Acupunk

Haha! I can certainly say that variety really makes meals so much more fun and you actually start to get good at learning what sorts of food combos work best for you and for different dishes! Seriously - tahinni was the game changer for me!!! It’s super tasty and very versatile. It can be a little bitter but when you add kosher salt, cracked black pepper and a splash of good cold pressed olive oil to it plus a nice blitz of garlic - this is where I cue Beethoven’s fifth symphony music right now (it was fifth right? The song from Die Hard was what I was hoping to reference though I probably did that badly ) .

Wow bud! That’s quite an extensive list! Mine was more protein specific but hey I’m still standing and you will be too! (And forget celery for the soup - you can tons of flavour from onions man!! You may be a bit windy but heck, onions and scallions are a great flavouring combo especially when you add carrots or even pumpkin / squash to the mix!) I try to make sure I get protein in my day and I like using vegan protein shakes to start my day off right. It helps to have one of these for my line of work (I work with customers and can’t always sit and eat so this is a great way to sneak protein in). These are two brands I’m currently using. 1. Four Signatic Superfood Protein (repair with protein and mushrooms) 480g / 16.7 oz - theres 120 cal in a serve and this is vegan and doesn’t have soy in it! 2. Sunwarrior Protein Warrior Blend (I have a box of single serve satchets 25g / 0.9oz a pack and it’s a box of 15 satchets) 16g protein, vegan and again no soy! I try to get some healthy fats in my daily intake too just to add variety and make sure I’m not bored. I can’t have nuts in my household so I’m hearing you about the peanut part (my nieces are allergic and I haven’t bought peanut or almond butter in yonks!). I love tahinni and sunflower butter for that reason. You can blend tahinni into a nice salad dressing and use that as a base (with your favourite olive oil and garlic) for pasta sauces (you can get some good gf pasta to toss that in and add your favourite green rapini and extra herbs in it!) or dressings for both cold and warm salads! I eat kale and brocolli salads a lot with that dressing. You can add it to grain bowls (one part grain - I like kasha and quinoa - one part root “yam like” veggie, two parts leafy greens and sprinkle seeds and add micro greens to it! Voila! Meal for champions!!) if you can eat nuts for protein then experiment with walnuts and pecans for extra texture (you can do a quick fried rice with these amazing nuts!). I can’t but I substitute sunflower and pumpkin seeds!! They are awesome powerhouses! And I use them in baking! ive had to add some fish back in my diet every so often when I eat with my family (they worry I’m going to disappear if I keep “eating just rabbit food”! ) so if you add some good fish every once in awhile that can add some variety. and again the humble black bean! I pressure cook mine (and chickpeas!) and freeze packs of these babies in the freezer and then whack them out for my soup base or use them in vegan based (and for sad me - gf free wraps) enchiladas with vegan cheese and avocados and a ton of sweet potato chunks and cilantro! I hope this helps! I really really relate to you because I was about to go berserk when I cut out so many things! All I can say is when you start eliminating this stuff you won’t crave them so bad!!! Just make sure you get enough variety!! I’m still working on this part because I can fly through a day and wonder “damn! Did I eat my meal yet?” I have to set food reminders! You got this!!! Check in and let us know how you’re doing!

Oh man do I feel your pain! I was diagnosed allergic to wheat, gluten, dairy and eggs at the start of the year so it’s been crazy trying to get nutritious and non irritating meals going on a regular basis! I do a lot of broths. I use broth as a soup base for noodles and grain bowls and sometimes in my stews. Mainly veggie based. You can do a nice onion, scallion and garlic broth as a starter broth and incorporate different veggies and mushrooms for different tastes. Although tomatoes are nice, you don’t have to add tomatoes to your broths for flavour if you have carrots, celery and potatoes! These pack a lot of flavour to the basic onion broth already! I do smoothies (plant based mainly) with sunflower butter and coconut oil for my fat and protein needs. I use oat milk and coconut milk for the liquid component of the smoothie. Are you pescatarian? You can always throw in fish a few times a week (or seafood) if you need more protein (and if soy is off your list). Don’t forget beans!! They are good to include in your meals too and are great in stews (like Tex mex style chilli, soups, salads or grain bowls). I love chickpeas and find black beans amazing for flavour! Tahinni is a great sauce and spread and don’t forget to add sprinklings of sunflower and sesame seeds to things for crunch, texture, good fats and flavour! I’ve been playing around with these combos for almost a year now and I still haven’t quite gone completely bonkers! It’s new for me too (especially since I used to depend on eggs, bread and dairy because I wasn’t a huge meat eater in the past) but I am having fun experimenting. Good luck with finding something that works (it looks like there are some great ideas here though!)!!!

I have heard a ton about this film and I’ve seen snippets of it on the internet. It looks pretty epic actually! It’ll be on my “to watch” list! Hope you enjoyed it and learned a lot?!

