Karl's weekly check in

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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Karl
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Karl's weekly check in

Post by Karl » Sat Oct 22, 2005 6:40 pm

Well, started NoS and UR several weeks ago so this post is a catch-up.

Date Pounds
25 Sep 05 225.0
02 Oct 05 223.6
09 Oct 05 222.0
16 Oct 05 220.8
23 Oct 05 218.0

So far, so good. But I've been here before so the next few months will be the real test.

I really like the simplicity of the NoS ES. This is something I can live with for the long run. I don't really do pass/fail, just try to reduce portions. I'm also, as another poster stated, getting more selective about what I eat.

The UR part is what I really enjoy. I genuinely look forward to my evening hike. It's really not so urban for me since we have some great woods in this neighborhood - lots of wildlife.

The other part is that I schedule the walk for my prime snack hours, 7:30 - 9:00 PM. This means that I'm burning calories and not eating junk food. I also seem to sleep better. So a multi upside program.

SG and dumbells are the next things to start sometime soon.

Karl

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Inge
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Post by Inge » Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:35 am

Sounds like you're doing great, Karl. If I had one month of any plan under my belt, I'd be thrilled to death.

I'm in a part of St. Paul that definitely does NOT lend itself to UR -- suburban Roseville, with no sidewalks, and only garages and garbage cans to look at on the street! Really miss my Mac-Groveland apartment, where I could walk for hours on tree-lined sidewalks and end up at Caribou!

Keep up the good work!

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Post by Karl » Sun Oct 23, 2005 3:58 am

Hi Inge,
The month goes by fast. Stick with it.

I'm actually in Vadnais Heights and we're very lucky with the parks and trails here. I think my UR Quest will be hiking all the various parks and trails in Ramsey county.

Here's an uberlink to metro park info www.metrocouncil.org/parks/parks.htm.
A short drive should get you to some fine trails. The bad part is that it's getting dark so early now.

The Mac-Grov area is such a great area - super looking old houses. I can understand you missing it. Ahhh, sidewalks. So great that all the suburbs make us walk in the street (sarcasm).

Another positive thing is that my wife URed with me tonight. It was nice just to walk and talk with her and no interruptions.

Karl

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Post by Inge » Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:41 am

Thanks for the link! Key words -- short drive. I hate firing up the minivan in order to UR!!! But that's life, I guess.

Four children under the age of 11 keep me and my husband on tag-team with childcare, so the thought of you and your wife strolling through Ramsey County's lovely hiking trails is but a distant dream to us!!!! But boy, does it sound good!!

Hope you're right re. the month going fast -- I love NOS, but sure have a history with failure.

Hopefully,
Inge

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:47 pm

Welcome Karl!
Good work and keep it up!!!!!!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Karl » Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:15 pm

For 29 Oct 05
Weight 216.8
UR on MTWF
NoS was mostly failure this week. Wednesday was a really bad day and I didn't really care about anything on Thursday and Friday. I did some very long hikes on Wednesday and Friday - probably the only reason for the weight loss. BTW, UR is a great stress reducer and hangover cure.

I'm comfortably into 36 inch pants again.

Karl

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Post by Inge » Sun Oct 30, 2005 2:34 am

Karl, sorry to hear of your bad week, but sounds like your outcome was OK anyway.

UR is a great thing to emphasize, regarding output of calories, and exercise is great for those endorphins! So good job on that. Regarding intake of calories -- you'll be hard pressed to find anything simpler or more efficient, or less of a hassle than NOS -- 3 plates per day. That's it. Even with a hangover, that's a no-brainer. And the sense of control -- priceless.

Hang in there!

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Post by Karl » Sat Nov 05, 2005 5:52 pm

NoS: Most of the week was S days but that was no suprise.
UR: Su,M,T,W,R,F.
Weight: 216.0.

This week was bad for special days but the URs took some weight off anyway so it was overall a good week. I want to get below 215.0 next week since that is 10 lbs off (and nice round base 10 numbers just feel good). Greatly reducing the snacks, sweets, and seconds has carried me so far but I probably need to become more strict about the NoS regime to continue the steady weight loss.

I should be getting the sledgehammer this weekend so then I can see what SG is all about.

Tomorrow is a trip to a friends' place to see if they got any deer.

Karl

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Post by Karl » Sat Nov 12, 2005 2:02 am

NoS: good to go for Mo - Th.
Extra Sday today (wifes' birthday).
UR: Su,M,T,W,F
Weight: 214.4 lbs (10 down, 25 to go)

No funny stuff except falling off the pickup tailgate today when dropping leaves off at the compost site - the leaf pile was soft so no damage except to my macho image. :oops:

K

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Nov 12, 2005 2:55 am

Yay Karl!!!!!
I am thrilled for you!

I used to love falling into piles of leaves! LOL...

Have a great weekend...

Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Karl » Sat Dec 03, 2005 8:57 pm

Well, for what it's worth, I'm staying at 214 lbs. I looked at the calender after Thanksgiving and made a decision to wait until after the Holiday Food Madness to continue losing weight. As long as I stay at or below 214 then that's success - until December 26th. So happy holidays to everyone.

K

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Post by reinhard » Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:27 pm

Happy holidays, Karl. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Very impressive so far.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Dec 09, 2005 4:34 pm

Hi Karl, I missed seeing your last post, sorry..
I think you are smart to just focus on maintaining during the Winter/holiday months...
If you don't gain, it's great...
That's pretty much what I experienced last Winter, and even managed to drop a couple of pounds while others were packing them on..(Not people here on NoS though!)

ps.. I thought of you the other day when I was buying Richard his new workboots for the snow... I mentioned that we need to get some thick wool socks, like you recommended :)~!
LOL.


Have a great day!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Karl » Wed Dec 14, 2005 7:44 am

D & R,
Thanks for the encouragement. This is a little frustrating but only 2 more weeks of gluttony then back to losing fat. I could never do the purification thing that Freakwitch is doing at this time of year - too much temptation.

I recently bought a 12 pound sledge so it's time to start swinging the hammer. I might need a Viking helmet to really get into the mood - maybe name the hammer Mjollinor and go beserk - crank up Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and go Awoooooohoo!!!

Ok, I'm ready for a Viking SG session. Start with building the boat, then row out the fjord, then set the sail, then bail out the bilge, then repair the hull, then put down the mutiny... :wink:

K

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Post by Karl » Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:13 pm

Hi,
Back at after holiday madness and some travelling around Santa Fe, New Mexico - a very cool place.

Some weight was put back on since my stomach went on holiday graze mode (up to 216 lbs), but after 2 weeks back on NoS and UR I'm down to 212.8 this morning. I'm looking forward to getting under 210 for the first time in many years.

Another change is that I stopped drinking caffine and alchohol. After 4 weeks with lots of temptation and no slipping (or sipping) I think this will a permanent change. My sleeping patterns and mood have been much better.

I think that the caffine really messed up my sleeping which resulted in my needing more caffine to feel alert which messed up my sleeping even more -- classic vicious cycle. I had about three days of mild headaches and three weeks of feeling weird. Now I wake up much earlier than I used to and feel good in the morning.

I had mostly stopped drinking alchohol anyway so that wasn't such a big step.

I'm having trouble with the sledgehammer exercises but I don't know why. I'm giving it another try this week. It just feels awkward and strange.

K

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Post by Karl » Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:19 am

Well, mediocure report this week. Same weight as last week.
Not a suprise since I've been snacking every day. I blame the cold weather (g).

No alcohol or caffine this week again, so that part was a success. I really don't miss it at this point.

I've added a new twist the the urban ranger patrols by doing calisthenics during the walk. This week was side-stepping, lunges, and high-stepping for various distances. I knew it was working me when I had to get the hat and gloves off, and then unzip the jackets, and I was still warm.

Then the legs ached for the next two days - but it was a good ache. BTW I do this when I know that nobody is looking because it looks like a Monty Python routine. This is very easy during winter - nobody crazy enough to be out there at night except me.

K

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:18 am

Good job on your Monty Python
"Silly walks" LOL...

Sorry about your "mediocre week" but consider yourself lucky...
After the holidays you should be happy you aren't gaining even though you have been on snack mode...
Well Winter is tough!
You are making big changes Karl! This really takes time and patience..
Sometimes you hit a plateau for a while, to take all of it in, and then one day... Bam you are back on track and lose a bit more!

Maybe you should try posting a bit more frequently?
If you feel like a snack, go post instead and see if the urge passes...

Best of luck!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Karl » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:04 am

Hi Deb,
Yep "silly walks", "deceased parrot", and "penguins on the telly" - I was a total geek in high school (and everyone on Monty Python were fantastic). I still sing "I'm a lumberjack..." when going out trailcutting.

I'm not discouraged about staying the same weight because I know the reason (bad eating and sporadic exercise) and how to fix it. It's just been a few tough weeks due to other issues.

No big deal and back on program. 21 days or ???

K
Last edited by Karl on Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:30 pm

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!!

LOL...
You may sing "I'm a lumberjack" but do you do it while wearing suspenders and a bra! LOL.... :lol:

Have a great week Karl! :wink:
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Karl » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:33 am

Time for change.

First change is the avatar. Since I UR mostly at night the shadow Calvin seems appropriate. I'm more of a Calvin anyway.

Second change is the workout. I added the SG part (12 lb hammer) and it felt less awkward this time. My scenario (which helps mentally a lot) is building a cabin. Paddling the river - chopping down trees - throwing brush - etc. I'm starting out with just 3 days each week to avoid injury.

