My Big Damn Hero Challenge

It's Monday April 15th and that means it's the beginning of a new Nerd Fitness 6 Week Challenge! After the success I had with the last one, I'm ready to attack a new set of goals head on and continue to level up my life! You have until Wednesday April 17th to create your goals and post them in the guild thread you want to participate in for the challenge, so I highly recommend biting the bullet and joining the rebellion if you're not already a part of it! 

Last challenge, I gave my challenge a Rainbow Dash theme because I was preparing cosplay as her for PAX East. This time, I'll be using the ladies from Joss Whedon's Firefly to inspire my goals! Note: All artwork by Megan Lara.

Starting Stats:

Hearthsinger the Wandering Bard

Level 2 Halfling Ranger

STR 4 | DEX 3 | STA 7 | CON 5 | WIS 6 | CHA 4

Starting Photos:

Starting Weight: 151.4 lbs.
Starting Measurements:

Bust: 36.25"
Waist: 36.5"
Hips: 42"
Thigh: 20.75"
Calves: 15.5"
Bicep: 12.25"

Fitness/Diet goals:

• "I need you up in the engine room figurin' out what caused this." ~Malcolm Reynolds 
• I'll use all the tech at my disposal to maximize the efficiency of my workouts and the effectiveness of my diet plan. 
• I'll log every meal I eat on Fitbit.
• I must meet my -1000 calorie deficit at least 6/7 days a week while still eating EVERYTHING I'm supposed to on my diet plan so I can stay on track with my weight loss. 
• No more starving myself to meet the deficit is allowed. I must consume at least 1100 calories every "day of rest." On active/working days, I must consume 1250-1350. 
• Reward: CON +4

• "You ever been with a warrior woman?" ~Wash
• Time to get more serious about my strength training with. Daily Yoga! 
• 20-30 minutes/day including vinyasa series and warrior dance to warm up the body, followed by focused work on the following three poses. 
• Hold crow for 10 seconds (right now I can just barely get both feet off the floor for a few seconds)
• Wheel for 10 seconds (I've gotten up into it one time, but mostly only make it to the top of my head)
• Hold shoulder stand for 10 minutes by the end of the challenge (right now my PR is four minutes). 
• Reward: STR +3, DEX +2

• "No power in the 'verse can stop me." ~River Tam
• I have graduated from the Zombies, Run 5K Training app so it's time to start doing 3 missions a week with the regular Zombies, Run app. 
• By the end of the challenge, I'd like to go from my 5k PR of: 33 min down to 30 min. 
• Reward: STA +3

Life Goal:

• "Should I start with the part where you're stranded in the middle of nowhere or the part where you have no clothes?" ~Inara Serra
• I'm running out of clothes that fit properly again and I don't have a lot of money, so it's time to get resourceful and list all my old designer clothes, shoes, and sundry items that no longer fit or are no longer wanted for sale on ebay. 
• They do not have to be sold by the end of the challenge, but all of the items have to be collected, organized, photographed, and listed by the end of six weeks. 
• I can use the proceeds to replenish my dwindling wardrobe! 
• Reward: CHA +3

So there you have it! In six weeks, I'll post a follow up on the blog to let you know how I did!

My Little Pony: Cosplay Is Magic

I've posted a lot of progress pictures for the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Rainbow Dash and Soarin cosplay I created for my boyfriend and me to wear to PAX East and BronyCon this year, but I haven't really put up a ton of pictures of the finished product. This is my second cosplay ever and I learned a lot during the process, including how to embroider and how to use the character I was portraying as inspiration for my workout routine. 

The reason I was holding off on posting photos is that while we were at the con, we managed to do a photo shoot with a professional photographer, Ger Tysk from Chou-wa Photography. My friends Stephanie and Emily had already arranged shoots for their costumes and raved about how fun she was to work with, plus she was only asking $15 dollars per person to do the shoot. When you've spent over 40 hours of work and a fair amount of money on building a costume (and who knows how many hours sweating at the gym to look good in it!), it's natural to want to celebrate the finished product with good photos to commemorate the occasion. This seemed like the perfect way to do it! She was a pleasure to work with and she's currently working on a photobook called Breaking All the Rules: Cosplay and the Art of Self Expression. You should definitely check out her page and see if she's headed to a convention near you!

