animalcrackaz

Do they have Pop Chips in the UK? They're made without oil, and are surprisingly satisfying if you find yourself jonesing for crisps. If they're not available around you, it may be somewhat cumbersome to try and special order them, though - definitely not a quick fix.

I can definitely understand where you're coming from! I feel like being in the gym is where I am most guarded with how "out" I am... well, that and work, which is a completely different animal altogether. Although in my case, a lot of the guys I saw when I belonged to a gym got my attention - so I worked pretty hard at staring at the ground or ceiling during my workouts. My membership expired, and I'm doing more at-home stuff at the moment, although I do miss the social aspect of belonging to a gym. The meatheads and gym rats can be irritating, but you can meet a lot of great people, too.

I can definitely relate to you both, KillerGriller and Jcannon - I was always skinny growing up(140 pounds at 6'3" tall). I always struggled with it, because people were relentless in making fun of me because of my weight - even people who would be hyper-sensitive around someone who was overweight. It's a sad fact that the same courtesies aren't often translated to the underweight crowd, even if you can't help it. The funny thing is, I've now gained a fair amount of weight, to the point where I'm on the higher end of average for my height(I'm around 185, give or take). But, I was so skinny my entire life that I feel borderline uncomfortable at the weight I'm at. To the average person, I look, well... average, but I guess since skinny was my "average," "average" feels enormous to me. Granted, the weight I've put on has been more fat than anything. I had very little muscle as a 6'3" 140lb weakling, so the unintentional weight has given me an average size, but with a large percentage of body fat for my height and weight. So, I think I would have a better self-image if I increased my muscle and decreased my body fat percentage, even if I stayed in the same weight range.

I'm glad this thread is here! I am a happily partnered homosexual male(nearing the 7 year mark!), and it's refreshing to have a place to feel open about being myself. It's something I'm always guarded about, because I'm never sure who may respond negatively. Although I live near a fairly liberal community, it's an unfortunate reality that some people judge you almost exclusively based on your sexuality, which can be frustrating because I've always viewed being gay as a secondary characteristic in what makes up my personality. It seems like a lot of interesting ground has been covered in this thread already, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. Be well, everyone!

Those both sound delicious, Laura! I'm always looking for new things to combine with Kale, but never tried strawberries. During the summer, I love making smoothies with kale and watermelon, it's a delicious combo. Lately, I've found myself using spinach more, just because my current blender isn't powerful enough to really pulverize the kale, so it's left a little chunky. Doesn't bother me much, but I do like the smoother texture. My go-to smoothie as of late has been a few good handfuls of baby spinach, and a green apple with enough water to blend. Simple, but incredibly satisfying.

Bert and Ernie are walking down Sesame Street and Bert asks Ernie, "Hey Ernie, you want to get some ice cream?" Ernie responds, "Sure Bert!" *crickets*

Ha - ICB, my brother used to love that joke, but when he told it, the second cow was a penguin. We always tease him about it, because the first time he told it, the joke crashed and burned - but he kept telling it to everyone, and laughing at himself every time he told it.

In a lot of Asian cuisine, they remove the fishy taste by laying fillets on a bed of green onions and topping it with lemon slices, then steaming it. I've found this to be a pretty successful tactic, no matter how you cook it - some kind of onion, or another vegetable from the onion family, and some form of highly acidic citrus, like lemon or lime - and tons of cilantro, if you're into it.

This one always gets a good laugh - especially if you can naturally fit it into a conversation as if you're contributing: "Did you ever see Helen Keller's house?" "No." "Neither did she." Probably one of the less offensive Helen Keller jokes I know, unfortunately(or fortunately, perhaps).

