#NASTY Challenge

May 2023

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May 1, 2023

Weigh-in: 230.2 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 50.

3 main meals:

• Guacamole on whole wheat toast w/ cottage cheese & non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• Buffalo veggie burger
• EveryPlate - crispy katsu pork chops

Snacks

No snacks today.

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Calisthenics:

• band-assisted pull-ups

Other Thoughts

The blog got an update yesterday! Now I have the posts separated by calendar month, and split off from the main blog page. I think this will help keep that main page from getting bloated. It also leaves room for anything else parkour-related I want to blog about. Hope it wasn't too hard finding this post! Also, Trek started charging $5/day for food starting today. Not fun, but it's at least still a better deal than buying my own food and taking it to work with me. I've started to feel like I've been stagnating around the 228-231 pound range lately, too. I was sick for a while, so that meant I was exercising less. I also could improve the quality of my food. It's likely a combination of factors.

May 2, 2023

Weigh-in: 229.6 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 300.

2 main meals:

• A salad I made at Trek's salad bar
• EveryPlate - cheesy tex-mex cavatappi with a kick

Snacks

• McDonald's - double quarter cheese deluxe

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

A mixed bag:

• yoga
• core workout - bodyweight & some weighted exercises

May 3, 2023

Weigh-in: 230 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 300.

2 main meals:

• Panera - chipotle chicken avocado melt w/ plain cold brew & a fruit cup
• EveryPlate - sweet potato & onion tacos

Snacks

No snacks today.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

May 4, 2023

Weigh-in: 229.6 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 100.

3 main meals:

• Prosciutto & cheese wrap
• A salad I made at Trek's salad bar
• EveryPlate - kale & sausage soup

Snacks

• Chips
• Cottage cheese
• 1 buttered tortilla

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• bike ride
• mile run
• upper body workout

May 5, 2023

Weigh-in: 228 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 300.

3 main meals:

• Salami & Provolone on a Pretzel Bun
• Trek Snack Wrap
• Buck & Honey's - Seafood Enchiladas, Rice & Beans

Snacks

• A margarita with dinner

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Morning cardio:

• Mile run
• Bike ride

May 6, 2023

Weigh-in: 228.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 700.

2 main meals:

• Beans & Cream - Ham & Cheese Croissant w/ a latte
• Domino's - 1/2 a large sausage & pineapple pizza

Snacks

• buttered homemade 3-cheese pesto bread

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Evening cardio:

• 45-minute bike ride

May 7, 2023

Weigh-in: 229.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 900.

2 main meals:

• Hot honey mustard chicken & veggie stir fry
• Culver's - Double Deluxe Burger w/ onion rings

Snacks

• buttered homemade 3-cheese pesto bread

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

May 8, 2023

Weigh-in: 229.4 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 200.

2 main meals:

• McDonald's - steak egg & cheese bagel w/ a plain iced latte
• EveryPlate - cream of mushroom soup

Snacks

• a salad I made at Trek's salad bar

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Parkour conditioning:

• quadrupedal movement
• monkey bars
• push-ups

May 9, 2023

Weigh-in: 228 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 100.

2 main meals:

• A salad I made at Trek's salad bar w/ diced chicken breast
• EveryPlate - sweet ginger chicken stir-fry bowls w/ bell pepper & scallion rice

Snacks

• 2 cups of 2% cottage cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Parkour conditioning:

• quadrupedal movement
• monkey bars
• push-ups
• safety rolls

May 10, 2023

Weigh-in: 226.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1300.

3 main meals:

• Starbucks - kale & portobello mushroom egg bites w/ a cappuccino
• Stir-fry veggies with hot [sugar-free] honey mustard, chicken & avocado
• EveryPlate - Farmer's Market Linguine

Snacks

• Dave's Killer Bread buttered everything bagel-seasoned bread
• a few cups of 2% milk
• a snack-sized bag of BBQ potato chips

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• 10-minute bike ride
• Mile run
• Rock climbing

May 11, 2023

Weigh-in: 227.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 800.

