Raid Weight Alpha: No respawns, just progress.

[ARC•X]

Hi everyone,

This is completely off-topic, but I wanted to share something personal. Not an ARC Raiders mission, but my own real-life raid.

A bit under three months ago, I weighed 125 kg (around 275 lbs) and decided it was time for change. I run three small businesses and spend most of my days behind a computer, programming (coding), managing things, answering emails. It’s mostly sitting (I don't have a standing desk), and let’s be honest, that kind of lifestyle doesn’t exactly help with weight or fitness.

The gym just isn’t my thing, but walking works well for me. So I geared up: got an Ultrahuman smart ring to track my steps, calorie burn, heart rate and more, bought a treadmill for bad weather days, picked up a 16 kg (35 lbs) weighted vest. It’s adjustable in 1 kg (2.2 lbs) increments, and right now I’ve got 12 kg (about 26.5 lbs) loaded in. I also added a smart scale that measures things like body fat, bone mass, BMR and more.



Most of the time I walk rounds around a beautiful lake near where I live. One round (lap) is about 5.5 km (3.4 miles). It’s a lively and active place, lots of runners and sporty types doing their thing, with boxing bags, climbing frames, and weightlifting spots scattered around. But there are also plenty of people just enjoying the sun and relaxing at the little beaches around the lake.









I usually walk with my German Shepherd. It’s peaceful, clears my head, and helps me reset. I walk with the weighted vest on, headset on and often listen to soundtracks from my favorite series LOST or from ARC Raiders. That combination keeps me going, both physically and mentally. Some days I even do multiple laps — like last week I walked 17 km in a day (about 10.5 miles).

I’ve also made changes to my diet. Less snacking, more conscious choices, swapping chips for fruit or limiting portions when the cravings hit. So far, I’ve lost 10 kg (22 lbs), and I feel like I’m on the right path.

My first goal is to get under 100 kg (about 220 lbs). I know that’s still too much, but it needs to be a realistic and achievable milestone for me. If I set the bar too high too soon, I might lose motivation — and I really want to keep going this time. Once I hit that mark, I’ll see where to go from there — one step at a time.

My lap today with my weighted vest 12 kg:


My Ultrahuman tracks everything, steps, heart rate, sleep, recovery, you name it. I’m not really into smartwatches since I like wearing a regular watch, but this little ring is honestly super cool. Totally worth it.

I’ll try to post here regularly so you can see how far I’ve come and how it’s going. This thread is just a place for me to stay accountable and maybe inspire someone else. It’s got nothing to do with ARC Raiders, but it’s definitely my own boss fight — and one I plan to win!

Current weight on 2025-07-09: 115.05 kg (about 254 lbs)

In this broken world, every step is a battle won. No respawns, just survival and grind.
Marco

[ARC•X]

2025-07-09, part 2

Ended up walking three full rounds around the lake throughout the day — just over 18 kilometers in total. Mixed things up a bit with the weighted vest, adjusting the weight between rounds to keep it challenging but manageable, switching between 12 and 14 kilos (26–31 lbs).

Also took my German Shepherd for one full round. He liked it to.


Hit the 20,000 step mark today, and yeah… my feet are officially done for the day. But honestly? Glad I pushed through. Feels good to tick off a day like this. According to my Ultrahuman, I burned a total of 7,191 calories today (including baseline burn), so I’d say that’s a solid win.



Now it’s time to rest, recover, and recharge for the next raid.

[ARC•X]

2025-07-10

Not every day hits the mark.

Spent most of today working, and only managed to squeeze in a single full round around the lake — weighted vest at 12kg. Started at 8AM and wrapped up around 4:30PM for my day job. Working from home meant I could head out right after and get moving. Halfway through, I felt something in my shoe — thought it was just a pebble. I was wrong. Turned out to be a blister forming, and it hit hard. Had to grit my teeth just to finish .

On the plus side, I had some serious fuel blasting through my headphones today with Act of Rage !


I love Rawstyle (and Hardcore)
Rawstyle just hits different — heavy bass, raw energy, and somehow it keeps me going when my feet are screaming like a Bastion.

Pic of the day:


Some days it’s not about how far you go. Just showing up still counts.

Curious what you think. Is Rawstyle your thing or a hard pass? Let me know!

[ARC•X]

2025-07-12

Took a rest day yesterday — that blister from the day before was no joke. I popped and cleaned it up, but figured it was smarter to give my foot a break.

Back at it today: knocked out 13 kilometers (arond 8.07 miles) with the weighted vest at 12kg (2 rounds in total in the morning and afternoon). Felt good to move again… until I ran into a surprise — part of my usual route was blocked off because of a festival . Had to reroute twice, which added a bit of unexpected mileage.





Needed some Early Hardstyle energy this morning, so Dj Luna was fueling my run


Last walk of the day was with my little boy and my dog.

Also tried something new: picked up a cordless jump rope. Figured I'd ease into it since I haven’t jumped rope since I was, like, six years old. Went with the cordless version to avoid tripping every two seconds — smart move. Turns out, it’s a serious high-intensity workout — had me jumping my lungs out but burning crazy calories.