I've been changing up the UR exercises. What to call this? ExUR? XUR? UReX?

Along with the lunges, high steps, and side steps on the level path I started doing a hillside workout (walking up and down and sidestepping up and down) for a bit more intensity. I've been looking at more things to do later to have a good variety.

Weight was 212.2 - so a small loss. Bad week for the NoS due to some stress (I eat poorly when I feel stressed) but next week will be better.

K

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Post by Karl » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:26 pm

Weight this morning is 211.2 lbs. Another pound gone for good.

BTW my target weight is 185 so 26 yet to go. I think I was 175 at age 18 so 185 seems reasonable. After that my goal is a weight of 18X. I should be able to stay in a 10 pound range.

I've checked some of the online weight calculators and I seem to get ideal weights of around 170 pounds which seems low (I'm 6'0", medium build). I guess I'll worry about all that after I get to 185.

UR was bad this week since I pulled a leg muscle on Wednesday and then it got very cold. I don't mind walking in temps down to 0F but the negative temps just get painful. The pulled muscle is mending nicely and I should be back outside walking tomorrow when it warms up again.

Added a jump rope to the UR exercises. I find a non-icy patch of ground and hop like a deranged rabbit. It really gets the heart pumping.

Karl

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Post by Karl » Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:31 pm

Weight 211.8 pounds - no change. 14 down, 26 to go.
Well, 210 has always been my roadblock so I just need additional effort to get past it. Starting to feel more motivated - think it's the onset of spring!!!

The leg muscle has healed so I am back to full UR status.

I've been looking for additional exercises to do during the UR. So far I've been doing side steps, high steps, lunges, squats, jumping jacks, and jump rope. Thinking about pushups and some other things so I just need to do some more research.

I like combining the UR and exercises because I feel I'm being more time efficient, I like being outside for the exercising, and the warmup and cool down time before, after, and between exercises is built in as part of the walking (though I still managed to pull a leg muscle).

The really nice part of the body weight exercises and shovelgloving is the minimal equipment (and expense) requirements. My house is small and crowded as is.

Till next week,
K

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:24 pm

Hi Karl!
I'm almost the same weight as you, and understand wanting to get past that hurdle!!!
One thing I remember to repeat to myself over and over is a thing Reinhard once told me last year...
It was, basically, that he felt that "Stasis" during Winter is a type of "progress of it's own"...
It's true! So congratulations on not gaining!
Most people gain ten pounds or more each Winter.. so staying the same is really worth being happy about!
Yes, once Spring comes, I think many of us will throw off the shackles of stasis and start seeing some movement!!!
Have a great evening!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Karl » Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:09 pm

Weight 208.4, 17 down, 23 to go.

So, past that plateau - thanks for the encouragement Deb! Next mini goal is 199. Should be there in late April.

Keeping to the NoS and UR program has been much easier now that the days are longer and warmer. I've also started doing some bodyweight exercises in the garage (pushups, crunches, etc along with the SGing) and I'm feeling some soreness today - but the good kind of sore.

I don't want to get negative but doing exercises in a cold garage still beats using the gym. Now, please understand that this is just me, and if you enjoy going to a gym then that's all good - I didn't. Why?

Let's start with the guys who leave bags and clothes piled along an entire locker room bench or floor while they are off showering or talking (why yes SIR, you DO own the locker room and no one else wants to use that bench).

Or how about the guy who stands directly in front of the dumbell rack to do his exercises and nobody else can get to the rack until his highness is finished.

Or how about the endless personal conversations about things that I really did not need to hear - EVER.

I could go on and on and on but I'm very happy in my cold garage and the price is right. I bought an area rug from the hardware store to keep my butt off the concrete, plus some simple exercise equipment (dumbells and the 12 lb hammer) and life is good.

Well, end of rant. Have a great week.
Karl :wink:

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Post by Karl » Sat Mar 18, 2006 3:46 pm

Weight 208.2. 17 down, 23 to go.

No loss this week. I've been sick with whatever crud is going around but I'm fine now. Downside was bad eating and little exercise.

K

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:55 pm

Feel better soon Karl!
Sorry about the crud... :evil:

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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Post by Karl » Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:24 pm

Weight 208.8 -- no change. Bad week for NoSing. Lots of very good snacks around the house this week.

The sore throat is gone. Thanks for the sympathy Deb!

Better week for the exercise. I've been experimenting with various bodyweight exercises gleaned from web searches. Lots of different types out there and variety is good. This is combined with the SG for what I think will be an effective program.

I also carried a pair of 8 pound barbells on the walk last night. I did various arm and shoulder movements (rows, curls, presses, etc) while walking. A low weight high rep approach. I'm thinking about doing this once per week for some variety. It definitely elevates the heart rate and I also like using the walking time for other exercises.

Well, I was in an experimental mood this week.
Karl

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