Suelk exclaims "Pedal Power!" as I push to 2500 points

[awesomesue]

Okay so I am not a great cyclist but I love to ride.  This challenge I am finally crossing off the goal of a 100 mile ride.  No excuses.  Here is my challenge.  
 
Goal 1 - evaluate what I eat 

• track the food so I can analyze (using mfp)
• 70% paleo (2 pts per 50 calories)
• 25% real foods...items I know are working for me but not "paleo" (1 point per 50 calories)
• <5% processed/sugar junk.  We are stuck eating some but I can balance it out and make sure that the majority of my calories are real foods or outright paleo (-1 point per 50 calories)...no one likes to loose points!

Goal 2 - move it sunshine

• run 3 days a week (10 pts each session)
• strength 3 days a week (10 points each session)
• bike (1 point per mile) - commute, ride extra, 1-2 speed workouts a week and focus on increasing weekly distance and long rides
• fun (10 points a session)...smack around tennis balls with the family, walk the dog for more than a mile, just do something not part of my training.  If I am able to do 4 strength workouts then do one I normally do not do from NF website...have freaking fun!

Goal 3 - get my head in the game

• not tracking this on the spreadsheet but I have noticed that there are times I fail/fall short simply because a voice in my head convinces me that I can not do it even when my body says "yeah its hard right now but you have more in you".  I know what it is like when I do push through the mental and I can not always tell when it is in my head or it is my body saying take it easy.  No good way to track it.  Open to any suggestions for tracking or getting/keeping my head in the game.

Yep I have it tracked on a spreadsheet and am tracking points Tracking .  I even added a pie chart for each week regarding food.  I found that amusing...I am easily amused.  I love to work toward points as I found out in an earlier challenge.  If my estimates are correct based on what is possible I am shooting for 2500 points!  This will not be entirely easy but definitely achievable. 
 
I love progress bars...

0%

0%

[Strickland5]

Might be worth trying something like Evernote or Google Docs to allow easy access to a spread sheet ... or even look at Fitocracy which gives you points for working out 

[awesomesue]

I did it in google docs.  I have not heard of those but will check them out.  I love thinking about priorities and assigning points/values based on what my bigger priorities are at the time.  Helps me clarify in my mind what I want more.  I did keep biking points low despite it being an over arching goal because that one will be large by the end of 6 weeks.  I could easily have over 700 miles of biking by the end of the challenge.

[Terinatum]

Sub'd!

[bgvanbur]

Fancy spreadsheet, it even has graphs!

[awesomesue]

I could not resist graphs this time.  I am a visual kind of gal.

 

So inadvertently I had a meal last night and left overs this morning that will test how well I can recover from oh say some coke, pizza, and spaghetti for dinner.  My graphs went from looking AWESOME so to woe...one or two meals can do that?  Eye opener for sure.  Then again this is such not the norm, not even once a month stupid, that it will be fun/informative to see what happens with the rest of the week.  I am putting the data in week one but will remove it and start clean when the challenge begins.  This is the experiment to make sure it all works as planned, is a challenging goal but feasible, and any other bits I may want to refine (are the goals clear, well defined, measurable and all that fun).  

[Terinatum]

fun in the sun, I like that goal a lot.

I'm gonna copy your graph math. I think this visual evidence could be game changing for me.

[bgvanbur]

When I started doing the 95% primal type goals, I quickly realized one meal was close to 5% of my food for the week.  Sometimes without the numbers/graphs it is easier to think things are better/worse than they really are.

[robozebra]

I second Evernote. I don't use the spreadsheet part of it very often (or ever), but I use it for general note taking and I really like it. I don't really know how it compares to Google Docs in terms of features or how well it works, I just think it has a very lovely color scheme and a cute elephant logo, and isn't that what's really important?

 

I like how well you've broken down your goals into things that are really clear and easy to track. I'm sure that'll help you keep up with things in the long run. I'm also a visual person and I agree, graphs are awesome!

 

That little voice in your head is really the worst. Overcoming that is a good goal, I wish I had a suggestion for a way to track your fights against it. Regularly tracking and recording your other goals and looking over your spreadsheets and graphs should help you keep your head in the game, I would think.

