Metal Pinata's Battle Log

[MetalPinata]

I realize if I'm going to keep this up I should start posting in here instead of the Respawn thread.

 

 

I'm currently on day 3 of really trying to eat healthy, and I feel like today is the hardest day yet. I'm home working on papers for school and surrounded by temptations. I can't just get rid of them though since most of them are my roommates, so I just have to work around them. At one point I wanted a snack and I go into the kitchen and I see cookies and my bag of apples I bought. I really thought about it using all sorts of justification like "It's only one cookie" and "I've had healthy meals for nearly 60 hours now, why can't I treat myself?" but I knew I had to try harder. Plus I paid good money for the apples and I'll be damned if I let them go to waste. So I got an apple. It's a small decision, but it makes me happy that I did that at a point when I wouldn't have had any accountability to anyone but myself (roommate is out of the house right now) and I didn't cave.

 

I've really got to focus up if I'm going to get my act together, but as long as I can keep making better decisions like this I'll be happy with myself. Also whenever I want a break from my paper I'm writing, I grab my dumbbells and do a set of squats... Not sure if this is encouraging exercise or discouraging procrastination, but I'll take it.

[MetalPinata]

So last night I had people over, I did so well avoiding pizza on Friday night, but then the same pizza was there again. I caved and had some... granted not as much as I would have had before I started being conscious of what I was eating again, but that was my dinner. Based on my calorie tracker, I was still within my bounds for what I should eat for the day. Granted being within bounds and eating the right thing are two separate things.

 

Needless to say this morning I regretted that decision after eating "clean" food for about 3 whole days, so I'm kind of glad I did it. It makes me realize that I'm already noticing differences caused by my diet. Today I'm back to grilled chicken and veggies (I need to learn some other flavor profiles, if anyone knows a good bbq-esque flavor please tell me).

 

Tomorrow I go back to the gym to work on my chest and back again, and I'm to a point where I can do 10 push-ups (sadly this is an accomplishment).

 

Just gotta keep fighting.

[MetalPinata]

Day 4 of weight training, and the second day of Chest/Back focus. I upped the weights slightly since I had good form last time and I wasn't sore for too long afterward.

 

Today I am sore. (Granted I just finished the work out two hours ago) I've had my protein shake I drink afterwards (It has dairy in it, but it's the only dairy I've been doing regularly as I started eating better) and I drove to work. I'm now on my second bottle of water (which in itself is an amusing workout after the beatings my arms took earlier).

 

The good news is I'm easy going enough to laugh at myself and I kind of play it up because I don't mind being the point of humor for the morning.

 

I brought myself leftover grilled chicken for lunch and an apple, if someone runs somewhere I might get some broccoli or something to go with it. I'm discovering I like broccoli.

 

Also I'm discovering that I don't mind sweet potato fries, I never used to be a fan of them unless they were covered in like butter and cinnamon, but I think after not binge eating sugar, they actually are kind of sweet. I think I might actually be able to get used to this diet.

[MetalPinata]

Today I went out shopping and upgraded my armory. I bought myself a Calphalon 8" Chef's Knife at Marshalls for $17 dollars. I also bought Hannibal Season 2 on Blu Ray earlier in my shopping, leading to an amusing combination of items when I came home. 

 

For dinner tonight I used my new knife to slice up carrots and steam them, it went so much smoother compared to my old knife I had. In the time it took me to cut one before, I had all three cut. I reheated some of my chicken from yesterday, and had another healthy meal.

 

I've managed to go without being tempted by snacking at this point, so I'm happy with that.

 

I'm not nearly as sore now as I was earlier today from my workout, and I'm eager to go through it all again tomorrow.

 

I think this is the most fired up I've been about my quest to get healthy, and I'm really hoping I can keep this momentum. I'm just worried about when the snow hits as far as my workouts are concerned.

[MetalPinata]

Did my weight routine for the 5th time (second time focusing on biceps and triceps), and have some chicken and an apple for lunch... tonight I'm going to make a tuna steak, and I'm so excited.

