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Drash's Log - Stardate 2015110.9


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Summary of all actions prior to this post:

 

·         Began push for a healthier self on 9 November 2015

o    Began Planning of meals, instead of just letting them happen.

§  Began an emphasis on Low Carb lifestyle

o    Began utilization of my Gym membership (was locked into a membership I can’t terminate)

§  3 times per week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

§  Focus on Beginner bodyweight workout & 15 mins of HIIT on the elliptical on every visit.

·         Weekly Meal Summary:

o    Massive cook day on Sunday.

§  Cooked 10 burger patties so they are ready for when needed during the week.

§  Cooked chicken breast, and cubed it, for use as needed during the week.

o    Brought all breakfast and lunch pre-prepared to work to eat

§  Leftover low carb breakfast casserole put into containers for breakfast.

§  Packaged lunches for all week.  Cheeseburgers topped with chili, or a salad with Chicken and tossed with Ranch.

o    Dinners Planned

·         Weekly Gym Summary

o    Monday – Attended Gym

§  Beginner Bodyweight workout.

·         Notes: Was barely able to complete one circuit.  I attempted some HIIT afterward on the elliptical, but was just too exhausted to continue past 7 minutes.  Lunges were very problematic, as it seemed that I was not even able to fully return to a starting position properly. I used a jump box to steady myself going up and down

o    Tuesday – Off

§  VERY sore.  Difficult to even walk, and walking with knees bent is impossible.

o    Wednesday – Attended Gym

§  Beginner Bodyweight workout – Half Reps

·         Notes: Made sure to do a good warm up doing a walk on the treadmill.  Started out slower (around a 3) and moved up to 4 by the end of 5 mins.  Did the beginner bodyweight workout again at half reps.  Lunges still prove to be a very big problem.  I reduced the reps to only 5 for lunges only, but made it so that I was not allowed to touch the box to steady myself or help myself up.  Completed 2 circuits of half reps.

§  15 mins of the interval program on the elliptical.

o    Thursday – Off

§  Noticeably less sore today than Tuesday.  Soreness is still present, but now doesn’t feel quite debilitating.

o    Friday – Attended Gym

§  Beginner Bodyweight workout

·         Notes: Did the same good warmup as Wednesday.  2 circuits.  Lunges are still a problem.  I committed to doing all lunges with no balance assistance.  First circuit barely did all 20 reps.  Second circuit did half reps.  Form on lunges is still shaky and inconsistent.  I’m not sure if the problem here is due to me being very heavy, or due to overly weak legs.  I might need to spend some time researching to find out what my exact issue is.

§  Skipped any sort of cardio due to time constraints and the fact that it was Friday.

New Week:

·         Success- Planned & cooked all breakfasts & lunches for while at work.

·         Fail – Did not plan any dinners.  I have the burger patties pre-cooked that I can have, but that is not a complete solution and counts as a failure.  I need to find low carb dinner ideas that I would like to plan and try for dinner.

 

 

Thoughts:

Soreness is not currently an issue.  Recovery seems to be speeding up as long as I keep working out.  I still need to work on my lunges.  I’m not happy with how much of an issue those are.  Once those come further under control, maybe bring more focus on my core and my back.  I don’t like it hurting like it does when holding my son for too long.  I know that a weak core (abs and back) are a big contributor to this issue.  Along with overall weight.

 

 

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Perhaps you're trying to do too much at once?

I can't do lunges well because my back & core are weak. My goal for this challenge is to do 10 proper form pushups so I can move on to the bodyweight exercises. I definitely can't do three circuits of the bodyweight exercises and it's due to weakness/lack of conditioning, not weight.

As for meal-planning, I think you're doing well. I have trouble with this area & need to make time to do it. It's a discipline & just like any other habit it takes time to master.

Hang in there, you can do this!!!

L3 Human Ranger/Assassin

Str. 6 Dex. 2 Sta. 1 Con. 12 Wis. 8 Cha. 3

https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/58014

Motto: Where there is life, there is hope.

Soli Deo Gloria

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I wondered if I'm doing too much.  And maybe I am, but I don't think so.