 

Good luck!

[fearlesscreek]

very cool this spreadsheet!

prove of super nerd powers! awesome! 

[awesomesue]

Yeah that one meal was really really bad.  I ate too much, something I had worked on not doing, on top of it and I did not care.  Worse yet I had soda two meals in a row which again has not happened in months.  Seeing it in a graph is a definite wow moment.  Left overs for breakfast and wowza.  Made planning food for today much easier.  My husband had a coupon for Ben & Jerry's so now not to eat that entire pint of Chunky Monkey will be easier to avoid.  I do not want to be/remain a chunky monkey myself.  LOL  I am using during the challenge.  If I get to Saturday or Sunday and my numbers are amazing then I could have a small treat I think.  Knowing me when in doubt I will throw in the numbers to make sure I hit the goals before doing it.  My ultimate goal is not to work to eat that junk but to be healthy (get strong, run/bike long, lose weight, be a good example for my daughter, and have energy).

 

I do think seeing the graphs will help keep my head in the game.  Also seeing the proof that hey I can run or bike that much will help get over those workouts when I am doubting my ability.  Proof of success is a powerful thing.

 

I will definitely look at Evernote today. 

 

Today I am getting some extra riding in besides bike commuting, running at lunch (Happy National Running Day), strength at lunch, and a tasty dinner.  Baked fish, curried cauliflower, and some avacado.  YUM!  I decided I may try and post a recipe once a week that I enjoy and I love biking and running so much I may do a streak of both of them just to see how long for FUN!  I have been able to find fun in recipes and crazy ideas lately.

 

Just because it is awesome here is the link for curried cauliflower...

  

• 2.00 tbsp(s), Coconut Oil
• 1.00-1.50 tbsp(s), Spices - Curry powder
• 1.00 tbsp(s), Spices - Turmeric, ground
• 1.00 tsp(s), Spices - Salt, table
• 0.25-0.5 tsp(s), Ground Cayenne Red Pepper 
• 1.00  Head Cauliflower
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Heat oven to 450.  Break up cauliflower into bite sized pieces, Melt oil and mix in spices.  You can add other spices like ground corriander.  We add 1 tsp of it.  The higher amounts indicated makes it spicy.  Toss together oil mixture with the cauli until well coated.  Roast in oven until desired tender...depends on size of pieces you break the cauli..  I forget where we found the base recipe but it is fun to work with and modify.

 

I did the recipe from memory and made some adjustments today...(6/4)

[sailsgoboom]

I love your points system, especially for nutrition... and spreadsheets hooray! That's kinda how my brain works too.

[awesomesue]

I ran, I biked home, I did strength work, I made an amazing dinner, I did not bike extra due to doing other things with my daughter....

 

She was insistent that we walk out and get a gift for our dog.  We are celebrating his birthday (the day he came to live with us...he is a rescue).  On the walk I tightened up so bad it was painful.  Naturally I fell asleep before stretching which made the ride into work fun because it is lovely out and it went very smooth but I also felt the discomfort/tightness.  Wow.  Tonight a warm shower followed by stretching.

 

So I was feeling like this...

 

But I ended up feeling like this.....

 

How  you ask?  Ben & Jerry + me = not feeling well  So while feeling bad I ate some crap cookies.  Not homemade, not good enough to be a worthwhile treat but what we had because it was there.  I saw this coming when my husband brought it home.  He had good intentions with the idea of practicing moderation and thinking we can manage and not eat them every day or until gone or when we really do not want them.  I am not there yet.  I ate them because they were there.  The further I went down that road the harder it was to not just keep going and going with crap.  Still feeling cruddy about it from last night.  I know today is a new day but it has been so long since I went down that road so wrecklessly and mindlessly that I am still reeling.

 

There ya go.

 

Today on tap are good nourishing foods, more fun with my daughter this evening and our dog, and core work (sore from yesterday...dang you interim challenge....ha ha ha), biking, and running just a couple miles.  I wanted to throw in the towel for today because when you feel your fail is so epic...

