Call me Boots: A Journey of Firsts

[Boots610]

Welcome to my very first post on the NF boards.  Let me preface this entire thing by saying that I am a woman who loves comfort.  Anything that makes me "feel" good and comfortable (usually the familiar) is what I am most likely to do.  Eat, binge watch shows on Netflix, binge read a series of books, build Legos with my 5, almost 6 (she'd never let me hear the end of it if I didn't tell you all that she's almost 6) year old daughter... you know?  All things that are sedentary and generally not complicated.  Well, that lifestyle has officially gotten me to a point where I am uncomfortable.  I have many reasons that led me to Nerd Fitness a little over a week ago, but the proverbial straw that broke this camel's back was a trip to a theme park where there were a few rides that I was nervous to get on because I wasn't sure my "trunk" was going to fit, and a disturbing situation in which the ride operator actually had to count the number of clicks on the safety bar to make sure that it was tight enough and I wouldn't fly off the ride.  Kudos to the operator for making an awkward situation not feel completely humiliating, but it was enough of a wake up call to make me Google "fun ways to exercise" first thing on Monday morning.  And wouldn't you know it...  Nerd Fitness was the top result.

 

Being the creature of habit I am (notice that "binge" was listed in two of my activities above, and should have probably been listed on the other two), I have been on Nerd Fitness daily soaking up as much information as I possibly can to motivate myself to break bad habits and form and solidify good ones.  My first day, I did the Angry Birds Workout during lunch.  It kicked my butt, and I was sore for a couple days, but I was excited.  I've started to focus on my diet (reducing pasta and bread, another first for me), and have done 3 strength training workouts in the last week (you guessed it, another first).  So when I entered the NF boards yesterday and saw that a new challenge was starting up next week, I decided to give it a go.  I read through most of the other "Recruit" posts (Hi everyone!), and decided that if I was going to "challenge" myself, I might as well document it and join in with everyone else.  This is another first for me.  I am typically a very quiet, reserved person.  I rarely speak around people I don't know, and not very talkative even when I do know you.  I used to say that I'm anti-social, but I don't think that label really fits.  I'm just quiet... usually.

 

Enough back story...  here is my main goal for this challenge:

 

** I want to fit comfortably into "that" pair of jeans in my closet.  At some point they did fit me comfortably, I just can't remember when.  I can get these suckers on, if I jump around the room while pulling them up and then lay down on the bed to zip them, but then I walk like the Mummy without joints.  It's rather comical if you ask me, but I do value breathing, so I can't wear them for very long.  So that's the main goal.  Here is how I plan to attack it:

 

1. Walk to/from my car to work everyday.  I work in a large metropolitan city, and parking is scarce.  My car is parked one mile away from my jobsite, and my walk to work is mostly uphill.  The day after squats, I must look ridiculous trying to motor up that hill.  You're welcome drivers.  I'm sure I made at least a few people start their day with a laugh.  FYI:  The walk back to the car (downhill) at the end of the day hasn't been a picnic either.

 

2. Breakfast will not contain any grains or other starchy foods. Bye-bye pancakes, bagels, hash browns, cereal, and all other things that had a starring role on my morning plate...

 

3. Strength train three times per week with gradual progression in difficulty.  I'll be moving up from the Recruit workout and starting Bodyweight Workout 1 next week and progressing steadily from there.

 

4.  No dessert until Thanksgiving, and then maybe one medium slice of pumpkin pie.  Now this is a monster one for me.  We have family dinners at my cousin's house every week, and it always includes dessert.  Last night I turned down berry cobbler and mango sherbet.  Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.  And I typically don't limit dessert to family dinner night.  Dessert is a regular visitor at my house.

 

5. No soda or fruit juice for the entire length of the challenge.  This one shouldn't be too hard, but I still think it's important.  Caffeine does weird things to my body, so I cut that out over a year ago, but I occasionally have a non-caffeinated soda, and I've been known to polish off a carton of juice or two.  (Yes, I am that woman that drinks straight from the carton while standing in front of the fridge.  Don't judge.  You know you've at least thought about doing it before.)

