LadyShello; from Ogre to Wonder Woman

[Shello]

I recently followed someone else's lead and made a plan for 2016. These are the goals I want to accomplish during the year.  They are intentionally not SMART goals.  All of my challenges in 2016 will be aiming for the goals laid out here by setting smaller SMART goals along the way.  This will serve as a dedicated place to keep track of my progress.  

 

So here are my goals for 2016

Or you can jump right into 2017

 

1.    Get weight under 200, even better 180, or bf under 25% 

      a.     Stabilize meals.  I've gotten into the habit again of weekly variances.  They tend to be big variances that undo all the work I've done and I end up trying to outrun my fork.  I need to incorporate smaller variances more often rather than have big variances.  Other than birthday dinners and a few holiday dinners, I would rather be evenkeel with eating

      b.    Follow macros but adjust as needed to fit fitness plan

            2.    Badassery.  It's time to level up again. 

      a.     Conditioning.  There are three events in 2016 that I will be specifically training for.  

                 1. GoRuck in July

                 2. 5K in August

                 3. HammerRace in October.

      b.    Strength.  I need to make this a priority.  It will help me lose the rest of the fat, reach BAMF level, and help prepare for my events. 

                 1.  Start some lifting with the barbell.  I've put it off too long and let my anxiety increase.  

                 2.  Work on pushups.  I can barely do a regular pushup.  I want to move from incline pushups to real pushups and be able to do a least a set of 25.

                 3.  Pullups.  I would feel pretty badass if I could do a single pull up by the end of the year.

             3.    Be the Best Me

      a.    Read more.  Fiction, non-fiction, classics, anything.  

      b.    Keep a clean house, routinely.  

      c.    Be anti-fragile.  Be Smart, don't get injured. Don't forget the stretchy bits.  

                              d.    Balance - basically mentally anti-fragile.  relax, be kind to myself and others, be positive, and be productive.  

 

This

 

 

to this

 

 

to this

 

[Shello]

I'm copying this over from my challenge so it's easily accessible during the summer...

 

Summer vacation is almost here.  The kids have 1 more week of school.  This usually means we have less evening responsibilities and should have more free time.  I always envision having all this free time and then 12 weeks from now I'll be frantically getting the kids ready for school again and I will have wasted the summer away... So I started thinking about what I want to accomplish and how I want to spend the summer.  

 

There are officially 12 weeks of summer.  My brother is coming for a visit in a couple weeks to see Peach's dance recital, LordShello and I have our anniversary in a couple weeks after that, I am visiting my mom for her 60th birthday mid-summer, then the GoRuck in Winnipeg is a couple weeks after that and I'll also get to visit my dad on that trip, then the annual family trip to the MN State Fair (though that is technically after school starts here).  Apart from those festivities, I want to maintain my gym schedule and I should have just enough time to hit Onederland if I can stay diligent through the summer. Although setting deadlines for weight goals backfire for me so that is just a general statement, not a goal.

• Our gym has an outdoor pool so I'd like to actually spend more time at the gym but tack on some quality family time at the pool.  
• I also want to learn to knit though I am thinking I might not start too many projects until school starts up again because...
• I also want to work on a crazy quilt (like this and this).  
• Organize the garage (Inspired by Snarky)
• Get the lawn in order
• Spring Clean the house
• Prep for Fall's class so I don't feel so burdened during the semester!  

I'm sure I won't have time to get all that done but making the list helps me see what I want to do and how to make decisions about my time.  I really want to spend the summer focusing on things that make my life calmer during the year, quality time with family and friends, and some hobbies that I never have time for.  

[Shello]

It's time to wrap up 2016.  Let's face it, at this point, if I haven't done accomplished it now, it's not going to happen.  2016 was not the best year; the worst year since NF but I still accomplished a few things.   

 

The 2016 Goals:

 

1.    Get weight under 200, even better 180, or bf under 25% 

      a.     Stabilize meals.  I've gotten into the habit again of weekly variances.  They tend to be big variances that undo all the work I've done and I end up trying to outrun my fork.  I need to incorporate smaller variances more often rather than have big variances.  Other than birthday dinners and a few holiday dinners, I would rather be evenkeel with eating

      b.    Follow macros but adjust as needed to fit fitness plan

 

Not only did I not get my weight below 200, I put more weight on.  The good news is that it's not because I couldn't get a handle on variances and calorie goals.  I think I developed a good system that allows for variances, gives me enough energy for lifting, but keeps me in an overall deficit.  My issues with following the plan lie elsewhere.  