When I chose Rainbow Dash, I didn't know if I could pull off the costume. I had done Appa from Avatar: The Last Airbender at New York Comic Con because he was a giant sky bison and I figured the internet couldn't lampoon me for that choice as an overweight lady. Doing Rainbow Dash, a character who's been done by extremely fit and talented cosplayers like Jessica Nigri amongst others AND is known for being the "jock" character on the show is risky because your body is a part of your success. Sadly, if you can't "embody" the character then it's almost like you didn't make the costume at all. I'm sure there are a lot of people who disagree with that, but I think it holds true (even though I don't like saying it). I do think that first and foremost, cosplay is something you should do for yourself and if something makes you happy, then you should absolutely go for it. Personally, I know that feeling like I can't pull something off makes me more miserable than proud, no matter how hard I worked on a costume. 

When it came to Rainbow Dash, I just knew I loved the character enough to challenge myself all the way to the finish line. I made the choice in October and I had until the end of March to see it through. I had no idea if I'd be satisfied with my physical progress. Despite my fitness improvements, the support of my friends, and my pride in the costuming I'd done, I was even worried while I was getting into the costume and even at times while I was at the convention. That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself. I just have a habit of seeing my flaws. It's one of the things that landed me in this mess with my body in the first place. I'm really hard on myself and I can be cruel to the point of being crippling to my own development as a person and as an athlete.

It wasn't until I saw these pictures that I understood my success. Not only do I feel great about the way I look in them, but I see the fun in my eyes and in the brightness of the costumes. I can feel the love that my boyfriend and I have for these characters and for each other. I see the whole journey. I feel the ache in my legs after a long run, something I never would have done were it not for Rainbow Dash. I see the athlete I didn't think I could live up to. I'm proud that I didn't adjust the costume to my body, but that I worked on my body to fit the character and to better myself. I see myself energized after a week of finally getting all the food I was supposed to as opposed to abusing myself by depriving it. I can say that I feel beautiful when I look at those photos and that I actually believe it- hell, I can say I'm AWESOME and believe it! I know I'm working and I have every intention of continuing this journey for the rest of my life, but I can say that seeing these pictures makes me proud of where I am now.

Some days, that has to be enough. 

So without further ado, here are the pictures of Rainbow Dash and Soarin, shippin' it up at PAX East 2013. 

Look out for us at BronyCon in August because we're going to wear the costumes again! It's kind of nice not worrying about building a whole new costume, but I'm sure if I keep progressing like I have that I'll have to do a little "refitting." Hell, that's a problem I'm ok with having. Next on the docket? Hitting my goal weight and tackling the Xena costume I've always wanted to do.

Tea: Fall In Love with Hot Leaf Juice!

By Ryanneal on Deviant Art

When I started my weight loss journey, one of the first things I did to motivate myself while working out was to re-watch every episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender on the elliptical machine. There are so many wonderful things about the show and I get something new from it every time I watch it. 

When it comes to inspirational quotes, Uncle Iroh has always been a favorite of mine, but one of his most defining qualities (aside from pure badassery) is his adoration of tea! In the past few months, I have learned to fall in love with it too and now it's an absolute staple in my daily diet.

I've always been a huge coffee and soda drinker my whole life but for the first month or so of my diet, I really wanted to cut those things out so that I could detox on the caffeine and all of the sugar and aspartame I was ingesting.

As time went on, however, I found myself really missing my morning hit of caffeine. I did eventually go back to having a small cup of coffee with skim milk and Splenda, but eventually I started looking into tea because I can take it with our without milk depending on what my diet plan looks like for the day so far, whereas with coffee, I hate to drink it black. My main goal was to get caffeine into my system and to obtain a go-to "liquid" snack with minimal negative impact on my diet. 

There are many different types of tea and they all have varying benefits. My focus was on green and black teas- Green because of what I've heard about it encouraging fat burn and preventing diabetes (not to mention it may prevent several forms of cancer), and black because it's a great morning option since it's the highest caffeinated tea. Black tea might not have as much caffeine as coffee or soda, but it has been proven to have a more specific effect on mental focus rather than general frenetic energy. Not only does it boost metabolism, but it also protects your lungs from second hand smoke exposure, contains antioxidants that lower cholesterol and risk of heart disease, and helps prevent ovarian, prostate, lung, stomach, and breast cancer. Did I mention Black tea also strengthens your bones and boosts your immune response to keep you from getting sick?

