[Shello]

Welcome to my challenge.   As always, I've set up a Roadmap for what I want to accomplish in 2024.  Mine is posted here in my battle log.  Every challenge is aimed at accomplishing some part of the roadmap or furthering my adventure towards this year's goals. 

 

I am really not feeling it right now.  I had a hard time keeping up with the last challenge.  I rarely posted to my own challenge and didn't put in as much time following everyone else like I would like to.  I did a poor job of tracking on my own personal spreadsheet and for those of you who know me well, you know I really like my data.  I just can't be arsed.  Could be due to the fact that most of my tracking is already done on apps and are now more autopiloted and it's just a question of transferring to my spreadsheet.  Or maybe I just need a break.   Plus just about every weekend during this challenge is busy with hosting company at the house or for brunch or a party.  I don't want those to feel stressful so I'm going to work around them.  I don't want to completely abandon my goals but just want to keep things as easy as possible.   

 

Looking around the forums it's evident that fall is in the air.   Fall vibes are cozy and have the perfect chill vibe I need right now.  So let's embrace it.

 

 

Chill Fall Vibe Goal Modifications

Daily goals - autopilot.  Tracking water is the only one not already tracked on the Lose it app but I've got that habit locked down.  

 

Fitness (cardio) - Daily 20 minute walks. By daily I certainly don't mean every day.  Let's say every day that the conditions are favorable.  Probably 3 times a week but we'll see. 

 

Fitness (strength) - I decided to stop seeing the trainer.  But then my trainer gave his notice so another trainer offered me 2 free sessions to get to know him.  I plan to use those 2 free sessions during this challenge.  No promises beyond that.  

 

Nutrition - Home cooked meals.  I'm not sure why but it feels like I haven't really cooked much.  We ate freezer food before the move and then ate a bunch of pizza and easy stuff while we unpacked.  I HAVE cooked in my new kitchen (love it) but it just doesn't feel routine yet.  It doesn't really feel like my kitchen yet.  Time to break it in.  Home cooked meals will be the norm, barring evenings when there are games and we eat concessions or have some social engagement.   That should be around 5 weekly batched cooked meals.  

 

Tracking - This one is tricky.  I can't bear having incomplete data for my roadmap so not tracking is not a thing.  But if I log all my food in Lose it and track all my works on my Fitbit then I'll have it all to enter whenever I feel like it.   I make no promises to check in daily.  I'll check in at least weekly but try to check in with everyone else more frequently.  

 

 

 

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Following along!

 

I definitely felt that fatigue you’re describing regarding  tracking and doing all the things. You just moved into a new house! That’s a big deal. That’s always like in the top 5 of stress inventories.  . I think you are coming up with some good solutions to give yourself a break without stopping. 

[Sovalis]

Glad you are loving cooking in the new kitchen even if it doesn’t quite feel yours yet. I think a cozy fall challenge is perfect. Looking forward to your updates whenever you feel like sharing!

[Shello]

15 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Following along!

 

I definitely felt that fatigue you’re describing regarding  tracking and doing all the things. You just moved into a new house! That’s a big deal. That’s always like in the top 5 of stress inventories.  . I think you are coming up with some good solutions to give yourself a break without stopping. 

It’s definitely time consuming. The stress is sneaky. Like it shouldn’t be stressful now but I feel it. 
 

 

12 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Glad you are loving cooking in the new kitchen even if it doesn’t quite feel yours yet. I think a cozy fall challenge is perfect. Looking forward to your updates whenever you feel like sharing!

I’m not quite ready to be done with summer but I’m ready for cozy! 