 

it is hard to recover.  I may not have been loosing weight much at all but I have made such great gains.  I have had pretty good bout of momentum going on top of it.  Makes it harder in a way when you hit a night like last night following what had been done Monday night/Tuesday morning. Monday/Tuesday I can recover but last night left me feeling like the week was shot.  No excuse to not move forward and do the wonderful things I have planned tonight right?!

 

It is like giving a crack to some crack addict saying "here it is okay, you don't have to have it but lets keep it right here where you can see it, smell it, touch it anytime...". 

 

I am stronger than that so enough grumbling, time to refocus, and just keep working towards my goals/dreams.

 

I will get that stupid handstand this year and biking 100 miles.  I know it.  Head back in the game.  

[fearlesscreek]

hey suelk,

hang in there! sometimes i get so mad at me failing that i need to comfort myself with food. that would be quadruple facepalm!!! 

 

good to hear you also have a dog. that helps big time with movement and mood, doesn't it?

 

yay for your workouts. i will have to try the moves of the interim mini challenge... after my hysterectomy core work seems like a brilliant idea.

 

i like to read here and will stick around to see your progress. go girl!°!!!!

[Terinatum]

I feel you, suelk. The pain problem has thrown me over several hurdles I thought I had under control. Alas, no completely. Good news is that tonight I was able to go for a walk and get out of reach of everything. Then coming back to the house, I realized: the hurdles are still there, but they are weak and broken in the places where I broke through before. They only looked whole when I first saw them return these past few weeks. They are illusions, memory pictures that my brain holds onto. My brain has a hard time showing me new things and a harder time still showing me things that I have changed to make life healthier.

Your hurdles are certainly as broken as mine. Perhaps a little show and tell with your memories would help some. A thought. Hugs.

[bgvanbur]

Oh, I had to look up when we got our dog so we can celebrate that (it was July 12, I got some time).

 

It is rough living in a food temptation household, don't they understand we like it and don't like it at the same time?

[awesomesue]

Food temptation household - love that.  I made it clear that I can not manage it due to the love hate relationship.  Makes it harder to manage at work with my coworker that lives off cheese crunchy, soda, cakes, and seriously eats nothing but junk foods.  They are constantly offering junk to me.  So when my husband picked me up from work he had bags with fruit and veggies and RC my favorite soda....

 

All that to go with the donuts (Buckeye Donuts which are awesome) for National Doughnut Day.  Why can't there be a National Cauliflower Day?  ha ha ha  I did chat at work with a coworker that does fitness competitions.  She was good to talk to and just hear her struggles too despite qualifying for Nationals in her first competition.  I need accept that temptations will be around the house from time to time.  She goes by the one cheat meal a week but keeps it reasonable because she does not want to feel sick later either.  That takes the fun out of a cheat meal.  I am going to try that I think.  Might be easier to know I am planning on having it once a week later in the week to say no way the rest of the week.  She also uses flexible dieting so she times that treat meal to coincide at certain points before or just after major workouts.  Hhhmmmm kinda goes along with something recently on NF.  

 

Everyone else in the family have been dealing with sinus infections.  They have minor allergy issues and with the up and down temps it wreaks havoc on them.  Normally I have no issues but Thursday it set in.  Do not mind congestion but I do not like it when you get feeling cruddy with it.  Lymph nodes are tender and all that fun.  Ggggrrrrr.

 

Nothing exciting going on at the moment.  I am looking forward to tackling the points in this challenge.  I feel like this week has been the warm up before the race and now we are at the starting line buzzing with excitement.  Tweaked a couple things at home and in my schedule to help make this challenge a success.  You know what is cool?  When your spouse looks at you and asks what adventures you have planned for the weekend.    It is great when your family appreciates that you enjoy doing things.

 

My kiddo and I are going for a run today in which I will expand for myself and I plan on some biking.  Of course strength work will be on tap as well.

 

We did have fun with our dog on Thursday.  He even grinned while I trimmed his nails and kiddo rubbed his belly.  Off to conquer another day!

