Spikings is going to take down a mountain

[Spikings]

Intros First!

 

Hi guys, I'm Spikings and I'm ready to take down a mountain, both mentally and physically. Well, I don't feel completely ready, but if I don't make a change soon, when will I?

 

Over the last few years I've made small changes to my diet and lifestyle. Bit by bit I've lost weight and become a healthier person for it. But ever since I left university and started my first full-time job, a lot of the spark which kept me going has burnt out. On paper a lot of things seem right in my life, but I'm left feeling like not everything's quite right after all. I've started to overeat again so I feel satisfied, I drink a lot of alcohol and fizzy drinks, and my only exercise is my walk to work, where I sit down for eight hours a day. I then come home and do much the same.

 

Now's the time to change this and become a healthier person once again. Starting is the first (and probably hardest) mountain for me to take down, but it's better now than never! Now, onto the nitty-gritty stuff.

 

 

For an idea of how much I wiegh, I'm around the 13 stone mark (182 pounds).

 

Bust: 41"

Waist: 34"

Hip: 42"

Thigh: 28"

Upper Arm: 12"

 

 

My Main Quest: (for this six week challenge)

 

Fit (properly) into my Corpse Bride t-shirt! I've had it for a year and a half and I love it, but it clings to me like a second skin. I want to wear it without it looking like it's going to suffocate me, as you can see quite elegantly below.

 

 

Quest 1: Complete the Beginners Body Weight Workout three times a week.

A = completed 18 times [+1 STR], B = completed 15 times [+0.5 STR], C = completed 12 times [+0.3 STR]

 

Quest 2: No more noodle packets! I binge on super noodles, and I need to swap this out for something healthier.

Measurement: A = 0 noodles [+1 CON], B = 6 noodles [+0.5 CON], C = 12 noodles [+0.3 CON]

 

Quest 3: No more eating extras bits after a meal. Herbal tea or water only - otherwise, I'll brush my teeth.

Measurement: A = 0 extras [+1 WIS], B = 5 extras [+0.5 WIS], C = 10 extras [+0.3 WIS]

 

Life Quest: At first I wanted to aim to get a good night's sleep every weekday, but then realised I could try something else that would benefit me more. I want to limit myself to consuming alcohol once a week (usually a Saturday). I've slowly got into the habit of drinking cider and spirits up to five times a week, and it doesn't take a genius to know that this can't continue. I want to enjoy my alcohol responsibly, and I want my body to thank me for it.

Measurement: A = 6 alcohol nights [+1 CHA], B = 10 alcohol nights [+0.5 CHA], C = 14 alcohol nights [+0.3 CHA]

 

Motivation:  One day I want to be able to look in the mirror and see an amazing muscular, toned version of me grinning right back. That's a long way off, but until then I aim to fit into all items of clothing I have in my wardrobe!

 

Help me along these next six weeks and we can loot this huge mountain together once its torn down!

If I don't reply to anyone immediately, it's because it's past 11pm already for me and I'd be failing one of my quests already, oops! Luckily I'll be beginning properly tomorrow, so while this doesn't count I want to start off with a fair example. Nighty night guys, tomorrow is a new day.

[Spikings]

Day 1:

 

More difficult than I thought.

I've had such a stressful day at work, its had an affect on my whole day and trying to keep healthy.

On the upside, walking to and from work each day racks up 2.5 miles, so at least I'll be getting some form of exercise for five days of my week. I kept away from biscuits for the most part at work, with the exception of two jaffa cakes when work got at its worst. Had a really tasty salad for lunch and some elderberry jelly which was ultra yummy.

 

I've just completed my first BBWW and wow, it was harder than I imagined. I got through two circuits of the workout but couldn't manage a third - my body is used to the cardio I've done from previous workouts, so while the jumping jacks and squats were fine, the lunges, push-ups and the plank completely killed my muscles. I stretched for a minute then wobbled back to the laptop to type this out. x__x

 

Now to warm up the veggie pasta bake I made yesterday. About 30% pasta, 60% veggies and a 10% ham and cheese. And lots of water! I'll browse around on these forums while I have dinner methinks.

[Xengar]

Great going! Good job taking a rough work day and succeeding anyway!! Your elderberry jam comment immediately brought "Your mother was a hamster....and your father smelled of elderberries!!!" to mind, lol. Keep it up!

[Spikings]

Thank you, really appreciate the support! Ha, I completely forgot about that..! xD I need to watch that film properly one day, never watched it in full before, 'tis a crime! D:

 

Also as a general update before I get to bed tonight, I've now updated my first post with my main goal photos...can't wait to see the difference in six weeks time, I'm so determined to nail this.

