Throwing in the towel regarding "Nerd Fitness Academy." Long post today, including today's food and exercise notes and my plan going forward.
I've tried sticking with "Nerd Fitness Academy" in varying ways for about six months. It hasn't worked.
I don't blame it! It's a cool system, and makes sense for those who stick with it.
I don't blame myself either. It's not helpful to do so. In fact, it's counterproductive. I shame myself enough that doing so here doesn't do anything positive. It's just not a good match for where I'm at right now, and I'm cutting my losses.
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I don't know all the reasons for this. I'm sure part of it is lack of discipline, but that's the reason for almost any weight loss issues. If someone had perfect discipline, they would be able to just some vegetables and meat a few times per day, deal with being hungry perfectly, and boom! Done.
Knowing that more discipline would be good doesn't magically imbue me with said discipline. NFA"s stage-based system is a reasonable, step-by-step plan, but I kept seeing it as boom-or-bust. Like, at Level 4 I'm not supposed to eat sugar. So when I slipped and ate a couple of M&Ms, I'd say "fuck it" and consider the day a lost cause.
To reiterate: this is not NFA's fault. That program explicitly encourages small changes and forgiving oneself. But I tend towards seeing these systems as all-or nothing.
So I'm pulling out.
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What's next? Weight Watchers? Paleo? Fitocracy? No, no, no. I honestly believe that diving into any external system will spur my continue to spur my all-or-nothing mentality. There's no system out there that will solve my issues.
I'm the one who has to do that.
So I'm going to do the best I can. I'll use my strengths. I'll try to find small successes, and joy in my diet and exercise. Become aware of what I eat and do, how I react, how it affects my weight and emotions, etc.
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Next steps for diet: Binge less on sugar. Cook more at home. Seek out tasty meals that I can cook, and start to build a recipe or meal list of things that satisfy me and make me feel good. (Not just good in the short-term the way junk food can feel, but good in the short, medium, and long terms.) Work to become more aware of the decisions I make
Next steps for exercise: Walk a lot. Try to walk most days. I can listen to Mets games, podcasts, and music while I do this. Maybe try out biking a bit, and start trying push-ups and planking for core and upper body work.
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4/22/15 Fitness Stuff
Diet:
Early: Great breakfast of two thin slices of Spam and a cheddar cheese two egg omelet. Also a lot of chips and mint M&Ms. I felt pretty awful and sick from these.
Midday: A pear for a snack. Did I eat more? I honestly can't remember, but I don't think so.
Late: Baked sweet potato with butter and a tiny bit of cheese. The cheese didn't add much to it, but the butter was great. I baked it in the oven at 425 for 45 minutes. Should've gone longer. My grandmother said she microwaves it, so I may try that.
The potato was pretty filling, so I held off on a bigger dinner. Had a bottled mocha frappucino, which was cold and sweet and satisfying while still being under 200 calories. Also a skim light latte from Caribou Coffee while waiting for a haircut.
Exercise:
I didn't walk much today, just a few blocks. However, I found that my pair of sneakers really hurt my left foot. Something about them put weird pressure on my ankle, and the left side of my foot still feels sore from even my last short walk.
So I got some new sneakers. Hurray!
