shredder

Thanks! How did you get that progress bar in your signature?

I recently moved to Austin too. There's a Facebook group you can join (https://www.facebook.com/groups/638181146259274/?ref=br_tf). I think Stacy is planning meetups this year. And yes, that is growing up. That is exactly growing up. And it keeps happening as you get older. I'm 30 now and I find myself caring about not just my health, but things like 401ks. It gets worse when you have kids. Best multiplayer games in my opinion are fighting games or side scrolling shooters like Metal Slug. But that's just me - never really a sports guy.

Hello everyone. I've actually been a member here since early 2011, but most of that time was inactive. I did a few challenges back when they were 4 weeks instead of 6 weeks, but I dropped off of the forums after that, only to come back later and repeat. I've also experimented with a lot of different things to make my life better since then. Since discovering Nerd Fitness, I got out of a bad marriage, reconnected with my family, met somebody new that is wonderful for me, gotten a better job, doubled my salary, moved across country to where I wanted to be, quit smoking, and had a kid. The amount of change in my life has been nothing short of amazing. But I haven't lost any weight. I've gone up and down. I did a lot of self experiments, and I learned some things that worked for me. I was able to lose some weight. I was able to gain some energy. I was able to better control a mental illness. But there was always something more important. Once I found something that worked, all that I needed to do was stick to it long enough to see the results, right? But I still haven't. Getting a new job was more important. I had a kid, which was extremely important. I got another job. I moved across the country, where my finance has a lot of family, and the environment is better for raising a child. All those things took a lot of hard work and effort, and my health fell by the way side while I prioritized other things. Today I'm starting over. I know what works for me. I've done it before and seen results. What I really need to do is prioritize my own health. So I'm starting my weight loss efforts today like it's day one. I'm coming back to this forum like I've never been here before, and I'm starting over. I even changed my username. (I'm using one I used to use when I was younger.. not sure if I'll keep it yet or change it back.) I wanted to write this as a declaration, and an introduction, and a hello. So, hello.

Hey! I've totally been neglecting this thread. With everything going on these last few weeks (getting sick, having a sick kid, etc) updating hasn't been a priority. Eating healthy hasn't even a priority. Not ordering delivery food has been a priority, though, so while this challenge hasn't been going like I expected it to, I am making some progress on that front. I did the math this morning, and my spending on bullshit food (delivery/takeout, basically food that I don't cook at home) in October is down 76% from what it was in September! Now, I haven't lost a single pound (haven't gained any either, which is good), but this, at least, as a big win for me. I want to get that percentage up to 100% in time, but for now, that's been great for my health and my wallet. I'm cooking a lot more at home, and even if I've added foods back into my diet like potatoes, I'm still doing a lot better. I'll update this thread again at the end of the challenge, and I'll be doing the next challenge for sure, but right now my priorities have just shifted away from this. Thanks for checking up on me though! Oh, and I ended up losing my Fitbit. Stupid thing wasn't really working anyway so I haven't looked for it, and if I find it by accident I'll likely just throw it away. It's just an old Fitbit Zip. I'm logging food through MyFitnessPal and have it synced with Fitbit, and I'm still using my Fitbit scale. When I have some extra cash I'll probably get a Fitbit ultra or Fitbit one, but it's not important right now.

The no smoking goal went good. It was my second challenge regarding smoking, each challenge removing a cigarette from my normal routine. They were experiments, mostly. After the last two challenges, I've decided that sometime in the near future I'd like to quit smoking. As far as risks to my health go, I think obesity is going to kill me before smoking does, so that's priority #1, but those two experiments showed me that quitting completely is something that i need to do. When I do it, though, it's going to be cold turkey, because that has the highest success rate. Thanks for rooting for me! Yesterday wasn't a paleo day, technically. Some people say that white rice isn't, but some think it's okay, and that's the worst thing that I had yesterday. Breakfast was 4 eggs fried in coconut oil, no lunch, dinner was homemade fried rice, with stew beef and vegetables, fried in coconut oil. There was some coffee throughout the day. (I didn't record this all in MFP like I should have...) So at least I satisfied my craving here at home instead of ordering something, which would have have a lot worse stuff in it than white rice.

