AThousandWords' LEAN, MEAN, Fighting Machine Challenge

[athousandwords]

I’m back for another challenge with the Adventurers! 
 

 
I think my last challenge was definitely a success, aside from some last-week boredom/fatigue, so for the most part I’m continuing with similar goals.  I’ll be stepping it up a notch with my diet to really get some clean eating habits down, and backing off the workout challenge a little because I’m going to be low on time these next two months.  I just got cast in a play with rehearsals 3 nights a week, so I'm going to be working extra hard this challenge to make the best use of my time.  That means waking up early to get those workouts in, staying on top of food prep, and using walks and my commute to work on my life goal.
 
Really, the goal this challenge is just slow, steady, boring (   ) weight loss toward my main quest goal.

Main Quest:  Lose weight, be a smoking hot Wizard.

 

 

Motivation: I’m going to Harry Potter World in November, and I don’t want to hate the way I look in every picture – so, the quest is to look good and feel good by then.  My goal is hit 150lbs by the time we leave.  As of now, I have 16 weeks and about 14 lbs to lose, so I’m right on track!

 

Goal 1: Get LEAN  (CON 4)
Last challenge I ate 100% primal and that worked really well for me.  Still, there are still some areas in which I can improve.  For this challenge I’m going to continue eating completely primal and will also be grading myself on how well I hit these four markers each day, with a maximum of 4 points per day.
 
Limit snacking between meals
Eat breakfast
At least 1 non-starchy vegetable at every meal
No sweets or alcohol
 
A = 155+ points | B = 130+ points | C = 85+ points | D = 40+ points | F = < 40 points
 
Goal 2:  Workout 4 times a week (STR 1, STA 2, DEX 1)
Qualifying workouts are:  30+ minutes of bike riding, completing a Darebee WOD, or 60+ minutes of hiking.  Anything else is pending a ruling, but walking or yoga aren't enough on their own.
 
A = 24 workouts | B = 18+ workouts | C = 12+ workouts | D = 6+ workouts | F < 6 workouts
 
Goal 3: Create a morning routine (STA 2, DEX 2)
I started doing this toward the end of the last challenge and really enjoyed it, so I’m taking it to the next level.  Wake up early each morning, go for a walk (weather permitting), and stretch.  On WOD days, this will likely be post-workout stretching, otherwise, 20-30 minutes of yoga.
 
A = 40+ days | B = 30+ days | C = 24+ days | D = 18+ days | F = <18 days
 
Life Goal: Get MEAN (WIS 2, CHA 1)
I’m working toward leveling up as a MEAN stack developer (more info at the link, but basically a developer who works on MongoDB, Express, NodeJS, and Angular).  I’m actually working on a MEAN project right now so it’s a great experience to learn, but I’m flying by the seat of my pants.  I want to actually understand what I’m doing and be able to contribute more to the team.  To learn, I’m going to be listening to podcasts, and reading books/articles on any of the technologies involved.  I’m also going to try a different grading format this time, and see if it works:
 
10 points:      Reading a full book
5 points:        Listening to a podcast
3 points:        Reading a chapter of a book
1 point:          Reading a blog/article
 
A = 50+ points | B = 40+ points | C = 30+ points | D = 20+ points | F = < 20 points

 
Starting Stats:
 
LEVEL: 3 | STR 9.5 | DEX 4 | STA 3.5 | CON 12.5 | WIS 7.75 | CHA 7
 
Weight: 168.4 lb.
Waist: 32.75"
Belly: 37.5â€
Hips: 41.25"
Right Thigh: 25"
Right Bicep: 13.5â€
Neck: 13.5"

 

[athousandwords]

Link to my challenge spreadsheet!

[Scumspawn]

brilliantly set out goals!

[Tasha]

Back again, yay! I am super jealous of your trip to Harry Potter World, you can definitely reach your goal by then! I'm sure you'll gave a great time no matter what.

[Raze]

 

Subbed, but not in the sneaky way some go about it

[athousandwords]

brilliantly set out goals!

 

Thanks!  

 

Back again, yay! I am super jealous of your trip to Harry Potter World, you can definitely reach your goal by then! I'm sure you'll gave a great time no matter what.

 

I'm so excited!  And yes, I'm sure it'll be a blast regardless.  I mean, it's Harry Potter World!

