Zombies Run!

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Much needed whimsy

Not that I would ever be happy working late every day, but it is really nice to get a workout out of the way first thing in the morning, then go about the rest of my day. I did slow my pace this time and didn’t wear the weights, but I bumped up the incline. And I still love this set of Venture missions. They’re so interesting!

Soooooo, McDonald’s is doing a Hello Kitty and Godzilla collab, and much like with the Kpop Demon Hunters collab, I headed out to see if I could score a cool toy. I didn’t get the one I wanted, but it’s still cute! And a kid’s meal of 4 nuggets and tiny fries is only around 300-400 calories. Other than feeling blegch for eating McDonald’s at all, it didn’t destroy my caloric deficit for the day. I was able to score some yu choy on sale, and the little tweak of using the mini ramen still worked for keeping overall calories under control. It’s so sad how tickled I am about that toy. I will take any bit of cuteness I get my hands on. Yes, I will try a different store to see if I can get the Hello Kitty or Cinnamoroll toys. They just tailor-made this to mine my wallet, didn’t they…

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Today’s Workout: There’s gonna be more!

Ever since I got the email that Zombies Run! will be releasing new episodes soon, I’ve been motivated to finish off more of the Venture missions in preparation for the new ones. I’m still doing intervals and have kicked up the speed to 4mph when I run. It’s harder but worth it. I feel so accomplished afterwards. I still run with the weights on my wrists and try to focus on using my thighs more than my calves. My calves are huge now.

Between a quick walk to the store to get some veggies on sale and bathroom cleaner, I think I had a pretty good day!

Lunch was the last of the hot dog and egg combo with some veggies I threw in before I went to work. After that run, I was too tired to get all involved with cooking or chopping up anything, so popcorn it was for the evening. I have nothing prepped for tomorrow. That’s gonna be an interesting morning… We’ll see how tired I am when I finally crawl outta bed and what’s leftover after my son raids the fridge.

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Workout Dump: Did I break the plateau?

I need to get back to posting workouts when I do them instead of a random day when I think, “Hey, I haven’t done that in a while. I should do that.” But anyway, with the washer and dryer back up and connected, I don’t feel anxiety about producing any extra dirty clothes than absolutely necessary, and I’m back to my regular workouts. I’m still running with the weights on my arms and incorporating more body weight stuff. I think it’s working because my weight FINALLY dipped under 205. Perhaps I shouldn’t be all excited for losing one pound, but I was stuck for so long; I will take any victory I can.

The random tomato plant in my yard is producing a bunch of fantastic little fruits, and I have been throwing them into whatever or just eating them straight up. Given that I repeat a lot of meals, I limited the pictures. There’s no point in posting the same thing over and over. One hard lesson I learned is that not every food will tolerate my 3-day limit. The cute little hot dog, rice, and egg will work if I prep it on Sunday and eat it Monday and Tuesday. If I stretch it to Wednesday, I get sick. I think it’s the egg, to be honest. That’s fine. I’m good with bringing in some other meal. To save money, I have been using some frozen vegetables. I’m sure I’m violating some kind of rice commandment by putting seasoning and beans right in the rice maker along with the rice (that I did wash, of course). I’ve also limited my alcohol to weekends, and I miss my little nightcaps so much. But I can’t have them; it’s not good for me, it’s a bad coping mechanism, and it’s empty calories. Drinks should be a sometimes treat, not a nightly event. I hope this finally broke the plateau. Let’s see how the next week goes.

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atthequillsmercy

Quick workout dump – 50 days to go

Since NYCC is fast approaching and I picked a formfitting dress cosplay, I am feeling the crunch. Since the repairs are mostly done and I’ve released two short stories to hopefully get some sales (the smutty pen name), I’m moving back into running. The sessions are short for now but they are more intense. I upped the speed to 4mph and put 1lb weights on my wrists for that run today. And I’m just happy to be back on Zombies Run! I missed it.

There are clearly some missing meals and that’s just because I didn’t take pictures. I mostly ate well save for hitting up a pizza place and gelato with my son at Flame Con (I had the little cup). And I cleared 10k steps, it’s fine. Anytime I go to a con or head into the city, I log a ton of steps. The only workouts I do on days like that are stretching and squats. Maybe a hundred crunches if I’m feeling feisty. But, I think I’m not doing too bad! I think with all the stress I’ve been under, the running will do me good.

 

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Workout Dump: Weekend Warrior

Since I’m trying to get these side gigs to make enough money to dig me out of the hole I’m in, I’ve been sticking to shorter workouts during the week and longer ones on the weekends. I’m also back to the desk peddler. It was amazing to make it through that long run even if I had to powerwalk for the last interval. It reminds me that I can physically do these workouts; it’s just hard to find the time.