 

My 2 goals right now are

 

1) Plan your meals.

2) Use the gym you have to pay for anyway.

 

1A) I've always pretty much just let meals happen, and never really planned them.  As part of the actual planning part, I'm intentionally setting aside a big chunk of time on Sunday to be my cooking day.  I use that time to ensure that my breakfast and lunch for the whole work week are cooked and ready (since I eat both breakfast and lunch at work).  That way I can grab and go (something I will do anyway if I don't have something healthy prepared) but at least this way it is within my low carb slant.  I'm not punishing myself if I'm not perfect eating.  Right now the goal is to consistently plan my meals, because I never do it.

 

2A) I got locked into a gym contract that I paid for near my old job.  I changed jobs, but not where I live, so they won't let me out of the contract.  So since I have the space anyway, my goal is to go 3 times per week and do something, for around 30 mins at least.

 

My flaw right now is a lack of good low carb recipes to plan with.  I need to actually get some typed out, and available to me, so that I will actually plan dinner as well, and not just breakfast and lunch.  Thanks for the encouragement!  I really want to make these goals a habit, and not just a fad that I fall off of.  

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You're welcome.

I should probably pick a day and bulk cook as well. I used to do this but then life got all wonky, so I fell out of the habit.I should get back into using my crock-pot as well.

I'm transferring (slowly, I might add) all my recipes to Pepperplate. It's a pretty cool site and app. It helps with menu planning, finding recipes and importing them from other sites.

L3 Human Ranger/Assassin

Str. 6 Dex. 2 Sta. 1 Con. 12 Wis. 8 Cha. 3

https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/58014

Motto: Where there is life, there is hope.

Soli Deo Gloria

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I used pepperplate for a long time, and loved it.

 

I recently switched to Food Planner App.  Because it gives me all the functionality that pepperplate does, and lets family members join a "family group" so that they can add recipies, plan dinners for that night, etc.  This way even if I choose the meal for dinner, my gf can just grab the grocery list, and even make it when needed.

 

1 person in the family group has to pay (1 time) for the premium account, but well worth it for all the features you get.  And I've even successfully imported recipes from blogs too.  Pepperplate never let me do that from a blog, only a well known site.

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16 Nov 2015

·         Gym Summary

o   Beginner bodyweight workout

§  Notes: Did 2 full circuits, with half lunges (10 on each leg).  Lunges are getting better, but I still can’t do the full 20.  I’m still getting out of breath, but at least I’m not gasping for air and feeling sick to my stomach like I was on my first day last week. 

§  Notes Cont.: On a whim I changed up the after circuits cardio and did then interval program on the treadmill for the first time.  Since it was my first time trying this program on a treadmill (I have avoided running in the past), I took it slow, and only did around 10 minutes.  I liked the different feel/burn in my legs that I got, as opposed to the elliptical.  I think that I might continue this a little bit, as long as my knee doesn’t act up.

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – low Carb breakfast burrito.

§  Pre-made burrito on Sunday using Low Carb Tortillas (damned expensive  too).

§  With the sausage and cheese, probably about 10g net carbs.

o   Lunch – Tossed salad

§  Heavy on the chicken and cheese, tossed with ranch.

o   Dinner – Cheeseburger patty topped with chili.

Thoughts

Not bad.  I’m cautiously optimistic about my lunges.  I can’t help but wonder though if I need to feel a “burn†in the muscle group that I’m trying to work, during the workout, or do I need to be “sore†the day after for the workout to have been good.

The other thing on my mind is my core.  I know I won’t get a six pack overnight, and probably will never have one anyway.  I do however want my core to feel strong and stable.  On that note, I’m not exactly sure how to go about that.  This part will definitely require some research, followed by trial and error.

Compared to my arms and legs, which get the benefit of the squats, lunges, push-ups and rows, the my core just seems to feel like it’s going to just fall apart.  Sure my arms and legs aren’t anywhere near good yet, but I at least feel an improvement in them, whereas I do not in my core.  Maybe see if I can find some core stuff to do on my off days at home?

