talenroute

Hello, hello, fellow nerds! I'm increasing my intensity a bit for my second ever 6 Week Challenge. It's a long(ish) list, but all pretty simple. Hoping I can stay on track! 1) Run 100 miles 2) Lift 3x a week (currently just 2x) 3) Switch from Special K to oatmeal with nuts / berries for breakfast 4) Stop buying bread! 5) Track EVERYTHING I eat on MyFitnessPal 6) Do 5 minutes of French practice every day 7) Go on at least 3 dates 8) Follow my "sweets program"* and stay under 40 points 9) Stick to just one beer a week CW: 175 GW: 165 UGW: 150 Height: 5'10 Gender: Female *Sweets program (I really need to come up with a cool name for it) is a program where I add a "point" to my calendar every time I eat a naughty sweet (cookie, yogurt-covered pretzels, cake, pain au chocolat, hot cocoa, etc.). We're playing it like golf -- the less points I have at the end of 6 weeks, the better I am! Already got 2 points today (great start, me), so I have to seriously step up my game so I can stay under 40 in the next 42 days. HERE WE GO!

BatAttack - I hadn't really thought about it that way, but that's brilliant. I'm definitely an abstainer. I don't keep any ready-made sweets in the house, but.. there is flour.. and sugar.. and chocolate chips... and baking de-stresses me. That's probably my biggest hurdle - figuring out a way to bake and then not gobble half of my creation up in one night. Guess I have to make friends with my neighbors!

Wow, thank you all so much for the replies! I really appreciate the response. I probably should have mentioned my age (25) and gender (female).. Will remember to do that in future posts! So my takeaway is this: I do need to be better about logging my calories, but I also mostly need to readjust my way of thinking. The old, "No, you're overweight, you can't have that cookie, remember?" doesn't seem to work. I think I'm more of a "Oh honey, the nutrients in that butternut squash are going to do wonders for your skin, you sexy, sexy animal." So.. food as nutrients / fuel vs. food as "things that may fatten me". I'm going to try out the "allow yourself a little sweet, but keep calories in mind and adjust accordingly" method for a few weeks, and if it doesn't go well, I'll switch to "go hard on weekdays, treat yoself a bit on weekends". I DID manage to pass on free ice cream this evening, though. Baby steps! Thanks again!

Hello fellow Nerds! I have a problem with sweets, and it is keeping me from losing weight. I do everything else well (weights! cardio! stretching! no fast food! no soda! very little bread!), but for the life of me, I cannot give up my sweet tooth. Since I started properly lifting and running about four months ago, I have started seeing my body change (hello, baby biceps, helloooo killer thighs!), but no weight loss. I have been stuck within the same 3 lbs for almost 2 years, and I'm nervous about continuing the weights, because without a proper calorie deficit, I worry I'll start bulking up (which is the OPPOSITE of what I want). So, my question is: How the heck do you motivate yourselves to keep a good diet, especially in regards to sweets? It feels like the ONE wall I can't break through. I love running and lifting and making salads, but then... scones are not conducive to weight loss. Nor are cookies. Nor is ice cream. Help? Heeelp? Any ideas?

Ahhhh. Update: The running is going well. Really well. I'm still slow, but I'm on track with my mileage, and I'm actually starting to really enjoy pounding the pavement. The baked goods -- not so well. I don't eat fast food, I don't buy processed, frozen stuff, I don't drink soda, I hardly eat bread, I don't skip meals or eat after 9pm, but my LORD, I just can't with these sweets. I went to a family dinner where my mom had made these lovely little merengue desserts, and I told myself I would eat two (give myself a little room), and I ate... four. On days I don't have any sweets, I don't crave them. But as soon as I have a Chewy or a cookie or something, I keep thinking about it all day. This is, without a doubt, my number one problem with losing weight, and I can't figure out how to fix this. Help??

Thank you! I'm doing a bit of both -- half on a treadmill at Planet Fitness, half outside around the lake. I hear you on the running without music bit: I NEED my iPod to get me through a run! It helps me zen out. I bet it'd be a great mental exercise, though, trying a jog without T-Swift telling me to "Shake it Off" in my ear... Might attempt this tonight. I do hope to keep going after I reach 100 (and I seem to be on track right now). I'm averaging around 12 miles a week now, and I'd love to keep that up. That's pretty much four 5Ks a week? So I try and do 2 - 3 miles most days, and then do a longer run on Wednesdays. I love Lara Croft, too! There are many things I want to be in life, and "bad***" is definitely in my top 5 The sweets are going a LITTLE bit better. I like your idea of a grading system, though. I can give myself four stars if I eat only one sweet, and tick off stars if I'm naughty. But I get two EXTRA stars if I go a whole day without sweets? Hmm. jskuzmick - How is YOUR six-week challenge going?

I have the exact opposite problem! I LOVE being active, but I'm not so great about eating healthily! Maybe we can help each other out?

Thanks, Alexr! The running is going very well (currently at about 30 miles!), the dating thing is going well, the morning self-confidence move is going well, aaaand the baked goods part is going.. okay, haha. I'm really trying to make my "one sweet thing a day" be about treating myself. That way, I don't just mindlessly stuff sweets in my mouth, and have something to look forward to after dinner. I've slipped up a few times, but overall, it feels like a small improvement! How is your challenge going?

Hey everyone! So. Total newbie to Nerd Fitness, mostly newbie to fitness in general. I was never thin, but I always had a decent body and was happiest as a size 6 - 8 (beginning of college). During my senior year of college (2 years ago), I gained about 20 lbs, am somewhere between a size 10 and 12, and I just can't seem to shake the extra poundage. I kept trying to "get fit" over the past couple of years (gym, yoga, hiking, weights classes), but nothing really stuck -- until now! For about 2 months, I've finally been consistent about going to the gym, and doing a nice mix of weights and cardio. I even went from doing a 14-minute mile to running a 5K every Wednesday with my friends. It's good, but I want to be even better! I'm slowly getting stronger and faster, but I haven't lost any weight because of... sweets. Baked goods, mostly. Cookies, pie, biscuits, or a spoonful of Nutella in a pinch. I got used to having a little "dessert" with lunch and dinner. Nothing huge, but still - that's a bunch of extra, unnecessary sugar! My ULTIMATE goal is to go from my current 175 lbs (I'm a 5'10" female) to a strong, badass, quick, flexible size 6 / 8 (somewhere around 155lbs for me, I think. Maybe 160 if my thighs keep getting muscle-y!). I want to feel like Lara Croft (i.e. join the Ranger guild!) -- to know that I can outrun the bad guys, jump over obstacles, kick ass, and just feel like a powerful, independent woman through it all. But I realize that will take a lot of baby steps, and I'm so excited to make the next leap with my first ever six week challenge. For my six-week challenge: 1) My best friend is getting married on June 1st, and I want to run 100 miles between now and then -- I want to know I have the endurance to dance for 4 hours! (I started this last week, so I'm trying to average about 13 miles per week.) 2) Trim down the dessert to ONE sweet per day. 3) Stand in front of the mirror in my underwear every morning while brushing my teeth and tell myself I'm sexy. 4) Ask a guy out on a date. (I have been shy / single for too long. Time to woman up!) I'm really happy to be going on this journey with you all! I love the sense of community I see on the message boards, and can't wait to be more involved. Here's to TOTALLY ROCKIN' IT!