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Hiya, guys! So a few years ago in my late-teens I suffered with disordered eating, namely, eating 700-800kcal a day, purging, etc, being quite underweight. Its been a long time since then or at least, about 5-6 years, and I'm just a regular adult who has always been petite but who has the tiniest bit of squish/body-fat after lockdown that isn't normal for me and that I want to get rid of - its making me feel really unhappy in my own body. I've tried since making better choices by starting to have salad for lunches at work and still having whatever the S.O makes for dinner, normally healthy-ish anyways. But without a way to really track what I'm doing I'm losing motivation fast and am not sure I'll even see results. I know that calorie counting works. I spent a long time doing it. But I've also spent many years slowly trying to forget how many calories are in every food, to not associate my morning coffee with a probably quite high number, etc. I'd make sure to have a sustainable goal and nothing like I used to. The pro side is that I know calorie counting works and its been a few years. But I'm worried about the what if - what if I undo a few years of work and start to feel guilty/obsess over numbers again? Once you know them they take years to forget and that's only if you're so lucky,' yknow? How can I ensure I do it without opening up old wounds? Is there anybody here with a history of disordered eating who managed to diet in a healthy way later on? I'd love some insight here. Thanks guys

I switched to Adventurer class primarily because I want to get more 'outdoorsy' activities into my life. Therefore, the highlight/climax of my challenge will be either a short "hike" (might be more of a walk around the park) or a trip to the beach. It's difficult for me to find time to make a special trip for this kind of purpose, so that's why there's only one for this 4-week challenge. I suppose you could say, "it's not a priority", but it's a lot easier to do a bunch of small stuff than carve out a one- to six-hour chunk of my life for the purpose of doing something special. Hopefully, if I make it more of a priority, it will eventually become just part of my schedule and require less effort. My other goals are all quite basic: 1. Food tracking. (Every day, and AS I GO, so I can self-correct if I start to go over my calories.) I'll probably continue to put this on my Daily Battle Log. 2. Track water. Every time I stop tracking it, I find that I'm not drinking enough. So I need to add this to my food log. 3. Walk 5 out of 7 days each week. Just something short, like a 5-minute walk around the block. The idea is to build a habit of going out and doing something every day. 4. Two weeks (out of the 4) where I do the Nerd Fitness beginner's bodyweight training. Again, this is more about building a habit than anything else. 5. Edit: Get ready for bed by 9:30pm! And try to be asleep by 11. And that's it! Back to basics, since it's been over 2 years since I last did a challenge. I will reward myself each week depending on goals met. One prize is available each week for the walking, and one for the bodyweight. No prizes for food and water tracking; I don't think I need the extra incentive. I have an Amazon list of fairly cheap little items that I want, but can't buy until I earn them. There's also a slightly more significant prize for doing the outdoors activity.

