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Ahoy ye mateys! It is I... Rookie! This challenge I want to focus on training for my marathon on July 26 and getting some stamina and strength for my horseback riding. For those familiar with me you know my last month was a bit ... dirty, sore and on the ground Pretty much looked like this: So yes... Lets get to the details. Main Quest Run in my first marathon July 26. Subquests 1. Do C25K. A: 2 times a week B: 1 time a week C: Swapped in a different cardio instead of doing C25K. F: 0 times a week / no effort 2. Do some stretch/exercise that will help with horseback riding. A: 2 times a week B: 1 time a week F: 0 times a week 3. Continue following my own definition of 'clean eating' A: Followed it F: Failed Note: If I notice I am getting out of hand with my intake then I have to go back to counting calories. Life Quest: I know you are only supposed to have one but these are really my life goals right now so I might as well add both here. 1. Plan and Book my trip to Cuba with the boyfriend 2. Get garden planted outside Motivations: > I want to do well in my marathon > I want to look good at my Brother's wedding next year ( I'm a bridesmaid! D: ) > I want to be able to enjoy Cuba later in the year ... Look good, have energy to do stuff etc. > I want to be stronger, better and lighter for horseback riding > I want to have stamina to play with my dog for the amount he needs

So hey everyone. I'm back for round 8! Man, it is hard to believe it has been a year already since I signed up. Before I move onto the goals I have for this challenge, I figured I would take a look back over the year. I put together 3 pictures of me today from where I think I was my heaviest (396lbs) up to a picture I took today. The middle picture was during my first challenge at Nerd Fitness. I can button that jersey up now that I was wearing in that picture I have still struggled with weight over the year. Mostly moving in the correct direction. I have been adding my weights into the fitbit site to help give me a graph over the year I was actually at my lowest weight of 267lbs in December. Right before my Spartan Race. I was getting close to it again last challenge, but have gotten back to the 280's today. I've have pretty much been doing this since December. So Time to get back on the ball! Another data point I have tracked over the year was step counts with my FitBit. I got my FitBit One just at the start of my first challenge. So over the year, this is what I have done. 881.15 miles I have tracked! 100k away from 2 million steps. I was pretty shocked when I saw the graphic up there. Now I need to aim for higher next year! I also wanted to make a quick video to sort of talk about these things, and a little more from the past year. Looking back over the past year, I find I am really pleased with how things have been coming along. Not perfect, and plenty of room for improvement. Just reading through some of my old threads gets me re inspired to do well. The support I have gotten from you all here has been amazing. A year ago, I would have never thought I would make it here a year. Even quitting one challenge, and failing in other goals, I still learned from then. I feel I still made good progress even if I slip back somewhat. I've been inspired to try more vegetable then I would have ever tried a year ago. I have done whole 30, ran a Spartan Sprint race, and ran for over a mile. All things I thought were probably never going to happen in my life. It's been a pretty amazing run last year, and this year looks to be even better. I really want to thank everyone here. Without you all, I don't think I would be doing as well as I am. On to the new challenge! My Main Quest! I am still am working on become that better, stronger, and faster version of me. I would really like to focus on weight loss. BMI suggests I should be at 165lbs. I always felt that was too low. I think I would be better off at a 185 or so. So that is more of the end game for weight. I would be ok being heavier too with extra muscle. Of course sorter term, I want to hit 250lbs. I have been dancing around the 275lbs mark for awhile now. It's time to get lower. I also want to be able to run a 5k. Just so happens I am signed up for on on the 29th of June. I am in need of serious training to be ready for that. Goal #1: Sleep I really need to get myself to bed earlier. It seems to be key to the whole day. I usually wake up by 8-8:30am even if I go to bed at 3am. So once again, I have the goal to be in bed between midnight, and 12:15. This should give me plenty of time to get the rest I need to execute the rest of my day. Goal #2: Whole 30, IF, No snacking! It is time for Whole 30 again. I have let myself slip off into then endless eating cycles filled with sugary regrets. So I will do Whole 30 for the entire challenge. I might start a correct re introduction phase between challenges, but it's just easier to focus on staying Whole 30 all 6 weeks. I will also still be eating in the Intermittent Fasting style. So probably last meal by 6pm. Then I can have first meal after 10am. Along with this, there will be no more snacking! Snacking has been one of the bigger downfalls for me. Snacking leads to me eating all the time. As a bonus in the Whole 30, I want to use my weekends as cook days. Prepare enough for me to have simple reheating options during the week. Goal #3: Exercise #1 I am going to finish C25K. I might have to pick up again at Week 7, but I will finish it this challenge. I have a 5K to run on the 29th, and I plan on running it all! I want to get back into exercising more too. So i am going to follow the neila ray 30 days of change workouts. The only two days off I will have is when I am running the 5K. I want to make sure I have plenty of rest the day before. I am also not doing all the cardio since I will be doing C25K instead. Though there is some I will still do. Also as a part of doing all this exercise, I am going to focus on doing the Beginner Stretching routine after each workout. I'll also do warmups before exercising. My goal is to do the exercises in the morning when I first get up. Get them over and done with so I can have the rest of the day to do other things. Then I will run at night like normal. Now for my side quests: Goal #4: Hit the lanes Yup, my bowling goal returns. I want to get in at least 3 extra games of practice per week. To add in a little more to this challenge, I am going to start adding in some drills to practice at home in front of a mirror. Things to really help my form, and improve my bowling. I hope. Goal #5: Be more active So overall, I still want to get in 10k steps per day at least. The thing is I don't want it to require me to have to go for a walk last minute to get in that last bit. Instead, I would like to be more active during the day. I am setting my Jawbone Up to buzz me whenever it detects I am not active for a certain amount of time. I figure each time it buzzes, I need to get up and do something. Even if it is just to go walk around the house a bit. This should help to free me of sitting at my computer all day, and hopefully get my step count up Grading: Going with a simple points each day system for each goal. 0/7 to start each week. Measurements: I am tracking these in fitbit as well, so i am only using let side for biceps, calf, etc since they only have input for one number. 06/09/14 Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 284lbs Neck: 18.3in Forearm: 12.2in Waist: 52.59in Thigh: 27.55in Bicep: 16.41in Chest: 48.74in Calf: 19.52in Body fat %: 41 using US Navy Calc Week 1 wrap up - 27.5/35

