Runner 5

Speaking of Melissa Joulwan: she did some blog posts on the topic. Haven't tried it myself, but her directions seem pretty straight-forward and perfect for one week of cooked foods (if your storage space allows it, I guess...): http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/

I hope this hasn't been asked before, I searched the forum for "sweet paleo breakfast" and didn't find a good answer. If it has been answered, I'm sorry for the repetition: Anyway... Are there any breakfasts that are Whole30 approved that don't include meat/savory dishes? I've been having pancakes made of eggs and banana, but in "It starts with food" it says that I should be avoiding both fruit (to lose weight) and "copy-cat-dishes", meaning things that are originally none-paleo, but can be imitated in some way. But I just can't eat meat in the morning, the thought makes me queasy... I've been struggling with this - no dairy, little to no fruit, no sugar, no grains - any ideas? Or does anyone have similar experiences and simply got used to it eventually...? EDIT: I just discovered recipes for paleo porridge... same problem because porridge = copy-cat-food...? What do you think?

On the leg lifts: If your core isn't that stable yet, it can help not to let your legs drop all the way to the floor before lifting them back up. Try it out and see at which angle your back starts tilting, then try less than that. I don't know how much experience you have, but personally I think leg lifts are a pretty advanced form of core workout, since - as cline said - they pressure the back when they aren't done properly. On the swiss ball: You actually don't need any "equipment" for a good core workout. There are a lot of good videos on youtube that only use your body and nothing else. Or you could just try the excercises Steve suggests in his Angry Birds/Hotel/etc. workouts. As for what you can do if you do get one, I always do these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zjEip6h1zM. I've been told by some people that they're also pretty difficult though. Maybe you could try cline's suggestion of planks first and then advance to these if you get bored? There are also lots of plank variations you could try that are better for the back than normal sit-ups: http://fitnessista.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/05/image24.png.

That's a really valid point, I-Jo. Since there's only one squat rack and one power rack, I almost always have to stand around and wait for those if I wanna stick to my program. So you're saying you substitute your normal excercises with something else as not to have to stand around? I've been trying to stick to my program, even if it means having to wait... What do you do instead of a squat for example? Bodyweight squats?

PS: The lower back pain has gone away to be replaced by shoulder pain - but this time I'm pretty sure it's just muscle soreness, so it's all good. Off to learn how to do a pull-up!

First of all thank you all again and of course (as always, you were right) - I'm getting more used to being there every time I'm there, today I actually managed to ask a guy for a plate he was using - wow! You were also right about the math. I had something wrong in there somewhere, I assume that it was 40kgs in the end, and I'm almost certain now it was a technique-problem. I've taken off a lot of weight and am now slowly buidling it back up again, concentrating on form over weights. This also prevents the fear of ending up under the bar again without a spotter. Another thing that's helped was to stop talking to other people about how they work-out. I do what I do and I'm going to stick with that for at least a month and see what results it gets me. I can still change it up then, if need be. So glad you guys encouraged me, I really had fun today! Now for more discipline on the nutrition side....

Thank you all for your encouragement. There's just so much information on weight-lifting and strength training, I'm was unsure what to follow. People manage to throw me off track easily by saying they do it differently or what I'm doing is wrong. Being a notoric underpants-collector, it always puts be in the position where I want to get back to the drawing board, but I suppose that's just avoiding the problems at the gym... I'm glad that I'm not alone with this, though, thank you for boosting my confidence PS: I have lower back pain during and the day after squatting - I'm think I overextend too much, although a friend says I don't - could it also be lack of training and the unusual movement for my body?

I'm sorry, but I have to vent a little. Maybe some of you have had similar experiences and can help me get over it. It's been a while since I last worked out... I've been running on and off, but recently I took on going to the gym again, and after having read a lot of nerd fitness, I figured: lift heavy! So I bought "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippletoe, and I read it, and I had a male friend who's been working out for while go with me the first time to quick-check my form and then I just went for it.... but now, after my third time, I'm just really confused and also really sad. 1) I feel terribly self-aware every time I go in the weight-lifting area. I'm always the only woman there and get strange looks (or at least feel like I'm getting strange looks). I always felt pretty self-conscious, but there I just feel really stupid :/ 2) The first time I squatted, I got up to 40kg. Considering Mark Rippletoe, my second time around I planned on doing warm-up sets and then adding 5 pounds. So that's what I did. I did a warm-up set with the empty bar and then another two sets always adding ten kilos. Then, arriving at 30kg, I got down in the squat and...... couldn't get back up. Just couldn't for the life of me. I managed to roll the bar off my shoulders somehow, the guy behind me kinda helped, but it was embarassing as hell and I really don't get it. I guess my form is messed up or something - I really don't know why I got to 40kg the first time, but broke together with 30kg that time. 3) Today was okay. Took off a lot of weight on the squats, 15kg being my work-set, which felt very light in comparison. A friend said 5x5 isn't a good workout pace, so I changed it to one or two warm-up sets and then 3x8.... does anybody have any valid recommendations on this? 4) Barbell rows, Bench press and bust - Where do you pull/push the bar? Under the breast? On it? I'm still going the day after tomorrow. Maybe this gets better with time?

