ElRoberto

I used to drink at least a soda a day, and if we went out to eat several more when taking into account refills. For the last few years it is rare for me to drink a soda and when I do it doesn't usually taste very good to me anymore (too sweet). What helped me get off of soda was switching to sparkling water and flavored sparkling waters (Ritz, Syfo). I found the carbonation and light flavoring were a good substitute for the feeling of drinking soda.

The Domestic Man is my favorite site for paleo recipes https://thedomesticman.com/

I agree with Halo, protein from meat sources is always the best. Shakes are good as a supplement but shouldn't be a main source of protein for your diet. Keep in mind that to keep your calorie count in check as protein goes up carbs or fat counts will have to go down. So your meals will likely be unbalanced with an emphasis on protein over carbs. Also if you are really overweight or under weight the gr of protein per lb of body weight may not work. Personally for me I try to get my protein intake around 170-180g a day.

I really enjoy the recipes from Russ Crandall at https://thedomesticman.com/ Surely there is something on there everyone will like.

Thanks for the encouragement. I don't know anyone that has ever wished they never took martial arts...only those that wish they never quit or those that wish they would have started sooner...for what its worth. I think its harder when you let yourself slip because not only do you deal with the disappointment of your current state but also the disappointment of letting yourself lose it. It is a great feeling though to start to get back on top of things.

Hello all, My name is Robert and I am a longtime reader of Nerd Fitness but haven't ventured into the forums much. I consider myself a fairly active person. I train reguarly in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3-5x a week, do some MMA training, and also try to make it into the gym a couple times a week. My journey started several years ago when I just kind of had a personal revelation that I had let my health slip on my list of priorities for too long. I started working out regularly, tracking my nutrition, and after a few months I had lost 25lbs and was in really good shape. I took the foot off the proverbial gas a few years ago and slowly my weight started to creep back up and I realized that my health wasn't something I could just take for granted and I had to work on it. About 3 years ago I started to track my fitness journey, exploits, musings, and advice on a blog. This has been great for both my own accountability and also for me to look back periodically and see how far I have come. Also it has been pretty cool to see that there are some people out there that actually read it (I never thought anyone would actually be interested in reading it) After a few years of lurking around the forums I decided to try to be a little more active here and spend some quality internet time with like minded individuals. As far as the nerd part of my nerd fitness intro...I love Star Trek, the Simpsons, and most things comic book. Also my wife tells me I have an unhealthy obsession with Batman.

Even though it's been 5 years if you keep working out outdoors you will eventually get used to it. I actually prefer to workout outside with the humidity and the heat, but you do have to be smart about it. I normally go for short runs during the middle of the day in the summer and mountain bike all times of the day. Also if you are just starting to workout or still trying to develop a base for fitness you may need to start very slow with short workouts and work your way up. I would suggest trying to get your workout in in the morning before it starts to heat up, or at night when it cools down (just watch for mosquitoes).If you are going to sweat it out in the heat of the day just remember to wear sunscreen and hydrate throughout the day rather than try to chug a gallon of water immediately following your workout.