4 main meals:

• Sweet potato zucchini pancakes w/ mixed berries
• Turkey wrap & BBQ brisket pizza slice
• Pretzel bun swiss cheeseburger
• Culver's - double deluxe cheeseburger w/o mayo

Snacks

• Starbucks - peach green tea lemonade
• Starbucks - egg white, turkey bacon & white cheddar sandwich

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Trail riding:

• Mountain biking on the Trek trails

May 12, 2023

Weigh-in: 228.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 950.

2 main meals:

• Buttered whole wheat toast, cottage cheese & an apple
• Mooyah - Double diablo burger w/o mayo

Snacks

• Buttered whole wheat toast
• Peanut butter toast
• Buttered tortilla

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• 10-minute bike ride
• Mile run
• Quadrupedal movement
• Band-assisted pull-ups

May 13, 2023

Weigh-in: 226.6 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 250.

1 main meals:

• Cheesy potato empanada & wild mushroom Korean taco

Snacks

• Buttered homemade pretzel bread from the farmer's market
• Rockin Refuel coffee protein shake
• Olipop lemon lime prebiotic soda

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Road biking:

• 2 10-minute bike rides to Woodman's & Target

May 14, 2023

Weigh-in: 225.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 300.

3 main meals:

• Buttered homemade pretzel & swiss bread from the farmer's market
• Sarku Japan - spicy bourbon chicken & fried rice w/ steamed veggies
• EveryPlate - crispy southern chicken sandwich w/ pickled jalapeños & roasted potato wedges

Snacks

• 1 cup of 2% cottage cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Cardio:

• 10-minute bike ride
• 2-mile run

May 15, 2023

Weigh-in: 227 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 500.

4 main meals:

• Dave's Killer Bread epic everything peanut butter toast w/ cottage cheese
• Cheese tortellini
• Olive & feta wrap
• Grass-fed strip steak w/ asparagus & reishi and oyster mushrooms

Snacks

• Chili-seasoned pickled pineapple
• Dave's Killer Bread epic everything buttered bread

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Strength training:

• Core workout
• Rail vaulting at the park

May 16, 2023

Weigh-in: 227.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 300.

3 main meals:

• Eggs, whole wheat toast, and cottage cheese
• Poblano pepper & onion cheese fajitas
• EveryPlate - creamy garlic riggies with chicken plus tomato & lemon

Snacks

• Buttered whole wheat toast

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Power hour:

• 10-minute bike ride
• Mile run

May 17, 2023

Weigh-in: 225.2 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1100.

3 main meals:

• McDonald's - Steak egg & cheese bagel w/ plain iced latte
• Trek Cafe - rice bowl with shrimp, chicken, sweet potatoes, and zucchi/squash medley
• Ian's Pizza (Madison, WI) - Smoky the Bandit (BBQ) slice, Pomodoro (tomato, spinach & feta) slice, and 1 breadstick

Snacks

• Kwik Trip - 2 cheese-filled breadsticks

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Climbing:

• Rock climbing on the Trek bouldering wall

Other Thoughts

I'll be honest, I don't know how to record the Ian's Pizza meal I had because they don't have any nutritional information anywhere. I will say that this isn't a normal dinner for me lately. My wife & I went to see The Lion King musical at the Overture Center downtown today, and we wanted to stop somewhere special beforehand instead of making the EveryPlate meal I had started cooking. Ian's is definitely not something I'm going to be making a habit of, and thankfully, it's all the way downtown. But yeah, this meal was probably over 1000 calories, so I'm just adding 1000 to my deficit of 60 and rounding up, so I know what happened if my weight changes tomorrow.

May 18, 2023

Weigh-in: 227.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 850.