 

 

Subbed, but not in the sneaky way some go about it

 

And this is why you're not in the assassins guild  

[Raze]

Thanks!  

 

 

I'm so excited!  And yes, I'm sure it'll be a blast regardless.  I mean, it's Harry Potter World!

 

 

And this is why you're not in the assassins guild  

 

This is true!

[athousandwords]

Happy Day 1 everyone!

 

I took the bye-week completely off - no paleo, no early mornings, exercised only when I felt like it (still did a hike and a bike ride), and no NF aside from setting up my challenge thread.  And it was nice, and relaxing, and I ate a ton of yummy food like pizza and beer and cake.  But by the end I started getting that itchy, end of vacation feeling that says, 'this was fun... but I'm ready to get back to real life now'.  So here I am, back to real life and ready to rock this challenge!

 

My starting weight is a little higher than I'd like, but I'm not too worried.  I did eat a lot of junk this week and probably drank too much, but it's also the first day of TOM for me and I suspect a lot of the extra weight is bloat/water weight/dehydration from drinking too much beer yesterday.  I'm just going to focus on cleaning up my diet this week and drinking a lot of water, and I think I'll be okay.

 

I'm feeling pretty good about the challenge goals I posted last week, but I may be tweaking them a little if necessary.  I've gotten my husband into the swing of things and he's agreed to go on 2 - 3 bike rides a week with me, which is awesome!  I couldn't get him to join NF (womp, womp) but at least having a workout buddy will keep me motivated.  Yesterday I put together a meal plan for the week (because meal plans = success) and went grocery shopping, and I woke up extra early today.  I think the morning routine goal is going to be good for keeping me on track - I already feel like my day is off to a good start.

 

[Lag a'mhuilin]

I am very jealous about your pending Harry Potter World trip. I'm probably going to have to wait until Universal builds one on the west coast.

 

Why doesn't yoga qualify for a workout?! How about an hour of yoga? Do you have any good primal food prep tips/resources or recipes? Last time I did paleo for about 6 months I came up with some good stuff. It's been incredibly hard for me to get back to full paleo/primal though.

 

MEAN sounds intriguing. I'm a web developer too and have only heard of parts of it, but never used any of it. I pretty much just stick to writing HTML, CSS, and jQuery scripts. My brother has been using developing with Angular recently, and he really likes it.

 

Have a great challenge!

[athousandwords]

I am very jealous about your pending Harry Potter World trip. I'm probably going to have to wait until Universal builds one on the west coast.

 

Why doesn't yoga qualify for a workout?! How about an hour of yoga? Do you have any good primal food prep tips/resources or recipes? Last time I did paleo for about 6 months I came up with some good stuff. It's been incredibly hard for me to get back to full paleo/primal though.

 

MEAN sounds intriguing. I'm a web developer too and have only heard of parts of it, but never used any of it. I pretty much just stick to writing HTML, CSS, and jQuery scripts. My brother has been using developing with Angular recently, and he really likes it.

 

Have a great challenge!

 

I'm so excited!  Bummer that you live so far from Orlando.  Maybe that can be your ultimate quest reward??

 

Since I'm doing fewer workouts per week due to time constraints (compared to my last challenge), I want to focus on more intense exercise.  Plus, I'm doing a daily yoga session every morning as part of my 3rd goal and I don't want my lazy lizard brain to try and double count that as a workout.    As for paleo... I did a Whole30 reset at the beginning of the year and it helped me dive headfirst into paleo.  My biggest tip is just planning out meals in advance. I plan a week at a time so that I make sure I have enough leftovers for lunches and I'm using up all the food that I buy.  

 

Great to see another web developer on the boards!  I actually began my career as a back end developer, so full stack development feels very natural to me.  Plus Angular is so powerful - you end up writing a lot less JS code because so many small 'helper' functions are already integrated.

[Linsanity]

Harry Potter World sounds awesome! You'll definitely have to post a picture or too

 

Looks like your challenge is already off to a good start! Keep up the good work!

[weaver]

You've got some great goals! I especially like the morning routine one - I might do something like that once I get back and settled. Excited to see how you do on that and the rest of them!

 

Can't write more - it's 9:03! Oh no!

[Raze]

I LOVED HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!! When Jen and I went the diagon alley was still under construction so there was only the one side open.

