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I just wanted to chime in here and say wow! Thank you! Reading along with the questions I had (or didn't know I had) being answered on someone else's journey is awesome! Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

Thanks man. Will do. Just posted on your last challenge. Good read, and very inspiring.

So. Awesome. Loved reading through your challenge diary Silkie. Way to go with meeting your goals. It sucks that you set goals that were contra-indicated and found that out later, but you did excellent anyway. I just posted my failure report for a couple of challenges ago, and my intention to start the next set of challenges with some local friends who want to be accountabillibudies. I'm super pleased to see your progress, and it's very motivating. Any word on that paleo food photography? (I ask, as a photographer.)

Well. I failed. I got the first half down, the second half eluded me. Life fell apart, and my challenge with it. I'll be doing the next challenge though starting at the end of this month. I also have some support, as a couple of my friends have registered, so I have local accountabilibuddies. I've been doing the gym 1 day a week for a bit, and have also hung my chin-up bar at home. I'm up to 2 chin-ups or pull-ups, and almost a third of the other. I might be able to do 3 of one with a serious push. It feels good at the gym not be scared of the chin up bars though. That's a bonus. I'm down to 188, so about 10 lbs since before I started the first 6 week challenge I failed on, this one. Going to keep going. KCCO.

Good for you! Can I ask your motivation? What inspired you to decide to drop some weight and start running? How was your last 5k? I'm no runner myself, but I know lots of them. I have a friend challenging himself to increasing amounts each month. Last month he ran 230k, this month he's doing 250k. I know how tough it can be to cut soda, I'm doing it too. Mostly succeeding, but that stuff is insidious. Are you allowing yourself diet soda, or are you cutting it all out? I've decided to go for all of it, but I'll support your decision whatever it is. Let us know how it goes! I'm subscribing to your topic. I'll try and come and ask for updates if you don't post regularly, but I can't promise. I'm a once a week poster usually, and I know I would stay more motivated if I was posting more. However, work and life interrupts. If I notice you haven't though, I'll come ask.

Gluten free is pretty easy for me to wrap my head around, as much of my extended family is allergic to wheat. I'm a pretty good wheat-free cook, and I know the staples. Wheat-free is not exactly carb free though. At a restaurant it probably makes little difference, but I know lots of wheat-free home cooks who make cookies, cakes, brownies and all sorts of treats you could fatten yourself up on. The carbs just end up coming from rice/potato/bean flour instead. Still just as much empty calories. My wife and I had broiled steak chunks and a ton of asparagus last night for dinner. Very paleo I think. I haven't actually gone and researched paleo diet, just assumed it's what a paleolithic human would eat. Things hunted and things gathered. Not things packaged, preserved or farmed. How does dairy fit into a paleo diet? What about salted dried meat like jerky, or smoked like sausage? I know I could google it, but the conversation and opinion is more entertaining. Anybody out there, feel free to chime in...I'm interested in your take.

Awesome! Good to see you able to score yourself so well. I'm at work so haven't watched the magic yet, but I've always been a fan of magic so I'm going to as soon as I can. How do you rate your cooking skill, aside from being paleo? You don't seem to be afraid to try some things many cooks (especially men for some reason) would consider at least moderately challenging. I spent my first years after HS as a cook. First on a line in a steakhouse, then at a 4* guest ranch in the boonies that catered to well off European tourists. I've been lucky enough to cook with some Chefs that are literally world class. I left cooking because of the stress of professional kitchens. I'm a great cook though - so if you need any ideas/help/explanations feel free to ask. I second the suggestion for Quinoa. I'm not a huge fan of it as a dish for everyone, as there are some ethical concerns around it. I've never found non-organic Quinoa, probably because of the section of the populace that it appeals to wouldn't be interested. It's a seed, so it is carb rich, but it's also very protein dense. It has no gluten if that's an issue. I've had reasonable success with it in the past. The ethical issues I suggest are that because it is becoming a very fad food, places where it is grown and has traditionally been a staple are now growing it to send overseas. This results in a food deficit for the peoples who have historically relied on it. If this is an issue to you, I'm sure a quick google would help you narrow down some that is ethically and more sustain-ably harvested, similar to coffee co-ops or whatnot. Get the game while standing thing down and you'll be making some good grades. Good for you, I'm cheering you on. I also seriously appreciate the posts on my challenge as well. If you want a facebook or some other sort of accountabilibuddy let me know. I'm not sure our time difference, but I'm happy to check in with you once in a while if that helps. Or I can just do it here.

