erinlaurel

I just decided to change my workouts up a bit, as far as lifting I was doing heavy weights 2 sets of 10 but I want to move more towards an endurance type lifting so I've lowered the weights just a smidge and am doing 3 sets of 15 with only 30-60 second rests in between. Don't worry, the weights are still heavy. I'm doing this 3 times per week and doing 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio 5 times per week trying to keep my heart rate in my fat burning zone which based on what the trainer at the gym told me should be about 120-140 which is lower than I thought. I also started taking a couple of new supplements, CLK and HD by Cellucor, I've only bee taking them for 2 days but I do notice more energy, focus and a decreased appetite. I'm not looking for a magic pill but I think this may give me a little help sticking to my diet and keeping my energy up for workouts. I'm a 30 year old female trying to lower my body fat so I'm thinking this is a good plan. Along with it I'm cutting out sugar and trying to eat paleo as much as possible. What do you guys think?

I'm still here. Why change when you're already with the best:)

So I'm really liking having this group to through ideas out to and have for support. I'd like to put it out there that my new 6 week challenge is to cut out sugar. I'd like to improve my diet and go completely paleo but I'm going to keep it more simple and just go with No Sugar, meaning nothing with added or refined sugar in it for the next 6 weeks. Challenge starts today! What's your new challenge goal for the nest 6 weeks???

I eat most of my meals at home, I get to eat at home for lunch even. My down fall is I end up buying cookies and junk food at the grocery store and if it's in my kitchen I'll eat it so I need to get better about making a list and sticking to it. The other thing I do is if I go to starbucks for coffee then I end up getting a muffin or a big cookie as well. What kind of things do you guys snack on? I tend to eat small amounts all day rather than just 3 big meals, I find it hard to think of good paleo friendly easy snacks to replace things like crackers or chips.

Good stuff on those websites, thanks! I think it's so much more about diet than it is about exercise and the diet is where I have the most trouble so definitely not paying a bunch for a trainer, between NF and Marks Daily Apple there's so much great info and ideas for workouts there's no need for one. Great info about eating real foods too, one of those things I know but just have trouble implementing consistently so that's where I really need to put in my effort for the next challenge round.

Yeah one of the questions the trainer last night asked me was "It takes strength training, cardio and eating right to see results, have you ever combined all 3 at the same time?" And as much as I know that's what it takes, my answer was no, I've always either tried dieting the wrong way so I never had the energy to workout or I'd workout and use it as an excuse to eat what ever I wanted. I enjoy working out so I think I'm going to stick with my current lifting schedule (full body 3 days/week) and try out some of the classes at the gym for more a push rather than spending tons on a trainer. The other thing I need to do is actually be honest with myself about what I'm eating. I've used My Fitness Pal before but as soon as I start eating more than I should I just stop entering it. I'm going to cut out sugar and I think hit the gym a little later in the evening than I have been so I have less time available at night to get bored and snack. Any ideas or tips on how you guys stick with a healthy eating plan I would love to hear. I tend to fall off the wagon on the weekends so I think the other thing I need to do is stick to the same eating schedule on the weekends as I do during the week.

Has anyone ever hired a personal trainer before? It seems like a lot of money to spend for a 25 minute workout. I think I'd be better off with a personal chef if I was able to drop a bunch of money on something:)

So I just changed gyms to one that is closer to me and with the new membership I had the free initial visit with a trainer thing that all gyms do to try and sell you training. During this appointment I was weighed and had my body composition checked and holy sh*t am I depressed now and kinda pissed off at myself for getting to this point . I have been working out pretty well but apparently not hard enough and not eating well enough cause those numbers are higher than I've ever been. About 8 months ago I switched from a pretty active job to a very sedentary one and I guess I didn't realize how much of a difference that makes. Anyone have any good ideas of how to make up for the hours of sitting all day because an hour long workout at the end of the day just isn't cutting it.