 

I think that should give me enough of a challenge for the next few weeks.  Enough to keep it interesting so I won't get bored, and not so hard that I get discouraged.  I've got a pretty good support system at home.  The husband has lost over 100 lbs over the last couple years (WOOHOO!!), and the little one never runs out of energy or reasons for me to get off the couch.  The dog is not much help, but she's 11, and sleeps most of the day, so she gets a pass.

 

Anyway, that's me and my quest in a nutshell.  Lots of firsts, which is very uncomfortable, but the kind that don't make my skin crawl.  It's a good level of discomfort.  The kind that has hope and promise. Haha...  cheesy clichés over.  Good luck to all my fellow recruits.  We can do this!

[Valere]

You're right, we do sound alike. Different, different, but same. I wish you the best for the challenge ahead!

[Mr_Willes]

My tips to you:

 

- Enjoy your first challenge, it's "magical".

- check in regularly and post your progress, especially when it's not going all that well, hopefully this won't be the case often

- check in on others and cheer them on, the favor will be returned!

 

Believe me you can turn completely around, it felt like you were describing me:

 

I am typically a very quiet, reserved person.  I rarely speak around people I don't know, and not very talkative even when I do know you.  I used to say that I'm anti-social, but I don't think that label really fits.  I'm just quiet... usually.

 

 

This is like describing me IRL, though i have changed a lot the last year, much of it due to confidence. But ask around here, i bet no-one will see me like a reserver quiet person

 

HAVE.FUN!

[ScarletFyre]

Good luck with your first challenge!  You can do it!  

[Blaidd]

Oh so many things to say.  Firstly I love you - your personality is so stunning and it just shines through in your writing.  Secondly, congrats to your hubby, what an amazing job.  Thirdly, a whole bunch of firsts - well freaking done!!!  It's nice here out of your comfort zone, I promise. @mr_willes, has great advise, so take it

 

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]

Excellent challenge, goals, and most of all... Welcome!

[Boots610]

First few days down.  I survived Halloween with absolutely no candy.  My daughter turned 6 on Monday, and I managed to not eat any birthday cake.  So far, so good.  I struggled last night at family dinner at my cousin's house.  We had spaghetti and garlic bread.  I'm trying to limit my grain/bread intake as well as the goals laid out for this challenge, and had managed to only have bread once in the week leading up to it.  So my inner voice was thinking, "Oh what the heck?!  You've been soooo good lately and you'll get right back to it tomorrow.  Another helping won't kill you!"  I looked at my husband and told him that I was having trouble not grabbing another helping of spaghetti.  He put his dirty plate on top of mine.  HAHA!!  Solved that problem.  So thanks to Hubby for averting a potential crisis.  When I got home from family dinner I was so tired, I contemplated just buying lunch today instead of bringing home cooked food.  Enter Hubby to the rescue again.  He got up to do the dishes and made it not so bad for me to cook.  After he was done, he hung out in the kitchen until I was finished so I didn't feel like I was missing out on tv/couch time. 

 

So far, so good in this challenge.  I've been walking to/from work everyday, no grains at breakfast for over two weeks now, exercise regiment is strong, no dessert, and no soda/juice.  My clothes are starting to fit a bit looser too.  FYI:  I noticed a huge difference in the way I felt after a dinner of all carbs.  I felt famished and lethargic.  I'll have to remember that ugly feeling the next time I want spaghetti.  Lots of love to all my fellow recruits.  Stay strong!

[Sylvaa]

Birthdays make challenges so hard! Way to stay away from the cake.

 

It's great that your husband is being so supportive - I know how much that helps keep momentum going!

 

Keep up the great work!

[InPursuitOf]

I hope you sing "These boots were made for walkin', and thats just what they'll do...one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you..." at EVERY opportunity!

