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A couple of days late due to travel, but I am happy to pounce upon a new challenge. What to expect: Ambitious goals that I will profit from pursuing even if I don't succeed 100% Charts and graphs Random photos Enthusiasm and optimism but also probably some snark Musings on assorted tangents Also, fair warning to the visually minded among you: I have changed my user icon to a custom avatar I had designed by an artist I love. Sorry for any discombobulation. And now the question that matters: what am I up to this time? Three things! 1. NOT EATING CHOCOLATE You know those people in multi-decade toxic codependent relationships with shitty partners who are nothing but bad news for them, but inexplicably they keep getting sucked back in? That is the story of Severine and chocolate. Chocolate is kind of an asshole who has never had anything but a negative experience on my life, health, self-esteem, etc. and offers me so very little in return (most of the time I barely enjoy it; it's more compulsion/addiction than anything). Yet, it's been so hard for me to stay broken up with chocolate. It took me a long, long, long time to realize that moderation simply does not work for me with chocolate. On the bright side, I have given up chocolate completely twice in my life (once for more than six months!). Both times, it was an unequivocal and drastic improvement, positive in every single way. Yet, due I think to inadequate awareness of the challenges of maintaining that policy, and attendant lack of planning on my part, I stumbled back into chocolate's sinister embrace both times. So, let's repeat what worked so well and iterate on it to solve the problems that arose last time. I will be tracking this, reflecting on it, and working to make a durable long-term plan with necessary contingencies. 2. IMPROVING MY HANDWRITING I don't think it's any secret that I love notebooks, journalling by hand, doodling, etc. As such, I probably pay more attention to my handwriting than is standard. It has been bothering me for quite a while that my handwriting seems to be getting sloppier. The reason isn't mysterious: I don't write by hand anywhere near as much as I used to, and my muscle memory isn't what it was. Plus, I am often in a rush when writing these days (sometimes for legit reasons like needing to note things down during a video call, but often just because I am impatient), which just makes things worse. And then not loving my handwriting means I write less...which means worse handwriting. Vicious cycle. I'll post a separate post with a 'before' sample. Good handwriting is often incorrectly associated with being smart or organized, but it's a physical skill, and it responds to physical training, not thoughts or intentions or strategies. Just as I would need to do strength training if I wanted to get better at lifting things, I need to do handwriting drills/practice to improve my handwriting. My goal is to do this for a short period of time every day, probably about 10 minutes. I will periodically post the progress. I am confident that I will see a concrete improvement over the duration of the challenge. This is important for me because I really enjoy writing by hand - I do it for stress relief and creativity and fun and the neurological benefits (esp. with regard to learning), and I want to feel completely positive about it, not have this lingering dissatisfaction with my physical handwriting skill decreasing my enjoyment. 3. USING MY EXPENSIVE ELLIPTICAL BECAUSE COME ON SEVERINE I have probably mentioned that I find it difficult to spend money on anything that isn't strictly necessary. We bought the elliptical recently for very good reasons, but the consciousness of its cost is still kind of needling at me, and I know from experience that the more I use it, the better I will feel about the purchase. So I'd like to try and get into the habit of using it every day, even if it's not for that long. As such, I'm setting myself a goal of at least 15 minutes on the elliptical every day unless I'm too sick for it to be advisable (hopefully this will not happen). C'est parti!