Introduction: The young troll tailor Katastrophenkatzchen rummage around in her pattern collection."It has to be here... somewhere!", she muttered. Her plan was to sew this specific perfect pair of trousers and she knew exactly the right paatern for it. "Got ya!", she triumphed, while pulling out a little envelope. "okay, how much fabric do I need. Let's see---- WHAT?", the troll yelledc, compairing her meassurements with the chart." Noway!That can't be true. Nasty pattern! I can't be a size 18! Ridiculous!" She stormed out of the little cabin to release her anger. While she wandered though the town she saw strange things.... new watch towers, baracks, marching soldiers.... What was happening? Could it be.... the return of the scourge? Or wourse... the burning legion? I have been here for the previous challenge but stated too late, it was already 3 weeks done. So, I start this challenge as a level 0 and have a level up halfway throught (I'm looking forward to it and am not flexible enough in my mind yet to change it, will be working on it). As I think tackling all three burdens at once would be hard, I'll introduce 1 burden at a time/challenge. Last challenge I started yoga (and love it!), this time I bring running back to my routine and next challenge I'll add bodyweight workout to achieve a pullup someday. So this is the plan: Main quest: Be no burden in war/zombie apocalypse and be able to sew that pants . For being no burden I want to achieve 3 things: - Being able to run away from zombies - Pull myself up (for example up a fire ladder to escape that way) - be flexible and have a sane mind through yoga ( and keep it sane ) Quest 1: Do yoga 3 times a week (+DEX, +STR) A-3 times a week B- 2 times a week F- less than 2 times a week Quest 2: Do zombies, Run! C25K 3 times a week (+DEX,+STA) A-3 times a week B- 2 times a week F- less than 2 times a week Quest 3: Follow the happy herbivore meal plan, but stuck up to 1700 kcal (+500kcal) (+CON) (I like having these preplaned mealplans but the start at 1200kcal and you shall decide yourself if you stick to those 1200 or bulk up. I don't think it would be good too eat so low calories, because I'm large framen AND start running, so I'll add an extra smoothie before exercise and a small snack in the afternoon or so, adding up to 500 extra kcal. If I feel that's too low, I'll think about adding more and inform you about it.) A-7 days a week B- 1 take out or else F- more than 2 failed meals Quest 4: Resulting out of the above.... reduce bodyfat % from 33,4 % to 31,5 % = -2% (+CHA) win/fail Lifequest: Study 1,5 h daily ADDITIONALLY to classes. A-1,5 h+ 5 days a week B- 1 h 5 days a week or 1,5 h 4 days a week F- less than 1h 5 days a week or 1,5 h 4 days a week

So my last challenge went both good and bad, good in the sense I was sticking with some of the workouts, eating better, discovered that nightshades are not my friend...but that darn c25k kicked my tail (again). They say third time's a charm, so this challenge is looking like this: A – C25k, 18 workouts (3x week - 6 weeks)B – Skipped 1-3 runsC – Skipped 4-6 runsD – Skipped 7-9 runsF – Skipped more than 9 runs A – Yoga (or other workout), all 12 workoutsB – Skipped 1-2 workoutsC – Skipped 3-4 workoutsD – Skipped 5-6 workoutsF – Skipped more than 6 workouts. Trying to focus on doing a little homework each night as well, so I'm not trying to get it all done on the weekend when I want to do other things, especially since summer is here!! I need to find a 5k to train for so I have some motivation! Some of my challenges this time will be work, my new job just gave me new responsibilities, as in now I'm in charge of the kitchen as well as my accounting duties...should be interesting...given the 2 hour commute I may need to find more hours in the day...Putting these here so I can find them at the end of this...Measurement 05/27/14 Height 5'7 Weight 177 Neck 13.75 Chest 40 Waist 36 Hips 43

This is to be the summer of my greatest academic and physical challenges! I'm going to be stepping it up a notch for my very second challenge and let me tell you... Well, mostly anyways. I've got 15,000 words to write by August 26th, but I'd like to be done earlier than that, as I have friends and family coming out to visit me pretty much for the entire month of August, and the last two weeks of July. It's going to be chaotic, but I don't want my work stress to ruin the progress I've made so far with my health. Even though last challenge I didn't end up losing any weight (what's a number anyways?) I dropped my waist and hips by a little over an inch each! I'd like to keep that up, and to do so I'm getting a little tougher on myself and do a dual challenge of body and mind. I know it's meant to only be one main quest, but I need to tie them together so I don't back down from the progress I've made so far. Main Quest - Physical Drop at least another inch from my waist and hips, bringing my measurements to 26in and 38in respectively. +2 CHA Main Quest - Mental Complete at least half of required word count for dissertation. +2 WIS In order to achieve these big goals I'll obviously need to keep up with the day to day routine, which is where my side quests come in. Side Quests SQ1: The Diet! +3 CON, +1 STA Stick to paleo, yo! Hey and how about trying some intermittent fasting while you're at it? The fasting will be hard though, because.. A: Follow diet plan as laid out, including healthy paleo eating when forced to eat out during traveling and abroad. No more than gluten 2x per week. Fast at least one day a week. B: Follow diet plan as laid out, staying mostly paleo, but eating gluten up to 4x per week. Fast at least one day per week. C: Same as above, but no fasting. D: Eat gluten up to 6x per week, no fasting. F: Eat pizza, cake and other no-nos all week!!! NOOOOOOOO Don't do that! SQ2: The Exercise! +2 STA, +2 DEX The BBWW worked for me last time, and so I'm going to keep it up, and maybe attend a HIIT class with a friend on the off day. Also, I want to finish the last two weeks of my C25K program and start just doing free runs through run keeper or Zombies, Run! I'm currently running around a 9:40min mile, and I'd like to push that a bit faster, which I think is reasonable as long as I keep running every other day. The nice thing is that it never gets too hot in Scotland, so I won't feel like death after my runs. A: BBWW 3x per week, and either the C25K or a run at least 3x per week. Additionally, run that 5k on the 22nd of June and own it! B: Miss 1 BBWW OR 1 Run. C: Miss 1 BBWW AND 1 Run. F: Miss any more than 1 of each. No middle ground on this one. SQ3: The Dissertation!! +4 WIS A: Read at least 2 articles (of at least 40 pages each) a day, and once possible, write at least 300 words a day, even if those words are garbage. B: Read at least 1 article a day and once possible, write at least 200 words a day, even if those words are garbage. C: Read at least 5 articles a week and write at least 500 words in each week. D: Read at least 3 articles a week and write at least 500 words in each week. F: Uhhhhh, don't read, don't write and fail at the dissertation. Notes on Dissertation: I have set dates in place already requiring a certain amount of reading and writing accomplished. Specifically 2000-3000 words due on June 23rd. Then at least one chapter completed by Mid-July. This should push along the work schedule. Alongside the articles I will be doing primary source collection, which accounts for the lower number of pages I've set my reading to. Hopefully I'll be doing more than that each day, but I don't want to set unattainable goals.