Obviously, my conclusion, like Uncle Iroh, was to start drinking ALL THE TEA. There's a lot of teas out there, so I've taken some of the guess work out of it by selecting some of my favorite discoveries to share with you! 

• Celestial Seasonings Decaf Green Tea with White Tea
• Decaffeinated green tea, decaffeinated white tea and Vitamin C.
• This was the best simple green tea I found. It's decaf, making it a great option for the evening or for anyone who's avoiding caffeine. It is a little more full bodied then what I typically drink in Japanese restaurants. I found it best pure and unsweetened. Not my favorite overall, but if you're just looking to drink straight green tea, this is a great option.
• Celestial Seasonings Sleeptytime Vanilla
• Chamomile, spearmint, west indian lemongrass, natural french vanilla flavor, tilia flowers, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn and rosebuds.
• I bought this specifically to help me wind down before bed. I find vanilla very soothing and drinking this tea with a little bit of stevia or honey is perfection. I added milk a few times and it sort of destroyed the layers of herbal flavors, so that's an option, but definitely not necessary.
• Trader Joe's Candy Cane Green Tea
• Decaffeinated green tea, spiked with peppermint
• A friend at work turned me onto this. This tea is seasonal and she had some left over and now I'm hoarding the few bags she gave me because it's so delicious. The mint is gentle as is the green tea taste and it's decaffeinated making it a great before bed option. I don't even need sugar. Just some stevia or honey. Is it Christmas yet so I can buy more?
• Twining's Pure Mint
• Black tea, peppermint leaves, spearmint leaves
• This is my favorite black mint tea. Like the name suggests, it's fresh and crisp. I enjoy it with stevia or honey, but if I'm trying feel warm, cozy and comforted, a touch of milk makes all the difference!
• Twinings Ultra Spiced Chai
• Black tea, natural Chai, cinnamon & ginger flavors with other natural flavors, cardamom, clove
• I had never tried Chai before, but after chatting with a barista friend, realizing how much I loved cinnamon and how much I was craving the richness that I used to find in coffee, I bought some of this. It is to DIE FOR! There are so many layers to the taste, especially if you let it steep for over 6 minutes. I drink this with milk and stevia almost every morning.
• Twining's French Vanilla Chai
• Black tea, natural Chai, cinnamon & ginger flavors with other natural flavors, artificial vanilla flavor, cardamom, clove, vanilla pod powder.
• I loved the Ultra Spiced Chai so much that I bought this variety as well for a more desert-like taste. It has all the richness of the previous tea with the gentle aromatic overtone of vanilla. Settling down with a cup of this mixed with milk and stevia whilst watching reruns of Star Trek: TNG has become the perfect way of restoring sanity at the end of stressful day at work. 
• Twining's Spiced Apple Chai
• Black tea, natural apple, Chai, cinammon & ginger flavors with other natural flavors, cardamom, clove
• Wondering if I would enjoy Chai without milk, I bought this variety. I had some apple tea whilst visiting Turkey some time ago and have never found anything that quite lived up to it here in the USA- until NOW! The apple taste is really great and almost caramel-like when you add stevia, though I think honey would probably taste great as well. 

Those are my top picks! I'd love to hear about your favorite teas in the comments.

Nerd Fitness 6 Week Challenge Review!

Today marks the end of my first Nerd Fitness 6 week challenge. Since I posted my initial challenge goals on the blog at the beginning, I thought I'd share my final progress report here so you can see just how much can be accomplished in six short weeks of work!

Challenge Starting Weight: 162.4 lbs

Challenge Ending Weight: 153.4 lbs

Total Loss: -9.4 lbs (I was hoping for more, but considering my struggles with food/con-going during the course of the challenge I'm pretty happy with this!) 

Final Measurements: 

Bust: (Starting 38") 36.25"

Waist: (Starting 41") 36.5"

Hips: (Starting 44") 42"

Thigh: (Starting 22.25") 20.75"

Calves: (Starting 16.5") 15.5"

Bicep: (Starting 12.5") 12.25"

Total Inches lost during challenge: -11 inches (That's pretty BANANAS!)