My City of Ruins: A select few of you may remember me. I came, I did some challenges, I dropped some weight, and then life started life-ing me and I disappeared. In early 2015, I weighed 255 lbs. I joined a gym, started eating better, found NF, and in around 18 months, I'd just about scraped under 200 lbs, got myself a nice suit, and life was going... better. But interest started to flag, and a combination of work-related stress, family dramas, injuries, illness and dark depression took hold, and I went under the ice for a while. It started with some niggling aches and pains, which, after an extended period of doctor and hospital visits, were diagnosed as calcific tendonitis in the rotator cuff, and bone spurs in the neck. As I attempted to get those under control, my wife lost her mother, and my own mother's dementia gradually progressed. She suffered a series of falls and spent a large chunk of the early part of this year in and out of hospital for weeks at a time. We're getting some support with her care now, which is helping greatly, but the dementia is only going to worsen as time passes. With all of this in the background, I completely neglected my own well-being, quit exercising, ate like crap, didn't look after myself mentally, and spiraled into a dark place. I could feel my health worsening as my weight increased, to the point where everything was becoming uncomfortable, and I felt constantly sick, tired, and sore. At the end of July, I made the decision to rejoin the gym and go completely cold turkey from my arch nemeses, chocolate, cakes and fizzy/energy drinks. On my first visit back to the gym on August 1st, I weighed myself. 257 lbs. Back to square one, literally. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $100. The Rising: There have been two weigh-ins since I rose from the ashes. September was 248, October 244, meaning 13 lbs lost, against a backdrop of having my car smashed and written off, and picking up some bumps and bruises and a mild case of whiplash in the process. Gym attendance hasn't been quite as consistent as I would have liked, but forcing myself to go even inconsistently is better than where I've been. Other than a two-day spell where two of my kids had back-to-back birthdays, the food choices have been pretty solid. I managed the best part of ten weeks completely cold turkey, had a treat around the birthday bashes, and resumed progress afterwards. The goal is to get back to completely cutting off chocolate, cakes and fizzy drinks between now and Christmas, and then take it from there. Further On (Up the Road): And so, we beat on, boats against the current. There's no grand theme, no complex strategies, no delightfully colourful spreadsheets (this time, but they're itching to make a return), just some simple goals. Get to the gym, three times a week. This goal should now be a little more attainable for me, given that a couple of changes to my regular schedule are in the process of happening. As of Sunday, my church has switched to Saturday evening/Sunday morning services, which means not having to rush home on Sunday afternoon and do a quick turnaround to get back at it on Sunday evenings. Gym goal is to keep pushing the cross trainer level up, notch by notch. It's currently sitting at 20 mins at level 12/13. I'd like to get that up to level 15, and start working on building up a second run to end each session. During my first run on NF, I was starting and ending with 20 minute runs. I can get back there. Food goals, see above. My only restrictions are cutting out the chocolate, cakes and fizzy drinks. Other than that, I generally can be trusted to eat sensibly. Mental goals: stay positive, stay connected to my friends here, stick to my daily bible reading plan. The rest will take care of itself. What's coming up in this period? We're entering a busy new season in church again as we prepare for our annual giveaway, which of course means the return of the panto. SGFS regulars will know that I regularly get roped into performing in the shows, and this year will, I've been informed, be no different. Over the past couple of years, I've played (off the top of my head), a hyena sidekick in the Lion King, Augustus Gloop (Willy Wonka), the Tin Man (Wizard of Oz), Anger (Inside Out), Shere Khan (Jungle Book), Cogsworth (Beauty & the Beast), Mr. Potato Head (Toy Story), a couple of World War 2 soldiers, a Jersey Boy doo-wop singer, and a granny tranny in a Queen "I Want to Break Free" tribute. This year's panto has just been announced, and it's Shrek. No idea who I'm playing yet. Secretly, I'm hoping Fiona... Now, as a wise man once said, "Let's go to woik."

Intro: I had a productive first year in NF, and then the wheels came off. Amidst the perfect storm of mental and physical burnout, injuries and illness, family and work stresses, I went into a bit of a dark place. I went back to bad habits of eating like crap, making excuses not to exercise and isolating myself from everyone. It took longer than it should have for me to recognise and confront those issues, but I’ve done that over the last couple of challenges, and I feel like I’m getting back to a better place. This challenge, I’ll start the transition towards becoming more active again. QUEST 1: Fitness Now that the injuries and aches are subsiding, it’s time to start moving again. Light cardio, light weights, three times per week. No targets just yet, this is just about forcing myself to walk through the doors of the gym again. Points available: +2 DEX, +2 STA QUEST 2: Fuel Don’t Eat and Drink Like a DickheadTM. Continue the carb purge. No energy drinks. Limit the red wine to alternate weekends. Points available: +5 CON QUEST 3: Felicity A healthy body must work in tandem with a healthy mind. Look after what’s upstairs, by any means necessary. Sleep, meditate, ASMR, sit under a tree, stroke a pet, cook, read a book, take a bath. Continue the “must do” task, take a leaf out of Spooky’s book and list three things I’m grateful for on a daily basis. Points available: +3 WIS QUEST 4: Finesse Continue to explore my creative side. Keep painting, and share the results, good, bad or indifferent, on here. Maybe try some drawing again, too. Keep updating the tumblr here with the output. Points available: +3 CHA

Challenge 2! I'm going to focus on my chocolate cravings this challenge. Since it is a huge deal for me I'm going to go easy on the other quests this challenge. How could this happen? Erza's friends have been kidnapped by the Strawberry Cake monster! But the monster is able to control her if she has any remnants of the cake inside her. And it takes an average of four weeks for the digestive system to completely eliminate a trace of strawberry cake. This means... this means... Her beloved cake has betrayed her! After all this time! If only she had eaten cake in moderation rather than scoffing it down everyday, she wouldn't be in this mess. Its time to say goodbye to her beloved cake and defeat this monster! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So yeah, replace cake with chocolate and I have a big problem. I've decided to go cold turkey for the month. If it doesn't work, I'm going to to try some moderation tips people on here have recommended me. I've tried moderation before and it didn't work, so I'm not going to try that unless I really have to. Quests to defeat the monster: Strength: Level up to defeat the monster - Continue weight training at the gym 3x a week. - Continue with chiropractor stretches Diet: Get rid of my beloved Strawberry Cake from my system so I can fight the monster - Don't eat chocolate for a month - Have 2 portions of veg instead of high carbs (I had 1 portion min. in previous challenge) Journal: Study weaknesses the monster has I'm looking up ways to kill the Monster, not make more cakes, I swear! - Log thoughts everyday (my counsellor has said this should help with my depression and anxiety). I'm nervous about doing this challenge, but I really need to get this chocolate addiction under control. At the rate I'm eating it I'm bound to get diabetes. And losing some weight would be nice too. Though I'm more concerned with the actual addiction, because I have a feeling I'm just going to replace the chocolate with other junk food. But that's for another challenge.

