What is the one thing we say to negativity?

[fastergrace]

 

Hey fellow rebels. I'm fastergrace, at your service. 31 years old. NYC transplant, fantasy and sci-fi reader, Whovian, baker, gamer, and lover of fine food and indie music. I'm respawning today, and one of the things that I believe will keep me on track is having a place to post regular updates on my progress.

 

Today is a big day for me, because it's the day I start my journey to my new strong and stealthy self. So far so good, I ate a relatively healthy breakfast (egg whites, strawberries, turkey sausage) and lunch (chicken tenders, broccoli rabbe). I wrote up my first four week challenge. Tonight I have a work event with (free!) drinks and food after, so it will definitely be the first of undoubtedly many struggles to stick to my goal of limiting myself to a limited number of lower calorie beverages and not eating all the bad for me food.

[fastergrace]

All right. I could have done better at the work event. I went off the rails and had a couple of beers, and definitely could have eaten healthier food instead of the passed hors d'ourves they served. I stayed out way too late, too. Next time, I'm sticking to my guns. I know I can do better. I'm picking myself up and dusting myself off.

 

On a positive note, even though I felt awful coming in to work this morning I resisted the temptation to go for a breakfast sandwich or a container chock full o' tater tots. I ate my go-to reasonably healthy breakfast, and drank my black coffee. That's a win for me! I'm also excited to bring my brand new yoga mat home and do my bodyweight 1A (and afterward to crawl into my cozy bed and watch a few episodes of Luke Cage). 

[Allie_the_Oracle]

Not today! 

 

A breakfast sandwich after a evening of drinking is the best so I feel your temptation, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

 

[fastergrace]

Yesterday was definitely a better day. I stayed within my calorie goal (1700 on MFP), I drank plenty of water. I didn't do my bodyweight 1A as I'd originally planned. That's okay though because instead, I did NF Yoga! I bought it ages ago and haven't done any of it, so it seemed like a great way to break in my brand new yoga mat - which I really love, by the way. I got an extra thick one and it saves me from killing my knees on my hardwood floors. 

 

I watched the introductory video and did the Water Series A workout. My poses (especially those that involve any semblance of balance) could definitely use some work. I think I will pick up a set of yoga blocks to help me modify the poses until they get a little more comfortable for me. Yoga is something I could totally just roll out of bed and do, so I think it will be a really excellent supplement to the bodyweight workouts. Oooh, and bonus - my session last night ticked off a several of the NF Yoga quests and now I'm level 2!

 

[fastergrace]

Yesterday was a rough day. I was feeling achy and had a nasty headache all day. Today, the sniffles - something's definitely taken up residence in my sinuses. Ugh. Here's hoping the good ole' immune system can put up a fight.

 

Despite feeling gross, I still attempted the NF Yoga Water Series B before I went to bed. Oooeee, it was harder than the A session for me. I am going to go get myself some yoga blocks this weekend. Now I can say for sure that I definitely need them. I've taken plenty of yoga classes in my day, and I never realized how much blocks would really help me hit the poses properly until I did the NF Yoga.

 

I went over yesterday's calorie intake, but only a smidgen (19 calories), so I'll take it. Tonight is another battle of my own will as I'll be at a drinks thing for a friend - it's his last day at his current job. I am planning to take a rest day as I'm feeling a bit sore after last night's yoga, so today is all about eating well and watching that alcohol intake tonight. Alcohol. Is. Liquid. Calories.

[fastergrace]

Alright. Friday night was a disaster. I overate. I drank too much of the wrong things. I'm not impressed with myself. It's so hard to stop myself from going back to these self-indulgent habits. Saturday was better. I didn't get up to much, but I stayed within my calorie limits. 

 

Today, I'm out of the slump. I've been productive. I got up, got laundry done and did the NF Yoga Water Series A session. It's the first day of my challenge, too. So far so good!

[LydiaJaybird]

Respawns gotta stick together!

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[fastergrace]

12 minutes ago, LydiaJaybird said:

Respawns gotta stick together!

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Yesss! We can do this. 

[fastergrace]

I'm starting my quests off from the beginning in the Academy, again. Part of that is writing up my Big Why, and putting together my goals. I'd like to share them here. 

 

** My Big Why **

When I see photos of myself, I don't like what I see. I know the person in those photos isn't the best person I could be, and it depresses me. I know that I have the power to change that. I want to feel confident. I want to feel bad-fucking-ass. 

 

** My Goals **

* I will sleep at least 7 hours at least 6 days a week

* I will exercise three days a week, without fail

* I will weigh a healthy 140-150 pounds

* I will stop over-consuming food and alcohol

* I will eat a mostly paleo diet

 

 

[Salinger]

Following along, i relate to seeing yourself in photos, its not nice when you dont like that person

 

Great goals, you can do this!!!

[fastergrace]

Monday wasn't a bad day, despite the fact that I was feeling a bit sniffly. I skipped the gym as I wasn't feeling my best, but I ate reasonably well. I'm pretty sure it was the spicy vegetarian Szechuan tofu (nom nom nom) I had for dinner that helped clear me up - I'm definitely feeling less gross today.