This will be my second challenge (didn't finish my first one), but I'm super excited to complete this one. Starting Stats Age: 27 Gender: Female Height: 5'2" Weight: 207.4 lbs Main Quest Overall, I need to lose 82 pounds. For the 6WC, I'm aiming to lose 8-10 pounds. Missions -> Complete weeks 1-6 of Couch 2 5K -> Complete the Beginner Body Weight Workout twice a week -> Eat a full serving of a veggie or fruit at every meal Life Quest I need to get my apartment in better shape and that means I need to run a tighter ship. I'm not great at doing daily chores. I'd much rather cross stitch or watch TV or something more fun. Sadly, I choose to do these fun things more than I do housework, and that's causing my husband stress. Missions -> Do a load of dishes every day -> Pick up clutter on floor every night before bed -> Make and keep to cleaning schedule Motivation I have super-duper horrible genes when it comes to diseases (cancer, diabetes, mental health, heart disease, etc), so I need to make sure that I lower those chances as much as I can. By being 70-80 pounds overweight, I'm not helping. I want my daughter to see the healthy choices I'm making so she will make healthy choices as well. I'll be using a spreadsheet to track my progress. A percentage will be determined based on whether I did that item for the day or not and based on that percentage a letter grade will be given. A = 89-100 B = 77-88 C = 65-87 Failing is 64 and below

Well it's new challenge time. I've moved from the Monk trail for now as i need to take a few steps back with my goals. I'm still injured so this challenge will be interesting. But i'm back to get out of the red. Bad habits that need to be squashed and weight needs to start going the right way. For those who don't know i have nerve problems which at the moment are effecting my right hand/wrist really badly. I can't hold anything, can't lift anything (very weak). I can't put weight or pressure on my right arm from the elbow to the wrist. For this challenge i'm getting back into a regular workout that i've been lacking since i've been injured. In my last challenge i started the habit of working out in the morning, this will continue. I will also get back into the gym, get back into my interval training, continue body weight workouts and look at starting to attend classes at my gym. Morning Workouts: Every week day 1 minute warm up. High knees or butt kicks. Then I will do 10 reps at a time, combination of crunches, reverse crunches, squats, lunges, hip raises. Repeat for 5 minutes. Gym: Three times a week minimum Interval training. Get back onto the C25K. Will be starting from scratch but it's the only cardio machine i can use. Bodyweight circuits. There are a number of exercises that i can do with my injury. I will alternate these each time and keep track of reps, increasing each time. My gym also has cardio based classes, there are heaps of different ones. I need to look into which ones i can do with my injuries and start doing at least one a week. Being a friend I need to get back into the habit of coming on here regularly and checking in on the friends i've made, and new friends. I love this place for the support it gives me, and i need to make sure i'm giving it back. I have set up a spreadsheet to track all of my workouts. If anyone has any exercises that i can do with my injury please let me know, i thrive on variation as i get bored easily.

Challenge 2 2014 Main Goal Lose 70 lbs 54.4 lbs. My Quest Lose 5.4 lbs. I want to get under 168 lbs (12 stones). Goals 1. Continue around 1200 calories daily. Add intermittent fasting 16/8. Only eat between 12-8pm. 2. Daily Convict Conditioning habit. 10am every day (except Saturdays). I will set an alarm. 3. Daily Cardio habit. Every day complete at least one of the following: The Walk Zombie Run, 5k Fitness Video. Life Quest Spend at least an hour every day working on my house. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NB. My birthday is on the 21st, I plan for my birthday dinner to be a cheat meal. Not the whole day just the evening meal (it might also be slightly later than 8pm on that one day. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Motivation... I saw this and laugh / groaned because I have done it too many times! No more!

Hey everyone! I noticed that this challenge LOTS of people are using C25K and Zombies, Run! to meet their goals. I just started Zombies, Run! myself Here is a place to get together for advice, support, and congrats! Hopefully we can all keep one another on schedule, as well. This thread is open to all guilds, and I especially want to welcome the Level One Rebels to this thread. Getting involved with an Accountabilibuddies Group is a great way to smash your first Challenge! So, tell us where you are in your journey! Have you set an Personal Records (PRs) during your journey with your chosen app? Find any specifically difficult segments? I have to run for now... no really... RUN!

