YoussarianAscended

Between work, school, and self-improvement, I think I have been pushing myself too hard. My legs have been hurting from the exercise. So far they alternate between my left knee and my right ankle. Squats severely suck. I'm dealing with a bunch of stuff at once, and mentally/emotionally I am beginning to feel the results of pushing so hard without rest. Work and school are both throwing things at me that I half-understand but am expected to use daily. I really hate not understanding things. Especially when they're things I need to learn to pass, or need to use for my job. It's so frustrating when I get to the point where I don't know what to do. It's especially frustrating because at this point in my college career, I'm working with sufficiently specialized stuff that Google isn't much help anymore. There's always got to be something I'm doing wrong but I don't know what it is. I hate not knowing. I want to change my eating habits, and I want to cut down on Internet. But my willpower is being divided in so many ways, and these are turning out to be the hardest things to change. Right now I don't think I have the time or energy to invest in changing these. The food part sucks because despite my consistent exercise routine, I'm not seeing any weight loss. But the added overhead of cooking meals in addition to everything else is too much. I have pressing concerns that need addressing. Something has to take the backseat. I'm not in a good place right now. I need to cut myself some slack and press through it. I have a handful of goals I want to achieve by the end of the year. I've done well with a few of them and it's only February. For the time being I need to slow down on my self.

My legs literally gave out while I was doing push ups tonight. I've never had body parts outright quit on me. Even when I was sweating bullets in the Kansas summer pushing heavy objects, my body has been able to keep up. Tonight, though, my legs just weren't having it. All day my muscles had still felt a bit tired, like they hadn't fully recovered from Monday's workout. But I figured, I still had it in me to do my reps. I do the beginner bodyweight workout in my signature. Circuit 1, I did the squats - the very first exercise - and already felt like quitting. I opted to continue and completed the circuit. After resting a few minutes I went for round 2. The squats were less painful but halfway through the push ups my legs suddenly got real stressed and I came to my knees. And that was the end of tonight's workout! I don't know what my physical limits are simply because I've never reached them. I guess tonight I finally have. It's such a weird experience.

Classes have begun and are in full force. I was not able to work out on Monday because I had a project that was taking an inordinate amount of time. Fortunately I found time for exercise tonight. A churchmate informed me Sunday that during his time in boot camp, his instructor said something akin to, "For most of you it'll eventually feel wrong to not work out. For some of you that might never happen." I'm pretty sure it'll never happen to me. C.S. Lewis, in addition to being writer of The Chronicles of Narnia, was also a convert to Christianity. He dubbed himself "the most reluctant convert." In a similar fashion I'm dubbing myself "the most reluctant fit person." I will be skinny and in shape one day. And I'm probably gonna dislike every squat and push-up along the way. Stillness is ingrained in my personality. Unfortunately stillness is what got me in this condition.

I believe it has something in terms of those, but that costs money and I'm a college student, so I really shouldn't be spending more than I need. Plus I'm not sure my cardiovascular system would be able to handle it.

Achievement Unlocked: Hunter-Gatherer At this point I'd call myself a level 1 paleo cook. I can do a basic lettuce wrap breakfast. This weekend I'm hoping to get cauliflower and find out how to make it look like rice. As it stands, I'm currently still including English muffins and a touch of fast food in my diet. I just haven't fully transitioned to homemade paleo alternatives. But I'm thinking that'll happen soon.

Cooked beef on the stove for the first time. Dang did it taste good! Actually got some McDonald's cravings while eating it.

Sorry but my username is unrelated to Catch-22 ^.^; It's actually inspired by the Animal Planet show Meerkat Manor. That show was on probably ten years ago.

