Idealistinfire Battles The Saboteur's Spawn

[idealistinfire]

This is my second battle log, started because to fully update my prior one started in 2013 is more than my poor tablet can handle. Suffice it to say, I'm glad for the respawn thread and recent articles on why starting over is helpful.

 

Unchanging stats

• Female
• 5' 7.5"
• 30 years old 
• Family history of depression, anxiety and carrying 60-100lbs of extra weight, which often results in heart attacks and needing knee replacements earlier than usual.

 

Stats needing an upgrade

• Weight = 214lbs
•     Update 10/25/15: 206lbs (heaviest weight in the week!)
•     Update 12/1/15: 203lbs
•     Update 1/7/16: 206lbs
•     Update 3/4/16: 199lbs!!!
• Update 6/27/16: 198lbs
• Attitude = stressed 69%, angry = 12%, happy/content = 12%, variable = 7% (based on a 16 hour day)
•    Update 10/25/15: stressed = 25%, angry = 6%, happy = 37.5%, variable/content = 31.5%
•    Update 1/7/16: stressed = 25%, angry = 5%, happy = 39%, variable/content = 31%
•    Update 3/4/16: stressed = 1%, angry = 1%, happy = 45%, variable/content = 53%
• update 6/27/16 = changing method of calculation to 20/26 positive days, 2/26 neutral days, 4/26 negative days.
• Strength = laughable
• Flexibility = laughable
• Avg. walking speed = 20 minute mile
•      Update 3/4/16: 19 minute mile
• Update 6/27/16: unknown  (device broke)
• Avg Daily walking distance = 1 mile
•    Update 1/7/16: 1.3 miles
•    Update 3/4/16: 1.5 miles
• Update 6/27/16: 1.5+ miles (unknown exact, but better than before)
• Injuries: burnout recovery = 60% recovered, pulled rt shoulder = 50% recovered, hyper extended rt knee = 80% recovered
•    Update 10/25/15: burnout recovery = 80%, pulled rt shoulder = 60%, hyper extended rt knee = 100%
•    Update 1/7/16: burnout recovery = 85%, pulled rt shoulder = 70%
•    Update 3/4/16: burnout recover = 95%, pulled rt shoulder = 70%
• Update 6/27/16: burnout recovery = 85%, shoulder = 70%, minor ankle sprain = 50%

 

Arch nemesis - Saboteur's Spawn - just as corrupting as his predecessor, this get of Saboteur (see previous thread for more info) has new and sneaky attacks.  Will update after my trusty sidekick, Bree-the-Dog, reports back from her spy mission.

 

Counter Measures: Joined Nerd Fitness Academy, hence this new battle log. I'll be reporting my food log and other stats/quests as they come up.

[idealistinfire]

Food log - Quest is to track, in a general manner, food consumed over a 2 week period. I'll be updating this comment each day so all the info is in one spot.

 

Sat, 6/6 - 12oz/3 shot Americano with splash of half & half (hereafter "usual coffee"), cheese bagel with cream cheese, unknown amount of tortilla chips w/ half container of guac, 24oz sugary B12 beverage, homemade chicken burger w/ guac & pepper jack cheese, 12oz/2 shot Marionberry blended mocha (no whip), sandwich w/ guac/ pj cheese and lettuce. 2c water.

 

Sun, 6/7 - 12oz iced coffee w/ cream, cherry/white choc scone, Chicken/guac/pj cheese sandwich, BBQ Chicken Burger, sm fries, 12oz blueberry shake, 2 shots espresso, bowl of strawberries. H2O tracked in quest below. Plate of chips, cheese and guac. 1/2 of lemon-blueberry muffin (homemade).

 

Mon, 6/8 - HM lemon-blueberry muffin, Iced 12oz coffee (no cream), Starbuck's Egg-Sausage-Cheese Muffin, Handful nuts&fruit, Turkey-Avocado-Havarti Cheese sandwich with mayo, mustard and red onion; 1/2 min-loaf of banana bread, 3 Dorito chips, 1/2 bottle iced tea (black), egg, 1 bacon, 2 pancakes, Fruit Leather, 

 

Tues, 6/9 - 1/2 Blueberry-lemon muffin, 2 shots espresso w/ light cream (8oz), 2/3 blueberry yogurt (tillamook brand), gumbo w/ cornbread, breakfast cookie (dble chocolate), handful PB M&M's, handful salted caramel pretzel bits, 1 bite of walnut fudge, Fruit Leather, 2 eggs, English muffin, 2 sausage patties.

