A Long Expected Party.... Calanthia Cobbin's first challenge!

[Calanthia Cobbin]

​Hello! I'm so super excited to start this new journey with everyone! I have been stalking the forums for a few years now and always planned on completing a challenge... and this time I'm going to make it happen! This is my long expected party and I plan to make fireworks!

 

Main Quest: ​

Although I currently stand at about 150 pounds, I am barely hobbit-sized at 4'11", which sets my BMI in the "obese" category at about 30.3. I know, I know, BMI isn't a super accurate way to determine my health, but when combining my BMI with my current body fat composition of almost 40%, I am in some serious trouble. Therefore my current main quest goal is to reach 145 pounds by the new year, which will put me firmly in the "overweight" category, which is a baby step in the direction that I want to go!​ From there, I hope to hit about 120 pounds by my next birthday which is in July, so that I can have a "normal" BMI. In addition to this, since I will hopefully be putting on some muscle as well, I will be tracking my body fat composition. I don't have a set date just yet, but my goal is to be at about 25% body fat sometime in the next year or so. The body fat goal will definitely take precedence over my BMI goal, especially if I start to gain muscle mass.

 

Goals!

 

​​ 1. During the next 6 weeks, I will drink at least 2 liters of water each day, in order to help me in my journey to cut out liquid calories. I will give myself a percentage grade based on the number of days out of the 6 weeks that I successfully complete my water goal. (A = 90%+, B = 80%-89%, etc.) ​ 

 

2. My second goal is to walk at least 5,000 steps per day. I will be using my fitbit to track the number of steps I take each day. Similarly to the way I will grade my water goal, I will base my grade for this goal on the percentage of days out of the 6 weeks that I successfully walk 5,000 steps. I will probably add a mini-goal for myself using the Eowyn challenge and attempt to reach Rivendell from Weathertop by the new year, but we will see

 

3. My final fitness goal will be to track my meals and snacks with the intent of eating a 250 calorie deficit from what I burn each day. This should allow me to lose about 0.5 pounds per week, which should help me reach my overall goal of 147 pounds by the end of this challenge and 145 pounds by the new year.

 

Life Quest! ​It is my intention that, despite my attempts to change myself for health reasons, I must learn to love myself no matter what stage of life and health I am in. I have a habit of being really disgusted with myself and my lack of control around food, as well as my lack of luster for life at times. Therefore, beginning with this challenge and continuing on through each challenge hereafter, I will include a life quest goal that will teach me to take care of myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For this challenge, I have chosen to take care of myself mentally and emotionally, by requiring that I read for at least 15 minutes​​ each day. Again, this will be tracked and graded based on the number of days that I successfully complete my goal. I am currently reading The Lord of the Rings, but if anyone has suggestions for the next set of books I should read I would love to hear them!

 

I have not yet completed decided on how I will allocate attribute points for these goals upon completion, so I will post the specific allocations later when they have been determined

 

I will be on later today or tomorrow to discuss motivation for my lifestyle change as well as attribute points!

[Blaidd]

so much of your post resonates with me because I really know how you feel. i hope this challenge goes a way towards helping you change that. 

 

You might notice that someone has added a tag to your post.  This is not to box you into a corner but rather because your goals or lifestyle have links to the guild you've been tagged and we'd like to bring you to the attention of one of their guild ambassadors. These ambassadors will be able to offer you advice, encouragement and support on your goals.  You don't even have to wait around for them to come introduce themselves to you, you are more than welcome to pop into the Adventurers' board and introduce yourself to the guildies there. I am also around to answer any questions that you might have so do not hesitate to PM me.

 

Good Luck with your challenge

AB xx

[Archon]

You sound like the type of person who might really enjoy the "Walk to Mordor" challenge. I have seen several people on the boards here who set up a progress bar in their signature and keep a running total of all the miles they walk/run, etc.

 

Hope you have a great challenge!

[Calanthia Cobbin]

I'm actually in the process of the walk to Mordor I'm a couple of days past Weathertop and I love reading what they did at each mile and pit stop!

