ArgSki77 Reverses Direction

[ArgSki77]

This challenge is going to be sweet and simple. Welcome!

 

 

Looking at my Withings scale app, I have put on 15.9 pounds in the last 5 months, but really the last 3 have been the killers. Back in August, I was dropping in the single digit 300s with a low of 308lbs. Now my weight has crept back up into the 320s with a high of 328lbs. Clothes are starting to tighten again and I am pushing closer and closer to numbers I never want to see again. I really want to do a Spartan Race or GoRuck event in the Spring or Summer and weight is playing a big factor in my preparation for either of those events. Time to reverse this trend and start bringing that weight back down.

 

 

The overall goal for this challenge is to cut that increase over the last few months in half which means an 8lb cut over the 5 weeks. At my body size, that should be perfectly reasonable and will bring me back down into the 3-teens range and I have a stretch goal of returning to 310lbs. Forgot to weight in this morning with my rush to work so will update this with starting values tomorrow.

 

Last challenge, I spent some time getting off of a strict diet template and getting back into logging my foods. It was not be best effort at this and I intend to right that this challenge with set goals and numbers that I played around in the past. For this challenge the goal is to eat an average of 2600 calories a day. That should be a significant cut from what I estimate as maintenance(3100-3200). I think having this as an average will be a little more flexible as I can adjust as needed especially around special events and weekend social stuff. Luckily the next few weeks leading up to Christmas seem to be pretty calm.

 

Also, my eating goes much better when I meal prep on the weekends. Much less likely to grab junk if I have brought good stuff with me. This is a fair warning: prepare yourselves for some serious food porn and meal prep on here/instagram. I will also share recipes upon request when I have them...most of the time I wing it so I can give a best guess.

 

 

Workouts have been solid so there wont be much change from the past few challenges. Try to get in twice during the week for crossfit/bootcamp style workouts and then a few added sessions on the weekends when free. Not going to track this as closely this challenge because I have confidence that this is not an issue but will update workouts here still(maybe a battle log to clean up everything). Simplifying this goal to being active 4 days a week so if I only get in to lift twice then I need to do something else to stay active(ski season is upon us now so there will be an increasing amount of that coming up).

 

So without further ado, here come the checkboxes!

 

Food

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☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Batch Prep Each Week

 

Weight

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[jonfirestar]

Back to follow along again! You can totally do this! 

[Broba Fett]

Let us cut. 

[EricMN]

[raptron]

17 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

This is a fair warning: prepare yourselves for some serious food porn and meal prep on here/instagram.

[ArgSki77]

Yesterday went pretty smooth all around. I had meal prepped on Sunday and that helped with the food situation. Although that prep was an adventure. I was like half following recipes for Gemista(Greek stuffed peppers) which is basically a mix of ground beef, rice and herbs stuffed into peppers and baked. The recipes all said to toast the rice but not cook it fully and that it will cook during baking. What I did not account for was the fact I used brown rice, not white so after two hours of baking, I had beautiful looking stuffed peppers full of crunchy rice...womp.

 

Dont worry, I saved it!

 

But there was triumph to be had! In probably my best ever save of a failed recipe, I decided to toss the peppers in my slow cooker and set it on low to see if it would soften the rice over night. I figured I was going to throw them out at that point so no harm in trying to see what the slow cooker would do. Turns out that it worked surprisingly well. The peppers got a little too soggy(I actually think the one at the bottom basically disintegrated because I can only find 7 out of the 8 in the pot) but the taste is amazing and rice isnt like chewing sand anymore. Next time need to cook rice mostly if using brown rice since it doesnt behave the same as white rice.

 

So there is not much going on so far today. I have a friend in Boston for business this week and we are meeting up for dinner so I am trying to minimize calories in preparation of going out for food and a drink.

 

I did get some good starting numbers for the beginning of this cut:

Weight: 326.4lbs

Body Fat: 46.4%

BMI: 40.6

 

These were actually a bit lower than I expected being it was only one day off of Thanksgiving weekend and I ate pretty poorly for like 4 days straight.

 

Also I am going to add some more checkboxes to this challenge. I have been talking with a recovery/sports massage/pt guy that my coach uses and he is helping me protect my knees from any more potential soreness/injury. This includes stretches and foam rolling/flossing different lower body areas a few times a week, two minimum. Also, he insists I at least try Glucosamine as many people have positive results. I have been trying it for a week or so now and having good results but I am atrocious at remembering to take pills. Must stay on track otherwise its wasting my time and my money.

