Anniversary Goal

[Athene]

WELL DONE .

You finshed in the top 58.33% of competitors.

Pfft! Thanks Boss! That definitely sounds better than finishing in the bottom 41.67%

This week I'm trying not to focus on CrossFit and Triathlon stuff because I have a lot of work to do with school. So far I'm procrastinating here...but I will get to it... eventually!

Lifestyle
Slept 7.5 hours (not good enough!)
Biked 10k to work
At a desk for 8 hours


Training
Warm Up - 500 m row @ 70% effort max
WOD - For max distance, 8 sets of sprints on the rower: 1 min on, 1 min off (2224 m)
FLEX

Nutrition
9:00 AM - 2 cups black coffee (didn't mean to skip breakfast, slept in)
11:00 AM - 1 cup extra lean beef, 1/2 cup sauteed peppers and red onion
2:30 PM - 1 italian sausage (21 g pro, 17 g fat, 0 carb), 2 cups steamed broccoli
5:00 PM - preWOD BCAA drink
7:00 PM - postWOD whey shake
9:00 PM - half an omelet (1 egg, 2 egg whites, 1 tbsp cheddar, 1/4 cup red pepper), 4 strips side bacon, 1/2 a giant grapefruit, 2 cups Earl Grey
10:00 PM - 2 tbsp almond butter (straight up, with a fork in the jar)

[Athene]

Your journal is awesome… such a great motivation & I love the fact that you have tons of stuff… daily activity and different workouts from biking to swimming & weights! Good job & keep it up!

Thanks, Nokie! It's the only journal I've ever really stuck with, so I just keep adding whatever feels relevant. I was actually thinking of adding sleep... it's so important. I'm going to do it

How is everything going with your training?

[Athene]

Went crazy on chocolate tonight. Kind of a hormonal thing that I just went with... it was incredible

Lifestyle
Bussed/walked to work
At a desk 8 hours
Went for a short walk on lunch break
Slept 7 hours

Training
Warm Up - 500 m row, 3 sets 10 each: pull up, air squat, push up, sit up
TECH - Double Unders practice, 5 mins
WOD - Fran: 21-15-9, thrusters and pull ups, for time (8:46)
FLEX

Nutrition
9:00 AM - 1/2 omelet (1 egg, 2 egg whites, 1/2 a pepper, 1 tbsp cheddar), 4 strips side bacon, 1 cup black coffee
2:00 PM - 1 cup extra lean ground beef, 1 cup sauteed peppers and onions
4:30 PM - BCAA drink
6:30 PM - postWOD whey shake
8:30 PM - CHEAT: 1 bag Clodhoppers (if you know what these are, you know why they are amazing), 1 Peanut Butter Oh Henry bar, 1 litre whole milk

[Athene]

I re-read first post in here. It's crazy how things stay the same. In a way I'm not worried about losing 20 lbs, but I'm disappointed in myself for not going outside comfort zone with this idea of losing weight by July 21. It's just under 4 weeks away now, and I am more on track than I ever have been - training regularly, getting more sleep, being more regimented with nutrition... but I still treat myself too much, and I think "Cheat Meals" hold me back and I don't do a great job with them. Oh well. I'm going to try even harder over the next 3 weeks, I want to say I won't cheat at all, but I think that's unlikely. Eff it - I'll try. I'm going to try not to cheat from now until July 21. "Cheating" means obvious junk food: pizza, donuts, chocolate, desserts at restaurants or family gatherings...the usual suspects. I don't eat grains by choice, so that will be another thing you won't see in the journal. I'm going to try to journal every day and see if I can make it work. I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning.

Just to be clear: I don't necessarily want to lose 20 lbs, I just want to meet challenge of really being strict about nutrition to see if I can get habit of treating myself so much under control, so I can really see the benefits of training. I don't think the number of pounds is important right now, I just want to stick to something I set out to do in the way that it makes sense to do it. I hope this doesn't sound like a cop-out, and if it does, call me on it.

Lifestyle
Biked 10k to work
Biked 10k home
At a desk for 2 hours, up and around 6
Slept 7.5 hours

Training
Warm Up - 500 m row, 3 sets 10 each: pull ups, air squats, push ups, sit ups
TECH - Muscle Up and Wall Ball practice, 10 mins
WOD - For time: 80x DB Snatch (9:57)
FLEX

Nutrition
8:00 AM - 1 whey shake, 1 cup black coffee
9:00 AM - BCAA drink
1:00 PM - 1 can tuna, 10 kalamata olives, 2 cups green salad
5:00 PM - postWOD whey shake
8:00 PM - 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 1 tbsp cheddar, 1/2 pepper

[Athene]

Current weight: 158.8 lbs
Days left: 4 weeks exactly (28 days, including July 21)
Cheat today?: NO!

The above is the format I will use for the next 4 weeks. I will keep tracking regular categories, Lifestyle, Training, and Nutrition. There are days I will want to cheat so much - the day I do the tri relay I know we will go out to eat and it will be summer and vacation and a time I really don't want to "miss out", but I have to hold back. It feels good to try to assert some control about this cheat meal business, finally.