I can't say for sure why there's so much hate for the Final Fantasy franchise, but I'm guessing a big part of it has to do with it's mainstream saturation. Books, music, movies, and video games all suffer from an elitist mindset - how many times have you heard "I liked <blank> *BEFORE* it was popular" ? For fans of the NES/SNES Final Fantasy games, I think they felt like they lost something that was "exclusively theirs" once the PlayStation era of FF games came about, along with fanfare from casual gamers. I think casual gamers of today probably have more of a problem with it, too, because even though the story and gameplay are good, the graphics haven't really aged well - let's be honest: They were good when they first came out, and it was cool to see an RPG in 3d, but now when you look at the character models, they just look like a few triangles glued together. For me personally, I have drifted away from the Final Fantasy games largely because of the advancement of open world RPGs(and games in general) where you are able to choose your path in a more sophisticated manner. Linear RPGs - including but not limited to the Final Fantasy games - seemed a lot less impressive after experiencing more nonlinear games like Baldur's Gate and the Elder Scrolls series. As I've gotten older, I've taken more joy out of the decision aspect in games, rather than the more cinematic ones that guide you through - as far as character interactions go, at least. I still enjoy the Final Fantasy games I play. I liked 7, 8 and 10(never got around to 9, for some reason), and didn't mind 12 - the fighting system was good, but the story was pretty bland compared to other FFs in my opinion. My absolute favorite, though, is 6. I really think that's the one where everything came together perfectly. And I agree, it's really worthwhile to play through the pre-PlayStation Final Fantasies(All of Square's SNES RPGs, really - Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana were just as good or better than FF), and then revisit 7. It's interesting to see the elements that were in place before 7 to see where they came from. And that's the end of my rambling.

Thanks all for the replies. Bigm - I had never heard about the low carb flu. Now that the term has been brought up, I have all sorts of information about what's going on in my body. Thanks for the info! (and to LRB for the article - it's nice to have a breakdown, and from what I'm experiencing, it seems fairly accurate). Corbab - The physical improvements I've been experiencing have convinced me to extend to at least 30 days. I read an article that explained what I'm feeling a little more accurately than how I described it. Pretty much, physically I'm feeling great, but the diet change still has me lagging mentally. Although that is something that seems to be lifting, so I'm slowly feeling pretty decent on all planes. I'm skeptical about giving up fruit altogether, though - isn't it important to maintain some intake of carbohydrates? Or would the carbs from other vegetables and starches be more beneficial? I figured fruit would cover it equally well, but maybe their sugar content is too simple.

Hey all, I've given myself the short-term goal of going paleo for 7 days, to see how it makes me feel. Well, I'm on day three, and I'm noticing a huge difference in a lot of aspects - my mood, energy levels, and sleep have all improved significantly, and almost immediately on starting(and without any significant exercise yet)! I'm thinking about extending my inital goal to something a little longer - 14 to 30 days, to see where I land. So, here's the thing: I was eating a lot of processed foods before I began, and more or less stopped cold turkey. My diet consisted mainly of dairy and carbohydrates, as well as a lot of fast food/boxed meals. Every so often during the day, I get some strange feelings. The first is a bit of a crash/buzzy feeling, which I suspect may be a result in my blood sugar dropping(it tends to go away when I eat some fruit). The second is kind of a strange fatigue - I don't really feel physically tired, at least in the same ways I did on a standard American diet - but it's a similar sensation that I feel before I have a migraine. Others who deal with headaches and especially migraines may understand what I mean, but it's hard to explain. Luckily, headaches never follow, but I do get a similar spacey sensation when either comes on. Has anyone else had any periods of adjustment or strange physical issues while their body gets used to the new diet? Does the transition give most people a common system shock, or are these a signal that I'm still depriving myself of nutrition on some level? I drink plenty of water - a minimum of 100 ounces a day, and I still have some coffee(although I have cut back significantly from the "whole pot" I was allowing myself to a 2-cup maximum for the day). I've cut out carbonated beverages, and try to stick as close as I can to water(sometimes with lemon or lime added for some variety). I would love to hear if anyone else has experienced similar issues, and how long it took for them to pass - or how they dealt with them while they occurred. For reference, I'm adding a sample of what my typical Paleo menu has consisted of. A typical day's food intake for me tends to go something like this: BREAKFAST: Omelet with 2 eggs plus four whites, with onions, bell peppers, and black beans 16 ounces spinach shake (mainly spinach and apple, sometimes berries) MORNING SNACK: Handful of almonds plus remainder of spinach shake(made in one batch) LUNCH: Fish, generally cod or salmon Kale sauteed in olive oil with garlic and lemon juice MID AFTERNOON SNACK: Handful of dried plums or figs Handful of almonds/pistachios DINNER: Grilled chicken or eggplant with ground turkey and tomato Sweet potato Broccoli Grapes or berries(for dessert)