Greetings Everyone, I'm not new to NerdFitness but I am new to forum posting. I really enjoyed Steve's book and found myself saying "Yes!" aloud as I read it last year. I was especially inspired by the stories of people who share my love of fantasy and sci fi lit and found creative ways to integrate that into their lives. I sought out the website and the community and in the past six months I've learned a lot. But life seems to have thrown a new challenge at me and I plan to look here for help and support (also I will be joining as a full member soon). Ive been a powerlifter for about 20 years now. My body bears the telltale signs of a life of heavy lifting. My legs are slightly bowed, my knee and hip joints sound like a bowl of rice krispies when i lift(snap cracke and pop!), and my knees tell me when bad weather is on the way. My best career lifts are a 501 squat in competition at a body weight of 165lbs. My best bench was 325(lbs in the gym) and the best deadlift was 485(lbs, again, in the gym). Recently though I've developed some severe sciatica and lower back pain. So bad that I'm having a hard time sitting for long periods of time and heavy squats and deadlifts leave me bedridden. I get numbness in the lower back and a shooting pain in my left kneecap. I can still squat around 275 for reps no problem, but deadlifts are literally a backbreaker. I can't go above 3 reps on anything. Even 135 causes pain in the warmups. If i go too heavy on squats(over 350) i have trouble walking the next day. I've got an appointment with a dr but I already sense my heavy lifting days are done. My body can't take the beatings it did. Unfortunately I have a job that involves a lot of sitting( I was an English Teacher for 12 years but left for political and personal reasons. And any teacher that sits all day is really not doing his/her job). I like my new job, but all this inactivity scares me. And I believe it also contributed to the Sciatica. I am very overweight: 5'5" and 205lbs. I'd like to say its muscle, and I believe some of it is, but at the Dr appt I suspect that the body fat measurements will be extremely high. Most days I feel like a Jaimie Lannister after losing his hand, or Kvothe when he lost his father's lute. Squats were my signature lift. To not be able to do them anymore is hard, and going into the gym without being able to do them heavy is humbling and makes me want to avoid it. Because I need a goal, and because that goal can never just be looking good(too subjective for me, but I wouldn't mind being complemented on looking better) I've decided to become a bench press specialist. I can still bench without issue, no major aches and pains, and as long as I can still squat something I can generate testosterone and human growth hormone production. Also, I can diet down to the 83kg class(about 183 lbs) and probably still hold on to my strength levels. My goal is to bench press 400+ in competition. For those who dont know(and not trying to be condescending here, just informative), a bench press competition lift requires the lifter to pause the bar at the chest and wait for the head referee's 'press' command. Its harder but cleaner. And technically its a lot safer than bouncing the bar off your chest. To be competitive in this class on the national level I need at least a 365lb bench. Since switching over to this and experimenting with new programs I've found my bench increase. I can currently bench 325 with a pause. But this is at a bodyweight of 205. So, Im going to be digging in the forums and blogs here for dieting advice ( I dont think I'll go full paleo, but i will stop eating grains and breads and pastas. I will eat mostly meat, rice, fruits, nuts and vegetables with lots of milk. Milk is the one food I have a hard time going without. And of course I must say goodbye to cakes, and pies and cookies my achilles heels). In the spirit of this forum Im labelling this Gimli's Quest: Remember the scene in the movie The Two Towers where Gimli has the wargs and orcs land on top of him, and he has to basically bench press them off him? That is a good visual image for what I want to do. I suppose some people might be asking why I'm doing this here, reaching out to THIS community for support and dialogue. Well, powerlifting forums tend to be dismissive of injuries, and unforgiving of what they percieve as half measures. They might get the Jaimie Lannister reference, but not the full meanings behind it. And most of them will suggest a cycle of steroids(which I have never used and never will). And too many bro scientists out there. Instead, what I want here, is community. I love helping new lifters in the sport, and have several "padawans" at my current gym. And if there is one true thing in Steve's book that stayed with me its this: seek out your own tribe. That is where you find the community you need. In the spirit of the Steve's book I've created my own levelling rubric. Im posting it here for other people to use. Feel free to adapt it to your own programming or fitness goals. Any suggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated. Also, for those of you with powerlifting experience: I had done 5/3/1 with a lot of success in the past. Going to bench only though Ive switched to a Sheiko program. For the first two months of switching to Bench specialization I used the App for android with intermediate medium and large loads and stripped away the squat and deadlift parts. Ive now adopted the four day a week Bench program for Master of Sport. Surprisingly, I can bench well over 80% of my 1RM on paused benches up to 4x per week and have no shoulder issues whatsover. Eastern European programming really is on point. GIMLI"S BENCH QUEST: 250,000pts for Mastery Proof of Mastery: 405 total in an IPF sanctioned Meet. Levels Levels 0-9: 0-49,999: Squire Levels 10-19: 50,000-99,999: Man at Arms Levels 20-29: 100,000-149,999: Knight Levels 30-39: 150,000-199,999: Crusader Levels 40-49: 200,000-249,999: Templar Levels 50-+: 250,000: Paladin Point System: 10 pts for a day of lifting 50 pts for 1 month of lifting without missing a day 1000pts for 6 months without changing program 5000 pts for competing in a meet Points by Bench -must be paused but not necessarily in a meet, except for 405 -if you skip a 5lb increment (example: going from 315 to 325) you get the points for the 5lb increment below also (example 315 to 325 = 9040: 4520 for 320 and 4520 for 325) 315: 4520 (+bonus for milestone 4520) 320: 4520 325: 4520 330: 4520 335: 4520 (+bonus for milestone 4520) 340: 4520 345: 4520 350: 4520 355: 4520(+bonus for milestone 4520) 360: 4520 365: 4520(+bonus for milestone 4520) 370: 4520 375: 4520 380: 4520 385: 4520(+bonus for milestone 4520) 390: 4520 395: 4520 400: 4520 405: 4520(+bonus for milestone 4520)