Intro: I had a productive first year in NF, and then the wheels came off. Amidst the perfect storm of mental and physical burnout, injuries and illness, family and work stresses, I went into a bit of a dark place. I went back to bad habits of eating like crap, making excuses not to exercise and isolating myself from everyone. It took longer than it should have for me to recognise and confront those issues, but I started to do that last challenge. This is somewhat of an extension of that as I continue to rehab my body, mind and spirit. QUEST 1: See a Grown Man Cry Try to re-establish some kind of fitness routine, whilst continuing to rehab my shoulder and neck. Make sure I do the daily stretches my doctor gave me. Try to get three light cardio sessions per week done at the gym. Walk more, regardless of the weather. It’s rain, not acid. I won’t die. Points available: +3 DEX, +1 STA QUEST 2: Black Coffee Blues Don’t Eat and Drink Like a DickheadTM. No more than one chocolate bar per week. No energy drinks. If you need caffeine, have some damn coffee. There’s a perfectly good coffee machine in the kitchen, you don’t need Rockstar. Drink water. It’s plentiful. Points available: +4 CON QUEST 3: Solipsist A healthy body must work in tandem with a healthy mind. Look after what’s upstairs, by any means necessary. Sleep, meditate, ASMR, sit under a tree, stroke a pet, cook, read a book, take a bath. I’ll try to finish Ken Costa’s “Know Your Why” during this challenge, but no pressure to do so. I’ll read if I feel like reading, but not going to force it. One “must do” task, is take a leaf out of Spooky’s book and list three things I’m grateful for on a daily basis. Points available: +4 WIS QUEST 4: Art to Choke Hearts Inspired in part by binge watching Bob Ross on Netflix, I decided to have a go at painting during the last challenge, and discovered that I really enjoy it. Keep at it, and share the results, good, bad or indifferent, on here. There’s also a tumblr here for the things I’ve done. Points available: +3 CHA

Hi Rebels! Ensi here I'm a 23-year-old Rebel from Finland. I've been around for a couple of years, done a few challenges and found a place among wonderful people. Right now I'm very busy with my studies, so instead of participating in the next NF challenge, I'm going to put up a battle log... Which you're reading right now! I like to keep things simple and short, so here's what I do: - The Sweetest Day of the Week I'm a bit of a chocolate addict. I've been working on it since last summer, and I've reached a level where I can deal with having a small portion of chocolate daily (2 pieces) and a little bigger portion once a week - so, deploy The Sweetest Day of the Week! I can have some extra chocolate on Saturdays. I used to eat about 50-150 g of chocolate daily, but currently I can go a whole day without it: even though I might want to buy some chocolate, I just don't. It's been a slow progress, but what's my rush? - Dairy, nuts, caffeine ... are something that I need to consume with moderation. I avoid buying these at home, but none of these foods are as problematic as chocolate. All in all, I'm trying to eat as paleo-ish as possible, but I don't sweat about it too much. Portion size control is much more important for me! - Exercise Three times a week until I sweat like a pig and feel like a fox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN7lt0CYwHg I love going to gym, doing kettlebell workouts and walking/jogging. Where am I now? Since last summer I've lost 6 kg/13 lbs. Doesn't maybe sound all that much, but I have PCOS and I'm studying hard. I'm currently at 83 kg/182 lbs, and I'm aiming for 75 kg/165 lbs. I'm 170cm/5 feet 7 inches tall. I had a massive break-down a couple of years ago, and I've made a very slow recovery. I gained 10 kg/22 lbs while the break-down, and it's been difficult to lose it again while recovering. I'm starting to be ok again, though, and I'm making small changes in my life in order to lose weight and get fit D8< Nevertheless, I'm doing my very best to maintain a positive, forgiving attitude towards myself, the lack of which led to my break-down. So, here you will find positive and happy stuff!! Unless I'm not feeling positive and happy... In which case you will find a lot of animal gifs! Enough talk for now. Let's fight!

