WinterWalker: Arctic Ranger

[WinterWalker]

Ranger Log, Entry 1

-20 F this morning, -28 F right now, and looking to hit -44 F tonight.

I've just started a new semester, and went to the gym before my first class.  15-min walk to the gym, 1/2 mile warm-up, followed a modified Darebee workout focusing on abs, arms, and cardio.  Did some cool-down walk and stretching.  Total time: about 1 hour.

 

Trickiest thing is keeping nutrition on track.  I'm cutting out fancy coffees and trying to calculate serving size more accurately.  On the plus side, I've completely revamped my pantry so it's nearly totally paleo, and no junk food.  I'm kind of dependent on measurements for progress because I'm pretty sure my scale needs re-calibrated and I've yet to figure the best way to do that.

I really hate having my pictures taken, but I'm toying with the idea of a youtube channel (private) video-log as a means of visually tracking progress.

 

MWF I have a 7am Multi-Fitness Conditioning Class at the student gym with my WingSister.  This time of year it is HARD to stay dedicated, and this was the only class that worked with my schedule.  Planning ahead!

[Rosel]

I agree with you, nutrition is definitely the hardest! That's awesome that you re-did your pantry; it should help you so much! 

 

Also, a video log would be incredible! You could make notes to yourself, and see so many different angles. Good luck with everything, I'm sure we'll see some progress!  

[WinterWalker]

Ranger Log, Day 2

-56 F today, with ice fog.  Exercise class was cancelled, so I went later in the morning and did a workout with WingSister.  (15 min walk to the gym.)  She was late, so I did a half-mile walk/jog and 10 min boxing at the heavy bag.  Good cardio.

Her warm-up laps were mostly done by then, so we walked two laps and followed some modified workouts.   We're both out of shape and her knees weren't doing so well.  Burpee and squat countdown and DareBee Ab Upgrade.  Only I did that yesterday so I swapped out planking for step-ups.

We both used 10-lb kettlebells for sit-ups and twists.  Then we stretched and walked another lap.

Total time: 1.5 hours.

Pretty sure I could eat an entire moose by myself.  Protein is the most filling of anything.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Wait. It was -56F and you walked to the gym? You're a badass.

[WinterWalker]

Ranger Log, Day 3

I seriously live on Hoth!  Also, long scarves are worth more than someone's life.

Feeling a bit sore from the abs and arms workouts of the past few days, so today was just cardio/legs.  I boxed the heavy bag for about 5-10 min on high speed and then my arms were dead.  After that, about 20 minutes on the stair-stepper.

Considering I have to walk 20 min to get there and then another 20 min to get to class, I'm earning my name.

Little peeved at how out of shape I am; on a flat surface I can outwalk almost anyone, but elevation is a whole different set of muscles and breathing pattern.

 

Good news! Nutrition is on point.  I've been completely paleo today except for pepperjack cheese (little bit) and hot chocolate.  

And I found out my scale needs recalibrated since it adds 1.6 lbs extra.  (Tested it out by taking it to the gym and putting a weight on it.)  At least now I know how to adjust the numbers, if not necessarily the tech.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Hooray for losing 1.6#!

[Elastigirl]

That's crazy cold. And to think I felt like a badass because I walked in 26F

[WinterWalker]

Ranger Log #4

It's warmed up to -11 F! I don't need a hat and gloves anymore!  Want, but not necessarily need.

 

Tried my morning exercise class and got there in time....to find out the instructor is way too arrogant for someone who clearly doesn't practice what he teaches.  I dropped the class asap.  Going to use the money instead on getting help putting a workout schedule together, with spotting for certain exercises.  

The warm-up in the class was a work-out in and of itself, and he seems to know what he's doing...but I just can't see myself dealing with that attitude/personality 3 hours a week for the next semester.

Going to talk with my sister later and figure goals beyond inch and weight numbers.  Probably won't work out hard this weekend, though walking is likely.  I love getting my miles in.

[WinterWalker]

Ranger Log #5

Despite the 2-day reprieve, my intentions have not failed!  I ate wonderfully healthy all day today...excepting a couple mini-reeses'....and got to the gym TWICE.

