Harihead's Half-A$$ed Respawn - ROAR!

[Harihead]

Thanks for the nudge, Forkboy!

 

Yeah, I'm BACK I'm BAD I'm BITING NAILS IN TWO! Or maybe bending them. Maybe I'll let Jim bend them. That is not the issue.

The issue is I'M BACK and I have a plan. A very good plan. It's... (drumroll)

 

The Half-A$$ed Plan!

 

Yes, I'm half-a$$ing it. Here's how:

 

1. I'm dividing my standard Nerd Fitness workout in half.

2. I'm doing HALF the exercises in each half of the workout. 

3. I'm eating half the calories I've been eating (well, okay, a third less, but I lose symmetry if I say that, so I'm saying "half"). 

 

If I add these 3 halves I get to lose a WHOLE TEN POUNDS by December 31st, when I visit my family. 

 

The motivation is, I'm sick of seeing my family right after I've packed on some pounds. Now, I'm still 20 pounds down from my peak, but it would be nice to exceed my previous low record before I go see them. They've never seen me on a "low". 

 

The backstory is, frankly, I was overwhelmed with everything and needed a break. I wanted to see if I could "maintain" by eating well and not counting calories. Well, what happened was, I didn't eat well OR count calories, and I put weight back on. I'd notice this and go on plan for a few days and boom, I lost 5 pounds in 2 days. I did this twice (soon to be 3 times). A yoyo of the highest order. So I wasn't so much maintaining as sputtering. 

 

I can do better than sputter. I've never made a deadline to lose X pounds before a family visit, so I'm invoking the power of Nerd Fitness to back me up on this. 

 

GIVE ME HELL, REBELS!!! Failure is NOT an option!

 

TEN POUNDS by December 31st. I will get there by half-a$$ing it. That is the plan. 

 

Thanks, everyone!

[Terinatum]

We got your back, Harihead.

 

It's all about all consistency. You know that, that's why the yo-yo crap has to go. I've gotten some great fires lit under my ass so here's giving back to the community that helped get me where I am today.

 

Move your ASS! I mean it!

You are the boss of you and you get to decide what you want and need to do. FOR YOU, screw anyone that says different. It's your body and your life. If you want to impress them, give them the best Harihead person you can be in the moment you're in. If it's 10 pounds less than you weigh now, great! Just get to it already!

 

Being overwhelmed is going to revisit your life over and over again. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know so don't think I say this to enlighten you. I say this to remind you how wonderful you are. How amazingly brave you continue to be by coming here: to work with people you don't know, try things you have been afraid to do before, to find your limits and smash through barriers you always assumed would be there to block you from health and happiness. Now you know, there's nothing that can stand in your way long enough to keep you down. You know you can rest and take it easy without feeling like a loser, because recovery is where it all happens: the muscles recover and get stronger, the lungs recover and get better at supplying oxygen when we ask it of them.

 

Remember and truly realize how powerful you are by having the self-confidence to rely on the love and support of people here; who you can be sure only want what's best for you, doing it however you need to, to make it work for you. We are not here to judge you. We are here to support, give advice and ideas, celebrate, and understand the hardships and the pain involved in taking your life in a new direction.

 

The time is ripe for change in your life. Why? Because you are respawning. You are recommitting yourself to yourself. It's the most important superpower there is in all the universe. We all fail, we all cry, we all feel the pain, and we all have the option to get up again. When we get up, we have already won the hardest battle.

 

And look! Here you are now, getting up!!!

 

Go get what you want.       We're here.   

[forkboy]

WOOOO HOOOO!!!  KICK ASS!!!!!!

 

Glad you are back!  I went AWOL for 4 months in the spring.  I get it.  Shit happens.  The most important thing is you are back.  I agree with Terinatum, consistency, consistency, then add in a little Rebel Accountability and you are golden.

 

Love it!!

[Harihead]

Whahoo!

 

You have no idea how accountable to you I'm going to be!

 

This Saturday I will put up... THE MATRIX.

 

It will show every day what I'm supposed to be doing that weak. If I fail.... CHEW MY A$$ OFF!

 

This is not about lollygagging my way to health. This is about DOING it. 

 

It feels good to be back. I'm more energized already!

 

Cheers!

[Sygil]

OH HI. Welcome back to ass kickery Your presence has been missed.

 

In other news, the link to the brigade in your signature needs an update

 

Half-assing or not, you're certainly on your way to victory. I've found this most appropriate picture for you:

[Terinatum]

Excellent news!

[Carly Rae Jepsens Warlock]

YOOO! You're back! Glad to have you on board, mayteyyyy!