Well after taking the previous challenge off, although not totally intentionally (re; forgot about it and realized two weeks in)... I am back with two specific goals here. #1 - Reassert dominance over my lifting! What I mean by this is that my coach has me on 4x workouts per week and I have basically had the past month off of lifting, only getting in one or two workouts per day. I must get this worked out and hit those four workouts per week regardless of what else is going on in my life. #2 - Reassert dominance over my eating. While slacking off a little in the gym this past month I have also slacked off in the eating department, basically eating whatever I want, whenever I want. My weight still needs to come down a bit and I am confident that I can accomplish this with a little bit of willpower and work on my end, aka meal prepping and reinforcing good eating habits. #3 - Reassert dominance over knowledge. This kind of goes with #2 because I have a wealth of knowledge on dieting and eating properly and that has come from reading and rereading texts over the course of the last ten years. I am going to start a reread this challenge just to refresh my memory on a few key points, and to reassure myself that I am doing the right thing. That reread will be The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. I look forward to getting to know everyone around the Warriors guild, and DONT feel shy, feel free to drop by, say hello, give encouragement, and post whatever the heck you wanna post. See you tomorrow for the first workout of the week and my official weigh in, YES weigh ins are always on Mondays!

Hullo all. Weighed myself the other day, 206.4 (down a pound from last weigh in), still 21.6% body fat . I'm wondering if there is a good way to actually target body fat (other than slow and steady). I've been on this lifestyle change for about 5 years now and am still thrilled with the progress I've made thus far. I've maintained roughly the same eating habits for the past year or so (since the last time myfitnesspal stole calories away from me...still mad about that). I've been doing strength training (the "beginner's" bodyweight (now dumbell) circuit since around late September '16). I started tracking the amounts and such here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-HLwfvnIQTByiQnw7WjKWxbQ0oOZlQeKoOVoW58-POE/edit?usp=sharing. I don't know how to link (or if it's even possible) to share my food diary from fitness pal, but generally my weekdays look about like this: Breakfast: Smoothie 280 cal (half avocado, .25-.5 cup frozen fruit, scoop protein powder, almond milk, handful spinach, water (if its too thick) Lunch: half cup greek yogurt, tablespoon jelly, medium apple (prefer honeycrisp but lately has been gala), 1 oz cheese, leftover veggies (from dinner: often steamed or sauteed), and left over protein source (varies with what I ate for dinner Dinner: varies with what I cook Looking at the "nutrition" on fitness pal, my calories by meal appear to be: Breakfast 24%; Lunch 24%; Dinner 36%, Snacks 16% (using last week as data set) Any insights are appreciated!!

This is a plan I've made for my 12+ week cut I'm gonna start either at the start of February or March and I was wondering if anyone could read it and give me any notes or just confirm its okay-ness? :') This is meant to be a slow and steady, non-extreme cut as I really don't want to lower my calories too much for general mental health reasons~ Background: I've been lifting 3-4 times a week in a gym for about 4 months (non-seriously for about a year) doing a mixture of strength training (for squat/deadlift/bench/OHP) as well as hypertrophy accessory stuff, and although my main concern is strength, I'm at like 20-22% body fat and have been trying to bulk for about 4 months now and just wanna get leaner for aesthetics and so I can then do a more efficient lean bulk from there I currently weigh about 68-69kg. Here's the plan... Nutrition: - Keep protein as high as possible (80g+) and fat low (80g max). - Do intermittent fasting as much as possible and track hours (aim for a minimum of 16hrs). Training: - Train in mostly hypertrophy rep ranges (8-12). - Focus strength training on one big compound exercise per 2 week block (e.g. deadlift for sets of 1-5 reps for 2 weeks alongside higher rep squats, bench, and OHP, then switch). - Start or end each workout with a 10min HIIT session (all in one or half at the beginning half at end) on the rowing machine or treadmill (e.g. 2 minutes at a steady pace then 30 seconds as fast as possible, repeat). - Walk whenever possible, particularly when fasted (i.e. in mornings). Weeks 1-4: Reduce calories by 300 (e.g. 2500-300=2200). Weeks 5-8: Reduce calories by a further 300 (e.g. 2200-300=1900). Weeks 9-12 and onwards: Reduce calories by a further 200-300 (or burn the extra calories through HIIT/walking) and continue to maintain (e.g. 1900-300=1600).

