Fiddle: Do More and Be Less!

[fiddle-on]

Right now, I'm 92% of June-me. I'm using weights that are significantly lighter that I used in June, I'm running shorter distances, and I lost 8% of my bodyweight since June. This is all due to a combination of ill-health, good tracking, and a resolve to not binge on junk food.

 

By the end of this challenge, I want to weigh less and be more fit than I was at the end of June.

 

The details:

 

Exercise:

 

• Get back to doing 2 kettlebell strength classes a week. This is my ongoing challenge for the year. I had to take July off for health reasons, although I was still doing 1 easy class after the first really bad week.
• Zombies Run 5K. I did the tutorial/introduction yesterday, and plan to do the first run either tonight or Monday. Ideally, I run 3 times a week, but I'll be satisfied with 2. I'm going to try to do this in the mornings.
• Find places for other exercise. It's easy to bike or walk to work, the park, the grocery store, etc. If a trip is under 3 miles, I want to at least think about walking or biking it instead of driving.

 

Diet:

• Track what I eat.
•  Eat 1500-1800 calories per day, with more for when I'm burning over 500 calories in workouts.
• Max of 300 calories total desserts. Less is better, fruit only is best.

 

Other

Cleaning:

I got out of the habit last challenge. That needs to change.

• First thing when I get home from work, I need to spend 10-15 minutes cleaning every day.
• First to do: Clean off my desk so I can use it again!

 

Self-enrichment:

I want get back to writing more.

• Clean my desk so I can use it again. Yes, I know I've mentioned this twice.
• Find some software to deny myself the internet for a set period of time.
• After cleaning, sit down and write for 30 minutes.

[Elastigirl]

Congrats on the weight loss! That is super hard when you are feeling well and can't exercise as much. Looks like a great challenge

[fiddle-on]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 0:05 PM, Elastigirl said:

Congrats on the weight loss! That is super hard when you are feeling well and can't exercise as much. Looks like a great challenge

Thanks. I actually lost a little extra because I had no appetite. Glad to finally be better. 

[fiddle-on]

Day 1:

 

Weight: I'm currently at 157.4 by the scale, but it's been rising fast for the past few days. I think it's closer to 156.4 without bloating. I'll find out later this week .

 

Exercise: The problem with a small studio gym is that the owners occasionally take time off. They're on their annual vacation this week, so it's closed. Instead, I'll be doing Zombies Run on 4 days, and the hour long workout I'd normally be doing in the gym on 1 day. I'm giving Simple and Sinister a try on my run days and see how it goes. I ran Day 1 yesterday, and Day 2 today. These are fairly easy for me, but it should be a good way to build up slowly and avoid shin splints. Tomorrow I'll be doing a kettlebell workout.

 

Cleaning: My desk is still only half clean, but the rest of the apartment looks better.

 

Writing: I still can't reach my laptop, so I haven't .

[fiddle-on]

Work is crazy, and it's starting to wear me down. My boss is getting a lot of pressure for our main project, which means I'm getting a lot of pressure. A month ago, we had 3 people doing basically what I'm doing, but one of them is on a 2 month trip to India, and the other just left for a new job. I'm not doing 3 people's work, but I would be if I was doing everything that should be getting done.

 

Diet:

I ate too much yesterday. I started out fine, but then when random pastries appeared at work, I had 2. I'm estimating at around 700-800 calories, and I had a large lunch (salmon salad with feta and bread on the side, ~700 calories.)  Breakfast was normal, and dinner was just a couple ounces of chicken to keep me from waking up in the middle of the night, and I was still well over my calorie count.

 

Exercise:

I was supposed to do a long strength workout yesterday, but I ended up doing Simple and Sinister kettlebell workout instead because I was so tired. The great thing was that I did 10x10 2 handed swings with a 12 kg bell in 4:58, so I'm going to start working towards that with 1 handed swings. I'm using a 20 pound dumbbell for the getups, but I think I'll up that to 22.5 because I did 5 per side in about 8 minutes even, and it was pretty easy. I was using the 12kg bell back in June, and I think I'll be back to that sometime next week.