Morning workout was really light and I felt dissatisfied at the end.  I started with a mild headache, and my sister wasn't feeling much better, so we didn't really push ourselves.  I went back in the evening for a free-for-uni-students workout class called Urban Bootcamp.

Egads.

Workout music was good.  Workout ITSELF was bodyweight-cardio, with push-ups, burpees, etc.  WHY IS THERE BURPEES IN A HIP-HOP THEMED EXERCISE CLASS?  Some light weights for arms.  (Had to laugh a little bit because everyone else was doing cardio-punches, and I was doing actual boxer-punches.)

 

So, yes.  I foraged and ate only the safe and healthy resources available (with a treat), and conquered the terrible Inertia Beast.

[WinterWalker]

Blah blah, #6, this isn't as fun anymore.

Well, there's some other issues going on too.  I did a light yoga routine with my sister today because I was sore (from working out) and tired (from reading too late), and I walked to all my classes, along with (again) eating nutritionally well.  But yeah.  Just not feeling that great due to external stress and ongoing mental demons.

Going to ramble and think, so feel free to gloss over this.

 

I think I'm scared of getting to a healthy weight.  I mean, being even a little bit big is a great excuse for certain things.  If I lose the weight and still can't achieve what I want (and it's not entirely up to me anyway), then I can always tell myself that it's just because of my weight and I'll 'fix it someday.'  

I know that's BS on just about every level, but who's logical all the time? Not me.

Or what if I reach my goals and backslide again?  That's happened before.  I lost the weight, was really happy with where I was, got tendonitis in both ankles for months, and gained everything back.  

Losing weight, because I don't have all that much to lose (only 25 lbs), won't make a huge difference in my life.  I like to daydream and pretend it will, that it'll be like some Hallmark movie (sappy though they be), but in my head I know it won't.  Vanity is the main motivator, and that's just not really enough for the long haul.

[WinterWalker]

#7 - Hey, a week straight! (minus the weekend.)

Had a light workout this morning with my sister, and this evening went to try another drop-in class- TRX.  It was definitely different, but I think I liked it.  It was nice to have activity after sitting at a desk for 5 hours.

Freaking DEVOURED a steak for dinner.  Could probably have gone for another half, but I didn't have any defrosted.  Been tracking my macros and calories with an app, and I've been eating over 90% protein for the past few days.  Also, lots of vegetables because I don't want scurvy.

 

Waiting to hear back on scheduling a personal trainer for a more precise workout regime.

[WinterWalker]

Wednesday basically killed me, so Thursday I didn't do much other than walking.

This morning I tried the Buti Yoga class, but that's just a bit too weird for 8am.  I lasted half an hour, then quit to walk around.  The stretches were good and I really needed them...but the dancing aspect was just...yeah. Not at 8 in the morning.

Got my training session intro scheduled for Monday late morning.  Focus is going to be talking about fat loss and the best way to achieve it.  My ultimate goal is to have a fat-percentage of about 20-22%.

From what I can figure currently, the weight to aim for is 150 lbs.  That's the medical goal set by my doctor, and among exercise friends the consensus is that anything close to 140 lbs would look unhealthy.  So..shoot for 150, increase in case of muscle.  Not sure how to evaluate what inches to aim for, so I'll figure those specifics later.

 

And as always, my nutrition game is on point.  Because I'm glorious like that.

And there's only good food in my pantry.  I don't see the point in paying money to make myself unhealthy. Nope. Not on a college budget.

[WinterWalker]

Yesterday I worked out, even though I didn't post.  Today I didn't/haven't worked out but am posting.  Balance?  

I'm just impressed with myself for being so on top of the food-journaling and nutrition aspects.  I've tried food journaling before and freaking hated it.  I'm not sure what's changed this time that my attitude and mindset are more willing, but a win is a win.

 

I think part of it has to do with the realization that my goal is actually pretty darn close.  If I lost approx 2 lbs/week (the max advisable) then I'd hit scale-goal right at the end of the semester when the weather warmed up and I could rock my cutest dress (that doesn't fit anymore.)

