Theophilus Does A One-Eighty

[theophilus]

After rejoining my beloved scouts last challenge, I’m ready to up my cycling mileage and see if I can finally get my food game to “click.” I know I’ll have to reevaluate my goals next challenge to account for a medical procedure on Aug 18, so I really want to get the food stuff under control.

 

Quest 1: 180 Miles

I started began cycling to work last month, and I am smitten. I’m going to continue cycling this challenge, mostly because I have no choice. I log anywhere between 9 and 11 miles each weekday commuting, so after four weeks I should have 200 miles. I’m figuring in two days for weather-related excuses.

 

A+: 200+ miles

A: 180 miles

B: 160 miles

C: 140 miles

F: <140 miles

 

Quest 2: (Not) 180 Pounds

I had a good 28-year run of nary a weight concern in the world, but my metabolism has reached the point where it won’t keep up with my free-wheeling eating choices. I’ve cracked 170 lbs for the first time in my life, and I’ll be damned if I reach 180. To reverse course, I’m focusing on eating well in addition to exercise, and realizing some minor weight loss this challenge.

 

2A. Inputs: 180 servings 

I’ve always done better at achieving than denying, so rather than focus on what I can’t eat, I’m going to pour my energy into what I can eat: veggies and fruits. Over the course of this challenge, I will consume 6-7 servings of fruits or veggies per day, for a total of at least 180 servings.

 

A+: 200+ servings

A: 180 servings

B: 160 servings

C: 140 servings

F: <140 servings

  

2B. Outputs: Flip the scale 180

The ultimate goal here (ok not the ultimate, ultimate goal, but the sub-ultimate goal) is to reverse the weight gain and start losing some of the extra pounds. My fighting weight is really in the 150-155 range, and I'm sitting pretty (word choice?) at 172 right now. I don’t want to do anything extreme, just average 1 lb per week.

 

A+: 5+ lbs

A: 4 lbs

B: 3 lbs

C: 2 lbs

F: <2 lbs

  

Side Quest: 180 Points

Conquering the LSAT has been my ongoing side quest since the start of 2016. A perfect score is 180. Fits nicely, right? I’ve covered a lot of prep material and now is the time to get back to full length prep tests. My goal this quest is one full prep test per week with blind review and drilling problem areas. Basically, this means doing a test timed. Then going back untimed on any questions I’m not 100% certain on before I score the test. After I score the test, I’m able to tell if it was an issue with knowing the content (missed timed and untimed) or just a timing issue (missed timed, but correct untimed). Then I’ll practice those types of problems throughout the week to get better at them.

 

A+: 5+ tests with BR

A: 4 test with BR

B: 3 tests with BR

C: 2 tests with BR

F: <2 tests

 

GPA Rewards: (I clearly have an unhealthy obsession with school)

4.0+: New running shirt or cycling jersey

3.5-3.99: New book

3.0-3.49: Everyday carry keychain

2.5-2.99: Ice cold pint

< 2.49: You get nothing!

 

Points Scaling:

A+: 4.33 pts

A: 4.0 pts

B: 3.0 pts

C: 2.0 pts

F: 0.0 pts

[Basement Cat]

Following! Good luck!

[theophilus]

Bonus challenge: Extra 0.1 points to final score (e.g., 3.6 becomes 3.7) for each successful quest in week zero, starting today.

[theophilus]

4:30 wake-up today to log some extra miles before work. Rode 8 miles, it was so refreshing to get out before the sun got hot. Then I did yoga at the gym, lots of warrior, lots of legs. So much sore. I die.

[Basement Cat]

Good job, Theo! These days you definitely have to go out before the sun, otherwise you just get broiled. 

 

Keep it up!

[Princess Pineapple]

Good luck!

 

With your rewards, is it cumulative?  If you got to four will you get the pint, the book, the keychain and a new top?  I think you should.

[theophilus]

19 minutes ago, Princess Pineapple said:

Good luck!

 

With your rewards, is it cumulative?  If you got to four will you get the pint, the book, the keychain and a new top?  I think you should.

 

I thought about it... I'll definitely get the pint! I'll have to consult the budget boss to see if I can get the rest. Haha.

[charlomechfry]

Awesome looking challenge!!

Now let's get those 180's!

[theophilus]

Today was good. I got a good ride in this morning despite running a bit behind. Shorter ride this afternoon to meet up with the wife and kids at the library. I was diligent about tracking fruits and veggies and got a full 6 servings. Capped off the night with 5 practice LSAT logic games, just missed one question I inadvertently skipped. Oops!

[theophilus]

Awesome looking challenge!!

Now let's get those 180's!

Thanks!

[Princess Pineapple]

Well done on your day.  Do you have a long term goal with the LSAT?

 

[Erick the Red]

The plan to eat lots of vegetables is a good way to replace high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.

 

What kinds of veggies do you like? 

 

Do you have a plan to prepare/package them to make it easier to eat throughout the day?

[theophilus]

9 hours ago, Erick the Red said:

The plan to eat lots of vegetables is a good way to replace high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.

 

What kinds of veggies do you like? 

 

Do you have a plan to prepare/package them to make it easier to eat throughout the day?