Okay, so, to try and commit myself fully to the process, I'm making it public. I'm intending to compete in a Powerlifting Australia meet on December 19 in Adelaide. I'm kind of freaking out a little about heading in to my first meet, and there are still some logistical issues I have to get past before I can guarantee that I'll be able to make it. Until then however, I had better make sure I’m doing everything I can to give myself the best possible result from my first competition. Before I step onto the platform I would like to drop at least 1, but ideally 2 weight classes before I felt comfortable with my numbers. So, goal weight: 104kg, minimum target: 119kg. And right now I’m running about 135kg. And, because we’re nerds, and the laws of thermodynamics are constant, this shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. 31kg, in 13 weeks requires a weight loss of a little less than 2.4kg per week. For a safety margin, I’m going for 2.5kg per week. And yes, I know that that is overly ambitious, and faster than would normally be considered healthy or sustainable. I can consistently burn 4500-5500 calories per day according to my fitbit. So if I aim for 2000 calories per day, I should be on the right track. I’ll adjust as necessary as the weeks go by and my results provide more data for analysis. Now I just need some goals that help me get there. Goal 1: track everything. -1 point for less than 3 days a week, 1 point for 5 or more, 2 for 7 days a week. Goal 2: Prepare calorie friendly standby’s to keep you on track when everything else falls apart. -1 point for no meals prepared, 1 point for 1 bulk meal prepared per week, 2 points for 2 bulk meals per week. Goal 3: Maintain the deficit. -1 point for a calorie surplus in a given day, 1 point for 2500 calorie deficit in a given day. No points for extra deficit, it’s not the sort of thing I want to encourage myself to do. The target is 37 points, but I’ll consider myself a winner with anything over 30. Reward: I’m still angling for those squat shoes. So, that’ll be my reward if I can hit my goals. Wish me luck, I suspect I’m going to need it…

Not with a bang but a whimper, Juni0r83’s not so triumphant return So it’s been a while since I was active here. Basically, not since the last lifting competition. And not a lot has changed. I switched from 5/3/1 to the Texas Method of Power lifters. And I’ve gained about 13.5kg. In four months. Yeah I suck. So, the Texas Method has been going really quite well. Which is to say that I’ve finally managed to get my training maxes to line up pretty much with my actual maxes from the last virtual lifting competition (once again, yeah I suck). And I’ve finally found a diet system that I think I can stick with, now I just have to actually implement it. That’s where this challenge comes in, the diet stuff, cause I finally feel like I’m starting to actually do well at the lifting stuff. My challenge will therefore be to eat stuff that helps me get where I want to go. And where I want to go is a healthier weight class. Which one, I’m not entirely sure just yet, as I’m not sure where my body will find its resting point until I get there, all I know is: 138.5kg is not it. So, let’s talk about my actual goals. Start planning your evening meals so that they fit your overall goals. That is, 400 calories per meal, with plenty of protein. Not complicated, mostly about portion control, shouldn’t be too hard. But, we’ll see how it goes. 1 point for each day that I eat a 400 calorie evening meal (total possible score: 28 points). Actually eat breakfast on my non-working days. I still tend to sleep too late on the days I’m not rostered on, and as a result skip breakfast, which then makes me feel like I can overeat on my subsequent meals for the day. Only problem is I always end up eating too much, and it becomes kind of a negative downward spiral. Once again, 1 point for each day that I eat breakfast when rostered off (total possible score: 14 points) Eat my healthy lunch on days when I’m not working. Basically what happens here is I’m not being disciplined enough to stay on track when my wife isn’t motivated to do so. And likewise she isn’t being disciplined enough to stay on track when I’m not motivated to do so. Yes, we’re enablers. And so far it’s resulting in 5+ times per week takeaway. I’m not saying takeaway can’t be a part of a healthy balanced diet, but we definitely take it to excess. So, If I stick to my chicken salads on my days off, it’ll be one less thing that I can be derailed by. And hopefully it’ll help my wife stay on track too. And again, 1 point for each day that I eat my salad when I’m rostered off (or soup with my wife as she doesn’t like salad). (total possible score: 14 points) So at the end of this, I should have a score out of 56 points. Normally I would then break it down into percentages (85%+ for an A, 70%-85% for a B, 50%-70% for a C, and everything else is a fail, just like when I was at high school). But instead, I’ll base my reward on my performance. Obviously getting the highest score will result in getting all of the rewards, and I won’t wait until the end of the challenge to get them all. As I hit a target point score, I’ll get myself the reward. And hopefully I’ll also be rewarded with a decent weight loss by the end of this whole thing too. <30 – no reward. Suck it up princess; you should have done better if you wanted cool swag. 30+ - wrist wraps 40+ - knee sleeves 50+ - squat shoes This is probably the most reward driven challenge I’ve run so far. Now let’s just hope that I don’t run out of money before the end of it and can’t afford my rewards!

