Tobi

Thank you so much!

1984 and Call of the Wild.

Hello, my fellow Rebels! The name is Tobi (yeah, another nerd joining the ranks) and I have chosen the Ranger class because it represents my ideal level of fitness. I'm a first-year university student residing in Canada and I joined NerdFitness because I grew tired of the confusing "diets" and "recommended" workout routines floating around the Net. My fitness journey started when my skeptical mindset forced me, literally, to discard everything I thought I knew about fitness and health and personally determine for myself what works and what doesn't. I'm a few weeks into my lifestyle change, and I am feeling great about it! I have three goals that I want to achieve and get off my bucket list before the end of 2016: lose 40 pounds, get my first part-time job, and get considered for the position of research assistant with one of my science professors. How I got to where I am now Step one: I developed a workout routine for the next few weeks that involves me switching back and forth between HIIT and bodyweight training. My HIIT workouts are only going to last 20 minutes, and I prefer to do them on my elliptical machine at home. I complete my bodyweight training by primarily choosing the Insanity workouts that specifically train and challenge the muscle groups that I want to train for that day. I am focusing on HIIT for now because I am interested in getting my body to adapt to the demands of high-intensity cardio and training. I will consider adding in lower-impact workouts once I am a few more months in. Step two: I completely cleared out any and all kinds of processed sugars and rice out of my diet. Before I hopped along the ketogenic diet bandwagon, I would feel comfortable having two to three servings of rice in the span of a day. Now, I have successfully found a way to control my cravings for grains and sugars by limiting my net carbs to less than 20 grams a day, and increasing my healthy fat intake to comprise about to 50% to 60% of my daily caloric needs. My protein percentage fluctuates, but I try to keep it less than 30% per day. Step three: Invested in good exercise equipment and clothing that I could use in the comfort of my own home. I bought a new pair of runners, a lot of shorts, and workout shirts. It made the transition much easier to commit to and maintain. Step four: I mustered the courage and made effort in learning how to cook my own food. Priorly, I would rely on take-out for the majority of my needs, but after seeing the results that came with the commitment to the ketogenic diet (I know a lot of people here subscribe to the Paleo, but I also found my own way) I realised that learning how to cook my own meals will make it easier for me in the long run. I believe in being kind to one's future self, and this is one of the ways that I did it. Thank you for reading through such a lengthy intro, and have a nice day!