suntreehq

[suntreehq]

“The slow path of accumulating positive change…”

This quote is from Ken Kocienda’s book “Creative Selection”.

It’s about the process Apple used to develop the iPhone (amongst other things).

Patience and consistency can yield great results.

[suntreehq]

Almost time to start a new notebook.

I try to carry a small notebook and pen everywhere I go.

Sure I can use the notes app on my iPhone but there is something different about writing with pen and paper.

[suntreehq]

State of Play

Weight is going in the right direction again after the deload week and diet break.

The challenge for this week is sticking to the plan after some adherence slips last week.

Average weekly calorie goal: 1900

Daily step goal: 12k steps

Cardio goal: 3 x 20 mins on the bike

Resistance training: 3 sessions

[suntreehq]

Now let’s see if I can control the calorie intake for the rest of the day AND stay on track next week.

[suntreehq]

Decided to try and save the week.

So a 36 hour fast and adjusted calories for Sunday.

We’ll see how this course of action affects next week.

[suntreehq]

Screwing Up and Trying to Find a Path Forward

So last night I decided to cut short my 36 hour fast.

I was tired (due to sleep deprivation), was 20 hours into the fast and figured I could just eat some snacks whilst I watched some TV.

I figured it would be fine. I'd eat a couple of hundred calories, and it would make a tiny dent on the weekly average calories.

Well today I went back and logged what I ate. By rough estimation I managed to eat my normal daily calories in those snacks (air popped popcorn with butter, protein bagels with cottage cheese, 100% cacoa with honey).

Needless to say if I continue as normal with the weeks plan, there will be no calorie deficit this week.

Course Correction

So now I'm contemplating what I should do to course correct. There are two broad philosophies that I have seen:

Dont try to correct for a mistake, and just get back on plan - this avoids creating swings in behaviours that lead to failure

Correct for the mistake and get back on plan - usually prescribed when there is a deadline involved

I'm caught between the two approaches. If I just get back on plan, I wont have created a calorie deficit this week.

If I try to course correct, there is a risk of creating a situation of a cascading chain of failures.

🤔😅🤔

Root causes of failure:

sleep deprivation

not tracking my food as I was eating it

That pretty much was it.

It doesn't take much, and the consequences of some small things can have a big impact. And this is why losing fat is hard:

Creating a calorie deficit is simple.

Being in consistent calorie deficit is not easy.

[suntreehq]

Reminder to Self

I am tired (I got no sleep last night).

I am hungry and will be hungrier (in the middle of a 36 hour fast).

My decision making capabilities are compromised and will be increasingly compromised.

Act accordingly.

[suntreehq]

[suntreehq]

Quick Status Update

Well after a peak in mood when it felt like spring had arrived in London, there was a week of gloom, cold and general misery (of course).

I think I did a decent enough job weathering it, and now it seems a bit more spring-like (its sunny outside), so that helps.

But progress has been flat, and I've decided to cut some more calories from the diet this week. We'll see what that looks like at the end of the week.

I'm currently in the middle of a 36 hour fast and got almost no sleep last night. I'm feeling pretty good and productive considering that.

A better, more detailed update will be forthcoming in the next few days...

[suntreehq]

Prepared. Reality Check.

I'm feeling pretty motivated and amped up right now.

So its worth priming myself to face the inevitable challenges and obstacles that will lie ahead:

I will lose motivation

The weather will be gloomy and affect my mood

I will doubt myself

I will go off-plan with my diet

I will be lazy

I will skip workouts

I will suboptimal workouts

I will doubt the plan

There is always a risk of injury

I may get ill

I will be discouraged

I will question my path and the decisions that led me here

The feedback will not always be what I want.

The number on the scale wont always be what I want

I wont always like what I see in the mirror

I will face many rejections and setbacks

I will feel alone

I will feel like a failure

I will have to convince people of the value of my products and services

I will doubt the value of my products and my services

I will doubt my own value

I will do lots of work and get no feedback

I will doubt the quality of my work

I will go down deadends

I will feel like all of the work, the attempts and the deadends were a waste of time

I will have to backtrack

I will hate backtracking

I will lose focus

Things will feel hopeless

I will mostly be in a state of discomfort

I will have to battle myself every day

I will despair. I will be afraid. I will be angry. I will be weak. I will want to give in.

I may have to give in.

None of this will be easy.

Failure is the most common outcome in the endeavours I have chosen to undertake.

Yet they are worth attempting regardless of the outcome - as long as I give it my best effort.

[suntreehq]

Coiled.

Sunshine in London the past couple of days.

Cherry blossom on the trees.

The past week has been a deload week on my training. Nutrition wise: I didn't go out of control but I wasn't in a calorie deficit and I ate more sugar than I normally do. I didn't track my food or my weight. I just gave myself permission to, well, deload.

Physically I feel refreshed - a lot of energy in the system.

Mentally I feel a sense of clarity and poise.

And Spiritually?

I feel charged by the sunshine, the kinetic energy of the season.

Challenges lie ahead that demand growth.

I feel ready to face them.

Spring is here.

[suntreehq]

Getting organised with a spreadsheet to keep track of things I think I need to get done.

And of course putting some prominent reminders that action and proper focus is what counts.

[suntreehq]

Respect Your Power.

[suntreehq]

This must be the place

[suntreehq]

Enemy (2013) dir. Denis Villeneuve

[suntreehq]

Random scribbles from an old notebook