[Beren Calanor]

Sounds like a great Challenge!! Good Luck! :encouragement:

[goodbye_farewell]

Here to support a fellow Tennessean

[Calanthia Cobbin]

Okay ladies and gents! It is the night before the big day and I'm here to discuss my motivation for doing this challenge (and the many more to come) as well as how I plan to distribute my attribute points for each of my goals

 

Motivation!

​I've grown tired of looking at myself each day in the mirror and not liking what I see. I have stretch marks now, but I wanted to earn them by bringing a life into this world, not because I didn't take care of myself. I want to be able to post pictures on Facebook without worrying about what my family and friends might be saying about how much weight I've gained lately. I want to be free to enjoy "alone time" with my husband without worrying that he won't like what he sees. And finally, I want to prove to my husband that I can and WILL do whatever I put my mind to. Because let's face it, I've been doing a lot of planning and not taking any action to improve myself. My husband is really big on "tough love" (and before you judge him, he knows that sometimes it hurts and is making efforts to change how he approaches his support tactics, but he was raised that way) and he can be brutally honest about the way that I look. He is a med student, so he is primarily concerned for my well being, but I also know that I have changed since we got married. I want to change for him just as much as I want to change for me. In the midst of all of this, I don't want to end up like Jennifer from the book Skinny Me​. I want to be sure that through this journey I am taking that I will learn to love myself and not base my happiness on a number on a scale. ​

 

Attribute Points!

​At the end of this 6 week challenge, I will be able to allocate 5 attribute points based on the completion of my goals. ​I am thinking about the following point values (although I'm open to other suggestions):

1. I will drink 2L of water per day for the duration of the challenge - This one is basically nutrition related, and water helps with fighting disease so +1 CON for successful completion

2. I will walk at least 5,000 steps per day - Since I'm basically sedentary right now, this should help with my endurance so +1 STA for successful completion

3. I will track my meals and snacks with the intent to have a 250 cal. deficit each day so that I can lose about 0.5 pounds per week - This one involves nutrition, and I also feel that since it should directly affect my weight and BMI category and therefore my confidence (going from obese to overweight will help a TON) I feel that this will merit +1 CHA â€‹in addition to +1 CON (for the nutrition part) ​for successful completion (let me know if you disagree and have other suggestions for this one!)

4. I will read for 15 minutes each day - This goal will help me to take care of myself mentally, so this will merit +1 WIS upon successful completion

[Calanthia Cobbin]

Day 1 of my first 6-Week Challenge!

 

Today I woke up with ​a headache that stuck around all day, and then I had to take my puppy to the emergency room to have his ear checked out because he scratched it so hard. Turns out he has an ear infection. Needless to say, it was a rough start and unfortunately I let it get to me. I was lazy for most of the day with my drugged-up puppy and did not quite make my walking goal, and I was on track with my food intake until I had WAY too much Halloween candy... But I did hit my water goal and I read for 15 minutes today! So today wasn't all failure, though it didn't have quite as much momentum as I would have liked. Better luck tomorrow!

 

 Goals:​

1. Drink 2L of water - PASS

2. Walk 5,000 steps - FAIL - 3,727 steps as of 11:48pm

3. Food tracking while maintaining a 250 cal. deficit - FAIL

Breakfast - None​​​​

Lunch - Ramen​ with BBQ sauce and pepper jack (don't judge me, its delicious and I'm out of food); Mt. Dew Kickstarter

Snack - 5 Twizzlers

Dinner - Cantina burrito and 1/4 of my husband's ​​Gordita crunch; Mt. Dew Baja Blast ( Peer pressure from the hubby)

Snack - A TON of Halloween candy

4. Read 15 minutes - P​​ASS

[Sythez]

Ramen is delicious. No arguments there

 

Congrats on hitting your water and reading goals! Keep it up

[Calanthia Cobbin]

 Are my goals S.M.A.R.T. ??? ​

 

1. Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)? Is it reasonable?