[Jormungand]

It's great reading about all the progress you've made. Keep up the momentum you've got built up. If only we could find a way to remind our bodies how we feel after certain meals to make it easier to avoid them in the future. But it sounds like you're doing a great job already. Nicely done.

[annyshay]

Anyway, that's me and my quest in a nutshell.  Lots of firsts, which is very uncomfortable, but the kind that don't make my skin crawl.  It's a good level of discomfort.  The kind that has hope and promise. Haha...  cheesy clichés over.  Good luck to all my fellow recruits.  We can do this!

Welcome to the rebellion!!!  This attitude will carry you SO FAR!!!

 

I looked at my husband and told him that I was having trouble not grabbing another helping of spaghetti.  He put his dirty plate on top of mine.  HAHA!!  Solved that problem.  So thanks to Hubby for averting a potential crisis.  When I got home from family dinner I was so tired, I contemplated just buying lunch today instead of bringing home cooked food.  Enter Hubby to the rescue again.  He got up to do the dishes and made it not so bad for me to cook.  After he was done, he hung out in the kitchen until I was finished so I didn't feel like I was missing out on tv/couch time. 

 

Especially with such a supportive hubby!!!

 

I'm one of the assassin ambassadors.  We're the shiny sparkly guild full of kittens, body weight workouts (like angry birds), and all sorts of other ninja hijinks.  If you have workout questions especially moving forward, we have a sweet phonebook that can hook you up with people working on similar stuff.  Check it out!

 

 

Also, if you want more gifs... the Den is full of them and full of delightful chatter on all manner of topics.  

 

We have a thread for recruits that may want to grow up to be assassins over here.  As well as a guild info/FAQ thread.

 

Plus we'll be dropping in now and again to cheer you on.  Keep up all the awesome firsts!!!

[Boots610]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support!  This challenge is proving to be an amazing experience.  I feel stronger already and my clothes are starting to feel looser.  I haven't had any breads/pasta since last Tuesday with the "spaghetti" incident.  Continuing to walk to/from work daily, no grains at breakfast, strength training 3x a week (that bodyweight workout 1B kicked my butt last week), no dessert, no soda, and no juice.  Still staying strong.  I'm also not weighing or measuring myself until the conclusion of this challenge.  The scale has always been my nemesis, so I decided to ignore it for a while.  Hubby is really excited to see the progress in quantifiable means, although he says he can tell that I've lost weight so far.  The little one only knows that I'm not eating bread and dessert, so I have another person watching, which makes it easier for me.  She also got Just Dance for her birthday, so we've been dancing around the house together.  It's pretty silly, but she's having a blast and it's getting me off the couch.  Good stuff!  Hello to all my fellow recruits!  Keep up the great work!

[Valere]

Good work!

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

I salute to you for resisting the candy and Helloween and your kids birthday. Sounds like you have a great support system.

[Boots610]

I tried on "that" pair of jeans in the back of my closet over the weekend, and to my surprise they actually fit comfortably.  I wore them all day Saturday without feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable.  I'm super excited, but I also need to come up with a new goal to keep me motivated throughout this challenge.  I'm still not weighing or measuring myself, so I don't want my goal to be based on either of those criteria.  Clothing is a good evaluation tool for me, so I have decided to try to lose enough of my "extra" self that I should buy new clothes by the start of the new year.  My work attire is starting to get a bit baggy already, but I just roll the pants at the waist and it's not too bad.  The last thing I want to do is buy a ton of clothes during this process.  I realize that going from my current size to my ultimate goal size will require some clothing purchases along the way, but I'm really tight with my money, and I don't want to spend an excess amount on clothes that will hopefully only fit me a month or two.  So between sporadic new purchases and tailoring my current clothing along the way, I should be able to do this without going completely berserk.