 

Wed, 6/10 - Burger, fries, 1/2 iced tea (unsweetened), 2/3 Graze snake packet, banana, handful peanut butter M&M's Fruit Leather, gumbo leftovers, string cheese.

 

Thurs, 6/11 - Triple shot Marionberry Mocha, chicken and cheese sandwich, Taco Time Meal #4, fruit leather, fruit snacks packet (never again! I remembered why it had been years since I last had one), 1/2 chicken yakisoba, banana

 

Fri, 6/12 - usual coffee, marionberry scone, ham/cheese/pretzel sandwich, blended marionberry coffee (12oz, 2 shots), Angry Orchard pint, 1/2 pizza fries, 1/2 chicken yakisoba

 

Sat, 6/13 - usual coffee, banana, 1/2 granola bar, Greek quiche, 5 chocolate dusted almonds, chipotle chicken empanada, mike's deli deluxe, pint o' beer

[idealistinfire]

Extreme Hydration Quest - must drink 13 8oz cups (!!!!) daily for 5 days in a 7 day period. This may be difficult Updating all progress here for easy referencing.

 

6/7 - As of 8pm, 9 cups of 13 consumed. Feeling a bit waterlogged despite spacing them out over 11 hour time period.

Midnight update = 12 cups completed, which is a bummer because I thought I had finished that cup . Debating counting the milkshake or iced coffee as my last cup since I'm definitely well hydrated.

 

6/8 - today is a traveling day, so taking this as one of my "off" days.

 

6/9 - As of 6:10pm, 11 of 13 consumed . Finished 13 cups before bed!

 

6/10 - Finished at least 13 cups, maybe 15 - I lost track and didn't want to be short

 

6/11- Still feeling anti-water this morning, soooo. Maybe too much yesterday. Made to 13+ cups again today Only 1 day left! On a related note, I find it vaguely irritating that the more water I drink, the thirstier I feel.

 

6/12 - only 4 cups today... just couldn't drink any more water. Will resume challenge tomorrow.

 

6/13 - barely made it, but I finished 13 cups today

[Waanie]

Wow, that's a lot of water per day! (~3 liters for us metric people)

Good luck with your short tracking and drinking challenges, I'll try to keep up .

[Raxie]

Found you!

 

I have been trying to drink ~100+ oz of water a day, too.  I find it's really helpful if I get a good chunk of that chugged before I leave my house in the morning.

[Muscle Professor]

Awesome water intake. Lets us now how that is going for you.

[idealistinfire]

Feeling both waterlogged and very thirsty - what gives?  Water consumption is pretty evenly spread out over the day, and before this challenge, I only drank two coffees and a glass or two of water, and never felt this thirsty.

[Waanie]

Once you're used to drinking a ton of water, there is no way back .

[idealistinfire]

So I've heard! But I must not be used to it yet - I could barely make myself drink 4 cups today, and after thru first 2,I stopped trying to reach 13. The challenge is to complete 5 days in a 7 day period, so I can still make it by getting back on track tomorrow. Since my diet was extra crappy today, I suspect water will taste good again.

[idealistinfire]

Warning: Thinking Out Loud Post

 

So I finished the Extra Hydration Quest and the Start You Food log quest . I've still go a couple early quest, and the one I'm struggling with most is Creating Your Batcave.  To complete, I need to add 3 barriers to unhealthy habits and remove 3 barriers to healthy habits.  So far I've:

 

Removed:

- Bought good sandals for hot days and days I'm too tired/unmotivated to put on real shoes (helps goal of walking Bree daily)

-

 

Added:

- Chips and salsa from the house (helps my Eat a Real Dinner).  Actually, most "junk food" has been removed, but that's not an unusual situation since I know I am often too lazy to go to the store and buy treats.