I'm competing on February 13 - two weeks from today. This challenge is to make sure I stay focused on that. I have 1.4kg to drop in two weeks to make weight as a 58kg lifter, which is where I want to stay. Goals are really thusly: 1) Train. Keep training. Make sure I'm ready. Get my openers sorted. 2) Finish my cut. Make weight easy. Try not to stress out about it, and try not to cheat!! 3) Compete. Hoping to set some masters records in my weight class. It's within reach. 4) Have a donut after the meet. Because of course. I CAN DO THIS. MUST NOT STRESS OVER MAKING WEIGHT. I REPEAT, MUST NOT STRESS OVER MAKING WEIGHT!

Hey guys, I was told in my welcome post that I might not be eating enough. So I have checked out BMR and TDEE pages. My fitnesspal suggest for me (pre workout couchpotato) 1200 kcal daily to lose weight. But for weeks now I have not been losing weight. I know not to go lower. Though with eating mostly veggies (stomach decease) its kinda hard reaching higher kcal intakes. Anyways the BMR and TDEE scales: which is best to use? BMR says (now with training 3 days cardio on xtrainer 45 mins, 3 days muscle aka the beginners body weight, one day rest a week) I need 1432 kcal base just at rest so Tdee with being a moderate moving person (I said 3-5 times training weekly as I am only doing the body weight beginner 3 times a week), is between 2038 and 2218. Does this mean I need to eat around 1400 to 1500 kcal per day? Can that be possible? Do I need to change my diet? Sorry for the rant. I am a bit confused by it all.

