Archer

Yes, it's a family event. I picked up a hand-operated meat grinder for $1 and we make hamburger by mixing in some bacon. Best burgers in the universe! We also put steaks into freezer bags with marinade already in it, then throw it in the freezer. It took us two short evenings to process the entire deer. It might seem 'yucky' if you haven't tried it, but it's surprisingly easy with very little blood or funny smells. btw- There's no chronic wasting disease in the coast blacktails, and my neighbor has an old refrigerator we age the meat in for a few days before home-processing. I just quarter it up so it fits. We also live in a river and can catch trout right in our yard which is a luxury. My 8yo girl catches her own dinner often.

Exercising by torchlight makes you feel pretty badass... ...but I really want a climbing rope, and the ones I've seen for sale in exercise catalogs are very expensive. Can anyone recommend a rope from a farm/boat/construction type place that would do the job?

I turned down bit-o-honey candy, which I love dearly

I was addicted to soda. I switched to diet but was still drinking a liter or more a day. I quit cold-turkey, had a long headache, and haven't had a sip for months. I also ate WAY too many processed carbo-treats. A package of cookies wouldn't last long around me. I thought exercise would offset it- and it did to a point- but going paleo showed me what it's really like to have energy and a happy tummy. After a week or so the cravings went away. If I want something sweet, I have a few dates, a plum, or some berries. I might switch to a "cheat to lose" type system where once a week I can have some junk. I don't think it's realistic for me to say "I will never have a cookie as long as I live" but if I designate a day for it, then I can keep it manageable... especially if it's not stored in the house!

Oooh that's a great idea. I'll change it up and add wood chopping, bag punching, or machete hacking next time. Usually I just run a big circle, but this would allow me to sprint in a straight-ish line.

If I'm surrounded by junk food, I pretend I'm a hunter from 20k years ago, and I just haven't had any luck. Sometimes you just have to go without food for longer than usual- it won't kill you.

I think cutting out dairy is the key to my family feeling better. If we cheat on a piece of candy or a cookie, that doesn't have any noticeable side effects. If we eat cheese or drink milk, the GI tract is very unhappy. Dairy has had such a major impact that my wife couldn't even have dairy while breastfeeding 2 of our 3 kids- they would have acid-reflux type pain and would cry a lot. Cut the dairy = happy babies.

Looks more like an "Atkins" diet to me- there isn't a lot of veg and fruit. Not sure what your salad is like, but if it's mostly just lettuce I worry you're missing out on vitamins and fiber.

Did a fun workout this morning: 8 rounds- 100m sprint, then fire 5 shots. The last time I missed 3 of 5 shots, but found I broke off part of the arrow rest :/ I really enjoy the challenge of archery. I would say it's as difficult to hit a 12" target at 50m as it is with a rifle at 500m. Once you get beyond 30m, the arrow really starts to drop and range estimation is crucial. An arrow will hit around 10" lower at 40m than at 30m! However I found that I can't do archery the day after any kind of heavy pull-up-type workout because it uses too many of the same muscles. But it's fine after push-ups/bench press stuff.

The fasting part is interesting to me. My grandpa did that periodically and lived healthy until 97. It was a fall that finally got him, not any disease. He also made candy (mostly fudge) and would have his binge days, then would go many days eating mostly nuts, seeds and vegetables.

badass goals. Interesting that you focus on handstand push-ups- any reason you single that one out?

I think it's a lot easier to go all-paleo than only part-paleo. If you still nibble on agri-foods, you will keep craving them. Cut them out completely, and those cravings stop altogether. Otherwise 90% paleo can slip into 80%, 70%, etc. A smoothie with banana, berries, and coconut milk will fill you up really well for breakfast. You can add an egg and you won't even taste it. You'll get WAY more nutrients than a bowl of oatmeal.

Weighted lunges- those are tough! Regarding your goals- It's generally said in weight training to lift weight 6-8 reps. If you can lift it 10+ times, it's not heavy enough. Although there are many other reasons to rep something 20+ times, like a metabolic-boosting workout mixed with other exercises. But for pure strength gains, I went from deadlifting less than my body weight to double my body weight following the 6-reps rule. I found a cheap set of olympic weights, bar, and squat rack on craiglist. There's always someone quitting...

What book are you reading? Going all-out Paleo is what has made all the difference for me. I went far with exercise, but hit a wall made out of pizza and ice cream.

Congrats on the dramatic weight loss! I have found doing "negative" pull-ups helped more than exercise bands. Lowering myself slowly as possible. This meant my hands had to hold my actual weight too.

Yes, a support system is important! I don't log my food but I log my workouts and it's encouraging to look back and see proof of improvement. For running a 5k, I recommend reading about interval training and the many crossfit articles on running a 5k. In short, don't just jog at increasing distances. Work on strength and speed, and it will also improve your running. For example, instead of going for a jog, do 8 400 yard sprints (1 lap, approx 1/4 mile) with a minute break between each. This teaches your body better form and what a faster pace feels like while building strength and endurance.