[BigDaddy50]

Cheering for you! I feel the same way about some of my clothes - but I've been sliding a few years longer than you

[Nadoriel]

Good luck on your quest!! ^^ you are already doing great don't forget to get enough protein a day, that's super important not to lose too much LBM and keep your muscles intact if not growing. I'm a serious meat eater, but I'm sure you can do that with vegetarian food as well, though I think it's probably a bit more difficult. It will keep you more full and less eager to go for the candies and fast food! 

[JazzieH]

Good luck with your challenge! The university => full-time job was a hard one for me, too. But that's your starting to work on things and walk to work! Since you walk so much, mayb would help as motivation because you'd see he steps pile up.

As for the BBWW circuit, I alwats consider it a big success to complete 3 circuits. And 2 is nothing to snuff at, good on ya!

[Spikings]

Thanks guys! I do usually eat a fair amount of meat Nadoriel, it just happened not to be in this pasta bake I did. For protein I usually go for some red meat like mince, brocolli, nuts and seeds and peanut butter. I don't know if goats cheese counts though...? D:

But yeah, I'm hoping to change my diet to get more protein in as the weeks go on, and start to cut down on carbohydrates somewhat...maybe not have one and a half portions of spaghetti/noodles when i'm feeling a little peckish, that was always an instant regret after I ate. x_x

 

So today is Saturday, and I'm going to go see my boyfriend for the weekend! It also happens to be the one night where I'm allowing myself to drink alcohol and we're going out to party, so I want to be careful not to overdo it. I have a sneaky feeling that food at my boyfriend's won't be hugely healthy, since he and his friends are still at uni and quite literally live on cheap packets of food. On the upside, we sometimes to go to a healthy teahouse which is insanely amazing, I have to walk to and from the train station this weekend which will be another couple of miles, and I'm scheduled to attempt BBWW on Sunday evening! I'll be back on here then, wish me luck!

[Spikings]

Double post, silly internet!

Enjoy this picture instead!

 

[Nadoriel]

Cheese is goood! Ahahah I don't think I cut too much on carbohydrates, I was always seriously heavy on the meat for meals, but cannot live without muffins and cookies for snacks.

I make my own noodles! I always thought they didn't have enough meat on them, so I just make my versions of it. Cause noodles and ramen are just awesome *.*

[starsapart]

Very good start!  The BBWW is deceptive - of your muscles aren't used to working that way, you'll definitely be tired and sore at first.  The good news is, it will really help you reach your goals!  I can't say enough about the amazing effects of strength training.  Stick with it!  Soon, that shirt will be loose and comfy!

 

In any case, I'm here as one of the Ambassadors for the Assassins' Guild.  With the bodyweight work you're doing, maybe you might think about joining us once this challenge is done!  Even if you ultimately don't join us, we'd love to help you along on your journey, and there are a lot of people working on goals similar to yours within our black-clad ranks...

 

If you think you might like to check us out, I hope you'll come by the Assassins' Den chat and say hello!  We're very welcoming killers-in-black, really.     You can also check out the Assassin Guild Info & Announcements for more info about what's going on with the guild.  Pretty soon, we should also have our Assassins' Phonebook up as well, which will allow you to find people who are working on similar skills to yours.  And though we may be the bodyweight guild, we're also a guild of extreme variety - we do a bit of everything!

 

Additionally, if you like what you see, I encourage you to go introduce yourself on the Level 1 Assassin Initiates Q&A/Chat thread as well!  There are a lot of fun people hanging out as they consider whether to join us - and you can make new friends, ask questions of guild leadership, post awesome gifs (we wouldn't be Assassins without gif parties) and more!  I hope to see you there soon.

 

Regardless, I or one of my colleagues will be checking in on you from here on out, cheering you on towards success!  Now get out there and keep crushing those goals!

[Rav]

I didn't make a life quest, but I'm with you on yours!  I had gotten into the habit of having a beer or two after dinner.  I think getting in workouts and changing eating habits will help lessen the drinking!  When I can get past wanting to eat my feelings, I am less likely to drink them.

 

Good luck! And keep up the good work!

[Spikings]

Making your own noodles sounds amazing Nadoriel I've heard of the vegetable substitute that involves spaghetti zucchini, but I've been massively sceptical about whether it's as good as the real deal. Maybe I'll find out in the next few weeks!