I took a "Before" shot... It highlights to me that I'm really not any closer to that "hard physique" than I was last year, even though I'm stronger and more fit. We'll see how it looks compared to the photo I take on July 21. cheat meals are supporting body fat I really don't want. Coincidentally, I have a wedding to go to that day, and the dress I ordered online is a little tight through the hip. Maybe it will fit me better in 4 weeks? We'll see.

I'll fill out the rest of this entry at the end of the day, so there will be edits to this post later on.

--Updated-- Didn't eat that much today but didn't train or bike anywhere, so I wasn't hungry. At the restaurant J and I went to there was a feature menu, which I ordered steak from, but it came with the option of a "micro-dessert" and the manager came out to tell me about them and try to persuade me! I had to say no like twenty times. Then I had a decaf coffee while husband had two desserts... rough first day, but I did it!

Lifestyle
Day off, ran errands, went for dinner, lots of cooking

Training
Rest Day

Nutrition
12:00 PM - 2 eggs with 2 egg whites, 2 tbsp cheddar, 2 cups black coffee
2:00 PM - BCAA drink
5:00 PM - 3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup green salad
8:00 PM - 5 oz steak, 1 potato, 1 cup veg (green beans, red pepper, mushrooms), 1 cup decaf coffee

[musculArgirl2]

You can do it Karrie! 4 weeks really goes by SO quickly. It amazes me that we almost to July already. Really! Will be reading about your progress. good luck!

[Boss Man]

You CAN do this and I think you know you're capable of it as well, because you're not the sort of person that's gets plagued with self doubt and makes serious and persistant mistakes with this.

GOOD LUCK and keep believing, because you HAVE changed in the past several months and you HAVE improved

[Athene]

I just went to Costco and bought everything I need to be successful for the next week or so. I got home and put all the veggies and fruit away, cleaned out fridge, and made the following dishes to eat for the week:

- Barbecued 12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Barbecued 16 lean beef burgers
- Stirfried chicken breast with almonds, soy sauce, green pepper, and red pepper

I also got bags of broccoli florets and broccoli slaw, plus a container of strawberries. I have enough whey powder and BCAA powder for at least 2 more weeks, and I have eggs and egg whites for breakfast or other meals if I want.

husband and I are going out for dinner tonight (Sunday, woohoo) and I am going to get something tasty with no cheating. husband is being more supportive than ever, because he knows I sometimes join in on his cheats (which are much more frequent than mine) and sabotage myself a bit, so he's going to try not to cheat with me for these 4 weeks, or to cut it down substantially, so that will help.

You can do it Karrie! 4 weeks really goes by SO quickly. It amazes me that we almost to July already. Really! Will be reading about your progress. good luck!

Thanks Becky! I really appreciate your support on here. So true about July... it's almost here and it will fly. It's always like that when the weather is nice, isn't it?

You CAN do this and I think you know you're capable of it as well, because you're not the sort of person that's gets plagued with self doubt and makes serious and persistant mistakes with this.

GOOD LUCK and keep believing, because you HAVE changed in the past several months and you HAVE improved

Thanks Boss. That's so nice to hear, especially because I feel like I have consistently made this goal and not achieved it. I guess if I have the willpower to turn away cheats for the next 4 weeks, it will show that I only consistently make the same mistake for 2 years, right? In the photo I can see that improvements have been made... but they're pretty subtle. I want to be shocked by the progress of the next one, so I have to train with intensity and eat like an athlete if I want to make that happen. To the fridge!

[Athene]

Current weight: 159.2 lbs (I'm weighing myself every day, but I really don't care what I weigh, it's not an obsessive thing)
Days left: 27
Cheat today?: NO

Lifestyle
Day off, errands and all day at the library
Slept 5.5 hours (too much school work last night, and had to get up early to prep for a meeting)

Training
Rest Day
Wasn't supposed to be, but life got in the way a bit today Not a biggie. I missed training but oh well, had other commitments today.

Nutrition
6:00 AM - 1 cup black coffee
9:00 AM - 3 eggs, 2 tbsp cheddar, 1 grilled tomato, double shot espresso
12:00 PM - 3 oz white fish, 3 cups green salad (peppers, tomato, red onion, sunflower seeds, vinegarette), 2 tbsp avocado
3:00 PM - 3 oz barbecued chicken breast
6:00 PM - 3 oz barbecued chicken breast, 6 strawberries
9:30 PM - 3 oz chicken breast, 1 slice tomato, 2 strips side bacon, 3 cups green salad, 1 cup baked sweet potato

[Nokie173]

Your journal is awesome… such a great motivation & I love the fact that you have tons of stuff… daily activity and different workouts from biking to swimming & weights! Good job & keep it up!

Thanks, Nokie! It's the only journal I've ever really stuck with, so I just keep adding whatever feels relevant. I was actually thinking of adding sleep... it's so important. I'm going to do it

How is everything going with your training?