 

This morning I was naughty and had a cupcake - my coworker bought in a mound of sweets leftover from Halloween. Ugh. I need to learn to say no to these things. Maybe I'll keep some squares of dark chocolate in my desk to help fend off temptation for worse things. Oh well, at least I went for my go-to breakfast (egg whites, turkey sausage, strawberries) and I already ordered a nice kale salad to pick up for lunch. I do love me some kale! King of all greens. Before I grab lunch I'll head to the gym and do a body weight workout. And, for dinner I'm thinking about making these Kodiak Cakes flapjacks - I bought a box of the whole wheat oat & honey mix last night. Anything that's easy to throw together when I get home is my friend because it staves off my temptation to order in. 

[LydiaJaybird]

Monday wasn't a bad day, despite the fact that I was feeling a bit sniffly. I skipped the gym as I wasn't feeling my best, but I ate reasonably well. I'm pretty sure it was the spicy vegetarian Szechuan tofu (nom nom nom) I had for dinner that helped clear me up - I'm definitely feeling less gross today.

 

This morning I was naughty and had a cupcake - my coworker bought in a mound of sweets leftover from Halloween. Ugh. I need to learn to say no to these things. Maybe I'll keep some squares of dark chocolate in my desk to help fend off temptation for worse things. Oh well, at least I went for my go-to breakfast (egg whites, turkey sausage, strawberries) and I already ordered a nice kale salad to pick up for lunch. I do love me some kale! King of all greens. Before I grab lunch I'll head to the gym and do a body weight workout. And, for dinner I'm thinking about making these Kodiak Cakes flapjacks - I bought a box of the whole wheat oat & honey mix last night. Anything that's easy to throw together when I get home is my friend because it staves off my temptation to order in. 

Feel you on needing something easy when you get home. It's why I make all my food on Sunday, so I only have to microwave something when I get home from work

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[fastergrace]

Yesterday was a pretty good day, minus the cupcake fail. I had a salad at lunch, and I did manage to get to the gym and complete bodyweight 1B. I did end up ordering in (chicken katsu don, I ate half) when I got home because I just couldn't find the energy to cook. Today's a rest day, but maybe I can still fit in one of the Yoga sessions when I get home. 

[fastergrace]

Yesterday was just fine. Despite partaking in a couple of pieces of Halloween candy from the pile my coworker brought in, I still came in 300 calories under my goal for the day. I think that keeping my caffeinated drinks down to no more than two black coffees or teas per day (one of my challenge goals) is really helping me to keep that in line. 

 

I didn't end up doing any yoga yesterday, but I did take a trip to Target which is kind of a workout in itself. I need to go in there with a specific list, because I spend way too much time wandering around from one end of the store to the other looking at/for things. 

 

I'm suffering from a little bit of DOMS today, but I still need to get bodyweight 1A done. I really should go down to the gym and get it done at lunch. One of the perks of having a gym in my office building is that it's super convenient to do that. I'm a liiiiitle nervous, because I usually don't venture over to the weight area, but I want the racks for the elevated pushups and doorway bodyweight rows. 20 seconds of courage, right? 

[LydiaJaybird]

Yesterday was just fine. Despite partaking in a couple of pieces of Halloween candy from the pile my coworker brought in, I still came in 300 calories under my goal for the day. I think that keeping my caffeinated drinks down to no more than two black coffees or teas per day (one of my challenge goals) is really helping me to keep that in line. 

 

I didn't end up doing any yoga yesterday, but I did take a trip to Target which is kind of a workout in itself. I need to go in there with a specific list, because I spend way too much time wandering around from one end of the store to the other looking at/for things. 

 

I'm suffering from a little bit of DOMS today, but I still need to get bodyweight 1A done. I really should go down to the gym and get it done at lunch. One of the perks of having a gym in my office building is that it's super convenient to do that. I'm a liiiiitle nervous, because I usually don't venture over to the weight area, but I want the racks for the elevated pushups and doorway bodyweight rows. 20 seconds of courage, right? 

Maybe not having a list is good, though, cus you walk around more!

Be brave! Use the weight area!

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[fastergrace]

Just now, LydiaJaybird said:

Be brave! Use the weight area!

 

I did!  Bodyweight 1A complete. I'm noticing a bit of improvement in my flexibility, which is nice. I'm sure the Yoga is helping with that. I'm also rocking the assisted squats and I think I'll be able to do them unassisted next time. I also might be brave and try a modified doorway row with the TRX Frame (like she does with the rings in the video). The elevated push-ups are still killing me, though. When I can manage those a little better I'll be ready for my boss battle. 

 

I just need to get in a 1B at home on Saturday and I'm good with my goal of 3 bodyweight workouts a week. Yesssss.

[fastergrace]

Ugghh. Queen of the squats yesterday, queen of DOMS today. Maybe even a bit of strain in my hamstrings. Ugh. You know that feeling - a nice jolt o' pain when you get up, sit down, or have to deal with the ultimate enemy - stairs. Especially going down them. I really hope I'm feeling better tomorrow. I won't be able to complete my third workout this week if I'm not. Maybe I was a bit too ambitious yesterday - but I *did* warm up properly and the exercise really didn't feel that bad to me. 