 

             2.    Badassery.  It's time to level up again. 

      a.     Conditioning.  There are three events in 2016 that I will be specifically training for.  

                 1. GoRuck in July

                 2. 5K in August

                 3. HammerRace in October.

      b.    Strength.  I need to make this a priority.  It will help me lose the rest of the fat, reach BAMF level, and help prepare for my events. 

                 1.  Start some lifting with the barbell.  I've put it off too long and let my anxiety increase.  

                 2.  Work on pushups.  I can barely do a regular pushup.  I want to move from incline pushups to real pushups and be able to do a least a set of 25.

                 3.  Pullups.  I would feel pretty badass if I could do a single pull up by the end of the year.

 

I performed poorly at the 5K.  The GoRuck was cancelled but I wasn't ready and it caused a lot of anxiety.  I couldn't make it to the HammerRace but I didn't feel ready.  Not feeling ready for these events and then not being allowed/forced to follow through with the anyway to prove myself or just fail and come to terms with it had a huge effect on my inner critic.  I've always had a problem being hard on myself but I had a lot of trouble at the end of the year and I think it all started here.  Then between fueling the fire of my inner critic and no longer having something to train for I really lost track of what I was doing and why I was doing it.  I hadn't realized it until now but I think this has been my problem the last couple months.  

 

On the positive side, I did start lifting and I really love it.  I did some work on pushups and pullups.  I can just do a proper pushup but not many.  I can not do a pullup yet but I made some progress on assisted pullups.  It didn't help that I gained weight this year.  

          

   3.    Be the Best Me

      a.    Read more.  Fiction, non-fiction, classics, anything.  

      b.    Keep a clean house, routinely.  

      c.    Be anti-fragile.  Be Smart, don't get injured. Don't forget the stretchy bits.  

      d.    Balance - basically mentally anti-fragile.  relax, be kind to myself and others, be positive, and be  productive.  

 

A little progress was made here.  I only wanted to read more. I haven't been reading much in recent years.  This year I finished 1 book; mission accomplished.   - well, except for that last short story that I just wasn't that interested in.  I also started reading the Golden Compass books from my Read it or Ditch it bookshelf.  

I don't necessarily keep the house tidy routinely, but I did a lot of decluttering using KonMari and this has helped.  I haven't necessarily been more productive but I'm more organized.  I found a system to help me keep track of what I need to do and I can easily incorporate FlyLady house cleaning tasks.  My weekly tasks list also got an upgrade with the bullet journal I started this month.  

I lost a little ground in being kind to myself and being mentally anti-fragile but this has moved up in priority and I'll continue to work on this into next year.  

 

My thoughts on 2016 are that I tried to tackle too much, or tried to do things before I was ready.  I don't need to be in a hurry to do all the things.   I'll be addressing this with my 2017 Roadmap and picking myself up and trying again next year. 

[Terah]

You might not have done all the things you've wanted to do. But you stayed here at NF, you kept coming back. That's a win!

[Shello]

I have been mulling over my 2017 Roadmap all month.  It's gone through a ton of revisions but it comes down to keeping it simple and keeping my eye on the prize.  

 

Time to go Back to Basics

1. Onederland, look good Naked. I need to lose the weight.  I know how to do it; I just need to do it. 

Timeline: I'll be focusing on this goal the entire year.  Measurements taken at the beginning of the year and the end of year with quarterly progress reports.

How: Food and training.  I'm almost at a 365 day streak on MFP though there are a couple handful of days that weren't logged or not logged completely.  I will continue to         log food and follow appropriate food goals during my challenges. 

I need to get back in the habit of training and training specifically to lose some weight and get leaner and stronger.  Exercise can be anything I enjoy but I'd like to have at least 30 minutes of moderate activity 4 days a week. 

 

1.5. Reign in my inner critic.  It just gets in the way and is never really helpful. 

Timeline: I'll focus on this more for the first quarter and then keep an eye on it the rest of the time. 

How: I'll try some value statements and positivity goals.  

 

2. Events.  I have 2 events planned this year.  I have a 5k in August and the HammerRace in October.  I need to spend plenty of time to train for these and follow through with both of these. 

Timeline: I can't wait until that last minute to train for these so I'll start training for the 5k in spring, followed by incorporating hammer training shortly after.  