I know my energy levels and mood will improve once I begin to clean up my diet and lose fat, and that exercising is a natural mood-improver, but I was wondering if there is something that would give me more energy, even on off days. Before I began working out, when I was at home, I would always feel tired, lazy, sick, and pretty much dead from the neck-down. It's not surprising when I considered that I spent most of my teenhood at home playing games most of the day. I was homeschooled, so I couldn't really be a part of a sports team, and at the time, I didn't think about my fitness all that much, and didn't think there was much to do outside except chores, getting hot, and getting bit by bugs. When I went to college, I felt a little better, and was excited about being there, so I ran around a lot. Then once I got into my second semester, and the newness wore off, I kind of just, went back to my usual behavior pattern. Also, I have a history of staying up late and cutting hours to get some time to myself to play games and for...*other*, reasons, since the only time someone in my house isn't up is usually between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM. So, I've noticed that when I eat 2 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toast, a banana, and drink a protein shake, then when I go to the gym and drink a GNC PUREDGE Complete Amino energy supplement (did I get that right?) 30 minutes prior to running on the treadmill or lifting weights, and then drink a protein shake after the workout, and then go get a cheeseburger and a small fry with water with my mom at lunch time, I've noticed that I actually feel really energized and great afterwards! I actually feel like chasing my baby sister around the yard, and helping my dad with outside house work, and talking to this girl I like. You know! Until I don't. Next, I get tired shortly after coming home in the afternoon. Then I don't feel like doing anything again. Then, on the day I couldn't go to the gym and had to lift weights at home, I followed the same dieting, and I felt great after I worked out! Especially when I walked for a bit and listened to music. But then I went back inside and went back to not doing much of anything but playing games, babysitting, and doing chores. I had energy for a good few hours, but I didn't feel as great for awhile. And then this Saturday, I felt like shit. Mainly because I tried to cut hours (to 6, I think) to give myself time to workout in the morning, but then I spent too much time preparing my food and doing some research and ended up not going out to workout until about noon time, when it was getting really hot and windy, and was about to rain, and my dad wanted help with the garden. I didn't have much time to eat lunch because of the weather and my baby sister, so I tried settling for a protein shake, a banana, and a tablespoon-and-a-half of peanut butter for lunch, but I found myself eating a few potato chips and 3 Oreos at around 2:00 PM because I didn't feel completely satisfied, and I was having a hard time finding a fresh fruit besides bananas, which I was trying not to take too many up from my family. Also, I didn't know when we would be back home from the theatre. So I didn't workout that day, and me and my family ended up going to the movies. I wanted to drink water, but nobody wants to pay for water, not even me. I wanted sweet tea, but they didn't have sweet tea, and my dad was determined to get everyone a drink, so I got a Sierra Mist instead. Then my baby sister got my Sierra Mist instead, and I got a Pepsi, which I have been avoiding since college. So then, I figured we wouldn't have dinner tonight unless it's at the theatre, so I just went and got 4 Whitecastle burgers for my dinner, and then we went home where I ate some sausage, peas and carrots, and some macaroni and cheese. So THEN, this Sunday, I was really feeling like a piece of shit because I've been trying hard to keep a good, steady diet for a week now, and that one Saturday just threw me off entirely. I decided that if I wanted to get some exercise in on Sunday and burn some calories, I would need to get up at 5:30 AM and make exercising the absolute first thing I do in the morning...Which lead to me only giving myself 6 hours of sleep again because I was trying to do some job searching late at night, spent too much time on it, and got frustrated. And some nights, I just seem to have a hard time going to sleep. Usually when it's hot. So I did the beginner bodyweight workout routine for 3 circuits that I saw in one of the main articles by Steve, since it wasn't a weightlifting day. It certainly gave me a workout, and left me sweating, and feeling a bit sore in the legs. And then I walked for about an hour, and then by about 8:30 AM, I went and got a protein shake, two hotdogs with buns and some macaroni and cheese, because it was close to lunch time, there were no clean skillets available, and I had to be ready for church by about 11:00 AM. Before going, I tried that Amiibo stuff again to see if it would work on improving my mood and energy levels. I also made sure to take some Mega Men Energy & Metabolism vitamins like I have been every morning for the last week. Prior and while performing the workouts, I wasn't really feeling my best, but I forced myself and found the energy to do it. Usually when I have energy, I feel like doing something that requires a lot of movement, but it seems like it's when I don't have energy is when I'd rather do something slow and productive like lifting weights, which maybe gives me energy to do bodyweight workouts? After the meal I had after working out, I felt full and tired, and when I got to church, I just felt really excited and happy to see familiar faces and be in such a welcoming atmosphere (unlike college), but now I'm back home from church, and I honestly feel like doing nothing but going to sleep. So, what's going on with me? Is it a combination of not eating right or not sleeping right, or is it something personal? I feel like I know the answer to this, but I always like to get feedback, since I'm not always right. Then again, I think I am more right about myself than even most professionals, but I could be wrong there. Oh, just give me some input! Also, is it bad to use a little bit of whey for flavoring in water and milk? Because I've got some of the best-tasting whey I've ever had, I didn't even think it was going to taste so great!

Hey all! I've been pretty quiet on here (a lot of things happened and I got off track) but now I'm back and wanted to ask you guys a question that has been bugging me for a while... Do you exercise when hungry? Or when you've eaten? For me food is a major part of my life, I used it as an escape and a comfort during my depression years and now that I'm slowly climbing out of that hole I want to get healthier. I always hear horror stories about people who suffer with anorexia, and although I don't believe that will happen to me I wanted to know if what some of them say is true? Exercise when your stomach is practically growling, and you'll loose more weight! Is this true? I often get very queasy if I don't eat enough (I have weird stomach problems something to do with too high of an acid level blah blah) so I don't want to run the risk of being sick or passing out. Please let me know your thoughts and answers! Thanks, Eri

Namaste Druids!!! Main Quest Stronger than before! OK, so thats an inside joke with my friend but for this challenge I want to be healthier in everyway. As always, time to be my own hero. Side Quest See how long I can avoid alcohol and my other sins, time to cut back on things that are considered vices so I have more time to focus on what matters Instead of drinking and what not, when Im stessed, I need to workout! Strength Quest I can barely bench 135, lets get that down and increase 1 point for every lift over 10 the amount of pushups I can do from barely 15 to twice that 1 point for every pu over 15 Ill achieve this by doing pushups twice a day and benching atleast every other night. Flex Quest Palms flat in a forward fold 6 points Bend over! but for realz it should be easy if I stretch whenever I think of it. Health Quest Continue using my fitness pal everyday 12 points Continue going to yoga twice a week 6 points Drink so much more water!!! 2 points Keeping up with these habits will definitely increase my overall health my name on myfitnesspal is Samboski5 add me!!! My motivation will be to be the stud I see myself being in my happy dreams. To be the person I deserve to be! Success will be how many points I get out of 40!!!

