waywardsister unlocks achievments

[waywardsister]

I'm a member of the Academy, but as this forum seem to be more active I think I'll set up camp here!

 

I've been back on the strength training track since the start of the current 6-week challenge after slacking off for several months. I've realized I can't slack off on workouts, or on eating, because I gain weight easily. On the bright side, I don't gain a lot; I'll jump up 10 lbs. If that were muscle then fine, I don't care what the scale says, but nah - it's fat. 

 

I carry weight around my midsection mainly, as well as hips/thighs. I also have sticking points: one is 125lbs, which is where I am now; one is 116, which is where I was before I slacked off. At 116 I was still overfat (not overweight, overfat) so my goal now is to focus on my bodyfat %. I don't have a superawesome way of measuring that, but I tend to know based on how I look, how clothes fit. I do have calipers and will ask Busband* to pinch me, and also use a handheld thingy just for sake of seeing trends (down, up, static) without taking the # it gives me as gospel.

 

I love strength training. I love it. I love lifting heavy shit, and I love lifting my bodyweight too. I want to be freakishly strong. I want arms like Angela Basset. I also want strong bones. I'm 40 in May, and I don't want to end up like so many of my female relatives with brittle bones, fractures, falls. I want this body to move me through life with ease. I want to maintain the freedom that comes with a body that works and moves well.

 

I've been very lucky, I think. 10 years ago I stopped eating gluten under suspicion it was an issue for me, and so many health issues (including mental health) just up and left. Testing revealed antibodies to my intestinal tissue, so I assume celiac even though I didn't get a biopsy - I mean, who cares. Then my thyroid conked out (which I assume is related, based on various health issues that reappeared) and I got myself medicated in the way I wanted, and now feel great. So many people struggle with thyroid and I'm lucky in that mine is well-managed and now never bothers me. I had to spend quite a bit out of pocket to get the tests I needed, but well worth it.

 

Anyway - this place will be a journal for me to track what's going on, what I'm doing, and how I feel about it. Food too, bc I'm a passionate cook I love to share recipes. My Evernote runneth over with recipes. Also, to meet people! If you've popped in here, please say hi! I love to visit.

 

I'll also likely talk about work stuff too, as I work for myself and am going through some transitions re: what I want my business to look like, what I do, who I do it for. I love this whole gamifying system here, and may adopt it for work stuff too ie: skill points. 

 

*Busband = boyfriend/husband hybrid (we're commonlaw)

[waywardsister]

Today's lunch

 

I am torn between Primal Pesto Tuna Salad and Mini Paleo Pizzas. Going to make both to have in the fridge. Leaning towards the tuna, bc for some reason I'm really wanting fish! Might have the pizzas for dinner, since I don't have much adobo chicken left (omg make this now, it's AMAZING)

 

Eating in general

 

I am tracking my food right now to see at what level of intake I can lose weight. I don't like tracking, mainly because I get super geeky about it and slightly obsessive (and can start restricting), and also because it means I constantly have to create recipes in my tracker as I home-cook 90% of what I eat. But, I'm trying to be chill about it and viewing it as an experiment, just collecting data.

 

So, I calculated my BMR and TDEE using the IIFYM calculator thingy as if I am not exercising, and am eating to that calorie-wise. Macro-wise, it seems really low in fat to me so not paying so much attention to that (though I am cutting back on added fats for the moment) - I came out as something like 37g fat for a day and I can't imagine how that's possible, esp. since I don't eat as much carbs as IIFYM says to eat. I'm not low-carb on purpose (used to be), but free-eating I come in at around 100-120g. So I am fine with not hitting the macros IIFYM lays out, as long as I get enough protein and stay within calorie boundaries (about 1500/day) I am good with that. If I am not shedding any bodyfat at this calorie level after 6 weeks, I'll re-evaluate.

[CyclingMimi]

I like how you put tracking your food as a sort of experiment, like collecting data. That's a cool way to look at it!

[waywardsister]

You have unlocked the Holy Crap Mah Shoulders Is Ded achievement!

 

Yeah. So sometimes workouts look simple on paper, and are not so simple in practice. I am doing a workout from Girls Gone Strong, and going to follow it for 6 weeks to see how I like it and how effective it is. Monday and today was:

 

3x8 back squats

3x10 pushups (3x6 actually, but 10 strict pushups are one of my challenge goals)

 

3x8 half-kneel chop w/ kettlebell

3x6 plank (plank 5 sec, drop, lift back up)

 

3x8 split stance angle pull

3x6 side plank (same as above plank, but each side)

 

I was all 'plank for 5 seconds, rest, then again? EASY' bc I can plank for about a minute. WRONG. It's the shoulders - wow. I'm almost doing... shoulder pushups, I guess? from the down and up. Since I've already thrashed them with the chops and pull, it's challenging.

 

I dropped weight in squats today to work on depth, as I realized I was only going parallel. Was a bit concerned I'd lose major weightage going to depth, but did 45# and then 55# just fine, so will go back up to 60# next time and go from there.

 

Yesterday I didn't feel very hungry so didn't eat much throughout the day - then felt really fuzzy mentally, so ate. I need to remember that sometimes, I need to eat even when I don't think I'm hungry. This morning I ate as soon as I got back from the gym, and I am still kinda hungry. I'm not sure how much 'still kinda hungry' is ok. We'll roll with it.

[Beefeater]

I dropped weight in squats today to work on depth, as I realized I was only going parallel. Was a bit concerned I'd lose major weightage going to depth, but did 45# and then 55# just fine, so will go back up to 60# next time and go from there.

 

Awesome! Don't be afraid to sacrifice weight for depth. You're better off in the long run even if the ego has to take a bit of a blow.