How: I'll stick to lifting at least 2x a week for strength and then I have an incremental plan for cardio.  Rucking is a great way to increase cardio intensity and it works well in cold weather.  Once it warms up enough I'll start a running program.  I saw someone use something other than C25K but I've forgotten who it was and I forget the guy who developed the training plan.  It's based on determining your 1 mile pace, I think, and then keeping your pace at your level while increasing the distance.  I'm sure there was some speed work too.  I'll keep shovelglove as an option during the winter and keep hammer training as an integral piece of the training plan all year.  

 

3. Sleep.  I perpetually need more sleep.  I'd like to get to the point that I can wake up without the alarm on a work day.  Just once.

Timeline: I'm sure this will take all year.  I'll work towards it progressively.  

How: I have lots of bad sleep habits and I'll tackle them one by one.  I hit the snooze too much, I watch TV in bed, stay up too late, and drink too much caffeine late in the day. 

 

4. Be more Present.  I'm an introvert and I like my alone time.  But sometimes in my quest for enough 'me' time, I neglect time with my family.  I want to work on being a better wife and mother by being more present and spending quality time with my family. 

Timeline: This may not be a part of every challenge but i'd like to work on different habits during the challenges and build from one to another.  

How: Habits I'll be incorporating are having dinner at the table, date nights, 'yes' days with the kids, one on one time daily, and any others I think of along the way.

 

5. Finances.  2017, the year of austerity.  I seem to always be taking more money out of savings than I am putting into it.  This is the year we buckle down and cut unnecessary expenses. The only spending exception is the list of projects we will be doing to prep the house to be put on the market. 

Timeline: This is a year long project but the goals for each challenge will change.  I'll spend some time setting up a system and then just trying to stick to it.

How: My spreadsheets need upgrades and I'll initiate some tracking mechanisms or resort to dedicating some time weekly to monitor spending.  

 

6. Carryover from 2016

    A. Declutter - I did a lot of decluttering in 2016 but there is so much still to do and getting ready to sell our house is the perfect time. 

    B. Tidy house - keep working on incorporating FlyLady into my weekly and daily life.  

 

TRACKING

I really like the idea of tracking my successes over and above the challenges, from day to day, but I hate the additional tracking.  In order to track my successes over the course of the entire year without having to actually 'track' it all, I'll be "Playing the Bank".  Beginning Jan 1st, I'll rate each day according to whatever goals are in place at the time and use coins to score the day.  The highest score for meeting all goals is a quarter, hitting most of the goals is a dime, a half-assed day gets a nickel, and a day that I don't meet any goals due to extenuating circumstances gets a pity penny.  No money awarded for a shit day with no excuse.  I'll add up the money at the end of the year.  A perfect year would $91.25.

 

In addition to this monetary tracking, I'll be using money to award weight loss. The following goals have a monetary award assigned to it that will be added to the year's money pot.

_ Get below 240 - $5.25

_ Get below 230 - $8.25

_ Get below 220 - $10.25

_ Get below 210 - $15

_ Get below 200 - $20

Grand total for meeting all goals is $58.75.  The money can only be awarded once so hitting a goal, gaining weight and then hitting it again does NOT count.  

Total potential kitty - $150.  I'll get to use whatever money is in the kitty at the end of the year on anything I want for myself.  

[Shello]

For Tracking Purposes....

 

Total Kitty Award Pot: $6.00

(Last updated): Jan 31

 

January Kitty: $6.00

 

[deftona]

Yeah! Let's kick 2017 in the boobs <4

[Terah]

Sounds like a solid plan. And I love the kitty jar!

[Shello]

13 hours ago, deftona said:

Yeah! Let's kick 2017 in the boobs <4

Let's kick it everywhere it hurts!

 

9 hours ago, Terah said:

Sounds like a solid plan. And I love the kitty jar!

Thanks!  

[Shello]

I updated the rewards for the kitty jar so that it came to an even $150 possible for the year.  

 

I've placed an order for an actual Hello Kitty bank to use for the kitty jar. It's still 2016 so my spending is unchecked though I did get a super cheap bank. It's basically a tin can with HK on it.  

 

My goals for next challenge are ready to go and they address all major elements of the Roadmap.  

 

2017 better be ready.