[awesomesue]

[robozebra]

That sucks that you had a bad day, but yay for things looking up! It seems like you have a great support system and I bet your family will be a great help on any future bad days. The image of your husband picking you up with bags of fruit and vegetables is so sweet! I know what you mean about that starting line feeling, I'm so excited for this challenge to start!

Thanks for that cauliflower recipe, I'm going to try that out!

[AthenaMM]

Wow! Your challenge sounds so impressive! I love the idea of the points system. I may have to think about doing that on my next challenge. It sounds like you have ups and downs like everyone, but you're always getting back up after the downs and trying to always be moving forward. To me that is the definition of success. You only fail when you quit trying. I'm definitely going to be following along here to see how you do on your challenge. Good Luck!

[awesomesue]

Thanks.  They are great and yet can make it hard too with temptations.  But they are encouraging and on the occasion I have a hard time heading out due to feeling I should be with them or whatever reason they are all too happy to shove me out to bike or run.    

 

Points are fun and really make me think about what is at the very base of my goals.  It keeps me focused on what is it I am doing and means the most in the end.  I always want to do so much but boiling it down helps take off the pressure and yet reward when I get it all.  Still rewarding more for the things that are most essential.  

 

Geeking out right now and trying to relax.  Feeling cruddy but have enjoyed watching an episode of Sherlock.  

[awesomesue]

Ready to roll for tomorrow.  Quickly cleaned up the spreadsheet and planned out my food for the week loosely in my head.  Okay perhaps I should get it down so I do not forget.  This has not been the weekend I had hoped for but being sick is not ever really planned.  Silly changing weather and stuff in the air left me with a sinus infection that has been challenging.  I have rested quite a bit and am starting to feel better.  Storms tonight and possibly in the morning when I normally ride to work so I plan on riding at least 10 miles tomorrow morning on the exercise bike using commercials as "hills" by increasing the difficulty level significantly while catching up on local news.  If the rain hold off I plan on riding in the morning anyway.    

[AresPandora]

following!

[awesomesue]

Got up yesterday groggy from the medicine so I only rode a little in the evening.  I made the mistake of sitting down to love on the dog and sip a wonderful cup of coffee.  I did go ahead and knock out strength work.  I am keeping with where I left off last challenge (dumbbell lvl 3) and all I can say is that dips are brutal.  Working on pull ups still but I know I will get there.

 

We have a wedding reception this weekend and it all will be homemade bbq foods.  I am cringing at what that could do to my points.  I was working it to save some back for the event but then my daughter saw a recipe she was desperate to make for me because she thought I would love it.  Dark chocolate almond milk, bananas, and vanilla....oh it was definitely tasty.  Still used some of the calories/points for uck foods (extra sugar in the chocolate almond milk).  I honestly do not want to be too concerned with what I enjoy on Saturday but I do not want to be stupid.  My food goals are definitely going to be challenging but that is half the fun right?  Pushing ourselves that little extra and even if we fail still learning and doing more than we would have otherwise.

 

I rode extra this morning before biking to work and have more planned at lunch and on my way home.  Also tonight is a running night with kiddo.  Looking forward to it!  Shooting for about 30 miles of riding today and 2-3 running.  I am easily getting in speed work 3 days a week now when riding.  I drop in a street shortly after this other cyclist.  They bike commute year round and they are fast/efficient.  So I usually try to keep within a block of them.  Forces me to push it going up hills to be sure.  The only thing I do not like to do that they do is roll through red lights even if traffic is sparse.  So I am stopping more.  They always pull way ahead but having that target just helps motivate me.  The smaller they get the harder I ride.  We, I mean, they have come in on the main road after me and are quite nice as we chat for a few seconds and then effortlessly they pull away.  It is lovely to watch someone when I they hit their groove riding or running.  Saw a runner last week that was brilliant to watch.

 

I want to be like that...

 

2.8%

2.8%

 

I am very excited to see how much progress I am able to make during this challenge.  I just have a good feeling.

 

[AthenaMM]

I love how positive you sound even though you woke up not feeling great. It sounds like you had a really good day. I know just what you mean about watching someone in their exercise groove. It always looks like they could go on for DAYS. I would definitely love to get there too one day. Good luck on day 2.