 

Food wise, I could have done better yesterday. I ate my usual breakfast and then worked out and had a kale salad at lunch. It goes a little south from there. I had a Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar at work. I shouldn't have, but at least it was free! I did also have a couple of glasses of wine with a bit of a treat dinner - some oysters and raw crudo with a salad.

[fastergrace]

So, my hamstrings still hurt a bit, but they're much better than they were on Friday. I'd intended to get in a workout or two this weekend, but I wasn't able to thanks to that. I hope I can make it tomorrow, if not Tuesday, but it depends entirely on how I feel. 

 

I've done okay with food. I went a smidgen over my calorie goal on Friday - I went to a night market thing with some coworkers. But, I didn't blow out my goal like  I did last time I went out and I'm sure that the walking I did made up at least in part for that. The real accomplishment was the fact that I took it easy on the drinks at the event and only had lower calorie options (red wine, and vodka soda). That's a pretty big deal for me because I feel like going WAY overboard on social drinking and the inevitable eating that goes along with it has been a big vice of mine,  Saturday, no problems staying under my calorie ceiling.

[fastergrace]

I still have a little residual pain in the hammies, but I'm much better! I'm getting back to my bodyweight exercises tomorrow. 

Yesterday, I was *okay* with the eating. I was working from home. In the past I would typically binge on whatever food we had lying around, and I managed to avoid that well enough though I probably could have eaten a little less. Today, I'm back to work, and I typically find that when I'm in the office I tend to control my eating a little better - there are a lot of healthy options in the cafeteria. 

 

I've been feeling a little down and gross lately, and I've been avoiding weighing myself because I was worried that, despite my efforts, my weight would be up. But, I was feeling courageous last night, so I stepped on the scale. With a tummy full of food and clothes on, my weight was still down from the last time I weighed myself (which was, admittedly, a month or so ago). I felt really encouraged by that, so I weighed myself first thing this morning (the usual time I'd weigh myself) and I'm down over 8 pounds! That's highly encouraging to me. Its good to know that I'm making decisions that are putting me in the right direction. 

 

[fastergrace]

It's been a whirlwind couple of days emotionally, and of course my feels always seem to find their way into my life physically somehow. Tuesday I overate, I overdrank, and I didn't get enough sleep. Wednesday I was tired and just felt off. That, plus paranoia about re-injuring myself meant I didn't work out. But, at least I ate reasonably well. 

 

Today, I'm well and truly back to it. Usual breakfast, a small salad and some chicken for lunch, and I did make it to the gym to complete bodyweight 1B this afternoon. 

 

[fastergrace]

Friday was a bit of a treat - I was taken out to a really really nice meal. I did have a few glasses of white wine. The food itself probably wasn't too bad - all seafood and nothing too heavy - but I did have dessert. It was a special meal, so I don't feel guilty. I needed to enjoy myself. 

 

Saturday, I stayed home and didn't get up to much. I ate a veggie burger, completed bodyweight 1A, and had some Thai food. What I shouldn't have done is have a (albeit small) piece of taro cake after dinner. But, it is what it is. I'm happy, at least, that I got the exercise in. 

 

Today, I'm a bit sore, but might still try and get in one of the NF Yoga Water sessions if I'm feeling saucy. I think I can handle it - the soreness isn't too bad. 

 

I have been seriously considering stopping food tracking, but looking at what I've eaten over the past couple of days I think maybe I will keep it up for another couple of weeks until I get a better handle on myself. This week, aside from making sure I get in my bodyweight workouts, I want to focus on getting more cooking done at home. Time to try some of the NF recipes! 

[LydiaJaybird]

Sounds like you're doing pretty good, keep it up!! (What is taro cake though?)

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[fastergrace]

On 11/14/2016 at 0:35 PM, LydiaJaybird said:

Sounds like you're doing pretty good, keep it up!! (What is taro cake though?)

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This cake was a lot like a sponge cake, with a little taro flavor in it. TBH, I expected it to be a steamed glutinous cake like this. Either way, it was tasty!

[fastergrace]

I've done well the past couple of days. The eating has been just fine - I've been meeting or staying under my calorie coal so that's good.

 

Today, I had a small victory. It's a crappy day out (rainy and dreary) and that made my commute totally gross. Despite feeling completely unmotivated, I got my butt down to the gym to get bodyweight 1B in. So, yay for that!

[fastergrace]

Okay, yesterday was a mix of good and bad. There was an event at work where they had looooads of Indian food. I ate my own lunch, but I did end up eating some sweets from the event. Later, though, I did a one hour (intense!) kickboxing class with one of my friends. So at least the calorie burn from the workout helps to cancel out the sweeties. I have *got* to get back to kickboxing more often. It's hard for me, and I definitely don't do as well as most of the others in the class, but I really don't care because I'm trying my best and am most definitely challenging myself. 

 

Ah, and I'd like to share my epic quest breakdown with you all. It's one of my mindset quests.  These focus on exercising more, eating better and cooking more often at home, losing weight, getting more sleep, and just generally being more organized.