Lilith’s Epically Epic Quest (AND GOATZ)

[Lilith]

A new year guys! And a shiny new Nerd Fitness! I love you guys so much, and I love how Steve has a book now (I want to get it somehow) and just squeeee! Everything will be amazing!

 

You guys know how last challenge I conquered the Parisian life superhero style. This challenge is going to be even more epic, in fact, it is going to be the ultimate epic. The reason I joined NF was to lose weight. I found I had other goals too, that were at that time more important to pursue. See, I succeeded to lose weight before  coming here, and then took it too far, and then got too hungry and started binge eating. Eating is a finnicky, tricky thing for me. So I got fat again. And then it was more important to impose some sort of normal on my nutrition again. I could not diet or count calories, it would be so easy to become too obsessive again!

Now I feel confident that it is time to take another step. A new chapter. The chapter in which I WILL lose weight. In fact, being in Paris already made me lose ~2kg so far. So I’m already going in the right direction! But this is going to be the first challenge in a while where I will have a food goal!

I DEFINITELY need some mental support for this, so I picked my spirit animal. GOAT THEME FTW!

So goals! 

* Note for food: I go with the idea that lunch is 'free'. So I can make all the unhealthy choices I want. It's because we eat out for lunch at the lab so I have little control, and it keeps me sane too. Also, with social control I would never binge or do anything weird. The lunch is also free of the hunger scale, because we eat when we eat, again not much control. 

 

1) Follow GMB Paralettes 1. Grade will be percentage of compliance to the schedule, so missing workouts will decrease my grade. Will pass at a minimum grade of 60%. 

 

2) Food: Hunger Scale. 

 

1. Empty. Feeling faint or sick because you are so hungry, as if you haven’t eaten for days. You will eat anything.

2. Starving, your stomach is growling. You are easily irritated and edgy. Ravenous. You can’t ignore your hunger and everything looks good and sounds good to eat.

3. You are hungry, you feel a little low on energy and are slightly uncomfortable. Your stomach is growling and you have hunger pangs.

4. You feel slightly hungry but signs and symptoms are manageable.

5. You feel neutral, neither hungry nor full.

6. You are satisfied but could easily eat more.

7.You are feeling full. Stop eating or don’t start eating yet. You won’t be hungry for hours.

8. Feeling too full, a few too many bites. You don’t want anything else to eat.

9. Uncomfortably full, bloated, stuffed and uncomfortable.

10. Overstuffed, painfully full and may even feel sick. You never want to look at food again.

 

If I manage to stay in the green range I get 10 points per day. If I go in orange I will lose 1 point per time I reach orange. If I reach red I lose 5 points per time I reach red. 

 

Clarification on lunch is free: I mean that I have no control over when I have lunch. So I might dip into 'too hungry' before I go. This will not be counted against me. However, I will still strive to comply to the hunger scale when eating lunch, so no overeating! 

 

In the weekends, the hunger scale IS used for the lunch, but the food choices are still free. 

 

3) Healthy food choices. This is subjective, but I think it will still work. I will grade myself 1-10 on my food choices. (again: lunch is free) and I will average into weekly grades. Then for the final grade I will average all the weekly grades and it should be at least a 7 to pass. 

 

[Mad Hatter]

Your approach to weight loss sounds really healthy and you're going to do great. If you keep up the walking I don't think you'll have much to worry about and you'll shed the excess weight quickly and healthily. 2 kg already is awesome! How much do you think you have to lose now?

 

Cheering for you as always! 

[lucky fire dragon]

seconding that. Keeping up the walking will keep a great momentum going for you. And 2 kg is a lot!

 

Love your way of observing measurably enough without too strict regulations that would make eating "technical" instead you are basically training your body to show you better what it needs, when it needs it.

 

Also sooooooo excited for the parallettes program, squeeeee

 

Cheering of course 

[Lilith]

Awwww thank you Mad Hatter! I'm really glad to know you think it sounds healthy (very important, I really want to do it right this time) and that you also think it will be effective! For sure I move a lot here and paralettes will be very hard too so I'm sure all that activity will make it easy for me to lose some weight! 

 

Yesss I'm super happy I already lost 2kg! That's about 1kg per month which is great. I'm not going for fast, I'm just going for 'the right direction' and progress. 

 

I weigh approximately 73kg now (so I weighed 75 when I left the Netherlands to start my internship) and 63kg would get me in the upper range of a healthy BMI. So for now that is my goal. When I'm there I'm probably already super happy, but then I can re-evaluate. It also doesn't mean that my Paris weightloss goal is to lose the remaining 8kg. Sure, I would LOVE if that happens. But if I come back to the Netherlands and I weigh less (in a stable fashion) than I weigh now, then I'm already satisfied. (secretly, if it's only 1kg I would still be disappointed I want to get out of the 70s for sure) 

[Lilith]

Yay lucky fire dragon! Super stoked to have you on board aswell! I think I will start the first paralettes workout tomorrow night! (usually it would be morning but the first morning after holiday I'm pretty sure I don't want to get up too early )

[lucky fire dragon]

I started losing weight from 73 kg on (I think it was sometime in summer 2014 not sure) and am now down to 64 kg (yayyy). Even had 62 in between but then it went up again and I am not all that upset about it because the 64 kg seem a good enough base. Would like them to be a little more toned around the abs, of course but then who wouldn't...