 

Thanks for the support starsapart, I've got a feeling that the BBWW will make so much difference to my strength and stamina over the coming weeks. I have considered maybe joining the Assassins, but my interest is also picqued with the Monks and Druids guild. But hey, who says I have to stay in one guild forever? I might attempt to do the rounds sometime and get a good feel for what the Assassins do in their epic fashion.

 

Ha, we both know them feels then Rav! Having alcohol on a daily basis is an easy thing to get into, but after a while it does have a significant effect on general health. Since I've always been into spirits and jack daniels in particular, having that strength of drink 4-5 times a week (often more than one per night) does little to my health and starts to diminish all my savings. Another reason for me to curb these habits!

 

 

Right, now for a summary of this weekend. Unfortunately it's not a very pretty sight I'm ashamed to say.

 

Day 2:

 

Started off well, had tomato soup, walnuts and water for a late breakfast, then didn't eat until 3pm. One of my boyfriend's flatmates kindly gave me a portion of spaghetti bolognese he made earlier that week which was lovely - lots of protein! Went out to a pub after to get some food before pre-drinks, I kept as healthy as possible, having parsnip soup and a huge chunk of bread (white unfortunately). More water.

Then came the pre-drinks and subsequent party. I must have had in total 9-10 drinks/shots over the course of 8 hours. UK pre-drinking and clubs can be heavy on the alcohol! My saving grace is that I frequently drank water to rehydrate, I must have danced for around an hour, skipped the usual 3am fast food pitstop and also had a Barocca when I got back, which replenished a lot of vitamins I would have lost. I got to sleep by 4am.

 

Day 3:

 

I semi-crashed. Didn't get up until 1pm, as a result breakfast was skipped completely. Went to the healthy teahouse with my boyfriend and got an unhealthy triple stack toastie with cheese, ham and mushrooms. Yay veggies, but probably not in the healthiest way; having not eaten for 18 hours made me forget all the healthier options if I'm honest. The apple tea was refreshing though. Got back home and grabbed a taxi instead of walking... I was supposed to do my BBWW, but my 5 hours of disturbed sleep has set me up for failure today in terms of exercise. I'll delay it for tomorrow and start Day 4 with a clean slate. Had the rest of my veggie pasta bake for dinner.

 

Although I wasn't at my healthiest this weekend, I curbed a few habits (such as the 3am fast food), and tried to take care of myself as best I could. But I now understand how a lack of decent sleep can completely affect the rest of the day's activities. Hopefully I'll make up for any mistakes I made over the coming week.

[Nadoriel]

I never tried those either. Too much work involved, or money in buying a machine to do it. You've got zero calories noodles selling around if you want, but noodles don't really have that many calories to start with. You can use those stock cubes for the flavour you want (yes, lots of sodium, but you'd get that anyway with the fast food ones. you can probably get them salt free now as well), with boiling water, just add the veggies and meat you want. It's awesome if you have like already cooked chicken for example and you have no idea what to do with the leftovers. And most frozen veggies get good to eat just after a few minutes on the microwave. Last of all, add the noodles you want (as you have more meat and veggies, you don't need a big amount of noodles anyway) and it's done.

 

It was a good week overall now onto the second one!

[Spikings]

Yeah, I don't fancy buying a machine to do any of that really. >_< And zero calorie noodles sounds a bit fishy - if there aren't any calories in it, then I don't want to think what is... D: what I might do is stick with noodles, but cut down on eating them. I'll try to supplement half of my pasta carbs for veggies instead when I can, at least that'll make a difference in time. But yeah, if I ever do have a noodle packet again, I'll be putting veggies in it so I get a hearty meal and the good stuff too! ;P

 

Day 4:

 

It's been a good day! I feel like I've partially made up for my sins over the weekend. Branflakes for breakfast, a pesto, ham and goat's cheese sandwich with walnuts, healthy crisps and an apple for lunch, and I resisted biscuit temptation at work! Cooked my first rare steak today which was delish, and fried some tomatos and mushrooms to go along with it. As always, I've drank a buttload of water.

 

I completed my BBWW this evening, and this time I managed all three reps! I was so happy I punched the air at the end of my starjump and landed flat on my butt thanks to my wobbly legs. xD But I got through it! I slowed down near the end a bit, but I still did it! I'm walking on the clouds right now, insanely happy!

 

Just for clarification, I have altered the BBWW a little to better challenge me in the right places:

 

- 20 squats

- 10 knee push ups (can't do regular ones yet)

- 20 lunges

- 20 lateral raises (my weights are 1.5kg, too light for the default exercise so this one pushes their use to the max!)

- 15 seconds of plank

- 30 jumping jacks

 

Day 4 completed, bring on tomorrow!