It actually works really well, but wow — this is intense. My heart rate shot through the roof. I ended up jumping for about 15 minutes total, with plenty of breaks in between, but it still felt like a full-on cardio raid. Still trying to figure out how my girlfriend pulls it off — she can hit 1000 jumps in 6 minutes and 40 seconds on a good day. HOW??? I wasn’t even halfway through and my body was already screaming like a Wasp. This jump rope thing is brutal — like trying to outrun a Wasp swarm with a busted exopack .

Current weight: 114.35 kg

Blisters, detours, and chaos — just another day in the wasteland.
See you on the next raid. Until tomorrow.

[ARC•X]

2025-07-13

Woke up today feeling like I got hit by a freight train — muscle soreness in places I didn’t even know existed. My left knee also decided it was done with me. Probably a bit overworked from the jump rope madness yesterday.

Even just walking the dog felt like a mini boss fight, so I made the call to take it easy today. No raids, no weighted vest — just recovery mode. Not gonna risk pushing through and making things worse.

Instead, I shifted gears and worked on the forum — added some new features and pages. Feels good to still make progress, even if it's not physical.

Also — side quest unlocked: I’ve officially started rewatching LOST. Powered through the first 5 episodes of season 1 and man… still hits hard. The chaos, the mystery, the characters — forgot how good it actually is. It's wild how fast you get pulled back into that island. No idea how many times I’ve seen it already, but it still feels like the first time. I even bought the full DVD box back in the day, felt like a treasure back then. But let’s be real, those discs haven’t aged well… so I’m streaming it on Netflix now in glorious HD. Still love the sound design, those subtle hums and scene cuts hit just right. Gives the whole show that extra edge.

Here’s hoping tomorrow brings better energy, a more cooperative knee, and less of that "why does my spleen feel sore" kind of vibe.

See you on the next raid.

[ARC•X]

2025-07-19

Back at it after a bit of a slow patch — just wrapped up 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) today with the weighted vest locked in at 12kg (26.5 lbs).
Started early this morning, around 8:30am, and took a big detour straight to the best local bakery in town. No regrets — good fuel is part of the raid

I had Sefa blasting in my ears, straight-up uptempo/frenchcore madness. That kid was only 19 when he played the main stage at Defqon.1. Insane! His energy is unreal, and honestly, it was exactly what I needed to wake up and get moving. Pure fire through the veins.



It’s a hot one today, and I was dripping after just one round. But over 10,000 steps logged, so I’m calling that a solid win. Shoulder pat for me.

This morning’s vibe was actually pretty chill overall. Not too crowded, not too quiet — just the right balance. Zoned out with the beats, soaked up the sun, and enjoyed the ride. That combo? Keeps me going every time.



Planning to head out again tonight for one more round… but we’ll see how the feet feel by then. Could turn into a chill dog-walk raid or another full-blown lap. Either way, the day’s already a win.

No respawns. Just sweat, steps, and sound.
See you on the next raid.

[ARC•X]

2025-07-19 (Part 2)

Alright… so I did end up going for another walk after all with my vest. That brings today’s total to 18.3 kilometers (just over 11.3 miles).
Yeah… no more walking for me today. My feet are officially on strike

Wasn’t anything too special this round — nice and quiet, just the way I like it. Except for one random moment: I passed by a trash bin that was on fire. No joke. Smoke coming out of it like some mini wasteland beacon.



I let the guys at the beach club know, and suddenly it turned into a full-on emergency side quest. Staff sprinting out with little buckets of water like they were raiding a boss with nothing but wooden spoons and hope .

Anyway, fire got handled. Raid resumed. No loot dropped, just fading light and footsteps in the dust.
Now I’m completely wiped. Time to rest, recharge my shield, and let my feet stop screaming at me like a Bastion.

Also, pretty sure it's time for shower session #3. It's starting to smell like a post-raid loot cave in here.

In the world of ARC Raiders, we’d call this an overextended surface run. Low on stamina, zero ammo, squad yelling to extract — and I’m the one dragging behind with a busted exopack and 2 HP left.

Mission complete.
See you on the next raid.

[ARC•X]

2025-07-20

Morning raid: knocked out 8 kilometers today, with a detour to pick up some essentials. Ended up hauling a few heavy bottles of water back. Barely made it out of the store over-encumbered. Dragging water around sucks even more when you’re already low on stamina. Almost 1,200 calories burned, according to Ultrahuman.

My heel had other plans today, apparently. Skin rubbed raw on the back. Probably from yesterday’s tripple raid. Every step felt like dragging rusted armor across gravel. Slapped on a band-aid back at base to stop the bleeding before it could turn into a serious status effect.

Not much else happened, aside from spotting the same trash bin from yesterday, still standing there like a burnt-out loot chest no one claimed. Charred but proud.

The rest of the day turned into a weather battle: thunderstorms, heavy rain, and thick, sweaty air. Stayed in and waited it out. Not every battle needs to be fought — some days you hold the line and regroup.
Took a break from the grind to do some side programming for my girlfriend. I crafted her website completely from scratch 2 years ago. It’s my biggest project ever, clocking in at 840 pages. Check it out here: https://snailmailfriends.com

Current weight on 2025-07-20: 114.30 kg (about 252 lbs)

See you on the next raid.