 

I actually started this lifestyle change about two weeks prior to the challenge start date, so I am very pleased with my progress so far.  I struggled a bit last week.  I wanted to eat more than I should, but I managed to overcome that desire.  I can honestly say it was because of this challenge and knowing that I would need to report in on my progress that kept me from having unhealthy foods.  Thank you for holding me accountable.  This process has been very rewarding and special.  Thank you to everyone that is following along.  I appreciate your support.  Congrats to everyone else that is participating in the challenge.  We're two weeks in.  Only four more to go.  Keep up the great work!

[Boots610]

I struggled yesterday.  I haven't had any dessert in about 5 weeks.  I think I ate too much salty food, and I was craving sweets as a result.  I started drinking more water, did some stretching and then played Just Dance with my daughter and it helped to even things out a bit.  It was hard.  It didn't help that the hubby bought an apple pie at the market yesterday and then ate it... in front of me.  But I maintained my composure and managed to stay on track.  So far so good.  I went hiking on Saturday morning, an activity that I love.  The hills were crazy, but it felt good to get back out there.  My daughter went with me, which made for extra adventure because some of the hills were pretty steep and she was scared to walk down.  But we made it, and she wants to go every week.  So that's a win in my book.

 

Updates on individual mini missions:

 

1.  Walk to/from work has been fun, and I actually look forward to it now.  My legs don't feel like they're on fire anymore when I get to my office, so I must be getting stronger.

 

2.  No grains for breakfast.  100% so far.  I feel better and fuller longer with this new breakfast approach.  I occasionally miss bagels and French toast, but for the most part, it's been okay.

 

3.  Strength training 3x per week.  I have chosen to do this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during my lunch break.  I have progressed from having to pause halfway through squats to being able to do them consecutively.  My pushups have progressed from against my desk to against a chair that is lower.  I'm almost ready to move to knee pushups.  And I've been working on my flexibility as well.  A long time ago I was a dancer and gymnast, so I was very flexible then.  I'm working on getting back to that level of flexibility.  Yesterday I was able to do splits on my right side, and the left was pretty close.  And I'm almost back to being able to sit on the floor in a straddle position and lay forward completely flat.  I maybe have another couple inches until I can touch my nose to the ground.  I'm super excited about this.  It didn't take too long at all to get it back.  It's been about 20 years since I was able to do that.

 

4.  No dessert!!  This has been the hardest so far, but I have managed to keep at it.

 

5.  No soda/juice.  So far so good.  I had one cup of herbal tea about a week ago, but other than that, it has been straight water.

 

So I am pleased with my progress.  Three weeks into the challenge and I like the results.  I am excited and nervous to take measurements and weight at the end of the challenge.  I'm not sure that I'll weigh myself.  I have felt so much happier without that component in this journey as compared to other attempts.  We'll see.  I'm still on the fence about it.  I hope everyone else is having a great time.  We're halfway through!!

[annyshay]

Your flexibility is amazing... I can't do those things yet!

 

Strong strong strong work on avoiding grains, desserts, and sugary drinks.

 

*high five*

[Lady Hawk]

Sounds like you're totally on the right path! Great progress so far!! Congrats on getting into "that" pair of pants already awesome to see success without looking at numbers! Kudos!! Excited to see where you'll go next.

[Mr_Willes]

You are having a killer challenge. Really strong, some temptations are to be expected but they were dealt with accordingly. Tipping my hat! Keep going strong, week 4 is the hardest week, get through this, and it will be smooths sailing to the end of the challenge.

[Boots610]

I survived Thanksgiving, and I'm fairly proud of my restraint.  I ate an extra small piece of pumpkin pie so that I could enjoy a small portion of a dessert my cousin made.  I did my strength training routine on Friday, and for the first time in a long time I was able to complete knee push-ups.  Woohoo!!  I've hit a bit of a struggle though.  I've got the flu and movement is harder.  I managed to walk in to work today, and I'll definitely walk back to my car (rather than ride the bus), but I think I'll skip the strength training workout.  I'll just have to be extra diligent on the food intake until I feel a bit better.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel well enough to make up for my missed workout. 