Thanks sammiejune! I do feel a lot better drinking more water. Still need to get in the habit of doing it when I'm at home, but I'm here in the office 4 days a week, so it works out form me. My problem isn't not being 100% paleo, it's an addiction to ordering delivery. It's zero effort and everything is deep fried and delicious. Even last week, I ate mostly paleo and still ordered delivery 4 times. It's killing my budget and making it hard to eat healthy, even if I managed to order mostly paleo food. It's just the whole instant gratification thing and being able to eat without having to go through the trouble of cooking, which, with a very difficult 3 month old baby, is nice. I kill that addiction and I'll be fine. And yeah, my fitbit seems to still be acting up. I sync it and get zero steps for the day logged. It's pretty old. I want to get a fitbit flex when I can afford it. It'd be nice to track my sleep, too. So, back to this challenge, I feel of the bandwagon a little bit. I haven't been updating this, and for a few days last week I didn't log my food intake. I'm back on track starting today. For the record, every day was paleo except for yesterday, when I got a junk food sampler full of fries and chicken strips. So except a proper food log update tomorrow. Weight for today is 282.8%, body fat is 35.2% (not sure how accurate that is...)

I'm still having a hard time not ordering delivery. It's quick, easy, and delicious. But I'm trying to make better choices about how I'm eating. I ordered Chinese food last night, but I got broccoli beef and shrimp with vegetables. I also got Chow Fun, which is a rice noodle. I'm considering that a minor break in the rules, but it could have been worse. At least it's rice noodles and not wheat. Every time I would order Chinese food before, everything would be breaded and deep fried, so I'm considering this a step up, at the very least. For lunch I got stuck at a Walgreens for an hour waiting for somebody to meet me there, and I got hungry, so I bought some things they had around. I ate six pieces of sushi, which is also a minor break in the rules. But if the worst thing I ate yesterday was rice, then I'm doing better than I was last week. Here's the full log. Brands are approximated, and shrimp with vegetables is listed as 2 more servings of broccoli beef, because I couldn't find it easily in MFP and didn't want to spend too much time looking. Weight this morning is 282.8 lb, body fat percentage is 34.7%. Steps walked was recorded as 337, which is totally not right. Something's wrong with my Fitbit Zip. Breakfast Nutiva - Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 0.5 tbsp Phil's Fresh Eggs - Egg, 4 egg Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 2 cup (8 fl oz) Lunch Sushi - Safeway - California Roll, 6 pieces Carb Nite - Almonds , 45 nuts Coffee - Brewed, espresso, 4 fluid ounce Nice! - Natrual String Cheese, 2 piece Nice! (Walgreens - Roasted Almonds Lightly Salted, 1/4 cup (30g) Dinner Chinese Take-Out - Chicken Chow Mei Fun, 3 cup Panda Express - Broccoli Beef Net Carbs, 27 oz Snacks Coco Cafe - Coconut Water Latte, 11.1 fl oz Walgreens Finest Natural - Fish Oil 1200mg Double Strength - 600mg Omega-3, 2 softgels One-a-day - Men's Health Formula Multivitamin, 1 tablet Totals Calories 2,707 Carbs 145 Fat 155 Protein 153 Fiber 30

I don't want to find out what the terrible consequences are Here's my update for yesterday. The broccoli beef is actually garlic chicken from some Chinese place I can't remember the name of. I couldn't find it in MFP so I went with something comparable. Dinner was a 1lb burger in a lettuce wrap and sweet potato fries from an amazing burger place here in town. Not the best thing, I know, since I don't want to be ordering food anymore, but at least I went with something in line with my goals. BreakfastCoco Cafe - Coconut Water Latte, 11.1 fl ozCoffee - Brewed from grounds, 2 cup (8 fl oz) LunchMidwest Country Fare - 2% Milk, 1 cupBody Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein - Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 Scoop (42g)Carb Nite - Almonds , 30 nutsA&W - Diet Root Beer Made With Aged Vanilla, 6 fl ozPanda Express - Broccoli Beef Net Carbs, 10.8 oz DinnerBeef - Ground, 85% lean meat / 15% fat, patty, cooked, broiled (hamburger), 4 patty ( yield from 1/4 lb raw meat )Ore Ida - Sweet Potato Straight Fries, 3 oz (84g/about 22 pieces)Hunt's - Tomato Katchup, 1 Tbls.Mayo - Best Foods - Mayo, 1 tablespoonLettuce - Cos or romaine, raw, 2 leaf innerBorden - 2% American Cheese Slice, 1 sliceWalgreens Finest Natural - Fish Oil 1200mg Double Strength - 600mg Omega-3, 2 softgels SnacksNature Made - Melatonin 3mg, 1 tabletsOne-a-day - Men's Health Formula Multivitamin, 1 tabletSo Delicious - Coconut Milk - Original (Net Carbs), 1 cup (240mL) TotalsCalories 2,072Carbs 102Fat 126Protein 160Fiber 16