[Spikings]

Day 5:

 

Did my 2.5 mile of walk to and from work, tried to stride it as much as I could to get my heart pumping. There's an uphill bit that helps with that

Same breakfast as yesterday, but I'm now replacing regular milk with unsweetened almond milk, very nice indeed! Same lunch more or less. Had a kinder egg that a colleague gave me, that's about as bad as I got today. xD For dinner I had spaghetti bolognese, but swapped out the wholemeal spaghetti with finely chopped brocolli...usually the spaghetti does weird things to my stomach, so it was nice not to have that for hours after dinner. I decided to do a bit of interval training since my muscles aren't feeling as bad as they were the first time I did BBWW. Did five minutes of abs workout, a 20 second plank, then five minutes of weights. My third and final BBWW of the week tomorrow!

 

Now to do some online grocery shopping. Not buying Jack Daniels is going to be so much cheaper this week...

[Nadoriel]

You are so healthy! I wish I could eat those many veggies. Well I can.. It's just.. Yuck ^^' I feel I haven't grown up since I was a kid.

Nice work on that bodyweight workout!

[Spikings]

Ha, I'm not really a number one veggie fan to be honest, but I'm a sucker for broccoli, tomatoes and mushrooms. Anything else I just go with it. Fruit is way better, but less filling for me strangely.

 

Day 6:

 

Had a couple of biscuits at work as hunger got the better of me. I felt bad even though I knew it wouldn't make a huge difference in the bigger picture. This same feeling repeated itself when I got home from work and decided I HAD to have something to eat there and then. So the noodles came out. >_< I balanced it out by adding some fresh chicken, mushroom and broccoli, but the broth was so large I had to eat it out of the saucepan like I used to back in university, not my proudest moment. I think the hunger problems might have been connected to having a late night last night where I didn't get enough sleep, that's all I can think that's changed in the last six days to make me so hungry in the day.

 

I also completed my third and final BBWW of the first week, woo! Was difficult though. My legs have been fine all day, then as soon as I started my first squat set they burned like they were on fire! I think I lost some form towards the end so I took it slower, but again I completed all three sets.

 

I've got to say though, I feel like I'm not getting enough muscular exercise in for my abs. They've not come out of a BBWW once feeling sore like my arms or legs. I can feel the very beginnings of some abs underneath my belly fat when I tense them, but I really want something more there once I lose the stomach fat. Anyone got any good exercises to really kill the abs?

[jengetsit]

Best exercise for abs are heavy squats.

 

Planks are also really good. 

 

Or you can do crunches and reverse crunches! 

 

The only suggestion I would make is to not add weight to ab work unless you want your waist line to get thicker. Just use body weight unless you're doing squats in which the abs are a helper muscle. 

[Nadoriel]

Almost every compound exercise (like squats) work around your abdominals, even if you don't notice it much. I haven't done any crunches for ages but I can feel my abs (somewhere in there xD)

 

In any case, planks are great and you can also try headstands xD First time I managed to do one, my abdominals were on fire the next day. The trick is you using your abs to lift your legs up, slowwly.

 

It's a mistake thinking that your abdomen will shrink from doing abs works. Fat will burn everywhere as you eat less and build muscle even if it's on your arms and legs. It will seem it's not burning on your abdominals, but that's probably more psychological than anything. (When I look at the mirror it seems nothing shrunk that much to be honest, but the clothes size and measurements I have been doing show the opposite. And I actually seem to have lost more on the tummy than anywhere else, and it's definitely the place where I see it less).

[Spikings]

Thanks for the pointers guys! I was going to try some ab exercises this evening but got sidetracked with other things. Had an art commission to finish, shower, planning dinners, being on these forums...I'll try some exercises on Saturday methinks.

 

Day 7:

 

End of my first week, woop! My thighs got the most work out of this week - they're still sore on my interval days, but I'm now powering up the hill on my way back from work, and didn't stop striding until I was almost home for a full 20 minutes. So I definitely feel myself getting stronger there. I feel less bloated throughout the week too, and I'm getting better sleep, thanks to giving up on alcohol during the week. That's been difficult though...Wednesday was hard as I ALWAYS have a mid-week drink (or three) then, but I fought through it all the same. I don't feel like any lighter or anymore muscled, but my body feels...better. I don't know how else to describe it really but it feels better, like there's less crud in it.

 

Today I had another couple of biscuits at work - I think I need a mid-morning snack to take in with me to fight this. I had tomato soup for breakfast (I know I'm strange), but it was lovely. Dinner was the same as Day 5, not much else to report...oh, I had a left-over mince pie a little while after dinner, which counts as an extra.

