Ciara takes control

[Ciara]

My first challenge as an Assassin! I feel decidedly un-Assassiny...haven't been keeping up with parkour, don't do bodyweight exercises anymore...Well that's gonna change this challenge! Here we go!

 

Main Quest: If at first you don't succeed, step it up a notch!

Continue trying to lose weight, fit into single digit clothes. At the end of my last challenge, I had actually put on a few pounds (I forgot to document my exact weight so I don't know how many it was). I've put on a few more pounds since the end of the challenge, and I'm still squeezing into my pants. I'm going to ramp up my workout and diet habits to hopefully get back under 170 (egad, I've never been here in my life!) and eventually (not this challenge but someday) back into the 140s.

Quest 1: Pain is weakness leaving the body. (STR: 3 STA: 3 DEX: 1)

 

Guys, working out is hard. That's why I'm going to step it up from 4 to 6 days a week. I still see my trainer 2x/week, and now I'm putting it upon myself to go to workout 4 additional times. Now, last challenge, that meant do anything- from riding my bike for 30 minutes to shopping for 2 hours. It was all the same to me, because I did something. I know now I can do something, and I want to make that something count towards my goal of losing weight and getting more upper body strength. I also want to incorporate bodyweight workouts back into my life, so here's what I've come up with:

 

Strength workouts 2x/week (including bodyweight)

Cardio 3x/week

Parkour (strength and cardio) 1x/week

 

A: Follow this plan for 6 days a week B: 5 days a week C: 4 days or fewer a week

 

Side note: I will get that dexterity point only if I go to at least 4 parkour classes out of 6. If I go 3 or under, that point is gone.

 

Quest 2: I want to eat EVERYTHING! (CON: 3)

 

I've been like No-face the past several...years. I just eat when I'm hungry and sometimes when I'm not and I don't stop when I'm full. I want to take control of my diet. I am going to create and post meal plans every Sunday night for the week, and stick to them. I will report everything I ate that day on here and in a handy dandy spreadsheet. If I deviate from the plan, I'll let you know. If I add extra healthy foods to a day or switch meals around, it's still a pass. If I add more than one extra junk per day (coffee, takeout, candy) that day is a fail. More than 2 fails in a week results in a failed week.

 

A: Follow meal plan for 6 weeks B: Follow meal plan for 5 weeks C: Follow meal plan for 4 or fewer weeks

 

Quest 3: In peace, vigilance. (WIS: 3)

 

I have been having some problems regulating my emotions lately..It's been a whirlpool of all sorts of moods and I want to learn some coping mechanisms for when I am in crisis. I am going to journal my mood and sleep every day for the next six weeks so my therapist and I can understand me better.

 

A: Journal 7 days a week B: 6 days a week C: 5 or fewer days a week

 

I also want to start meditating every day for at least 2 minutes. Just need to get more in the habit. No grade for that.

 

Life Quest: Hoard my treasure (CHA: 2)

This is the same as last challenge. This time I'm going to give myself points for succeeding. I have a food budget of $60/ week. I want to stick to that budget as best as I can. Things other than food (like the $75 a month I pay for the train pass) are not part of this budget. As a college student, I just eat out wayy too much so this budget is my attempt at reining myself in.

 

Pass: $60 or under per week

Fail $61 or over per week

 

What would a challenge be without rewards? Here's what I get if I succeed (these rewards are stacking):

 

A: Membership to a spa. There's a spa in the town I'm moving to. If I get an A, I will buy myself a membership and get a massage! 

B: New tupperware. I have 3 different sized plastic food containers. I had to borrow more from my mom so I can do adequate meal prep. This reward is dependent on if I get a dorm with a kitchen in the spring (if I don't I'll come up with something else) but I will buy myself some more tupperware so I can continue to succeed in meal prep even away from home.

C: Fuzzy socks! My feet get so cold at night. I need moar socks!

 

Measurements and photos: Coming Sunday night!

 

Chest: 36.5

Waist: 31

Belly: 43

Hips: 38.5

Thigh: R: 26 L: 27

Arm: R: L: 13

 

Edited because it was way too long. I cut a few things out but I'll probably still do them on my own time.

Edited again because I decided I'll do cardio 3x a week for now since I hate it so very very much.

[Amdhiel]

Subbed to cheer you on, looks like you've got a good challenge setup! 

[Katydid]

Woohoo!

 

I suggest fun socks as a reward.  Because socks are fun.