[athousandwords]

Harry Potter World sounds awesome! You'll definitely have to post a picture or too

 

Looks like your challenge is already off to a good start! Keep up the good work!

 

Thanks!  I'll definitely be posting pictures!  

 

You've got some great goals! I especially like the morning routine one - I might do something like that once I get back and settled. Excited to see how you do on that and the rest of them!

 

Can't write more - it's 9:03! Oh no!

 

Yeah, I think the morning routine is what I'm most excited about this challenge.  I'll be sure to keep you updated!

 

I LOVED HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!! When Jen and I went the diagon alley was still under construction so there was only the one side open.

 

My hubby and I went to Orlando the summer before they announced they were building HP World. Needless to say, I was super upset that we hadn't waited another year.  But in the end, I'm glad we went when we did, since they ended up opening the expansion and we would have had to go back anyway.  Moral of the story - you'll just have to go back!!

[Raze]

 Moral of the story - you'll just have to go back!!

 

The wife is making sure of that already!

[athousandwords]

Day 1 Summary

 

Yesterday got off to a great start!  Probably my only issue was spending a little too much time hanging out on NF, and not enough time working.  But I love the first day of a 6WC - it's like going back to school after vacation and hanging out with all your friends again and meeting new people.  In other words, I regret nothing.

 

Goal 1:  4 pts
Breakfast: Steak, Fried Eggs, half a tomato

Lunch: Chipotle Salad with barbacoa, guac, sour cream, salsa

Dinner: Lamb stew with plums and potato, over cauliflower

 

The lamb stew turned out amazing.  I was trying to make an adaptation of Katniss's favorite lamb stew in the Hunger Games and I think I nailed it.  Will have to post the recipe on the boards here at some point.  It should really be a weekend meal in the future though, because we didn't end up eating until 9pm.

 

Goal 2:  Completed a Back & Biceps workout.  Felt good to be lifting again, but damn am I feeling some DOMS today.

 

Goal 3:  Woke up extra early, 20 minutes before my alarm, which made for a nice start.  I went for a 20 min walk around the neighborhood before my workout, and did 20 minutes of stretching to a yoga video after.

 

Goal 4:  Nothing yet, but I have an AngularJS book ready to start reading this week, and am looking for a good podcast to subscribe to.

 

Mini 1:  I spent a minute or two after my yoga session meditation on the upcoming challenge and mentally preparing myself for success.  I'm planning to spend the rest of the week evaluating my challenge goals and figuring out some strategies for when I feel like pulling away.  I'm already pretty sure I'm going to have a tough time with weeks 5 and 6:  week 5 is going to be that cranky time of month (yay.) and week 6 will be tech week for the show I'm in, which means rehearsals every night.  I'm worried that feeling like crap during week 5 will set me up for failure with week 6, so figuring out a way to prepare for that and mitigate it is going to be the focus of my reflection period this week.

 

 

 

[kasey]

I saw you post elsewhere, and came to comment on your awesome picture, and then I discovered your Quest is about Harry Potter world!

 

I'm so jealous, and it looks like your goals are really well set up to help you get there

 

Best of luck!

[Lag a'mhuilin]

Angular is so powerful - you end up writing a lot less JS code because so many small 'helper' functions are already integrated.

 

The majority of the js code I'm writing is to make buttons, accordions, and other show/hide content scenarios comply with accessibility standards. Will Angular make my job easier there?

 

I'm looking forward to that lamb stew recipe. It sounds good! I too did a back and biceps routine recently (the one from P90X), on Sunday, and struggled with fairly low weights and not being able to do any of pull-ups, and today I cannot straighten my arms. I think it's going to be like this forever! It'll be interesting to see the results next time I do that workout.

[athousandwords]

The majority of the js code I'm writing is to make buttons, accordions, and other show/hide content scenarios comply with accessibility standards. Will Angular make my job easier there?

 

I'm looking forward to that lamb stew recipe. It sounds good! I too did a back and biceps routine recently (the one from P90X), on Sunday, and struggled with fairly low weights and not being able to do any of pull-ups, and today I cannot straighten my arms. I think it's going to be like this forever! It'll be interesting to see the results next time I do that workout.