I’ve been leaving out the ramen noodles from my daily lunches. And it’s really easy to batch cook rice and portion it out for meals for the rest of the week. I did get takeout once, but it lasted me 3 meals. Not bad considering how much it is to order out these days. Most of the time, I’ve been making do with whatever is in the house, which explains meals that are simply rice and a protein. I don’t mind it much. It makes things easy when I’m exhausted and don’t want to cook when I get home. I can tell this is making some good changes. I’m not as hungry, things are timed well around what I need to do every day, and I use fewer dishes! Wins all around.

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Workout Dump: I feel good! Mostly…

Even though I’ve had to scale back a little on some days to walking because I’m sore from the running days, I still feel amazing. I’m working out more often than not, my pace is decent, and my endurance is getting better every day! Even with the heat, I’m noticing a difference. The scale hasn’t moved, but my clothes are getting loose. I still need to take more time to do strength training, but I still do 60 squats every morning and night while I’m brushing my teeth.

I am trying to eat smaller portions when it’s not a meal of mostly vegetables. I’m certain I’m getting enough nutrients since almost all of my fingernails have grown back properly. I do need to worry about my blood pressure. I don’t think it’s the salt I’m eating, since I’ve been lowering that in most meals. Stress is a factor, I’m certain of it. That’s partly why I’m working on more frequent workouts, lowering my salt even more, and solving the source of 90% of my stress: my finances. I’m budgeting wherever I can for now and looking into some gig or part-time work. I know I’ll feel better once I pay down some debt.

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Today’s Workout: I made it through.

Today in Just Run, there was only one interval: 20 minutes. I honestly didn’t think I could make it. The last time I was accustomed to 20 minute intervals was during COVID when I was home all day and could work on the treadmill and do 45 minute workouts. I thought I would have to take a break halfway through, but I made it! It was tough for a second there but no break! I’m tired but that’s a general type of tired.

I didn’t have steak and eggs today. I had that over the weekend but I’m massively proud of how it turned out. I had to change up how I make my salads since I literally can no longer afford to buy romaine lettuce. I was able to get some arugula on sale and tuna was 10 for $1 each. I skipped the olive oil since there was vegetable oil in the tuna already. Everything is so expensive, I’m cutting things wherever I can. I guess not being able to afford much food will help me lose weight.

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Workout Dump: Welcome Back!

I am so happy to see Zombies Run back to how it used to be. I swear, I can hear it in the voice acting; the joy at getting back to what made the app awesome in the first place. It is a happy accident that things are more routine after my son’s surgery, and I can start running again. It feels great to be moving, even if I’m sore.

The medical bills and rising cost of… Everything has me getting more creative with my meals. I try to have more fruit, get jarred sauce on sale while I wait for my plants to grow, and use cheaper vegetables when I don’t buy the frozen ones. I make sure to take stock of what’s in my home and make do with what I have before I spend any more money on groceries than I absolutely have to. I think it’s going okay so far, but I am so stoked to see what my little indoor garden will give me in a few weeks. It’s going to be a very stressful summer, but I’ll deal with things as they come.

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Busy, busy!!

This isn’t all my workouts since I’m in the process of getting things ready for my son’s surgery. It was very sudden; someone apparently cancelled, and they offered him the spot! I am very nervous and excited for him. I know he’s been waiting for this for years, and it means a lot of preparation for the post-surgery recovery and running around to pre-surgery appointments. I’m still doing the desk peddler whenever I can, and I’m counting moving furniture as a workout.

Those pickled red onions are still a fun addition, but now, they’re joined by some garlic scape chimichuri. I had some pork chops to throw in the air fryer, which was a great dinner. I usually end up with a dry, inedible mess when I try to make pork chops. I dunno how my Gramma did it… Either way, it was a success. I didn’t want to use heavy sauce and didn’t want to waste garlic scapes, that’s where the chimichuri came in. It has a kick to it (it’s garlic scapes, yellow onion, and garlic in olive oil and red wine vinegar). Whatever I’m doing is working because I am down to 206! I honestly don’t think it’s the food. I think it’s getting back into being active.

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Today’s Workout: Getting back to normal

I really hope I’m not jinxing myself when I say I’m getting back into running very slowly. Believe it or not, you’re not supposed to do strenuous workouts the first week after a tooth extraction because the increased blood flow could knock out the blood clot from the wound. The human body is such a disgusting miracle… I was taking it very easy. I don’t want to mess up and have to stop again. I do feel pretty good, even after moving a couch out of the house and to the curb. The thing was disgusting. So glad it’s finally gone.

Since I can eat normal food again (as long as I chew on the opposite side of the wound), I am sticking with thin-sliced or ground meat, steaming the vegetables a little longer than I’d like, and chopping the lettuce thin for salads. The infection is completely gone, and I’m almost done with my antibiotics. I am sincerely hoping this means my luck is turning around. I just need a couple months of normalcy, for fucks sakes…

I also got to try those viral Chloe’s Giant Cookies. They’re really good! Each one is six servings at 130-140 calories per serving. I tried the Lemon, Lava Cake, and Red Velvet and while it will probably take me forever to finish these, I wouldn’t mind getting more! I have other flavors on the way (Chocolate Chip and Cookies and Cream) and I’ll let you know if they’re any good.

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