I was going to come update today, seems I wasn't fast enough. This last week was a bomb. I'm giving myself a D. Not for Damn Good either. I got one good strength workout in, thanks to Silkie. It was rough. Very rough. But I felt good. I did not get to the gym, and didn't have the motivation to keep it up. Part of being sick and stressed and overworked probably, but that's not a good enough excuse. I'm hitting the gym tonight. I do better at workouts if I get to the gym, it's a big struggle to do it at home for some reason. My diet was...so so. I'm giving myself a C on that. Maybe even a C+. It wasn't great, but I consistently thought about what I was eating. Yes, I slipped up a few times, but I also chose the healthiest things I could find when I went out or whatnot. For instance, when we went to a steakhouse for lunch, I chose a steak sandwich with steamed veggies instead of fries and no bread. However, I also consumed a couple of burgers and whatnot. It's hard to restaurant when you're trying to watch your diet. Usually I could do steamed veg or a clear soup as a side and something with more meat than carbs to try and contain those extra empty calories. My coffee intake was up. Average 2 cups a day. However, I managed to keep soda to a minimum, only drinking 3 cans of coca cola. I've been buying more good juice, so I may still be getting calories from it, but at least I'm getting some vitamins too. I also have upped my water intake. Staying hydrated is a little easier here in the winter, as the air inside and outside is dry and it reminds you that you need more aqua. Pushing myself to push it this week and keep the positive going. Just because I slacked off one week is not an excuse to do it again. Remember me, I'm doing this to look good for myself and like who I see in the mirror, as well as to be healthier and happier for my family. I just have to keep saying it to myself.

@silkie. Absolutely! If you have any examples I'd love to have them. I'm going to be pulling out my pull up bar, one of my eventual goals is 20 pullups and 20 chinups. I can't even do one yet though. with the assist machine I can do 10 with 90lbs removed, which is a little less than half my bodyweight. Any other ideas would be great. I'm thinking of paying for a 2hr personal trainer sessuon, I can't seem to do squats and lunges properly...my form sucks. there must be a trick I'm missing and I'm worried that trying it on my own ill learn bad habits and do myself harm.

Ps. Typed on a virtual keyboard. Please ignore any obvious grammatical errors. I'm normally much better. ;-)

Thanks Silkie. Herea the update. Got to the gym oncw this week, a good lower body workout. Have basically been making my strength training at home goals, but missed two. however, they were replaced with epic snow shovelling sessions, so I'm counting that as goals met! Eating has been pretty good. Not paleo, but way better than before. Have only had two tiny halloween candy bars, so hard when there is so much around! My wife and I had quite the conversation last week when we started talking about our eating habits. she convinced me that I can't change my diet without changing it for all of us, as its a) quite expensive and difficult to feed most of the people one meal and me another. So, the reault of that is that our whole family is working on the diet change with me. Weve been eating less carbs, lots more protien and way more veggies and fruits. Fish and brown rice has become far morw common for us. My coffe e (and thus cream/sugar) intake is down to about 1 cup/day and I've only had two sodas and two diet sodas (cans not big bottles) in the last two weeks. Despite having started gaming sessions on Sundays again. Yay D&D 3.5. Kids have been sick, and so have I. Winter colds. So I've started my vitamins again. D&C primarily with a multivitamin thrown in. We have lost most of our sun here up north, sunrise at 9am and set at 330pm so vitamin D supplements in the winter is important. That's about all to report right now. As it atands I'd grade myself a B- Thanks for the response and motivstion giys. Time to go spread some of my own.

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for the comment on my intro thread. I think you've got a realiatic goal, and I'm also happy you're willing to grade yourself by something other than numbers on a scale. Ita very possible you'll get some muscle built and not lose weight, but still get more fit. I think that's how I'm gonna end up too.

I was a couple days late starting out, but I'm here for my third day. Re: massage, go for it. Find someone who specializes in therepuetic and sports massage though. As a hint, they probably won't be working out of a salon. Its my experience that many issues are going to take multiple visits, but maybe that's just me. Yes it hurts, but its worth it to feel better. Vive La Rebellion!

