Stressed

It's been a while since I've posted and during all this time I've entered a lot of stress. I won't get into the details at the moment, but it definitely effected my past goals.

I haven't gone down in weight in a very long time. For a time, I was steadily losing weight every week; about 2-3 lbs. You'd figure that moving into a new house that was bigger, in a safer neighborhood, quiet, and had a beautiful view would reduce someone's stress. In a lot of ways it has. Unfortunately, my roommate hasn't fully paid rent, our cat is missing, and there's a dog in the house.

Don't get me wrong, dogs are nice. But that's it. They're nice. I don't ever want to live with a dog, especially because I have to occasionally take care of it. I wouldn't mind another cat, because I don't have to take care of it... I don't like to take care of other people's things. It bothers me a lot.

We got a trap to find the cat, but no luck so far.

Level 3 Monk

Quests Completed: Level up to NF Diet Level 2, Start Your Food Log, The Caffeine Challenge
Quests in Progress: Level 3 Nutrition, Defeat the Sugar Beast, Now That's What I Call High Quality H2O, Walk to Mordor This Week

I can Level up to LEVEL 3 when: I start minimizing liquid calories for one week. This will work hand in hand with the other quest about H20 which required 104 oz of water per day. But Elissa, that's a lot! Yes, that's the purpose, it isn't expected to drink 104 oz every day, I only got to do this for consecutive days and I bought myself water bottles for this. I've already tried starting it and I kept forgetting to drink. Defeating sugar will be easy now that I don't have access to it in the house anymore. I will need to keep watch at work however. I'm also going to be adding a 5 minute walk everyday. I might add it to after lunch, in the mornings before work (maybe to get mail) or afternoons. Probably more towards the mornings though. The quest doesn't need to me walk 1779 miles that it takes to go to Mordor, but it'd be fun to track.

Food Log

Food Log Analysis: It looks like if temptation is there, I'll take advantage over it even if I have time to make other food. I need to make sure we only buy things that I won't have access too. Technically already started this by buying only meat, veggies, and fruit recently.

QUEST CONTINUED: LOG for two weeks

Sun, Feb 15
Cake, 3oz steak, half sweet potato loaded, 2 rolls, Caesar salad

Mon, Feb 16
1 small apple, 2 cookies, 3oz steak, half sweet potato loaded, grilled onions& mushrooms, gyoza, brownie & ice cream, handful of reeses.

Tues, Feb 17
Mocha frappuccino, turkey burgers, green beans, Apple&greens shake, goldfish, cheez-it's

Wed, Feb 18
Goldfish, reeses, one bite of steak, brownie, sadness

QUEST START: 13 cups / 104 fluid ounces a day for 5 days

Thursday, 19
Small apple, cheez-it's, ramen, goldfish, fish taco with jalapenos. 20 oz short :(

Friday,20th
cake, goldfish, Jimmy Johns, Apple, California sushi roll.

Saturday, 21st
 cake, goldfish, Apple, strawberries, fish tacos, oatmeal cookies, milk

Sunday, 22nd
 2 rolls, 6 ounces of steak, 4 ounces of sweet potato, some onions and mushrooms, two potato skins, sweet tea, cake, goldfish

I need to stop

... writing these at midnight so that they actually show up on the correct day. This is actually for Saturday.

What I ate today...
Nacho doritos, brownie cake, 1 small apple

Fixed it.

Yay commuter works now. Still haven't done any other quests. I'm choosing tomorrow as my day off.

Today I ate 1 nutrigrain bar, the rest of my chicken fried rice, a jalapeno burger and parmesan fries.

Fuck you, MSI

My computer didn't work today when we tried to fix it. Well we tried to upgrade it but it didn't quite work out. Today it was hell.

Today I ate 1 nutrigrain bar, 1 small apple, a monster taco with chicken, half of my large chicken fried rice, as well as rainbow sushi roll.

Eating less

I can already see a difference in my eating habits over the past few days. Gotta remember to feed the snakes.

1 nutrigrain bar, Caesar salad, 8 chicken wings, 3 hot dogs, 1 slice of Josh cake, 16oz of cider

Questless

Haven'T completed any quests today.
Here's my food for the day.
1 nutrigrain bar, 3oz of turkey burger, 1 can of green beans, 1 3oz of cheez-it's, 16oz diet dr pepper, 3 pieces of small candy, 2 oz of cake brownie, 1 money taco.

Did a little better on the healthy side. Still a lot of grain in there. That will be the hardest.

You know what's the worst for those on a diet? People constantly condescening your choice in dieting when they know nothing about it. There's no good in putting someone down.

A little late

Today I ate 1 nutrigrain bar, 2 cups of Milk, 1 shrimp ramen, 1 3oz bag of cheezits, 1 16oz diet dr pepper, 1 medium slice of Josh cake, 1 can of green beans, 3oz of turkey, 1 hot dog, 40z of water.

Shit that's a lot... And I want really hungry. Tomorrow I'll eat less. Milk makes me sleepy.