Welcome, welcome one and all. Please keep all arms, legs, tentacles, wings, and other extremities in the vehicle at all times. We hope you enjoy your ride. The Introduction Hey errbody! Welcome to the first of many (but hopefully not too many) challenges in my quest to be ~*~SuPeR hAwT~*~ ! Wait, where are you going? Come back! I promise I won't write like that ever again! No but really. In my own, obviously completely unbiased, opinion, I'm not unattractive. You might even accuse me of being pretty under the right circumstances. But I'm betting there's an even prettier Flea buried under years of bacon cheeseburgers and lifting nothing heavier than a cell phone. Know what's also pretty? Confidence. Which I will absolutely gain when I am in shape and working out. So it's a win/win. Couple all that with the fact that I'm starting grad school in the fall (ahhhhhh what) and would like it to be a fresh start in many ways, now's the perfect time to get going! (Pretty sure I didn't articulate my reasoning very well there, but screw it. I'm not an English major.) The Challenge Main goal: I'm sexy and I know it! (lose weight/fat, build strength, eat better, be that annoying person who's secure about who they are) Goal 1: Eat vegan for 6 weeks. (+3 CON) Why: I've been vegetarian for 3.5 months now and eat mostly vegan anyway since I hate eggs and have a love/hate relationship with dairy. Potential obstacles: I'll have to remember to go food shopping, read ingredient labels, and (gasp!) actually prepare food. Grading: Pass/Fail Goal 2: Follow a c25k program. (+4 STA, +1 DEX) Why: I hate getting winded after really short distances. I bought fancy running shoes and need to get my money's worth. I've actually liked running (or attempting to run) the handful of times I've gone before. I want to build my endurance so I can explore Europe without dying when I go to school.Potential obstacles: I think I got shin splints when I did it before. I could try too much too fast. My bed is really comfortable at 5:45am. Grading: A = average 3x/week; B = average 2x/week; C = average 1x/week; F = anything less Goal 3: Follow the Bodyweight Brigade workout from the NF Academy. (+4 STR, +1 STA) Why: I don't want to drop my carry-on on someone's head again or kill myself lugging suitcases through the airport. I don't want to hurt myself picking up heavy things. I'd rather have muscle and weigh more than weigh nothing and have no definition.Potential obstacles: Doing too much too fast. Comfy bed. Getting frustrated over not seeing results as fast as I want them.Grading: A = average 3x/week; B = average 2x/week; C = average 1x/week; F = anything less Life Quest: Reduce my possessions/the physical clutter in my life. (+2 WIS) Why: I have so much crap I don't even use. I'm not taking it all with me to England and I sure as hell won't miss it while I'm gone. I hoping to make a little bit of money from it.Potential obstacles: I'm lazy, man. I don't want to drive to Goodwill or deal with eBay. Grading: A = donate/sell/get rid of 5 boxes' worth of crap sitting in my room; B = 4 boxes; C = 3 boxes; D = 2 boxes; F = 1 box The Conclusion If you've made it this far, congratulations on sticking with me and my verbosity! (My thesis is going to be a disaster, I'm calling it right now.) These goals are practically the same at my very first challenge, which I bombed. But this time I have a concrete reason and deadline instead of "getting healthy is good." And it's not too cold or dark in the mornings. I've made a few friends here and I feel like I can actually follow through this time instead of making up lame excuses. Blah blah this post got wayyyy out of hand. On y va!

I'm ready and raring for my first challenge! I want to be tip top for this summer, and to do that I need to buckle down. So here are my goals: Main Quest: Drop 10 lbs whilst gaining muscle mass! Side Quests: 1. Follow CouchTo5K 2. Complete the first set of Bodyweight exercises in regime 3. Follow daily diet plan including juicing and high protein content, eliminating processed foods wherever possible Life Goal: Finish my exams and papers! Don't let the stress of it all get to me.

Hello Assassins! I was here for a challenge a while back, then tried to do one with the Adventurers before Christmas, which was a massive fail. I was too busy and dropped off the map pretty quickly. Plus I missed you guys! I haven't joined a challenge yet this year because the structure of it hasn't really resonated with me, I've been keeping fit but in a random, aimless sort of way. I got an itty bitty 10lb kettlebell for Christmas and have been playing with it, lots of swings and presses and so forth, and I'm definitely getting stronger and seeing changes. Last time I was here, my big goal was to do a real push-up. Well, that hasn't happened yet, so I'm refocusing my efforts on that. I'm not much of a storyteller or a gif collector like many members here, so this is going to be straightforward and boring. Challenge goal 1: Keep progressing on push-ups! I managed to build up to 20+ in a row on the kitchen counter, but somehow couldn't manage to move down to a lower incline. 3-4 weeks ago I found the one hundred pushups program, and then 2 weeks ago I moved to an apartment with a ledge between the living and dining rooms, giving me a nice convenient place to move my incline down just a tiny bit, and I could just barely eke out 5 reps. I started the one hundred pushups program on the first column, very beginning, and I'm halfway through week 2 now. I am going to keep at this, 3 days a week, and after every week of the program find a lower incline (I'm thinking coffee table or couch next, maybe) and give it a try. As soon as I can get 4-5 reps on a lower incline, I'll start the program over until I get it down to the floor. I feel like this gives me a much more solid plan to accomplish what I want than I had last time. Challenge goal 2: Keep running! I've been doing the c25k as well as the Zombies, run! 5k trainer simultaneously, moving back and forth according to circumstances and how I feel that day. It's been super sporadic - I actually don't think I have, at any point, actually gone for the whole three runs in a week that I am supposed to. I'm currently at the end of week 5 in both programs, and am dying to actually complete one. I need to get out for a run 3 days a week, every week, and keep it moving. Challenge goal 3: Keep moving throughout the day! My new apartment is walkable to downtown, and me and Toddler have been getting out a lot to explore and play. I want to keep walking and keep my monthly steps average on my fitbit above 10,000. As I type this, my average for April is 10,951. Goals 2 and 3 relate to my big goal because, despite what everyone says about cardio nowadays, I have the best success dropping weight when I am walking and running a lot, and having less weight to shift can only make push-ups easier, right? I know diet is a big compenent, but I have been having issues with anxiety and weirdness when I make rules about eating, so I'm just aiming for a vague guideline of not overstuffing myself, and having lots of veggies and lots of protein. I'm also going to try to stretch more, since I have been neglecting that and reading you guys's challenges has reminded me how important it is. My mobility has definitely been suffering lately, and my posture is total crap, so I'm going to work on that. Informally, though, not too much pressure on myself. I am going to look into a heavier kettlebell as well as try to keep up my workouts with the one I have when I can, but again, in an informal sort of way, no pressure. As far as a life goal, I've been tasked with sewing a picnic blanket for my sister for her birthday at the end of May, and I'm hoping to have a shawl knitted for my mom by Mother's Day. I need to spend at least a small amount of time on one of these things every day. I'm excited now! Let's get started! I'm amazed at how much stuff there is in this forum already in the chat thread, the mini-challenges...off to catch up!