 

Short answer... probably!  Long answer... I'll PM you  

 

Tuesday Summary

 

Goal 1:  4 pts

Breakfast: Poached eggs over sweet potato, onion, and avocado hash

Lunch: Leftover Lamb stew with plums and potato, over cauliflower

Pre-WOM:  Handful of cashews, couple of prunes, slice of apple

Dinner: Tuna Waldorf salad with paleo mayo, over salad

 

Food went well today.  I had a moment of crises when I got home and was super hungry, but still needed to workout before dinner.  Does that count as snacking?!  Then I remembered the Whole30 policy on pre-workout meals, and realized it would be smarter to eat something light than to workout without proper fuel.  Phew.  Though, if I'm counting it as a "meal", it should probably have a vegetable component, per my eating goal.  I'll keep that in mind for the future, since I'm still tweaking all these things.

 

Goal 2:  6 mile bike ride (35 minutes).  I planned this back on Sunday, but by the time I got home from work I was hungry and tired and just wanted to collapse.  Luckily, the hubscat is very gung-ho about biking and he basically pushed me out the door.  This is why it's good to have a workout buddy, because honestly I was very strongly considering skipping this.  Glad I went in the end, it ended up being a good ride, and I think my legs are getting stronger already (though the hills still kill me).

 

Goal 3:  Woke up on time, went for a 20 min walk around the neighborhood, and then did 30 minutes of yoga.

 

Goal 4:  Read the first 2 chapters of AngularJS before bed.

 

Mini 1:  Used my morning walk to reflect more on my challenge goals and how to avoid a mid-challenge burn out.  No answers yet, but I'm glad to have this period of reflection to think about it.

[athousandwords]

Wednesday Summary
 
So yesterday got off to a bad start - I forgot to set my alarm and overslept.  It was double annoying because I went to bed early the night before so that I could get my 8 hours in and still get up on time.  I was so well rested, I kept waking up and wondering if it was time to get up, then putting my head back down because my alarm hadn't gone off yet.  I finally got up because the cats started meowing for food, and I realized I had slept in by an hour.  Bummer.
 
Goal 1: 4 pts
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sweet potato, onion, and avocado hash
Lunch: Leftover Lamb stew with plums and potato, over cauliflower
Dinner: Quarter roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and broccolini
 
We were supposed to grill bulgolgi last night, but forgot to defrost the meat, oops!  Decided to go out to dinner instead, and had a great time at a local brewery called Sweetwater.  Two of our friends came out with us, and we had a great evening all around.  My dinner was gluten-free but probably not fully primal - still delicious, and I ordered a side of their veggie of the day (broccolini) to balance out the heavier meal.  I ended up taking half the chicken home, which means delicious leftovers for me!

 

Goal 2:  Rest day

 

Goal 3:  Missed this one due to the alarm.  I thought about trying to make up for it - maybe an evening walk or yoga? - but since the goal is waking up early, I ended up just counting it as a loss.

 

Goal 4:  No progress.

 

Mini 1:  Today I spent some time thinking about recovery plans - for instance, if you miss your alarm and fail your wake up early goal.  I ultimately decided that my goals are flexible enough: Goals 1 and 3 have grace days to make up for missing a day or two, and Goals 2 and 4 are spread out across the week, giving me time to make them up.  It was a bummer to spend one of my grace days on a missed alarm (vs. using it on a day when I was really tired and wanted to sleep in) but that's what it's there for.

[Lag a'mhuilin]

 

Pre-WOM:  Handful of cashews, couple of prunes, slice of apple

 

if I'm counting it as a "meal", it should probably have a vegetable component, per my eating goal. 

 

Mini 1:  Used my morning walk to reflect more on my challenge goals and how to avoid a mid-challenge burn out.  No answers yet, but I'm glad to have this period of reflection to think about it.

 

Would you call a handful of nuts and fruit a meal?

 

I like the reflective walks. My afternoon walks usually take place with a friend or two, and we're talking the whole time, but sometimes it's just me, and I try to practice mindfulness: try to think only about things I am currently perceiving with my senses -- people walking by, plants, wildlife, etc. I try to pay attention to all of the people I pass by and observe what I can about the world around me. I've found that the vast majority of people I pass are either buried in their phones or head down, lost in thought, but I've noticed the people who have noticed me, and they seem more alive for being aware of their present surroundings. It's an interesting exercise.

 

What is this avocado hash you speak of?

[athousandwords]

Would you call a handful of nuts and fruit a meal?

