The 4x Challenge!

It has taken me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do for my follow-up-non-weight-but-still-tangible challenge.

I was trying to do pushups and I got to 25! Yay! Then I realized I could use them as part of my challenge. Then I realised I also wanted to incorporate my marathon training into it. And situps! And Pikes!

So I thought about what I can easily (relatively) do now. I decided that since 10k is the run I like best, and 40k is about a marathon. I would quadruple everything and call it my challenge!

Here it is!

4x Challenge 2012/2013

Pikes: 12 x 4 = 48                                                          Reward: New bathing suit
Pushups: 25 x 4 = 100                                                   Reward: Pedicure!
Situps: 50 x 4 = 200                                                       Reward: Massage at Langdon Hall
Running: 10.5 km x 4 = 42 km                                     Reward: Running in a marathon!

I have until April to get to the distance for running, so I am hoping the cross training will help get me ready for the big day!

Challenge Complete! (FINALLY!)

Today I have the evidence! Ta da!

This challenge has mostly been about frustration and annoyance for me. I am so glad to be done. 133 was supposed to be my "easy" goal since 130 is my goal in real life. This challenge felt much harder to complete than the one in the spring due to a combination of factors - lack of motivation, parties, medications, carrying more muscle, and only indoor working out.

I was very surprised that it came down to the wire like this, especially after how well the Boost Your Metabolism week went. Looking at the weight loss chart, I realize the amount of effort I put in is the key element (shocker!). Despite all the external factors, when I stopped with all the little cheats, stuck to the workout routine, and (most importantly) went to bed at a reasonable hour (and therefore didn't night snack), which I only did consistently during the first week and last two weeks, I had actual results.

 

Now as look ahead to maintaining my weight and meeting my new goal - no need to diet in January - I realize motivation and willpower are the key elements (and the hardest to find!). Keeping up the workout routine should be fine. But not falling back into bad snacking habits and learning how to have cheat food in moderation is going to be hard. I always gain back 2 pounds right away after dieting. So I have ease back into "not being on a diet".

New goals:

1. Go to bed at the same time as Moose every night. No after dinner snacking.

2. Finish Body Revolution in a timely manner. (And try to meet my unofficial touch-the-ceiling-while-burpie-ing goal.)

3. Continue to eat new healthy recipes, but carbs are okay for dinner sometimes. Max 1 cheat food per day. Dessert (but not after dinner) or alcohol, never both!

When I am done Body Revolution (3ish weeks) I will assess where I am at and adjust my habits from there. I still want to have a flat stomach someday and not muffin-top out of slim fitting jeans, but I just can't handle trying to lose any more weight right now. That is a problem for the new year!

Starting to slack off...

I am so sick of chin-ups.  So so so sick of them.  Something about them make my right elbow ache (like it has a headache) and my lower back snap.  Not my best look.

I know that I am biased towards letting myself off the hook.  Because, dude, I'm lazy!  So, I'm offering a compromise.  I am still running and Jillianing and exercising almost every day. I plan on completing my chin-up goal.  I am just going to do fewer days in a week of chin-ups.  I will chin-up on the days that I run.  Give myself a break when I am already working similar muscles with Jillian.

I'm also hoping that cutting back will help my lower back heal a bit.  It's sore enough that I yelped while fetching a pan from the drawer under my stove.  Dude.  I am SO old!

In more interesting news, I am enjoying maintenance.  It agrees with me.  I absolutely find it stressful that I don't know what I should be eating...... or how much cheating is too much.  But I am reveling in the combination of exercise and eating good food.  Yes, I would like the left over meatloaf for a sandwich for lunch! And yes, I would like a very tiny cookie with my coffee in the afternoon.  And yes, I would like eggnog in my latte!!!! Dude!!

The challenge of maintenance remains a rather large learning curve.  With Christmas around the corner, an even bigger challenge.  Not to worry, if I fail at maintenance I can get right back to dieting.  And THAT I understand!

Close Only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

This morning I step on the scale. Lo and behold, what do I see? 133.0! I scurry to fetch the camera, step on again, and the scale says... 133.2.

