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Hi guys! I've been working on a spreadsheet full of nutritional information for the foods I eat for the past couple of weeks (which is generally the sort of thing a UK vegetarian might eat). Then I wanted to share it, because it's been making my life easier, so I added various other foods like meat and fish. There are many vegetables and nuts. Here's what is hopefully a link to the google doc: Shiny Nutritional Information Spreadsheet If that worked, please make a copy so you can have your own personalised sheet. I have never created a google doc before and have no idea what I am doing, so if that link is broken please shout at me with some way to let you view it! (Otherwise, PM me a contact email and I can send you the excel file!)

jtggodqos - go big, or go home Main Quest I vow to return to a healthy lifestyle, incorporating good eating habits and exercise into most every day. Goals Exercise: I vow to adhere to the following workout plan every day, with the rare exception.Wed, Fri, Sun: lower body (DDR or calf raises, squats, lunges)Thus, Sat, Mon: upper body (bench press, military press, seated row, bicep curl, tricep curl, lat pulldown)Tue: rest; cardio optionalDiet: I vow to consume no more than 1200 kcal every day, with the rare exception.Writing: I vow toboth journal and write one poem every day, with the rare exception. Side Quests Minis: I vow to at least consider the Mini Quests each time, though I am not required to participate. My Motivation I vow to adhere to the above requirements, because I'm fucking sick of how I look, and I'm tired of this Depression.healthy eating and regular exercise are good for the body, and writing is good for the soul. Notes the "with the rare exception" clause must be validated by Brian -- if he deems it acceptable, then I can evoke it. this ensures I don't let myself "cheat" too much.I must input every day's progress on both my spreadsheet AND my NerdFitness thread. this ensures accountability. Links spreadsheetMyFitnessPalFitbitFitocracy Icon for Hire - "Get Well" lyrics

Hey everyone, I've completed one challenge thus far, but this will be the third that I've attempted. For my second challenge, I got a little bit too overenthusiastic about goal-making, bit off WAY more than I could chew, and ended up choking. So I bowed out of Round 2 but I'm happy to be back here to have the chance to try again This time, I won't make the same mistake--I'm going to keep things nice and simple this time. QUEST: To become happier, healthier, more confident, and more resilient physically, emotionally, and mentally. That's the most important goal, however I am also hoping to either lose some lbs or inches by the end of this challenge. 1. Work out 6 days/week STR +1, DEX +2, STA +2 I will be using the 8 week FitnessBlender.com workout plan (Round 3) as my guide, and for the most part just following along with what it tells me to do each day. However, I'm going to allow wiggle room to accomodate for whatever comes up in my life (substitute hiking if I go on a trip, then jump back into the Fitness Blender plan where I left off). I LOVE Fitness Blender because I NEVER get bored with it. When I was doing Brazil Butt Lift for months at a time, I would start dreading days when I had to do certain workouts, because I'd be so bored from doing it for the hundreth time. Fitness Blender has over 250 workouts for free online! 2. Maintain calorie deficit: 1400 max 5 days/week, 1800 max the other 2 days/week (net calories) CON +2, STA +2 I'm not crazy about counting calories, but it has worked before, so I'm guessing it can work again. I have this Lose It! app on my Android that makes it really easy, and knowing I am logging calories is honestly enough to keep me from making the majority of my bad food choices. Although I threw in the towel for the Paleo lifestyle, I do want to continue to eat predominantly healthy, whole foods, lots of veggies and fruits, whole grains, unprocessed food, and the like. Also, I attempted two goals last challenge that involved being moderate with alcohol and chocolate intake. Basically, I'm thinking that having to log how many *calories* I am drinking (sigh, massive quantities of empty calories) may be more effective than giving myself a cut off of how many drinks I'm "allowed" to have on a given night. We shall see... 3. Meditate for 20 min 5 days/week, and 5 min+ the other 2 days/week WIS +2, CHA +2 I have an account with Yogaglo.com and I love their guided meditations. I also use these Middle Earth meditations that can be found on Youtube. Basically, I've noticed that when I take the time to meditate, I become more at ease with myself, comfortable, confident, and connected with myself. When I don't meditate for a few days, I find myself becoming apathetic, disconnected, and anxious. So meditating basically boosts my chances of being able to succeed in any and every OTHER goal I'm aiming toward. This one is SUPER important. 4. Engage in self-care, creativity, leisure reading, or cleaning for 15 min+ on 5 days/week. WIS +1, CHA +1 I know I know, that doesn't seem like it should be too hard, right? Yet somehow I manage to go 5 days at a time without doing any of these things. I've got this job that is basically sucking me dry of the great majority of my mental and emotional energy, so when I get home I often feel like a zombie. My goal is to force myself to do even 15 min of any of these things on a regular basis. I know I will feel a lot better for it. I made a GoogleDocs tracker to help me keep track of how I'm doing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Am0PC49Jb9sOdDM1dzV1UXp3X1k3ZXhsczJTZlFiU1E&usp=sharing Feel free to check it and cheer me on! *ALSO* I could really use an accountabilibuddy, please message me if you are looking for someone to keep you on track and feel you could do the same for me! Good luck everyone!!! -Ashcension