First Challenge Wrap Up 1) Lose 10lb in the next 6 weeks -"My current starting weight is 185lbs with a height of 5'6". Most of my weight is carried in my gut/luv handle area which I would like to rid myself of shortly. I think getting down to 175 will nearly eliminate that. My strategy will be to continue to log my food intake on myfitnesspal and try to hit my protein/carb goals the majority of days. Also I will be experiminenting with some Intermittent fasting as well. You can find me on myfitness pal here if you want to follow along or are looking to add some a friend" -So this could have been easily achieved had I not slacked off and went into "vacation mode" the last week of my 3 week vacation. There were just too many parties, restaurants, and free alcohol for my willpower to take. I did end up with a final weight of 178lbs meaning I did lose 7 lbs but not quite the 10 I was looking for. I did however make some new friends on myfitnesspal. Overall for this one I would have to give myself a solid "C" 2) Log a minimum of 4 workouts a week -My goal is at a minumum to get in 4 workouts a week, preferably 5 workouts, resting on the weekends. I think 4 is a good place to start for now. Lately I have been hitting about 3 workouts a week with some weeks being more consistent than others. My plan is to continue logging my workouts on my blogger site here -I was pretty proud that I was able to not only keep up my workouts (most weeks I hit 5 workouts/week) but I was able to effectively mix up my workouts including hiking, traditional gym, functional fitness, and running. One night I missed my workout before work and made it into the gym at 3AM after I got off just to get it in. Overall for this one I would rate myself a solid "A" 3) Finish 100 burpees in under 10 minutes -I have attempted this a couple times over the past couple weeks. Currently my times are running in the 11:00-11:30 range. My goal is to bring that time to under 10 minutes in 6 weeks with plans on shaving a minute every 6 weeks until I am in the 7:00 minute range. -This was much harder than I thought it would be. My best time I was able to manage was 10:44. 44 seconds off from my goal but about half a minute faster than my previous best. I underestimated how hard it would be to push this number lower. Overall a "C" for the effort 4) Read 3 books -I keep telling myself I need to start reading more but just haven't started for many reasons. My plan to improve my knowledge and wisdom is to read 3 books over the next 6 weeks. Given the fact that I normally work between 55-70 hours a week plus my family constraints of having 2 children under age 5, this may be the hardest goal yet. My plan here is to pick interesting books and use some of my downtime at my in-laws focused on reading. I will be posting here which books I am reading when I start and when I finish. -This goal was surprisingly difficult. I did manage to finish 2 books, but I thought for sure I would be at least well into the 3rd by the time the challenge ended. Truth is I didn't really make this much of a priority for much of my trip. I did however manage to get 2/3 with one of those being quite legnthy. Overall a "B" for getting 2/3. I could have done better. In summary I found this first challenge to be pretty interesting. It was certainly harder than I thought it would be. At first you look at 6 weeks as alot of time but when you get to the last 2 weeks - week it seems like the end is coming so fast and there was so much I hadn't completed. I really liked the idea of doing this and measuring my gains over a short period time. I think sometimes I get lost in the long term goals and the end of the rainbow looks so far away it gets frustrating. Next up for me is a 30 day strict paleo diet.... I think overall I'd have to give myself a B- for the overall effort and results. Thanks to all that read along, commented, checked my blog, or sent messages. I appreciate all the support. Hope to see you on a future challenge.

Here are some of the views I took on the walk this morning Looks nice but the water is freezing cold. trust me. Sea Lions hanging out on some rocks As far as my goals go... As of right now Clean Eating - I've stumbled into "vacation mode" eating the last week or so...not good Workouts - I'm killing this one...getting in a minimum of 4 per week and really starting to mix it up Reading - I'm stuck on 1 1/2 books right now. I been enjoying myself a bit too much at the pool Weight Loss - Unknown...I haven't weighed myself in a bit but I'm going to guess I still have a ways to go..... Burpee Challenge - Still stuck in the mid 10's...working on it... I fly back literally on the last day of the challenge so that will be put up or shut up time for the final grade.....

So me and the wife left the kids at the in laws and trekked down to Carmel and Monterey for the past 2 nights. Lots of good food and great wine meant my diet went off the rails but I got a lot of walking around town and some great walks in on the beach. I calculated I walked 3 miles yesterday without even leaving the beach. The water is frigid but the views are spectacular.

Awesome job not skipping any workouts. Keep it up only 1 more week to go

The 4th was a blast. For whatever reason maybe the beer, hike, or sleeping wrong I was running on fumes this morning at the gym. Got a quick weight session in and some cycling on the stationary bike. I guess something is better than nothing though. I'm going to try to watch the diet today and stay strict since tomorrow is the annual block party and there is going to be tons of food drinks and desserts all day

07/04/2013 Happy 4th Everyone. This morning was a nice 5.3 mile hike through Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos, CA. Ive never been here before and quickly found out that Castle Rock is an actual rock formation and is popular for bouldering. There are also some sheer cliff drop offs and some spectacular views. There were small obstacles to get over at some parts also. It wasn't an ascent and descent like my last hike but there was some elevation to the hike. I ended the day with a nice long pool session to keep the muscles moving. Here are some photos from the hike Looking down one of the cliffs Scenic Views Me trying out some climbing Making it to an awesome cave And of course I can't forget my strength training

07/03/2013 Halfway through my second book. Which is also the halfway point for my wisdom goal of 3 books. The book I'm into now is The Story which is basically the NIV bible in chronological novel form. As you can imagine its a decent sized read. Its' been hot here in San Jose but not Florida hot. Either way I've been spending alot of time lounging in the pool and relaxing. It's nice to have some time away from work and I can't remember the last time I got this much sleep. Normally I work around 55 hours a week on a midnight shift and get roughly 5 hours of sleep a night (If I'm lucky). Right now I'm usually in bed by 11 and up at 7 which by my calculations is 8 full hours. Today's workout was at the gym and I did a more traditional workout focusing on upper body rather than my normal full body functional fitness/crossfit type workouts. Today I'm heading out to San Francisco to eat lunch and check out a few breweries. Also I'm looking to plan my next hike for this weekend, possibly Saturday morning.