First challenge. And the challenge is... to complete the challenge. I've actually been doing pretty well Down from 270 in October to 250. (Or 250.1. Can't quite cross that line, darn it.) But I have a habit of doing something for a couple months then wandering onto a different path. Getting distracted with some other project or topic. So here is hoping posting in public will help that. Another thing I've been doing is group exercise classes that my job offers. They have helped, but I was getting tired of high reps and cardio, but I want to up my strength and even the "weightlifting" classes don't do that. (I can't lift something heavy continuously for a minute.) So new plan, I bought some weights from Craigslist and am not going to pay for the classes next session (after this week). Main Quest: Get more fit.Ideally somewhere around 15% bodyfat is my goal. I'm 250 with 27% (according to the unreliable meter I use) now. So 15% would be 215-ish. Which sounds right to me. (And incidentally puts me above the BMI healthy range. ) But wanting to feel healthy is more the point. I've been ecstatic that climbing stairs and such as gotten easier from just losing 20 pounds. Can't wait to find out what happens as I lose more. Six week goals: Stronglifts 5x5I just finished week 2 of the lifts, done M,W,F. This is the first time I have done weightlifting and I'm liking it. I've always thought of myself as a big and strong guy (under the fat). I am looking forward to seeing how strong I can get. (And I really hate the idea of losing stength as I lose weight.) C25KI've started this program Tu,Th,Sa. I'm not really into running but I hate having no endurance. Oh, and I want to do some of the mud runs around here (sounds like fun!) so I'm going to see if I can get in shape for it. Besides, my furry companion (aka the Beast Puppy) loves to run and it keeps her from bugging me so much when I'm in front of the computer. Stretch!This goes along with the above. I found out this week what happens when you don't stretch after a run. Bad Things. I could barely walk! So I need to figure out a stretching program and do it. Eat lessLowest priority, other then getting in about 180g of protein. But I've been trying to eat a deficit of about 500 calories for a bit and it seems to be working. Life Quest: Stay on track!My main goal, not to be distracted so often. Whether at work, at home, or on this quest. Too often have I seen something else interesting on the horizon and set off for it, forgetting my main quest. Then I find myself lost and eventually back where I started. Now, how to measure this?

Just found NF and this is the first full challenge that I can participate in. I can't wait to say hi to all of you and share experiences! I think it will help me a lot by keeping me accountable. Main Quest – Lose 12 pounds (that's healthy I think - 2 pounds a week) Steps on how to get me to level 1. Restart my C25K program (includes running 3+ days week) I have not stuck with this program yet. I have been up to week 4, but keep feeling that I am unable to run the amount of time the program says I should so I stay on the same week I was without increasing my running time. 2. Get 6 hours of sleep on raid nights, but 7+ hours on non-raid nights Raid nights still get me wound up so this makes it harder to go to bed as well as raid nights I am up later than usual because I am at my computer. I will help myself go to bed early by making sure that I have my clothes step up for the next day before raid begins. 3. Do not eat more than what I take to work for lunch. At work we have a cafeteria as well as company store, both have good/bad food available. The company store is open for more than half of my shift. I will help myself by not walking past this location and if I do walk passed it, then not have money to use on me. My Motivation -Brother's wedding in 9 weeks which I am standing up as a bridesmaid -Losing weight will help my health, specifically my knees

"Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up." - Chinese Proverb Ciao everyone! My name is Jessica. I'm 21 years old, about 100 pounds overweight, and have a terrible relationship with the term "perseverance." I wrote up my NF training challenge about a three weeks ago, and followed it for two, and then gave up. Why? Looking back on it, I'm not entirely sure. So here I am, standing up and trying again. I want this. Main Quest Lose 100 pounds and get strong! I weighed myself at the beginning of the year. I was... well... a lot. The most I've ever weighed. Since then I've managed to lose 13 pounds since the beginning of the year, so I'm 13% to this goal. (Woo-hoo!) Mini quests Strength training 3x per week (+STR/DEX) Do this: I wrote this up weeks ago, and did it a few times. It's a combination of the NFBBWW, and some kettlebell stuff. It's hard, but doable. Finish the Zombies Run! 5k training (+STA) I have been trying to finish this training since the beginning of the year. I've been stuck on week 5 for a month now. I haven't been running consistently enough to build up the endurance I need to finish the program. So I want to run 3x per week. Stop eating out. (+CON) Period. I have a terrible relationship with fast food. Where I work is a street away from my city's downtown district, so there's a dozen restaurants and fast food places available for me to go to lunch. I will give myself credit for the last three weeks. I have cut down my eating out from 4-5 times per week to about 1-2 times per week. I don't want to do it anymore. Period. No fast food. Side quest Save up $100 (+WIS) I work full time and am a part time student, and I'm living paycheck to paycheck. If I have any extra money left over at the end of the month, I waste it on stupid things. I don't want to do that. I want to save up some money to build an emergency fund.Motivation Honestly, I'm just tired of being fat. I've been fat since childhood and it sucks. I really love doing sports and outdoor activities, but my weight makes it really friggin hard.I want to be strong, energetic and healthy and active, not stick thin and starving myself.I want to be able to shop at normal clothing stores, wear shirts without sleeves and dresses without tights.I want to buy a swimsuit for the first time since the 8th grade.I want to learn how to dance without running out of breath halfway through a song.I want to be strong enough to do a cartwheel. It's a little silly, but when I was a kid, I got made fun of for not being able to do one. I want to run an entire 5k without stopping, and run a marathon one day.I want to be able to chase the kids at work around the playground without getting winded, and I don't want anymore 3 year olds asking me if I have a baby in my tummy. I want to learn how to surf and go rock climbing and skydiving and free running and do all of this other crazy stuff that I wouldn't be able to do as a fatty. That's about it. I've been doing this whole dieting->weight loss->binging->weight gain song and dance for so many years now. I have a really good feeling about this time though. 2014 is going to be my last year being obese, period. Good luck to all of my fellow nerds! I can't wait to get healthy with all of you!