[GingaNinja]

Ciara! Woooo. You are kick ass enjoy assassin's. If you need anything, I am over in Adventurers xx

[Ciara]

Woohoo!

 

I suggest fun socks as a reward.  Because socks are fun.

You're right they are and my feet get so cold at night! I could get like 5 pairs of fuzzy socks that would make me so happy.

[starsapart]

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooocks!

[Brekketechie]

Subbed to add to the cheering section!

 

We have some similar goals - getting our workouts under control, journaling, etc. So, I'll be looking forward to journeying this Challenge with you!

[Evermist]

Fellow Skullcrusher here! Subbed, and all the best

[NicTheRugger]

Found, sub'd, and sending much love! <3 Best of luck with the challenge, I'll be cheering for you!

[PachaTisai]

And, now you made me go buy fun socks...12 pair of fun socks are making their way to my house.

 

Added bonus, my boss hates them....

 

 

 

CIARA!!!  I am following you faithfully!  If you need anything, poke me, just not in the eye.  That's mean...

[Ciara]

And, now you made me go buy fun socks...12 pair of fun socks are making their way to my house.

 

Added bonus, my boss hates them....

 

 

 

CIARA!!!  I am following you faithfully!  If you need anything, poke me, just not in the eye.  That's mean...

Yay! Pacha you're here! I followed you back hehe.

 

I promise I won't poke you in the eye. I'm an assassin, true, but I haven't been hired to kill you. So you're safe!

[TyrantLizard]

Hello again Ciara! Not sure if you remember me from Level 1 days, but I found you! I'll be following because obviously but also because I also have a food aspect to my challenge and we can help keep each other's heads in the game.

 

Oh, and good call on the journaling goal. Writing is an important source of balance and stress relief for me and I think it'll be really beneficial! Even just a few moments set aside each day for reflection and introspection can make such a huge difference.

[Ciara]

Hello again Ciara! Not sure if you remember me from Level 1 days, but I found you! I'll be following because obviously but also because I also have a food aspect to my challenge and we can help keep each other's heads in the game.

 

Oh, and good call on the journaling goal. Writing is an important source of balance and stress relief for me and I think it'll be really beneficial! Even just a few moments set aside each day for reflection and introspection can make such a huge difference.

Of course I remember you! And I remember you work on a farm. I got into UMass Amherst so that's a thing

 

Welcome to my humble challenge! Let's keep each other on track ^^

[TyrantLizard]

Congrats on getting in to UMass Amherst! That's fantastic! I'm always happy to geek out about soil science or insects or foliar disease or whatever else, so if you want to take nerdy about farm stuff, you know where to go. 

 

Good luck on the first week!

[Alexandrite]

I'm avoiding the candy this time around, you inspired me to take a second look at what it was I was mindlessly ingesting all the time. 

 

In fact, I just went to the pantry to grab some and thought "wonder who updated on NF" instead. It kept me from eating it! Maybe every time you go to grab junk or candy, you can check the forums for motivation to avoid!

 

*cheers*

[Amdhiel]

I'm avoiding the candy this time around, you inspired me to take a second look at what it was I was mindlessly ingesting all the time. 

 

In fact, I just went to the pantry to grab some and thought "wonder who updated on NF" instead. It kept me from eating it! Maybe every time you go to grab junk or candy, you can check the forums for motivation to avoid!

 

*cheers*

 

LOL sounds like that might work

 

Congrats on the acceptance to UMass Amherst Ciara!!

 

[Ciara]

Ok....day one is over. What a day, wow. I'll talk about my challenge first then complain about life.

 

Exercise: Yes! I got it done after my 8am class because I had plans this afternoon and knew I wouldn't have time otherwise. Cardio, ugh. Someone please tell me how to make cardio interesting because it is soooo boring. Rowing isn't bad, but the elliptical is just awful.

 

Diet: Here's what I ate today. The stuff highlighted in green is what I ate, and the red I didn't eat. The purple is all extra stuff that I shouldn't have eaten but I did. Wow, I did HORRIBLY today. I need to really step it up for the rest of the week. There's a reason why my diet slipped so bad, which I will get into later, but it still doesn't excuse it...dang.

 

Journaling: I filled out my journal. I'm keeping it private for now. Maybe I will let you read it later but for now, it's kinda too personal. There's not much there to read anyway...

