Second Week (Mid-Month!) Update

16 Jan 2018 | Life

Two weeks in, and I’ve got some [obvious?] insight into where I stand with my goals. Are they too much, too little? Am I being lazy or did I overcommit myself? Note: I’m working on not using weak language, especially when it comes to writing/talking about myself (can, may, seem, think, try, believe, just, qualifier words, etc.)

Weight loss - My original hope to not have any cheat days is unrealistic, especially if I still want to go out with friends. Sticking to 1-2 cheat days per week will be doable. Depending on circumstances, I intend to only cheat when the situation calls for it, and to really consider the cost/benefit. Last weekend it was a baby shower where there was cake, and then having a friend over and drinking wine. This weekend it was drinks and then visiting the new LA Eataly. This will cause my weight to oscillate, and the tinge of disappointment when seeing the scale go back up will be unavoidable. This morning I weighed in at 173, up from my low of 171 last week, but still continuing the downward trend. I’m preparing for the inevitibility of a slowdown since this is all water weight anyway.

Bike ride - I couldn’t bring myself to do a solo ride. I spent my time playing video games instead. At least I made a plan with Amy for next Sunday. Next month needs to be carefully planned or else the Japan trip will kill this goal for February. Potential destinations for future rides include Eataly (via Culver City, and through Cheviot Hills on Motor Ave.), Cluck2Go near PCC, the Santa Anita Mall.

Vacation - Q1 is already good. Tickets & a room for Portland still need to be bought and I’ll remind Lawrence of that.

Read - I switched up the goal from every 2 months to every month. Whether that’s a good idea is yet to be seen. For all the list compiling I did using the books already sitting on my shelves, I ended up going with an LAPL ebook that was available through Libby, an app from OverDrive with a cleaner and simpler interface. This goal is tricky. Do I go with what I want, or what I think I should read?

Japanese - I’ve focused a lot on this goal. Having a hard deadline with real consequences (being IN Japan) helps. I’ve got ~90% recognition for hiragana & katakana. It’s higher if I’m actually concentrating. Writing the characters in the JA Sensei app, and in the physical workbook I bought, have helped immensely. That in turn has helped me progress through the lessons in Duolingo. The Duolingo Japanese course is flawed (and it’s still in Beta) but viewing the user comments helps. Sentence structure is easy to follow, but particle usage is confusing. Duolingo doesn’t do much to clarify what situations require which words, positive vs negative structures, or what the various verb forms are. Ex. arimasu vs arimasen, desu vs dewa. The practical goals to reach in time for the trip are: be able to read hiragana/katakana/common kanji, be able to understand the general meaning of common spoken phrases.

Low carb with 1 cheat day - I’m nixing this.

Blogging - Successful so far. A simple publishing process and no customization options (without coding) helps a lot. I like logging my thoughts and getting practice writing. Thoughts on future specifics - doing a morning “brain dump” journal, posting about keto recipes, posting crafting updates.

Drink water - Good on weekdays, not so much on days I’m not sitting at my cubicle.

Floss daily - Total failure. Once in the last 2 weeks. I had a dental cleaning yesterday, making it an excellent point to start taking this one seriously.

Daily workout - Total failure as well. I started last week, but only did 2 days. I’d like to take this one seriously, but the quick and easy nature of it feels like it would be pointless. I got sore, which was surprising for a <10 minute workout. The barriers I have to doing this are frustrating - I’ll sweat, which means more days with greasy hair before I can wash it (because of the dyed color); the dirty floor I have to stare at, roll around on, and breathe in; no open space for exercise except in the hallway or next to Amy’s bed; feelings of awkwardness exercising in front of Lawrence and Amy while they’re doing other things.

Udemy course? - I’ve got several bookmarked. They go on sale often and at a deep discount, but I haven’t bought any yet. I don’t foresee this happening until later in the year.

SMART weight loss

I printed out two differnet worksheets, but I haven’t done this for any of my goals yet. Starting with weight loss…

Goal: I will lose 40 lbs by December 31, 2018 by maintaining a ketogenic diet.

Importance: Losing 40 lbs will allow me to further challenge myself physically. It will make a trans-America bike tour more feasible by reducing the biggest weight on my bike (me!). Other goals include, fitting into clothes I own but am currently too big for, improving my sex life, taking a proactive approach to being health in middle-age, and prioritizing caring for and loving myself.

Specific: Yes. I will prep most of my meals for the week. Cheat days, if any, are restricted to the weekend. I spent the last few months making it a habit to cook at home so it’s been an easy transition to prep diet-friendly meals. I’m experimenting with alternative flours/sugars so that I can satisfy my love of crackers, breads, and sweets. I’ve signed up for Imperfect Produce to get vegetables delivered. I’m exploring bulk ingredient buying options so that all the protein I need doesn’t break the bank. My calculated macro targets are 5% carbs, 25% protein, and 70% fat at a ~25% caloric deficit.

Measurable: Yes, there is a measurable number that will indicate progress. I weigh myself every day.

Achievable: Yes. I’ve been on a ketogenic diet before and I know it works for me. Losing 3.33 lbs a month is feasible. It comes out to less than 1 lb a week. I have several methods to break through plateaus. I can increase my calorie expenditure by biking more/harder, incorporating HIIT running, register for a gym and start weightlifting again. I can decrease my calorie intake by doing Intermittent Fasting or food logging to reduce caloric (fat) intake.

Relevant: Yes, this will improve my life all around even though my self-confidence is already in a better place than before.

Time-bound: Yes.

Potential problems: Events that interrupte my daily routine, major life events/changes, vacations, stress and overwork leading to lack of motivation. Eating out with family and friends, socializing with the expectation to drink alcohol. Getting sick. Injuring myself.

Milestones & Rewards:

• Lose 10 lbs by 3/31/18. Treat self to bicycling gear.
• Lose 20 lbs by 6/30/18. Treat self to jewelry.
• Lose 30 lbs by 9/30/18. Treat self to a weekend vacation.
• Lose 40 lbs by 12/31/18. Treat self to a 2-week international vacation in 2019.

Theme for 2018: Self-Care

Most of my goals are related to self-care. Some of them have been goals in the past, an indicator that I’ve had issues with spending time and energy taking care of myself.