07/02/2013 Today I ran a 3.25 miles around a county park near where my in laws live. Afterwards I went out to a dirt 1/4 mile track and completed a session of Tabata sprints. 20 seconds is a long time when you are giving it all out effort. One of the tricks I learned is to sprint and then turn around and sprint back. If you are covering the same distance then you didn't give it all your effort. Each sprint you should cover less and less distance due to fatigue. I used a handy app on my phone (iWOD fitness) to do my tabata timing for me. I was still feeling the hike in my legs though as I covered the 3.25 mile run in about 4 minutes longer than I was expecting. Yesterday I failed epically on the clean eating. While I didn't plan for it being a cheat day it turned out to be one. Mall Food Court+Starbucks+All You Can Eat Sushi Buffet = F for clean eating. I made up for it a bit today by running and then pairing the day with no cheat meals and upping the protein while keeping the carbs very low.

06/30/2013 Yesterday was a huge party at the house for my wife's 30th bday party. Over 50 family and friends and tons and tons of food, beer, and wine. I definately overloaded myself on comfort foods but kept myself to a 4 beer minumum to minimize the damage. Prior to the party I went to my sis-in-laws condo and used their sparse gym facility.....and it was minimal. Maybe 5 outdated machines, an assortment of adjustable dumbell weights, an old treadmill and carpeted floors. Needless to say I was able to get a more traditional arm/upperbody workout in. I didn't want to do any leg work as I knew today I would be going on what has become an annual event. Today I hit up Ed Levin Park in Milpitas and hiked from the Sandy Wool Lake to Monument Peak. The hike is about 4 miles to the top and 2,598 feet of elevation. I was able to get to the peak in 1 hour and 40 minutes. It is extremely steep in certain sections. The weather today was in the mid 90s as the entire area is going through somewhat of a heat wave. Being from Florida I didn't find the weather to be very bad at all. Without the sweltering humidity it just doesnt seem very hot. The round trip for today was around 8 miles. On the way up we saw plenty of hawks soaring overhead, a coyote, and all kinds of hang gliders. The view from the top is really spectacular. From the top you can see past Moffett Field and all the way across the bay. 2,500+ feet is pretty high up for someone from Florida but there is no mistaking those giant hangers at Moffett Field. If I was more familiar with the area I could probably pick out alot more landmarks. Here is a photo of me at the peak And a view from the top If any of you are in the San Jose/Bay Area I'd highly suggest checking out the hike. After my morning hike, I came back to the house and hit the pool for a few hours and did some light swimming and ended the day with some more cheating on my diet (leftovers). On the life goal front I'm about 1/3 into my very lengthy second book. I didn't weigh myself this Sunday as I typically do. After this weekend I want to give myself a few days to get my diet back in order and see where I'm at. I got another gym day planned for tomorrow and Tuesday I'm playing by ear. I hope everyone else is going along as well as I have thus far.

Thanks, Feeling good so far. A bit sore here and there but overall I seem to be on track thus far

Went out to eat yesterday with the extended family to a Mexican restaurant. I ordered the large burrito and they weren't exaggerating in their description. Normally I'd tell myself I'm on vacation and have at it but because of this challenge I cut it in half and told myself the other half would be lunch tomorrow. After getting up early and working out today I am definitely glad I made that decision. Workout of Day "Susan" 5 rounds for time -200m run -10 squats -10 push-ups Time today was 8:20 Warm up 0.5 mile walk Cool down 1.5 mile walk

Made it to the west coast. 5 hour plane delay to start phase 2 of the challenge. The time did allow me to get closer to my reading goal. 1 book down 2 to go. The book I read was very relevant to me as it dealt with a myriad of issues from PTSD and stress to overall wellness. One page from the book really spoke to me though. From Dr. Lawrence N. Blum's book Force Under Pressure: The officers who say to themselves, "I'm too tired for my workout tonight...it'll feel much better to get a couple of beers and sit down in front of the TV," and who, therefore, submit to the feeling of fatigue or discomfort, are in reality training themselves or conditioning themselves to be defeated. Words to live by no matter what your occupation is. Don't train yourself to be defeated. Also of note I got a great workout in today at an unfamiliar gym. Had to mix it up due to equipment being used 3 sets 10 - 185 lb squat 15 push-ups 10- 65lb thrusters 5 - 85lb thrusters 5 - 95 lb thrusters 5 - 85 lb thrusters 10 -65 lb thrusters 5 rounds -5 close grip pull-ups -10 dips 20mins stationary bike (random hill preset workout) 3 rounds -10 knees to chest Long Stretch to cool down!