Today is day 5 of not eating anything with added sugar. Last night I was craving something sweet so I had some dried mangos, I was surprised that I already felt they were almost too sweet. I've been replacing sugar with protein if I'm actually hungry or drinking water or eating some fruit if it's just a craving and it's going pretty well. My plan is to stick with no added sugars at least through the end of the year and then treat them as an occasional treat item. This prepping for the new year challenge was a good idea, I feel like I have time to train for actually succeeding in the new year:) My stair climbing training is also going pretty well, I was using the stairmill at the gym but the other day I actually ran the stairs in my building, all of it combined I ran 25 floors. I think I'm going to make my goal for the run to do 40 floors and run them all. I had no idea my calves could be this sore and my quads were still so fatigued from the stairs when I was at the gym lifting last night I could only do about half what I normally do for my legs. I consider that a good thing though, I love being sore when you've worked hard for it:)

I've been doing really good with my workouts but my diet still needs some work. I didn't really realize it but I think I have a sugar addiction and being that I'm just not the kind of person that can eat a square of chocolate for dessert and call it good, I'm more like I eat the whole bar of chocolate and still want more, so I decided after reading a lot about it, that I need to go cold turkey and cut out all things that have refined sugar. I'm on day 2 and I'm doing well, I'm finding that if I have none, then I don't crave it, it's when I have a taste then I can't stop. Anyway, just wanted to put that out there to you guys so it will help me stick with it. Also, I came across a run that I want to do on January 27th, it's a "tower run" meaning you run the stairs in a high rise building. I've never heard of this before but I think it sounds fun and challenging and it's raising money for Lung Cancer. Have any of you ever done a tower run before? I'll choose anywhere between 40-160 floors to run and I'm totally in the dark about what's reasonable for me. Luckily I live in a 7 story building so I can practice right at home which is awesome because it's dark and cold outside when I get off work. Would love to hear from anyone who knows anything about this sort of thing.

I've decided not to get on the scale because it's dicouraging and rather judge by how my clothes fit and measurements. I want to get my body composition checked but I'm too embarrassed for the trainer at my gym to see the number but I know I tend to be more muscular so the number on the scale is higher than is typically recommended for women my height. My measurements haven't changed at all and my clothes still fit the same but I can see a change in muscle definition in my legs and starting to in my arms. It's been very cold here so I haven't been running as much as I would like but I've been lifting weights regularly and I'm really enjoying it. I am hoping I'll start to see changes in the numbers and how my clothes fit soon and maybe one of these days I'll get the courage to have my body comp checked.

I started taking this stuff 4 days ago and I do notice a decrease in appetite. I take 2 capsules about 30 minutes before breakfast and I end up just sipping on a protein shake because I'm really not hungry but I know I need to have something in my stomach so I can take my other vitamins and supplements. I take another 2 before lunch and 2 before dinner. I find they make it easier to stay on track with my calorie intake. Having only been on them for 4 days, I don't know yet if they help in the body not obsorbing sugar like Dr. Oz says but I'm going to keep taking them and I'll keep you posted.

I've been buying Quest Bars for a while now. They come in great flavors, they're made with real foods and they taste great, lots of different flavors rather than the standard chocolate or peanut butter of most other brands. The amount of fiber in them isn't took much, it actually makes a 170 calorie bar pretty filling, if you have more than one or two in a day then there can be some issues. They're a bit more expensive than other bars but I think they're worth it and I usually find them on sale or have a coupon. I'd say they're worth giving a try.

I was just doing some research on this stuff after seeing a post on my Facebook about it. I ordered some because it was only $10 from Vitamin Shoppe, which I get stuff from all the time and feel they are a reputable company. I've seen both good and bad feedback which is pretty typical for anything on the internet. As soon as I get it and try it for a bit I'll post on here how it works. Anyone else on here that has actually tried it, I would love to hear your opinion but only if it's first hand knowledge.

As a nerd who loves homemade t-shirts, just an idea for you guys wanting to put your names on your NF shirts, crafts stores have letter stencils and fabric pens/paint that make it super easy to put writing on shirts, both of your user names would make pretty cool names on the back like jersey style.

I did 30 burpees yesterday for day 1 of 30 burpess for 30 days, I can see why people don't like them but they aren't so bad, they don't take very long and the faster I go the fast I'm done:) This is going to be my first Thanksgiving with my family in 7 years, I'm super excited to get to spend the holidays with them but I also want to be able to stick to a reasonably healthy diet. Luckily turkey is healthy and Paleo and there's always plenty of it at these get togethers, I'm thinking telling people I'm gluten intolerant, even though I'm not, is a good way to get out of eating tons of unhealthy foods because telling people your on a diet just makes them try to talk you out of it because it's the holidays. I also manage an apartment building of older people who always try to bring me cookies and stuff and I started telling them I'm diabetic (I'm not diabetic) but tons of them are so they understand stopped bringing me sweets. I know it's lying but it's for the sake of my health and it's not hurting anyone except my sweet tooth:)

I'm planning on doing a 5k obstacle course mud run in February, I'll start doing the 30 days of burpees challenge, I've never actually done a burpee but I get the impression they will be beneficial in any obstacle course. After I post this I will google how to do a burpee:)

I realized this weekend how easy it is to get thrown out of a routine. I was doing great but then an old friend came into town and we spent the weekend visiting, going out to eat every meal. I am a little disapointed in myself for getting off track however, I also know that spending time with an old friend is not something I'm going to choose gym time over so I just need to figure out how to stay on diet a little better when going out to eat. I think today I'll skip the gym and get some fresh air and go for a run outside, clear my head and regroup for the week ahead.