I am a planner extraordinaire. At some point in my life I realized, I operate at my best when I can make a comprehensive plan for finding what I want to do with life. Later in life I realized that slow and steady truly does win the race. And I get a weird kick out of making long and deeply nested lists. For 2017, I want my life to be summarized not as good, not as great... but as excellent. I wish to step into adult life as a refined and competent man, able to actualize whatever he wants or needs to do. This year I am focusing on four areas of life: Physical, Emotional, Relational, and Financial. It's a long list, and I'm going to be baring my soul a bit in it, but I believe that having something detailed and comprehensive will give me the motivation to make it. PHYSICAL Exercise Working out three times a week. Currently doing the starter bodyweight worker. However I'm starting to think it's not sufficient. Three circuits take maybe 20 minutes, surely I need to be working out more than that? ACTION POINT: Further research exercise routines. Am I doing enough? Do I need to do more? Walking: As a college student without a bike or a car I basically walk everywhere. This will add some more activity to my day. Diet I'm going paleo. I have no idea if it'll help, but it seems like it's been helpful to many, and is NerdFitness approved, so I don't have much to lose. This means reduction of carbs. No more buying English muffins (this will be hard) No more buying rice No more buying bread Introduce more paleo-friendly meals Breakfast is easy enough. Cook up some sausage and eggs, sprinkle with cheese, put them in a lettuce wrap. Done. For lunch I'm looking at making microwavable meals of cauliflower (styled like rice) with beef or chicken. Grapes as my side. ACTION POINT: Further research meal possibilities. One of my biggest diet deterrent is eating boring food. Eventually I start to crave more enjoyable flavors. Must research ways to make the meal more enjoyable. For dinner I am uncertain. I'm dabbling with the idea of having soup, but I'm open to suggestions. ACTION POINT: Research how to make soup. ACTION POINT: Research how to make a casserole ACTION POINT: Later in the year, research alternative meal ideas. I have no problem eating the same thing over and over, but having a second choice is nice. Hygiene Teeth brushing. This has been hard to consistently do, but so far I'm on a good start. I've set a minimum of brushing my teeth 5 night out of the week. Shaving. Shave facial hair and trim beard Saturday nights. Haircuts every two months. I've decided I just want to do the classic side-part style. ACTION POINT: Call the nearby hair salons and see if they do what I'm looking for. Repeat every two months. If I get a job in the software field and move into a new city, repeat 1 and 2. Health Schedule a doctor's appointment to figure out the cause of the chest pains I sometimes get in the heart and lung areas. I have my speculation (pleurisy) but I'd rather get a doctor to check it out. My fear here is mainly financial. If this ends up being something serious, my family might need to help pay for things. We don't have much money to go around, and I worry I might put an untenable strain on them. I'm also afraid that I might have to spend days or weeks in the hospital, possibly with surgery. This would disrupt my work and classes. EMOTIONAL Internal Validation - Due to part of the way I was raised, I developed a feeling of never being "good enough" that manifested as various forms of approval seeking. Now I'm looking to reverse these. Not self-justifying: fighting the urge to internally justify what I say or do. My reasons for behavior don't have to be morally or logically airtight. Not self-explaining: similarly, fighting the urge to explain my thought processes or why I think I'm right for doing something. I don't need others' approval. Not answer seeking: I'm one for googling random things because I feel like I have to be right about everything. But you know what? I don't have to be right about anything. I can survive just fine without tangential knowledge about something. People have done greater things than me with less knowledge. Confidence Keeping a written or mental record of my accomplishments. This is the primary way for me to counter the "I'm not good enough" mindset: by giving myself evidence that I am. Trust myself to be able to do what I need. If I have succeeded in the past, the probability is quite high I will succeed in the future. I need to believe this. Less Internet - The internet is full of people saying stuff that I disagree with, that are upsetting, or are confusing. Over time this has a negative emotional impact on me. Re-enable my web blocker, so that my time on the Internet is restricted. Adopt the mindset of "I don't need to learn about this/I don't need to find the answer/I don't need this thread to entertain me." Load myself up with videos, books, games, and the like that don't require Internet access. If I'm on a site like Twitch, consider turning off the chat for an hour or two. RELATIONAL Active Socialization Make use of social situations: find someone new and apply interest and empathy methods to get to know them. Or if more appropriate, catch up with someone you know. Have 3-4 relevant questions or statements ready for a given social setting. Displaying Romantic Interest Be appropriately more direct about showing interest - flirtation isn't evil! Ask someone on a date. ACTION POINT: Research good date locations around town. Text Messaging Text a friend or two at least 3 evenings a week. ACTION POINT: Get a list of people I can reliably expect to be available for text conversation. FINANCIAL Reduction of Expenses Don't buy any snacks or drinks beside what I get during my weekly shopping trip. Consider staying at the library during the day instead of being home. Job Hunting Apply to at least 3 jobs a week. ACTION POINT: Update my resume to reflect recent projects Financial Independence Be content with minimal material possessions - I'm already pretty good at this Seek community activities and volunteering opportunities as ways to pass time ACTION POINT: Research investing. Once I have enough money saved up, start doing this.