 

Spoiler

Food

☑☐☐☐☐☐☐ Zero Week MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 2377/2600

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☑ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Batch Prep Each Week

 

Weight

☐ Net Loss Zero Week

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Fitness

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Prehab/Mobility

☐☐ Zero Week Knee Work

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[jonfirestar]

I'd tell you to cook the brown rice before you stuff the peppers but it looks like the slow cooker peppers were worth it! Your plan looks solid and your cut should go really well if you stick to it!

 

[ArgSki77]

1 minute ago, jonfirestar said:

I'd tell you to cook the brown rice before you stuff the peppers but it looks like the slow cooker peppers were worth it!

Thats going to be for next time...if I am using brown rice, it has that extra shell on it that white rice does not which I think is the culprit to why it took so long. Next time, I will cook the brown rice a bit longer in the sauce/meat mixture until it starts breaking up the harder shell. But I dont want to overcook the rice at the start otherwise it will be too mushy. Its a fine balance.

Orrrrr I could follow recipe and use white rice and avoid this problem all together!!

[ArgSki77]

Food yesterday was meh...basically went out to dinner twice, once for a work meeting and the other with a friend who was in town on business. Plus lunch selection for meeting I was at was not the best(burgers and chips). But considering all of that, I still stayed under 3000 calories for the day so only a little bit over my average at this point of the week.

 

The scale was not too friendly this morning with the food overage. Mostly I think it was the couple beers that I had because it seems that those always cause me to bloat up the day after. Weight was sitting at 328.4 this morning. Rest of the week looks like pretty smooth sailing with no real events going on except for dinner on Saturday night at a popup restaurant in the area. But everything else through the weekend should be home cooked and I can keep that healthy.

 

Workout this morning was pretty solid although I have soreness that may be a little more than just sore in my shoulder. Need to watch that for a few days. Trying to keep it mobile at my desk today so it doesn't stiffen up on me or anything. Going with a new format for reporting my workouts to shorten massive posts on challenge thread. Started up a battle log that I will keep all my workouts contained in.

Checkboxes!!

Spoiler

Food

☑☑☐☐☐☐☐ Zero Week MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 2683.5/2600

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☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 4 MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 0/2600

 

☑ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Batch Prep Each Week

 

Weight

☐ Net Loss Zero Week

☐ Net Loss Week One

☐ Net Loss Week Two

☐ Net Loss Week Three

☐ Net Loss Week Four

 

Fitness

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Prehab/Mobility

☐☐ Zero Week Knee Work

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☐☐ Week 4 Knee Work

 

☑☑☐☐☐☐☐ Zero Week Supplements

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☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 4 Supplements

 

[Broba Fett]

20 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

But considering all of that, I still stayed under 3000 calories for the day so only a little bit over my average at this point of the week.

That's pretty impressive for two dinners out.  I can/have hit 3k in one restaurant meal.  

[ArgSki77]

8 minutes ago, Broba Fett said:

That's pretty impressive for two dinners out.  I can/have hit 3k in one restaurant meal.

Oh believe me so could I! But the first place we went out, I just got a beer and an app(whole wheat steak quesadilla). The second place I went had a Taco Tuesday(my favorite day of the week) special which was $2 tacos. And tacos arent the worst thing especially since they were pretty much just meat and tortilla, no sour cream or anything. But it was still 1750 calories across the whole dinner. Rest of the day was pretty good especially breakfast which was only 350 calories so it balanced it out a bit.

 

I also stayed away from any bread or snacks that made it to the table so that is a big thing. Those types of mindless snacks and stuff are what blow up my calorie counts at restaurants. I could sit and eat a basket or two of french fries or wings without even realizing it so I made it a goal not to touch any of that stuff.

[ArgSki77]

Oh and after comments on other threads...looks there is a group doing the Boston Sprint Spartan race and so now I am committed to that. I was planning on it anyways but friends solidifies that choice! So now this is the new motivation that I hope lights a bit of a fire in me for the focus on nutrition and fitness. Last point I was very successful was when I was prepping for powerlifting comp in August and my nutrition and workouts were spot on for a long time leading up to that.

 

T-7 months.

[CourtnieMarie]

34 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

Oh and after comments on other threads...looks there is a group doing the Boston Sprint Spartan race and so now I am committed to that. I was planning on it anyways but friends solidifies that choice! So now this is the new motivation that I hope lights a bit of a fire in me for the focus on nutrition and fitness. Last point I was very successful was when I was prepping for powerlifting comp in August and my nutrition and workouts were spot on for a long time leading up to that.

 

T-7 months.

yasss! i have a lot of work to do myself  let's get it done!

[RedStone]

YAY! HERE you are!!!! And I made it too  HHHHIIIIIIIIIIII

 

On 11/28/2016 at 4:57 PM, ArgSki77 said:

 

Also, my eating goes much better when I meal prep on the weekends. Much less likely to grab junk if I have brought good stuff with me. This is a fair warning: prepare yourselves for some serious food porn and meal prep on here/instagram. I will also share recipes upon request when I have them...most of the time I wing it so I can give a best guess.