 

For me it also went about a kilo per month or even less, but consistent and it is such fun to watch that magic happening.

As relaxed as you are on it, it will work even better AND you can already feel good now

[Terah]

Subbed for optimal epicness. 

I really like how you scaled hunger signs.

[KB Girl]

Ohh! I know how epic this is for you. So awesome you're facing those demons And that hunger scale seems like exactly the right tool. Very excited and curious to see how it goes! 

 

Also P1! yay! 

[SymphonicDan]

Ooh, subbing once more

[annyshay]

OOOooooooh.  I thought you spirit animal was kittens, but... okay.  Gymnastic Goats it is!!!

 

 

I also like your food plans.  Small, manageable, non-triggery changes for the win!

[tinkerer]

Looks like you have a good plan outlined for the eating portion of your challenge. Smart of you to not penalize yourself for parts of the day over which you have limited control. Will the lunch exemption be in place over the weekends?

 

Here is a goat watching your challenge from afar:

[obax]

I'm excited to see The Continued Adventures of Lilith in Paris. You've got a fine set of goals there too! And I like you hunger scale thingy, I may have to steal that. I'm generally not too bad at not eating unless I'm hungry (and a little less good at stopping when I'm full) but having that as a reminder and as a target would be helpful.

 

Oh, and also, goats. I love goats.

[Elastigirl]

Love the hunger scale idea.And goats. Well, actually I hate goats. When my son was little he always wanted to go to the petting zoo, and the stupid goats would attack us  He'd be in his stroller and they would try and chew on it

[Lilith]

I started losing weight from 73 kg on (I think it was sometime in summer 2014 not sure) and am now down to 64 kg (yayyy). Even had 62 in between but then it went up again and I am not all that upset about it because the 64 kg seem a good enough base. Would like them to be a little more toned around the abs, of course but then who wouldn't...

 

For me it also went about a kilo per month or even less, but consistent and it is such fun to watch that magic happening.

As relaxed as you are on it, it will work even better AND you can already feel good now

You did incredible weightloss too! And it's very nice to know that the slow and steady approach works. I think it's much nicer that way than really focusing on say losing 1kg a week because basically you push yourself to be continuously hungry then... Which is what I used to do and clearly that doesn't work. Making yourself miserable for prolonged periods of time doesn't do you any good in the end. 

 

Subbed for optimal epicness. 

I really like how you scaled hunger signs.

Thank you! I cannot claim to have scaled the hunger signs, if you google hunger scale it's apparently a thing. Someone smart made that. I just looked at a few (how the stages are described varies slightly) to mix and match the most appropriate and clear signs in my opinion! 

 

Ohh! I know how epic this is for you. So awesome you're facing those demons And that hunger scale seems like exactly the right tool. Very excited and curious to see how it goes! 

 

Also P1! yay! 

Yes. Yes very hard. I was thinking about it for a while but to make the step and put it in my challenge was hard. It means I will talk to you guys about food often, and if I have a bad day (which is probable) I will have to talk about that too. Lots of shame involved for me with eating. But I am a much stronger person now than I was, and I think also wiser and less harsh on myself. So it's time. 

 

Ooh, subbing once more

<3 <3 <3

 

OOOooooooh.  I thought you spirit animal was kittens, but... okay.  Gymnastic Goats it is!!!

 

 

I also like your food plans.  Small, manageable, non-triggery changes for the win!

Hahaha amazing gif! My spirit animal is definitely a kitten (who doesn't love sleep and cuddling?!) but I thought I could branch out and use the power of all of the animal kingdom. Every animal has a lesson, is it not? AND GOATS! They are so cute squeeeeee! Thanks for liking the food plans. I actually really value your affirmation because the whole food aspect does make me nervous. 

 

Looks like you have a good plan outlined for the eating portion of your challenge. Smart of you to not penalize yourself for parts of the day over which you have limited control. Will the lunch exemption be in place over the weekends?

 

Here is a goat watching your challenge from afar:

This is a very good question, and warrants an update to the main post. So I thought about it. Definitely the hunger scale exemption is gone. I have full control over when I eat lunch. The healthy choices one...

 

What do you think? I mean, I can still eat a tiny non healthy thing anyway because I only need a 7 out of 10 per day. 

 

I'm excited to see The Continued Adventures of Lilith in Paris. You've got a fine set of goals there too! And I like you hunger scale thingy, I may have to steal that. I'm generally not too bad at not eating unless I'm hungry (and a little less good at stopping when I'm full) but having that as a reminder and as a target would be helpful.

 

Oh, and also, goats. I love goats.