A slight change

Yesterday I posted my quests and goals via Nerd Fitness. However, reading more I am probably going to have to change a few.

Quest - Mindset: Break Down Those Goals

1. I will consume at less than 7 servings of grain per week in order to hit 15% body fat. I will consume less or equal calories than my resting state in order to hit 15% body fat.

Rewards

1. Every nutrition level completed or retained for 7 days 14 consecutive days eating less calories = 1 day off of work

Level up

Nerd Fitness goes via a Paleo diet and a "level up" system. It's quite close to my previous Medifast Diet that I posted earlier. I can level up to level 2 if I track my food for two weeks. I don't have to make any changes though, just tracking.

Today I ate: 1 small apple, 1 cup of milk, 1 slice of cake, 2 slices of whole grain bread, 2 slices of deli-ham, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, 2 servings of fried, "protein-style" double double from In-Out.

Nerd Fitness

I've recently joined Nerd Fitness. It has been something I've always been looking for. A questing system for getting fit. It's great. Here are some of the "quests" I've completed. I'm not sure I should post my before and after pictures. They are pretty revealing as I'm not wearing any clothes besides underwear. Maybe I'll post some SFW ones.

The Big Why

I pride myself on my dragon personality and say that I’m trapped inside a human shell. The reason I want to lose weight and gain strength is the one aspect of a dragon I have been lacking is power. I have been powerless when it comes to eating right. I have been powerless when it comes to my strength. Though that’s half true, I’m definitely stronger than other women out there. I could be even stronger. If I could fit my other pants again, I would feel confident, people would take me seriously. Being able to hid my hands in my stomach fat is not a feat I’d like to keep.

I’m the type of person that can survive an apocalypse!

1. I will consume less or equal calories than my resting state in order to hit 15% body fat.
2. I will strength train at least twice per week in order to defeat Josh in single combat.
3. I will run or swim laps for at least 5 minutes per week in order to gain endurance.
4. I will meditate at least 5 minutes per day to gather my thoughts and reduce stress.
5. I will clean the house at least 5 minutes per day at a fast rate in order to burn calories and feel good about my environment.

I will build myself a haven in the art/snake room for meditation. Candles required!

I will buy a new tupperware set that I can make at least 10 meals with and limit my calories.

I will leave my tarot deck on my dresser so I can begin a card reading each morning.

I will set up my gym bag for the days that I am strength training or running for.

I will ask Josh to either put the candy or sugar in a place I can’t reach or to not buy it at all.

I will put some kind of block to the computer to keep me from immediately sitting down after work.

Rewards for Goals

1. Every 14 consecutive days eating less calories = 1 day off of work
2. Every 1% gain of muscle = one martial arts, rock climb, or gym session.
3. Run 15 miles = 1 hour massage
4. Every minute spent meditating earns $.10 to spend.
5. Clean the house for a total of 24 hours = One-Time Maid or Fancy car clean

Diet! Now Medifast-free

The following is an old email I sent to friends and family that I'm going to start doing.

Here are some notes and tips on a Medifast-free version of my diet. There are a lot of things I had to substitute especially for the jump-start diet.

Regardless of detoxing or being on the jump-start diet, you should do the following all the time.

• Weigh yourself only ONCE a week. It must be at relatively the same time and exactly the same day. This will be your “Start” day. Do not weigh yourself throughout the week as it will be false. Avoid exercising 24-hours before your weigh-in.
• Exercise each week. For the first week start off small and increase in 15 minute increments. Do not start with a number you don’t normally do. So if you don’t exercise at all, I suggest exercising for only 15 minutes for the entire first week. After each week, that you successfully complete your minutes for, add on 15 minutes (15, 30, 45, 1hr, etc.) for the new week. So obviously if you already exercise for 30 minutes each week, start there and add the 15 minutes for each week following. 
• If you are still hungry after recently eating, drink lots of water and continue drinking water until you are satisfied (not bloated!).
• Record your meals whether you cheat or not. You do not have to record times. Just Meal 1, Meal 2, etc.
• Find a friend that will help you. Call them, hang out with them, etc. Ask them to be your councilor and ask questions about your successes and slip-ups. Speaking of both the positives and negatives to someone helps you gain confidence in yourself.