Intro: The end of this challenge marks the first anniversary of me joining NF. At the end of January 2015, I weighed 255 lbs, hated myself, and constantly felt sick and tired. I started watching what I was eating, and then at the end of February took the plunge and joined a gym. I came across NF a week before the April 2015 6WC started. By that point, I was five weeks into attempting to establish a new workout routine, and nine weeks into attempting to eat better. There are links to my introduction/origin story and my first seven challenges in my sig below. Feel free to go rummage around in there. I’ve made steady progress through the challenges over the last 12 months, with just the occasional setback. In October, I was invited (and thrilled) to become an Ambassador for the Adventurers guild. Life Quest: There is an ongoing life goal to dress like a proper grown-up adult man, in clothes which actually look good on me, and make my wife proud to be seen with me when I take her out. The general aim is to continue to overhaul my entire wardrobe, getting rid of anything which falls into one of the following categories: baggy, sagging or ragged. Over my first four challenges, I set a specific goal of getting properly fitted for a good quality, tailored, three-piece suit, and get a good photograph taken wearing it, because I was sick of being disgusted when I looked in the mirror or saw a photo of myself. Having hit that goal, I kind of lost focus towards the end of 2015, so for now the focus is on getting back to basics, keeping it simple, and shooting for a fixed target weight of 180. With that in mind, the targets are almost identical to the last challenge. Once again, there’s no theme as such, so the quest titles are purely for my own juvenile amusement. Quest 1: “The Cleveland Steamer†7,000 calories burned on the cross trainer at my gym. Achievable Points on offer: +4 STA A - 7000+ (Points x 1) B - 6500-7000 (Points x 0.75) C - 6000-6500 (Points x 0.5) D - 5500-6000 (Points x 0.25) F - < 5500 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 2: “The Alabama Hot Pocket†500 burpees within the 26 days of the challenge. Achievable Points on offer: +4 DEX A - 500+ (Points x 1) B - 450-500 (Points x 0.75) C - 400-450 (Points x 0.5) D - 350-400 (Points x 0.25) F - < 350 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 3: “The Hoboken Squat Cobbler†500 bodyweight squats within the 26 days of the challenge. Achievable Points on offer: +4 STR A - 500+ (Points x 1) B - 450-500 (Points x 0.75) C - 400-450 (Points x 0.5) D - 350-400 (Points x 0.25) F - < 350 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 4: “The Hangry Pirate†Log food, stay mindful of CI-CO, and stay within my calorie target. Achievable Points on offer: +1 CON, +1 CHA A – 25-26 Days in Deficit (Points x 1) B - 24 Days (Points x 0.75) C - 23 Days (Points x 0.5) D - 22 Days (Points x 0.25) F - <22 Days (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 5: “The Mississippi Mud Pie†No chocolate. Achievable Points on Offer: +1 WIS. A – No chocolate. (Points x 1) F – Had chocolate. (Fail. 0 Points.)

So, last challenge I finished the Couch to 5k program. I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but after talking with one of my coworkers who is planning on this and doing some planning myself, I want to run the LA Marathon next year. The 2017 race will be on March 19. My plan right now is to spend a few weeks doing some speed work and getting really comfortable with running 5k, then doing the Bridge to 10k program, spending a few weeks doing speed work and increasing my weekly mileage and getting really comfortable at that distance, then starting a marathon training program. Something very beginner based and focused on just finishing rather than speed. It'll be my second one, I did the Marine Corps Marathon a few years ago (2013 I think?). It seems appropriate that my first marathon was on the East Coast, very close to where I grew up, and now my second one will be in my new city. I actually want to do the Conquer LA challenge, which would be running the Santa Monica Classic in September, than the Pasadena Half Marathon in January, and finally the LA Marathon in March. Barring an injury or some unforeseen difficulty, I feel confident that if I just pace myself and listen to my body and don't push myself too far too fast, I can do it. I've always preferred long distance running and am itching to get back into it. So, that's my long-term goal right now. For this challenge, I want to get really comfortable with 5k before moving on, work on my speed, do more cross-training, and work on my diet a bit more. So...... Goal one: Run four days a week. The runs will be a mix of long, slower runs and shorter speed workouts. I haven't quite worked out a training plan yet. I want to say I'll just wing it, but I do much better with a set schedule for my training. I'll figure out a structured plan in the next couple days. Goal two: One non-running based cross-training exercise per week. This was one of my goals last challenge, and I did it two out of the four weeks, so I'm including it again this time. I just went on my first hike last week and loved it, so I will definitely be doing more of those. I'd also like to do some strength training, especially core-strengthening workouts to supplement all the running. Goal three: Cut candy and sweets down to one day a week. Last challenge I actually went the whole four weeks without eating french fries, which is still kind of blowing my mind. I have noticed a real issue I have with chocolate though, and that issue is that I always want it. I work at a Walgreens, so those of you who live near them know that in addition to medicine, housewares, and makeup, I am constantly surrounded by candy. Luckily we've finally gotten rid of all the clearance Valentine's candy, so I won't be tempted by giant boxes of chocolate marked down to 30 cents. I may potentially change this goal to sweets only twice a week if I feel myself really going crazy, but I want to at least try for once a week first. I surprised myself with the fries last time, maybe I'll surprise myself with chocolate this time. And while chocolate is my main vice, I don't want to end up replacing chocolate with Starburst or whatever, so it's all candy and ice cream and super sugary desserts in general. Healthier actual fruit-based treats are okay. Life goal: Daily Spanish practice! Thanks to 18ck's Portuguese goal last time, I've been getting back into my Spanish practice, but I'm still not doing as much as I should. So at least once I day I'll do some kind of Spanish language lesson. I live and work in neighborhoods with large Spanish-speaking populations, so I hear it and get opportunities to use what I know all the time. There's no excuse to not keep up with learning more. No lie, as soon as I finished typing that sentence I got an alert on my phone from Duolingo that says "These reminders don't seem to be working. We'll stop sending them for now." No, Duolingo, keep reminding me to practice! I'm sorry I've been neglecting you! So, that's what I've got planned. In personal life news, my dad starts chemo for his colon cancer tomorrow. It's a low-dose treatment, and supposed to be easier to tolerate than more rigorous treatments, but still. It's going to be rough for him and rough for me because I live on the opposite side of the country and can't be there to help take care of him when he's sick. He and my mom both said they'll keep me updated but I am 100% sure they're not going to be totally honest with me about how he's feeling all the time. It'll be either five or six weeks, Dad told me five and Mom told me six so I'm not actually sure which. The plus side is he may not need surgery or any additional treatment after this. Fingers crossed! I don't want to end this post on that downer note, so I'll just say I'm excited for this new challenge! Yay for healthy lifestyle changes! And eventual long distance running! And learning foreign languages! Let's do it!

