TheDarwinFish - Phase 2

I'm back! Thanks for checking in, ladies. :D

I got kind of swamped with work and some other commitments I had made and haven't been able to get on here and keep this updated.

That said, I've not fallen off the wagon. Things are going effin' awesome, in fact... weight-wise, anyway.

That last post where I was planning on hitting the gym was my last day at the gym. I just can't take it there anymore. There's not enough equipment in the free weight area. One squat rack that is always busy (rarely with the person doing squats, which is even more of a pisser). It's just too much of a hassle.

That said, I decided to set my next goal of 10% body fat.

I've cut my calories back again (2400/day right now, will end up around 2000) and will be running and/or walking daily. I'm sticking with my 2 mile run/walk for a while until my knee feels better. For now, I can do the 2 with very little discomfort.

To recap: the plan - 10% body fat, the method - cut down to 2000 cal/day and run 2 miles 4 days/week (AT LEAST).

I'll worry about the gym situation when I hit my 10% goal.
 
Damn, Fish, 10%? You are my hero.:sifone: What are you at now?

Sucks about the gym. Are there any alternate gyms that are better? What about the other option of having something at home?
 
Hey fish! Thanks for coming by my journal :)

I would find that soooo annoying about the squat rack...you really do need that rack for squats!

I'm so excited to hear about your new 10% goal! that's incredible, i believe in you! You should post pics along the way :drool5:

Have a great night!
 
Trops said:
Damn, Fish, 10%? You are my hero.:sifone: What are you at now?

Sucks about the gym. Are there any alternate gyms that are better? What about the other option of having something at home?
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Right now I'm at 20% (give or take .5%) in my morning weigh-ins. I was over 30% when I started all of this.

There are a bunch of gyms here. It comes down to cost/convenience. The gym I'm at now is literally down the road. Next nearest one is probably a 20 minute drive away at least. That's how 5 times longer than my current round trip. :D

Home isn't an option since I'm in a condo apartment unit. I'm hoping to sell it in a couple years and in my next home I will absolutely be building my own gym in my basement. No shitty music on the PA. No meatheads.

I'm going to get back on the photos to track progress as well. I find I don't see it in myself day-to-day but when I compare them month-to-month or further back, it then becomes more clear. I don't see the drastic change that everyone else says they see, but I do see a change for the better.

Funny, I was in a store Wednesday and as I was walking through the aisles I passed my brother's girlfriend and two of her kids. I only see them a couple times a year. I haven't seen them since I was at my most ginormous (fat, no hair, goatee) and Wednesday each of them made full eye contact with me (now skinnier, with much more hair and no facial hair) in the store and went on their way. They didn't even recognize me. At all. THAT is going down as the nuttiest thing so far as far as reactions go hahaha!

Went for a run last night (2 days in a row). Did the usual 2 mile run and this time... awwwww hells yeah! NO knee discomfort. None. Nada. Zilch. I hope that becomes the new norm. And I can't find my old running numbers, but I think I set a PB on my run as well. I did it in 17:44 last night (Wednesday was 18:34). Long story short, last night felt fucking awesome. Hope the knee continues to feel this good.
 
peanut butter on your run! nom nom nom!! Hahah I'm kidding, i know it's personal best. Just being silly.

That is CRAZY! about your brother's girlfriend! Did you stop and say "Hey, it's me!" after??
 
tinysara said:
peanut butter on your run! nom nom nom!! Hahah I'm kidding, i know it's personal best. Just being silly.
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That's actually what I said to my buddy when I told him... that I hit a new peanut butter. I forget how, but that became a running joke with us.

Anyway, speaking of Peanut Butter -- I definitely hulk-smashed my PB in my 2-mile last night in the freezing cold. Did it in 17:12! I damn near shat when I saw it. I thought for sure I screwed up. But I can't imagine how so I'm going to keep it!

Nice timing for the improvements as I'm going to be competing in a 5k run (The Santa Shuffle) here in London on December 6. Less than 3 weeks away! Proceeds go to the Salvation Army so it's also for a good cause. I'm looking forward to it. And my buddy is putting $20 on me doing it in 22 minutes or less hahaha... I told him that's a stretch but that I'd do my damnedest.

So with three weeks to go I have to start bumping up my distance. I figure I'll go another couple days at the 2 mile, bump up to 3 miles in the middle of this week and see how that flies. Then in a week and a half or two of that I'll bump up to 4 miles. That's 1.4 km more than I'll be running on the 6th. So if I can pull off a solid 4 mile (by my standards) by the time the race comes around I'll be happy.

Here's to freezing your ass off for a good cause! I need to find a Santa hat and beard.
 
Hey, great news about your knees! And nice with the race, you may as well dress like Santa, why not? Crazy that your bro's girlfriend didn't recognize you :D I guess that's kind of good, eh?