- 15 minutes of Obsession Rule (see below)

- Standing Desk at work - it's easy enough to change to sitting, but I'm hoping standing part of the day helps my calves loosen up.

 

I'm just little stuck.  The goals I really want/need to work on are:

1) Daily walks for Bree that tire her out (~3 miles needed) - she's going crazy on days I don't walk her enough

2) Joint strengthening- shoulder needs a bit of rehab and my knee is still not right.  Walking could help there too

3) Increase energy levels - I am so unmotivated in the morning and exhausted once I get back from work that doing any non-established routine stuff is just..uninteresting. 

 

I've already tried leaving the shoulder tension cords in my living room, but that stopped "registering" after the first week (I can be very oblivious to my environment).  I may try leaving Bree's leash on the fridge handle though - I see the fridge first thing every morning due to the house's configuration and she gets so very hopeful when you touch her leash.

 

For energy levels, I know a lot is being spent on job searching and because of some internal principles, I'll be taking a break from that starting in mid-July though October.  And my counselor gave me a good tool for managing obsessive thinking about work after-hours.  The "rule" is I have to spend 15 minutes every day thinking only about whatever I feel the need to focus on.  I'm suppose to do that at the same time everyday, and set a timer so I know when to stop.  It's been helping, even with an imperfect implementation.  Actually, I'll add that to my "barriers section", although I am not sure it counts since it's all mental.

 

Anyway, that's my current goal, although I'll probably jump ahead if I feel too stuck on this one. If you have suggestions on building motivation or other "batcave" modifications, I'd love to hear them.

[Waanie]

Wow, so much good stuff out there! I love the 15 minutes of obsession rule, it sounds like a good way to focus .

Additionaly, you might want to place a glass next to your tap, so that it becomes easier to drink water. It's a trick many people here have, and it generally works very well for them. If you would like to read some more relaxing books, you can put one next to your pillow. Otherwise... place the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the room, keep cleaning stuff close to what you clean, keep your yoga mat rolled out for quick exercises. I have no idea which ideas are feasible for you, but at least these are some random things you can try .

What are the results of the water and food logging challenge?

[Raxie]

I like the 15 minutes a day rule!

[idealistinfire]

The water question definitely showed me that 6 cups or so a day is probably right for me - I felt good at 6-8 cups, but waterlogged and "off" once I started going over 8 cups.  So I'll try 6-8 cups a day, and see how that does for me.

 

The food quest reminded me how many small snacks I take in a day, and while I realized I am eating poorly, it is a little daunting to see how poorly that is.  Stil, something to improve on, right?

 

Actually, the next two nutrition quests are tracking food for 30 days and upgrading you diet.  To get to level 4 Nutrition, I would need all of the following:

1) protein and no grain for breakfast for 2 weeks straight

2) Liquid calories only 1x per week

3) Mindful eating at every meal

 

I think I'll do a food journal entry for each week, instead of all in once place. Not sure why, but it seems to make a bit more sense. Unless I get crazy and make spreadsheet P. I'll probably do that at the end of the 30 days to see the difference in food consumption. 

 

And thanks for the helpful suggestions!  Funny enough, I have a cup of water next to my sink, but I use to take a few sips and then give the rest to a plant that was droopy.  Maybe a smaller glass?  Water really does make me feel a bit nauseous when I drink it first thing in the morning.

[Waanie]

6-8 cups a day sounds sensible to me, that's also what our government advices us to drink. If you eat soup or other liquid things, you can even drink less.

Your goals sound ambitious, but doable if you have enough energy. Just don't be afraid to slightly adapt if life happens .

How were the first few days? What did you eat for breakfast?

Good luck in the next one-and-a-half week .

[Raxie]

Your goals sound ambitious, but doable if you have enough energy. Just don't be afraid to slightly adapt if life happens .

 

This.  Especially on those liquid calorie days.

 

Also spreadsheeeeeets <3 (no pressure... haha)

[idealistinfire]

at the moment, I'm only focusing on mindful eating and half-heartedly on water. I got news about changes at work that's left me feeling hurt, betrayed and used, so most of energy is going towards managing that. I didn't get fired, but it feels just like it.