 

I found jeans on sale over the weekend and bought two pairs in smaller sizes.  I went in thinking I would get one size (expecting that I would be able to get them on, but not zip them).  Turns out that size already fits!!!  So I got one size smaller, and then two sizes smaller than that.  It's my motivation.  And with my aversion to buying clothes, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to get two pairs for less than the price of one normally.  I look at it this way...  I now have clothes to challenge myself to fit into for the next Nerd Fitness challenge!

[annyshay]

Rest up. The flu is no joke. You are doing amazingly well! You will get right back to it when you're 100% again, no doubt.

[Boots610]

I managed to get in my workout yesterday.  Immediately after I had some regret because I was exhausted and a little shaky.  But toward the evening I actually started to feel better than before the workout, so I'm happy I did it.  I'm still tired and sick, but I'm powering through it and trying to stay on track.  Walks to work in the morning are hard right now because the air is cold and it sometimes hurts to breathe.  I'm doing my best to bundle up.  We'll see how it goes.

 

I'm pretty sure that I will not be weighing myself at the end of this challenge.  I do plan on taking photos and measurements for extra reassurance, but quite honestly, I feel great just based on how my clothes are fitting.  I don't see any additional benefit from stepping on the scale at this point, so I'm going to skip it.

 

Thank you for the words of encouragement and support.  It is much appreciated.

 

I had to cut myself some slack for my actions over the past few days.  In addition to the mini quests that I listed here, I've also been trying to eat a mostly paleo diet.  On Sunday night I started beating myself up a little bit because I had dabbled into the bready carbs a bit too much over the weekend.  I did refrain from eating them at breakfast, but I was including them in lunch and dinner, and I was upset with myself.  Then I remembered that being too strict on a specific diet is what ultimately leads me back to devouring an entire bag of chips and then chasing it with a package of cookies.  So I ate a bowl of leftover stuffing without guilt and got right back to the diet on Monday.  It was liberating to have that internal conversation and feel like I overcame the obstacles.  I can have a meal that isn't perfectly nutritious and not beat myself up.  Crisis averted.

[Lady Hawk]

Sounds like great progress Boots610!

 

Good for you for not beating yourself up about the perfect eating. Quite honestly, that can be hard to avoid, but when you're working as hard as you are, a minor slip now an then shouldn't crash you. Also, it's better for you mentally (those internal conversations can get more mean conversation you'd have with another person sometimes! so good catch!)

 

So glad that you're seeing such a change in how your clothes are fitting. The scale is purely a measurement device for specific reasons (namely lbs or kg) but it's not the only one. Measurements and photos are a superb alternative! In fact, a lot of places recommend that over the scale. So go for it!! I believe there's also a topic here (and in your profile) where you can post progress pics if you want. Lots of options for accountability

[Boots610]

I worked out again yesterday.  It was the first time that I mentally struggled through the whole thing.  Not sure what was going on, but I was just not feeling it.  I got through it though, and today I am happy that I accomplished it.  I was able to complete all three sets of my knee pushups.  It wasn't easy and I had to take mini-breaks in the middle, but I did it.  I am so happy.  Arm strength has never been a strong point for me, so these improvements are monumental.

 

I've also been thinking about activities that I want to try once I get a bit smaller and stronger.  So far on my list I have stand-up paddleboarding and horseback riding.  There was one other thing that I was thinking about as I was going to sleep last night, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was.  I'm hoping to use these activities as incentives for reaching certain milestones along the way. I'm truly enjoying this challenge and the results that I am seeing.  Only one week left.  I'm excited to take measurements and photos to see quantifiable results.

[Elastigirl]

Awesome job at maintaining consistency and working out when you didn't feel like it. Love your idea of thinking of activities that you will enjoy more once you are stronger