KylieBear

Well, I work second shift, so when I get up, my daughter is running around, and really I am not a morning person, so I spend the first hour of consciousness in a stupor. When I get home, my husband wants to make dinner, and I usually end up helping him. I feel uncomfortable exercising on a full stomach. I'm not really sure why about that one. I remember somewhere that you're supposed to do yoga on an empty stomach- post fast, or something like that. I think part of it is procrastination and laziness, and the other part is being genuinely tired about half of the time. Excuses, excuses... In the past it worked out a lot better at night- my daughter is asleep, and I can workout while he cooks. This is the first pair of shoes I've ever done, so no I don't sell them. But it was super easy. I had these fabric markers sitting around, and I bought the shoes for $10 at Target. Voila! I have a black pair that I'm thinking about doing a galaxy print thing to.

So, first week down. It went okay. I'm going to give myself a C for the week. I enjoyed the diet, but backslid a bit. I will do better this week. I never did a full work out, I seem to be struggling with the right time of day to do it, but I know that is a minor excuse I have to get over. I maintained the 2 cigarette a day thing, and alas will only be smoking 1.5 this next week. As far as being creative, I finished one of the canvasses and did a DIY shoe thing. I feel pretty proud of what I've done so far, and I can't wait to continue. Have a good night all, and kick this week's ass!

I think perhaps I just went produce overload. I have tons of stuff we haven't even touched yet. I can probably pare it down in the future. The only things I bought organic were my apples and pears, because that's all they had. I kind of live in the middle of bumpkin land. So, I have Wal-mart, and Piggly Wiggly as shopping sources. The nearest Sam's club is about an hour away. Where there's a will, there's a way.

My goal right now is more or less just to eat better. And transitioning to paleo isn't terrible. Such as: I found out that I am in love with pears. I bought a bunch of organic pears and they taste like effing lilac. It's amazing. As far as my challenge goals are concerned. I'm steady with the smoking, doing okay on the diet. I haven't been able to get my exercise in. I've had the worst pain in my right shoulder. But I did a basic sun salutation (yoga) the last couple mornings, so I'm pretty stretched out and it is getting better. The diet alone has been like a cleanse for my body. I did weigh myself today, and I've lost 4lbs. But more than that, my tummy is flatter. I did notice I was restless last night after we ate (chicken "stir-fry"), so I made a piece of peanut butter toast, and it solved my issue. Tonight for dinner we're having boneless beef ribs, with just seasonings, no sauce, fried onions and (gulp) cheese bread. I know this is so not paleo, but it's taunting me from my freezer and it needs to get gone. I feel proud of what I've done so far. And the longer I keep on it, the easier it will be, and the better I will feel. On a side note, the paleo extravaganza seems like it is going to be a kind of expensive undertaking (like $100 a week for food). Does anyone have tips on how I can reduce the cash flow?

Thanks for the feedback on the potatoes, guys. I only made 4 small red potatoes to toss in with the sprouts, and I made sure to fill up on the sprouts before diving into the potatoes. I was so surprised last night when I got incredibly full on less than I would normally eat. It felt like a small success. I wanted to post a couple of pictures to show my progress so far. The first is from last January, at around 210lbs. The second is a few months about (September or October I think) at around 180lbs. I needed to look at these to show myself how far I've come to motivate myself to keep going, and I wanted to share it with ya'll.

Well.. Day 1 down. I stuck really well to the diet. I think because I've been slowly cutting crap food out for a while it won't be too bad. I know at some point I'm going to be begging for cheese, or a bowl of cheerios, but I'll deal somehow. I haven't exercised today. I literally walk all day for work, so maybe I can let Mondays slide? Probably not. I know I need to stretch out my back and shoulders and just have to do it. I'm about to have my second cigarette of the day. Which is excellent progress. I'll keep this up all week, then cut out half a cigarette next week. By four weeks, I should be done. And I think I'm going to extend my 4th goal to include being creative in general. I think I might finish a painting in one weekend, so I'd like to open myself up to other projects I've been planning. So, all in all, A+ day I think. I wanted to ask people that are following the Paleo diet: are potatoes Paleo? I've never read a definitive answer, and I'm having roasted reds and brussels sprouts with dinner tonight. I just don't want to feel guilty later. Good things are coming, good things.

