jengetsit: 6 Week Challenge

[jengetsit]

Hey, I'm jennifer or jengetsit. I'm 39 years old. I started a battle log about a week ago: Lift, Lose, Love. It has a bit of history, if you are interested, but here are the cliffs: I stopped working out and gained 30lb. I also have issues with chronic back and neck pain. Currently, I weigh about 181. At least that is what I weighed when I started my journal. I weigh in again on Saturday, so hopefully that number will have gone down a bit after the first week. 

 

Main Quest: Lose 30 lb. Fit back into my old clothes! Feel better about my body. Get fit again. Have more energy. Make the physical part of my job easier. 

 

Goal 1: Track Diet and meet calorie goals: 1500 calories Sunday-Friday. 2200 calories Saturday. I am using MyPlate to track. 

 

A = 42 days

B = 35+ days

C = 28+ days

D = 21+ days

F = 20 days or less

 

Goal 2: Walking 3 Days Per Week, increasing distance each week. Right now, I'm doing 2.5 miles, so my goal here is to increase the distance just a little bit each week, even if it's only a tenth of a mile it needs to be a longer distance than the previous week. 

 

A = 18+ walks

B = 15+ walks

C = 12+ walks

D = 9+ walks

F = 8 or less

 

Goal 3: Strength Training. I'm doing the 5x5 program. I'm going to be a little more flexible with this because I do have back and neck issues that can prevent me from working out. The goal is 3 days a week, but I'm going to give myself a lot of cushion here, just in case.

 

A = 12+

B =  10+

C = 8+

D = 6+

F = 5 or less

 

Personal/Life Goal: Get into Physical Therapy to help manage pain. I have an appointment Monday morning for a referral. Hopefully, I can start PT within the next few weeks. 

 

Art Goal: Continue to take photographs on walks and scout locations for project on reflection and distortion of reality. 

 

Reward: If I get all A's, I will buy myself a new lens -- the 16mm fisheye. 

 

I'm super excited to start. I've read it takes 3 weeks to make something into a habit, so after 6 weeks it ought to start feeling like a lifestyle change.

[pureleeawesome]

Hi Jengetsit!

 

Fun note: I originally spelt that as Jengeetsit and then had fun using your name pretending I had a stereotypical redneck accent "Jen geets it. But den what does she do next?"

 

Ooh, I love the idea of an art goal, I hadn't even thought about that. You've reminded me that I need to take my camera out and about and actually use it too.

What is MyPlate like to use? I have My Fitness Pal but I'll admit that sometimes I don't find it user friendly enough for me.

 

Best of luck with your challenge! (Do we get to see pretty pictures you've taken if you get all A's?)

[Terah]

Good luck to you!

I think getting into physical therapy will help you achieve your goals. No fun working out when in pain

[jengetsit]

Hi Jengetsit!

 

Fun note: I originally spelt that as Jengeetsit and then had fun using your name pretending I had a stereotypical redneck accent "Jen geets it. But den what does she do next?"

 

Ooh, I love the idea of an art goal, I hadn't even thought about that. You've reminded me that I need to take my camera out and about and actually use it too.

What is MyPlate like to use? I have My Fitness Pal but I'll admit that sometimes I don't find it user friendly enough for me.

 

Best of luck with your challenge! (Do we get to see pretty pictures you've taken if you get all A's?)

 

Haha! I kinda like jen-geets-it! 

 

MyPlate is very user friendly (I think). I just signed up for My Fitness Pal to see what it was like and it says I need to eat 1200 calories a day to lose two lbs a week. Whoa, that's really low! I'm eating 1500 right now and I've lost 2 lbs this week, so I don't know if I would trust their calculations ... I can't seem to change the calorie goal, either. So, I would have to say one bonus of MyPlate is that you set your own calorie goal. They are probably very similar in most ways, though. It just depends on which interface you prefer. I'm used to MyPlate, but I'm going to try MFP today and see if I like it. 

 

Oh yes, I will definitely post some photos in this log during the 6 weeks! I'm trying to take my camera everywhere since my work has died down. I'm a professional wedding photographer, so my personal projects are often very different from "work." I like to shoot abstract, nature, and street photography. 

 

Thanks for stopping by! My log was feeling very lonely at the bottom, lol. 

[jengetsit]

Good luck to you!

I think getting into physical therapy will help you achieve your goals. No fun working out when in pain

 

Thanks for the encouragement! PT is about the only thing I have not tried for pain and I am hopeful it will help!

[pureleeawesome]

I agree on the 1200 calorie part - I tried it for one day and just about starved.