 

 

UM... yes and yes. And yes. I don't know where you get your recipes dude, seriously, my meal preps are so hit and miss, and it is just THE WORST to have 4 portions of something that's super meh. I ASPIRE TO YOUR MEAL PREPS

 

8 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

Food yesterday was meh...basically went out to dinner twice, once for a work meeting and the other with a friend who was in town on business. Plus lunch selection for meeting I was at was not the best(burgers and chips). But considering all of that, I still stayed under 3000 calories for the day so only a little bit over my average at this point of the week.

 

Impressive! That's not easy for double restaurant dinners!

 

8 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

Started up a battle log that I will keep all my workouts contained in.

 

Right?? And when I want to know what I did, like, 2 weeks ago, it's just impossible to do that on the threads. Very handy.

 

5 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

Oh and after comments on other threads...looks there is a group doing the Boston Sprint Spartan race and so now I am committed to that. I was planning on it anyways but friends solidifies that choice! So now this is the new motivation that I hope lights a bit of a fire in me for the focus on nutrition and fitness. Last point I was very successful was when I was prepping for powerlifting comp in August and my nutrition and workouts were spot on for a long time leading up to that.

 

T-7 months.

 

I've been using this one a lot lately... but really sums it up for me. GAH!!! THE THING!!!! THE THING TO TRAIN FOR!!! NINJA!!! MEETUP!!! NERDS!!!!!!

 

[Broba Fett]

11 hours ago, RedStone said:

 

 

*has stroke*

[Sylvaa]

Just now, Broba Fett said:

*has stroke  seizure*

 

FTFY. I cannot watch that.

[ArgSki77]

11 hours ago, RedStone said:

UM... yes and yes. And yes. I don't know where you get your recipes dude, seriously, my meal preps are so hit and miss, and it is just THE WORST to have 4 portions of something that's super meh. I ASPIRE TO YOUR MEAL PREPS

What if I said I didnt use recipes?! I mostly just come up with something I like, typically something my mom or grandmother or GFs family makes which are usually unhealthy, and work to make them healthier. Cutting down on carbs...replace pasta or grains with zucchini noodles. Trying to reduce cheese but keep things creamy...blend steamed veggies(cauliflower) into a sauce as a filler instead of a cream and butter heavy rue. 90% of the time I am winging it as I go.

 

Also, spices are the single most important thing when it comes to prepping. All of my failed meal preps in the past have been due to under-seasoned foods. Its amazing how much just a little added salt and pepper improves a dish. And there are so many combinations of spices that I rotate through. Start with something simple...say rice and ground beef. Bland on its own but decently healthy. Add some peppers and onions and then season with chili powder, cumin, and salt...awesome taco bowls. Take the same rice and meat...add some broccoli, onion, and garlic then season with basil and a splash of white wine and you have a nice scampi type sauce. Take some time and experiment. I'm always willing to help out as well so anyone can just message me and ask for suggestions!

 

Here is a good starting point for anyone who wants to experiment with seasonings that helped me when I originally started cooking.

Spoiler

 

 

[raptron]

I have a handy-dandy notebook. Battle logs always fall off my radar/feed, so I never keep up with anyone's. :/ 

 

Seasoning makes the meaaaal. High five from a fellow make-shit-up-as-you-go-alonger.  

[ArgSki77]

Yesterday was good. Workout in the morning put me in the office kind of late so I ended up being here until almost 645. Really did not want to cook but I am really trying to make it a point to spend less on food that is worse for me. So I went home and made a delicious dinner of pork chops and kale with some small pasta. Pretty nutritionally balanced and healthier than the takeout I wanted. Plus these pork chops are amazing. My dad had a midlife crisis thing and decided to buy a farm share where he got a half of a pig. So he gave me a few pounds of pork chops, some ground italian sausage, and two pounds of smoked bacon! Here is food porn pic numero uno for this challenge for those not trolling my IG.

Also, after dinner I had a bit of Halo Top because I needed something a bit sweet to satisfy a dessert craving. It put me a few calories over 2600 for the day but with the workout in the morning its not a huge deal.

 

Last night before bed, I spent some time with my friend the lax ball. Getting back to attacking the fascia throughout my lower body. Spent a lot of time on my calves and inside quad/hamstrings just above the knee. I also think I worked out my shoulder issue. It was very tight for the last few days and I found a bad trigger point between the pec and shoulder joint. When I got that to release, I could definitely move my shoulder better and its now just normal bench DOMS feeling now rather than a mobility tightness.