Also!

Don't be too harsh on yourself, my brother~ You just need to remember that you're capable of anything but it will take time for you to develop and grow~

We're here to provide support and help AND, BY JEEVES, THAT WE WILL DO! We're all a family here! We all share a bond that is stronger than anything!

This message was convincingly brought to you by,"my imaginative brain", co-produced by "my nimble but bulbous fingers".

[Swampling]

HH! You're back!

:triumphant: :triumphant:

[Harihead]

Oh, Oh, Oh, I feel so supported already!

THANK YOU, one and all! Big virtual hugs to everyone! 

 

It will show every day what I'm supposed to be doing that weak. 

HAH, do you see the Freudian slip in here? What I'm doing that "weak"??!?! I need to kick a$$ on my subconscious, for sure!

 

Cinalyc, that picture is hilarious! I'm saving a pair of my biggest pants. When I'm through with my NF main quest, let's see if I can match it.

 

> We're all a family here! We all share a bond that is stronger than anything! 

Hansjay, what a beautiful thought. You really make me glad to be back.

 

I'm updating my sig with my current quest status and, of course, the new Brigade link. Thanks for providing that! I hope to drop in from time to time and cheer you on.

 

Life news in brief: 

- new screenplay is sent off to potential buyer. Fingers crossed!

- lots of layoffs at work last week; very sad and stressful.

- the pipes in my sister's house burst during our big cold snap 2 weeks ago, so I've been running up and down the highway almost daily to let in plumbers, insurance adjusters, and various repair people. I'm getting a first-rate education about home repair, as my sister is in Hawaii and not due to return until January. So I get to do this in addition to my job, writing work, and professional society presidency. 

 

All that said, I'm delighted to be back amongst my dear Rebels. Clearly you have my back; it means a lot to me.

Hugs all around. 

[Harihead]

THE MATRIX

 

Okay, my dear Rebels, it's Saturday and, as promised, here is The Matrix. 

 

EVERY DAY: Eat <= 1300 net calories. 

Penalty: If I fail, I must Walk to Mordor for 10 minutes that day or the next. This includes the 3 party exceptions noted below. 

 

EVERY DAY: Do 1 of my modified Nerd Fitness workouts. A typical week will look like: NF1 NF2 NF1 NF2 NF1 NF2 with "any major cardio" on day 7.

Penalty: There is no penalty, because I cannot fail to do this. I'm allowed to reduce the reps so that I get my workout in, but I MUST DO IT. 

 

The weight goal here is to restore consistency. I have a number of holiday parties coming up, so I will allow myself to blow the 1300/day requirement on those 3 days. Any more than that, and I am not serious. I would appreciate it if you reminded me that I'm not serious and am just wasting everyone's time by pretending that I am. Good golly, it's not that hard to achieve this goal, especially if I exercise. 

I do have a few general goals, which I will half-a$$edly track in my pocket notebook:

<40 grams sugar 4x week

>10 glasses of water per day

drink only 1-2 glasses (1 preferable) on labeled days. Otherwise, find that wagon and curl up in it. 

 

The exercise goal is also to achieve consistency. I do my healing yoga almost every day as is. What I noticed is that the 45-50 minutes required for my full NF routine was not working with my schedule, particularly with the long hours I've been putting in the last couple of weeks. Therefore, I am allowed to reduce the time of my workout to whatever fits. If it's 1 rep, I do 1 rep. (It won't work out that way, because if I do 1 rep I'll do more, but giving myself the 1 rep leeway means I will actually do it, which is the goal). This is the "anything is better than nothing approach." 

 

I'm afraid I can't be more rigorous. I'm fairly frazzled, and with the extra hours commuting to the burst-pipe site and convening with experts there, I'm extra worn out. Yesterday I spent 5 hours without even a drink of water because there's no water running and I forgot my water bottle and the string of repair people never stopped coming so I was trapped. I'm not in the mindset to be rigorous right now. My will power is exhausted. We have to let this poor old pony plod on at her own pace. "Something is better than nothing." I'm expecting solid gains simply by restoring consistency. 

 

12/5: 

Food: FAIL - penalty

NF: Pass, W2M 1.5 miles

 

12/6 - DINNER - 2 white wine

Food: FAIL - penalty

NF: Pass, W2M 1 mile

 

12/7 

Food: PASS! 