I'll try MyPlate today and see how I go :-)

 

Usually when I take pictures I end up taking pictures of flora. I bought a new camera for my London/Italy trip last year though and my favourite part about it was the stalkerish lens zoom. I really need to use it more to justify the cost so maybe I'll do a picture a day for six weeks or something :-)

[jengetsit]

I agree on the 1200 calorie part - I tried it for one day and just about starved.

I'll try MyPlate today and see how I go :-)

 

Usually when I take pictures I end up taking pictures of flora. I bought a new camera for my London/Italy trip last year though and my favourite part about it was the stalkerish lens zoom. I really need to use it more to justify the cost so maybe I'll do a picture a day for six weeks or something :-)

 

Yes, I would about starve on 1200 cals too! 

 

Photo-a-day is a good challenge too! Haha, I have a 200mm lens and yup, it's a bit stalkerish, but gawd I love it! 

[jengetsit]

Excited for the challenge to begin tomorrow. Even more excited to make all A's and get my new lens! Today, I did some experimenting in the studio with double exposures. There is a pretty big difference between the kind of photography I do for money and the kind I do for fun. The fun stuff for me is abstract, experimental, and ambiguous.

 

Today it was also very colorful ...

 

 

 

If I make all A's on this challenge, my new lens will be a lot of fun and I already have some ideas on how to use it.

 

So let the games begin.

[pureleeawesome]

I love it! It looks like a painting.

 

Ooh, you remind me that I need to try track with MyPlate. I've just put my breakfast into it. So far I'm liking the look a little more than My Fitness Pal. How did you find the differences?

[jengetsit]

Thanks! I photographed the sunflower first, but I liked how this one turned out a lot better! 

 

I tracked with MFP yesterday along with MyPlate, but I just couldn't get over that 1200 calories sitting at the top of my page! It's like I felt guilty for going over it (which of course I did--who wouldn't?) Then I was in the red     That was the main thing that really bothered me, but I also didn't like having to track breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I usually plan all of my meals for the entire day in the morning, and make adjustments if I need to. I don't really eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I just eat when I am hungry. So I like having the option of just lumping every food into one long list. 

 

What I DO like about MFP is how it tells you how much you would weigh in 5 weeks if you ate that amount every day. That's a cool and motivating feature. I may use it every so often just for that. I just wish I could change the calories. 

[Airlia]

Hi, you can customize almost everything on MFP. To change your daily calories on the mobile app go to 'more' then 'goals' and from there you can set not only calories but % for each if your macros and other things. It took a little for me to find everything in MFP but once I did I really like it.

[Airlia]

Ps. Your photography is awesome.

[Jezaraen]

Good luck mate!! 

[jengetsit]

Hi, you can customize almost everything on MFP. To change your daily calories on the mobile app go to 'more' then 'goals' and from there you can set not only calories but % for each if your macros and other things. It took a little for me to find everything in MFP but once I did I really like it.

 

Awesome, thank you! Some of these apps need to come with instruction manuals, lol. 

 

 

Ps. Your photography is awesome.

 

Appreciate it!

 

Good luck mate!! 

 

You too, mate!!

[jengetsit]

Yay, the first day of the 6-Week Challenge! I am going to keep both of my logs updated and just copy the posts from one log to the other. This way, my battle log won't have any gaps just in case I need to go back and find something, and so I have a clear progression on my battle log. 

 

Anyway ... this morning I went to the doctor for a referral. The Physical Therapy peeps are supposed to be calling me soon. So, that's a step in the right direction. My doc looked at my back and said she thought I would benefit from it because I have a floating scapula or something. Basically one of my shoulder blades is higher than the other one. One also sticks out more than the other. I can't recall if she referred to this condition as floating, swimming, or spinning but it sounded abnormal.

 

She also suggested I get a pedometer and try to walk 10,000 steps a day. Supposedly, that's about 5 miles. It sounds like a good idea, so I may have to look into it.

 

After the doc, I hit the gym. Did my 5x5 workout. 

 

Warm Up: walked 1 mile

Squat: 5x5x45

Bench: 5x5x45

Barbell Row: 5x5x35

 

I haven't increased weight yet on this program because I had some neck and back pain last week from my first workout. I'm hoping it was caused by the shock of the new program, but better to be safe than sorry. If I am not in any pain tomorrow, I've decided to alter this program a little in how I increase. My body can't take a lot of stress/shock at one time. So instead of increasing for every lift on the same day, I am only going to increase for one lift at a time. This means each lift will get 2 workouts at the same weight and I will know if an increase is causing me problems and I'll also know which movement is the culprit. The only exception is squats, because I do them 3 days a week. My plan for squats is to increase the weight once a week, but add a rep for each session. So, my first day I'll be doing 5 reps for squats. The second day 'll do 6 reps. Third day I'll do 7 reps. This will keep me progressing a little bit each time. 