First update. I've been to the gym twice this week. Once without a plan and that was a waste of a workout. Last night I had a plan a nd managed it. I felt so fricken good, and huge afterwards. I actually got complimented by a guy who I asked to spot me on my third set of dumbbell cheat presses. Awesome! Tonight I'm going to mosify the beginner bodyweight woekout to be a lighter workout I can do on rest days. As it ia its probably too tough for me to uae as a rest day plan. But the squats and lunges will be good for me. I also plan to build a lower body routine for next week. So far I've only been doing upper body stuff. I'm going to come back and post my stats from last night in a bit when I'm on a real computer. Eventually I plan to become a ranger, it fits well as my primary community involvement is as a Scout Leader, and I'd like to be the best Rover I can be. (A Rover is an adult Scout, in my variety of scouting it goes for life, not until 22 or so like BSA)

I love feeling like I got hit with Ray of Enfeeblement the day after a workout. Means I did it right. Although, I don't actually like having to fight to climb stairs. Good for you. Keep it up. The first day of my challenge is tonight. So far I've hit my soda/coffee intake, as long as I keep it to water for the rest of the day. I'll come check on ya tomorrow.

Hi everybody, I'm Jeff. I'm here to level up my life, just like all the rest of you. I figure I'm doing the tutorial right now, or whatever you want to call it. (in Anarchy Online, which I used to be addicted to, it would be newbie island.) My main goal is to get fit, get strong, look good and feel good. I have three little kids and want to be able to introduce them to the things I once was able to do, but no longer can. Like rock climbing, and inline skating. Maybe some boxing. All girls should be taught to box. (heh, it could save me a shotgun and a life sentence one day....) I also have a degenerative disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. It causes my joints to fuse together, primarily in my back. So far my sacral joint and first vertebra are fused. I need to keep my strength and flexibility in my back to mitigate this later in life. It's uncurable, and I'll never be able to live without it, so I need to live the best life I can with it. I'm a level 1 human. Here are my specific objectives. Get to the gym (with a plan) at least two days a week. Do the beginner bodyweight workout at least two days a week. Cut soda intake to 1 can a day max. (or 1 double/double coffee) I don't get any side quests yet...I'll need some levels. First in Adventurer, then probably in Ranger. My Life Quest - quit smoking. I can't do it in six weeks, but I can surely start. And it's probably the number 1 thing I can do for my health and fitness right now. Second is fixing my diet, I'm slowly working on that too. My Motivation: I need to look good for me, and be healthy for my family. (I'll put up a picture of it written out in a bit.) That's me, and my challenge. I look forward to leveling up with all of you.

Stellar! I love to hear about success! I'm proud of you, despite the fact that I don't know you. I know I'm just starting, but every rep I do or km I jog is one better than the me that could be on the couch instead. Same for you brother, keep it up!

I'm so excited to hear that you're excited! Good job on those 21lbs - that must be a great self inspiration for you. I know how you feel with wanting to get back to being able to so things you once did, that's where I am too. Welcome! I look forward to hearing more of your story. Maybe the beginning is now? All the atuff that came before may juat be the author's introduction, and your story can begin with when you decided to take charge of your own destiny. Go you!

Hello Rebels! I stumbled upon NF a while ago and I'm quite taken with it. Heres my story for those who are interested. In HS I was puny. As a 5'6" guy that weighed in at 110lbs I fell in with the nerds. Also, I'm smart! ;-) I like to think I was a nerd before it was cool. I took up boxing and inline skating and rock climbing in HS so was quite fit, but not super strong. I got married shortly out of HS and went from 120lbs to nearly 240, in about 6 years. I got serious about getting fit and changed my diet and started hitting the gym. That took me from 235ish to 170 lbs. And a divorce. She wasn't ready for changes like I was, and our only thing in common turned out to be mmorpgs, (DAoC, AO, WoW) and I gave that up to change my life. I got married again later, have 3 little girls and am woeking on unfit again. I'm back up to 187lbs and started smoking again. Wish I hadn't, but if wishes were horses and all that. I need to level up my life, so I'm trying to build muscle, lose fat, stop smoking abd eating crap (paleo bound, at least partly...) I surpise myself that I'm not as unfit as I feel, if that makes sense, but I'm aurely not where I want to be. My BMI says I'm obese (barely) and I'd put my BF% around the high 20s or low 30s, although as its mostly in my gut I have retained some ability to run, and lift things. I'd like to be stronger, I've always been known as the guy who's tougher than he looks and can take punishment, but certainly not the guy you look at and think "that's one bad mother..shutyermouth" I need help with staying motivated, breajing terrible habits and making time. My life is complicated by the fact that I work full time, run a second part time business, and my wife has two jobs too. With three little kids added to that finding time is difficult, as is dietary change. I know the time exists to find though, if I want it enough. I'd also like to be an inspiration to my wife, who is uncomfortable in her body and falls into many of the same traps as I do. If I can change, maybe I can inspire her to make the changes that I know she wants. (This message typed on a virtual keyboard, please forgive any obvious typographical errors.)