 

Yeah, that's the plan. I usually like to target "grab-n-go" fruits and veggies that make it easier to incorporate them throughout the day: apples, celery, carrots, cucumbers, raw broccoli. I really like mixing fruits with a little protein, whether it's a slice of cheese, some almond butter, maybe some hummus. Adds a bit of excitement.

[theophilus]

10 hours ago, Princess Pineapple said:

Well done on your day.  Do you have a long term goal with the LSAT?

 

 

Thanks! Yeah, at the end of the month I'll be registering for the September test. I'll be studying consistently until then, doing 1-2 prep tests per week (more as the day approaches). I'm aiming for at least a 175 on the test. So far, I've had one prep test at that level out of the 6 or so I've taken, so it's all about getting more consistent at this point.

 

I want to apply this year start law school next fall (2017). The career goals after that are either public interest law or (if I'm crazy lucky) teaching law. It's all pretty high-stakes though. I have a good, steady job already (that I hate, I may add...) and two young kids, so this would be a major life change for our family. And since law school almost always necessitates a large amount of debt, I need to get into a tippy-top school to have a good shot at a good job afterward.

[Pavowski]

I love a challenge with a theme. Good luck!

[MaladroitGrounder]

3L here.  First, love your challenge! Second, if you have law school/lsat questions feel free to get in touch! I also lived in the real world for a while before going to law school, so I know the fear/excitement! 

[Princess Pineapple]

22 hours ago, theophilus said:

 

Thanks! Yeah, at the end of the month I'll be registering for the September test. I'll be studying consistently until then, doing 1-2 prep tests per week (more as the day approaches). I'm aiming for at least a 175 on the test. So far, I've had one prep test at that level out of the 6 or so I've taken, so it's all about getting more consistent at this point.

 

I want to apply this year start law school next fall (2017). The career goals after that are either public interest law or (if I'm crazy lucky) teaching law. It's all pretty high-stakes though. I have a good, steady job already (that I hate, I may add...) and two young kids, so this would be a major life change for our family. And since law school almost always necessitates a large amount of debt, I need to get into a tippy-top school to have a good shot at a good job afterwards.

That's amazing.  I wish you all the luck in world.

 

My eldest goes to university in the Autumn.  He gets a Government loan for the fees and a small amount for living expenses but that won't cover half his accommodation so we will have to fund it ourselves.  So expensive.

[theophilus]

29 minutes ago, MaladroitGrounder said:

3L here.  First, love your challenge! Second, if you have law school/lsat questions feel free to get in touch! I also lived in the real world for a while before going to law school, so I know the fear/excitement! 

 

Thanks! You can bet I'll be PM'ing you before too long!

[theophilus]

28 minutes ago, Princess Pineapple said:

That's amazing.  I wish you all the luck in world.

 

My eldest goes to university in the Autumn.  He gets a Government loan for the fees and a small amount for living expenses but that won't cover half his accommodation so we will have to fund it ourselves.  So expensive.

 

Yeah, it's pretty unreal. I was able to work my way through grad school to keep the loans down, but law school seems to be a completely different story. Best of luck to yours--It's an exciting time!

[theophilus]

Mixed results so far today. I did some more LSAT practice last night and made decent progress on a few tougher areas for me. I'll be doing my first PT in months tomorrow or Sunday. Really interested to see how I score.

 

Things are going well on the eating/exercise front as well: got my usually commuting miles in today. I checked MapMyRide this afternoon, and I've logged 175+ miles since starting cycling a month ago today. Pumps me up even more for hitting 180 for this challenge. Lunch was kind of off the wagon today, as the work cadre decided to get enchiladas. I never say no to enchiladas. This put me behind on my fruit/veggie count for the week.

 

BUT, I weighed in this morning, and though it could just be natural fluctuations, I was down a pound and a half from last week. Wahoo! We'll see where we are next week.

[SaltyDragon]

Great challenge. Following for the awesome cycling.

 

...and enchiladas!

[theophilus]

Good morning, scouts. Totally fell off the wagon over the weekend. Baseball game, birthday parties, etc. etc. etc. = FOOOOOODDDD. After eating and drink too much last night (who does that to themselves on a Sunday?!?!), I rolled out of bed this morning, got on my bike, and told myself, "Dammit, Theophilus, you got this." Here we go: week 1.

[charlomechfry]

You Got This Theophilus!!

 

Don't be discouraged by life's curve balls. They don't stop coming. Your going to fall off that wagon a thousand more times, just a matter of catching up and getting back on.

 

Great job keeping up the good fight!

[Princess Pineapple]

You are damn right, you've got this!  

 

[theophilus]

Stayed up late last night to do a prep test, as our weekend got a little out of hand. Scored 171. I'm really quite happy with my score, all things considered. I'm a little perplexed by how poorly I did on the Logic Games section, went -5, which is a lot lower than I expected. I'm going to go through the games again today to see where I went wrong. However, the silver lining is that LG is the section most easily mastered, so with some practice, I'm confident I can improve there. If I can get to -0 on that section, I'd have scored a 177, which is killer.

 

Rest of the challenge is going well. Cycling is on track for the week. Got 4 servings of veggies yesterday, and 4 so far today just through lunch. I've added a Google Sheets Spreadsheet to track my progress this challenge.