After many weeks of fighting rats in the dungeons Vasilis found himself out in the world look for a place to hone his newfound skills and to seek like minded friends to train together and enjoy this world. His travels brought him word of a group of rangers off in the fields who had a fort where they gathered to train and to grow and to complete quests to defend the world. So he made his way there working hard to reach them and having found them entered the fort hailing all who he saw and knew he would feel right at home. For this challenge I still am maintaining my initial Quest of getting down to 180 lbs or fitting comfortably into 34/30 jeans, whichever comes first. I have a more athletic and strong build so when I have eliminated belly fat (my true ultimate goal) then I may not weigh 180 but I should be able to fit in 34/30s or even 32/30s it'll depend. So my true goal is to get rid of belly fat and be thinner and much more toned but the measurable goal is 180 lbs or fitting comfortably into 34/30s. To reach this goal I am going to take on these three quests: Quest 1: Use Xbox Fitness on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday, doing MOSSA Fight 1 (MMA Cardio) on Tuesday, MOSSA Power (MMA Strength) on Thursday, and MOSSA Fight 2 (MMA Cardio) on Saturday. This should provide a good mix of Cardio and Strength training as well as a good mix up of different exercises and lots of fun [+3 Con, +2 Str] Quest 2: Do the Star Wars workout on Monday and Friday. I will start with everything at Padawan and increase to the next level of each type of exercise as I am able. This should provide some good strength and flexibility training to support the Xbox Fitness workouts. [+2 Str, +2 Dex] Quest 3: Track my Calories using MyFitnessPal App every day and stay within the calories they suggest (not go over at all) I will allow one day a week to go over (not by much). I will also look at the specific areas like sodium carbs sugar etc. that they provide on the App to make sure it is healthy calories I am eating not just a small amount of bad calories. [+3 Wis] Life Quest: My life quest is to go running with my wife at least 2 times a week to provide good exercise and time together and to have us both at least signed up for a 5K by the end of the challenge (only because I don't know if there will be a 5K in our area in the next 6-weeks). [+2 Con, +1 Cha] In order to track success I will be using the percentile bars in my signature giving myself percentages for every completed workout. If all goes well I should end up with a 100% on each exercise. I will grade myself using school system grading: 91-100% = A 81-90% = B 71-80% = C 61-70% = D Below 60% = Fail. Let's Do This Thing!

I hope this would the intended spot for this question given it is calorie related. So, I did quite a bit of research and understand that your BMR is your basic "coma state" burn rate of calories for your bod. However, I'm using MyFitnessPal which calculates that calories to lose automatically for losing two lbs a week (7000 calorie for lose) and my question is what is my ACTUAL activity level? I work at a desk job five days out of the week, however, right when I get home it's straight to the gym for: Approx 30 minutes elliptical or other cardio five days a week. Approx 30-45 minutes Endurance Strength training five days a week. One hour of Krav Maga twice a week Two hours of Parkour a week And whatever else I can get into either sparring or rock climbing as well MyFitnessPal sets my BMR calculation to the lowest given that I have a desk job but after reading these: Little or no exercise : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725Very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation =BMR x 1.9Am I more realistically in the Moderately active range? The reason I ask is the last month and a half I've been doing my thing with cardio and lifting and I've gained two pounds (it's muscle for sure which is nice) but I haven't really had an excessive lose in fat because, what I'm assuming, I'm eating too few calories and my body isn't giving up the fat. I hope that all makes sense and understandable, if anymore information needs to be provided let me know and thank you for reading~!