Intro: This challenge marks the first anniversary of me attempting to get my health on track. At the end of January 2015, I weighed 255 lbs, hated myself, and constantly felt sick and tired. I started watching what I was eating, and then at the end of February took the plunge and joined a gym. I came across NF a week before the April 2015 6WC started. By that point, I was five weeks into attempting to establish a new workout routine, and nine weeks into attempting to eat better. There are links to my introduction/origin story and my first six challenges in my sig below. Feel free to go rummage around in there. I’ve made steady progress through the challenges over the last 12 months, with just the occasional setback, and currently weigh in at 207. In October, I was invited (and thrilled) to become an Ambassador for the Adventurers guild. Life Quest: There is an ongoing life goal to dress like a proper grown-up adult man, in clothes which actually look good on me, and make my wife proud to be seen with me when I take her out. The general aim is to continue to overhaul my entire wardrobe, getting rid of anything which falls into one of the following categories: baggy, sagging or ragged. Over my first four challenges, I set a specific goal of getting properly fitted for a good quality, tailored, three-piece suit, and get a good photograph taken wearing it, because I was sick of being disgusted when I looked in the mirror or saw a photo of myself. Having hit that goal, I kind of lost focus towards the end of 2015, so for now the focus is on getting back to basics, keeping it simple, and shooting for a fixed target weight of 180. With that in mind, the targets are almost identical to the last challenge. Once again, there’s no theme as such, so the quest titles are purely for my own amusement. Quest 1: “Faster than Walt Flanagan’s dog.†Back to where it all began. 7,000 calories burned on the cross trainer at my gym. Headphones on, and go to the Happy Place. Achievable Points on offer: +4 STA (v2: 25XP) A - 7000+ (Points x 1) B - 6500-7000 (Points x 0.75) C - 6000-6500 (Points x 0.5) D - 5500-6000 (Points x 0.25) F - < 5500 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 2: “I feel a hate crime coming on!†I will do 500 burpees within the 26 days of the challenge. Achievable Points on offer: +4 DEX (v2: 25XP) A - 500+ (Points x 1) B - 450-500 (Points x 0.75) C - 400-450 (Points x 0.5) D - 350-400 (Points x 0.25) F - < 350 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 3: “I hope his pants get caught and a bloodbath ensues!†I will do 500 squats within the 26 days of the challenge. Achievable Points on offer: +4 STR (v2: 25XP) A - 500+ (Points x 1) B - 450-500 (Points x 0.75) C - 400-450 (Points x 0.5) D - 350-400 (Points x 0.25) F - < 350 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 4: “Nothin’ worse than watching a fat man weep.†Log food, stay mindful of CI-CO, get a consistent deficit happening, and keep getting the body fat down. The official metric here will be Days in Deficit, and tools used will be my Fatsecret phone app and my Mifflin-St.Jeor magic number. I’m applying the Manquivalent™ of “Shark Week Rules†this time around, and only monitoring 25 of the 26 days. I get a free pass on Superbowl Sunday (Feb 7), because food and beer. I regret nothing. Achievable Points on offer: +1 CON, +1 CHA (v2: 15XP) A – 24-25 Days in Deficit (Points x 1) B - 23 Days (Points x 0.75) C - 22 Days (Points x 0.5) D - 21 Days (Points x 0.25) F - <21 Days (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 5: “Say, would you like a chocolate-covered pretzel?†No, I would not! I desperately need to shake off the post-Christmas chocolate addiction. It’s all or nothing on this one, moderation hasn’t been working. Achievable Points on Offer: +1 WIS. (v2: 10XP) A – Completed 26 Days. (Points x 1) F – Had chocolate. (Fail. 0 Points.) Things 'boutta get a little hardcore up in this. I've been meandering for the last couple of challenges, not logging food as diligently as I used to, guesstimating, sailing close to calorie limits, and generally slacking. Going to get some discipline in place this month, and log EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. I weighed in at 207 on Saturday (before taking the family to the buffet, I might add - let's never speak of it again.) By the end of February, I want to be closing in on 200 again. This is achievable.

