the fish oven isn't that bad. and I found out that even two weeks of almost complete stillness doesn't undo everything I've achieved in the past few months.

 

So I'm happy, and hope to keep a semi-regular thing going while my family is visiting. I know we'll be walking a lot, but if i can get in a run while they're here (maybe with my brother?), some hikes with everyone, and maybe a few bodyweight sessions in, i'll be  pleased. 

 

Today I don't have plans for anything official, but I do have my long walk to the station this afternoon, and cleaning to do tonight that should keep me active. I hereby also pledge to recommit to tracking food when at home (I'll be eating out a lot while I have guests, but at least twice, intend to make nabemono) and tonight i will do at least two reps of a Neila Rey. 

 

I should also remeasure myself to compare to my numbers from a few challenges back.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I did three reps of the Lara Croft* workout and then collapsed. Looking forward to getting back to feeling strong.

*http://neilarey.com/workouts/lara-croft-workout.html

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I'm working on how I want to put my next challenge together. I know I love running and want to continue/restart regular bodyweight, now that it's warming up. I am also enjoying dancing, but usually don't really "feel" dancing much after, so I don't want it to replace either my runs or my BW sessions.

 

My average week goes:

Monday work, Japanese lesson after takes me to about 6:30.

Tuesday work, sometimes tea ceremony club goes as late as 6:30

Wednesday work, Taiko drumming from 7:30-9 (I have to leave for the castle around 7:15 to make it on my bike)

Thursday work, try to get Sabaku no Hana (belly dance class) to be a semi-regular thing from 7:30-9

Friday work, Shabbat

Saturday free (husband often works)

Sunday free

 

As I fill up my evenings, I need to think more seriously about working out in the mornings, so maybe building in a challenge where I have #  before-work exercise sessions/week would help me get into that habit. I did enjoy running or doing my park-based BW in the mornings, before it got so ruddy cold. 

 

For my others, there are so many things I want to do, or do better. I got out of the habit of tracking food this last challenge, which was a good restraint on me, and looking at, if not exactly trying to "hit" macros was good for me. Goals about vegetables, especially leafy greens, have also been good. And my miserable failure at "having only three desserts a week" last challenge seems to indicate that I have quite a problem with sugary snacks and treats, as well.

 

Add in the fact that I love stretching and sleep better when I do so before bed, my studying goals, and how much I'd like to keep my apartment cleaner, and you end up with too many goals. 

 

I don't know. I feel a little unexcited about setting a very similar goal for myself, *again*. I am excited about running and BW and eating well, but my goals relating to them have been very similar for three challenges running.Should I keep going with a tried-and-true, or try to switch it up further?

 

Idea:

Goal one - six workouts a week. The beau ideal of this would be three runs, three bodyweight (not just dancing, unless it is pretty intence dancing/yoga stuff from Datura)

 

Goal two: Morning workouts 2 weekday mornings.I can only really do morning workouts on days when I teach in town (my commute eats up that time, otherwise), so two is reasonable.

 

Goal three: Diet combination. Track foods, especially all sweets. Greens daily. Keep an eye on macros, but don't stress about them.

 

Goal four: Hmmm. Studying? More dancing? Cleaning? Stretching and meditating? I'm not sure which is really what I want most. I feel like study is most applicable now. I am in Japan, and should learn Japanese. Dancing makes me super happy, and is something I want to do my whole life. But does it need to be a goal, in that case? Cleaning. I really want to train myself to this, to get hardened against it and stop putting it off for my husband to do or giving myself excuses. But I may make it a mini-game again, instead. Stretching before bed was an amazing change - I felt better, got quite a bit bendier, and slept better. Plus, it got me more stringent about bedtime, which is a good thing and may help me with Goal #2. That said, it also brings me into conflict sometimes with my husband, because  we have different schedules, and a small apartment. Even with white noise in my earbuds, I can still hear and get distracted by my husband playing a game or watching something less than eight feet away. 

 

Writing it out has me leaning toward stretching as my fourth goal, with cleaning as an add-on minigame and dancing as a beloved hobby and relaxation time.