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Check into Pilates. It's what I do most & it's the first time I've actually seen my abs, lol. I use Cassey Ho's Blogilates. Her videos can be found on YouTube. At first view it may look easy; but trust me it's not.

  • Like 1

L3 Human Ranger/Assassin

Str. 6 Dex. 2 Sta. 1 Con. 12 Wis. 8 Cha. 3

https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/58014

Motto: Where there is life, there is hope.

Soli Deo Gloria

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Thanks.  Seeing my abs would just be a side benefit.  I just don't like feeling like my core is made of jelly as opposed to a relatively tight and supportive midsection, even if it is hidden under a layer of fat.  One of my biggest issues with this is I can't hold my newborn son for longer than 15 -20 minutes before my back starts hurting.  Now I know there are a lot of factors to that, but it boils down to the fact that my core needs a tune-up.  :)

 

 

Tuesday 17 Nov

 

  • Gym Summary - Off
  • Meal Summary
    • Breakfast: Low Carb Breakfast Burrito (yum, TOTALLY love these).
    • Lunch: Salad with chicken, tossed with ranch and shredded cheese.
    • Dinner: Mac & Cheese

 

Thoughts

 

Well after a hard day, and no planning of dinner like I should have, I ended up with Mac & Cheese for dinner and comfort food.  I'm not going to let that set me back though.  Today I'm all set (even dinner), and its gym day.  Upwards and onwards.

 

Maybe its just my imagination but my pants feel a little better.  I haven't seen a difference on the scale, but I'm trying not to hold myself to a specific weight at this point.

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Wednesday 18 Nov

·         Gym Summary

o   HIIT – 25 mins.

§  Notes:  Yesterday was a really tough day.  I was a hairs breath from skipping my gym attendance after a particularly long phone call.  I got myself to the gym, inside and suited up for a workout.  During my warmup I found myself dreading the bodyweight workout that was waiting for me.  At this point, my goal is to get to the gym and do something.  Weather that something is bodyweight workout, or whatever doesn’t matter right now.  So with that in mind I decided to experiment a little more with the interval program on the treadmill.

§  Treadmill Notes: the treadmill went better than expected.  I don’t think that I’ll be a runner anytime soon, but I’m very satisfied with the change of pace that the treadmill program provides.  I had to stop earlier than I’d like due to my lower back getting pretty sore, borderline painful.  I still got in a solid 25 minutes of time in, and have to say that I kind of enjoyed it.

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb Breakfast burrito.

o   Lunch – Salad with chicken and cheese tossed with ranch

o   Dinner – Cheese hotdogs with Shredded cheese & 3 Papa John’s Cheese sticks.

Thoughts

Well, a tough day.  Got in the gym and chose the treadmill because I found myself wanting to do something different that day.  Rather than make the experience unpleasant, I did something I wanted to do.  After all, I don’t want to associate the gym with negativity if I can avoid it, I’m trying to build a good habit here.

 

The cheese dogs were questionable, but yummy, so I don’t regret them.  Where my willpower points fell to 0 was when my GF decided to get some Papa Johns for her and the kids.  Normally, just pizza wouldn’t be an issue at all.  But she didn’t tell me that she was getting cheese sticks.  And I just love those.  So I had 3, and no more than that.

 

Overall not a total loss of a day, but it is proof about what can happen when I don’t meet my goal of planning a proper dinner and just “let it happen†instead.

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Thursday 19 Nov

·         Gym Summary – Off

o   Notes: For one (very) brief moment, I found myself wishing it was gym day.  I’m not sure if this was due to boredom at work, or because I genuinely enjoyed my last workout.  Only time will tell.

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb breakfast burrito

o   Lunch – Cheeseburger patty with chili

o   Dinner – GF took me out to dinner at a buffet.  Mass quantities of baked chicken and meatloaf, along with a serving of salmon, and some grilled shrimp.

Thoughts

All in all, not a bad day.  I’m happy with how yesterday turned out.  I’m curious about that brief time when I wanted it to be gym day.  I want to be optimistic about that, but at the same time I’m not wanting to get my hopes up too much.  One small step at a time, stay focused on my current goals.  The rest will come.

