Gainondorf

Teirin, Thanks and thanks for checking in from time to time! Looking forward to the Warriors and the next challenge.

End of Week 6 Well, looks like six weeks is up. Ended at 207.20 and 20.34% body fat. I'm slacking on nutrition and I am starting to realize that it plays the biggest role in all of this. It's simple to remember to workout three times a week but to plan out meals accordingly and cook, that requires hard work. I don't want to blame my 1.5 hour commute one-way to work but I feel like it has definitely allowed me less time to do these things, though mostly it is prioritization. Although, overall, I think this was a positive experience. All my lifts are currently at the highest they have ever been and the only thing I've failed on is the press. For these next six weeks I'm going to hone in on nutrition, I can't neglect it anymore. It plays too big a role in all of this for me.

End of Week 5 Not the best week, went out to eat 2-3 times and ended up missing a workout in-between. However, I only missed one and then got right back on track. I ended the week at 208.20 and 19.90% body fat - meeting my mini-goal for the week, woot! I locked down my diet this weekend and planned out every single meal for the week. Before I would just buy a bunch of healthy ingredients but never really planned on what to eat when, so I'm trying to zone in on that a bit more. Another thing I am going to try and accomplish this week is to walk an hour a day. I walked an hour after my workout on Sunday and listened to an audiobook and enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately, living in the midwest, I was walking on a treadmill in the house, but even still. I've even considered building a desk around the treadmill such that an hour of the day that I would just be browsing the internet I could do while walking. We'll see how that pans out. New mini-goal is to walk an hour everyday for a week - we'll see how it goes.

End of Week 4 Progress is slow, but consistent. Still trending in the right direction and still increasing strength. No failures yet! I was even able to do a couple pullups yesterday. I ended the week at 208.80 and 20.26% body fat. Diet has been alright but haven't tried any new recipes or anything. Sticking to good protein sources, including more veggies, and eliminating carbs. My mini-goal is to get below 20% BF by next week. Seeing that number drop down would be a good boost of confidence so that's what I'm shooting for!

Always open for suggestions! To try and not overwhelm myself with too much information I've been introducing new recipes slowly, maybe one or two a week. I think my next one will be some shredded zucchini like you mentioned, that sounds awesome. I do eat quite a bit of bacon, so it wouldn't be too hard to throw some spinach in there... that's an easy solution. Next time I go shopping I'll grab some zucchini and try that out, too. Thanks!

I've been shifting my eating habits towards Paleo for about a year now, but I've never been 100% consistent with it. Right now I'm working on having more vegetables (broccoli and spinach ftw!) and plenty of water. I'm looking around for new recipes to try out to incorporate vegetables. I'm definitely not picky about eating vegetables, it's just getting a solid plan of what to cook and when that I'm trying to iron out.

End of Week 3 My workouts got pushed back because I decided to go out one night, but I should be back on track as of tonight. Squats are at 150lb and I'm starting to notice them become a bit more difficult. No failures yet but I'm sure they aren't too far off now. The notoriety of the Overhead Press speaks for itself, only at 70lb and I'm feeling my triceps this morning - that's a good thing though! I ended the week at 212.80 and 20.50% body fat. Started going through content of the NF Academy so I've got some nutrition quests that I'm going to try and knock out this week; we'll see how it goes.

Teirin, I ended up re-posting all of it here so it should be good now. I appreciate the tips and I'll have to spend some more time perusing those areas - I kind of checked them out briefly when I joined the academy. I have not been using anything to help with yoga but this also looks like a good place to start. Thanks! I'll check back with results when I've spent some more time there.

End of Week 2 Week 2 was a good follow-up. Was able to workout three times a week without issue. I'm actually starting to get excited about using the barbell, and that's what I need. I ended the week at 210.80 and 21.02% body fat. Even though there are some inaccuracies in the body fat meter I use, this is a decent enough indication. What this is telling me is that I'm cutting the calories and not getting enough protein to retain muscle. Could be the inaccuracies, again, but knowing how I ate it wouldn't surprise me. Need to find some more Paleo recipes to make this week, so we'll see what the week brings!

End of Week 1 Week 1 was a good start. I've been taking slow steps to reach my goal and not taking on too much right away. I worked out three times this week and recorded my workouts on Sunday as a means for checking my form. Unfortunately, when I got on the scale and measured my body fat, it was a lot higher than I expected. I am 214.80 and 20.72% body fat. Last year there was a point where I was at 200.60 and 16.80% body fat. The holiday season really took a toll on me this year. However, if I was there before, I know I can get there again, and be even better this time around. On to Week 2!

I'm moving this here because I think I posted in the last challenges board. Oops. Main Quest To get stronger while building muscle and losing fat. Support Quests Follow Stronglifts 5x5 every week (three workouts weekly). Get eight hours of sleep every night. Eat quality calories following the Paleo lifestyle Life Quest Try approaching more problems by finding solutions and not excuses. Fitness Side Quest Incorporate yoga and meditation into my routine to promote mental wellness. Motivation This has always been my struggle to find, but this is my best shot. I want to be both physically and mentally health so that I can overcome ANY challenge that comes my way. Whether that is climbing a mountain, raising a family, etc.

End of Week 2 Week 2 was a good follow-up. Was able to workout three times a week without issue. I'm actually starting to get excited about using the barbell, and that's what I need. I ended the week at 210.80 and 21.02% body fat. Even though there are some inaccuracies in the body fat meter I use, this is a decent enough indication. What this is telling me is that I'm cutting the calories and not getting enough protein to retain muscle. Could be the inaccuracies, again, but knowing how I ate it wouldn't surprise me. Need to find some more Paleo recipes to make this week, so we'll see what the week brings!

End of Week 1 Week 1 was a good start. I've been taking slow steps to reach my goal and not taking on too much right away. I worked out three times this week and recorded my workouts on Sunday as a means for checking my form. Unfortunately, when I got on the scale and measured my body fat, it was a lot higher than I expected. I am 214.80 and 20.72% body fat. Last year there was a point where I was at 200.60 and 16.80% body fat. The holiday season really took a toll on me this year. However, if I was there before, I know I can get there again, and be even better this time around. On to Week 2!

Will likely post pictures and take starting measurements tomorrow morning. I'm new to the community, and as such, every feature of the forum, guilds, etc is still new to me. Therefore, I'm going to try going lone wolf this time, and maybe look for accountability groups in a subsequent challenge. I feel that if you have the right amount of motivation, being accountable to yourself is all you need. The motivation is always the hardest part (for me, at least). Really excited to see what unfolds in the next six weeks!

Main Quest To get stronger while building muscle and losing fat. Support Quests Follow Stronglifts 5x5 every week (three workouts weekly). Get eight hours of sleep every night. Eat quality calories following the Paleo lifestyle Life Quest Try approaching more problems by finding solutions and not excuses. Fitness Side Quest Incorporate yoga and meditation into my routine to promote mental wellness. Motivation This has always been my struggle to find, but this is my best shot. I want to be both physically and mentally health so that I can overcome ANY challenge that comes my way. Whether that is climbing a mountain, raising a family, etc. Will likely post pictures and take starting measurements tomorrow morning. I'm new to the community, and as such, every feature of the forum, guilds, etc is still new to me. Therefore, I'm going to try going lone wolf this time, and maybe look for accountability groups in a subsequent challenge. I feel that if you have the right amount of motivation, being accountable to yourself is all you need. The motivation is always the hardest part (for me, at least). Really excited to see what unfolds in the next six weeks!