Quitting caffeine is a great idea. I quit cold turkey and I had a withdrawal headache for 2 days, but it was worth it.

Yes that's a fast 5k! For pull-ups, I found doing slow "negative" pull-ups helped more than doing assisted pull-ups.

Thanks! I started barefoot running a couple years ago after reading many positive testimonials. I had shin splints my entire life until I took the shoes off. I started small: a quarter mile, half mile, mile, etc. and I got pretty comfortable going 3+ miles. Aside from the random pebble, I never had any pain... then the "stimulus package" came and they repaved my perfectly smooth community with rough gravel. So I bought some vibram 5-fingers and have been very happy with them. But going hunting is like deciding to do anything else: read all you can, ask a lot of questions, and just go do it. Every US state has national forests & state forests you can hunt on (but not nat/state "parks") and most forestry companies allow hunting. When you're in the forest far from highways and even hiking trails, it's both peaceful and exciting.

Character: nameless archer Race: half-elf Level: 1 Stats: Height: 5'11" Weight: 205 Goals: Practice Archery: 25 shots minimum every-other day. (70 lbs draw bow) - STR/DEX Run 5k in under 27:00 barefoot (currently at 29:00, but used to run 18:30 many years ago) - STA Continue Paleo, allowing chocolate treat on Saturdays - CON Get weight down to 195 - CHA Learn how to catch trout and salmon in river to keep grocery costs down- WIS My first challenge. I think documenting it will keep me focused. Archery hunting season starts in August where I live. I want to be in great shape for a long hunting adventure in extremely rugged terrain. I want to reduce the cost of the paleo diet significantly by harvesting my own meat. Last fall I brought home a blacktail buck, which was about 60 lbs of meat for a $7 broken arrow and $14 tag. This year I am after an elk, which is significantly larger and would provide meat for an entire year- and they taste better too. I also live on a river but have only caught 1 trout so far. A nearby river has salmon, and catching your own is inexpensive. Changes I have already made: I am strict paleo and cut out diet soda two months ago. I found that if I don't drink caffeine, I don't need caffeine. My wife and 3 kids (ages 1,4,8) are also paleo now. The 2 youngest are boys who would often complain about tummy aches, then cutting dairy out solved it completely. We planted a garden and also planted spinach and berries around the yard so the kids can graze while they play. I started crossfit two years ago, but hit a wall because I was still eating junk. As a former airborne infantry scout, I pretended I was always that same fit guy no matter how many pizzas and bowls of ice cream I ate. Now I am honest with myself and what I eat!

Go to the grocery store and look at 26 pound of meat, then imagine that coming off of your body. It's a big deal!

rewarding yourself with smaller clothes is a great feeling!

my oldest kid is 8, and she can start a fire with a pocket knife and a magnesium fire-starter quite reliably. The trick is to start small with good, dry, tinder bundle. Think "birds nest" of grass and moss. That will light easily. Then build a teepee of kindling sticks over it, careful not to rush it. Place bigger and bigger sticks and you'll know you're set once you see the coals glowing. Works a lot better than pouring gas on a big log and wondering why it doesn't stay lit.

Hello everyone, been lurking a bit and decided to post. There's some great info found here and plenty of encouragement and inspiration. About me: I was in the Army years ago, could run a sub-5minute mile, run 12 miles with a rucksack and a rifle in well under 2 hours, etc. But as a civilian at a desk I slowly got out of shape. My problem was thinking that I was still a fit young guy even if I ate pizza, drank coke, and played video games. I had mild tummy problems and sometimes heartburn as a result. Finally I started Crossfit and lost about 15 lbs, learned how to exercise correctly, but hit a wall because I was still eating junk. I was still feeling tired and yucky after a meal. After meeting some paleo people and reading a few books about pre-agriculture humans I went cold turkey paleo, and dragged my wife and 3 kids along with me. I lost 5 pounds the first week and was convinced. I found it was pretty easy replacing morning cereal with a quality smoothie and meat. It was easy replacing a lunch sandwich with a small steak and veggies. And by dinner I wasn't starving and feeling "hangry." So I'm not quite where I want to be size-wise yet, but I would say healthy eating has made the difference when exercise alone wasn't enough. Thanks for reading

I counted for 2 or 3 days and realized I could eat all the paleo I wanted and still come out (at least) 1,000 less than a day of breakfast cereal, pizza, coke, and restaurant food. Then I quit counting. Exercise is important for metabolism too. And I mean high intensity exercise where you are exhausted when you're done- research "interval training." Some people shuffle on a treadmill for 30 minutes and call it a workout- nope, that's not going to do anything. Exercise + strict paleo = fast weight loss.