4 main meals:

• Starbucks - Spinach & feta wrap w/ plain flat white
• Trek Cafe - spinach/aruguala salad with chicken
• Trek Cafe - 'Hercules wrap' - hummus & chicken w/ veggies
• EveryPlate - Southwest-spiced beef & rice bowls w/ pico de gallo & lime crema

Snacks

• 6 slices of Dave's Killer Bread with butter

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• 15-minute bike ride
• Mile run
• 10 x 1 bodyweight pull-ups
• 3 x 12 push-ups

Other Thoughts

I had my 3rd InBody scan today! According to my nutritionist, I've been skimping on protein & veggies overall, and according to me, I've been skimping on strength training. Those combined to create a drop in muscle mass of about 2 pounds, and all my cardio & sugar elimination gave me a drop in body fat of 1 pound. Overall, my body fat percentage went up, because I lost more muscle than fat. That said, if I make sure that my "bread snacks" include some protein and I keep up my strength training & veggie consumption, I should be in a good place by the next InBody scan.

Today's InBody Scan!

May 19, 2023

Weigh-in: 225 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1350.

3 main meals:

• Chiptole turkey burger
• 2 hot dogs & Cheddar sour cream chips
• EveryPlate - Tomato & Pork Sausage Linguine with Garlic Bread

Snacks

• Cottage cheese
• 1/2 a cup of milk
• Joyride - Sugar-free gummies
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

May 20, 2023

Weigh-in: 227 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 300.

2 main meals:

• Peppers, onions & cheese rice bowl w/ sriracha mayo
• Red Robin - Double guacamole bacon burger w/ pineapple & jalapeños + side salad w/ oil & vinegar

Snacks

• Rx Bar - Peanut butter chocolate
• Gatorade Zero - lemon lime

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Long bike ride:

• 2-hour-15-minute bike ride (22 miles; to the Capitol & back)

May 21, 2023

Weigh-in: 226.2 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 900.

2 main meals:

• Zuzu's - Lablabi breakfast
• EveryPlate - creamy smothered pork chops

Snacks

• Henry Vilas Zoo - bavarian pretzel w/ nacho cheese cup
• 2x Rockin' Refuel 30g protein shakes + 6oz carton of raspberries (post-workout)
• 4x Pillsbury crescent rolls each rolled up with 3 pepperoni

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• 7.6-mile bike ride to D.R.E.A.M. Park (Sun Prairie) and back
• Parkour - vaulting, climbing, balancing, tiny jumps, push-ups
• 2-mile run

Other Thoughts

I'm thinking that the place I could've added more protein today was at the zoo. I didn't have any food with me, so I just ate whatever they were selling that didn't have sugar in it. Surprisingly few options at a zoo, or maybe not so surprising. In any case, I bought some string cheese today so I could have some better snacking options. I'm holding off on replacing my bread loaf for now because it's too easy to have 4-6 slices in a day.

May 22, 2023

Weigh-in: 227 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1100.

4 main meals:

• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt w/ mixed berries & pineapple chunks
• Gnocchi w/ marinara & squash/zucchini medley
• EveryPlate - Saucy chicken & pepper stir fry
• McDonald's - Big Mac

Snacks

• Joyride - berry gummy guppies
• Salted almonds w/ peanut butter
• 2% milk
• String cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• 10-minute morning bike ride
• Trek Gym - rock climbing
• Trek Trails - 2.27-mile run on the Joe V trail

May 23, 2023

Weigh-in: 226.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 750.

2 main meals:

• Tropical Smoothie Cafe - baja chicken wrap & peanut paradise smoothie w/ whey protein & Splenda
• EveryPlate - brown sugar chipotle pork chops

Snacks

• Hummus & carrots
• String cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Biking:

• Morning bike ride to the store & back

Other Thoughts

My wife Sam and I were feeling very sad today. Our cat was diagnosed with FIP, a fatal illness. We ended up going to the emergency vet late at night to find out we needed to put him down. I'm not sure how long grieving's going to take or how demotivated I'll be to continue exercising, but I think keeping up with the no-added-sugar thing is an autopilot thing for me at this point, so I'll keep it up in the meantime. I'm writing this post the following day and I can say this is all taking a massive toll on us emotionally.