So I've never been one to count calories, but I started reading about macronutrients and I thought it sounded like a good idea. So, I downloaded the fitocracy macros app. I have multiple issues with it, but my biggest issue is that you have to choose either a training day or a rest day. I'm active everyday, but some days I'm a lot more active than others. My week looks like this, Mondays and Wednesday I have one hour Judo class that's fairly low key and two hours of Hapkido club. Tuesday and Thursdays I run 2 miles, have Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Jeet Kune Do classes, 2 hours of Hapkido club and 2 hours of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. Saturday I do 2 hours of Hapkido training and 2 hours of Jiu-Jitsu. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I lift for about an hour and Sunday I run 2 miles. So I feel that my macros would change depending on how much I'm doing that day. So would I count Monday, Tuesday and Friday as my rest days, since I'm doing less? Or is there a better way to calculate or even a better app?

Main Goal of the challenge: Lose 4 pounds. Hi my name is Angie and this is my first challenge of 2014. My year's main goal will be to focus on lose weight and making healthy choices in regards to my eating habits and exercise habits. I have been successful in other challenges in the past that focused on college applications and developing healthy habits such as sleeping more, drinking more water, less junk food, etc. But I never made weight loss a priority. This will be an adventure for me! I currently weigh 214 pounds. For this challenge I am hoping to lose four pounds or lose "some" inches, I am still figuring how to measure and have reasonable amount of inches to lose in a six week period. If anyone has suggestions please let me know! Here are my four goals to help me achieve the weight loss. Current stats: Age: 29 Weight: 214 Size: 18 #1) Eating Hobbit Sized Portions! I do have a active lifestyle but a not so active boyfriend. I tend to eat pretty healthy (lots of veggies, meat, and a small quantity of carbs when I am by myself). However, I don't make the best of choices when I am around other people. A lot of my weight gain has to do with my thoughts. I try to eat what other people eat in terms of quantity. So let's just face the facts. I'm a short, would be petite if it wasn't for the weight, kind of girl. So I have decided first to do portion control when I eat out and yes I do eat out. Currently, I make 2 of my meals and would like to eventually make my third at home but that hasn't happened yet so instead when I do eat out I will order off the children's menu, the smaller portion's menu, or the under 500 calories menu. Regular grade scale applies! No cheats! Stats: +1 Sta, +2 Wis #2) Defeat caffeine spiders. Previously my challenges were to defeat soda and then Starbucks coffee. I could do one but not the other. Now I want to defeat BOTH! Cheats: Week 1: 3 Week 2: 2 Week 3: 2 Week 4: 1 Week 5: 1 Week 6: 0 Grades: A = 33 Days B = 30 Days C = 27 Days D = 24 Days F = Below 21 Stats: +1 Sta, +2 Con #3) Prepping for the journey to the Lonely MountainI already dance twice a week (4 hours), lift one day a week (1 hour), and run one day a week (45 minutes). But I really want to do something everyday for a minimum of 30 minutes. Even if it's just walking or something. I will be doing this in the wee hours of the morning like 6AM. So let me accomplish them. Regular grade scale applies! No cheats! Stats: +2 STA +STR +1 DEX Life QuestI didn't get accepted into 3 of the schools that I applied to. I am still waiting on one. So what the hell am I going to do now?Develop Plan B - Plan FUpdate resumeFigure out savings plan https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9I8Dtbdhad4Z1RiT1U1djFkYkU/edit?usp=sharing <-- Where I keep track

Today marks my first full week of IF (16/8) and I'm down from 180lbs to 175.5 so far. I'm 5'9" and 40 years old, my calorie intake has been around 1700-1800 per day with 150-165g protien daily. I'm "skinny-fat", I can grab about a 3" fist full of fat from around my belly button but I can feel it getting firmer by the day. I bought some calipers this weekend and after taking several measurements I've concluded that I'm in the 30% range for both chest and stomach. Flubbery... My only workouts have been fasted intervals on a treadmill 3x week, 50 pushups every other day, and 25lb kettlebell squats. Starting this week I'm doing the basic bodyweight circuit. My goal is to get down to 165lbs and develop my back, chest and legs. My diet has been mostly home made soups (beans, veggies, turkey kielbasa, Beef and Barley.) eggs, chicken, fish, broccoli, green beans, lamb chops, whey protien shakes, and sometimes 1-2 glasses of dry red wine just before 6pm. Am I eating enough? What's a good protien target? Thanks for any help. Eric

To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of TDEE before this morning. After doing some research, I found out that it stands for "Total Daily Energy Expenditure", and is a gage of how many calories your body needs to function based on numerous factors (activity level, age, weight, etc). Subtracting a percentage of that (10-20%) will result in weight loss! Magic! Hooray! Ok, obviously it's not quite that simple, but it seemed like TDEE would be a good gauge for a target calorie consumption. So I ran my numbers and ended up with.... 2,610??? Through some trial and error, I've found that 1800-2000 calories results in good losses for me, though to be fair, that's largely in comparison with the 1500 area. I've never tried keeping track of calories and consuming 2600 in a day... A few factors: I am about 100 pounds overweight, tall, and young. So yes, obviously, I will need more calories than a 120 lb girl who is 5'4". Cuz, you know... Science. But 2600? That would be a 20% deficit from my "maintaining weight" target. Does that seem right? If so, am I way under-eating?