Hey there! As I've heard Steve tell so many people in articles and comments, diet is 80%. I think that could hold true to some extent for emotional issues as well. I find myself more balanced when I eat well. A lot of people on NF seem to be trying out paleo or primal diets. In studies it's shown to reduce the risk of diabetes and some other diseases. What could it hurt to try it out? You bike ride sounds like an amazing commute. I wish I had the opportunity to experience such a peaceful start and end to my day. Good luck to you. We'll be here, should you need us. Kyle (and anyone feel free to correct me if any of my above statements were not correct)

Thanks! I quit once for about 2 years when I wanted to try for a baby, so I know I can do it again. Which method did you go with- cold turkey, or weaning? Or something else?

As I'm unfolding the layers of this community, I realize I've done things sort of backward. I've already committed to the 6-week Challenge, and I've figured out my Character in the Role Playing portion. (so.. check that off the list) But, I suppose let us start from the top: My name is Kyle. I'm 24, 5'1", and 180lbs. I've sort of stayed between 170lbs and 180lbs most of my adult life. The summer after high school I had gotten down to 150lbs, which I was over the moon about. At the time, I was so impressed by a vegan guy I knew, I decided to try it out. I drank incredible amounts of green tea, black coffee, and ate mostly fruit all day except a piece of toast with peanut butter in the morning. I also did yoga or swam everyday. Now, I've had a child (10/19/11), I'm settled down and all domestic. And like so many other women, I gave myself the freedom to eat whatever I wanted while I was pregnant. This led me down a path of poor eating habits, resulting in reaching 235lbs by the end of my pregnancy. At the beginning of last year, I decided to begin the change. I went from 210lbs to 176lbs. But with the holidays, I got back into the bad habits, and easily slid up the scale. And here we are. My younger brother has been an incredible inspiration. He has lost close to 60lbs, gained so much muscle mass, and eats incredibly well. I'm so proud, and also very jealous. He has told me about NF in the past. I read Staci's story several weeks ago. This Thursday we were talking about fitness and health, and I mentioned that I want to lose 30lbs by my birthday in May. So he says "Hey, do you want to do this 6- week Challenge with me on Nerd Fitness?" And I said yes. I can't imagine a better method to jump start my weight loss. I have so many more goals that I want to achieve throughout the year, I'm glad I have the opportunity to break it down into 6 week chunks. It seems so much more attainable. My only fear is that I won't be as eloquent, witty, or clever as I think I am. I welcome your comments, suggestions or random ponderings.

I'm new here too! I love your enthusiasm. I hope you kick the 6-week Challenge's butt! I'm in Wisconsin as well, so I definitely feel your winter pain. There are some great starter exercises here on the website, which could work for you. I'm also a fan of yoga. As I was reading your post, I found myself thinking "when it gets warm out, I'm going to make a goal in one of my Challenges to do at least 1 outdoor activity a week." Good Luck!

Hey everyone- Well, I'm new to Nerd Fitness. I just signed up today, read a few articles and I am gung-ho. My brother has a been a huge inspiration for me. He's lost about 60lbs so far. He told me about Nerd Fitness a while ago, but I put off doing anything until now. He asked me if I wanted to do this 6 week challenge, I figure why not now? So, my stats: Female, 24. I am 5'1" (approximated), and around 180lbs. Over the last year I have lost 30lbs just in diet changes and moving more. I had a daughter last October which is when I got up to 210lbs (this is after all the "baby weight" dropped) I love to bake, because it's delicious science. So that, I think, is my kryptonite. I also smoke about 3 cigarettes a day, sometimes more on weekends. This is a photo of me when I proudly lost the 30lbs. My goals for this six weeks are to transition to the paleo diet, move at least 4 times a week (yoga, the beginner body weight workout, etc) and stop smoking. My life goal is to paint the 3 canvasses that have been sitting in my living room for several months. My plan is to make healthy eating a priority, and provide myself with paleo options so I can fight the urge eat poorly. I will make sure that I have my kitchen and pantry stocked so I don't get so hungry I give in to convenience meals. I'm going to eliminate 1 cigarette every week, and resist the urge to smoke out of boredom. I will come home after work and do some form of exercise, my favorite being yoga, but I want to try some new things too. And I want to finish each painting over the course of 2 weekends. I think this is a great way to jump start my way into a healthy lifestyle. And I am so glad to have found Nerd Fitness. -Kyle Edit: Having reread the rules of the Role Playing portion of this, I've assigned my goals and attribute points accordingly. Goal 1: Go Paleo- [CON]: 3, [sTA]: 1 Goal 2: Move 4+ times a week- [sTR]: 1, [DEX]: 1, [sTA]: 2 Goal 3: Quit smoking: [CON]: 2, [CHA]: 1, [sTA]: 1 Goal 4: Finish 3 paintings: [WIS]: 2, [CHA]: 1