Here we are, half-way through the 12-week challenge! About 25% of the initial entrees are still with us. Whose going to tough it out the remaining 6 weeks?
Once again, we have a more detailed quarterly update for this week. This is the time to look at the big picture in what you have accomplished over the last 3 weeks. Some suggested questions to ask yourself are:
What are you doing that's working?
What are you doing that's not working?
Are you on pace to meet your goals?
What are you most proud of over the last 3 weeks?
Do you think the goals you set were realistic?
What steps can you take to improve your success moving forward?
@denice65 I'm late! oops! forgot what day it was, havent been internetting
things are pretty much the same, climbing, although less than i want this past week, lifting even when I dont really want to, biking because the weather is nice
eating poorly because i am eating the food they are providing at my work training. need to ease off on the amount of food and get the quality back up
@denice65 I'm really enjoying my workouts and am glad the intensity/frequency has not suffered since I switched gyms. But I'm so damn hungry all the time lately!! I still have 10-15lbs to go to meet my goal, and I've been stalled out for weeks now, despite tracking calories and trying to eat at a deficit. Oh well, gotta keep on keeping on and be happy with the progress I've made so far
@denice65 For the last two weeks I haven't been doing well, Regarding my goal of squaring a plate but I've made it a point to eat properly and ensure that fitness is a part of my weekly routine whether it's running,taking the dog for a walk, doing a headstand. If this is the takeaway of the challenge for me I am going to be super pleased. But 6 more weeks to go strong!
@denice65 Hit a squat PR this week (90kgs) without belt and sleeves, cos i don't have them, and barefoot, BUT got sleeves this week and squat shoes so I'm hoping the big 100kg is on the horizon!!
AND made a gym friend!! only other girl i've ever seen training compound lifts. Feeling good!
@denice65 Week 6 went pretty great, completed 3 runs, 3 SC workouts and ate mindfully. I didn't manage to up my mileage as much as I wanted (I aim to increase by 10% the weekly mileage) but I try not to obsess over the number, consistency is key!
@denice65 This last week was neutral - didn't lose but didn't gain, and only made it to the gym once out of three times... Got some quality time in at home though, so I don't feel too bad about it. Halfway through, I've lost my goal weight for the challenge (aiming for 5 lbs, down 9 so far), working on my overall goal of 20 lbs, still working on that damn gym habit. For the second half, that's going to be my main emphasis - GO TO THE DAMN GYM!
@denice65 I increased my calories which means I have a ton more energy (clearly 1500 was way too low for me, so now I'm eating between 1800-2200 depending on the day), which means I worked out 4 times this week without feeling like crap. I also ran a km straight without walking and got my time under 6 minutes. I really think I might be able to hit my 5 minute goal.
My butt is not getting smaller, so the 'smaller pant size goal' might not happen until after the summer (when I move home next month I'll have a barbell set waiting for me! I'm dreaming of the gains) but that's okay. I noticed some quads peeking out of my legs the other day so that's exciting.
I actively feel stronger. It's taking me way longer to get winded. I feel better focusing less on the scale as well.
I'm feeling really positive and I can't wait to reach the end of the challenge to see all of what's changed. High fives to everyone still in this!
@denice65 I had another week that I'm proud of! Was consistent with my macros and training. I had a squats PR today which was so fucking exciting. Going for heavier weight on Wednesday, so we'll see. My body weight isn't budging but it's whatever. My clothes fit good, I feel strong, and if I don't cut as much as I wanted by my brother's wedding in the summer, I don't care. There's so much more to life. Like squatting more than your body weight. Going to drink more water this week and watch my sodium intake--I know this isn't important to most of us who are just counting macros/calories, but not enough water and too much sodium seriously affects my bloating, and I'm tryna feel lean.
@denice65 Well, last week wasn't too bad! I was having trouble getting enough calories to increase my lifts, so I put a focus on form. My boyfriend also graduated, which meant I could only lift for a few days. I got a sunburn during my trip to see him though, which means I probably won't lift too much this week Plus, I've got another trip. Thankfully it's the last one!
@denice65 This challenge has been pretty good for me. In the day-to-day, I feel like I'm losing weight and progressing my lifts at a super glacial pace. It's easy to get frustrated. But looking at my summary here, I can see the progress. 6lbs lost in as many weeks ain't bad! The progress I've made on my lifts ain't bad either. Thanks, creator of the challenge Excited to see the summary at the end of the 12 weeks.
@denice65 Today I weighted myself and got a bad surprise: looks like I am 1kg heavier than last week. Period could be influencing some of that, but it's more realistically my fault for not restricting my eating enough (even though I honestly feel quite restricted 80% of the time). Feeling a little miserable, because this means I've only lost about 1,5kg since the start of the challenge. (End goal is to lose 5kg).
On a more positive note, my fitness level has definitely improved and I wouldn't have noticed it as much if I hadn't been logging it every week.
@degoo I had some rude awakenings in the second or third week. My weight loss graph has more peaks than many mountain ranges but I am glad to finally have a better connection between what I am eating and how it impacts me. Seeing it all plotted out makes it hard to liebto myself.
@denice65 This week was good, minus the fact that I couldn't seem to get enough sleep. I got all my workouts in, though, and since I was eating at maintenance the lack of sleep didn't tank my energy levels quite as much as it would have at a deficit. My lifting is going fine, no major PRs and I'm riding the struggle bus on bench, but overall chugging along. My trail runs were great this week, though! I've increased my distance by almost a mile over the last three runs, and I'm getting faster too. (Thought I should say that I'm still glacially slow by actual running standards, and I have to take breaks occasionally to catch my breath and/or not trip on roots and break my everything.)
Food-wise, I'm back to my cut today after 2 week at maintenance and I'm actually kind of excited about it? I liked eating more but by this weekend I felt like I was forcing the calories in a little bit, and I'm excited to start making weight loss progress again. I initially said that I just wanted to be in the 150's by the time this challenge ended (a very modest goal as I was around 162 when it started), which I think is totally doable assuming this break did its job and I can actually start seeing losses again.
@denice65 YOU GUYS IT IS SO HARD TO STICK WITH A THING. I get lazy/want to enjoy time out with friends and I need to learn how to socialize without focusing on food or drink. This would help economically, as well, but definitely would help my waist line. Gonna start doing the Renaissance Periodization cutting templates to get tf on track with diet.
@denice65 Checking in from vacation, so this week has been a bit of a bust.
I had one really good workout on Monday and that was it. Not even worried though, there has been lots of walking on the beach and walking around to get from here to there, and also swimming in the ocean, laps in the pool, vitamin D from the sun, and fresh seafood. I'm feeling pretty great.
@denice65 I have done a great job of building an exercise habit and tracking what I eat. I plan to start Strong Curves and be more mindful of what I eat for the next 6 weeks. I have seen big gains in cardiovascular endurance and lost a little weight. Now it is time to get out of my comfort zone in the weight room. I am thinking about doing a couple of sessions with a personal trainer to get a good start but I don't think I will need that until week 5. I am familiar with most of the earlier exercises from physical therapy.
@denice65 My goal for this challenge was to lose (at least) 10 lbs and I'm already down 7! So I'm extremely pumped and hoping that momentum will keep me going to the very end!