Hey rebels, I hear there is a lot of debate about whether or not eating too few calories will stall weight loss via setting your body into "starvation mode." I've been 90-100% paleo since December 30th, eating lots of lean meats and bacon, a crap ton of veggies/greens, oils, almonds/walnuts, and the occasional apple. The only "non-paleo" item I've been consuming is sweetened almond milk and coconut coffee creamer that is french vanilla flavored. I'm not a believer in the absolutist view some paleo-lifestylers portray. I have issues with food addiction/addictive behavior with food, particulary sugar. I also developed issues with lactose during my pregnancy (I'm now 12 months postpartum) that I refused to accept until recently. So my goal in pursuing this lifestyle is not to "live like a caveman" but rather a reprogramming of my digestive system and palate, removing foods that irritate my system, and building a better relationship with food. First off, I feel amazing. No more bloat, heartburn, or bowel disturbances. I'm energetic and don't feel that I "need" a huge latte at 4:00pm to make it through the rest of my work day. I dropped 13 lbs up until the past ten days where I actually gained 2 and have been stuck there. I decided to log the past few days of food and I'm eating about 1200-1300 calories/day. I'm currently 203 lbs, 5'7", fairly sedentary half the week when home with baby and fairly active half the week at work. Despite the layer of flab that I'm trying to shed, I have a decent base of muscle and have never "looked my weight." I do a lot of walking and I realize that I need to pick up my activity level especially in terms of building muscle. Should I eat more, less, or should I just ride this out and see what happens?

Welcome back to everyone to the first challenge of the New Year I hope you all had suitably splendid holidays! My idea for this year is that I'll make it the Year of the Dragon! I know the zodiac has already passed it, but dragons are awesome! This specific challenge dragon-theme.... The dragons from Dark Souls! Vengefulpear's Year of the Dragon: Dark Souls Edition So last challenge started off with a bang! But I pushed too hard, rushed it and ended up fluffing most of the challenge. This time, I'm taking it a bit more slowly, and building those blocks up to make an awesome edifice of health and fitness! Seeing as this challenge is Dark Souls themed! I'm going to pick a dragon for each of the goals, so hopefully by the end of the challenge I'll have four dead dragons at my feet! Goal 1: Fat Loss (The Red Drake) 26 / 42 HP To avoid the deadly flames of the Red Drake you must be light and quick on your feet! Lose 6lbs by the end of the challenge +2 CON +2 DEX Adding In a starting weight, it's pointless if I don't have a starting weight Starting Weight; 159lbs To do this I'm going to eat 1800-1900 calories a day and keep myself as paleo as possible. As per usual there will be a googledoc to keep me on track! If anyone else wants to join in and make it a PVP then please feel free https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmtRMwoMwJORdG9zYkU1TVAtSkduTXhMUHZkaFdZYXc&usp=sharing Goal 2: Strength Training (The Gaping Dragon) 16 / 21 HP To beat this humungous beast you must be strong! Do Strength Training 3-4 times per Week +4 STR I'm going with 3-4 and I won't say what will be in the training so that I can be flexible with what I'm doing. At the moment I want to work on my shoulder area a bit, and see how my pull ups/push ups are doing after the break. Basically everything But I'll slowly take on more as the challenge progresses, doing sets of 4 x 8 of the exercises and then move up to a more difficult exercise when I can do that. What exercises and the progressions shall be posted later This has been changed now because I have torn a muscle in my shoulder, so I'm just doing specific exercises but will try and maintain my 3 sessions a week minimum I'm progressing carefully to avoid being squashed! Goal 3: Running (Seath the Scaleless) 16 / 21 HP Swift feet will help to ensure you're not impaled by the vicious crystals of Seath Run at least 3 times per week+1 CON +2 DEX Last challenge I had the goal to break 25 minutes for this challenge and I'd still like to do that so I'm not specifying how I will be running in the week. To break the 25 minute mark I intend to run 5km runs a couple of times a week, and then also start sprinting regularly. I want to try and be doing regular sprinting sessions every week in a few months. One of my goals for the year is to do a 5km run barefoot (unfortunately it will be on the treadmill for the moment!) so I might do some at the weekend on the treadmill. Goal 3: Sleep (Black Dragon Kalameet) 23 / 29 HP To defeat Kalameet, you must be well rested and sharp of mind. Go to bed at 11.30pm at the latest on weekdays +2 WIS +2 CHA This is something I'm terrible at, I'm always staying up too late and having to get up early for work and then trying to catch up on the weekends. I spend too much time perusing the internet before going to bed (don't we all?) So I'm starting what should be relatively easy and saying I will go to bed by half past 11pm. This isn't enough for a proper 7 hour sleep (I get up at 6am for work) but it's a start and I don't want to get caught in a dragon tractor beam! So that's my first Dragon challenge! I hope you all like it and I look forward to helping support all of you and do whatever I can to help you guys fulfil your goals! Good luck and let's do this!