Hi, my name is Mark. I've only been here a day, but I like that this Challenge thing is something I'd like to do. I was told on the IRC channel not to collect underpants, so I'm starting now instead of my normal procrastination. You can see my intro here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/47686-new-rebel-girmann-v10/ This is my latest attempt to try and get fit. The last time I was even close to fit was back in 2008 when I was running 10ks and half marathons. I injured myself a lot since then. Since I seem to be prone to overuse injuries, my goals are modest and they are an attempt to rectify all the issues I've had in the past. Main Quest: Afer doing a lot of thinking, I think that I want to keep it simple for my first challenge and just say "Get more fit without getting injured". There's plenty of time for the other things on my list (like PRing a 5k, for instance.) If I can start working out in earnest and not hurt myself over the next 6 weeks, I'll be in a good spot. Specific Missions: 1. Complete C25k in <10 weeks. This, of course, runs past the challenge window - but it gets me doing the exercise I love the most. 2. Do Beginner Dody Weight Workout 1x/wk. Reading it over - it's goingt o be a challenge, since I've never really done any kind of lifting. We'll see how it goes. Originally I wanted to do 2x/wk, but I don't think that gives me enough recovery time. 3. Do Wii Fit Yoga 1x/wk. I hate flexibility training. I've never been flexible - ever. Life Quest: Start sailing classes and purchase a sailboat. This is a family goal - as everyone wants to do this. Motivation: Being alive to see my kids full grown. The last few months I've gotten heavier and I've felt worse - healthwise. It's really got me worried. Starting Stats: Age: 40 Gender: Male Height: 5'10 Weight: 228 Body Fat %: ~31% (BMI calculation, anyway) Neck: 18 inches Waist (belly button): 44 inches I'd be interested to what you think about the challenge? Am I letting myself off the hook too easily? Apologies to TheStephil - I borowed your format. Hope you don't mind.

So, I'm here because I want to lose some weight, so that I can swim faster, run further and be fitter. I also am pumped to start doing strength training - have done one day of the beginner body weight work out (I could only manage two sets and it was two days ago so why am I still aching??) But to start, I'm going to put on a completely honest food/exercise diary. I'm carrying on eating normally for this first week - I think this might help me know which areas of my diet I need to change - and I can't be in denial if I've put it all down on paper (so to speak)! Day 1 Current weight 181lb (just under 13 stone for us Britishers) Breakfast: large muesli with skimmed milk and a coffee Lunch: 2 wraps, containing a chargrilled chicken breast, handful of bistro salad (leaves plus beetroot), and some grated cheddar cheese Dinner: Pasta with lentil ragu (homemade by frying onions, celery, carrots and garlic, then adding red split lentils, stock and chopped tomatoes), plus boiled broccoli and grated cheese Snacks: Walkers crisps and half of a bar of Lindt dark chocolate. Plus 3 more coffees Exercise: Today I finished week 5 of C25K! I ran for 20 mins continuously and I feel like I could have gone further (which makes me feel confident of the next week of running) In 30 mins (including a 5 min walk for both warm up and cool down): - 3.73km - 7.47kph average speed There it is, Day 1

Hi! Althought this isn't technically my first challenge, I took part in the last one for the last two weeks. I am going to count it as my first challenge. Main goal: - Finish the C25K program and continue to run for 30mins every other day gradually increasing speed Side Goals: - Complete the 200 sit ups challenge - Complete the 200 squats challenge Life Goal: - Get through all of my exams in one piece

Main Quest: Increase my stamina to be able to run a full 10k without walking (or without walking more than a few seconds at a time)... Ultimately to build up to completing a half marathon by the end of 2014. Three Goals: Stick to training regularly, don’t let the summer heat stop me again this year. I have a half marathon training schedule that I want to start during this time period. At the beginning of this challenge, I need to finish the C25k program. After that, I need to get used to running 5k-s every other day with the heat, before gradually increasing my mileage to a 10k. Keep eating properly, to fuel my muscles and lose the extra weight. Stay primal/low carb, mostly following the 21 Day Sugar Detox Level 2 eating plan to stay under 60g of carbs a day. I'll allow a slip up for my birthday Don’t let my cross training fall by the wayside. Keep up strength training, with kettlebells, and switching things up as needed to keep things challenging. I would like to be using my 25lber for most of my exercises by the end of the six weeks. Strength training is just as important to me as cardio, if not more. In addition to strength training, I need to keep doing yoga for flexibility and mobility. Life Quest: I want to continue to grow my businesses, either my scrapbook product designing business or my Virtual Assistant business. Doubling my new VA business would be great and ease my budget anxieties!

Hello all! I've been reading NF for a few weeks now but just came across the challenges today. Sounds awesome, so I'm in. Here's to the first of many challenges!!!! Character: Rob The Not Quite Dragonborn Race: Orc (tall, big, slow) Main Quest: Earn membership in the 400/50 club. That means having a 400 pound deadlift and being able to run a 50 mile ultramarathon. Timeframe: 3-5 years Side Quests: 1.) Get down to 190 pounds (~86kg)---6-10 months 2.) Finish Couch-to-10k---12-20 weeks 3.) Transition to 90/10 paleo (paleo 90% of the time)---6 weeks (and then maintain FOREVER after) 4.) Finish modified Stronglifts---12 weeks FIRST CHALLENGE: 1.) Transition to 90/10 Paleo (each non-paleo item/meal subtracts 2 points from total score out of 100) 2.) Lose 6-12lbs (1-5=D, 6-7=C, 8-9=B, 10-11=B+, 12+=A) 3.) Continue Cto10K program (minus 5 points every missed workout out of 100 points) 4.) Restart Stronglifts (minus 5 points every missed workout out of 100 points) 5.) Take multivitamin every day (minus 1 point each day missed out of a possible 100) That sounds like a lot of new things, but in reality I've already made some headway into all of those different items (i.e. I've been doing paleo off and on for 2-3 years now, I'm 5 weeks in to running, etc. etc. I just need to keep at 'em) My biggest problem is PERSEVERANCE. I've started lifting and paleo and running and walking etc. etc. etc. all 100 times, I can just never stick with any of them. So this first challenge is all about sticking with what I already know how to do. 6 weeks to new habits. Lets do this!!!!