 

This morning I did ZombiesRun 5K workout 3, the last run of week 1. I was able to run nonstop the entire final 10 minutes.

 

Cleaning. Playing catch-up here, but the living room is looking livable again.

[DarK_RaideR]

Sounds like the work madness is taking its toll. Willpower is a finite resource, so don't beat yourself up too0 hard for any slips. On the other hand of course, that's no excuse to let everything slide!

[fiddle-on]

My weight had been sitting immovably around 157 for the last two weeks. It FINALLY started dropping again. I went from 156.8 to 155.4 in one day.

 

Dieting has been up and down. I felt like crap from Thursday to Sunday and ate accordingly, especially on Sunday. But even on the worst day, I was still less than 1,000 calories over maintenence. I was just feeling really down, and when I feel like that, I tend to overeat junk food because it makes me feel physically ill, so I feel better about feeling emotionally ill. But I only did that 1 day out of 4, and even though I still felt depressed on Monday, I ate well, and now I'm starting to feel better.

 

Exercise: Last week my gym was closed. I was supposed to do an hour long strength session one day, but it didn't happen. I did do shorter sessions on 3 days, and ran 5 days. I'll be starting week 3 of Zombies Run 5K tomorrow, and I'm happy enough with my running that I'm going to contact a local running club again. I e-mailed them last month, but since I couldn't run for several weeks, I didn't actually go to their Monday Fun Run.

 

Cleaning: When I was depressed, I wasn't really doing anything more than dishes every other day. I've picked up my bedroom a bit, but I'm not really doing well at reestablishing the habit.

Writing: No.

[fiddle-on]

I went for a run yesterday and today. I'm really liking the get up and run at 6:30 AM thing. I just did a full 3 miles, mixed running and walking, in 45 minutes. Zombies run is way more fun than just going out on my own. I love the Doctor's encouragement - she's always so cheerful when she's telling me I just need a few minutes or seconds more. It's like having my personal cheering section over the headphones.

[Elastigirl]

Glad you are feeling better and outrunning the zombies.

[DarK_RaideR]

The more I read about this Zombies!Run thing, the more I think about giving it a shot. If only I didn't despise running so much. Except trails. Trail running is awesome.

[fiddle-on]

3 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said:

The more I read about this Zombies!Run thing, the more I think about giving it a shot. If only I didn't despise running so much. Except trails. Trail running is awesome.

 

 I agree, trail running is so much better than streets. I'm not even sure why it feels so different, but I never need music or distractions if I'm on a trail. But if I want more than a quarter mile of trails, I have to drive 20 minutes. In the game, most of your running is done in abandoned cities or in the woods, so trails could add an element of realism . Just don't get eaten out there. 

[DarK_RaideR]

On 1/9/2016 at 4:51 PM, fiddle-on said:

I agree, trail running is so much better than streets. I'm not even sure why it feels so different

For me, because of the scenery, the incline change that's more common than on streets, as well as the different terrain that keeps you interested/focused on where your feet go. I can zone out while running on the street, but trail running keeps my mind engaged.

[fiddle-on]

I haven't been posting much (or at all), but I've been pretty consistent about diet and exercise despite stuff going on in my life. I'm on week 5 of ZombiesRun! 5k, and have been strength training at least twice a week, every week. Since week 1, I've lost about a pound. I was hoping for more like 2 pounds, but when I go out with people, I struggle to eat under maintenance.

 

I'm signed up for a 5K on Saturday. With Zombies run, I've run about 1.5 miles non-stop, and done 3 miles in 45 minutes (run, walk, and knee lifts) without being strained. I did a race 5 years ago, so this is technically my second, but really, it's more like my second first 5K. I'm going to try running all of it, but really, I'll be very happy if I beat 40 minutes, and thrilled if I beat 35.

 

I haven't been cleaning or writing much at all, although I did spend one weekend getting my living room into reasonably good shape, and I've been doing my dishes every day or every other day.