Day 2- Still on track. Only Paleo within my calorie goal, no sugary junk food, leg day at the gym along with 25 minutes of intervals on the treadmill and I got some laundry done:) Feeling pretty good.

All great suggestions. I guess I'm lucky in the sense that Paleo actually includes lots of my favorite foods, so it's really not too scary but the hard part for me about it is that it's easier to stick to if I make my own food at home rather than go out or eat pre made meals. Everyone on here has had great ideas though and I've been doing pretty well so far on filling my kitchen with good foods and cooking my own meals.

You're not alone! My weight changes from 130 to 170 and everywhere in between. I recently got on the scale and I was 174, my heaviest ever, I'm only 5'3". I recently ran my first half marathon so I was shocked to see I'm heavier than I've ever been. I was however using the running as an excuse to eat however much I wanted so now after finding Nerd Fitness, I've decided to workout regularly, lifting weights and interval cardio, and eat clean as much Paleo as I can and turn it into a lifestyle that I can live by, not a diet I struggle to finish. Only 2 days into the challenge but having this community of people sure helps to stay motivated!

I'm definetly trying to clean up my diet as well. I've been eating Paleo and tracking everything on My Fitness Pal. I'm finding that it's much easier to stay within my calorie goal when doing it with Paleo foods because they stick with me much longer than fake or diet foods I've tried in the past. Sugar is my biggest down fall so I'm hoping I can stick with cutting out the sugar and get past the cravings and hopefully the longer I go without sugar the less I will crave them. I'm finding if I treat it like an allergy or an addiction then maybe I wont "justify" eating the bad foods as much:) Any suggestions on healthy foods that satify the sugar cravings? Fruit doesn't really cut it although last night I had an apple with some maple almond butter, only 3 grams of sugar in the almond butter, and that was pretty tasty.

My goal is to lose body fat and so I've started a program that I've kind of tweeked to my liking as far as types of lifts and activities but in general do you guys think this is a pretty good schedule: Sun:upper and cardio Mon:Cardio Intervals and core Tues:Lower and cardio Wed:Upper and cardio Thurs: Cardio Interals and core Fri: Rest Sat:Lower and cardio and core. So basically 2 lower days/week, 2 upper days/week, 3 core days/week, 6 cardio days/week (20-30 min. of intervals on either treadmill, eliptical or stairmill), 1 full body rest day I know some people might say to rest one more day but I've tried that and I tend to lose my momentum so I think and extra easy cardio day just to keep the momentum going is ok. Any feedback, advice, or recommendations?

Great stuff, I'm going to print this out and keep in it my kitchen for shopping lists. I've been making a better effor of cooking, the last 2 mornings I have made turkey bacon and I hard boiled a bunch of eggs to store in the fridge so while my bacon is cooking I eat a couple of hard boiled eggs. I've also got a bunch of different kinds of meats in my freezer now, turkey patties, salmon, bison patties and I've been using my George Forman to cook for lunches and dinners and I got a bunch of frozen veggies that I steam in the microwave and put in a tupperware in the fridge so I can just scoop some out to go with my meals. I know George Formans, microwaves and stuff out of the freezer aren't gourmet but it's my kind of cooking and it seems like it's going to work pretty well for me:)

So far so good. One day down completely Paleo with exception of a Quest bar, which is the one thing I'm not willing to give up. I tracked everything on My Fitness Pal which I've tried before but Paleo is really filling, "stick to your ribs" kind of foods so it was WAY easier and satisfying to stay within my calorie goal. Working out is the easier part for me because I enjoy going to the gym and lifting heavy weights and doing intervals. It's the diet part that gets me. I am lucky that I live at the apartment building that I manage so I'm able to go home and cook each of my meals so as long as I stock my kitchen with only good stuff, I think this just might work. I hope that the longer I go without sugar, the less I will crave it cause that's definitely my down fall.