Main quest: Reduce body fat to 25% Last full challenge I fell off the wagon around thanksgiving. I got back on it and gave myself Christmas off. But still failed my 2 week serenity challenge because of parties and friends and fun. I don’t regret it – I’m just explaining why I keep having the same goals over and over. I’d like to really string together some good weeks. Not just 4 days here then 2 days off the charts then 5 good days and etc. etc. Goal 1: Protein. (over 35%) Goal 2: Fat. (25-29%) Goal 3: Carbs. (35-45%) Grading: 6 or 7 days within goal A; 5 days B; 4 days C; <4 days F Calorie goal may change. Starting at 1760 and depending on what I’m seeing in my workouts and on the scale after a couple weeks I may raise it. I also love constructive criticism if anyone has any input on these numbers Side quest: Continue lifting and bodyweight work 3x/week. I’m still focusing on progressing pistol squats and pushups. I completed 15 reps of incline pushups last challenge and thought I’d be moving to the floor. I was not able to do so. So, I moved to a lower incline and we’ll work from there. Someday, folks. Someday. Regarding pistol squats: I can kind of do 8 reps of pistol squats on a raised bench. I say kind of because I’m still leaning forward a bunch and can’t get my butt below parallel. Again, any tips or criticism is always appreciated. I hope to continue exploring new recipes that fit my macros and make eating easy and delicious!

I signed up for the nerd fitness academy and it looks wonderful. I'm going to form my goals around some of the first lessons in the course. Goal 1: Charting what you eat isn't for everybody, but it might be for me. In order to find out I'm going to chart calories every day for 6 weeks. A = charting all food on 40+ days B = charting for 30-39 days of the challenge C = charting for 20-29 days D = 10-19 days F = 9- days Goal 2: Get tons of protein. I'm going to try to up my protein intake. A = 90-100g daily B = 80-89g daily C = 70-79g daily D = 60-69g daily F = less than 60g daily Goal 3: 3 body weight workouts weekly. A = 15+ workouts B = 12-14 workouts C = 9-11 workouts D = 6-8 workouts F = 5- workouts My life goal is to log on twice a week to update my progress and encourage others. I dropped off during the last half of the last challenge and didn't even post a summary when I had finished. I'm really proud of how I did in that challenge, but I think it will be more meaningful if I become more a part of the community. A = post on this site 10+ times B = post 8-9 times C = 6-7 times D = 4-5 F = less than 4

In an effort to keep track of everything I am doing on my journey to the ab holy grail, I'll use this single log for all of my quests. No need to split it into different threads to search through in the future. Official Start Date - December 1, 2013 Weight - 143.6 lbs Measurements: Waist - 29 1/5" Bust - 34" Right arm - 10 1/4" (relaxed), 11" (flexed) Left arm - 10 1/4" (relaxed), 11" (flexed) Hips - 40 3/4" Right thigh - 21" Left thigh - 21" Belly (right below belly button) - 31 7/8" 1690 calories Protein - 35% / 145 g / 583 cal Carbs - 35% / 150 g / 600 cal Fats - 30 % / 56 g / 507 cal Measurements, and any macro updates will be logged in this initial post after each quest. Update pictures will also be included.