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Weekend Summary

·         Meal Summary:

o   Friday

§  Breakfast: Low Carb Breakfast Burrito

§  Pre-made salad tossed with Ranch

§  Dinner:  Got some tweaked Taco Bell.  Cantina power-bowl with no rice or beans, extra romaine, and extra steak (x2).

·         Willpower points were almost zero here due to personal issues, but I fought through it and had a good dinner anyway, even if it was at Taco Bell.

o   Saturday

§  Breakfast: Coffee

·         I know, this was bad.  But I didn’t feel like cooking

§  Lunch: Cheese Hotdogs with shredded cheddar cheese.

§  Dinner: Atkins Low Carb frozen dinners.

·         GF got me the low carb frozen pizzas.

§  Snacks: multiple string cheese through the day.

o   Sunday

§  Breakfast: Coffee & a couple string cheese.

·         Again, didn’t want to cook.

§  Lunch: More Cheese dogs.

§  Dinner: Atkins frozen dinners

·         Tried the Crustless pot-pie and turkey & broccoli with alfredo sauce.  Very tasty.

·         Gym Summary

  • Friday did that interval treadmill workout again.  I think I might be  doing that for as long as I enjoy it.  I couldn't even tell you why I'm satisfied with it so far.  But I'm not going to fight it if that is what works.

Thoughts

Well the weekend could have gone better.  I wanted to sit down and just veg all weekend.  I got my breakfast for the week done and pre-made.  Chicken I just couldn’t force myself to take the time to do.  So that means I lose my “me†time tonight (Monday) to finish up what I didn’t finish on Sunday.

Also no planned dinners again.  I need to take a long time and get together a big list of recipies and put it in my foodplanner app.  Once I do that, planning dinners will be easy.  But actually taking the time to do it is coming up short so far.

GF’s family did thanksgiving on Sunday, so I’m still deciding if I’m going to make my own Turkey and stuff on Thursday or not.  Not sure I want to chance something that big right now.

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Monday 23 Nov

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb Breakfast burrito

o   Lunch – Cheeseburger patty smothered in Chili

o   Dinner – Atkins frozen dinner with some extra chicken added in.

·         Gym Summary

o   Treadmill interval program

§  Notes: For now, I’m really enjoying the interval program on the treadmill.  What started as only a 15 minute experiment has (as of yesterday) expanded to a 36 cardio session.

§  I’m also noticing that while satisfying, the difficulty / Challenge level needs to go up if I’m going to continue to make progress.  So instead of doing more time, I think that it’s time to start increasing the speed a bit.  Up until this point I’ve been using 2 set speeds, the slow walk speed, and the fast walk speed. 

§  I think I am going to increase the fast walk speed so that I’m forced to a jog.  Again, I’m going to start slow, and if necessary take the amount of time back down, until I know for sure how my body will react.

Thoughts

I’m very encouraged so far.  Things have been going well in the gym, and I’m looking to turn it up a notch in that area.  Eating hasn’t been as clean as I’d like overall, but the fact that I’ve actually been planning and pre-preparing my breakfasts and lunches this far is also encouraging.

And finally, as I do before starting out on a gym day, I step on the scale that they have in the locker room.  That is showing that I am down 4 lbs as of yesterday.  I’m guessing that is probably just water weight, but time will tell.  Maybe the interval program on the treadmill is working out better than expected?

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Tuesday 24 Nov

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb breakfast burrito

o   Lunch – Salad with chicken & cheese, tossed with ranch

o   Dinner – Cheese Hot Dogs with no bread, and an Atkins Frozen dinner

·         Gym Summary – Off

Thoughts

A pretty quiet day yesterday.   I ended up getting to bed even later than usual, so I’m a bit of a zombie this morning.  I’m looking forward to increasing my speed on the treadmill today.  But just like when I first started, I’m going to take it slow, probably only about 10 to 15 mins total to start, depending on how I feel.