[the_griff]

Did my weight routine for the 5th time (second time focusing on biceps and triceps), and have some chicken and an apple for lunch... tonight I'm going to make a tuna steak, and I'm so excited.

mmmm.... tuna steak.... drooooooool.

[MetalPinata]

mmmm.... tuna steak.... drooooooool.

 

Unfortunately I ended up using a recipe that ended up making it taste too salty... and now I'm wanting to snack on everything in the house because I'm not used to excess sodium anymore.

[the_griff]

Unfortunately I ended up using a recipe that ended up making it taste too salty... and now I'm wanting to snack on everything in the house because I'm not used to excess sodium anymore.

Now you know how to perfect it next time!

[MetalPinata]

Today was leg day, leg day doesn't really bother me, so it's kind of nice to have it in the middle of the week. After I got done I ran to the store and bought some random stuff and threw it in the crock pot.

 

I bought a beef roast, put it in the crock pot and seasoned it with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Added some vegetable broth to keep it from burning.

I cut up 2 carrots, 2 sweet potatoes, a package of baby bella mushrooms, and an onion.

Drizzled a little bit of olive oil over the top and another hit of pepper.

 

Left it on low and came home to amazing things. The sweet potatoes were amazing, which surprised me.

 

[MetalPinata]

Another day of chest/back workouts and I did it without being it too much pain afterwards. I even had enough courage to do two of the exercises that my coworker has been showing me before he got there (he was running late today, and I wasn't sure if he was going to make it at all). I honestly think that just a week ago when I was starting out, I would have probably just ran on a treadmill or something to work up a sweat and not bother with the weights.

 

My challenge tonight, I don't think I will have time to cook a proper dinner (I've got a final presentation for one of my online classes tonight). So I don't know what my plan of attack will be, I've thought about running somewhere and grabbing a burger without a bun, but that sounds super depressing, so I might run to the store get something to cook, and kind of rush myself with my school stuff (I'm pretty sure I've got an A in the class as long as I say my part, so I'm not overly concerned).

[MetalPinata]

I found time to run to the store and make a proper dinner. Tonight I attempted beef stir fry.

[MetalPinata]

Today I weighed myself with my aria scale (it works with the fitbit app) after working out which I also did Monday after working out, and I'm starting to get a picture of where my journey has gone so far. (Although I think I'm going to start doing this weekly on Saturdays and taking pictures and everything to keep myself on track).

 

I know I'm early back in the swing of it so a lot of the fluctuation is probably just water weight, it's still making me happy though:

 

Monday, December 15 - Weight: 203.7lbs Lean Mass: 147.1lbs Fatty Mass: 56.6lbs Body Fat Percentage: 27.7%

Friday, December 19 - Weight: 203.1lbs Lean Mass: 150.6lbs Fatty Mass: 52.5lbs Body Fat Percentage: 25.8%

 

Now I just need to keep plugging along, but while I don't feel I'm showing results yet, I've felt like I've been making progress. So hopefully technology is close to accurate in regards to this stuff.

[MetalPinata]

Today we had our Christmas party at work, at Golden Corral of all places, but I was happy because at least I could pick and choose enough to get around my new diet. I just got roasted chicken and Broccoli but I ate way too much... although I'm not hungry enough for a full dinner tonight. I might just make some eggs or something if I get hungry.

 

Writing eggs made me realize I forgot to go to the store to get bacon for breakfast tomorrow. Maybe I'll walk to the butcher shop in the morning, although I don't think he opens until 9 and I'm hoping to be out of the house by then going on an adventure (Christmas shopping).

 

Also did my arm routine and made sure not to try to overdo things too quickly (I desperately want to lift more weight, but I know slow and steady is key).

[MetalPinata]

My day started off with 3 eggs (I normally do 2 and some bacon, but I was all out of bacon, so I just made an extra egg.