I consider myself a Ranger, but the rules say if you're taking a challenge for the first time, you're supposed to post here I guess? Anyway, my goals for this challenge: Establish a consistent workout routine. So far I've been really good about this. No subgoals here. I use the bodyweight workout as seen in my signature. Just gotta do this for a while. Adopt a more Paleo diet. Currently in transition to this. I'm doing a lot of learning, and I think I might have to increase my shopping budget to buy the stuff I need. Research simple Paleo lunch option. Something cauliflower based - I want to use cauliflower in lieu of rice as a base item. Research simple Paleo dinner option. Job search. I'm nearing completion of school and my first round of job apps returned nothing useful. Update job application to show what I've done in the past semester. Start sending more job applications out. Shoot for 3 per week, minimum.

Totally unrelated to anything weight loss... Yay Minecraft username!

Attempted my first breakfast wrap. Sausage, egg, and shredded cheese in lettuce. My parents' home has a slow ass electric stove. My apartment has a gas stove. It's delightful how much faster food cooks on my gas stove! Especially eggs. One minute they're all watery and the next they're just kinda... done. It seems I've been doing the lettuce part wrong. I need to remove the rest of the iceberg lettuce from the stalk, then peel leaves off kinda like an onion. I guess this makes sense. Rec center is closed due to MLK Jr. day, so my workout's gonna be at home. Sorry downstairs neighbors, but this fat guy has some jumping jacks to do!

Having a goal to work toward often helps me find motivation and lifts me out of dark moods. Perhaps that works for you as well, and is why NF is improving your outlook. If that's the case, then keep at it! Keep making goals to get better, and keep working toward them. I tend to be at my most depressed when I feel like I'm stuck in a rut, with no way to challenge or better myself. NF is useful for getting out of the rut and into a better lifestyle.

I wonder if that "generalist" vibe is common among Rangers? Part of what brought me to the Ranger class was a desire to not really be super buff, nor be super fit, but just be... better than what I currently am. If I were a fighter IRL I'd be more of a ranged fighter as well, so I think that adds to the relevance.

Just had what I'd consider my first bona fide paleo meal. It was tuna fish with shredded cheese wrapped in lettuce. I opted to use the lettuce in lieu of tortilla shells. It tasted a lot better than I expected. However the lettuce leafs had holes in them, which made things a wee messy. Oh well. With the start of the semester beginning this week, I'm very curious about getting into the meal prep scene. I'm inspired by some of the fast food chains around here to come up with some kind of system where I have something like a base item which has meat then optional extras put on it. I've proven to myself that I have no problem eating the same thing over and over and over. So far the system I have in mind is: Can just be something in a bowl, or in the form of a wrap (using lettuce instead of tortilla shells?) For breakfast, I'd want my base item to be egg because that makes the most sense to me. For lunch, I'm thinking cauliflower cut up to be similar to rice. For dinner, I don't know. Maybe dinner can be a soup of some kind? I have multiple options for meat: sausage, beef, chicken, or tuna. Toppings: potentially endless options here: shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, various herbs and spices, etc. My biggest problem right now is that I just don't know how to cook more elaborate and tasty meals. This is part of why I've been slow to hop onto the better eating process: I just don't know how to make anything that I'd want to eat a second time!

Nice little personal victory tonight. I felt up to snuff so went for another HIIT session. I opted to go to the rec center, because tubby me doing jumping jacks is no doubt annoying for my downstairs neighbors. For a moment right before I started the squats I felt really insecure. Fat dude like me in somewhat flashy clothes (really just khakis and a light blue shirt) about to repeatedly pop a squat in the midst of a bunch of really buff guys. But I just put Spotify on my phone, plugged in my headphones and got to work. I have a feeling nobody even realized my sweaty self was there. And that's fine with me.