Hmm... I never thought of Final Fantasy music for workout motivation, Ghost. Not a bad idea, though - Uematsu has quite a few peppy numbers! It really depends on what I'm doing. If I'm (trying) to lift weights or do any kind of "macho" training, I tend to like harder rock/metal. Orgy seems to do the trick for me as far as keeping me on task when I'm doing (semi)heavy lifting. My running soundtrack lately has been stuck on Girl Talk's "All Day" (still free for download on his sight, as far as I'm aware). It's fairly high octane, and the first three tracks in particular have a good beat for running. If I'm stretching or doing yoga, I prefer to do it in silence, or with something a little more soothing. Although I haven't tried it, I think the soundtrack to the game "Fez" would be ideal for yoga, if it were available. Anyone else agree?

Welcome to the forum! I'm new here as well, but the atmosphere here seems appealing to me for similar reasons as you seem to have. I've looked at other forums and communities dedicated to exercise, but it seems like most places cater to those who want to get in shape mainly for the vanity in it. While that may count for something, it seems like here, people want to improve every aspect of their lives. The nerd culture does help a bit with "fitting in," but it really does feel like a more genuine place than most.

Just thought I would take a moment to introduce myself. It's great to be here - the nerd culture angle to this whole life philosophy makes me feel mounds more comfortable about diving into a more active lifestyle! So, to introduce myself - My name is Paul... and I am a nerd. For much of my life, I have been a bony nerd(to the point where people thought I had an eating disorder - little did they know how much I could pack away). I've gained a fair amount of weight in the past couple years, but I'm still not enormous - Last I weighed in, I was around 185, which is up from my high school weight of 145(which was fairly low, at 6 foot 3). But, I still have little muscle and a high amount of body fat for the weight I am at - and, I figure my weight increase has been fast enough that if I don't begin practicing a healthier lifestyle now, I'll be in size 50 jeans before I know it(at least at the rate I'm going). I have been perpetually in between jobs the past few years, surviving off freelance work and caring for a friend of mine, who became paralyzed a year and a half ago. The time I spend looking after him has significantly increased how sedentary I have been, and combined with a higher ratio of drive-thru lunches(and dinners, and occasionally quick runs after a few evening micro brews). The past several weeks, I have tried to get back into running with the couch-to-5k program, but have decreased my runs due to the climb in temperature and humidity around me. But, in spite of that, I have still increased my activity in the safety of the air conditioning, with a bit of daily yoga, which I love(and am beginning to pine for, on the days when I have to wait until later in the evening to engage in), as well as some light weight training(very light - my upper body is still fairly weak, although I seem to have naturally strong legs). Right now, I'm using free weights and bodyweight exercises 2 to 3 times a week, which I'd like to increase to 4 to 6, depending on how safe that frequency is. I've also set a short-term goal of going Paleo for a 7-day minimum to see how my body responds. I've always had a milk sensitivity(although dairy products of all kinds are a big weakness of mine) and suspect that a grain/gluten sensitivity may be to blame for some of my energy problems(as well as my extreme caffeine dependence). I do have a pretty slim food budget, but it seems like there's no better time than summer to give the Paleo diet a try. And, I suspect the money I will save from not buying fast food will more than make up for the extra cost for produce and such. I have to do a little further work to get more specific on my goals, which I may elaborate on soon... perhaps in less of a rambling fashion than I suspect this post has turned out to be(I haven't proofread it, so I don't really know. And, I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors that may have occurred as a result). So, I'm glad to be here, and look forward to diving into this journey. Everyone be well, and I look forward to "getting to know" you all! Paul