Paul’s Videogame Fitness Log: #1
As you might have read in my previous update I’m taking a bit of a backseat from extensive videogame sessions. I’m still trudging through Metaphor Re Fantazio (great game btw) but I’ve essentially traded one hobby for another:
Losing weight!
About a month in and I’m currently 20 pounds down with several dozen to go, so I figured I’d talk a little bit about how I’m going about it. Just so we’re clear I am in no way a medical professional, and I am not going to tell anyone what to do. This is just a fun little blog about doing stuff. Everyone has their own journey.
Losing weight for me is as easy as staying in a calorie deficit, meaning I have to eat less calories per day than I burn. On average I burn about 2000–2500 calories per day So I try to consume around 300 less. The main reason why I lost so much weight so fast is because I screwed up and created a calorie deficit of nearly 1000 in the first couple weeks. I was eating only 1500 calories, and crashing- hard during the later parts of the day. I’m talking 3 hour “naps” and nearly passing out while taking hot showers. A few friends set me straight and now I’m eating a little bit throughout the day so as to not crash right after work.
Now, out of my allotted calories per day I consume around 175grams of protein to retain the muscle definition that I currently have- mostly biceps and legs from carrying my beautiful boyfriend around and hugging my cat Bino.
So with all that said, so long as I stay in a deficit, eat my protein, maybe take some vitamins, and drink plenty of water I’m set to lose weight. Well today was my day off work and I was feeling especially sedentary. I usually give myself one day to break out of the deficit, but that isn’t for a couple days. I had some spending money but I didn’t want to spend it on something like say…a pizza so I walked to the store and purchased enough protein powder to last me a week. I still had a few extra dollars to spend so I went ahead and bought a big bag of popcorn, a pecan snickers bar, and some breakfast sausages. When I got home I had some leftover sausage (I apparently love sausage) from the days prior, a lime La Croix, two servings of popcorn, and the aforementioned snickers and watched a bit of NeverKnowsBest’s new video on the history of Japanese RPGs.
Now at this point I had consumed around 1200 calories, and according to my watch I had only burned around 1100. I wanted to eat at least one more time today, and my calories weren’t going to burn themselves fast enough while just sitting around the house playing Metaphor (great game btw.)
I made the call. I gotta go on a little adventure.
I drank about 40ml of water, packed my things, and headed out. Let’s talk about the gear I took with me for a sec.
THE GEAR
Shin Megami Tensei shirt- Looks cool. No longer sold at the Outer Stratum etsy shop so it’s technically rare now.
Black cargo shorts- I gotta wear a belt with these now or they’ll fall off.
Phone- used to call mom every couple days.
Another phone- old iPhone that I use to connect to my watch. Also used as a music player.
Watch- tracks steps, calories, heart rate, other things
Headphones- you can’t raw dog a walk. You gotta have tunes.
Keys- used to get into my apartment, mailbox, and can be used to open boxes sometimes.
ChapStick- For chapped lips. Smells like coconut, does not taste like coconut.
Plastic Vial- filled with Advil, Tylenol, and caffeine pills.
Wallet- Contains ID in case my body needs to be identified.
Little Snack- 100 calories for if I burn too many calories and start to crash. This week’s snack is a little energy bar.
Hands- for if I have to defend myself from a stray dog.
Shoes- Size 13 New Balances.
Non-Negotiables- Glasses, doubled-up socks, underwear, hair tie.
To set the mood I started up the new Nintendo Music app and started playing some tracks from Breath of The Wild. By the time I got to the Hyrule Castle theme the sun had already set, so it was me, the night sky, and my torch (phone’s flashlight) leading me to the local tavern (The McDonalds a half mile away.)
Now I know what you’re thinking. Why exercise just to go eat again? Well to paraphrase Brigitte’s shirt in Overwatch: I kinda like Exercise because I really love eating. Besides I only got a small cheeseburger with some points I had saved up, alongside a free water- amounting to just 300 calories. I burned nearly thrice that much by the end of the walk.
Heading out of the restaurant I decided to take the long way home and do a quick loop around the block. On my way to a crosswalk I ran into a coworker for a quick second. He’s on his own journey, and he’s showing big results. We high-fived for a bit and went about our way. A literal StreetPass if you will.
A few moments later I found myself out of the city street lights and in the residential area, seemingly devoid of any illumination outside of my flashlight. Stray dogs are a big threat around here, so I truly felt like I was in Dragon’s Dogma during nightfall. A small forested area to my left, and the looming dread of dog attacks to my right. Thankfully I didn’t have to deal with any outside of the lone Chihuahua.
About a block away was the grocery store I had visited earlier, and alongside it an incredibly steep road. I felt like Simon Belmont climbing a flight of stairs while walking to that damn store. Upon arrival I took a short rest at a bench, popped half a caffeine pill, and went inside to buy a banana. Another 100 calories consumed.
After taking a few swigs of water from the fountain inside I left and proceeded to make my way home, except making the decision yet again to take the “long way” by going around the block yet again instead of the usual straight shot home. By the time I finally made it home I had burned nearly 900 calories, consumed 400, while still giving myself a deficit of about 400 calories. I’ll probably eat another banana and call it a night.
Will I do this every day? Probably not, nor will I write about it even if I did. However walking around and doing stuff is fun, and it honestly beats sitting at home on the internet.
Walk confidently,
-PA
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