Before Photos: (NOTE: I wasn't going to post these photos on the blog, but I feel like the progress really shows and hopefully it inspires you guys to start taking photos to mark the changes in your body!)

After Photos:

Fitness/Nutrition goals:

• Take at least one Yoga class a week.
  • I aced this 100% and even took an extra class one week.
  • I made some great progress with The Wheel and the Crow that I intend to continue with a more rigorous focus in the next challenge.
    • Reward: +2 STR
• Complete "Zombies, Run 5k Training"  3x/week.
  • I never missed a run, not even at PAX East! I found a hotel with a gym and made sure I got my training in at 6AM so I could enjoy the con guilt free for the rest of the day! I'm loving my runs more and more each time and I'm getting ready to do my final mission for the app on Friday of the week! I can't wait to see my first 5k time so I can make some PR goals for the next challenge!
    • Reward: +5 STA
• Complete at least two 45 minute training sessions on the elliptical per week.
  • Passed with flying colors! Never missed a session and got in plenty of Xena: Warrior Princess episodes while I trained. Win win! AYIYIYIYIYI!
    • Reward: +2 DEX
• Learn to cook three Paleo meals by the end of the challenge.
  • I made:
    • Stay on Target Chicken Stirfry
    • Sokka's Buffalo Chicken and Sweet Potato Meatza 
    • Targeryen Dragonfire Hash!
    • I learned a lot more about Paleo, but I also discovered that I'm a much better and much more inventive cook than I give myself credit for. 
    • Reward: +3 CON

Life Goal:

• Write at least 2 new blog posts a week and create a logo for the header. 
  • I posted retro blog entries here every day and wrote my two new posts without fail every week. 
  • Having the deadline was really crucial for me. I find that having a back log of drafts is very useful and I will definitely continue to do that as time goes on. 
  • Very soon I'll be moving to a 2 post per week publishing format. Readers, feel free to vote in the poll on the left sidebar.
  • Added bonus: My reader base blossomed from under one thousand to over ten thousand unique views in just 6 short weeks! 
  • Sadly, while I did make progress on the logo with my graphic designer, the incredible Annie Stoll, she's been busy with some pretty amazing new clients! I'm so happy for her success and I'm honestly just blessed to have her volunteering to help me with the site. She's the real deal, people! Soon you'll see her amazing work at the top of the blog every time you stop by! The lesson I learned here was that I shouldn't make a challenge goal that depends on anyone's actions but my own in the future, but I know the finished product will be worth the wait!
    • Reward: + 2 WIS
      • I subtracted 1 point from the original proposed reward for not finishing the logo.

Final "Level Up Your Life" Stats for my forum signature:

Hearthsinger the Wandering Bard

Level 2 Halfling Ranger

STR 4 | DEX 3 | STA 7 | CON 5 | WIS 6 | CHA 4

The next challenge starts on Monday April 15th, so if this looks like something you want to try, check out their forums and start preparing your goals so you can participate!

In closing I want to thank the Nerd Fitness community for welcoming me with open arms, commenting on my progress during the challenge, and encouraging me through the rough patches. Your reactions to my results have been so overwhelming and supportive. I'm proud of myself, but I'm lucky to have found you guys and honored to have shared this challenge journey with you!

Targeryen Dragonfire Hash

It's time for another Project Reroll recipe! To celebrate the premiere of the new season of Game of Thrones, I thought I would attack the "premiere" meal of the day, breakfast! I love corned beef hash, but that's not in the cards if you're trying to keep to a healthy diet, so I decided to create a new take on my old favorite. Toss out the carbs, and bring on the egg whites, broccoli slaw, romaine, chili powder, and shallots! It's time for a breakfast fit for the Mother of Dragons herself:

Targeryen Dragonfire Hash

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb of 90% or more lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites
• 1 shallot.
• 1 tbs basil
• 1 tbs parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups Baby Romaine or Spinach (depending on your preference)
• 1 cup broccoli slaw
• Hot Sauce (to taste)

Preparation: 

1. Wash your hands.
2. Put the beef in a mixing bowl.
3. Chop your shallot and put it in the bowl.
4. Add your basil, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.
   