As theme I picked some of the things that a true rebel should never do. And twisted them completely My wife and me are in a long distance relationship at the moment. It sucks to live in different countries, but for the time being we have to cope with that. So, when we are together we try to make the most of our time together, which means also leave on the side some of the interests and activities that we do no share. Of the 42 day of the challenge we have 17 days together this time. So I split the challenge in a "alone"-challenge and a "together"-challenge. The "together" bit is still my challenge, in the sense that I want to take the initiative and the lead, but if she is really not up to it, then we will do something different. I am not going to force her into this Collecting pants (alone) If I collect enough pants I will achieve world domination. I mean this one quite literally. My house is a mess most of the time and I end up doing emergency tidy-up every 3-4 weeks. That must change. So I start collecting pants. That is: pick the clothes up from the rack where I hung them, fold them and put in the proper drawer. It will happen within 2 days from the washing (3 for hand-washed things, they need time to dry out) CHA +3 for the more guest-friendly house DEX +1 for the getting better at folding clothes I don't like boring (together) While my wife is here, I'll walk with her every day, for at least 1 hour, every time on a different place/path. Just to start some good habit. CON +1 for the good habits and the movement WIS +1 for finding the way STA +1 for the walk itself Lift light (together) I know that when we are together we tend to eat more. Because we go out, we have dinner with friends, we enjoy cooking and we don't throw away anything (everything that land in our dish is eaten). So, portion control is the word here. Not to eat less, but to eat "as usual". So, my dish will be lighter even when going out CON +2 for the food CHA +2 because nobody like to eat with a pig like me Don't change anything (alone) I was happy with my previous challenge. So I keep it as is was: push-ups, pull-ups, handstand, run (but 2.5 times/week), climb, check the food. This part of the challenge will happen in the days that I am not with my wife. If I manage to sneak in something, good, otherwise I still have the point for family life STR +3 STA +1 No yoga as a challenge this time. Maybe I will do something anyway, but just as recovery or for the fun of it. And the monkish bit as always is the background for all this The usual spreadsheet will follow

OH HEY. It's my first challenge! I started reading NerdFitness about three months ago but am just now becoming active in the community. Just realized that I totally want to write one of those awesome nerdy entries so many of you are writing about my goals, but wanting to make it entertaining is likely to keep me from posting at all. So. INSTEAD I SHALL MONOLOGUE IN AN UN-ENTERTAINING FASHION. A little bit about me: Lezbehonest, a year ago I left a relationship that was, oh, bad. Let's go with abusive, even though I have trouble wrapping my head around that even still. He was more of a Darth Cadeus than an Emperor... good intentions gone horribly awry, not an evil heart... but it wasn't good for me. I was miserable AND I work from home, so I gained, oh... about sixty pounds in the 2.5 years I was with him, topping me out at really close to 300lbs. Not sexy for a rebel. Cue year of fixing myself, living in hotels along 101, staring at the ocean, going back to my hometown for a bit. Then the decision to leave Austin for good and land in Vancouver, Washington (for those of you who aren't familiar with the NW, Vancouver is across the river from Portland, OR). I got serious about my health goals in December and doubled down in January. Starting weight at the beginning of January was 270. Weight today is 243. My focus is on lifestyle changes, not weight loss... though I do have two "weight loss" goals. The first is to get below 235, which is the official "oh hey, shed that guy!" weight. The second is 175 by January of next year if I can make it, though if I don't, the health is what I'm really focused on. I've already been making some major changes in my perspective, how I eat and making sure I exercise... I am probably the healthiest and happiest I have been in my adult life. So now it's time to level up and try for something that I find difficult. My first challenge is all about running, which I consider a necessary skill for a rebel. I decided about a month and a half ago that I really wanted to learn how to run. This was sort of terrifing because for some reason I absolutely did not know how. I also had a foot injury about a year ago that made me nervous about it... but I've figured that part out. Now it's time to get serious about it. My six week goal is to run my first 5K! I want to do some strength training along with my running, with an eye toward my NEXT goal being weight lifting with an eye toward lifting heavy. I also have my eating and movement goals in line for the most part already, so I'm focused on sleeping as a major point in my quest because I'm terrible at it and running is HARD when you're tired. Here are the three things I am going to work on to achieve this goal: Practice running 4 days a week (Couch to 5K app)Start weight lifting (perfect squat!) 2-3 days a week.Get 8 hours of sleep every night.Since I moved into a new place at the beginning of February and still have not unpacked the Room of Requirement (which is where my new weight bench will live) or anything not necessary for day to day life, my life quest is related to that. Life Quest Get my house in order and maintain it.That also means doing my dishes like a grown up and taking out the recycling. And the last part of the challenge... Why are you doing this? I DESERVE to live my happiest, healthiest life. "I DESERVE" has sort of been my mantra of the last year... as I have ended a lot of unhealthy relationships and situations and introduced good, supportive ones into my life. It might not be the most specific reason, but I really am working on believing that I deserve to take care of myself, to be happy and healthy and that no one is allowed to take that away from me. So there it is. Let the six week challenge (minus two days) begin!