Actually, I don't plan to count any calories or protein intake. But I'm confused. And very curious. Also, I like to plan ahead. On the one hand, the whole point of losing weight with Paleo/Primal eating is that you don't have to keep track of calories as long as you eat the right stuff. Then again, how do I know when I eat enough or not enough to gain muscles? And if I did count or estimate my protein intake, should I use the figures for my current weight or rather choose a smaller figure? I mean, my goal is obviously two-fold: Right now, I weigh a 220lbs pounds. I'd like to get down to 150lbs, muscles included. (Which would be a BMI of 25-26. I'm only 5'4''.) Or rather, I want my body fat percentage to drop to 25% or less. No time frame, yet. Maybe two years to avoid pendulus abdominal fat. So, do I have to actually eat those excess calories that are needed to build muscles or can my body use the old excess calories from my fat storage, as long as there is enough "fresh" protein in my diet? I need a strategy. Or rather, I have a strategy, but I don't know if it works this way. I would lose weight safely by calculating and eating only the amount of calories I needed if I only weighed 200lbs instead of 220lbs. And then 180lbs and so on. But it's not the same with protein, is it? Logically, I would think that I'd need the calories of 200lbs, but the protein intake of 220lbs, like, a larger than usual percentage of the calories should come from proteins. Well, what do you think? The diet part is not too hard, as it's not so different from what I ate before. Only, I used to eat a lot of grains additionally, especially bread and noodles. And after 3 days of not eating any cake, ice cream or chocolate, those last cravings are gone, too. But: Constant Vigilance! And at 5pm, I have an appointment at the Gym and try my first dead lifts and squats. ( I'm so excited!) I always liked strength training much better than cardio, especially because it's no fun to run when you blob around like Homer Simpson on a tread mill. Maybe later. Sooo... any recommendations? I want to put on muscles and to lose weight at the same time. Remember, there is an excess of 70lbs of fat. Maybe you can share some first-hand experiences? Thank you all! P.S.: I write down my weight and measurements every second day and calculate my body fat percentage with the Navy Method. (I know it's not accurate, but I should at least be able to see the progress.) So when the weight goes down but the BFP does not, I need to adjust my nutrition, right? But how? Simply more protein?

I am under the impression while strength training an individual needs to consume 3250 - 3500 calories. Being a person who skips breakfast, eats a pack of crisps for lunch and then eats whatever is put on the table for dinner I have found it difficult to consume even 3000 calories in a day. Currently I'm eating three square meals a day now though, they are of average portion size and I also take a protein shake an hour after a workout, though due to the lack of food I'm use to I'm really just trying to scoff down 3250 calories of anything (excluding crisps, chocolate and other rubbish) is this going to have a particularly negative effect on my results? I believe that in time as I eat more generally, I will be able to consume the 3500 calories without being sick. I will man up and keep shoveling. Though any further advice is always appreciated.

Okay, so I love dairy, not gonna lie... I am not up for going paleo, because I have a hard time cutting out the food I love, and not pigging out on them later... So I have been sticking with whole Fruits and Veggies, lean meats, and occasional breads or pastas... And some dairy... My question is about breakfast, I drink an Odwalla chocolate protein for breakfast almost every day... It keeps me feeling full and satisfied until lunch, and it's chocolate, who wouldn't like chocolate for breakfast? Most of the protein though is soy protein... And lately there has been a lot of comments about how bad soy is for you...why is that? Is it bad? I feel like eating bacon and eggs in the morning for breakfast is time consuming, and not super healthy either... Some times I will do peanut butter in toast... But I'm just not sure what would be a better alternative... Also... I am working out in the morning, and teaching on my feet all day... What is the best food for after working out to keep me going? I don't want too many calories or fats...with my under active thyroid, I'm predisposed to storing rather than burning... :-/ Any diet suggestions or reading materials would be great..

As I stated in my introduction post, I completely changed my diet four weeks ago, and have just finished my third consecutive week of the Level 1 rookie routine. I've lost 11 pounds according to my scale (from 230 to 219), though how much of that is fat loss and muscle gain, who knows. Anyway, I found quitting all of my bad food and drinks to be easier than I expected. I pretty much woke up, and stopped on day one, cold turkey. At first this made me happy, I thought I'd be going through withdrawels. After a week of this, however, I started to struggle with an entirely new problem. I'm finding it harder and harder to meet my calorie goals every day. I use one of those calorie counting websites and am VERY consistent with it, going as far as entering each individual piece of food in custom entries. At 5'6" and 230, I was told I should be aiming for about 1616 calories on days I don't work out. Even on days I do work out, I struggle to even get in 1000 calories. I've been made aware recently of just how bad this may be for me. That I may be subtly starving myself and negating my exercise. But I don't know what else to do. I snack on fruit as well as almonds which are packed with calories. I eat my chicken breasts, brown rice, and veggies but can barely stuff down the 300 or so calories I need in each meal. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice at all? Has anyone else had this problem? Should I really be as worried about this as I am? Some food suggestions would be awesome too, something that is healthy but packed with calories. I just wanted to hear from my fellows in the rebellion. Thanks in advance.