 

I like the reflective walks. My afternoon walks usually take place with a friend or two, and we're talking the whole time, but sometimes it's just me, and I try to practice mindfulness: try to think only about things I am currently perceiving with my senses -- people walking by, plants, wildlife, etc. I try to pay attention to all of the people I pass by and observe what I can about the world around me. I've found that the vast majority of people I pass are either buried in their phones or head down, lost in thought, but I've noticed the people who have noticed me, and they seem more alive for being aware of their present surroundings. It's an interesting exercise.

 

What is this avocado hash you speak of?

 

Oh, no, I wouldn't - but I think in the future I'll plan a "mini-meal" for after work when I know I'm going to be exercising.  That way I'm not just eating whatever I happen to have on hang (nuts, dried fruit), and can make sure I have balanced fuel.  

 

I'm really enjoying my morning walks for that very reason!  I'm actually without a cell phone right now, so I don't even have the temptation to listen to music or browse the internet.  It's refreshing.  Though I don't usually see people out at that time of the morning - today I passed another walker and we both smiled at each other, but otherwise it's pretty rare to see anyone.

 

Technicaly a sweet potato, onion hash with avocado... just diced/baked sweet potato with onion, and diced avocado added.

[athousandwords]

Thursday Checkin

 

Goal 1: 4 pts
Breakfast: Chicken, sweet potato, onion, and avocado
Lunch: Leftover Tuna Waldorf salad with paleo mayo, over salad
Dinner: Homemade Bulgolgi, Grilled Bok Choy, Snap Peas
 
Bulgolgi turned out amazing - and it was actually pretty simple to make! Recipe below if anyone is interested in making it:

Ingredients:

 

1.5 lbs Rib Eye meat - sliced very thin (we bought grass-fed ribeye, froze it, and defrosted only slightly to make it easier to slice)

 

(1/4 cup) Scallions (green onions)

 

Marinade:

 

(2/3 cup) Soy Sauce - Depending on how much meat you will have, you can use up to half a big bottle of soy sauce (or Coconut Aminos, or Tamari sauce)

 

(4 Cloves) Minced garlic

 

(roughly 1 tbs) Black pepper

 

(1 spoon) Brown Sugar or Honey

 

(2 tbs) Sesame oil

 

(1 tsp) Sesame seeds - just use a teaspoon and put it in a sandwich bag, use a bottle to crush it (roll over)

 

(1/2 inch) Ginger - no skin and rough chopped

 

(2) Asian Pear - rough chopped skin and all

 

Instructions:

 

Blend all the marinade ingredients and put in a BIG bowl.

 

Add the meat and scallions and marinate for about 5 minutes - don't marinade for too long before you are ready to put it in a grill.

 

Use heavy duty aluminum foil on top of the grill, or a grill skillet, and quick grill your meat. It cooks pretty quick, a couple minutes per side since the meat is thin.

 

Enjoy!

 

Goal 2:  Unbreakable workout - sooooo many planks!

 

Goal 3:  Done!  Woke up, walked, did the workout, and then did a 10 min yoga video.

 

Goal 4:  No progress.

 

Mini 1:  Spent my morning walk reflecting on how to make sure my challenge doesn't fizzle out around weeks 5 and 6.  I think the best thing will be to try and accumulate as many "points" early on in the challenge as I can, especially for my life goal.  I can get a lot of reading done early in the challenge, so that when life gets really busy I don't have to worry so much about that.  I think that'll help, since during the last challenge I was really stressed about getting enough work done in the office at the end and still having time to exercise and cook.  I'm also going to ask my husband to take over cooking during week 6 since I'll be running to rehearsals every night.  I can put together a meal plan in advance and do as much batch cooking as possible, and have him help with the day to day stuff.  I think that'll work out.

 

I've also been spending a few minutes at the end of each yoga session practicing positive meditation - focusing on affirmation statements and breathing out negativity.  I don't really know if it's helping... and honestly I feel a little silly... but it's new, and I'm happy to try it and get this challenge off to a good start.

[Raze]

BULGOLGI!!!!! I love it, Bulgolgi and rice is AMAZING!

[Linsanity]

You got through the first week! Woohoo!! Keep up the good work!

 

All your recipes sound amazing! Do you make them up yourself or get them from blogs/websites?