[Shello]

I ate like an absolute d!ckhead this weekend.  We had a house warming party on Saturday.  We didn't really know how many people to expect so I prepared enough just in case.  I'd rather have leftovers than run out of food at a party.  We did indeed have leftovers so I didn't batch cook any meals this week.  But now we are 'stuck' eating party food instead of healthy food.  Not only do the two not overlap, but the menu included two of my absolute biggest weaknesses - potato chips with french onion dip, and peanut butter butterscotch rice krispies.  The menu also included ham and swiss hawaiian roll sliders, turkey and havarti mini croissant sandwiches with lingonberry jam, crescent roll and kielbasa pinwheels, bourbon BBQ cocktail meatballs, chips and queso, pumpkin bars, and chocolate chip cookies.  It was an excellent party menu and everything was so delicious.  DDG and I were barely hungry for dinner Saturday so we each had one one of the sliders, a few pinwheels, and some fruit on the side.  And obviously several rice krispies.  

 

Peach's birthday is today so we went out for a birthday brunch Sunday.  Naturally we overate for that too.  We hung out in the afternoon and I ended up snacking on rice krispie treats and then got into the chips and dip and totally ruined my appetite for dinner.  We had dinner super late and had the same tiny dinner as the day before.  

 

I didn't log anything because there were too many recipes to log and too many uncontrolled portions.  

 

No fitnessing but my Fitbit gave me an 11 minute workout in the middle of the night Friday night and another one during the party.  Maybe DDG got a Fitbit handy in the middle of the night but neither of us remember it.  During the party there was a lot of walking around the house, going up and down the stairs, as we showed people around but I certainly wouldn't have called that a workout either.  

 

I guess that's what week 0 is for but disappointed in taking such a huge step backwards.  Looking to get back to routine this week.  We're still working through party leftovers but maybe we'll, like, eat some salads with it now and stop with the snacking.  Rice Krispy treats are practically gone and I just need to steer clear of the chips and dip altogether.  Hopefully some walks happen this week.  I do have one of my free trainer sessions at the gym scheduled for Wednesday.  

[TimovieMan]

17 hours ago, Shello said:

I ate like an absolute d!ckhead this weekend.  We had a house warming party on Saturday.  We didn't really know how many people to expect so I prepared enough just in case.  I'd rather have leftovers than run out of food at a party.  We did indeed have leftovers so I didn't batch cook any meals this week.  But now we are 'stuck' eating party food instead of healthy food.

So recognisable.
When there's going to be a party / food extravaganza elsewhere, it's just eating poorly for one day. When the party is at your own place, it's eating poorly for a week. Because there's always too much food.

And yes, because "not enough food" would be a disaster.

[Shello]

7 hours ago, TimovieMan said:

When there's going to be a party / food extravaganza elsewhere, it's just eating poorly for one day. When the party is at your own place, it's eating poorly for a week. Because there's always too much food.

Exactly this.  I wasn't as prepared for this as I should have been.  

[Shello]

Yesterday was better but still 300 or so calorie over goal.  Usual lunch (snackbox with cheese and crackers, clementines, and some blueberry banana overnight oats) but then a rice krispie treat instead of dark chocolate, then a Lindt truffle.  When I got home form work I got out the potato chips and dip and went to town on those.  Dinner was leftover BBQ cocktail meatballs, corn on the cob in the air fryer, and the leftover tater tots from Peach's birthday brunch.  Then 2 more rice krispie treats for dessert.  

 

No fitnessing either.  I was exhausted from a busy day at work and then class so didn't really have the mental or physical energy to push us out for a walk. 

[Snarkyfishguts]

I love that you have so much to celebrate!! i feel you regarding the pain of leftovers, and yours sound so delicious! @TimovieMan said it so succinctly the whole hosting issue ?

But. No one complains of being hungry when they leave! ?

[Shello]

19 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

I love that you have so much to celebrate!! i feel you regarding the pain of leftovers, and yours sound so delicious! @TimovieMan said it so succinctly the whole hosting issue ?

But. No one complains of being hungry when they leave! ?

We should finish off leftovers tonight!  