 

 

Ok....time to complain about life. I was supposed to go out west to visit my friend's horse, but she started bleeding when she went to the bathroom and ended up in the ER. So that didn't happen. (She's fine but needs a colonoscopy. I have no doubt she will be okay.) Then I got a text from my mom that concerned me, so I called her after class and it turns out she's also in the hospital for internal stomach bleeding. She's incredibly anemic and is staying overnight. So, I got on the train and went to the hospital. I didn't see her because her friend was there with my mom's car and anyway that part isn't important. The important thing is, from 1-7 I didn't eat anything because emergencies happened. So, dinner time, I just ate utter crap because I was so hungry. I'm spending the night with my dad and my parents stock a lot of junk food- cookies, chips, crackers, chocolate, soda....it's really terrible. And I ate all of it. I didn't eat much of any one thing, i just kinda grazed. But I feel so gross now and mad at myself. I almost wish I'd gotten something at Whole Foods on the way home instead, but student budgets, agh. Sigh, so that was my day. I'm going to sleep now. Tomorrow I will see my mom in the hospital and hopefully she'll be discharged, or at least we will get some definite answers.

 

Also I broke up with Will. Or rather, he broke up with me. We wanted different things out of the relationship, but now he's trying to get me back. It's the second time we broke up and I honestly am over it. I love him, but the distance and all the problems we were having just took so much energy and I felt like I was getting nothing out of the relationship anymore. It's really sad, I wish it had worked out, but I need to take care of me. That means telling him that no, we can't get back together right now, maybe in a few years when you grow up a bit and we live in the same city and the timing is right. I just can't give him any more of me....now I just need to stick to that decision. I'm really tempted to fly back into his arms but that would be disrespectful to me. Guys, how do I relationships? I feel like the stress that was troubling me at the end of the last challenge is still with me. I'm exhausted...

[Alexandrite]

*hugs*

Give it time for the dust to settle and for you to figure YOU out. It sounds like that is what your heart is saying, so heed it.

Sounds like a pretty sucky day. Get some good rest, wake up tomorrow to a new start. We will be here cheering for you!

- Sent from my magic Navi-powered device!

[Amdhiel]

 

I'm sorry to hear that your day didn't go terribly well and I hope your mom and friend end up okay! Sometimes you just have to accept that unexpected challenges won and see if you can learn something from how you handled it. It's hard to roll with the punches and make good choices when your hit with a bunch of stress all at once.

 

Here's to today being a new day and putting yesterday behind you.

 

[PachaTisai]

Will has no idea now what he lost.  Right now, he sees someone who is broken, but what he's missing is the amazing person inside.  One day, when you awaken from your coccoon and become the beautiful butterfly that we know you are, you will be able to look back and realize that this is the right move. 

 

 

 

We are all here for you.  Take heart.  Things will get better.

 

Now, let's hug it out!

 

[starsapart]

You go forth, be strong, and become the best you that you can be.  I'm only a text message away!

[Ciara]

Today is going badly as far as diet goes. I ate chocolate and hot chocolate. I also had hospital food for lunch. I think this week is a fail. Hopefully I can pull through with my other challenges and also not let the rest of the days fall into the abyss. When I go home to my apartment things will be back to normal and I'll be back on track.

[shaar]

I'm late on the hug train, but hugs are NEVER A BAD THING

 

 

 

It's ok - just remember, it's all due to extenuating circumstances, and not your own lack of willpower or you not caring.  You're doing what you have to do right now and you know once the dust settles you'll pick up right where you left off.

 

Don't get discouraged! You GOT this!! :)

[Ciara]

Thanks for the support guys. It's hard because my mom has had 2 strokes in the past year and a half and now she's in the hospital again....my dad is disabled and my mom is now joining him whether she accepts it or not. Aging is hard.....I'm still in college and my parents are falling apart.

 

On top of that, Will is now saying he regrets our breakup and wants me to commit to him forever and marry him. WTF. He makes no sense at all.

[shaar]

Thanks for the support guys. It's hard because my mom has had 2 strokes in the past year and a half and now she's in the hospital again....my dad is disabled and my mom is now joining him whether she accepts it or not. Aging is hard.....I'm still in college and my parents are falling apart.

 

On top of that, Will is now saying he regrets our breakup and wants me to commit to him forever and marry him. WTF. He makes no sense at all.

 

Yeah man, watching your parents age hurts. My dad passed away 9 years ago and my mom is aging on her own and dealing with anxiety and depression... ugh I hate it.  I hate it so much.

 

But HEY HO MARRIAGE