 

Finally, I got home and made my favorite protein shake for lunch ...

 

 

Yummmmm ....

 

Nutrition Info:

 

 

I'll post my Diet Later ...

[jengetsit]

Tracked with MFP today ...

 

 

From 4PM - 7Pm is the hungriest time of the day for me. I even feel hungry after eating dinner! So, I usually save up most of my calories for dinner and afterwards. I think I could do intermittent fasting. Isn't that where you only have a window of a few hours to eat all your calories?

 

So it was a good day. Got in my workout, tracked the diet, and stayed within calorie limit.  

[Airlia]

Great job today jengetsit! Did you like MFP okay today now that your calories aren't showing up RED? 

 

I think the shoulder blade thing you are talking about might be called "Winged Scapula"? It seems a "floating scapula" is more of an injury thing. Anyhow, I've been to physical therapy before related to shoulder pain and was told my shoulder blades are uneven (don't recall them calling it winged or anything, but who knows). Here is an interesting article related to uneven shoulder blades.

http://www.physiodc.com/my-shoulder-blades-are-not-even/

Keep up the great work!

[jengetsit]

Great job today jengetsit! Did you like MFP okay today now that your calories aren't showing up RED? 

 

I think the shoulder blade thing you are talking about might be called "Winged Scapula"? It seems a "floating scapula" is more of an injury thing. Anyhow, I've been to physical therapy before related to shoulder pain and was told my shoulder blades are uneven (don't recall them calling it winged or anything, but who knows). Here is an interesting article related to uneven shoulder blades.

http://www.physiodc.com/my-shoulder-blades-are-not-even/

Keep up the great work!

 

Yes, it felt great not to be in the RED. Although, I did have a few reds for going over on my macros--I set them myself too! But as long as the calories are not red, it's ok with me, lol. 

 

 

Winged Scapula--You know, that may have been it! Thanks for the link and the info!

[pureleeawesome]

Great going jengetsit!

 

I myself have not done any photography yet, but I have been sticking to Paleo (my smoothies do not look as delicious as your protein shake though)

I'm been using MyPlate to track, and I'm liking it so will probably end up sticking with it.

The pedometer is a good idea and I think there's even apps for it (their accuracy may vary) so you wouldn't need to buy anything.

[jengetsit]

Great going jengetsit!

 

I myself have not done any photography yet, but I have been sticking to Paleo (my smoothies do not look as delicious as your protein shake though)

I'm been using MyPlate to track, and I'm liking it so will probably end up sticking with it.

The pedometer is a good idea and I think there's even apps for it (their accuracy may vary) so you wouldn't need to buy anything.

 

Thanks!

 

OMG that protein powder is the BOMB. I'm a protein powder snob. I like it to taste good and have lots of vitamins. I'm tellin ya, this stuff is the best tasting protein powder I have ever had, and I've tried dozens of brands. It's called Xtreme Formulations. It's also chalk full of BCAA's and muscle building goodness. 

 

Here's a link to one store that sells it: http://www.tigerfitness.com/Xtreme-Formulations-Ultra-Peptide-p/3080018m.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_campaign=paid_search_google_pla&scid=scplp6263484&gclid=Cj0KEQiArK6lBRC5-_jv48uxgrgBEiQAuxdZ9f7PgFXHHKznR_XU9OXwlxPeZYPEOMYLXV36Nzpgg1waAnv78P8HAQ

 

The best flavors, IMO, are Cinnamon Roll, Lemon Cream Pie, and Chocolate Mint. It's like drinking a milkshake. Delicious. 

 

I am now the proud owner of a Fitbit! 

 

It took me about an hour to figure it out, but I'm catching on, and I think it's gonna give me that little extra push. We shall see!

[jengetsit]

Had a good day. Got a lot done. Took the dog with me for my walk. 

 

 

My walking partner ...

 

 

She does pretty good on the walks. She likes to stop and sniff everything, of course, but most of the time she stays right by my side. And I feel safe walking with her. She's super sweet and friendly, loves everyone, but if anyone ever tried to attack me, I'm 100% positive she'd rip em a new one. 

 

I've been obsessing over my new Fitbit. Think I'm becoming a bit of a tracking junkie.  I wonder how accurate the Fitbit is? Here are my Fitbit stats ...

 

 

Besides the walk at the park, I don't feel like I was walking a whole lot ... although I did clean the entire downstairs--swept and mopped every floor. Ran some errands ... I dunno? There is a huge hill on my walk and I go up it twice, which accounts for some of the stair climbing, but I also go up and down a lot at the house-- I have two dogs and a teenager, lol. 