I agree.. SLEEP is IMPORTANT! I've been getting too much of it and now i'm pretty much a lazy butt & trying to get myself together again. I guess I worked so hard towards goals... I'm pretty much letting is slowly pass by me. But before it gets any worse.. I want to make sure I continue to work on it!

Training
Rest Day
Wasn't supposed to be, but life got in the way a bit today Not a biggie. I missed training but oh well, had other commitments today.

When I don't have much time.. I tend to walk up and down the stairs just to clear mind & burn extra calories...

[Boss Man]

Question. Why weigh every day, if what the reading says is apparently something you don't care about?

What in effect becomes the motivation to weigh every day, unless you bought some very expensive scales and think you should get your moneys worth

[Athene]

Question. Why weigh every day, if what the reading says is apparently something you don't care about?

What in effect becomes the motivation to weigh every day, unless you bought some very expensive scales and think you should get your moneys worth

Haha good question! I want to track as much data about what I'm doing and how it's effecting body as possible. The number doesn't matter, but the changes to the number do. Does that make sense? I also have measurements I will be comparing, but because it's the last 4 weeks, I want to collect as much info as possible.

Eating was weird today! Today is the one day per week where I work strange hours, so everything was thrown off a bit. I wasn't hungry, even though I didn't get as many meals in as usual. Training is at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning... oh

Current weight: 156.8 lbs
Days left: 26
Cheat today?: No (3rd consecutive day)

Lifestyle
Slept 8.5 hours
Drove to work
Desk 4 hours, up and around 4 hours
Took a walk during lunch break


Training
Warm Up - 3 sets 10 each: pull up, air squat, push up, sit up
Technique - Double Under practice (skipping rope with the rope passing underneath you twice per 1 jump)
WOD - 200 Double Unders for time, 1 push up per missed double under (I missed 24 reps)
Flexibility

Nutrition
11:00 AM (busy morning, had appts and stuff before work) - 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, 4 strips side bacon, 4 strawberries, 2 cups black coffee
4:00 PM - 4 oz barbecued chicken breast, 4 strawberries
6:00 PM - BCAA drink
10:30 PM - 2 cups chicken stirfry (mostly chicken, with almonds and peppers), 2 strawberries, 2 tbsp almond butter

[Athene]

Today's 5:30 AM workout did not happen. I worked until 9 last night, then trained until 10, then was home and showered at 11, in bed by 12. I got up at 4:30 and was just like, "No way, I need to go back to bed" Plus the air conditioning was turned off in apartment last night, so I kept waking up. Ugh. How can the AC ever be turned off when it's as humid as it is outside right now? Plus it was something like 30 degrees celsius yesterday.

I don't have much info to input right now because it's the beginning of the day, but I did do something kind of funny... I bought one of those big desktop calendars and packs of superhero stickers for July That means once this week of no-cheats is over, I will have a superhero sticker every day until goal date, where the She Hulk sticker is already, staring me down! I know people that use stickers for positive reinforcement and I never thought it would make a difference, but seeing it here beside me all the time keeps the goal fresh in mind. Make fun of me if you want, I am going to have a Wonder Woman sticker July 1st! Or Thor? Hmm... so many decisions lol

Current weight: 155.6 lbs
Days left: 25
Cheat today?: No (4 consecutive days, it's sad how amazing this is to me)

Lifestyle
Slept 7.5 hours (poorly)
Biked 10 k to work
Biked 10 k home from work
At a desk 8 hours


Training
Warm Up - 500 m row, 3 sets 10 each: pull up, squat, push up, GHD sit up
Technique - Clean practice
WOD - 'Karen' (150 Wall Balls for time)
Flexibility

Nutrition
7:00 AM - 1 cup black coffee, 1 cup whole milk
11:00 AM - 2 cups chicken, pepper, almond stir fry
3:00 PM - 4 oz barbecued chicken breast, 3 cups steamed broccoli
5:00 PM - BCAA drink
7:00 PM - postWOD whey shake, 4 strawberries
9:00 PM - 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup dried cranberries (so much sugar...but not a cheat)

[Boss Man]

Yes, I understand what your mean abotu tracking the numbers .

You can also use mantra style motivations too.

So you write 5 short and punchy, positive reinforcement messages, I.E.

I WILL SUCCEED

I AM CAPABLE

I CAN DO THIS

I AM WORTH IT

I AM AMAZING

You write the chosen sentances in big coloured capitals and print the list a few times, to put in prominent places, like a bedside table, a workspace, a fridge door etc, so the words become something you can reiterate over and over in your head, until thye almost could feel like a part of your psyche.

I also read something a while back that said, someone can potentially wake up if the air temperature in the room drops by 1 degree. Something to do with the body being sensitive to change I think, so that might explain the A C scenario and after 4.5 hours of fragmented sleep, I don't blame you for wanting to just vegitate some more .

[Athene]

That's awesome, Bossman! I don't know if those types of things would work for me because I just don't believe them, but I've heard people say "fake it till you make it" works for them, so maybe I'll give it a shot.

"You can do this" would help me, or "You are doing this!" kind of work. I like the Motivational Quotes thread that Becky started, too.