Current Main Quest Discover a Capable Me AKA Get to the point where I can do a pull-up This set of missions is basically a continuation of last challenge, but with being sick for two weeks last time, I need to keep pressing on. Don't fix what works. Also, at the encouragement of your illustrious guild leader, I've come to spend time with the monks. Mission Log Mission 1: Calorie Counting Track all fuel consumed using MyFitnessPalStay within allotted daily ranges 6 of 7 days per weekMission 2: Conditioning Use Kettlebells and body weight exercises to get in shape, but be flexible as life demandsExtending rest for the first week due to injury recovery (right arm/shoulder)Weeks 2-6: Workout 3x weekSave up for one-on-one session with a KB instructor to asses form and functionMission 3: Cardio Walking 3x WeekWith Missions 2 & 3, continue making it a point to invite family to join in on the fun. Encourage them along the way as I go through my own journey. Life Quest Career Change Continue looking for job opportunities and following-up with previously submitted applicationsI can't really be specific on measuring this goal, considering "apply for x jobs per week" isn't viable, but I am shooting for 5 a week as a mindset for the proper jobs.Continue to update NF rebels on progress to stay motivated.Motivation Howdy y'all, it's BC again. It’s difficult to sum up my motivation in a few words, but I’ll do my best. Why do I do what I do? To be a positive godly influence on my family and friends in all areas of life.Physically - To become healthy, so I can be around for my family.Mentally - To encourage and talk with my friends and family about why we should make healthy informed choices.Spiritually - To be the spiritual leader and house-band that God has called me to be. It is a blessing to serve and protect my family.

Main Quest: Apply to four Doctorate Programs. The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. College Application Season is here!! For the past four challenges (at least I believe four) I have been working on my applications for the four doctorate programs that I am applying to. The deadline is so close. November 15th. Goal #1) GRE: It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing. How and Why: For every 90 mins that I am studying on the GRE, I will walk for 15-20 mins to refresh my mind. I can get so involved in study mode that I will forget to eat or eat without thinking. I want to prevent any weight gain that might occur in these two months. Grade: A = 38+B = 34C = 30D = 26F = 21 Stats: Sta +1, Con +1 Goal #2) Meditation: I'm not listening... I'm not listening... How and Why: Again, study mode is going to kill me if I don't learn to take care of myself. For this I decided that it's best that I learn how to meditate. I have such a hard time just doing breathing techniques. But I will do it in the morning and before I go to bed. Week 1 – 5 mins a day (2x) Week 2 – 7:30 mins a day (2x) Week 3 – 10 minutes a day (2x) Week 4 – 12:30 minutes a day (2x) Week 5 – 15 minutes a day (2x) Week 6 – 17:30 minutes a day (2x) Grade: A = 38+B = 34C = 30D = 26F = 21 Stats: Sta +1, Con +1, Wis +1 Goal #3) Eating: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? How and Why: I will be sticking to a 1800 calorie count a day. I use myfitnesspal.com so that will help. I don't want to get weight just because I will be less active during the next 8 weeks. Grade: A = 38+B = 34C = 30D = 26F = 21 Stats: Sta +1, Con +1, Cha +1 Life Goal) Applications: You are far too eager and curious for a hobbit. Most unnatural. - Read a book (Dex +1) - Take a practice GRE test every Sunday (Wis +.5 for each test) <--I am rocking this as I am taking a test every day! - Save $200 for applications (Con +1) <-- FUCK YEAH!!! FINISHED!! - E-mail Berkeley, Georgetown, Oxford and Brown (Cha +.25 for each) - Write Personal Statement (Str +.5) <-- FINISHED- Write Statement of Purpose (Str +.5) <-- FINISHED Dex +1, Wis +3, Con +1, Cha +1, Str +1

How do I calculate my calorie requirements for each day when trying to lose weight? Do I then with that number, eat back my calories burned from exercise?