I tried the crossfit workout Fran today. I did it with a friend of mine who also was a Fran first timer. Workout of Day"Fran" (For time no rest between sets)-21 Thrusters (95lb)-21 Pull Ups-15 Thrusters-15 Pull Ups-9 Thrusters-9 Pull Ups I knew this was going to be a challenge but I underestimated how heavy 95lbs becomes after a few thrusters. My first set I made the first 12 unbroken but had to put the bar down after that. I tried banging out sets of 5 on the thrusters. I finished in 14:22. Not a great time but in the beginner crossfitter zone. What was funny was my friend looked at the 95lb barbell and laughed at the "little bit of weight" He was smoked and had to use a chair to assist with pull ups. His time.....21:45 He walked away with 3 things...1) a better appreciation for functional fitness 2) a more realistic look at his own fitness level 3) some sore muscles!

06/20/2013 So circumstances both beyond and within my control caused me to miss the last 2 days of workouts. I was determined to not miss the workout 3 days in a row so I hit the gym at 4:00AM as I was getting off my shift at work. Since I had all the gym equipment at my disposal I went with some workouts I can't really do at the garage gym. Workout of Day 3 Rounds -5 Deadlifts (185lbs) -5 Overhead Squats (95lb) -5 Pullups (strict) -5 Dips -10 Shoulder Press Pushups (feet elevated on bench) I could have went heavier on both the deadlift and squats but since I don't practice these lifts all that often I didn't want to sacrafice my form. The workout felt great and I only rested a minute or two between rounds. I was in and out of the gym in about 25 mins. My clean eating has been up and down the past 2 days, there really wasn't any excuse for that. I reigned it in abit today and I'm looking to go into the weekend strong (no cheat days this weekend). The real challenge comes Tuesday when I fly out to California for the annual family vacation. Thats when the challenge really gets challenging, especially on the clean eating side. I'm hoping it will give me some time to knock out the reading goal however. For those keeping up this makes workout #2 for the week. 2 more to go to hit the weekly goal.

06/17/2013 Epic cheat day yesterday for Fathers Day....hate to say some of it spilled over into today. Yesterday was a day filled with Playstation, Beer, Pizza, and Donuts and it was awesome. It certainly didn't help out with goal 1 but I can say after today the beer and pizza tempting me in my fridge is no more. This morning I set out on my 100 burpee benchmark. I didn't hit my goal time yet but I did shave around 45 seconds off. 100 Burpees today in 11:12 I got 4 more weeks to complete this so next week is my next shot. Tomorrow I have a meeting at work so I'm going to hit the gym at work and work on heavy lifts and use the equipment I don't have at home.

4 more this week www.ten8fitness.blogspot Enjoyed this article. very fitting for fathers day

Don't get discouraged, you just got a figure out a balance for your life/goals. One benefit to clean eating with homemade meals is it will help you achieve your diet and life goal by losing weight and saving money. It should help out a bit that you have your basic habits down and aren't trying to start from scratch on those fronts.

2 Week Progress Update It's been about 2 weeks so I thought I would update my progress so far 1) Lose 10lb in the next 6 weeks I started at 185, weighed myself this morning and I was at 181.6. Looks like a pace of about 2lbs a week so far which is right where I wanted to be. I'm sure this could have been better but my clean eating hasn't been as clean as I could be and the cheat days have sort of spilled over into cheat weekends. Either way I consider myself on pace to achieve the 10lb goal. 2) Log a minimum of 4 workouts a week So far so good. Week 1 I got in 4 workout. This week I had 5 workouts. I have 5 workout scheduled for next week also. It's helped tremendously writing down my workouts for the week ahead and doing them first thing as soon as I wake up. 3) Finish 100 burpees in under 10 minutes I haven't attempted this yet. My next attempt will be Monday. I feel as if my overall fitness and endurance has improved but I can't really count progress in this area until I get a time recorded. I didn't want to make too many attempts for a few reasons but mainly it is an exhausting workout which requires some rest for me the day before to get a good effort 4) Read 3 books No progress here other than I found a book. I haven't really had the time to sit down and read. Work, workouts, and home life have pretty much taken up all my time. I had planned on substituting television for reading but I can't remember the last time I sat down and watched TV. __ Overall I'm happy with the progress so far but still think I'm not hitting on all cylinders. Particularly on the reading and weight loss. I'm pretty motivated to get to that 175 and see if that is the magic weight where these luv handles go away. Also Happy Fathers Day to any nerd dads out there.