NF: Pass, biked 1 hour

 

12/8

Food: Emphatically pass 

NF: Pass, W2M 1 mile, Tai Chi 1 hour

 

12/9

Food: Pass

NF: Pass, W2M 1 mile

 

12/10 - PARTY - 2 red wine

Food: Fail - Penalty

NF: Pass, W2M 1.5 miles, Tai Chi

 

12/11

Food: Pass

NF: Pass, W2M 2 miles, Tai Chi

 

12/12 - DINNER - 1 red wine

Food: Fail - Penalty

NF: Pass, W2M 1.5 miles, Tai Chi

 

12/13 - PARTY - 1-2 red wine

Food: Emphatically Fail - Penalty

NF: Pass

 

12/14

Food: 

NF:

 

12/15

Food: 

NF:

 

12/16 - PARTY - 1-2 red wine

Food: 

NF:

 

12/17

Food: 

NF:

 

12/18

Food: 

NF:

 

12/19

Food: 

NF:

[forkboy]

Sounds like a plan, love it!

[Harihead]

Sounds like a plan, love it!

Thanks so much! I've never done a daily report before. I hope this will embarrass me into behaving.

[Terinatum]

Being accountable to yourself 'on paper' is really motivating when you know others are seeing it as well and not judging you. Just witnessing. So...

Go move your ass! hehehehe

screamed with love and care, of course

[Sygil]

Sounds excellent! I look forward to seeing you kick alloftheass.

 

If it's 1 rep, I do 1 rep. (It won't work out that way, because if I do 1 rep I'll do more, but giving myself the 1 rep leeway means I will actually do it, which is the goal). This is the "anything is better than nothing approach." 

This is a solid goal. It seems like a lot of the time, all we need is to just get started on something. Once a person begins, the rest follows so much more easily. So yes, start small!

[Harihead]

It seems like a lot of the time, all we need is to just get started on something. Once a person begins, the rest follows so much more easily. So yes, start small!

Thank you!

The 1 rep trick is working great for my exercises. What I need now is a "1 rep" trick for alcohol. 

 

I was doing great yesterday until I went out to dinner with a friend. I decided to have a glass of wine, then I had another, then I decided it was okay to have dessert. O_o

 

So I blew my calorie allotment. I would have been fine if I'd had just dinner (seafood and veggies). But alcohol is such an easy out when I'm under stress, which will continue to be a problem. Current main stressors:

1. Fixing the burst pipes at sister's house. She returns Jan 4, but that leaves me all December to meet and let in repairmen, choose repairs/carpet/paint/linoleum and communicate them to sister, and run up and down the highway several times each week. 

2. President of my technical society-- consumes about 10 hours a week. 

3. Work is heating up with a huge new project I'm spearheading. Mucky-mucks arrive next Tuesday to be persuaded into coughing up budget for the development work. 

4. Holidays. I'm in pretty good shape here, except for sending out cards. But the actual parties and events must be got through without the alcohol problem rearing its head. 

 

So, I'm invoking the POWER OF THE REBELLION:

I've gone weeks without alcohol before. But right now I'm back to my 1 or 2 a night routine to "cope" with stress. Does anyone have a tip or trick to nip this habit in the bud? I'm afraid my will power is critically low because I'm so worn down. So I would like a trick, a self-deception like "you may do only 1 rep" (which naturally leads into a workout). The trouble with "you can only have 1 drink" is that the 1 drink obliterates my will power and then the sugar floodgates open. 

 

Maybe I can convince myself it's poison. Maybe I can make a rule that I have to put a green dot on my chin for every drink I consume. I don't know, something. Some trick. Throw out your alternative coping mechanisms, please! *hugs*

[Harihead]

POSTED FOR MY REFERENCE:

 

Welcome to the Whole30.
- See more at: http://whole30.com/step-six/

- http://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

[forkboy]

Oooh, this is my personal dragon for sure.  I had the exact same problem yesterday.  The fam went to a hockey game and I had a beer because I had the room in my macros.  Then I had another.  Then when I got home I had some wine.  Shit storm.  Blew my macros for the day.  I definitely use alcohol as a de-stresser even though I know it can screw me over for the day.  I especially have problems when I start drinking before I have eaten anything (I usually only eat from 12noon to 8pm so it is not morning drinking).  That is what happened when I ended up eating french fries and ice cream last weekend.  It is the slipperiest of slopes for me personally.  I would love to hear what folks are doing about it.  My best approach has been a zero tolerance approach.  I don't allow myself to drink alcohol at all and I substitute other drinks like tea.  This one is tough on me psychologically though, because of the stress component.  After a long day I feel like I 'deserve' something, but I know food and drink should not be rewards.  Just a constant struggle is what I am getting at.  I have had some success making it my last reward of the day too.  No drinking until I have done the final calculation on my macros and calories, that way I know I am allowed to have 5 ounces of wine, then I leave it at that.  I hit my goals and no more.  Beyond that I screw this one up frequently so I feel your pain.