 

On the plus side, I have a weekend getaway with the BF - the first one ever that is just about relaxation and not about meeting obligations, the first vacation in three years that we are taking together. There's a private cabin on the river with a fire pit, and my anxious sidekick is staying at Mom's and I have a small gift basket for my wonderful bf. Normally, he does the planning and surprises, but I get to do this for him this time. I'm super excited There is no internet, so unless I resort to mymphone, there will be no posts after Saturday morning until Monday afternoon

[Waanie]

Have fun at the weekend away! Focusing on one thing is good, better do 1 thing good than 3 things half .

You were talking about job hunting before, are you still active with that? From what I hear from you, it sounds like you're ready for a change .

[idealistinfire]

Thanks Waanie! Yeah, I've been looking semi-seriously for a couple months but was feeling guilty about it because we are about to enter our crazy busy period. The guilt meant I only aimed to submit 2 resumes a month. But now, no guilt! So I'm thinking 1-2 submissions a week, so long as the potential job is beneficial in one way or another.

 

Super happy to have a true weekend off and then a job interview on Tuesday. This job doesn't pay nearly as nicely as the other one I applied for, but it is a promotion and a chance to learn new skills with an organization I admire, so it could be awesome.

[idealistinfire]

Weekend getaway was exactly what we needed and best of all, I only thought about work/stressful things for maybe 15 minutes the whole time we were away! Truly a miracle.

 

For the moment, I am mostly over the work situation. I gathered my courage and talked it out with my boss. It's not fully resolved and it still stings, but it's a lot better than it was. Left me with no energy though (I hate talking feelings at work and conflict, like most people), and then to top it off, I had someone drop in who I haven't seen in 13 years and didn't leave on great terms show up and ask to hang out while they travel through the country. Since they were practically family, I said sure. It actually was a great conversation/time, but in response, I slept 10 hours straight last night.

 

All that to say, I'm feeling strangely positive and wanting to tackle a fitness/health goal even though my energy level is at roughly 50%. I don't want to burn out but I'm tired of where I've been hanging. So today I'm tackling the weeds in my yards (it'll take a few hours to remove them all) as some low-key exercise and restart my water intake. The sun and movement combined with visible progress should provide a good mental boost.

[Waanie]

It's good that things are looking up again .

I think it would be great if you can do one fitness related thing every day. Weeding the garden always left me exhausted in the past, it's a good way to start. Do you have any medium-term goals you want to work towards?

[idealistinfire]

Funny you should mention that Waanie - today and yesterday I did shoulder rehab exercises, and today I used my bf's "curling bar" to practice deadlifts   I'm still feeling strangely optimistic and thought to myself "welp, I'm bored and have energy - how about a quick 5 minute workout to get those shoulders back up to speed?". I'm definitely sore from weeding yesterday, but it's a happy sore, so I still feel good. And I think I may love deadlifts, but I'm not committing just yet

 

I think I'm feeling happy because the work issue is finally resolved -not like I wanted, but resolved- and I got it resolved without compromising what I needed to say to my boss. We even still ended up on good terms - benefits of being adults and having a good, 3+ year working relationship, I guess. I still will feel no guilt for leaving once I finally get a new job, but it's good to know I'll be leaving on hood terms instead of bad.  

 

Somehow, knowing exactly where I stand, both at work and at home, has lead to a curious freedom of finally knowing what to do next. And clearly the next step is to harvest this goodwill and energy and use it to finish up a few more quests

[idealistinfire]

Completed Stacie's Warm Up quest (complete a warm up routine once)

[Waanie]

Completed Stacie's Warm Up quest (complete a warm up routine once)

Nice .

[idealistinfire]

Ugh, Saboteur's voices running through my head... rather demotivating, though trying to tell myself I won't let an imaginary snake thing ruin my day. Kind of works.

Told my bf I'd start simple exercises 3x / week. The warm up routine with shoulder exercises only takes a few minutes and I am really tired of being out of shape and injured. Seeing my bf get better is encouraging too - maybe that'll help buffer my demotivated days.

 

Pretty hot today, but the pup needs to outrun her anxiety, so away we go. Happy 4th

[Raxie]

Slay those brain demons! You got this