Detox

I suggest detoxing first. Which is the following…

Besides taking 1 “serving” of fiber ‘vitamins’ and omega-3 (fish-oil) do the following…

• Day 1 & 2
• 4 servings of whole grains (not whole wheat)
• 4 servings of fruit (no bananas or grapefruit)
• 4 servings of vegetables (any!)
• 64 ounces of distilled water (not filtered or spring)

• Day 3 & 4
• Detox mixture
• 8 ounces of 100% Grade A pure maple syrup
• 64 ounces of distilled water (not filtered or spring)
• 8 ounces of PURE lemon juice (Minute maid frozen lemon concentrate is your best bet)
• 64 ounces of distilled water (not filtered or spring)

• Day 5 & 6
• 4 servings of fruit (no bananas or grapefruit)
• 4 servings of vegetables (any!)
• 16 ounces of a protein shake (I had to improvise here because you’d have a Medifast shake. Try to find something that has protein and other beneficial stats)
• 64 ounces of distilled water (not filtered or spring)

• Day 7
• 4 servings of fruit (no bananas or grapefruit)
• 4 servings of vegetables (any!)
• 16 ounces of a protein shake (I had to improvise here because you’d have a Medifast shake. Try to find something that has protein and other beneficial stats)
• 4 servings of whole grains (not whole wheat)
• 64 ounces of distilled water (not filtered or spring)

Only detox every 4 months or more. Be prepared for the first time to be somewhat sick and don’t be surprised if your bowel movements are different from normal. If you are having painful ones, lay off the grains and fiber.

The Jump-Start Diet.

I HIGHLY suggest that you start with only one bullet point at a time for each week and work yourself little by little. Baby steps are the key to helping you develop habits. Jumping into the diet head-first will most likely cause you to hit rock-bottom within one month and you'll abandon the diet. If you take more than one bullet point at a time you are being impatient and patience is the key to success for losing weight. Don't look ahead at what you want to lose in terms of weight. Each week consider losing anything a success, because in fact, it is.

Finish up your bottle of fiber tablets. Don’t buy another. You’ll start again with those at the next detox. Continue taking the recommended amount of omega-3 (fish-oil) and I recommend taking acai but it is not a big deal.

• 64 ounces per day of water.
• You may only have up to 24 ounces of zero or low-calorie drinks (soda, tea, etc.) per day.
• You may only have up to 3 servings of condiments/sauces per day. Mainly this refers to salt and salty type sauces such as ketchup and curry sauce. It is best however to just consider any condiment unsafe to have large servings of. Although types of pepper and other spices like cayenne you can have an unlimited amount of.
• Eat hand-sized portions every two-three hours throughout the day. Attempt to have a 2:3 ratio of meats to vegetables by the end of the day.
• No fruit of any kind.
• No grains of any kind.
• Focus on green vegetables, but you still can have other vegetables. Only raw onions. You are only limited in the fact that you cannot have starchy/hi-carb vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beans of any type, peas, grilled onions, etc.).
• You are allowed to have any type of meat but anything less than 95% lean is frowned upon. You may only have 3 egg yolks in a week. Some choices are lean pork, lean beef, chicken, turkey, virtually all seafood, and most game (deer, buffalo, etc.).
• If you are eating out, only have food that is steamed or grilled. If it is stir fried, it must be without fatty oil. Any other cooking type is not suggested especially fried is out of the question. If it comes with condiments or sauces, ask for it on the side so you can control the amount.

Around That Time...

No exercise
No cleaning or art
Pizza, goldfish, medifast pudding and bar, strawberries
Too tired
sad face

Goals.
"Relax" after stuff not before
Clean entry and do laundry.
Dance
Weigh in morning.

No One Was Happy

Today was a weird day. Everyone was in a bad mood. I'm so very tired. Josh is sick.

44.7% vs 25%
5 min cals

Medifast bar, milk and granola, 3 tacos

Cleaned my car woot

Posted animation to youtube and behance. It's a crappy resolution. Need to fix that.

Goal Tomorrow

5 min exercise

Eat something with greens

Clean the entry way

Animate one Greeble

The Template

I seem to have a trend of wanting to be productive late at night, but not actually acting upon it. Instead of writing this template I could actually be doing the things I need to get done. Unfortunately, that is why I am here. This space will be my personal tracker, guild trip, and in the long run my quest.

What am I trying to achieve? A better self. A more well rounded self. There is a very particular reason why the background for this blog is what it is, but I won't delve into that.

As all sources state, you should start small. Starting off with more than you can chew will cause you to stop what you're doing. Lets start with three main goals. Three is a good number.

• Fat loss
• Clean home
• Level Up in Art

This week, I need to pick three things from each category and do them repeatedly for a week. They must be very small and thus very manageable. Something that excites me. Eating less, exercise, cleaning a small area like a desk or a table, and working for only 30 mins on an art piece.

• Fat%:
• What did I eat:
• What did I clean:
• How did I improve:

Now I should add something more fun to the mix. This is a quest, perhaps a quest chain, or even a quest hub per say. I should answer my template with a list of dailies completed. We should also change me into a character! Each daily quest gives me a stat gain or perhaps experience. I'd probably use EpicWin to do all of this, but I've tried it several times. We'll see.

Today though...

46.7%/24%, no exercise

Ramen, cheezits, mint ice cream, ceasar salad. Forgot my morning vitamins.

I cleaned only one pot, but picked up trash in the kitchen.

Didn't do anything artwise. :(

Goal tomorrow:

5 min exercise

Eat something with meat

Clean the entry way

Post my animation work to portfolio

Small steps. Now for sleep.