Hi everyone! Time for another NF challenge J I’ve been using my battle log recently, but now I got an urge to participate in a challenge! After a great summer, I’ve found it hard to adjust to going back to my studies. The past two years have been very busy and filled with studies, but this year… I’m having half the amount of courses. This is thanks to me working my bum off last semester, but I realized that this is hard for me. To study less. To have more time to myself. To help me cope with real life (le gasp!), I got an idea: to create my very own super spy identity! I’ve always wanted to be someone like Black Widow, and now’s the time to work towards that dream I study languages, computer science and information science, so I’m getting well prepared for managing super secret international information… Kinda. What I really want is to help people. Whatever profession I will have in the future, I want to help people - whether I’ll be a librarian, helping people find the information they need, or a super secret spy, uncovering all the delicious pancake recipies… Wait, what? My codename: SHEPHERD FOX. An international super spy, whose goal during this challenge is to help all the cows in the world to keep their milk. And look great while doing it. Committing more time to myself, my health, and the NF community should keep me grounded and focused (or make me create Excel spreadsheets on a Sunday morning… what the heck??). I have worked with a lot of emotional pain the past few years. During this time, I’ve got to know people, who have helped me get out of my head and look at my life with softer, loving eyes. Some of these people I’ve met here on NF, and I just want you to know that you’re all heroes. Every weird and funny conversation here, every terrible joke, the puns… They’ve all encouraged me to get out of my head and keep believing in people. You’ve got no idea just how far a bit of kindness can take a person.You’re gold <3 I finally think I’m ready to leave the past behind and keep living my life without the emotional baggage. Well, it’ll always be there, ready to emerge, but I know that I will be able to handle it. That’s enough. I’m enough. To kick my mindset in place, I wrote a list of things I’d wish to accomplish. I am someone who: 1. has energy to get through her days 2. has a healthy relationship with food 3. has time to have fun with her friends 4. manages her finances by planning ahead (what to buy, does meal prep, etc.) 5. manages her studies/work by being active. Well, that’s a start. To get this mission going, let’s check my goals! Goal #1: Meal Prep I started meal prepping this summer, and it’s made eating healthy a lot easier! I make a bigger bunch of food twice a week, and eat it during the next three or four days. So, when I come home hungry and tired, I just take healthy food from the fridge, heat it up, and boom: keeping it quick and healthy! Meal prepping is part of this challenge, because my daily routine has changed a lot and I want to make sure that I keep this habit going. To complete: - plan ahead meals for the next 3 days - make a grocery list - only buy what’s on the list - have a meal prep on Wednesdays and Sundays Goal #2: Don’t Drink Your Milk During the summer, I cut out yoghurt, cottage cheese and quark from my diet. This has made losing and maintaining my weight a lot easier, and it is also recommended for people with PCOS to drop dairy products (they produce testosterone among other things in your system, which is bad for PCOS). For the next 6 weeks… No dairy 5/7 days a week. Besides cream in my coffee. Because I'm not gonna live forever. To complete: - avoid dairy 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Keep the cows happy. Goal #3: Shake It Up This would be my exercise goal…! I’m already active, but to surprise my body every now and then, I’m going to complete a Darebee WO in addition to my regular training schedule (2 kettlebell WOs at home, yoga class on Wednesdays). To complete: - 2 kettlebell WOs a week - 1 Darebee WO a week - attend yoga class on Wednesdays The flu season is here (hurah!), so this goal might take some damage. But I can’t really help falling sick, so I’m taking the sickdays into account. Goal #4: Money Count Yeah, I’m too careless with my money. I do get along fine, but I’d like to really know what I’m doing. So, this challenge is for tracking where da riches go, and I’ll start working with this data during next challenge! To complete: - mark your spent money on a spreadsheet. Data will be used in the next challenge! ** That’s all, folks. Let’s have fun, shall we? I actually made a couple of spreadsheets (you Doodlies are bad influence!), which will definitely help me to stay on track. I'll modify them a bit, and post later

