Captain Hanuman

Hi! I'm Seldom. A couple of years ago I had a dream and a weight problem. The dream: I wanted to learn to fly hang gliders, the problem: my weight. I was right at 290 very sedate pounds, so learning to fly was out of the question. To make a long story short, I started eating a mostly paleo diet, exercising regularly, and lost weight. I am currently at 207 pounds and looking to level up to some epic badassery...so I begin my first six week challenge! Main goal: To continue to transform my body into one that is stronger, faster, and leaner in hopes of flying in my first hang gliding competition by spring of 2016. Quest 1: Build strength: 45 minutes of bodyweight or or free weight circuits, three days a week. Quest 2: Build speed and distance: Work up to running one mile without stopping, then work on speed. Three days a week. Quest 3: Restrict beer consumption to one ale a week. I'm a homebrewer and beer snob to the utmost degree, so this is going to be tough. Life Quest: I want to take my new hang glider on her maiden flight from Lookout Mountain within the next six weeks. Weather Gods, are you listening?

Crazy few days. I've had a bit of the lurgy (as has the computer) so not much to report here. Just remember: when you're too sick to work out you can still eat the right food. More from the likes of me when I'm better. I'm up only by the force of beard this eve...

Man you are the ultimate, epic, super hero! I'm a pretty motivated guy these days but stumbling upon and reading about your changes (did I mention epic?) is just fuel to keep pushing forward. A guy would have to be dead not to be inspired. Thanks for sharing your journey!

Rest day today. No heavy things, no epic cardio, just being and getting ready for tomorrow. Breakfast was the usual: coffee with heavy cream, bacon & eggs. Seems I always eat the same breakfast, er, first meal. Oh well, it's hard to beat eggs n pigs. Dinner was grilled pork chops (2) marinated in a bit of hot sauce and rubbed with creole seasonings. Served with roasted curried cauliflower. Nice spicy meal; made me cry a little. It has been a good day all round. Sound mind, building a sound body, soaring spirit.

Hello Seven! First off I must thank you for the link to the Bibbulmun Track. I absolutely have to make a trip and take that walk. The wheels are turning up a scheme for a trip now...thanks It is a major treat to go to the closet and find things fitting that haven't in a loooooong time. I kinda feel like I've been on a shopping spree in a second hand store! Keep up the good work. I enjoy following your journey.

It has been a great solstice! I rolled out of bed this morning, had a cup of coffee with heavy cream & a touch of coconut oil, then found a mountain and climbed to the top. When it comes to cardio nothing keeps things interesting like being surrounded by so many mountain trails. To date I don't think I've ever bitched about taking a hike. By the time I was back home I was pretty well spent and HUNGRY! I really haven't been eating enough the last few days, but then again I haven't been at all hungry between meals so I didn't eat. Breakfast (post hike) was 4 eggs and 4 strips of bacon. Possibly coffee, but notes and memory are fuzzy. A short while later I snacked on an apple and some peanut butter. I was surprised that the combination felt and tasted way too sweet, almost like junk food. Perhaps such reactions are to be expected when you go so long without such things. Dinner was ground beef, grilled with mushrooms onions & peppers, served with a side of mashed cauliflower filled with garlic and butter. Looking forward to another epic day!

From the top of the mountain for my solo solstice celebration. There's no better way to start a day than by climbing a mountain.

Other than having a few years on you my beginning stats were almost exactly the same as yours. You've a great set of goals and an eye on exactly what you want to achieve and how to get there. Here's to your success in achieving your health & fitness goals! I look forward to following your journey and helping in any way possible.

Gotta love those days when it all just clicks! Such days seem to make it easier to power through the meh! times.

If all goes as planned I'll be in Spain next year to walk the Camino de Santiago.

It's never too soon, friend! I just signed in a couple of days ago (after months of lurking about) and one of the first things I did was start a battle log. I wish I'd done so months ago as I'd have a written record of my progress. As far as I'm concerned you can't go wrong with paleo and a good, simple workout routine. I'm down nearly 100 pounds just by doing those two things. I wish you the best in your journey! If I can offer any help or encouragement just drop me a line.

Hiya Sarah & welcome to the rebellion! Here's to achieving your fitness goals and sharing the adventure.

20-DEC-2013 Today was a work day which meant doing what I could when I could do it. Turns out I only had to deal with three, count 'em one two three people today. That basically left me 9 hours and 50 minutes of a ten hour day to do as I please. Enter body weight workout stage left. It went something like this: 100 jumping jacks Push ups: 5 sets of 20 with 30 second rest between sets. PR for me today. I've never done 100 push ups in one session so I'm pretty stoked! Squats: 2 sets of 40 Burpees: 2 sets of 10 My form was a bit off due to the push up marathon but at least I was moving, eh? Planks: 2 sets at 1 minute, elbow and sides. Set a bit of fire in the abs let me tell ya. I finished with 100 jumping jacks and a few box jumps just because there was a good step and I kinda have a teensy (irrational) fear of box jumps. Food was simple today as Friday is a fast day for me. 5:45 a.m. Breakfast: 1 cup coffee, black; three scrambled eggs. 6:00 p.m. Dinner: Grilled salmon with roasted broccoli. Water. Today has been awesome! I feel very good, empowered even, both in body and mind. I actually feel successful today. I can't remember the last time that happened! Here's to an epic tomorrow! Bring it on. I'm ready.

Today didn't go as planned regarding my steep trail desires. That doesn't mean I didn't get to move my body, it just means I didn't get to follow my plan exactly. No worries. I'll try again on the solstice~everything will be good then. Food for the day was the above mentioned coffee at 6:45 a.m. Lunch (1:00 p.m.) consisted of some ground beef with onions and mushrooms cooked in a bit of ghee. I also had two eggs and half an avocado. Can we say fat and protein bomb! Dinner happened around 6:00 and was a quick, simple and massive salad of mixed greens, grilled chicken and the remaining avocado half. All in all today was a success. Even if it didn't go exactly as planned.

The thing I hate most about Voyager is that you can't really refer to it in an abbreviated form. If I say TOS, TNG or DS9 every Trekkie knows exactly what I'm talking about. If I go and say STV then it just makes people think I've something that can't be washed off. Hey! Welcome to the rebellion! Sometimes I forget my manners when talking Star Trek... Before I took control of my life I was terribly depressed. I did my very best to isolate myself from social situations and people in general. If I had to go out I'd do it late at night or during the wee hours of the morning so that I could maintain some level of invisibility. I also took a night watch job so that I could at least get paid for being alone. I hated nothing more that the thought of people seeing a nearly 300 pound me. So I did everything I could to keep that from happening. When I started making changes in my eating and exercising, my mood as well as my negative self image improved dramatically. It seems that the cleaner I eat and the harder I lift the smaller the dark cloud of depression becomes. Also, since most of my depression seems to stem directly from a very dysmorphic attitude (look in the mirror see mother horta sort of thing) when my body started changing and I was able to see a better version of me my state of mind improved dramatically. Now tell me, and please don't mince words...How do you feel about Neelix?