[Shello]

Tuesday - Finished off the last of the rice krispie treats.  And there was a strawberries and creme bundtini that she shared from her work celebration.  We celebrated Peach's birthday with her birthday dinner and made chicken, bacon, and cheese egg rolls.  It's one of her favorites.  I skipped the salad and had chips and dip on the side.  And a slice of her ice cream cake from Cold Stone.  There were many treats.  Over calorie goal by 274 but at least I logged it.  Calories came in at 2138, still a slight deficit  

 

No fitnessing I meant to but the evening was packed.  Peach and I decided to watch a movie together (Maxxxine) and then DDG and I wanted to watch the presidential debate.  Then we scanned the news networks reviews on Youtube afterwards.  It was a late night.  

 

 

Wednesday - I did manage to avoid chips and dip.  There's not much dip left and only crumbs left of the chips.  I'm refusing to buy another bag in order to finish off the dip.  I did, however, have some reese's pumpkins after lunch in addition to the dark chocolate I usually have.  Dinner was leftover chicken bacon egg rolls, but a smaller portion and with a salad.  We also finished off the last 3 sausage pinwheels from the party.   Calories were under goal for the first time in 5 days.  

 

I also made it to the gym to use up one of my free sessions.  I forgot that the first free session is always a get to know you session so there wasn't a lot of workout.  My hamstrings are still on fire today so it still counts.  Jury is still out on this trainer until I get a real workout done.   It did feel good to be back at the gym though.  The fact that my hammies are hurting after barely a workout tells me it's been too long.  

[Laghail]

Wildly here for the chill fall vibes.

[Shello]

15 hours ago, Laghail said:

Wildly here for the chill fall vibes.

Welcome! 

[Shello]

Thursday -  DOMS really kicked in from the 'barely a workout' session with the new trainer.  I haven't taken that long of a break from the gym so I was surprised by how intense it was.  I figured getting out for a walk would help so DDG and I went out for a quick evening walk.  We decided to check out to see how far the path went in the other direction (It's been closed for construction for some time).  Our walk ended up being an hour long.  By the time we got to the 'end point' I was regretting going that far because then we had to walk all the way back.  We did find a little shortcut.  Boy did I struggle on the inclines since my hammies were so angry.   I took a hot bath after the walk and then we sat around on the couch the rest of the evening.  DDG massaged my sore muscles while we watched some tv. 

 

Food was improved but I replaced all my healthy afternoon snacks with candy.  Less than before so I guess it's progress.  I have also been craving pizza from the work cafeteria so I finally caved and ordered that for lunch and left my lunch sit for the next day.  Dinner was corn on the cob in the air fryer and then we almost finished off the party meatballs.  DDG should be finishing them off for lunch today.  

[Snarkyfishguts]

“Hammies” are an adorable way to name hamstrings and it’s going in my vocabulary. Thank you. 

 

That walk sounded amazing! How are your legs today? 

 

What’s work pizza like? I want pizza now   

[Shello]

3 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

“Hammies” are an adorable way to name hamstrings and it’s going in my vocabulary. Thank you. 

 

That walk sounded amazing! How are your legs today? 

 

What’s work pizza like? I want pizza now   

Still sore today!  We are planning another walk after work but it should definitely be a shorter walk.  

 

Work pizzas are very good.  They have a little pizza oven and they make them to order.  Personal sized pizzas, naan crusts, or flatbread crusts!  And they have alfredo sauce option for sauce and that's my fav!  

[Snarkyfishguts]

1 hour ago, Shello said:

Still sore today!  We are planning another walk after work but it should definitely be a shorter walk.  

 

this is wise. keeping those muscles warmed up!

1 hour ago, Shello said:

Work pizzas are very good.  They have a little pizza oven and they make them to order.  Personal sized pizzas, naan crusts, or flatbread crusts!  And they have alfredo sauce option for sauce and that's my fav!  

omg i am going to work with you next time. lol

[Loveable_Bouncer]

Are you recovered from the gym session? Try it out a 2nd time?

