I agree on hiking needing something else. I am also being mindful about calories in.
In the past I have tried fasting, going to the gym, etc, but nothing really worked. The best was when I had an eliptical and I was able to use it for 45 mins most days. I was able to get down to 237, but then I eased off. The thing I like about hiking is that you can't really quit halfway through. It is over when you get back to the starting point.
Anyway, we'll see if I can keep it up, but I post here to get some accountability.

Almost to 260
Making steady progress thanks to hiking. I go about 5 miles with a 800ft elevation gain 6 days a week. I will admit it is tough, but it seems to be working. The first month was rough, but July yielded better results. Yesterday was wild since I suddenly dropped 2lbs.
I know there is a pattern to the seemingly random drops, but I love the surprises.


Stupid? Definitely. A play out of Trump's playbook? Kinda. Normally Trump is the one that gets sued.
They will probably look to get small to mid size employers to settle in order to avoid a costly legal battles. Although I wouldn't be surprised if this is all just a ploy to keep his fanboys in line.
Nice work, I am also relying on significant exercise. For me it is hiking.
I blame dementia. I have a parent that's still a Trump supporter. It's as if they've lost the ability to use reason. I am pretty sure Trump could shoot them in the face and they'd still vote for/support him.
Absolutely! Consistency is key. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't make it a part of my routine.

Progress is not fast but it is noticeable
I don't mean to post this often, but today was fun. I finished my 5 mile hike much faster, so I took a look back at the first time I attempted it this year back in June.

Not great, but it was the first time in awhile that I did it. Fast forward to today.

I shaved off 20 minutes and my average pace is 5 minutes faster. While I might not be losing much my body is certainly getting faster, stronger, and hiking is getting easier.
So don't look at just the scale because it can be deceptive. Find something that brings you joy and go do it.

It took a month and a half but starting to get traction
Back in 2021 I started hiking because I stopped going to the gym because COVID, and it worked pretty well for me. Then winter hit and I had to stop because of lack of light in the morning and it was getting dangerous.
Last year I switched jobs and we moved just as I got back into hiking. Anyway, I started back up in June because I hit a high of 270 lbs. Well I am attempting to hike 100 miles this month and I am already at about 55. I am on track to hit 30 miles just this week. To be more specific, my goal this week is to hike a 5.1 mile loop 6 days. When I started I was hiking a 2.5 mile loop mostly.
On the weight side, I was pretty stable around 268lbs for most of June, and last week I stayed under 268lbs. Granted it is only Tuesday, but I've stayed under 267 so far, and today I weighed in at 265.2
Obviously it's not much but I am feeling better, I'm hiking faster, and I am not bouncing back up to 268+. I can't wait to see what next week is like.
It's quite telling that I can't tell if this is real or not and I can't be bothered to log in to check.
I agree. I'd love it if I could take a less demanding job. Burnout sucks and I would love to have more time for my family and hobbies.
I just can't see how that would work between paying my home loan and other living expenses.
Question about the public transport system, how long does it take to get to common destinations like work, grocery stores, doctors, and etc? Also, how easy is it to get to stations/stops?
For example, the closest grocery store by me is a 37 minute walk or 12 minutes by bike I just don't think it would be practical to ride with a weeks worth of food for a family. There is no public transportation available.
I feel the same. Even in a state as populated as NJ the public transit system is mediocre unless you are going into NYC.
eats ticks
Suspending reality, it would be interesting if enough progressives moved to states like Wyoming (pop 580k) and the Dakotas (780k and 890k) to move them blue. Then vote in progressive senators. For reference, NJ alone has a population of 9.2m.
If that could happen It would be great to link senators to state population.
Manchin, Sinema, and fillabusters prevented any real change during those two years. IIRC Biden and congressional democrats were able to use budget reconcillation rules to get past the 60 vote rule to get stuff done, after they placated Manchin and Sinema though.
Ranked voting needs to happen otherwise it will always be democrats vs republicans most of the time.
And people didn't think Trump had a shot back in 2016.
I live in a town that's split down the middle politically and I still see people flying Trump flags even after all the bs he has done. We even had a council member denounce pride month back in June at a council meeting. They think they are fighting the good fight.
Anyway, my point is that there are people who will see what Greta is doing, even if it benefits them, and still fight it because they think their side has their back.
It's frustrating when people think talking down to others is going to change minds. It's no wonder progressive activists fail to make progress.
If you expect people with different perspectives to get behind people like Greta you'll want to adopt a better strategy. Otherwise, you'll continue to polarize folks.
I am not sure about that. There plenty of people who use her as an example to further their propaganda against progressive movements.
Hmm, in this instance probably. I am worried she'll gather the wrong type of attention and turn more people off than on to climate issues.
Fair point, it isn't the worst either. The thing I see though is people shouting over one another trying to push their agenda (noble or not) and all it does is make people more polarized. Just look at the comments on this post.
Something that intrigued me was how Martin Luther King managed to do so much through nonviolent protest. Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat and the bus boycotts made people realize how absurd and unfair Jim Crow laws were.
He even participated in a sit in at a department store and was arrested for it. People were getting arrested in such numbers for such simple things it made people think about what King and his followers were trying to do.
I have no doubts that Ms. Thunberg has good intentions, but her protests are simply ineffective. In this case, "blockading" an oil port just frustrates people for delaying a crucial product.

Translation: Give up your personal life and health


The pay is really good, but not worth it. It's posts like this that make me long for a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Hiked 60+ miles in June
Just got back into hiking after an extended leave. I managed to get over 60 miles in June which isn't too bad for me.

One thing I am noticing is how much better I feel. My life was being absorbed by my job that I started last spring, and I gained quite a bit. Anyway I realized hiking worked pretty well for me before, so I decided to set boundaries at work and give it another try. I am glad I did because I am more motivated and my eating habits are getting better.
My goal for next month is 100 miles.

What are you learning this week - June 25th, 2023
A little different from the "what are you building" pattern of posts. I found myself wanting to learn different aspects of Ruby on Rails outside of work, and I am curious what people are learning themselves.
Currently, I am learning Hotwire since I don't do much frontend work and we don't use it at work. In the past I've used Stimulus Reflex, and I am not sure which one I like more. That said, I am not sure if Stimulus Reflex still has a place given Hotwire's ascension in the RoR world.
I am also revisiting View Components as well and trying to decide if I want to use them over partials in my side project.