My thighs have been sore since Monday's high intensity workout. Plus my chest has also been sore since yesterday. So I figured I probably wasn't in a physical state for the more intense stuff. Instead I went to the local rec center and spent a half hour walking on the walking/running track. I'm pretty sure I stuck out like a sore thumb. But it felt nice to see other people who were out of shape, because it made me feel less weird. Still need to revamp my diet, because I swear the amount of calories I consume in one day probably cancels out any exercise I may do. Barring potential health issues, the exercise aspect will be the easiest component to weight loss. The hardest will be the diet.

One thing I need to be careful about is mindset. Now that I'm starting to address my weight and eating habits, negative thoughts about myself are creeping in. A phrase that keeps popping in my mind is, "I deserve this." In other words, this is my punishment, or maybe my recompense, for letting myself grow obese over the last 4 years. The physical exhaustion that comes from exercising, pushing myself. "This is what you get for being fat." Do I deserve this? Maybe. But beating myself up like this is pointless. It's a dangerous mindset. The negativity can easily seep into other parts of my life. It's happened before. Maybe it's OK to think of it as a recompense, but not as a punishment. I screwed up, that's nothing new. What's done is done, all that matters now is that I pull myself out of my mistake. I'm making the effort, which puts me miles ahead of where I was before.

Hi all! I'm here at Nerd Fitness because I'm on the verge of truly entering adult life - I finish college in May - and I don't want to go into the rest of my life as an overweight male. I make no promises of updating this every day. I've noticed that when I really make a habit out of something I don't feel the need to tell people about it. Even so, this is a good way to let you all in on some of the experiments and milestones in my life. And also a way to remind myself of how far I've come, and what I've been able to do. My goal right now is to lose weight. I'm shooting for 150 pounds, which I consider a reasonably healthy and acceptable weight for a 5'9" male like myself. I'm aiming to reach that weight through exercise and dieting. Exercise: I've tried Steven Kamb's beginner bodyweight workout and I really like it. I especially like how I can just do it at home, without needing a gym. So this is what I'll be doing from here on out. I'm shooting for the typical working out 3 times a week. Nutrition: I think I'm ready to try the Paleo diet. My beloveds Pepsi and sugar will be the hardest things for me to let go of, but it's certainly for a good cause. I want to set up a diet where I can quickly make meals. Being a college student I need to be careful with my time management. If I could quickly throw together some meal combinations, that'd be excellent. I've seen links around here for this kind of thing, so my next step will be to read up on those. Here goes nothing!

Hey all, I'd like to lose weight. Here are my stats: Age: 25 Height: 5'9 Current weight: 223 Desired weight: 150 I currently live near my college's recreational center, which has plenty of exercise equipment. I'd like to focus more on weight loss than strength building for the time being, if that's possible. Ideally I'd like to exercise for an hour, 3 times a week. I've heard that "high intensity" exercise is the best for weight loss, but I don't really know what that means or what it looks like. I'm OK with the "slow but steady" nature of exercise and weight loss, but I really need something that I can trust will bring about weight loss (in conjunction with dieting, of course). I'm very inclined to forming habits, so if you guys can help me find a good work out routine, I'd have little trouble getting into it.

I am 25 years old. In a few months, I will be finishing what many consider my "extended adolescence" of being at college. I will hopefully be accepting a job offer in the software engineering industry. I will move out of university apartments and away from the family home, and into my own place. I will become a full-time employee to some company, a new attendee to a church, and a member of some community. I don't want to go into that as a fat person. I would find it personally shameful. I want to have the physical health and strength to carry out my responsibilities in all areas of life, and to pursue whatever goals I may have. Obesity has never been part of my vision for adult life, and I don't want to make it a reality. I've chosen the Ranger class to begin with, because I see myself as a kind of middle-of-the-road person. I'm not interested in being perfectly fit, or highly muscular. I just want to be able to do what life, or my own desires, call me to do. I want to be better than I am now. I'm not really sure what I need to do. For now I want to focus more on weight loss. I've yet to try the paleo diet but I'm interested. As far as exercise, I keep seeing the phrase "high intensity" thrown about, but I don't really know what that means. Hopefully I'll learn some things while I'm here! EDIT: My plan is to get down to 150 pounds. Given my height and age, this would put me around the middle of the healthy range on the BMI. I'd also like to develop some more muscle mass. I'd like to be proud of my body for once.