5. Put a skillet on the stove over medium heat.
6. While you wait for the skillet to warm, use your hands to mix the ingredients in the mixing bowl thoroughly. 
   
7. When you are done, put the seasoned ground beef into the pan and spread it out evenly. DO NOT add oil to the pan. You won't need it.
8. Leave untouched for 3 minutes so the bottom layer can brown.
9. Return and stir continually until everything is cooked to the same level of brown-ness. 
   
10. Use a spatula to break up the beef completely and spread it along the bottom of the pan.
11. Add your romaine or spinach.
12. Add 1 cup broccoli slaw.
13. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the veggies start to warm. Mix them in with the beef.
14. Add hot sauce on top to your desired level of hotness.
    
15. Measure out your egg whites and pour them evenly over the ingredients in the pan. 
    
16. Cover pan and leave to set for 5 minutes or till desired consistency is achieved.
17. Uncover and serve!
    

Other ideas:

Add more veggies! Tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, the sky's the limit! Get creative!

This dish makes for a veggie filled, protein packed, super filling start to the day with a bit of a spicy kick to boot! After eating this breakfast, I guarantee you'll have the energy you need to gather an army and sail across the narrow sea to claim the Iron Throne- and that's a 100% Khaleesi promise.

Why not give it a try yourself? Leave your experiences and ideas in the comments! 

In the Game of Fat, You Lose or You Cry

Today was weigh-in day and I finally saw a number I could be proud of on the scale after conquering a few weeks of weight loss agony, plateaus, and starvation mode woes. I lost 5.6 lbs this week and I'm officially down 95 lbs overall! This is a very special victory for me for multiple reasons.

Reason the first! At PAX East, I went off the deep end a little bit. I spent the week prior to the convention reintroducing all the foods I'd been leaving out of my diet, as well as trying to get myself back on track and out of starvation mode. I was also trying not to obsess as much about things and therefor I wasn't planning on looking at the scale till the Monday after PAX. Then came the actual convention. Sure, I did everything right leading up to it. I packed most of my food ahead of time and I only planned to eat out for dinners and for coffee during the day. Then I realized all too late that I would need fresh veggies and I would have to get salads at the con where I wouldn't have as much control over portions or content. This threw off my budgeting both for cash and calories. I also planned to enjoy a meal at Fire + Ice in Boston on Thursday night and even though I loaded up my stir fry with a ton of veggies, I still went to the ice cream bar for desert and DESTROYED the most overindulgent delicious sundae ever complete with mint chocolate marshmallow fudge. My lack of gallbladder screamed in protest. I told it to SHUT IT. It was cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria. Once I had that sundae, my sugar addiction kicked into high gear. My boyfriend got mint chocolate cookies and I had to have one because my costume was "getting uncomfortable and eating cookies=relief." Really? What kind of an excuse was THAT? I had a brownie one night. I ate a whole chicken caesar wrap the size of a baby arm another night. It was out of control. I felt out of control and I didn't like it.

When I came back home on Sunday night I said, "That's it. You've had your fun. You need to get your head on straight now that you're home. No excuses." It was a struggle, but I persevered. I ate all the food on the plan just like I'd been doing prior to leaving. I can now say I've made it through the whole week without depriving myself of anything I was supposed to eat which is huge for me. I also resisted SEVERAL temptations along the way since did end up going out to dinner two nights in a row! However, I didn't stray. I made a plan and I stuck to it. It was agonizing and willpower draining, but I feel like I finally exorcised all the sugar and chemicals from my system and I have my eyes on the prize again.

Reason the second for celebration is that my brand new Fitbit arrived on Wednesday. It's a handy little wearable gadget that tracks my steps, my distance, and my daily calorie burn (based on my height, weight, and other statistics) and uploads all the stats to a website so I can log my food and make sure I'm hitting the right calorie deficit to hopefully lose two pounds a week. It's pretty incredible! I will do a more in depth review of the product at some point, but suffice to say, this little tool gave me the kick in the pants and the extra bit of excitement I needed to push through some of the really hard days I had this week. 