So, for cocoa crack, there are tons of recipes if you google it, but here's what I do: In a small, stick free pot, on low heat, I combine: Coconut oil (6 table spoons is a good size) Cocoa powder (6 table spoons. Or however much oil you used, you use equal parts) Once those are melted together, add whatever sweetener you want. I've done it with Stevia, splenda, and xyla in the past, so whatever it is you use at home, just add it to taste and let it all cook together over the low heat until the sweetener is fully dissolved. Then, I pour it into an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer so they harden up into little chocolate bites basically. I store it in the freezer because my apartment gets too warm for it to really set well, but if your place is cooler, you can keep it out. That's the basics of the recipe, but the fun part is you can completely play around with this once that is all melted together. I usually add coconut milk right at the end (or creamer, I'm just dairy sensitive), which thickens the hell out of it and makes it really creamy. I also add unsweetened coconut flakes for some texture. You can add nuts, berries, vanilla or whatever flavouring extract etc. Possibilities are endless! It takes very little time to do and not long at all to set either. Or you can get really creative and layer it with other things in the tray. I've layered it with peanut butter, one time I layered it with avocado paste I made. Once you get cocoa crack down, it can be coating for other things too. I did plain, no sugar added coconut macaroons (egg whites and coconut flakes) with a coating of cocoa crack. I made sugar free bounty bars once and used that as the coating too. Basically, it's my chocolate substitute

I started out strong for like three days.. but i have little to no self control when it comes to food. cake? yes please. Ice cream? how about three scoops. don't even get me started on french fries I know that it isn't bad to indulge every once in a while but for me it's all or nothing. once i allow myself to eat junk that's all i want. plus i have a dairy sensitivity so it makes me sick and i have bad acid reflux so fried food needs to be out of the picture. I just have no idea how to keep myself on the wagon because i've fallen off of it every single time. and the only person i have to keep myself accountable is me and that doesn't work so well.. if anyone has any suggestions i'd love to hear them

Alright, everyone! Grab your flamethrowers and get ready for Alien Combat! D8< But first: Hi! I'm Ensi, a 24-year-old not-a-girl-not-yet-a-woman from Finland. I'm starting my fifth challenge as an Adventurer Goals #1: Chocolate Alien Combat So, I'm a bit of a chocolate addict. If I get access to unlimited amounts of chocolate, I will eat it. All of it. Living without chocolate seems too dull for me, so I made it a game: recently, I spent 25 days without chocolate (check my battle log for more details) just by pretending that eating chocolate means that I'm also getting attacked by aliens. It's a lot more motivating to stay away from Nutella by thinking about a face-eating alien than the phrase "it's not good for you". During those 25 days I lost 2 kg and felt a lot better. Now, Easter was a chocolate-fest, but I'm ready to get back to fighting aliens! I'm having a partner this time around: deftona is fighting the aliens, as well! Two flamethrowers lay more waste than one! And like deftona, I’m going to allow plain dark chocolate for PMS medicine (three allowed, marked with numbers). Anything else with chocolate is off-limits. Target: Avoid alien attacks for six weeks Week 1: X X X X X X X Week 2: 1 X X X X X X Week 3: X X X 2 X X X Week 4: X X X X X X 3 Week 5: X X X X X X X Week 6: X X X X X X X #2: Keep Moving This winter has been rough, health-wise. I’ve suffered from a lot of illnesses (from a mild stomach ache to pneumonia) and haven’t been able to keep up a regular exercise routine. Boo! My studies have also been a bit stressful, and the lack of exercise has made it even harder to handle. I have just recovered from my latest flu, and I hit the gym this morning It felt brilliant to be back, and this goal is meant to get me back in business. I have to work out three times a week: it doesn’t matter, what I do, as long as my heart rate goes up and I’m sweatting. Target: exercise 3 times a week Week 1: X X X Week 2: X X X Week 3: X X X Week 4: X X X Week 5: X X O Week 6: X O O #3: Get Blogging I recently put up a blog for my artwork. This goal is all about this goal: to get the blog running and getting content there. Target: update blog once a week Week 1: X Week 2: X Week 3: X Week 4: -- Week 5: -- Week 6: X ** Alright, we’re all set! Not sure how to distribute the attribute points, but I’ll get back to that later Let’s have ourselves a good challenge, everyone!

Hello there! It sounds so silly, but when faced with the question "what one thing is holding you back from completing your main quest?" I realized that I eat pretty well for my height, build, and fitness regime. The only thing that I'm finding difficult is cutting down on the chocolate! I think that these cravings are psychological but I'm finding it impossible to slay them. Its like a game boss that's really, unbelievably difficult to take down, and if I could take down only one of my demons right now - if I was only able to cross off one quest at all - it would be this one! If I go a day without it I feel moody, sleepy, irritable, and experience mild headaches. Every single day I; do really well with my diet and fitness, binge out on chocolate, feel guilty, swear off of it, then fail again the next day - rinse, lather, repeat. So does anybody have any tips? How can I eradicate chocolate cravings? Thank you, fellow rebels!