[Harihead]

YES!

It's a dragon. It's the "I only want to wind down" whine followed by more wind-down followed by excessive unhealthy "rewards."

 

Like you, I find zero-tolerance is best, but I just know I won't do it at my holiday parties. I'm going to be crabby and rebellious and "treat" myself to a drink, which will quite likely lead to more "treats." (One drink is fine; it's two that unleashes the floodgates.)

 

I looked up Steve's article on alcohol: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/05/10/alcohol/

 

For my parties, I'm going to choose from his list of EPIC WIN drinks:

• Red Wine  (organic if possible) - ~130 calories and ~5-6g carbs.  Full of the healthy stuff.
• NorCal Margarita - tequila, club soda, and lime juice – ~150 calories and ~5g carbs
• Whiskey/Brandy/Scotch/Cognac  - Full of healthy antioxidants as well. 64 calories and zero carbs.
• Vodka/soda or Vodka/rocks with lime (my drink of choice) – >2g carbs, 66 calories + lime juice (>10 calories)

For drinking in general, I'm going to follow his rules + Cinalyc's awesome additions. As applied to me, these are: 

- Identify the days you’ll be drinking.  My party list is already ID'd. However, I added my dinners out with friends, which screwed me up yesterday.

- If you have a party to go to, tell a friend in advance what your limit is and have them hold you accountable.

- When you get to the party or wherever you’re going, alternate alcohol with plain water.  Per Cinalyc, I'm making this 3 glasses. 

- Stop drinking at least an hour before you’re going to go to bed / OR DRIVE.  Afterwards, CHUG WATER LIKE A MOFO.  

 

A plan. This is helping me develop a plan. *crosses fingers*

 

More ideas, Rebels? 

[Sygil]

A dragon it is indeed. I can offer the following:

• It can always be helpful to remind yourself how not-so-good alcohol can be for your body in the long term.
• I've found that it can seriously affect my sleep, causing me to wake up several times even if I've only had one drink. Perhaps you've noticed something similar.
• Not sure if you have alcohol at home, but you can always avoid buying it and limit your consumption to "nights out." This is made easier or more difficult depending on where you can buy alcohol - I personally must go to a liquor store, so avoid them.

 

You mentioned that your willpower is dying in a fire. In that case, instead of doing this:

 

- If you have a party to go to, spend your entire week being incredibly diligent with your diet and choices.  Be more strict on your meals, stick to only water, and work from there.

- When you get to the party or wherever you’re going, alternate alcohol with ice/soda water.  

 

You may want to try this:

1. When at a dinner out or a party, consume 3-5 glasses of (plain) ice water after every alcoholic beverage you consume and drink them all before the next alcoholic beverage. Pick a number and stick with it. Make it high enough that you do not expect to even want to drink more afterward. Have someone count for you if you're comfortable with the idea.
2. Tell everyone how many drinks you plan to have and to hold you accountable. Do this before you even get there if you can.
3. You may not want to "spend your entire week being incredibly diligent with your diet and choices" a priority. That sounds like a ton of work and like you said, you're worn out. You might want to instead think of it in terms of "I'm going to go out drinking later in the week, so I'm going to cut out these exact one or two things on day X." You can even start out just ignoring this rule entirely and stick with (1) and (2) here for the first N weeks.

These are of course just suggestions! I hope they help.

[Harihead]

You may want to try this:

1. When at a dinner out or a party, consume 3-5 glasses of (plain) ice water after every alcoholic beverage you consume and drink them all before the next alcoholic beverage. Pick a number and stick with it. Make it high enough that you do not expect to even want to drink more afterward. Have someone count for you if you're comfortable with the idea.
2. Tell everyone how many drinks you plan to have and to hold you accountable. Do this before you even get there if you can.

These are AWESOME suggestions!

I will do #1 regardless. 

#2 I feel comfortable with except for the office party. That's Dec 10. So that one I will have to regulate on my own. I want 2 to be my absolute limit. 

I think you are wise suggesting I skip #3. Right now I would consider it a victory just to meet my calorie goals. 

 

> A dragon it is indeed. I can offer the following:

• II've found that it can seriously affect my sleep, causing me to wake up several times even if I've only had one drink. Perhaps you've noticed something similar.
• Not sure if you have alcohol at home, but you can always avoid buying it and limit your consumption to "nights out." This is made easier or more difficult depending on where you can buy alcohol - I personally must go to a liquor store, so avoid them.