 

Today my roommate wanted to go to a comic book sale a shop about 30 minutes away was having, so I went there and spent too much money. The good news out of that adventure is that I got the hardcover edition of Matt Fraction's Hawkeye series for $10 I managed to avoid getting an old favorite terrible decision from the hot dog food truck that was serving at the event (A hot dog smothered in mac and cheese, nothing redeemable there really) even though my roommate got one. I honestly feel though that every time I get myself in a situation like that, where I avoid temptation, that I won a little boss battle for the day. The fact that my roommate is still eating things like that doesn't bother me really.

 

I then kidnapped my roommate and took him on the adventure I really wanted to go on (this is sadly a danger depending on which one of us drives, random side quests). There is a shop that sells all kinds of great spice blends and strange salts and sugars. Last time I was there, it was before I got serious about my health so I focused on things to help me bake, but this time I wanted to go in there with the intention of finding ways to season my chicken/beef/pork I've been buying. I ended up with 24 dollars in various spices and couldn't be happier. I also bought some apple wood smoked salt that I can't wait to use, it just smells so amazing.

 

Leaving that mission I went into a Jimmy John's and got a Roast Beef Unwich (Which I'm aware still had cheese, I've not completely cut out dairy yet, but I'm working towards it) and the lettuce wrap was honestly still pretty amazing, I'm getting where I'm not missing bread.

 

For dinner tonight I plan on eating some left over roast I made (with sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots).

 

Tomorrow I'm going to bake cookies for work because we're having a carry in. So that will be a challenge making something without having any, but I agreed to make them before I started eating better again.

[MetalPinata]

This morning I took some of the leftover stir fry I made from Thursday night and chopped it up into smaller pieces, and the proceeded to throw that in with some eggs and made a sort of breakfast scramble thing out of them. I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out. The remainder of that stir fry is my lunch for today, which leaves dinner as the big question mark.

 

I've got chicken thawed in the fridge that I'll probably just smash down and make into bite size pieces again, and I think I might make some asparagus that I bought at the store to go with it.

 

Tomorrow the plan for dinner is to slice up brussel sprouts and saute them up a bit with some olive oil, bacon, garlic, and shallots. Take that and throw it into the crock pot with a lightly seasoned beef roast and let the magic crock pot do it's thing.

 

Also on an unrelated note, I just finished my first semester  back at college full time with a 4.0 GPA, which is not something I really expected to accomplish with a full time job. I'm currently riding a high of self improvement and good feelings right now, and I hope that it continues.

[MetalPinata]

Today I went to the gym and did my chest/back routine that I have been doing, decided that January 5th I'm going to switch to the free-weight dumbbell they have available, so after building up a bit of strength I can truly work on form.

 

I had my protein shake for breakfast... it was my last one with the whole milk I had... Tomorrow I switch to almond milk (at the recommendation of my paleo-diet coworker). I'm hopeful it will taste okay.

 

Lunch today was supposed to be some of my leftover chicken from last night and an apple, but I forgot my apple. So I just ate my chicken and grumbled about not having my lunch apple for the rest of the day.

 

Dinner smells amazing, I'm waiting on my brother to come over, but I'm super excited about it. This morning before work I sauteed up some brussel sprouts with some shallots, garlic, and bacon. Threw that in a crock pot and then put a beef roast on top. I also used bourbon smoked salt on it, so the house smells amazing. This should be a good dinner, it's also the first dinner I've convinced my brother to eat since I switched up my diet.

[MetalPinata]

Lunch today was supposed to be some of my leftover chicken from last night and an apple, but I forgot my apple. So I just ate my chicken and grumbled about not having my lunch apple for the rest of the day.

 

I have once again forgotten my lunch apple. *sigh* stupid lunch apple.

[MetalPinata]

Today I did my arm exercises and 10 minutes on the treadmill like normal for a Tuesday

 

Came home and had a protein shake with almond milk (not bad) and a banana.

