KeoniD96720

Sorry, Big Island

Come on over! I live on the Big Island, which has no bars, nightclubs, nightlife, etc. But we have active volcanoes! And beautiful places to see!

<wow, I picked the right room - everyone here is drop dead gorgeous> Level 1 here. First challenge and so far, going OK. Not great. Definitely not perfect, but OK. The goal of eating paleo is mostly good. Succeeding at the no-grain part, not so great on the no-dairy. Exercise (bodyweight workouts) - only done about 1/2 that I wanted to this week. Did NOT get in the pool - got dressed, went in and stuck my toesies in, and even here in Hawaii - DAMN, that water was cold.

Just look right back at the guy saying that, look him up and down and say "neither have you, apparently."

For me, strict paleo means 1. no grains -- an easy one for me 2. no legumes -- a little more difficult - peas are tasty -and- 3. no dairy -- that's a challenge

That's a good idea. I have never really had that particular fear (falling on the face -- my fear is just failing at pushups), but a little pillow there just might keep me from breaking my nose again. Thanks!

I appear to have the secret power of "Thread Death". OK, so I'm going to embark on my first NF Challenge and one of the optional tools is a "Challenge Squad" or other accountability group. I think it would help. Is there a GLBTQQCIA accountability group for the Challenge? I'm Level 1/First Challenge so I know I can't be much help to others except as a cheerleader, encourager, sympathizer - but I can do that! Any interest for the challenge starting on Monday?

It seems like taking on my first Challenge is the next step - so here goes! Step One: Sign up with Spezzy's form - Done! Step Two: Main Quest "Continue Losing Weight - Approximately 12 Pounds This Six Weeks" I only say 'approximately' because, like most people, I vary by a couple of pounds. For example, yesterday I weighed in at 270. Today (same scale, same time) I weighed in at 272. Using that same "couple of pounds of flex" rule, at the end of 6 weeks, I will be 258, 260 - in that range. Step Three: Goals 1. Be strictly Paleo for those meals I always can choose for myself and control - breakfast and lunch. 2. Do a basic bodyweight workout (rip:60 or freestyle) at least 3x a week. 3. Get in the pool at work, even if its just stress relief, at least once a week. I like to try to keep things simple, so that's good for my Level 1 Challenge!

I don't know how safe the world is for the straight allies. Did you hear what Chris Kluwe has said? Don't worry, I'll help protect you though. One benefit of being tall and big is that most people don't mess with me. Well, except for short straight guys will 'small man syndrome'.

Do you use kettle bells or dumb bells for the gravediggers or butter churns? By 30x2, do you mean 2 sets of 30 rep? These are great ideas to add to my routines. I don't know what a 'tire up' is. Maybe I can find that elsewhere in the forums.

Pushups, planks, pull-ups, some dips when I can find somewhere to do it. I have to admit, its a little variable and unstructured. And I cannot and have never (even as a kid) been able to do a genuine pull-up, but I'm working toward it. So I do have a goal! I guess if I were a better bull@#$!er, I'd say that I "use a variety of bodyweight exercise that I modify often so that I acheive greater muscle confusion".. truth is, I do what I remember at the time, and when if I remember something else later I do it then. Hmm..."rather than a single concentrated workout, I do several smaller workouts every day with compound exercises" -- maybe I'm better at this BS thing than I thought...

Yes, yes, yes,a thousand times yes!

So, I'm still a newbie, but I'm excited for this challenge -- its a chance to practice setting some little "Level Up" goals as practice for the next Six-Week Challenge. My goals are: 1) most importantly, don't GAIN weight during the holidays. So far so good, I have actually continued to lose. 2) continue my paleo eating plan which is working well so far. 3) check out and try some of the supplements that Robb Wolf recommends to see how they make me feel. 4) start adding some basic bodyweight exercises to tone up the slightly-smaller me and help continue to get smaller 5) begin the slow journey to being able to do a pullup Wish me luck!

No worries, Dave. I appreciate the perspective. I can understand that the approach that worked for you was to be very strict, at least at the beginning. I don't know that its the right approach for me, but that was part of my original question - "what is everyone else's experience - is absolute adherence required?". For you, it was and that worked for you and then over time you learned that you could be less strict. Other people found that 90-95% adherence was OK for them from the start. I still don't know where I fall on that scale. I do know that after a while with no grains or cheese, a small amount of both resulted in an evening in the bathroom -- so I learned that lesson well! While experimentation is a part of learning, that experiment is not one that I wish to repeat any time soon. Ask me again in a few months. Maybe then I'll be in a place to try again. Even with my non-strict Paleo, I've dropped about 5 pounds in the last 10 days. Not bad.

Being tall is overrated believe me. I've been this tall (6'4") since I was 12. There is this assumption when you are tall that you a) want to play basketball and that you are good at it. I'm a big ol' queer. A giant boy with fruity center. Desire? Talent? Neither one of those is true. Besides, have you seen the things basketball players in the 70's and 80's wore? Fashion Felony! Well, I did (and still do) have nice legs but STILL!