My overall quest is to reach a normal BMI/Body fat content. Considering that I am aiming for a "normal" range (accounting for muscle gain) my goal should definitely be an achievable one. Maybe someday I will aim for the "fit" body fat content but that will be a far more "long-term" goal  

 

2. Do your 3 quests all build towards your main quest in little ways, or are you taking on too much? Do your quests have sub-quests or is it just one thing to focus on?

With each of my goals there is only one thing to focus on. Each of my goals uses a different aspect to reach my overall goal, including reducing calorie intake, increasing water intake, and increasing my mobility

 

Are your main goals realistic? Can you scale them to smaller steps to fit your life better, even if it will make it take a little longer to achieve them?

I have scaled my main goal down to little steps already ​by indicating goals for each step on the BMI and body fat scales, rather than simply trying to reach my goal all in one shot.

 

Are your goals able to be measured and tracked? What will you use to track them?

I will use my fitbit and its accompanying app to track my calories, water, and steps each day. I am also using a gradebook template to keep track of my total percentage of goal completion ​

 

How are you grading your goals? Are they pass/fail (“every dayâ€, “not even once over the six weeksâ€)? Is there a reward for the effort, or are you only grading yourself on whether or not you “lose the weight†or “run the distanceâ€?

​Each day I will either pass or fail in my goals. There is a definite line for each of my goals (2L, 5,000 steps, 250 cal., 15 minutes) so I can determine a pass/fail status for each. I will reward myself with various attribute points according to the goals and level of completion.

 

What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured?

In the event of injury or illness, the only goal that may suffer is my step goal. ​In that case I will remove the days in which I was incapacitated from my calculations

 

Did you take into consideration any special occasions (Labour Day, Independence Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc) that may occur during the challenge? What modifications do you need to build into your goals for those?

​I did not initially plan for the Thanksgiving holiday occurring during the challenge, however I will not be traveling and will only need to worry about my calorie goal, which can be adjusted by going for a run or long walk if needed to allow for "extra calories"

 

Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another?

My main goals do not conflict, although my BMI may begin to rise when I begin to gain muscle at which point I will focus on body fat content. My challenge goals should make it easier to complete the other challenge goals as well.  â€‹

 

Do you already have the time in your schedule to actually complete the goals you’ve set? If not, what are you planning to do to make time for them?

The water and calorie goals are a typical part of my day, and as a teacher I have plenty of opportunities to get up and walk around during the day. It is also not hard to find 15 minutes at the end of the day to read for a bit. ​

 

Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest?

Most of my goals are focused on building towards my main goal, although my life goal is working towards loving myself and taking care of myself rather than simply losing weight​

​

[Calanthia Cobbin]

Goal logs for 11/3 and 11/4 (today)!

 

So I suck at posting on a regular basis and have determined that even if I fail miserably at all of my goals, I WILL learn to consistently post my progress so that I can be held accountable for the things I do. Anyhooooo... Logs!

 

11/3

1. Drink 2L of water - PASS with 2,500 liters!

2. Walk 5,000 steps - PASS with flying colors at 11,059 steps!!! I even went running

3. 250 cal. deficit - FAIL ... I didn't even bother logging my foods and I'm not sure if I could remember what I ate even if I tried... again Halloween candy was a culprit here... I need to hide it somewhere!

4. Read 15 minutes - PASS!

 

11/4

1. Drink 2L of water - PASS

2. Walk 5,000 steps - FAIL, only 2,772 steps as of 11:04pm

3. 250 cal.deficit - FAIL, again didn't log my food and had way to much Halloween candy and pasta today..... Although I am improving, it's just not noticeable yet

4. Read 15 minutes - ??? I plan to read before bed (or maybe right after I post this) so I'm going to assume that this will be a pass

 

Hopefully I can get my act together on my food logging soon!

[Calanthia Cobbin]

Mid-Challenge Review:

 

*Whew!* I suck at logging in on a regular basis... Also if I'm doing my points wrong then someone please tell me!

 

Anywhooooo so I've had pneumonia the past couple of weeks and have been failing hard-core at this challenge... but everything is a learning experience right? So I'm going to do my calculations as of Nov. 23 (which is about halfway right?) and will allocate points based on the number of days (out of 22 total days) that I completed my goals for that day.