Reason the third: I found out that I'm officially not obese on the BMI scale anymore, just overweight. So instead of being a fat fat fatty, I'm just a wee bit tubby. Still, it's a huge accomplishment and I wanted to relish it because I'm never going back to that old me ever again. 

So, I ask you, what better way is there to celebrate all of these accomplishments then to assume my rightful place up on the Iron Throne of Westeros in my Megan Lara Khaleesi t-shirt. I really can't think of one. 

Project Reroll Walks to Mordor

In about a year, I'll be headed to New Zealand on a three week family excursion to explore the great outdoors and visit some of the beautiful sites used in the Lord of the Rings films. I want to do an actual backpacking adventure to Mordor. I was really amused and inspired by the 6 day trek from Hobbiton to Mordor completed by the guys from the webseries, "A Simple Walk Into Mordor." They found out that the filming locations for Hobbiton and Mordor were only 120 miles apart and that contrary to popular meme beliefs, one could pretty simply walk into Mordor. I feel like that is a totally doable journey and given the fact that we'll be there for three weeks, we could embark on a similar trek and still leave tons of time for luxury and indulgence!

However, I may be somewhat limited by my traveling companions. My parents are joining me and while they are fairy active on a regular basis, they are over sixty years old and might not have the same "hardcore" attitude about retracing Frodo's journey that I have adopted. We've definitely agreed to do some hikes and camping, but I thought I might be able to encourage all of us to do more of the backpacking adventures I have in mind if we spend the months leading up to our trip getting more active as a family.

I was really inspired by Steve Kamb's article on Nerd Fitness about the actual distance you'd have to walk to get from Hobbiton to Mordor and the amazing benefits of walking as exercise. He broke it down into legs of the journey, each between 389 and 683 miles. Walking is low intensity exercise anyone can do (as long as you have the use of your legs) regardless of age and it's a great way to supplement your regular exercise program because it won't put any extra high impact stress on your joints. Aside from being low impact, it doesn't add any stress to your exercise routine. If you're strength training, intense cardio can have a negative impact on the gains you're striving for. If you're already running, then this exercise won't place further strain on your body. You can easily add it into your day without a gym membership and it burns a fair amount of calories once you get moving. It's even good for mental health and clearing your head. 

So, I thought, why not have our own trek to Mordor in preparation for our actual trek to Mordor. When I shared this idea on Facebook, I received messages from a bunch of people who said they'd be interested in doing the same thing. Hey, the more, the merrier! Read on to see how you can get involved in "Project Reroll Walks to Mordor."

In his article, Steve broke it down into eight legs of the journey that average out the miles walked by the Fellowship as they branch out into different mini groups. We'll be using this breakdown for the challenge to keep it simple and focused, but you can get more detailed about it if you want. You can find more detailed breakdowns actual distances walked by all the members of the fellowship in Lord of the Rings  on EowynChallenge.net. This site breaks the legs down into smaller mileage so you can see where they stopped to rest for conies and taters.

We'll have to measure our distances travelled. I decided I wanted to get a FitBit a while ago so I used this opportunity to make good on that idea. It measures miles, steps taken, and calories burned. You can break it down by day, week, month, year, or lifetime. It's a handy little tool to which I will definitely devote a much longer blog post in the future. I don't care how anyone else measures their miles for the challenge. You can use your own pedometer device or download an app for your phone. It's all about what works for you!

This is a challenge, not a contest. It's just a fun way to measure our activity and encourage more of it! You don't have to "prove" how many miles you walk and it doesn't matter when you start. It's all in good fun and fitness.

You'll notice I added a page to the blog with a description of the challenge and a link to an open spreadsheet. Feel free to join our fellowship and add your name/handle and progress to the spreadsheet as you. I'll be updating my miles every Wednesday. As long as you do it weekly so we can all get in the habit, I think we'll be able to get a regular idea of how everyone is progressing. You can feel free to encourage and/or harass other members of the Project Reroll Fellowship in the comments on the page. My personal goal is to have finished the mileage by the New Year in preparation for my trip. If I walk an average of 5 miles a day, I should be done in a year, so I'll have to pick up a pace since it's almost April! Lucky for me, I rack up miles pretty easily in NYC.

Well, what are you waiting for?! Add your name to our spreadsheet and get moving! We've got some fat and a very important ring to toss into the fires of Mount Doom!