Diving in after lurking around the boards for the past few weeks! My starting stats: 249 lbs, chest 50, waist 41, hips 51 Main Quest: Get smaller/ Get Stronger/ Get a baby! I feel like this wording implies I will be using my new found size and strength to steal babies. Edited to add some actual targets here. My goal by the end of this challenge will be to lose 10lbs or 1 inch off of my chest, waist and hips. My overall goal is too lose 50 lbs by then end of August 2014. This is all the weight I gained over the past 10 years since I graduated college and it's time to get rid of it! Mini-Quest 1: Follow c25k/average 3 miles a day/Body weight workout 3x a week Endurance, thy name is… not Ananke. Gone are the halcyon days, aka high school, where I could run non-stop for 40 minutes. I started a C25k late last fall and started to get into it but snow/rain cut my program short at 4 weeks. Now that it’s nice again it’s time to get back on top of this project. Tomorrow kicks off week 2 of the plan and my goal is to finish week 7 by the end of this challenge. Regardless of whether or not it’s a c25k day, my daily goal will be to walk/jog 3 miles a day or 21 miles a week. Supplementing all this cardio, I will be strength training 3x a week using the body weight workout. Mini-Quest 2: Limit dairy, grains, alcohol and processed food I function best when I cut out most grains, processed food and dairy from my diet. For simplicity’s sake, I am not going to be as hardcore with this as I could be but I am setting the rule that if I am going to have something in these categories it NEEDS TO BE WORTH IT! We’re talking about homemade pie, or a bottle of my friend’s home brew that she spent all winter perfecting.. not McDonalds or crappy take-out because I am tired. Mini-Quest 3: Start Aerials! My best friend and I used to belong to the same gym. I loved it because we would take the same classes, push each other to try new things or set new goals and, most importantly, we kept each other honest and made sure the other committed to working out. Alas, the almighty dollar broke up the good thing we had going on. The rates at the gym went up a disgusting amount (Damn you Boston Sports Club!) and we both left. Since then, she threw herself into Ariel arts (aka trapeze) and MMA training. She encouraged me to join too but my fitness hang-ups, specifically my phobia of being the worst/biggest/weakest person in the class, got the best of me. But after getting to a better place physically and mentally last year, now is the time for me to get over myself. Mauy Thai is still too intimidating to join. So aerials it is. Soon I will be flying, well most likely hanging, in the air! Life quest: Get comfortable with myself Basically I want to achieve Zoe Washburne ( aka Gina Torres) levels of self confidence. Some may say this is an impossible goal and that there can only be one but a girl can dream, right?

Wow, finally time for my first official challenge...I did complete a Whole30 while recovering from surgery last month (and lost 5 lbs ), but that was not on the record... My main quest is "to get into the wedding dress of my dreams", my partner and I are planning to make it 'official' (or as much as we can in MS ) next year, and while I have not picked out a dress yet, I do have an image in my mind of what it should look like...the person looking back at me from the mirror can NOT fit in that dress...the more specific goal would be to get down to 'pre-first-pregnancy' weight (my first child is 20 if that gives you an idea LOL) of 150, and to achieve 25% body fat, which this calculator has me at 40% currently Current Stats: Height - 5'7" Weight - 180 Neck - 14 Chest - 42 Waist - 37 Hips - 43.5 So...how to attain these goals? As I stated I completed a Whole30 and have been eating paleo since Jan 10th, have had a few SWYPO foods since finishing the 30 but nothing really outrageous. Definitally going to continue eating this way since I have not felt this good or had this much energy in YEARS! My partner's hidradenitis suppurativa has also not given her any issues so will be continuing to eat this way. I have signed up for ColorMeRad here on March 22nd, and while I know I am not going to run that one, I do want to complete it and actually run The Color Run I am signed up for in May. To do this I am using Couch-to-5k, will be doing that three days a week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday) and BBWW three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), with one day off. So, grading will be like this... A – C25k, 18 workouts (3x week - 6 weeks) B – Skipped 1-3 runs C – Skipped 4-6 runs D – Skipped 7-9 runs F – Skipped more than 9 runs A – BBWW, all 18 workouts B – Skipped 1-3 workouts C – Skipped 3-6 workouts D – Skipped 6-9 workouts F – Skipped more than 9 workouts. A – Paleo at least 6 days a week (average) B – Paleo at least 5 days a week C – Paleo at least 4 days a week D – Paleo at least 3 days a week F – Paleo less than 3 days a week I know we've been eating paleo 7 days a week, but I also know we've got a trip planned to NOLA the weekend of the 15th with my boys, and I love food...especially food in New Orleans...going to try to stick to it but don't want to set myself up to fail!

This.. is me. I'm a 25 yr old female who likes to fix anything and everything while lifting anything ... and everything. I have been on a year long journey to get my body back in shape. My definition of in shape is the ability to physically do whatever I decide to do. Last challenge it really changed from "I need to be more healthy" to "Let's see how much we can do" and I intend to keep that going. Originally, I was going to do this challenge with the Warriors but after SammyShark convinced me to train for a 5k, and StarPuck inspired me to do skating lessons.. I'm sticking with the Rangers. See the schedule below as a visual indication of why. Fair warning, I'm pretty crazy in how I do things and this thread will definitely veer off course on multiple occasions. There will be an abundance of GIFs for every moment possible and weekly blog links. I do try and save my brain dumps for my blog as I kind of feel that for the most part, this is my exercise log. My blog is where my cohesive and less free-written thoughts reside in electrons. There is a strong possibility of food pictures as well, I do not however promise the pictures themselves will be good. Consider yourself warned. Right: On with it then! If you watched my last challenge you may remember I decided I need to live spectacularly. This is my main quest though it may be abstract and it is not gradable. Main Quest: Live Spectacularly Individual Goals: · Run 1.5miles non-stop · Deadlift 150# ß might be adjusted based upon Personal Trainer · 1 ​​Freestanding Handstand · Eat to my macros as prescribed by Alex (Personal Trainer) Carbs: 183g 150g Protein: 137g 113g Fat: 60g 50g Life Side Quests: · Learn Remedial Spanish – 3x/week · Maintain a cleaner home atmosphere – 15Min/day · Write my Childhood Storybook – 1Hour /week Fitness Side Quest: · Train for a GoRuck Light (Coincides with 5k) · Stretch daily / Meditate · Freestanding Handstand · One HIIT session per week The goal with eats is to eat as Paleo as possible. I do have a dairy issue and have been mostly gluten free long enough to be sensitive to it. I do not claim to even remotely have celiacs disease but I do notice a difference. Without further adieu, here is my schedule of weekly events: As you can see.. I've added a few more things to it. Oh! Hockey is on Wednesday nights starting tomorrow (2/19) On Monday I'll upload my vitals for comparison, each day I will upload a brief food log post and a workout log. Vitals 2/24/2014 Weight: 146.8# BodyFat: 25.9% Lean Mass 108.65# Fat Mass: 38.15# Edited for vitals and new macro stats.