[Shello]

On 9/13/2024 at 4:30 PM, Snarkyfishguts said:

 

omg i am going to work with you next time. lol

wouldn't this be fun!  although if we were going to go out for pizza together, as good as those are, I could find a list of other places to try.  

 

On 9/24/2024 at 12:49 PM, Loveable_Bouncer said:

Are you recovered from the gym session? Try it out a 2nd time?

Thanks for checking in!   I did recover.  My second session was supposed to be today but I was in such a hurry this morning I didn't pack a gym bag so I moved it to Friday.  I have not been in again on my own either.  Womp womp

[Shello]

It's been awhile since my last update.  I'm sure my challenge moved to the last page!   I'm struggling to keep up with tracking and to post back here.  I started to feel guilty about it but then remembered that's exactly the point of this chill fall challenge!  I need this break so I'm ready for the next one.  

 

So I haven't really been tracking outside of my apps that do it for me.  I am logging food about 50% of the time.  I'm playing a little fast and loose with food choices. Not to the point where I'm off the rails, but logging is more difficult when too many things are unknown or new recipes.  I went out of town this past weekend with Peach, my brother, and my niece to see a comedian.  It was a good time.  Food choices on the road are hard to track too so I didn't bother.   I'm mostly playing it by ear and attempting to be mindful. 

Halloween Reese's are back out and I made the mistake of buying them for the work candy jar.  I started digging into the overflow that I keep in my desk and now it's a habit.  Did you know that it's impossible to eat just 1?   2 is the absolute minimum.  I think it's the law or something.  

 

Last week work was absolutely crazy so I just couldn't bring myself to get out for a walk.   I did finally get out Monday night this week.  The weather is getting really nice so evening strolls are very lovely.  Just need to get out there.  Things are less busy so conditions should be right.  I just have to recognize it and take advantage and get out there.  

[deftona]

Yet another challenge I forgot to follow! 

 

I think with all the trouble a certain few of us are having with updating our challenges and feeling the passion for this place, maybe it's time for a return of....

 

THE DOODLIES. 

 

(maybe in the new year tho?)

[Shello]

4 minutes ago, deftona said:

THE DOODLIES. 

I would 1000% support this!   (in the new year tho)

[Snarkyfishguts]

On 9/25/2024 at 2:34 PM, Shello said:

I started to feel guilty about it but then remembered that's exactly the point of this chill fall challenge!

Give your guilt to me. i will burn it and toast marshmallows over the flames ??? i’m glad you are embracing the chill vibes

[Shello]

On 9/28/2024 at 3:29 PM, Snarkyfishguts said:

Give your guilt to me. i will burn it and toast marshmallows over the flames ??? i’m glad you are embracing the chill vibes

Done! 

[Shello]

Continued to not log any food.  I've been eye-balling it and sort of half assing it.   I finished off the Reese's halloween treats and vowed not to buy anymore.  Then I went to buy candy for the office sweet jar and ended up with a bag that has the Reese's white ghosts.  Those are my absolute favorites.  ?  The ghosts will not make it to the office jar but will go to my private stash.  The rest will go to the office jar though so that's something.  

 

I did make it to the gym on Wednesday.  Had a 'real' (it was free tho) session with a new trainer.  I have mixed feelings about it but he seems like a good guy and knows his stuff.  I'm not ready to start up with paid training sessions right now anyway, but once I am I'm sure if I communicate clearly about what I'm looking for from my sessions he would be able to provide it.   

 

I didn't get out for any walks.  DDG and I ran a bunch of errands over the weekend.  Saturdays errands registered as a walk on Fitbit so that counts for something.  I meant to get out for a walk Sunday but the day just got away from us. 

 

I've continued to weigh in daily.  I'm mostly maintaining.  I'm perfectly fine taking a break and hanging out in the 240's for a bit to let my body settle before I get serious again but I've been creeping closer and closer to the 250s and that just isn't going to happen.  I started logging food again Sunday and plan to log again all week.  Even if it's bad, I just need to log it.  Hopefully it won't be bad though.