22 minutes--I could do it :D ;) My 5K time is about 21:20, although it's been up from 21:14 then 21:08--I must be getting slower :( Oh well! I'm doing the Race to Feed the Hungry, the 10K in my state's capitol, Sacramento, on Thanksgiving (the 27th). Hmm, Jimi Hendrix's birthday! I better wear one of my Jimi shirts :D Anyway, yeah, charity--YAY! :hurray:
 
WAY TO GO ON THAT HULK-SMASH! OMG! that's so awesome!! I can't wait until I'm somewhere near your times...Running in the cold really does make you go faster though, at least I find it does. So proud :) You're going to kick ass on that 5k, where in London is it? Maybe I'll have to go watch and cheer ya' on!
 
Curvie Girlie said:
22 minutes--I could do it :D ;) My 5K time is about 21:20, although it's been up from 21:14 then 21:08--I must be getting slower :( Oh well! I'm doing the Race to Feed the Hungry, the 10K in my state's capitol, Sacramento, on Thanksgiving (the 27th).
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Sweet 5K time! I'm doing a 10K in February if all goes as planned. The Really Chilly Road Race. I'm pretty sure that that will be the death of me... not so much for the distance (somewhat daunting) but the running in the (likely VERY) sub-zero weather.

tinysara said:
WAY TO GO ON THAT HULK-SMASH! OMG! that's so awesome!! I can't wait until I'm somewhere near your times...Running in the cold really does make you go faster though, at least I find it does. So proud :) You're going to kick ass on that 5k, where in London is it? Maybe I'll have to go watch and cheer ya' on!
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You'll be matching me in no time as my times aren't especially awesome... just for ME they are since I was such a horrible runner when I started! :D Though you may be right about running in the cold since that's when I noticed the big improvement. Perhaps it's the get-me-the-fuck-out-of-this-and-into-a-nice-warm-shower thoughts that helps speed one along.

Hehe, the race is downtown in Victoria Park which is beautiful this time of year. If you're in my neck of the woods let me know! :D If not, cross your fingers for me wherever you are! HAHA I need all the help I can get!

I have a Christmas party that night to go to as well so that'll be a nice treat later in the day... and the run will negate some of the indulging that is likely to be going on that evening. :D

Have a happy Hump Day, everyone!
 
Curvie Girlie said:
SUB ZERO RUNNING! :( You are tougher than me. Good luck on that one! :gnorsi:

Have fun at the Xmas party! :waving:
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I wouldn't call it toughness as much as I'd call it being a sucker for punishment. I've still not signed up for the race. I wanted to do it this weekend but some shit happened and eh... things aren't so good. I'm still doing it but yeah. Not a good weekend.

I'm hoping to go for a run tonight. Though I'm far from being in any sort of mindset to set any new Peanut Butters. :D

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Here's hoping for a better week.
 
Awww fish! I'm sorry you had such a crappy weekend :( Don't be afraid to hit the gym when you're frustrated/annoyed though...not only will you feel a ton better afterward, the 'looks' you get from all the gym bunnies will boost your ego! Then you'll walk out of there like a new man, ready to seriously hulk-smash some peanut butters. :D:D! Hope this cheered you up, here's to an awesome week :)
 
So it's 4:00am and I can't sleep.

Long story short -- I'm about to begin going through a divorce. That's such a fucking weird thing to write. But yeah, that's kind of what happened yesterday. So I got about 2 hours of sleep. I'd like to think that'll just be a one-night thing and that once it settles in I can get back to regular sleeping.

I would like to channel the rage into running, but it's going to be tough to do if I can barely keep my eyes open. :D

A co-worker of mine just recently went through (could still be going through) a divorce of his own so I will be picking his brain today, I think.

So... that said, if several days go by without a peep from me, I assure you I'm doing what I can to stay on track. Just taking care of some other shit as needed.

Hope everyone else has a great week.
 
I'm sorry to hear that Fish! Divorce is a tough thing to go through for sure... Been there, done that. :/ Lean on your friends and family; you will get through it. I know its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now, but I promise there is one. You'll be in my prayers...
 
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I'm so sorry to hear that fish. We're all pulling for you here, it's going to be a tough thing for you to get through, but eventually you'll come out an incredibly strong person when it's finally over. If you ever need to just rant or talk or release frustration just type it out here (or in my journal if you want!), all of these people want nothing more than for you to succeed and be happy :)

Stay strong! I'm rooting for you!
 
thedarwinfish said:
I wouldn't call it toughness as much as I'd call it being a sucker for punishment.
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Masochist, too, eh? Yup. That's why I do Yoga all the time--sucker for punishment! :D Nah, I truly enjoy the quiet mind....

thedarwinfish said:
I'm about to begin going through a divorce. That's such a fucking weird thing to write. But yeah, that's kind of what happened yesterday. So I got about 2 hours of sleep. I'd like to think that'll just be a one-night thing and that once it settles in I can get back to regular sleeping.
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WHOA :eek2: Well, hell, Dar.....you know, maybe it's just one of those things that can be worked out? I guess time will tell. I hope things get better for you and you also are able to exercise and have a decent time, as well. Wishful thinking! Hey--take care! :hug2:
 
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