So not funny, scale.

So I try again. And again. And again, and again, and again. 133.2 every single time, dammit, until the scale gets pissed and starts showing 133.6 and then 133.8 out of spite.

Are you freaking kidding me?!

Scale, you can go die in a turkey fire.

Anyway, tomorrow I will be prepared - with the camera - for the first weigh-in. *Fingers crossed!*

The best I could get photographic evidence of. Balls!

The Last Monday

Last week: 135.4lbs
This week: 134.0lbs
Goal: 133lbs

Getting close... 1 pound in 5 sleeps... hopefully with random water weight fluctuations it is possible!

This past week I worked really hard, so I actually feel kinda calm this week. I know I have done everything I can, so as long as I stick to the proper routine, I know the number on the scale is just going to be whatever it's going to be.

I have done Jillian every day and double Jillianed on Friday since it was Moose's birthday and we went out. My eating habits were essentially steel cut oatmeal for breakfast, whole wheat muffin and apple for lunch, greek yogurt with nuts for snack, and beef stew for dinner, with nothing but water to drink.

We hosted a Birthday Eve party on Thursday and I had one goat cheese tartlet, five mini eggs, three meat balls, two chicken fingers, two tostitos with salsa dip, two crackers with cheese, and the rest was roast beef and veggies with hummus. No alcohol and no butter tarts or snack size chocolate bars or brandy beans.

Friday (after double Jillian) I had a pear salad and wild boar ham with cheese/cabbage/almond deep fried ball, ate a few mouthfuls of Moose's dessert, and had two shot glasses of whiskey sour. The deep fried-ness did not agree with my gut which said, "WTF is this? I have no idea how to digest that anymore!" and immediately expelled it. I am very upset I forgot to weight myself the next morning, because right after eating breakfast and drinking a bunch of water I was 135.0 on the scale. I may have missed a challenge ending dip! Gah!

Saturday for Moose's Boxing Birthday I had cheese fondue for dinner (and tried to mostly dip apples and broccoli and ate a lot less bread and chicken peperettes) and a small piece of tart raspberry pie and ice cream for dessert, but I only had oatmeal and yogurt all day and had no alcohol, so I think the calories were maybe in an okay range even if the quality of the food wasn't.

Sunday I only had one piece of french toast and one piece of bacon with a tiny amount of maple syrup for breakfast, and complimented it with greek yogurt and raspberries. I had yogurt and nuts for snack (Jillian would yell at me for double dairying in one day) and roasted chicken with butternut squash soup for dinner.

I am on the last two workouts for Body Revolution. They are hard but very interesting. Can you do pushups in a bridge position? I sure as hell can't! But, I have two and a half weeks left, so hopefully I can do a couple by the end! The last level of cardio video is the most evil thing I have ever done. Jillian claims it is the hardest workout she has ever come up with. I put on a false grin as I must face it every three days...

Exercise Update

My titles need work.  Lisa, you are making me look bad!

Regardless, here is what is up with me.

Jillian: Once.  Yup.  Lamesauce.  I did, however, run almost all the other days.  Except Monday. And Wednesday.  The children infected me with their illness and I just didn't think Jills had my best interests in mind.  Also snotting all over my yoga mat isn't my best look.

Chin-Ups: Every day! Take that, laziness!! (And turns out, Michelle, that all this time I had been doing chin-ups.  I know there are two different kinds of yank-yourself-up-using-a-bar but I get the mixed up all the time!)

 Regardless, as per my lovely photo, I am improving.  Slowly.  However, now that I can do about 20 in three attempts, meeting the goal of 20 consecutively doesn't seem so horrible.  Easy? Hells no, but doableish. (So a word).

Having goals and being accountable seems to be working.  The scale and I remain friends.  The skinny jeans are here to stay.  Hopefully.

Monday = No Fun Day

Last week: 134.8lbs
This week: 135.4lbs
Goal: 133lbs

12 sleeps left. I am so screwed. Please be bloating that is gone by next week!