Heya thanks @gabrielle_of_poteidia!!! I was feeling extra at just being able to do one! I’ve challenged myself over the last week with a seven day push-up challenge (3 pushups everyday before a cup of coffee) and guess what? I did it!! Because I felt so good I even grew the courage to make it to the weight room at the gym today to do lateral pull downs! Ok I had a friend venture there with me but it’s a start! Aww thanks - I loved the words myself and thought it befitting of a profile picture

Its been ages since I've been back here! I have one teeniest tiny woot to post for myself - I DID MY FIRST DAMNED PUSHUP (full body) YESTERDAY! I actually attempted and survived THREE! I tried to replicate that again today and found, I didn't blow up or melt away and managed all three again! Wow it feels amazing to know that Captain Chicken Wrists can do a full body pushup! That's all I wanted to woot out today. Hope everyone's finding their personal woot moments and feeling amazingfantabulastic!

@Adash5000, thanks! I wasn't sure at first when it dawned on me the 4 weeks were over! Hahaha I was thinking yeeeahaaahhhh I cracked the Level One guild challenge and my silly brain was like, bring on Level 2! I like that your choice of guild!! May you do well with your secret Assassin training and be rewarded with amazing moves, stealth techniques and cool gear (in black of course!!). I'm thinking about the Scouts. I already love running. I just want to do better things with it. It helps me mentally too so there's the Druid overlap for mental health and mental strength. Rangers are also on my list for endurance with functional strength (to which I hope I can add quick spurts of explosive movement to). I wish you positivity and a lot of good vibes!! I'll try and check in on the Assassins threads! Go get them!!!!!

@m rips Saw your choice of guild on a thread - assassins? ohhh too cool!! I haven't chosen one yet but congrats on your choice. Time's a ticking' and I need to find a family of warriors to run alongside.

@Adash5000 OMG OMG! I'm so excited for you!! You're motivating me just from hearing you to 1. get to sleep earlier (something I am struggling with now but trying hard to work on) and 2. choose a guild (though this is something I think I need more time with still). I'm so glad you found that sleep was a big help with food cravings. I was reading something about the leptin and ghrelin balance that comes with sleeping well and which help to keep food cravings down because your brain feels satiated and doesn't stimulate appetite. Well done!! And hey, you stuck to a lot of things that you said you were going to do. Don't forget that you're at the beginning and in most martial arts practices, beginners mind is the place where most seasoned warriors want to be because it isn't weighed down by things...it's a clean slate and fresh. High five and a fist bump!!! <--- there was no assassin emoji so I guess a ninja one will have to do!

@Cynforgiven !!!!! I’m dying bwwaaaahahahahahahahaha!!! I haven’t heard these songs but NOW I MUST HEAR THEM!! I am Cow! Oh dudette you kill me!!! Hahahahaha! I had such a crappy week this week and your post just put this bigass goofy smile on my face again! Thank you!!! . Hey I use Spotify for my workouts too! I sometimes (ok don’t judge) play old school stuff like “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America! It’s such a riot (if you ever see the video there’s a scene in it with ninjas in a peach field!! It’s nuts!!). Ok now you know I’m am THE super geek! I need to add some of these songs to that goofy playlist now! On a woot woot note however, I must congratulate myself for getting my self out of bed early at 6am to do a 25 minute run and planks - even though I’m seriously PMS-Ing and dying for a cupcake! I ended up getting an oat milk misto instead for my treat and now am feeling pumped!! Aww man thanks for that laugh!! Hugs from sunny (it is sunny today here) Toronto!!!!

@GoodDoug, I certainly hope so!! It's probably true. I see a lot of folks just staring at their own reflections while they pump whatever weight they are pumping. Maybe they won't notice the flyweight enter the section.....that's certainly a thought I can take and use when I get scared to go past the weights. I'm lucky at my gym. Its co-ed and there are women there training so I'll go in when one or two women are there so I won't feel so alone. It'll be worth the effort. I'm seeing gains already. I went shopping for new clothes because my old t shirts and pants are (I still am pinching myself) too droopy to wear now. I set myself back $80 worth of new clothes but man do I feel good! I even gathered up 2lbs worth of old clothes that I cant wear anymore for the charity bins and did a mini closet cleanup. Hahahah - good point! There probably will be more distractions from the classes going on than for anyone to notice what I'm doing with the dumbbells. Thank you for that pep talk!!!

Augh...."meant" and not "leaned". This t-rex needs new arms.

oops - I leaned "lived" and not "loved"....this dinosaur also can't type very well. Its the t-rex arms and fingers!

@Adash5000 omg I just realized that this was a case of thread-jacked commentary! I guess we nerds are such enthusiastic commentators and supporters! In all seriousness though - thank you for helping me notice this! I will be more mindful of where the threads start! Hey, regarding the setups and back health, good for you man! I haven't done a sit up before...I don't think (properly?). Though you can't see it, here I am applauding you for doing that! You biked to work? That's too cool! I live an hour and a half away from both places that I work at so that wouldn't be very feasible for me to get to work that way but if I loved closer I probably would bike....that's actually a fear of mine - biking. I'm terrified on getting on a two wheeler because I fell badly in one when I was 13 and haven't gotten back on again in - oh man, I'm a dinosaur - decades!! You've come so far Adash5000!! Week 4 is almost at a close but wow, I am so impressed by what's been accomplished. You can only go further up from here!!

@mmead0105 - OH mama!!! You have me dancing like a fool now!! I'm going to buy a carton for the work fridge too hahahah! I got me a box of flax cereal waiting for some coconut-almond pizzazz and coffee is never gonna be the same from here on!! WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!