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Weekend Summary

·         Wed 25 Nov

o   Meal Summary

§  Breakfast – low carb breakfast burrito

§  Lunch – Salad with chicken tossed with ranch

§  Dinner – Don’t remember, don’t think it was bad though.

o   Gym Summary

§  Treadmill Interval Program

·         Notes: I increased the high/fast speed up to a pace that forces me to a jog.   Overall it went well, though the burning in my calves and lower legs was significant.  In keeping with my taking it slow philosophy, I stopped after 16 mins.

·         Thurs 26 Nov

o   Meal Summary

§  Breakfast – low carb breakfast burrito

§  Lunch – Salad with chicken and bacon tossed with Ranch

§  Dinner – Mac & Cheese

§  Misc – Rum & Diet Coke throughout the day

o   Gym Summary – Off

·         Fri 27 Nov

o   Meal Summary

§  Breakfast – Coffee

§  Lunch – Leftover Mac & Cheese

§  Dinner – Salad with chicken and bacon tossed with Ranch

o   Gym Summary

§  None

§  Notes: No excuse here other than the fact that everyone was home, and I chose to be lazy, mainly because my gym is a 45 minute drive from home, and having the right atmosphere to get myself going I’m finding is pretty important.

·         Sat & Sun 28, 29 Nov

o   Meal Summary -  Sat

§  Breakfast – Coffee

§  Lunch – Salad with chicken and bacon tossed with Ranch

§  Dinner – Bologna wrapped string cheese

§  Misc – 1 Rum & Diet Coke

o   Meal Summary – Sun

§  Breakfast – Coffee

§  Lunch – Cheeseburger (using a quartered Low Carb tortilla as bread)

§  Dinner – Low Carb breakfast burrito

·         Made an extra since I was cooking for the week at the time anyway.

o   Gym Summary – Off

Thoughts

Gym on Wednesday went great.  The treadmill increase went fine, though my lower legs are definitely weak if the increased burn is anything to go by.  Next goal is to lengthen the amount of time spent at the increased difficulty level.

The weekend could have been better.  Had my gym been closer to home I would have went, but no use worrying over it.  I’m considering trying to go to the gym every day this week, to make up for the iffy weekend, but I’m not sure.  I don’t want to get burnt out, but I know that changing to an everyday gym visit will help my progress.

Meals were iffy simply because I didn’t plan and have them ready.  I treated the extra 2 days as a long weekend (that I haven’t been planning as much) and ended up having some Mac & Cheese.  I got a ton of cooking done Sunday though.  I have a lot of Chicken and burger patties ready.  Since I thought of using low carb tortillas as bread for cheeseburgers, that will make things much easier.

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Thanks!  Here's yesterday's summary:

 

Mon 30 Nov

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb Breakfast Burrito

o   Lunch – Cheeseburger covered with Chili

o   Dinner – Cheeseburger with quartered low carb tortilla as bread.

·         Gym Summary

o   Beginner Bodyweight Workout

§  Notes: Did a FULL set, even the lunges!  Lunges were noticeably easier, and while not “easy†per se, it was to the point where I actually felt that I could finish.

o   Treadmill Interval program

§  Notes: Was intensely more difficult when done after 1 circuit of the Beginner Bodyweight workout.  I still did the fast speed that forces me to a jog, but at the end of my time, I was breathing very hard (arguably too hard), and my goal of going longer just wasn’t going to happen.

Thoughts

Well yesterday was an interesting gym visit.  I had been wondering how to turn it up a bit, particularly after this past weekend.  I was toying with the idea of going to the gym every day this week, but the increased laundry, and time investment was a bit of a turn off to that idea.

In the end, I decided to do at least 1 full circuit of the Beginner Bodyweight Workout, before my normal treadmill interval program.  Wow, what a challenge!  I made it, barely.

Legs are a little sore today, but I’m pretty happy with being able to properly do a full circuit of the Bodyweight workout, and then my normal treadmill on top of that.  I think that it might be a good idea to shift my workout a bit.  Up until this point I’ve been doing one thing.  Either the Beginner Bodyweight Workout, or Cardio of some kind, usually the Treadmill. 