I eat paleo-banana omelettes/pancakes (whatever you want to call them) - 2 eggs, 1 banana (the browner the better), 1 tbsp baking powder (if you prefer them fluffy) - presto! Not sure if that's going to help you, but it's a healthy substitute to the normal sugary pancakes. Also, if you have a bit of time in the morning: take a muffin/cupcake form, layer two/three of the holes with bacon, then prepare your usual scrambled egg batter (don't forget the spices, and I also like to put in herbs like chives or such), fill it in the bacon-lined holes, put it in the oven... they come out like little egg/bacon cakes. Very pretty to look at and yummy and convenient to eat You can also do it with whole eggs, they come out a little like this:

Don't have a Mac, sadly :/ Otherwise it would definitely be useful!

Day 1 This isn't starting out so well, but it could be the bad weather... I feel like the weather and the studying together are draining all energy right out of me. And what to do without energy? - Eat! I've managed to contain myself though. Breakfast was great as usual (paleo banana pancakes - yum!), lunch was good, too. It's always after lunch that the troubles begin. I did snack, but only on nuts and cranberries (and had a piece of fruit), which is fine. Managed to say "no" to ice-cream. Dinner tonight will be chicken and veggies, I hope I stay strong this evening, too. I did 1/2 of my YAYOG intermediate workout this morning, planing on doing the other half after dinner. Probably not going to go to my yoga class though... it never used to be a problem, I love yoga actually, but I really have no energy left for it in the evening after sitting at the desk all day. I have no energy for anything really. I hope this goes away after the studying phase... As for measuring: I looked for my measuring-band this morning and couldn't find it - weird. I'll have to get a new one and then I'll measure my base-line on Friday. I like measuring Fridays better anyway, because it isn't after the weekend (which is always full of "exceptions" or unplanned suprise events that involve food *sigh*). I'll call it a day for today and go rest now, maybe watch a movie... and sleep, sleep, sleep. I'm always amused by people who have to put "more sleep" on their goals-list - never had a problem with sleeping too little, more like too much

Haha, all these zombie-fans - awesome! I think "Zombies, Run!" started an all new hype! Good luck on reaching your goals, you can do it!

Thank you guys, zombies keep me motivated ever since I started running with the Zombies app I do study better when I go outside, the hard part is getting up in the first place, because I always feel I don't have the time, you know? But yeah, priorities....

I love your goals, you sound a lot like me, I'd love to follow your progress! About the binging (besides everything that's been said here already, which I agree with totally): I have/had the same problem and I asked a lot of people here the same question - what to do? One of the most important things for me was to realize that it's an emotional issue... so the advice I got here was: find something to either conquer or distract you from whichever emotions trigger the binging. Workouts, reading, being creative... whatever suits your fancy. And another really sweet comment I got was: whenever anything comes up, you can always turn to the people at Nerd Fitness Best of luck to you!

Main Quest: Get fit and fight! (Lose weight, get stronger, feel fitter.) - Rule #1: Cardio! (Run at least 1x/week (Tabata) and/or go for a long walk (> 1h), -> goal: get to 8x tabata repetition without pausing) - Rule #18: Limber up! (Strength training 3x/week, 2x before 8 a.m., -> goal: try to reach 1 pull-up or finish an intermediate work-out on YAYOG) - Rule #6: The "Skillet"! (Paleo nutrition at least 3 days/week, sweets max. 1x/week -> goal: lose 2cm at the waist) Life Side Quest: Use your head! (Study hard and rock the exam in October/November) Motivation: SURVIVE! No, I'm just kidding... I just want to feel good in my body again. I want to feel awake and alive eventhough I have to sit at my desk and study all day, I want to look my best when I have my exam and I want to have a normal relationship to food again. I'm not a dog, I don't need to reward myself with sweets for studying hard, it should be a given that I try to do my best every day. I can do it!