 

I'm tracking diet with MFP now because I can sync it with Fitbit. I didn't get to 1500 today. I just wasn't that hungry. 

 

 

Cardio--check

Diet and Tracking--check check

 

Tomorrow I'm hitting the gym if my body will let me (please, body, be nice!)

[Airlia]

Aww... such a cute puppy!  We also have two dogs - a golden retriever and a little yorkie mix.   Great job today.  I'm a tracking junkie too. I bought a Misfit Flash for Christmas.  Since stats say most people quit using trackers within 3 months, I figured I'd buy the cheapest one that would suit my needs, and if I'm still finding it useful in 3-4 months I'll buy something fancier - like maybe the fitbit HR.    I love the reward of flashing lights dancing for me when I reach my goal!  Speaking of hitting goal, I think I still have about 50 steps to go so I better stand up and walk while I watch tv. 

[jengetsit]

Aww... such a cute puppy!  We also have two dogs - a golden retriever and a little yorkie mix.   Great job today.  I'm a tracking junkie too. I bought a Misfit Flash for Christmas.  Since stats say most people quit using trackers within 3 months, I figured I'd buy the cheapest one that would suit my needs, and if I'm still finding it useful in 3-4 months I'll buy something fancier - like maybe the fitbit HR.    I love the reward of flashing lights dancing for me when I reach my goal!  Speaking of hitting goal, I think I still have about 50 steps to go so I better stand up and walk while I watch tv. 

 

Cool! I love how it gives a step goal. I am super competitive with myself--I always want to outdo my last try--so i think that counter will be great for me. I like how my fitbit page explodes with rewards when I reach a goal, lol. Any little thing helps, ya know? We also have a dachshund. She is getting up in her years and can be kinda grouchy. It's funny because when people come over, they are instantly worried about the big dog, who is super friendly, but not about the little dog, who can be totally vicious! I get a funny look when I tell them to watch out for the little dog. lol. 

[jengetsit]

Well, I have another busy day ahead of me. Good news is the physical therapy peeps called and I'm going for my 1st appointment on Monday. Really hoping the PT will help me manage pain. 

 

Plans for the day ...

 

1.5x5 at the gym. Feeling like I can do this today. I probably won't increase weights, but will be happy just to get it done. 

 

2. Paint rest of living room--I had chair rail put up and a dent in the wall patched up so now I need to paint the back wall and touch up the rest of the room.

 

3. Still need to blog the wedding I photographed on the 27th. This means I need to create collages and select which images. Shouldn't be too hard because this wedding turned out super nice. It's funny ... I've shot weddings that cost +50K and the photos were nice, but I've also done weddings on a budget of less than 10K and the photos turned out gorgeous. It all comes down to the couple. Their attitude, personality, and the "vibe" of the wedding is what makes the photos great--not how much the wedding actually costs. This couple was so in love and they were fun and their friends and family were cooperative and helpful. Made my job really easy. 

 

4. Clean upstairs. Since I got so many steps yesterday by cleaning the downstairs, I figure I will try the upstairs today. This Fitbit may inspire me to do more than just walk-- it may inspire me to do more housekeeping! 

 

Hope everyone has a productive day! Let's do this!!!

[jengetsit]

Had a very productive day! Cleaned the entire upstairs of my house, finished painting the living room, went to the gym, and did a little shopping. 

 

Gym Warm Up

 

I contemplated doing the 5x5 today because my back and neck were a little fussy and tight, but the walk helped, so I went ahead and did the routine, but I rested almost a full 2 minutes between sets for squats to play it a little safer. I did the 6 reps on squats but no increases on weights today.

 

5x5 Workout B

 

Squats: 5x6x45

SOHP: 5x5x30

DL: 5x5x65

 

It wasn't super difficult but given the iffyness of my neck and back today it felt like a real accomplishment. Who knows, tomorrow I may wake up in pain and regret it. If that happens, I'll just walk until Monday. I have my first appointment with the physical therapist at 9am. I'll see what she thinks about it. Hopefully, though, everything will be fine and I can finish out the week with 3 lifting sessions and no problems. That would be a dream! 

 

As I said, I stayed super busy today and managed to rack up the steps on Fitbit, even though my active time wa a bit lower. I wish it counted paint brush strokes, lol. 

 

 

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to top that tomorrow. I don't have nearly as much to do. I'll probably be walking around the track at the gym because it's supposed to be freezing. Maybe I'll make a short trip to the mall or clean something. 

 

Did good on calories, stayed under my limit. The diet is getting easier now that I've been on it for almost 2 weeks. 

 

 

 

I'm kinda exhausted. Gonna take a hot bath and call it night!