 

[Shello]

2017 has started.  Beginning weight is recorded and it was kind of mortifying.  That's OK though, it just increases the potential for loss in 2017, also now known as the DFG method.  I embrace it.  I haven't take any measurements other than the weight yet but I should get to that tomorrow.  Speaking of tomorrow, the first challenge of 2017 starts tomorrow.  

[Snarkyfishguts]

HI!!!!! Following along!!

[Shello]

January Update

1. Onederland, Status: Progressing

My goal for the year is to lose about 1 pound a week.  I'm hoping some weeks will go really well and they'll just make up for some weeks that don't, like holidays and vacations.  

January actual loss - 4.2 pounds, average went down 4.3 pounds.  Right on track.

 

1.5. Reign in my inner critic.  Status: Progressing

I am really happy with the progress made in January.  I feel like I even developed this into a habit.  More like an autoimmune response, as soon as I notice negative self talk, my brain has been automatically jumping into affirmations and visualizations.  This has helped to shut down a lot of negative self talk.  Take that inner critic.  You suck. 

 

2. Events.  Status: Pending 

 

3. Sleep.  Status: babysteps

I have done a decent job with the first bad habit.  I still drink too much diet soda but I have done an excellent job managing the late night consumption, even on weekends.  My sleep is probably poorer than before but at least there is one less contributing factor. However, this is one of those habits that I know I can revert back to my previous habits in the span of 1 weekend. This will require much diligence. 

 

4. Be more Present.  Status: Progressing

This turned out to be even more difficult than I thought due to my new schedule but it's even more important now that I am so busy.  I am choosing to not squirrel away on my own a little more even beyond the goals. 

 

5. Finances.  Status: Progressing

OK, we totally overspent in January.  But I have much better data about where we overspent.  It doesn't help that LS has his birthday in January so there were gifts plus celebratory funds spent and then my birthday is tomorrow.  I trialed the YNAB app and really liked it.  There are still some things I am trying to figure out but after a complete month I am sold.  I do have to pay for it though.  

 

6. Carryover from 2016 Status:Stalled

I haven't done any of this but I did enlist the family to do a power cleaning weekend since I have been too busy to keep up with things.  We had a family meeting about how to better share these duties. Not much came of the meeting.  LS is in denial or is not much help.  

 

 

[Shello]

On 12/25/2016 at 9:10 PM, LadyShello said:

For Tracking Purposes....

 

Total Kitty Award Pot: $6.00

(Last updated): Jan 31

 

January Kitty: $6.00

 

January earnings consisted of:

5cent days x2

10cent days x 9

25 cent days x20

 

*Keep in mind that I judge this a little more harshly than my challenge goals.  Of those 9 days only earning a dime, 1/3 of them I actually achieved all my goals but it was merely by a technicality.  

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

I seee a lot of progress!!!

[Shello]

February Update

1. Onederland, Status: Losing ground

I lost some ground over my birthday/Weekend 0 and struggled to recover.  I regained some of the ground but not all of it.  It's amazing how easy it is to undo progress.  

 

1.5. Reign in my inner critic.  Status: Pending

I haven't been actively doing much on this goal but I don't feel like I've lost any ground either.  

 

2. Events.  Status: Pending 

 

3. Sleep.  Status: babysteps

Still working on the diet soda habit.  It has not gotten out of hand yet.  

 

4. Be more Present.  Status: Stalled

I'm continuing with the progress I made in January but I don't really have any more time to give.  I plan to include more activities once I get some free time back.  

 

5. Finances.  Status: Progressing

We overspent less in February and we are more aware when we do so.  Still learning bits and pieces of YNAB but I love it and it is changing how we handle our money.  

 

6. Carryover from 2016 Status:Stalled

The house is currently a disaster.  I haven't put much time into it and not much is being done by others to pick up the slack.  I feel bad pushing others to do it when I am not participating. 

 

 

 

[Shello]

I guess it's been awhile since I've taken stock of my progress ad updated here.  I've continued to work on many of these goals despite the lack of an update.  Others haven't fared as well but with the end of the year on the horizon, it's time to fill in some gaps. 

 

October Update

1. Onederland, Status: Losing ground but starting to recover

This has continued to be difficult for most of the year.  I recently had an epiphany that attributes this difficulty with a problem of priorities and attitue.  My bitterness at myself for gaining weight back has clouded my judgment.  I have started to lose some of the regained weight in the previous challenge and I feel optimistic that this continue throughout the year.  However, my shift in focus no longer makes this the top priority.    