 

One week down, five to go!

[Spikings]

Day 8:

 

I've got to be honest, I've gone off-track with my diet a bit. I had four biscuits today at work, and the lunch I had (a chilli prawn noodle salad) barely filled me up for an hour. I did have a good breakfast and a decent dinner (pork chop, mixed veg and some gravy), but also sneaked in a mince pie beforehand.

I think the main reason I'm feeling like this is that it's that time of month for me... so I feel more hungry than usual these past few days, and my enthusiasm for healthy food has waned completely. All I want is some chips right now from the local chippy and a cider, but I'll try to be good this weekend. I've done a meal plan for myself for the next week, so I have no reason to be caught unprepared.

 

Just completed my first BBWW of my second week, and boy it was hard. I think I've been pushing my leg muscles a bit too far as they don't feel like they're completely ready for the next workout every time BBWW comes around. With that in mind I did two sets, then worked on my abdominals and arm muscles alone for another 15 minutes. I've now completely killed my abs (in a good way) and my arm muscles are spent, so I felt like I made the right choice there.

 

I'm kinda tempted to do a run around the neighbourhood this weekend just to get some pure cardio in, but I'll see how that pans out. Now for more water and a decent sleep tonight

[Nadoriel]

One day won't make everything turn bad, so don't worry. Plus, you had biscuits ^^

 

You actually spend a bit more energy on the days prior to period. That's why your body usually asks for more energy.

 

If you are interested in a bad ass core training in 10 minutes... try day 4 of the 30 day do yo yoga challenge. OMG it killed me today. I couldn't do it completely. Serious... it's a killer workout. Just the first 5 minutes were more than enough.

 

Plus... I love your deviant art. Did you go to an arts school?? You know.. I always wanted to come to UK because i wanted a proper chance to be an artist. I ended up coming and stopping drawing at that but... Well. I definitely have to train it again

[starsapart]

Everyone has diet slips.  I think it's a requirement.  And that time of the month makes it way harder to keep on track.  I don't know about you, but my cravings go off the charts!!!!

 

Great job on the workouts - it gets easier on the legs, promise!

[Spikings]

Thanks for the support guys, yeah I just feel like snacking is my worst enemy really. I can never have one biscuit, I have to have 2,3,4 or however many I fancy while the biscuit tin is in front of me. xD But yeah I blame this on my time of month, I wasn't feeling like this at all prior to starting it. I'm getting to the end of it now so hopefully I'll be a-ok for next week. I'll take a look at that yoga challenge Nads, sounds like it's a killer! Anything that intense in such little time is perfect for me - will it out tomorrow methinks.

 

Nope I didn't go to an art school, I went to a normal high school, stayed on for two years of college (one of my subjects was art) and then I went to university and studied Games Design for three years. The degree didn't really specialise in art, but taught a more general foundation to game industry skills, but I used that time to try and get in as much art practice as I could! ;D The UK's an awesome place to live, although the weather's not always the best but yeah drawing is a great past-time to do, hope you get back into it, or get some joy out of it!

 

Starsapart, my cravings are shambolic. I just want to snack constantly, and if I'm not I'm really not satisfied. I had some serious trouble with this today again unfortunately!

 

 

 

Day 9:

 

Since its the weekend I've been at home surrounded by my snacks and all sorts. Had soup for breakfast again (I know, still a strange person), then started out healthy on an orange, then made my way into my christmas fudge (four or five huge chunks) and leftover jam tart (just one) and was still hungry. Had a pesto and goats cheese toastie for lunch which settled me for a bit. Had a couple of cups of green tea, lots of water, then had three cookies mid-afternoon. My saving grace was this paleo meal I wanted to cook myself which I found on the Paleo Central app - cauliflower curry rice and spring onion. I added some chicken to it and it was delicious! I couldn't taste much difference between the cauliflower and rice, except it was a bit crunchier (not in a raw way). I'll be making that again for sure. It's now been two and a bit hours since I had that, and I realllly want to snack again. It's also my alcohol night, so I'll be having a koppaberg a little later on.

 

No exercise today, but I spent a lot of my day tidying the flat, doing some DIY and fixing bits about the place, and getting back to people. Tomorrow I'll hopefully do some jogging in the morning, the yoga challenge in the afternoon and BBWW in the evening. If that's too much I'll step it down a bit, but let's see how it goes.

 

P.S. My abs are really feeling it from the workout I did yesterday, so happy. I can definitely tell I have some ab shape underneath my belly fat, I just have to get to it!