Love the goals. I've never seen a burlesque show, but they look interesting. I'll be following you, good luck!

Had to check out your thread when I saw that quote. I have it tattooed on my left arm. Great goals. I'll be following you. Good luck! Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

It seems the fancy styling that was pasted in from MFP didn't carry over to the forum. Let's try that again. BreakfastCoffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz)Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz)Eggs - Fried (whole egg), 4 large LunchCoffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz)Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz) DinnerTums - Smoothies Extra Strength 750 Assorted Fruit, 2 tabletsBob's Red Mill - Quinoa, Original Whole Grain, 2 cup, cookedNantucket Supreme - Bay Scallops - All Natural, 8 oz (112 g or 33 scallops)Nutiva - Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 1 tbspGiant - Asian Stir Fry Veggies (Frozen), 1 1/4 cupApothic Red - Red Wine, 5 oz.Hershey's - Special Dark - Mildly Sweet Chocolate, 1.0 Blocks (38 g)Ice Cream, Coconut, So Delicious - Net Carbs, Vanilla Bean, 1 cup SnacksCoco Cafe - Coconut Water Latte, 11.1 fl ozCarb Nite - Almonds , 30 nuts TotalsCalories 1,844Carbs 126Fat 100Protein 100Fiber 38 Water 1 cup

As I started this thread a day late (but started the challenge itself yesterday), here's my log for yesterday. Weight was not taken, and steps were not calculated properly by my Fitbit. In addition, MyFitnessPal doesn't have my current goals, so ignore that part at the bottom. Breakfast Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz) 2 0 0 0 0 Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz) 2 0 0 0 0 Eggs - Fried (whole egg), 4 large 370 2 28 25 0 374 2 28 25 0 Lunch Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz) 2 0 0 0 0 Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz) 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 Dinner Tums - Smoothies Extra Strength 750 Assorted Fruit, 2 tablets 10 0 0 0 0 Bob's Red Mill - Quinoa, Original Whole Grain, 2 cup, cooked 340 60 5 14 6 Nantucket Supreme - Bay Scallops - All Natural, 8 oz (112 g or 33 scallops) 200 6 2 38 0 Nutiva - Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 1 tbsp 130 0 14 0 0 Giant - Asian Stir Fry Veggies (Frozen), 1 1/4 cup 88 13 0 3 5 Apothic Red - Red Wine, 5 oz. 122 0 0 0 0 Hershey's - Special Dark - Mildly Sweet Chocolate, 1.0 Blocks (38 g) 36 5 2 0 1 Ice Cream, Coconut, So Delicious - Net Carbs, Vanilla Bean, 1 cup 200 16 16 2 20 1,126 100 39 57 32 Snacks Coco Cafe - Coconut Water Latte, 11.1 fl oz 140 20 3 6 0 Carb Nite - Almonds , 30 nuts 200 4 30 12 6 340 24 33 18 6 Totals 1,844 126 100 100 38 Your Daily Goal 1,790 246 60 67 21 Remaining -54 120 -40 -33 -17 Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber

Hey there fellow assassins. I've made some great changes over these last couple of challenges. I've stopped snacking during the day, started drinking more water, and started exercising every morning, among other things. But the most important change has still been the hardest: eating well. I eat fine when I cook for myself, and generally don't even keep unhealthy food in the house. However, I order delivery several times a week, and it's been terrible for both my health and my wallet. It needs to stop. It's so important and so difficult that it's going to be the singular focus of this challenge. Nothing else matters for the next six weeks except for this. So, without further ado... Goal 1: Eat 100% paleo (+15 points) That's it. No delivery. No take out. No unhealthy eating. At all. Now, a few rules concerning my personal definition of "paleo": The following foods are considered acceptable for this challenge: - Quinoa - Dark chocolate - Red wine - Protein powder - Milk (which I'll cut out at a later time) - Coconut milk ice cream (not something I intended to have often, bit it's allowed) As a general rule, I'd like to keep calories under 2,000 and carbs under 150, but it doesn't really matter, as long as the food itself is acceptable. I'll be posting a full food and exercise log here every morning for accountability, so bug me if you don't see a post one morning. That's it! Wish me luck! Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

I've been neglecting this thread, but not because I've been neglecting my goals. Quite the contrary. I've been so busy I haven't been on the forums. But now the challenge is over, and it's time for me to wrap it up. My routine has changed dramatically since this challenge started. Goal 1: Exercise in some way every morning. I nailed this one. When I first started this challenge, I just wanted to do something every morning. I bought some dumbbells to use at home, and every morning I would do one exercise with them. Shoulder press, curls - it didn't matter. I just wanted to get in the habit of exercising in the morning. The actual exercises weren't important. It wasn't easy starting out. I had to remember to do it and really push myself to do something. Over time, it got easier. I decided to try doing two exercises in the morning. Fast forward to now, and I've gone far beyond what I expected for myself with this goal. I joined a gym by my work a couple of weeks ago, and have actually been going in every morning before work and doing a full workout (Nerd Fitness Barbell Workouts, if anybody is curious). I never thought I would be able to get a full workout in before going into the office, but for the last two and a half weeks, I've been doing just that. A+ (and an extra point for the stretch goal). Adding +6 to STR. Goal 2: Drink a glass of water when I get to work It's hard to believe that just six weeks ago, I never drank any water. I had some soda, and I had plenty of coffee, but I never had any actual water. I started by drinking a single glass of water as soon as I got to work. After that became easier, I wanted to add a second glass of water. So, how am I doing now? I have a 25oz water bottle that I keep at work that I drain and refill at least 4 or 5 times. A+ on this one for sure (and an extra point for the stretch goal). Not sure what attribute to add for this one, yet, but it gets +6 points. Goal 3: Eat paleo dinners Sunday through Friday. Sometimes I do this one, sometimes I don't. It sucks, but I don't feel like I'm much closer to doing this goal than I was six weeks ago. I only keep paleo food in the house, and I only cook paleo food, but I still struggle greatly with ordering take out and eating comfort food, particularly when I'm stressed. I may be eating a lot more paleo food than I was before this challenge, but I didn't change the default; I didn't establish new habits, so I'm going to give myself an F. This will be my primary focus on the next challege. Side quest: Do not smoke a cigarette after I get off the train before I get to work. The problem with my side quest is that as of a couple of weeks ago, I no longer have the same route to work. Instead of getting off the train and waiting for the bus (the period in which I smoked and wanted to not smoke), I take the train and then transfer to another train that takes me to the gym. New routine, new triggers, new habits. For the first 4 weeks of the challenge, though, I kept to this one, I just don't think it's going to help me in the long run. So I get an A, but I'm not giving myself any points. Actually, are we supposed to get points for side quests? So that's that. I've changed wonderfully in some things, and some things I still need to do a lot of work on. I can't wait for the next challenge!

Well, the new habit I was trying to set up for eating dinner was a huge success. Monday-Thursday I ate my healthy dinner with no problems at all. Unfortunately, I grabbed a couple of beers with a friend on Friday, and by the time I got home, I was convinced that getting some mexican food from grubhub was a good idea. Saturday and Sunday were not healthy eating days either. My girlfriend's mom came to town for the weekend and we ignored healthy eating for those couple of days. Last week I was actually trying to do a keto diet. I ate under 30 grams of net carbs most of the week. I tested myself daily for ketones, and after about 3 or 4 days I was in ketosis. I lost a few pounds too, and I liked the way I felt after I had adjusted a little bit to it. I'm going to try to go for the same thing this week (minus the beer and mexican food). Other goals are going well. Exercising in the morning and drinking water in the morning (and throughout the day).