Good evening/morning mates "whichever hemisphere you live on". Wannabe pro footballer "soccer, mind you". Still young with a lot of training to do. Since its football, I teamed up with the scouts hoping of increased endurance. Goal #1 Run! I get a chance twice a week to train outside which I'll use to run and sprint. 6 weeks = 12 running sessions. A 12 B 10 C 8 STA: 3 Goal #2 Improve leg muscles. In order to maintain balance and power in soccer I need a good base "have you ever seen Cristiano Ronaldo's thighs?" Three sessions per week dedicated to leg muscles. Total 18. A 18 B 15 "yay colors!" C 12 STR: 2 CON: 2 Goal #3 Recruit minion. Not exactly a minion, just a friend whose body had seen better days. He has a potential inside him, but I fear for him to fall for the Dark Side "laziness". If I get him to train three days a week am gonna call it a success- that's a bold move but am up for it! The power of persuasion shall rise above all. Same ratings for Goal #2. COLORS. WIS: 2 DEX: 1 CHA: 1 Goal #4 Chocolate nightmare. Am a sweet-freak. I devour chocolate once or twice per week. Cutting out the chocolate doses from now will serve me well in the long haul "I already don't smoke or drink and took a decision to never do, already killed soda.". Gonna turn those sweets into SWEAT. One treat a week and we're set. A 6 B 10 C 14 STA: 1 DEX: 1 CHA: 1 WIS: 1 "It needs all these skills for it to succeed" Game set and done? I know this is not a soccer website "if there is any of that kind" but I really like the atmosphere here and the nerdiness involved. It suits me! Anyhow, anybody who likes soccer or can relate to any of what I said; leave a reply, maybe tell me your favorite teams and video games. Have fun and the best of luck with your challenges! Stand strong through the test of time!

Ok, so I've only been on this diet/lifestyle change since Saturday morning. It has been 4 days. I've very mostly very good.... I did, however, spoil myself yesterday and have a hot chocolate (100% cocoa, hazelnut milk, 3 sugars), as well as some squares of high-grade dark chocolate. So not perfect but not awful. And today, my two colleagues and I were rewarded for exceeding our commission targets and beating 80+ other stores (HELL YEAH!). We were rewarded with a big box of Cadbury's white chocolate fingers. In the past I'd normally have 15-20 of them, and more if on offer. Today, I had 5. So I enjoyed them, rewarded myself for the hard work, but didn't go overboard. And I think that's what important - not that I had some bad things today, but that I had a small amount as a reward and made a conscious decision to not eat any more. Anyway, back to the topic in the title. So I weighed myself 4 days ago, and wasn't going to weigh again until I was 2 weeks into this whole thing. But because I had the hot chocolate and things, I wanted to weigh myself today. 6lbs I've lost. 6lbs!! I don't know if this is water weight, if this is a little, a lot, or average. But the fact that I've lost weight in such a short space of time...well...it gives me great self-esteem and further motivation for..... ....my trip to Serifos in October!!

So I, genuinely, have an addiction to chocolate. But, for the last two days (since starting Primal Blueprint/Paleo), I have turned down hot chocolate, sweets, and today I turned down a box of seriously awesome chocolate. I also have hot chocolate in the cupboard - but I'm not going to have it until the very end of the week (as a reward and "treat day" of sorts). I'm feeling tired, and I have a headache, which is linked in with this but also with hay fever. So not feeling great - but I am using today's success as a motivator. This is a life change, not a diet, afterall. *Giddy face*, I'm super chuffed with myself and had to tell you all. Bluehorn

Hello fellow Rebels! Recently whilst perusing for something to end my lunch on a sweet note I found one of these bars and I was quite pleased to look at the ingredients and find that it was all very simple and paleo! (I'm slightly guessing that dates are paleo) And although it's high in sugar I don't think I'm going to find a sweet treat that isn't! This weekend I'm going to try and blend together and make my own, especially as they look like they can just be left to set in a fridge. But we'll see when I experiment! And if they do work I'll post up the recipe that I used for them. So I was wondering if any other Rebels had any recipes they use to make their own (paleo) versions of snacks and treats that most people buy over the counter?

Ok.. so I was just wanting something.. umm... something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. So I thought.. a shake!! Pulled out my blender and started throwing stuff in it. When I tasted this shake it was like my brain and body were like, "THANK YOU!! This is exactly what we wanted!!! So here is 1 serving: 1 cup blueberries 2 tbsp baking cocoa (unsweetened powder stuff) 1 cup ice cubes 1 tbsp honey 1/2 cup milk (I used organic whole milk, but you could probably use almond or coconut) Drink! It is not mighty mighty sweet, but I think the cocoa really adds to the fullness of flavor (which removes the need for sooo much sweet).