Well I think it might be time to try doing both on a more consistent basis.  I’m looking forward to more progress, but at the same time I need to remember to pace myself.  Go me!

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Tues 2 Dec

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb Breakfast Burrito

o   Lunch – Cheeseburger with chili

§  Note: forgot my salad(s) at home yesterday, grrrr

o   Dinner – Salad Chicken, Bacon and Cheese tossed with ranch

·         Gym Summary – Off

Thoughts

Quiet day.  I was/am sore from the workout Monday, we will see how well I do today.  Forgot my salads for work at home yesterday, so I ended up eating what I had prepared for Thursday instead.  Onward.

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Wed 2 Dec

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb breakfast burrito

o   Lunch – Salad with Chicken, cheese, bacon and ranch.

o   Cheese hotdogs and cheddar cheese

o   Misc – Had the rest of the Rum left from Thanksgiving weekend.

·         Gym Summary

o   Skipped

Thoughts

Personal issues had me skipping my Gym time yesterday.  For better or worse, done is done.   I’m not sure if I’m going to go today to offset, or just wait until tomorrow.  Based on how I’m feeling, I’m leaning towards taking it easy today then get back at it tomorrow.

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Thurs 3 Dec

·         Meal Summary

o   Breakfast – Low Carb breakfast burrito

o   Lunch – Salad with chicken, cheese , & bacon tossed with ranch.

o   Dinner – Double Cheese burger with low carb tortilla as bread, and cheese hotdogs.

o   Snack – Atkins low carb snack bar.

·         Gym Summary – Off

Thoughts

Didn’t do gym to compensate, I decided to just stick to my schedule.  I did go check out the location for a dojo listed on dojo.info, but when I got there during the posted class time, the place was dark and parking lot full of bad pot holes.  Looks like I get to keep looking for a dojo that sings to me.

I’m looking forward to today’s workout.  I’m definitely going to do either a circuit of the beginner bodyweight workout, or I might try some weights.  I don’t want to get bored and/or burnt out doing the same thing over and over.

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I'm open to a few.  In this case it was Kempo and Isshin Ryu Karate.  I took Kempo as a teen and really liked it, especially the Katas.  I'm looking for something similar, weather that is Kempo or something else.  Arts like Akido & similar have their place, but I really enjoyed the almost meditative feel of just running through a kata, so I'm looking to re-capture that feeling.

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I'm very excited about my progress I'm making an extra entry here (normally I just wait and report all on Monday).

 

On Friday I did what I've been doing; 1 circuit of the beginner bodyweight workout before moving to my interval treadmill program with the increased "fast" speed forcing me to a jog.  This time I went to failure on the treadmill (unintentionally).  I was in the middle of the jog portion and just had to slow down or risk falling off the treadmill completely.

 

When I first did this workout on Monday, I was pretty sore for the next couple of days.  I ended up skipping gym for personal reasons on Wednesday, and ended up doing this for the 2nd time on Friday.  I was able to extend my time by a few mins, so that's good.

 

But the part that blows me away is that it is now Saturday and I'm not sore at all. Onward and upward.  :)

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I'm very excited about my progress I'm making an extra entry here (normally I just wait and report all on Monday).

 

On Friday I did what I've been doing; 1 circuit of the beginner bodyweight workout before moving to my interval treadmill program with the increased "fast" speed forcing me to a jog.  This time I went to failure on the treadmill (unintentionally).  I was in the middle of the jog portion and just had to slow down or risk falling off the treadmill completely.

 

When I first did this workout on Monday, I was pretty sore for the next couple of days.  I ended up skipping gym for personal reasons on Wednesday, and ended up doing this for the 2nd time on Friday.  I was able to extend my time by a few mins, so that's good.

 

But the part that blows me away is that it is now Saturday and I'm not sore at all. Onward and upward.  :)

Woot! Yay for lack of soreness!

  • Like 1

L3 Human Ranger/Assassin

Str. 6 Dex. 2 Sta. 1 Con. 12 Wis. 8 Cha. 3

https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/58014

Motto: Where there is life, there is hope.

Soli Deo Gloria

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