 

I've got stuff that's on a deadline, but might make a workout later.  The mental-health monster is strong today and I don't have my counseling until tomorrow.  Turns out, I cannot in fact outrun my thoughts, even with podcast and music.  At the end, I'm sore, tired, AND still sad.  Really can't wait to get this out of my system.

 

Had to postpone personal training meeting because the lady is sick.  Fingers crossed for Friday.

[WinterWalker]

Been hitting the exercise classes - although yesterday was very much a Monday and I had to quit halfway through.  Today was my first meeting with the personal trainer, and it went well.  The workout was light, but next week should be harder.  I like her personality and her focus on proper form.

Surprised myself when I was able to finish strong with 15 lb weights for bicep curls instead of staying at 12 lbs.  My triceps are weak as all get-out though.  Going to work on that.

 

It's been almost a month....I'm pleased that there's progress, but miffed that it's not more/faster.  My impatience will be the death of me, someday.

 

I had to re-evaluate my food-tracking.  The recommended 1,200 calories was doable just fine and I didn't really feel deprived or all that extra hungry.  But my mood was shot - I think I wasn't getting quite enough nutrients.  I've adjusted to add another 100 or so and will see how that works for me.  It's weird because I know what hangry feels like, and this wasn't quite it.  But it might have contributed to other issues.  So yeah.  Adding in some vitamins and more calories (so I can nom more protein and not feel horrible about it) and seeing if that helps.  I don't have the means or funds for a base metabolic rate test, so individualizing my necessary intake isn't as precise as it could be.  But I think hitting 1,300-1,400 calories total (after exercise) should help my mental state a lot.

[WinterWalker]

Know what a Burpee-Squat Brawl entails?  After one session, a cumulative total of 50 burpees and 50 squats.

Gains for days, as my military friends say.

Also tiredness.  But that was yesterday.  Today is the group workout class.

I can't check the scale because it's completely dead, but measuring this morning showed a 2 in loss off my waist, and a 1 inch loss off my hips compared to three weeks ago.

 

I LOVE non-scale victories!

[WinterWalker]

I ended up with an extra 3 hours today (fieldwork was cancelled) so I went to the gym for an extra workout.  It was so nice! Hardly anybody there.

Increased bicep curl weights from 10 lbs to 15 lbs (2x, 10 reps)

Continuing the New Thing of Lateral Pull-down Machine (10 reps at 55 lbs, 10 reps at 70 lbs. The weights there are a little weird.)  Did that twice; run 1/2 miles then do Lateral. Repeat.

Main workout was a Military Basic Training-based HIIT, so lots of cardio, push-ups, and abs.  Cool-down was 1/2 mile walk and 5 min on rowing machine.

 

Tonight: back to the Urban Bootcamp HIIT group workout.  All two of us.

[Sloth the Enduring]

What kind of field work do you do?

[WinterWalker]

27 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

What kind of field work do you do?

It's observation in an elementary school - part of the coursework for my degree.  Sadly, an actual field has yet to be involved.

[Jord]

Wow, what a fascinating battle log. I'm trying to get into hiking in the winter and right now anything less than 40F seems like braving it. 

 

I'll be following along!

[Jord]

Also, 1,200 calories seems like nothing with all of the exercise that you are doing. Who recommended that? Out of curiosity. 

[WinterWalker]

4 hours ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

Also, 1,200 calories seems like nothing with all of the exercise that you are doing. Who recommended that? Out of curiosity. 

 

Well, it's 1,262 at the end of the day.  I actually eat closer to 1,500 or even 2,000.  The 1,200 goal came from various research and calculations I did because I wanted a target loss of 2 lbs a week.  Ironic, since it's been nearly two weeks since I've been able to check myself.   Both available scales are useless (I tossed the electric one, and am waiting for the gym to re-calibrate the clunker one).  Adding in vitamins and iron along with getting some non-physical stuff sorted out has made a big difference.  I think the main thing was - as is usual for Arctic environments - I was short on Vitamin D.  Now that the daylight is increasing AND I'm taking supplements, everything is a lot better.