I think the hunger scale will prove to be a valuable tool! GO GOATZ

 

Love the hunger scale idea.And goats. Well, actually I hate goats. When my son was little he always wanted to go to the petting zoo, and the stupid goats would attack us  He'd be in his stroller and they would try and chew on it

Thanks Elastigirl! And omfg wow I agree some goats can be quite the bitches hahaha and see, the pic you post explains why goats are the perfect spirit animal for me  

[tinkerer]

This is a very good question, and warrants an update to the main post. So I thought about it. Definitely the hunger scale exemption is gone. I have full control over when I eat lunch. The healthy choices one...

What do you think? I mean, I can still eat a tiny non healthy thing anyway because I only need a 7 out of 10 per day.

It seems like the easiest would be just to have the exemption on work days but weekends are also for fun (especially in epic Parisian quests) so different guidelines might be appropriate. From my own experience, if I don't define things from the start then I claim "full exempt!" and ignore all of my intended plans.

[Mad Hatter]

I'd say just stick with the hunger scale on the weekend lunches. If you do then even if you eat something unhealthy you'll still stick to the implicit calorie count. Besides I claim that a small unhealthy thing is healthy for the mind. Like how could you not try the amazing chocolates and pastries available in Paris? Just make it count.

[Lilith]

Yeah tinkerer and hatter, you guys are right. Definitely hunger scale, and then lunch will still be 'free' in healthy choices. Of course I will still try to not be crazy if you know what I mean! 

[Jittersthe.Clown]

 

Along for the ride to watch you kick some major butt, Lilith.  

[Lilith]

YEAH!

[Lilith]

Week 1 Monday

Paralettes 1 done.

Plank pushups 4 sets of 5 reps

Quality Rating = Broken

Ease Rating = Max Effort

Keep sets and reps the same

 

Front dips 4 sets of 5 reps

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Solid

Increase either sets or reps.

 

Plank Hold 1 set of 30 seconds

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Solid

Increase either sets or reps.

 

Tuck Hold 1 set of 15 seconds

Impossible

Quality Rating = Broken

Ease Rating = Max Effort

Keep sets and reps the same.

 

Mountain Climbers 4 sets of 5 reps

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Solid

Increase either sets or reps.

 

In case you find the above too boring: PARALETTES IS FUN AND HARD AND FUN AND HARD OMFG! So I can’t do a tuck hold. Not even for a nanosecond. How do I work on it if I can’t even seriously hold it? Any ideas? It feels like my arms are too short and of course that’s not true but that’s what it feels like! I’m great at dips! And bad at pushups! Both those things are not news to me. I’M GOING TO GET SO STRONG THIS IS AWESOME!

 

Hunger Scale + Food Choices.

I monitored what I ate and took some random points in time to rate myself on the hunger scale.

6:43 - 4

Right after this breakfast: apple + raw nut mix with coconut and dried pineapple.

7.05 - 5

7.55 - 6 (LOOK AT THIS, SATIATION OVER TIME OMG)

10:52 - 4 or 5 (wasn’t sure, this is kind of hard in the beginning)

12:40 - 3

After the 3 lunch: chinese rice and roasted chicken and a clementine.

After lunch - 7

15:33 - 6

17:30 - 5

18:44 - 4

Right after above I ate one clementine

After above I felt - 5

18:50 - 4

19:50 - 4

Right after above I ate 4 crabsticks and a red beet salad, and two pepernoten (bitesized Dutch treats, usually you’d eat a bowl as serving)

20:15 - 6

21:20 - 5

 

I’d say I did good for the first day! So I got a 3 on the hunger scale before lunch, which I can ignore because I wanted to get lunch sooner but couldn’t. But hey, that was in the rules. After lunch however I was too full, so for that I get one point less. So I get 9 points (out of 10).

 

For the food choices I also get a 9 (out of 10) because I made very healthy choices today. The breakfast especially was really nourishing, delicious and healthy! (again, the lunch is free so even though chinese rice is not the healthiest, it’s fine and doesn’t count for this goal). The reason I deducted 1 point is because I did eat two pepernoten, with zero regrets. Only one point, because it’s a tiny portion (really seriously tiny) and this is great. I only need to get 7 points per day on average, so yay, well above average! Good start!

[raptron]

EEE! Goats! The best! 

[battlescars]

 

Yaaaaay! Great start! I love the way you're breaking everything down. That hunger scale is such a good idea! You're gonna rock this challenge, for sure

[KB Girl]

Maybe your p-bars are a little low to the ground? then you'd have to tuck very well to get the hold done. But we get plenty of girls at the gym that simply can't do paralette holds. We start them off assissted by their toes.

Great first day!  

[shaar]

I love your food scale!! I usually vacillate between a 2 and 6. XDDDD

 

[SymphonicDan]

How do you do the front dips? Do you raise the parallettes? Are you touching the floor at all or just

 

Also that workout is all intensive for the push muscles around your shoulders. Push-ups somewhat, but especially dips and planks. I think you were tired by the time you got to the tuck hold. Maybe next time, try it first after warming up when you're fresh. Then do the push-ups, dips and plank, probably in that order.