 

1.5. Reign in my inner critic.  Status: Improving

My inner critic hasn't been an obvious bane I'm sure it was still part of why I was holding on to the bitterness.  I've also started meeting with a counselor so I can start to work through some of my deeper issues about my self esteem and acceptance.  This is ongoing and will continue through the rest of the year.

 

2. Events.  Status: Completed

I did not sign up in time for the 5k and I was fine with that as I was focusing my training on the HammerRace.  Of course, training for the 5K would have helped me a lot in the HammerRace.  Lessons learned and all that.  Regardless, the HammerRace is now complete.  I did poorly but I survived.  

 

3. Sleep.  Status: Losing ground

I have regressed on my diet soda intake and not addressed any of my poor sleep habits.  I am running out of time to meet this goal so it will need to be a focus on the remaining challenges.

 

4. Be more Present.  Status: Improving

This went really well over the summer to the point where I no longer defaulted to time on my own.  It has been really difficult since the school year started though as we are busy All.The.Time.  I will need to think on new strategies here.  LS and I have also started some therapy together and that has been and will continue to help on that front. 

 

5. Finances.  Status: Progressing

My intent here was to use this year as a year of austerity and data gathering.  Then I could use next year to implement a better budget to keep up on track.  However, the summer was anything but austere so I stepped up the timeline.  We used the data from Jan-Sept to come up with a complete, though tough, budget to follow.  Now the trick is sticking to it.   

 

6. Carryover from 2016 Status: Restructured and Ongoing

This improved over the summer but I still haven't completed the decluttering (is one ever done decluttering?) and have not developed a system to help with a tody house.  However, we have taken on a number of projects in the house that will prompt some additional decluttering and give some of the rooms a fresh look.   

 

[Shello]

November Update

1. Onederland, Status: Turning a corner

Onederland, Schmunderland.  I just want to finish the year less than when I started... or as close as possible.  This will have a new look in the 2018 Roadmap. 

 

1.5. Reign in my inner critic.  Status: Improving

Still meeting with my counsellor and planning to work through some unresolved issues that certainly play a role in my inner critic.  This is a slow process but it's good to have a clear plan.  

 

2. Events.  Status: Completed

I did the thing.

 

3. Sleep.  Status: Completed

I did this thing too!  Now it's time to feed the habit.  

 

4. Be more Present.  Status: Improving

Overall, I've hit a wall here but I am where I want to be.  Currently working on getting the rest of the family where I am.  Also started couples therapy which has helped in this arena too.  So much work being done! 

 

5. Finances.  Status: Completed

For all intents and purposes, this goal is completed for the year.  It will, however, be making an appearance in the 2018 Roadmap with a new focus.  

 

6. Carryover from 2016 Status: Completed

I'm calling the goals leftover from 2016 as completed as they will ever be.  Home improvement projects are in the works which indicates a transition into the 2018 Project: Tidy House. 

 

2017 was supposed to be the year where I turn everything around from the disaster of 2016.  I had hoped the actual turning around part would have gone quicker and I could have moved on to more progress.  But if it takes an entire year to turn things around it's better than not turning things around at all.  Overall though, I am pretty happy with where I am on the roadmap.  Most goals have either been completed or retooled.  Two of the remaining are a work in progress with only Onederland as a goal unattained.  I've already diagnosed the issue with this goal and it should have been focused on positive habits, rather than a number all along.  There is just a little more time left of 2017 and I plan to use it to just keep moving in the right direction on the remaining items and I will get done what I get done.  The 2018 Roadmap is in the works and should be shared sometime during the next challenge.  Huzzah!  

[TGP]

Did you end up being able to do a pullup?

:curious

as thats def an epic goal.

 

 

[Shello]

On 11/24/2017 at 3:20 PM, TGP said:

Did you end up being able to do a pullup?

:curious

as thats def an epic goal.

 

 

I did not.  2016 was only epic in it's disappointments.  I decided to put that goal on hold until there was a bit less of me to pull up.  

[Shello]

December Update

I have no December update.  Today is the last day of my final challenge of 2017.  The status of all of my 2017 goals has remained the same as the end of November.  Overall this was a pretty successful year.  I completed most of my goals for the year.  I didn't get any closer to Onederland and I still gained a tiny bit of weight this year, but mostly I maintained.  Compared to last year I am perfectly willing to accept this and take it as a sign of turning things around in the right direction.  

 

 

And now I anxiously await 2018.....