 

Overall, I try to pay attention to how I'm feeling.  If I'm hungry, I eat.  Preferably meat. (Hangry is such a reality.  I think I almost turned cannibal after one intense workout.)  I've got a food-log app on my smartphone that tracks food, exercise, calories, and macros.  It sets the recommended calorie goal based on gender, weight, and age, but allows adjustment for people who live more actively than a desk job.

 

Using today for an example:  I had part of an apple-spinach smoothie with protein powder (didn't feel like a real breakfast this morning but don't like exercising on an empty stomach.), did a full-body workout for an hour, finished the smoothie in class.  Went to the cafeteria and had jook and a single-serving of chocolate cream pie.  After work and my next class, I'll get something for dinner.

[Jord]

I'm glad you are getting enough to eat! I just see too many people who use calculators or apps that calculate calorie needs and end up at the minimum of 1200 and take it a little too seriously. Then their workout progress and weight loss stall for lack of calories and macronutrients. 

 

It's mainly selfish because I want to keep following your battle log and don't want to see you pass out and have to shout, woman down woman down! 

 

I'm part of the warriors guild here and most of the women there are doing similar workout schedules as you and maintaining on ranges of 1800-2500 calories and then going down to maybe 1600-1800 when trying to lose some weight. (obviously it varies wildly, so I'm just giving general ranges) (tho you would be considered a ranger not a warrior, the same would be true)

[Sloth the Enduring]

Cool, I teach sixth grade science, but for the first half of my career I taught elementary.

 

I have a friend who's a snow scientist who goes to Alaska regularly for field work. I couldn't think of what else you might be studying in the Arctic winter.

[WinterWalker]

Haven't worked out for a few days (other than intense sledding on Friday) due to midterm-homework and migraines.  That's done, back to the gym tonight.  

 

Bombed a few days with nutrition, but recovered.  Some days I listen to my body, and my body says, "Eat that frosted doughnut.  Just the one." And I do.  And then for my birthday I was taken to Denny's, and so that day pretty much went out the window.  Two days out of....basically a month....I'm fine.  (The whole point of being a ranger is making my own rules.)

 

Although....clearly something I'm doing isn't working.  Although I'm keeping my net calories down to around 1,200, and my BMR is calculated at around 1,500, there hasn't been any changes/improvements outside the immediate 2-inch drop.

 

Cardio: Very mild improvement.  Running 1/2 mile before walking (4 laps) rather than the original 3 laps.

Weights: Very mild improvement.  Bicep curls 10 reps at 15 lbs, 2x.  Still trying to do something noticeable with my triceps.  Don't have my notebook with me, so working off memory.  I know I increased weights for some other exercises.

No discernible change in squats, overall legs, glutes, abs.

Planks: Very mild improvement.  1-min plank, 3x.  (So, that's up a few seconds.)

 

It's frustrating beyond all get-out because I'm making daily efforts and choices (refusing sugary coffee drinks multiple times a day, office full of cookies and sweets, etc.) Calculating serving-size, cooking instead of eating out constantly.... and just not seeing a noticeable change.  Everything is basically the same.  Meanwhile I have two friends who are also working on losing weight, and it's dropping off like melted butter.  I don't know what the one is doing, but the other is constantly posting about Thrive.  (I figure on sticking with my much-less-expensive regular multivitamins.)  So...proud/happy for them, pissed that my efforts aren't showing anything remotely similar to their results.    Am I just expecting too much out of one month's effort?

[Jord]

One month is kind of a short period of time to see improvements. Also, if you are eating 1200 net calories, it is going to be hard to see large improvements in strength. Your body needs calories to build muscles. 

How many calories were you eating before you dropped down to 1200? How tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you don't mind my asking. 

 

My suggestion would be to slowly reverse taper up your calories and see if that helps your energy levels and strength gains without causing any weight gain. This may actually result in weight loss because your body won't be holding only calories in starvation mode. I am not a dietitian so don't hold it as gospel, but this is what I have seen work for other people. 

 

It would look like this: 

Week 1 - 1250 calories

Week 2 - 1350 calories

Week 3 - 1425 calories

Week 4 - 1500 calories

etc

 

A month of data may help you to figure out if maybe your body needed a little more calories to get out of starvation mode and start dropping weight. Worse comes to worse you can always reverse back down in 4 weeks doing the opposite.