 

Goal Allocation (for a total of 10 points):

G1 - Drink at least 2L of water each day: +2 CON

G2 - Walk at least 5,000 steps: +2 STA

G3 - 250 caloric deficit w/ food tracking: +2 CHA and +2 CON

LQ - Read for 15 minutes: +2 WIS

 

Mid-Challenge Summary:

​G1 - ​Drank 2L of water 7 out of 22 days: 31.8% (F)

G2 - Walked at least 5,000 steps 4 out of 22 days: 18.2% (F)

G3 - 250 caloric deficit 2 out of 22 days: 9.1% (F)

LQ - Read for 15 minutes: 6 out of 22 days: 27.3% (F)

 

Challenge Allocation:

G1: F (31.8%) = 0.64 CON

G2: F (18.2%) = 0.36 STA

G3: F (9.1%) = 0.18 CHA and 0.18 CON

LQ: F (27.3%) = 0.55 WIS​​

 

Signature:

Level 1 Hobbit Recruit

STR: 0 | DEX: 0 | STA: 0.36 | CON: 0.82 | WIS: 0.55 | CHA: 0.18

 

...Pitiful :/ I don't want to use illness as an excuse but I have done NOTHING since getting pneumonia. I vow that the next challenge will be better!​

[Calanthia Cobbin]

Main Quest Goal Related!!!

 

The first step in my main quest has always been to hit 145 pounds so I could be "overweight" instead of "obese." Today I measured myself at 143.5 lbs! Next step: Hit 124 pounds so that I can get into that healthy category! I do expect to gain some muscle by then as well, so I'll probably adjust this goal to be body fat related instead of BMI later on

[Beren Calanor]

Awesome news!!! Congratulations on your progress in your main Quest!! :D *high five* Keep up the good work

[Calanthia Cobbin]

Alrighty... so I am not the best at logging every day. Or even every week... I think that may become one of my goals for the next challenge! (Maybe a mini-goal).

 

ANYWAY I'm going to take a cue from my accountabilibuddy Solunaria here and say that I have learned several things about myself during this challenge.

 

1. I do NOT do well with calorie counting. It's always something I've wanted to step away from at some point, and I guess now is as good a time as ever. I become too overwhelmed when trying to figure out exactly how much of something I've eaten so I can accurately measure calories, and I respond by not logging at all! Perhaps I will try simply logging WHAT I eat during the next challenge without paying attention to calories.

 

2. If I'm going to be successful in these challenges, I need the accountability of logging in my battle log each day and my challenge log at least each week. This means I need to get over my need for pretty colors some days so that I can just do a simple log from my phone...

 

3. I need to start my Academy training over and go back to fixing my mindset. I am still far too easily knocked away from my goals when small setbacks hit, and I don't seem to be able to maintain control of my hunger urges just yet. This tells me that something psychological still needs work, and perhaps my BIG WHY isn't big enough...

 

and FINALLY

 

4. I really need to step up my social game! I've noticed that both on the forums and in real life I have a hard time empathizing and showing support, even though I can recognize when it is needed. This will come with time and practice, so I'm going to try to work on just being encouraging to anyone I can find during the next few weeks leading up to the next challenge, as well as during the next challenge.

 

 

Okay, now for the objective analysis of my challenge... *cringe*

 

A​ttribute Points Allocation

 

​*Based on # of successful days out of the total # of challenge days*

 

Goal 1: ​Drink 2L of water each day - 16.28% (F) = + 0.16 CON

 

​Goal 2: Walk 5,000 steps each day - 23.26% (F) = + 0.23 STA

 

​Goal 3: 250 Caloric deficit - 4.65% (F) = + 0.05 CON and + 0.05 CHA

 

​Life Quest: Read 15 minutes each day - 23.26% (F) = + 0.23 WIS

 

*​I'm not super proud of how I did on my goals, but I am proud of myself for finishing the challenge and not giving up completely. I WILL be back for the next challenge and I WILL do better on my goals. If that means that next time I get D's instead of F's, so be it. I'm going to be better today than I was yesterday and I will continue to make small adjusted improvements where I can *