 

Lunch was more of Sunday nights leftover chicken.

 

Dinner was a pork stir fry using soy aminos (also not bad). Leftovers for lunch tomorrow. My favorite meal yet I think.

 

Also did some squats while waiting for my food to cook. Felt the burn while not burning my food.

 

Tomorrow is leg day, and I might try and put in a bit of my chest/back routine since the gym will be closed Thursday.

[MetalPinata]

Today I had another cheat, by the time I got to my parents house for Christmas, my brother had made me a ham and egg sandwich, and I just ate it, so that was two pieces of bread.

 

I got home from that and did 2 rounds of: 10 squats, 20 alternating lunges, :15 plank, 10 pushups, and 30 jumping jacks.

 

I didn't really do much besides this today, for Dinner I made asparagus, bacon, and eggs. It turned out pretty fantastic. Thinking about trying to get another 1-2 rounds of the routine I did this morning in.

 

[MetalPinata]

I'm going to revive my thread, and I'm pleased to report that since my last post I've not slipped up on my diet/exercise path and I continue to make progress towards my goals. I just have gotten bogged down with writing papers for school that the last thing I wanted to do was write more (which, with my rampant narcissism, is saying something). However I've also signed up for Camp Nerd Fitness for this year and I've been talking to people on Facebook, so I feel I should try and share my progress a little bit more.

 

A [not really] quick recap (or hey, new information if I didn't actually go over this earlier, I can't remember) of my story:

 

*wavy lines appear and take us through a montage of ups and downs*

 

I signed up for Nerd Fitness in August 2014 at the best point I had been yet on my fitness journey, I was down from a high of 228lbs to a low of 199lbs and ready to get over the elusive plateau that was 195lbs, and was looking for the extra push. Then, for reasons I can't even remember, I just lost my energy towards my health plans. Before I knew it I had packed on weight and was up to 208lbs and it didn't hit me until I got the email about the Respawn. I opted not to update my pictures because of the backslide from my initial pictures. I started posting on the forums (both here and the academy) as an accountability measure until I felt confident in my habits (and with the help of an Accountabilibuddies group I'm a part of) so I slacked off on my writing. By the time I got back to 199lbs, I wanted to celebrate with new pictures before realizing they'd pretty much look the same as the ones from August. All I had done was restore my saved file essentially.

 

*wavy lines bring us back to the present*

 

I realize now that I should have taken new progress pictures at this point, but I basically shamed myself by saying "You don't want to see the damage you caused, just ignore it, move past it, and forget it ever happened." I wish I had taken these now because I think it would have made myself feel that much more accomplished when it comes to the next part of the story. I kept working at it and eating properly(ish, I'm not a perfect paleo diet person, damn me and my love of cheese) and managed to stay strong through 2 plateaus (my body likes to stop right before "milestone" weights ending in 5 and 0, much to the displeasure of my mild OCD) to get to my new personal low (that I'm still at) of 187lbs!

 

So today, inspired by the amazing stories I've read from others going to camp (and the encouragement and support of the community) I decided it was time to take pictures of myself to evaluate my situation as it stands today. I was afraid to do it, I've not really noticed anything significant in regards to change. I knew the numbers (Weight and BF%) were getting lower, but when you see yourself every day it's hard to really be aware of the visual progress. Once I put the pictures side by side, my heart honestly kind of raced with excitement.

 

I've included the picture in this thread, and I know I'm nowhere near the success story as others on this site, but the fact that I've found a community and a philosophy that has allowed me to make this kind of progress means the world to me. I know there's an aspect of it like in the Wizard of Oz where the courage, brains, heart are here the whole time, but Nerd Fitness has become the Wizard that has shown me that I've been capable of this all along. Giving me the gift of confidence to keep pushing myself to improve both mentally and physically is something I will always be appreciative of.

 

I will try to keep an update on this more regularly, although it depends on how crazy my classes are going to get (almost 6 courses down, 5 to go before graduation).