I'm a complete beginner and after losing 8kg recently, will be stepping into my local gym for the first time at the start of September. I expect for the first couple of weeks to do some cardio and get used to my surroundings until I feel comfortable. I've planned that once I am comfortable, i'll follow the article on how to build your own workout routine (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/15/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/) and that will start my progress off until I find things that are more suitable for me? I am massively interested in following the paleo diet and would eventually like to make that transition. I have no idea which way to go in terms of what I should be eating? My diet at the moment is relatively healthy in terms of meals. I eat a lot of veg and try not to eat a lot of pasta/carbs. I eat mainly white meat and fish but also enjoy bacon every few days haha. At the moment I don't eat bread of rice as I feel that it bloats me and makes me put lbs back on. I eat too many sweets and artificial sweetners at the moment but am slowly cutting them out as I type, but don't feel as though this will be a problem. My aim really is to lower my body fat %, lose some more weight/get smaller, but also put on some muscle and look lean and tight. I keep reading about calorie surplus and deficit etc. but as much as I read I don't have a clue what I should be doing. I know I shouldn't compare but I have a favourite lady that I like to look up to at the moment, and in essence this is what i'm aiming for - http://instagram.com/moietys Any help? Katie x

This challenge I have been logging my meals into MyFitnessPal. All week I have been below the calorie goal but I'm not hungry. Today I slept through breakfast (until lunch because I was out late last night) I ate lunch, did my workout a few hours later, and then ate dinner. After logging it all I didn't even get 900 calories today. On a regular day I seem to get around 1200 net calories. The thing is I feel like I am eating enough and I'm not hungry. I am trying to lose weight and I have since going primal last challenge but I am worried that I am doing harm to my body by not getting enough calories on a regular basis. Comments, suggestions, and ideas are welcome!

As part of my current 6 Week Challenge I'm tracking my percentage of paleo foods on a daily basis, and on top of that, the number of calories and protein I also consume. I'm three days into tacking all of this, but most of what I eat is pretty regular, especially Monday through Friday, so I don't expect a lot of variation from day to day and not certainly on a weekly basis. That being said, I am concerned with my total caloric intake (and protein too). I'm currently 6'3" at 217 lbs. According to a variety of calorie calculators, I should be at about 3100 calories a day, with moderate exercise (I was being conservative). Right now my goal is to work out 5 days a week, 3 strength and 2 cardio, so that calorie figure should factor in the calories lost due to exercise. For protein, I figure I should be at 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, but damn 217 grams of protein a day sounds like a lot! My main goal right now is not weight loss, though body fat loss would be desired. I want to focus more on building muscle mass particularly in the upper body. My question is, for starters, do I need to be at that 3100 +/- calorie intake? From what I've read on this site some people have been at 3500-4000 cals a day while strength training. Am I risking depleting lean muscle by being at a 800 +/- calorie deficit every day? Second, 217 grams of protein sounds like a ridiculous amount of protein to take in every day. But- am I doing a disservice to myself by not coming close to that number? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I've included my log for yesterday as an example. Thanks! Daily Food Log 6_3 - 7_15 - 6_4.pdf

it had been several months that James was in the bunker with the other zombie outbreak survivalists. by this point, she had acquired a set of duties and shifts. she was just another one of the workers, holding a normal work week. I'm going to try looking at things a week at a time, instead of day-to-day. as such, my goals are all designed for a week-set. FITNESS: bike 5 times a week ideally, I'll bike in the mornings before work. GRADING: A= 5x B= 4x C= 3x D= 2x F= 1x, 0x DIET: 11,200 cal a week that's an last Challenge's average of 1600 calories a day. GRADING: A= 11,200 cal B= 11,900 cal C= 12,600 cal D= 13,300 cal F= 14,000 cal LIFE: alcohol 3 a week drink only thrice a week. no half points for drinking the correct amount this time around, as that fucked up scoring. GRADING: A= 4x B= 3x C= 2x D= 1x F= 0x LIFE: reading 5 hours a week I can read all in one day, or spread it out over several days. only novels and such count. no cheating and using websites, blogs, etc. GRADING: A= 5x B= 4x C= 3x D= 2x F= 1x; 0x BONUS: no snooze alarming I don't want to be hitting the snooze alarm at all. this is just an easy bonus point I can pick up. hopefully it won't be all that difficult. and hopefully it'll make biking in the mornings easier. GRADING: A= 7x B= 6x, 5x C= 4x, 3x D= 2x, 1x F= 0x NUMBERS: I want to do a weekly check-in Weight: 156.6 lbs Body Fat: 27.2% Neck: 32.5 cm Bicep: 29.0 cm Forearm: 25.5 cm Waist: 89.0 cm Hips: 106.0 cm Thigh: 63.0 cm Calf: 38.5 cm