Yes, I've noticed it affects my sleep also. I try to have alcohol early enough in the evening so that Sleepytime tea is my bedtime drink. If I have a nightcap, I don't sleep well!

 

I do have to go to a liquor store in my state, so I'm lucky there. I have 2 bottles in the basement that I need to bring to a couple of parties. They are currently barricaded behind a box. Well, I'd have to shift the box to open the door, but I'd feel foolish doing it so I think they are adequately protected.

 

THIS IS AWESOME THIS IS JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!

 

I love you, fellow Rebels. I love the whole world!

 

PS: Cinalyc, I also play guitar. Are you beginner or advanced? I've played for years, but I don't have the motor control to play lead, after trying numerous times. I can chord and do embellishments, like base walk-downs, but that's about it. 

[WanderingLiz]

I *lovelovelove* your accountability matrix! You have everything so spectacularly outlined. Gorgeous!

 

As a trial, I spent a year on drink restriction. Any given day, I was allowed 1 and only 1 drink. I had 2-3 accountability partners I could text when I ordered said drink. If I wanted to go beyond that (or it was a special event), I had to text them again. Often, I found by getting asked regular questions (why do you want more, did you have a rough day, etc), I'd focus less on the restriction and more on myself. It's not a perfect system, but when you're hanging out with folks who won't understand restricting yourself/you don't feel like disclosing said restriction to, it's a fairly discreet method.  

 

I hope this helps!

[Harihead]

WanderingLiz, this is great! I think this is just the system I need. It's too easy to cheat myself. But when I have to explain to my friends-- I can see that putting a stop to my excuses. Oh, this is terrific! *does cartwheels* I'm back on track.

 

For ease of access, here is...

 

THE MATRIX: Week 1

 

EVERY DAY: Eat <= 1300 net calories. 

Penalty: If I fail, I must Walk to Mordor for 10 minutes that day or the next. This includes the 3 party exceptions noted below. 

 

EVERY DAY: Do 1 of my modified Nerd Fitness workouts. A typical week will look like: NF1 NF2 NF1 NF2 NF1 NF2 with "MI cardio"  on day 7

 

12/7 

Food: PASS! 

NF: Pass, biked 1 hour

 

12/8

Food: Emphatically pass

NF: Pass, W2M 1 mile, Tai Chi 1 hour

 

12/9

Food: Pass

NF: Pass, W2M 1 mile

 

12/10 - PARTY - 2 red wine

Food: Fail - Penalty

NF: Pass, W2M 1.5 miles, Tai Chi

 

12/11

Food: Pass

NF: Pass, W2M 2 miles, Tai Chi

 

12/12 - DINNER - 1 red wine

Food: Fail - Penalty

NF: Pass, W2M 1.5 miles, Tai Chi

 

12/13 - PARTY - 1-2 red wine

Food: Fail - Penalty

NF: Pass

[Sygil]

Glad we've offered you some useful suggestions!

 

PS: Cinalyc, I also play guitar. Are you beginner or advanced? I've played for years, but I don't have the motor control to play lead, after trying numerous times. I can chord and do embellishments, like base walk-downs, but that's about it. 

I am definitely a beginner. I have learned parts of several songs and can play those well, and do enjoy playing lead, but I know barely any music theory and pretty much just learn songs by reading tabs and developing muscle memory. Now I'm spending more time focusing on theory again... and hopefully finding new songs to learn with leady-type parts. I find doing chords really boring and just want to shred Speaking of which, I'm going to do exactly that in a few minutes!

[jaex]

 

The backstory is, frankly, I was overwhelmed with everything and needed a break. I wanted to see if I could "maintain" by eating well and not counting calories. Well, what happened was, I didn't eat well OR count calories, and I put weight back on. I'd notice this and go on plan for a few days and boom, I lost 5 pounds in 2 days. I did this twice (soon to be 3 times). A yoyo of the highest order. So I wasn't so much maintaining as sputtering. 

 

 

Been there and had the same struggle.  It is especially abd in the winter months as the food is thicker/fattier/less green and the weather keeps me indoors. 

 

Life news in brief: 

- new screenplay is sent off to potential buyer. Fingers crossed!

 

I hope you hear good news!

[Harihead]

I find doing chords really boring and just want to shred Speaking of which, I'm going to do exactly that in a few minutes!

The only way I will shred is if I'm a piece of paper. Plain chords are dull, but I like the fiddly bits.

 

Been there and had the same struggle.  It is especially abd in the winter months as the food is thicker/fattier/less green and the weather keeps me indoors. 

Me, too. Calories were never a problem when I swam each day. 

 

Thanks so much for the support. You're like a raft of healthcare professionals at my fingertips.