ZonaryTurnip

I'll eat ANYTHING! No restrictions other than paleo. (In fact, I'm going to the farmers' market tomorrow to get me some grass-fed bison!)

Fellow Starks, I hit a roadblock last Friday with the flare-up of an old back/hip injury. Thankfully it does not seem too serious, but it was one hell of a downer for the weekend. I took a break from workouts from Friday until, hopefully, tomorrow. (But I still did my walking every day, and kept it all Paleo except for one self-pity meal on Sunday.) I think I'm finally getting back in the game. I updated my challenge thread with the specifics and all the changes I made to my goals on account of the injury. Your continued support is much appreciated! I'm not sure I could keep this up without the knowledge that this great group of people is in this with me. (And so many asoiaf fans!) To those of you who have powered through the last week, I salute you! To others who are just hanging in there, well, HANG IN THERE! I, too, am counting on this to get easier as the weeks go on.

Yes please! Making breakfast in advance would simplify things very much! As for the rice/bread substitution in my Indian paleo, well, I've just been leaving those out, haha. I generally just make a chicken/beef gravy but I make it really thick, and I eat it with sides of sauteed vegetables (usually carrot/green beans/mushroom) and also fresh vegetable (usually cucumber, sometimes carrot). And some yogurt goes well with the gravy since it's usually fairly spicy. (Happy to give you recipes for the gravy if you want them!) When the meat is all gone the remaining gravy is useful for flavoring omelets or scramble eggs. I also used it to spice up a lettuce/ham wrap, and one other time I mixed it with a bit of yogurt to make a dipping sauce for the veggies. Exercise could be better, but the amended plan should take care of things! Thank you, Pretzle! Your comments made me feel a lot better when I saw them this weekend. Good luck to you too!

Injury and update: The last few days have been kinda rough. Last Friday my back/hip injury from last month flared up again (I got it while playing ultimate), and it's starting to become apparent that I didn't rest well enough. Also, body-weight exercises 6 times a week (though they were designed for alternate days) were probably didn't help the case. So, after I spent the weekend moping (and got myself a double-chicken bowl with chips at Chipotle), I've made some changes to my schedule and goals. First, I re-read this article a few times, took several deep breaths, and felt a little better about everything. Next, I forgave myself for my one non-Paleo slip-up (the Chipotle). Also, I added paneer to my exceptions to the strict Paleo regimen. (Paneer is much easier/quicker protein fix than meat, but it's also high-fat so I'm keeping it limited anyway. Still, good to have the option.) Then, I amended my workout schedule: Light body-weight training 3 days a week, involving part of my old M-W-F workout: three circuits of squats, lunges, pushups, planks, and bridge-raises. (I had to cut out a bunch of exercises from the M-W-F workout and ditch the entire T-R-S workout. This should keep my back/hip happy.) I'll be walking every day as usual; that won't need to change thankfully. But I'm also considering using my workout time on off days to teach myself how to dance. (I'm currently a lousy dancer, and dancing is fairly good cardio.) So that could be a bonus. Also, resting Friday through today was good. (I kept up the walking though.) Finally, I reset my grading system to start count success days and fail days from tomorrow (Wed, Aug 6) onwards. [On the positive side, my life-goal has been going very well. I've written for a couple of hours every day!] And now, getting back on track!

Thanks MsLouise! It was! I'm keeping up, the days are starting to merge together a little bit, but I've managed to stick to my goals (and my life quest) every day. Minor quibble: I'm usually up really late so I sleep in, and then it doesn't make sense to make breakfast. Time to fix that!

It's the end of Day 4! (well, I'm on Pacific time and up really late) Went out to a friend's house for dinner today so I couldn't avoid a bit of grain. (We're Indian, so rice is a big part of any meal usually, and I couldn't very well tell them to make something separate just for me!) Otherwise, the days have gone swimmingly. Good to see House Stark standing strong!

Hello all! I gave my allegiance to House Stark this afternoon. I'm starting a graduate program in physics this fall (mid-September), and I'll also be working on a low-residency MFA in poetry, so I'll have very little time for much else. So I have the summer to build good habits and get fit. Absolutely need to look good shirtless on the beach before fall quarter starts! (I'm in California, so you know it's going to happen.) Here's my challenge thread. Wish me luck! ClockworkTerrier: You got this! (And you are SO going to love that book, and the ones that follow. Don't let it get in the way of your goals though. Seriously, you can't put them down.) Guillaum: Ned Stark//you//Stannis Baratheon is a good look. Or think of Robert in his prime. All the best! Targaryen: My life goal is writing too! It's not as ambitious (although I'm a poet, and some might say we're generally less productive!), but I'm trying to write at least an hour every day. I've found it easier to quantify by the amount of time, but that's probably because verse is flakier than prose. superultrakami: Eeep, long cook times! I made brisket curry the other day and I had to leave it on the stove for six hours before it was done! (I wish I had a slow-cooker!) I'm going to stick to chicken for the most part because it's usually so much quicker to make. Well, DAY 1 was a SUCCESS! Got my workout on, went walking for an hour, and ate primal. On to Day 2! Keep it going everyone!

On packing lunch: If you haven't tried taking Paleo "sandwiches" to work, you should! Portabella mushrooms or large lettuce leaves or even big lengthwise slices of cucumber serve well as "bread," and pretty much anything goes in between. Easy to pack too. These sandwiches changed my outlook on Paleo. Good luck! Share your progress!

Yes, exercise and eating right will definitely help level everything else up as well. Good luck! Share your progress!

Day 1: SUCCESS! Did my Monday workout, walked for an hour, and ate deliciously primal, as evidenced above: pepper chicken and sauteed vegetables. Proud of how that came out. And I wrote for an hour. 1/42nd of the way there! Onward to Day 2!

Hello Rebels! For my first six-week challenge, my main quest is simple: Lose the fat! I'm 23, 5'9", and ~175 pounds, which would be fine if so much of it wasn't fat instead of muscle. My main quest isn't very specific, to be sure, but it's really more about a lifestyle change than a quantitative measure. I'm hoping to just be able to see visible improvement in front of the mirror over the next six weeks. Goals: 1. Body-weight workout for 30-45 minutes, 6 days per week. Alternate sets of exercises for M-W-F and T-R-S. EDIT post-injury: 3 days per week, M-W-F. 2. Walk for an hour or play soccer/ultimate, at least 5 days per week. EDIT post-injury: Walk for an hour 5 days per week. 3. Eat Paleo.* *Exceptions: limited amounts of beans and (plain) yogurt. Neither significantly affects my true goal of limiting carbs, so I'll focus on eating healthy rather than accurately. (EDIT: Paneer also allowed.) I enjoy cooking so I'll be posting stuff that I make on here every now and then. (I'm trying out Paleo versions of Indian cooking, and so far it's been fun!) Grading: (EDIT post-injury: Exception for body weight workouts for Aug 2 to Aug 6.) A: Accomplish all goals every day, see visible results. (Definition, low fat percentage, etc.) B: Complete all goals at least 6 times per week. (or 6 days of failure, total.) C: Complete all goals at least 5 times per week. (or 12 days of failure, total.) F: Fail to complete all goals on more than 12 days over the six week period. Bonus: A+: If I can pull off this costume by the end of September. Life Quest: Write for an hour every day. I'm starting a physics graduate program this fall, and that will soon leave me very little time for writing. (I'm also working on a low-residency MFA in poetry.) I want to make sure I don't fall behind. Here goes! I'm done with the basics, I've escaped the block (and the dragon), and I'm headed for Riverwood!