May 24, 2023

Weigh-in: 224.2 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 850.

2 main meals:

• McDonald's - double quarter pounder with cheese deluxe
• Olive Garden - ravioli carbonara w/ side garden salad & breadsticks

Snacks

• String cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Other Thoughts

I can say that if I wasn't tracking my calories or doing this challenge right now, given the fact we just had to say goodbye last night to our 9-month-old kitten after only having him for 3 months, I'd be binge-eating junk food today because that's how I cope with stress usually. However trivial this challenge is by comparison, and it's suuuuper trivial, I'm comforted by the knowledge that I'm still making sure I'm doing the bare minimum to keep my body & mind in a good state. Fast food isn't the best choice but we're just not in the mood to do anything useful right now. We both took off of work for the remainder of the week today, and we left work early yesterday after the news we got from the vet in the morning. Today, we spent most of today sleeping, mourning, or watching TV to distract ourselves.

May 25, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 650.

2 main meals:

• Dunkin - bacon breakfast tacos w/ large plain iced cappuccino
• Mooyah - double diablo burger w/ homemade chips

Snacks

• Joyride - sour gummy bears
• String cheese
• Coffee w/ collagen protein

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Other Thoughts

Not really sure how I've been continuing to lose weight even without any exercise or PT. I'll keep an eye out for trends. Could just be the stress of losing our kitty.

May 26, 2023

Weigh-in: 222.6 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 900.

2 main meals:

• Culver's - smokehouse bbq cheddar pub burger
• EveryPlate - italian pork sausage sandos w/ garlic potato wedges

Snacks

• String cheese
• Buttered crescent rolls w/ pepperoni & cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• 20-minute bike ride
• Climbing around on a playground
• 1/2-mile run

Other Thoughts

Haven't been at this weight since September 2020!

May 27, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 850.

3 main meals:

• Farmer's market - steak tacos & vanilla cold brew
• Bartaco - 3 tacos & fresh pineapple w/ chili seasoning
• EveryPlate - black bean stew

Snacks

• Farmer's market - buttered pepperoni twist bread

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

May 28, 2023

Weigh-in: 226.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1600.

2 main meals:

• Pepperoni twist bread - a lot of it
• Palermo's - slice of cheese pizza @ the kite festival in Veteran's Park in Milwaukee

Snacks

• String cheese
• Almonds w/ peanut butter
• Keto peanut butter ice cream bars

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Summer fun:

• Flying kites - a surprising amount of walking
• Bike sprints - HIIT-style - 3 rounds

Other Thoughts

Based on my weigh-in today and how I was feeling last night, I'm pretty sure eating white bread and black beans gives me some level of digestive dysfunction. I'm not sure how or why, but I think avoiding those 2 foods is probably going to help me feel better, if not reduce inflammation and continue losing weight.

May 29, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.2 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 650.

2 main meals:

• McDonald's - 20-piece chicken nuggets w/ sriracha mayo
• Noodles & Company - 3-cheese tortelloni pesto w/ grilled chicken

Snacks

• String cheese
• Hummus & carrots

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Summer fun:

• Biking to get smoothies (sugar-free) at Bambu and some stuff at Target
• Flying kites in the park
• Attempting to run a mile, only got .13 miles before my knee flared up

Other Thoughts

No clue why I went up 3 pounds and down 3 pounds again within 2 days. The human body is weird. Maybe I should stop guessing and just keep doing what I'm doing until it starts to reverse my progress.

May 30, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 200.

3 main meals:

• Trek cafe - salad w/ chicken & mozzarella
• Trek cafe - wrap w/ turkey & prosciutto
• EveryPlate - salisbury steaks w/ herb mashed potatoes & carrots

Snacks

• String cheese
• Green apple

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.