As I've said many times since my last bulk, I'm never going to get above 12% again. Yes, I put on too much fat, but I also made some real gains that are not reflected in numbers, data and graphs. Look, here's July 2006 vs. July 2007...]
Looking at the numbers from July '06 vs. July '07, I didn't make much progress. Looking at my pictures tells a completely different story, don't you think?
T
I've haven't look at this forum in quite awhile. Man, you look like you could walk on stage and win a comp!
Sweet Avatar. Great update John. I think so many of us have been trained with the carrot and stick method that we expect something for the work we put in, something else besides the results. There are some people who expect rewards for things THEY SHOULD be doing they fail to see the journey as the reward. "Yeah I'll do the work but what are you going to give me?" If this is an excuse you can you can break up your final goal into little steps and reward yourself when you reach each goal. I know that each person is different and that people find motivation in different ways.
For me the reward is the working out itself. It's the reward I give myself after all the crap I have to put up with all day. MY time. No one is in charge during this time BUT you. YOU get to decide what, call all the shots. It's an incredible rush.
Stats: 6', 199.6 pounds, 12.4% body fat (maintaining)
All four baby mockingbirds are still doing well. They are fuzzy and far more "cute" now, but it's becoming very difficult to get a glimpse because mom mocker has become extremely aggressive and will no longer allow us close enough to the nest for a good look.
Mom is completely fearless, and often lands close enough to me that I could reach out and touch her. I wish I could say it's because she's grown to trust me, but I know better: she'll peck my eyes out if she feels like she has to.
Her boldness is allowing me to get close enough for some nice photo opportunities, though! This picture I took this morning is probably the best picture I've taken of her yet. Notice she has breakfast for her chicks hanging out of her beak--a lizard.
I think the clutch hatched on the 12th, so they will probably fledge early next week. I'm hoping another brood will follow.
Stats: 6', 199.6 pounds, 12.4% body fat (maintaining)
I was out back with the dogs, when suddenly mombird took off and flew pretty far away. I quickly grabbed my camera and manged to get 3 new pictures of the chicks.
They are 1 week old here, and their eyes are open! In the last picture you can see all four huddled together sleeping.
...right after I took that last picture, suddenly mom came swooping out of the sky with a horrible screech! Scared the living crap out of me. She barely missed my head and then landed on a branch less than two feet from my face. Of course I took a picture.
John, I guess it's hard finding what other aspects of your life you can reasonably share on here, whether it's your latest firearm purchase or a bit of bird-watching. However, I for one enjoyed your slide guitar demo.
Word to the wise though, don't upload a video of you watching a DVD
__________________ I lurk because I care. For it is better to say nothing and have people suspect you're an idiot, than to speak and remove all doubt.
John, I appreciate your update today. You are correct, willpower is merely an extension of desire. It is as simple as that, though we often make it out to be so much more.
I believe the field of motivation research has shown that it can be more complex, but I guess that depends on how you define "desire".
Motivation can be described in terms of two distinctly different systems, or dimensions: Approach and avoidance. Of the two, I believe the "approach" motivation is the one that ultimately is associated with feelings of happiness and productivity. I guess "desire" could be described as the positive motivation to achieve something good, hence being "approach" motivation.
Avoidance motivation on the other hands, refer to behavior motivated by aversion, or fear- to do something in order to avoid a negative consequence. Activity in this mode of motivation is often associated with lack of enjoyment and the presence of negative emotions.
Regarding "willpower", the research I have read about it, indicates that there is a factor we still cannot describe in other terms than "strength" of will, and that people are different in that they possess this "strenght" to different degrees. This "strength" can be used whenever undesirable impulses tempts us to deviate from our goals. Some people are out of control no matter what. I'd be willing to bet, contrary to John's opinion (forgive me, John) that many people would not be able to follow a strict diet or an exercise regime for a year even if promised millions of dollars if they did so without deviating from the plan.
Stats: 6', 199.6 pounds, 12.4% body fat (maintaining)
Quote:
Originally Posted by kree-kree
Thats the same look I give my kids when I'm saying back away from my Oatmeal/Cottage cheese pancake!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirvio
John, I guess it's hard finding what other aspects of your life you can reasonably share on here, whether it's your latest firearm purchase or a bit of bird-watching. However, I for one enjoyed your slide guitar demo.
I throw it all out there. I enjoy lots of different things, and I think some people are surprised to find that my entire life doesn't revolve around fitness. Sure, fitness is a big part of my life--and I love it--but it doesn't consume me as many seem to assume.
Someone emailed me and complained about the bird pictures, which I thought was hilarious. This is my forum and my own personal journal, and I find it sort of amazing that someone still had the nerve to complain about what I chose to post in my personal journal. No one is forcing anyone to read my journal. Feel free to skip over the posts that don't interest you, or skip it entirely, I'm not offended.
I have more bird pictures that I'm about to post, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Jones
I vote for more slide guitar too
Man, I hated posting that. I'm so new to slide guitar and have a lot to learn. I cringe every time I watch it. I promise they will get better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoolDuck
(forgive me, John)
Nothing to forgive. You're entitled to your opinion, even if it's wrong.
Stats: 6', 199.6 pounds, 12.4% body fat (maintaining)
OK, first of all, I'M ON VACATION UNTIL AUGUST 6th!!!!!
Cheers everyone! Yes, I'm having a drink, er.... some drinks, tonight.
MOCKINGBIRD UPDATE: It's getting to the point where I can barely walk out back without getting divebombed by the female. If this bird gets any closer to me *I* might be the father of the next brood.
Seriously, mom seems stressed, so it's become very difficult for me to get pictures of the chicks. I don't like stressing mom mocker out, so I back off. That, and I don't really like the sight of my own blood.
The funny thing is that dad is totally laid back. He sits at the top of our tallest pine and just looks around, sometimes diving down for some food which he dutifully feeds to the chicks. But he NEVER gets irritated when I'm poking around the nest.
So I managed to sneak one picture of the chicks in. They are getting really cute!
Right after I took the above picture I felt the familiar "whoosh" of mom's wings as she made her "warning pass" just inches from my head. I looked up, and there she was about 2 feet from me with a cricket in her mouth....
Almost immediately after I took her picture she divebombed me again. This time I ran for my life. She either dropped the cricket, or swallowed it, because when she landed it was gone.
I'm starting to get used to this particular look:
I think my pictures are getting better and better, but I can't take any of the credit: she's staying very close to me and keeps landing in really beautiful locations.
I've become very attached and very protective over these birds. I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks a great deal. Mockingbirds tend to be monogamous and return to the same breeding territory year after year. I'm really going to miss them when we move.
I'll try to get some final pictures of the chicks before they fledge and fly off early next week.
Stats: 6', 199.6 pounds, 12.4% body fat (maintaining)
Quote:
Originally Posted by M@
Don't fuck with Mockingbirds.
I'm glad you liked the video, M@!
--
This morning has been bittersweet: the mockingbirds are now fledglings. Yep, sometime early this morning they all left the nest. We looked everywhere, but it seemed that they all found their wings... except one.
This little fella was still making his way out of the yard with some short hop-flights. Mom and dad were keeping a close eye on him, and freaked the hell out when I got close. I feel very fortunate that I actually got to see one of the young birds off.
It was hard to get close, but I did manage to get a few pictures:
I hope they all managed to steer clear of the neighborhood cats and other perils and are doing well. I'm really going to miss them.
It astounds me that it's less than two weeks from hatching to moving out. That's really, really amazing. How many times can they do this in one summer? Bang em out once a month or something? o.O
~ Kilter
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