 

Scale this morning was friendly again. Back slightly lower than start of challenge, 326lbs.

 

Food so far today has been very carb heavy considering it is free bagel Thursday. But I have my prepped lunch and I just need to find a way to have a bit more protein at dinner time to balance the macros out. I also had a success turning down morning dessert. Along with the bagels was left over carrot cake from one of the best bakeries in NH from a team event yesterday. I debated taking some because I know its so good and hard to get...like the store is packed all the time. But I resisted and stuck to my one treat for the morning with the bagel.

 

Looking forward to being off work tomorrow...gym at 6am and then watching the weather closely. If it is nice today and gets cold I may try to ski tomorrow morning. But I also have my final project due Sunday night for my class and I would rather not do it all weekend when GF and friends don't have work so I am contemplating being an adult and just doing that and getting my car worked on instead.

 

Checkboxes!!

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Food

☑☑☑☐☐☐☐ Zero Week MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 2680/2600

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 1 MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 0/2600

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 2 MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 0/2600

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 3 MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 0/2600

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 4 MFP Tracking - Avg Cals: 0/2600

 

☑ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Batch Prep Each Week

 

Weight

☐ Net Loss Zero Week

☐ Net Loss Week One

☐ Net Loss Week Two

☐ Net Loss Week Three

☐ Net Loss Week Four

 

Fitness

☑☐☐☐ Zero Week Activity

☐☐☐☐ Week One Activity

☐☐☐☐ Week Two Activity

☐☐☐☐ Week Three Activity

☐☐☐☐ Week Four Activity

 

Prehab/Mobility

☑☐ Zero Week Knee Work

☐☐ Week 1 Knee Work

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☐☐ Week 3 Knee Work

☐☐ Week 4 Knee Work

 

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☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ Week 4 Supplements

[jonfirestar]

24 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

Here is food porn pic numero uno for this challenge for those not trolling my IG.

Oh man, your food porn is strong today

[raptron]

I've wanted to buy a half pig or quarter cow for a whiiiiile but I just don't have enough freezer space. #renterproblems QQ

[ArgSki77]

Just now, raptron said:

I've wanted to buy a half pig or quarter cow for a whiiiiile but I just don't have enough freezer space. #renterproblems QQ

Yeah Ive contemplated doing the same especially now that my dad did it. Ive actually contemplated buying a small chest freezer and putting it in the back of our pantry just to store my frozen meats. But I havent quite justified the $200 yet nor the increased electric costs.

 

Last year, I did a fish share where I got 2lbs of fish straight off the boat on Tuesdays which was awesome. But I have not hunted down a similar service in Boston yet.

[CourtnieMarie]

34 minutes ago, raptron said:

I've wanted to buy a half pig or quarter cow for a whiiiiile but I just don't have enough freezer space. #renterproblems QQ

porch igloo freezer? salt and hang from ceiling? i feel like these are great solutions.

 

11 minutes ago, ArgSki77 said:

Yeah Ive contemplated doing the same especially now that my dad did it. Ive actually contemplated buying a small chest freezer and putting it in the back of our pantry just to store my frozen meats. But I havent quite justified the $200 yet nor the increased electric costs.

 

Last year, I did a fish share where I got 2lbs of fish straight off the boat on Tuesdays which was awesome. But I have not hunted down a similar service in Boston yet.

ahh i wouldn't have even thought of the increased electric costs. we have room in our basement for a chest freezer and i think there was an awesome deal for one recently but we didn't bite

 

let me know when you find that fish share nearby. i feel like there hassssss to be one around here!

[ArgSki77]

14 minutes ago, CourtnieMarie said:

let me know when you find that fish share nearby. i feel like there hassssss to be one around here!

Yeah there is one called Cape Anne. Its 13.75 a pound and only fish. Which I guess is good since its right off the boat in Gloucester but I wish it had the variation. When I got the one in NH, it was very random but had awesome mix of fish and shellfish. Like their holiday season right now is $80 for 4 weeks but you get lobster and oysters and scallops. Still some weeks you're paying $20 for a pound of haddock but I felt like it balanced out better.

[miss_marissa]

21 hours ago, ArgSki77 said:

Oh and after comments on other threads...looks there is a group doing the Boston Sprint Spartan race and so now I am committed to that. I was planning on it anyways but friends solidifies that choice! So now this is the new motivation that I hope lights a bit of a fire in me for the focus on nutrition and fitness. Last point I was very successful was when I was prepping for powerlifting comp in August and my nutrition and workouts were spot on for a long time leading up to that.

 

T-7 months.

A handful of us also signed up for a GO RUCK in Phoenix in September, maybe also something to keep in mind

 

I've been digging the meal prep pics on IG. Keep it up!