[waywardsister]

Thanks! It does suck a little to drop weight, but I'd rather do things right. I'm working out in a gym but alone, so want to make sure my form is good.

 

7 strict pushups yesterday! I think the last one was a bit ugly

 

Pasted from my challenge log:

 

Do not want to eat slowly today. Want to mindlessly eat and not track and not care. Playing Tomb Raider instead, and letting the voice in my head get smaller and harder to hear. I know why - tracking my food (which I am doing as well) can sometimes make me a bit obsessive about eating. Ignoring.

 

 

I'm no hungrier than usual, I just wanna mindlessly munch on stuff. This is me wanting to use food as a) entertainment and reward. So I spent $20 on Tomb Raider - the one where her boobs are more realistic and she's wearing pants! - to reward and entertain myself instead. Haven't played TR in ages. My sister is playing this version and loves it.

 

I think also it's because Busband and I had planned to go bike riding today, and turns out it's raining all day. So ugh. We'll go tomorrow.

 

Busband has lost fat without trying. He doesn't ever gain much, but he had put on a few and was looking a bit softer. We both realized some of the softness has gone, and his pants are looser. He has the best metabolism in the frackin universe, this guy. He's just over 6 feet and naturally lean, eats way more crap that I do but does so in little bits throughout the day; so where I'd eat an entire large bag of Ruffles, he eats a few handfuls throughout the day and a bag lasts him over a week. I can't do that, one chip and I'm in the bag, eating my way back out. He also drinks about 2L of pepsi a day, I've no clue how his body handles that.

[k_stew_]

another supernatural fan! hello Following along!

[waywardsister]

Hello! I'm not a Supernatural fan, but follow along anyway! I like friends! I pretty much only have Netflix and... I think SN is on there? It's on my list of shows to check out. My lonnngggg list. S3 of House Of Cards has started and I am holding off, bc otherwise I will do nothing else. S2 of Bates Motel is up too.

 

I am a Walking Dead fan, although I also hate the show at the same time. I've been a zombie fan since I was about... 8? Really enjoyed the comic, what I read of it (up to... #101ish?) 

 

My super-guilty Netflix pleasure though? American Horror Story. OMG weird plot-holey trashy soap that I love, never change. And Jessica Lange is a goddess.

[waywardsister]

You have unlocked the My Fridge Runneth Over achievement!

 

Wow, I've cooked a lot. I work from home, so always have stuff ready to eat for lunch in the fridge. I also cook dinner every night, either one-offs or something that will last several days. Right now, I actually have too much food in there!

 

Tuna Pesto Salad - this is quite good. Will make again. 

 

Portabella Pizzas - ok, so I did more of a stuffed mushroom thing with this. I made a meat and veg sauce, basically, with stuff I like on pizza: italian sausage, olives, onion etc. Stuff in mushroom cap, top with a bit of goat cheese, bake. REALLY good. A bit high in calories though, at least for right now, but super noms. The meat sauce keeps in a container, and I just have to prep the shrooms and bake.

 

Kale Potato Soup - I love soup. This soup? I LOVE. Super simple, nice side dish for some protein. Seasoned it with smoked paprika.

 

Chicken Parmesan - finally found a way to make chicken breasts taste good to me. Half a chicken breast, homemade tomato sauce and parm on top of brown rice spaghetti noodles. Pretty good.  (Also, the Tuna Pesto salad is nice mixed with the noodles and some sauce and heated) Got a breast, sauce and some noodles still left over.

 

Also have half a pork chop left over from last night's dinner (pan-seared pork chops with dijon and sauerkraut, lemon roasted potatoes and red peppers) and tonight I've got small steaks to cook, which I'll probably serve with a potato/onion/pepper mix and some green beans. Might saute up one of the portabellas too.

 

Stating the obvious: I love to cook.

[waywardsister]

You have unlocked the Chip Master achievement!

 

Potato chips, specifically plain Ruffles, have long been my Boss. They've always been a binge food for me, so I wouldn't keep them in the house. This weekend, I decided I was giving them way too much power - after all, I am not helpless. I can eat chips, or not eat chips. I felt like I'd imbued them with a power they did not actually have, only in my mind - "If they're in the house, I'll eat the whole bag" was a story I'd been telling myself for far too long.

 

So, Busband and I did a Marco Polo marathon this weekend, and bought chips. And I put some chips in a small bowl, ate them slowly, and was perfectly satisfied. The bag is sitting on top of the fridge, and is not a problem. This is a big achievement for me, just realizing that chips are not some big nemesis of mine - I can have some if I want some, and they don't control me or my behaviour. HUGE win.

 

Workouts

 

So my Girls Gone Strong program is fine, but I am not enjoying it. I want to get stronger (and I am), but I also want to lift heavy and focus on the big lifts - squat, dead, etc. I am bored. So looked at Stronglifts5x5 and I like the simplicity and the focus on constant progression/strength building, so think I'll switch to that. GGS is good programming and has a metabolic component I like, but I can't be arsed at the moment to be going all over the gym dragging a mat so I can superset with planks, etc. I can't be arsed to plank right now, it's not a challenge. I want a challenge, not a grind.

 

Squats, deads, bench press, oh press, rows - sounds good to me.

[CyclingMimi]

So cool!! I love reading about what other people cook & eat. I have a mini-obsession with food, which is partly why I am where I am. haha  I'm also a TV-holic & have to watch how much I watch. I have the TV on pretty well all day, but quite often I end up doing other stuff, but the TV's still on. *shrugs*

 

I love how you do well so that you can unlock achievements. So cool! Keep up the great work!