I'm Back! I was gone for about a year and no surprise, I didnt get to far on my goals BUT IM BACK! I'd say I've been through alot recently and I cant wait to start this path to health, I just kicked depression in the ASS and I'm so excited about this new motivation I have!!! So yeah, Lets get started! Main Quest!!! To build a foundation for a healthy life, to create repeatable and fun ideas that I can follow to success, which would be to be my own hero. 84 points possible!!! Side Quest Alpha! Keep going to yoga twice a week 2 points each time total of 24 Bonus= do the sun salutation on days I dont have yoga .5 each time total of 15 Beta! Cardio twice a week for a half hour 3 points each time total of 36 Bonus= find an exercise you love 10 points for nailin this one! Gamma! Meal prep for each week 4 points each week total of 24 points Anti-bonus= minus one point for each sin (gluten, drinking more then 3 times a week, fast food, soda) Life Quest! Pay $100 off my credit card Fitness Quest! Kill the crow! Successfully get down the crow position! Motivation! I want to eventually be a stud I want to be able to motivate people and help them with fitness and health and have a body to back what I'm saying haha Its always been a goal and with depression out of the way I will achieve it! Success will be my points out of 84!

Right, here I am trying to lose this 20-30lbs I have been wanting to shift forever, to appreciate myself, become stronger, build healthy habits and try not to binge. Recently. I have been doing really, really well with the not binge eating; I read a book which I think helped quite a lot - but that's not to say I haven't had slips ups but I am on the right track.. I posted a thread in the Weight Loss section and got back a lot of good advice, I also read a lot on these forums and think the input and information is far more helpful than where I was before. I'm gonna cut my calories a lot. I have muscle there, so will be eating a lot of protein but can probably get away with a bigger deficit for a shorter amount of time.. and having calories low means, well to me, I have more to play around with and change if I need to. I may eat a bit more or maintenance on a weekend day, but I am also thinking of IF-ing one day and just having a big meal in the evening - sort of like 5:2 diet but only once a week.. like I said I can play around a bit. I am scared to weigh, my body image has been really bad lately and I am scared what weighing might do to my mentality. However, I want to weigh daily to see fluctuations and know if adjustments are needed. Main Lifts (currently) Squat: 75kg (3x singles) Deadlift: 100kg (5x singles) Bench press: 47.5kg (5x5 - sacred to make the leap to 50kg on my own!) OHP: 30kg (3x3) I have recently added in cardio sometimes, and a few isolations exercises to target other muscles more and kettlebell stuff - I want to figure out a superset routine or HIIT routine and have more body weight stuff but not sure what to do or where to begin!! I also do 1-2x circuit classes on the weekends, body weight, ropes, kettlebells etc which I sorta of see as cardio/conditioning. Goals: Following a more IIFYM way of eating but I want to ensure I hit my proteins really - and learn portion/treat control, like I will buy a small 1 person size chocolate bar instead of buying a big one (which I think I will hide away for another week but never do..)Not be scared of food/food groups, but eat healthy - lots of vegetables Think and be aware of binge habits and when I feel the "urge" IF - I seem to do better just having coffee in the morning or nothing at all, breakfasts make me hungry, so adding in IF to my weekly routine seems a good idea and will help keep calories in control.Track everything. I know it will help. I will add to this I think - and it might change, these are just of the top of my head and things I have been thinking about!

Main Quest Still want to lose 15 pounds, but now I also want to get strong and lift heavier weights. To achieve this, I have three specific goals: Stronglifts 5X5 three times a week, according to the training plan. This is my first time using the weight part of the gym so it is a little intimidating, I have been doing strength training 3X a week at home since February but it is all either body weight or with 15lb dumbbells, so I am excited to try out heavier weights and see if I get good results. A – Completed all 18 workouts B – Skipped 1-3 workouts C – Skipped 4-6 workouts D – Skipped 7-9 workouts F – Skipped more than 9 workouts Running 3X a week according to a simple plan I made myself. One 3 mile run a week. One faster 2 mile run, and one longer run that increases by 5 minutes each week (I just ran 40 minutes tonight for my long run, so by the end of the program I should be up to running an hour and ten minutes!) A – Completed all 18 runs B – Skipped 1-3 runs C – Skipped 4-6 runs D – Skipped 7-9 runs F – Skipped more than 9 runs Tracking my food daily and staying within my calorie range at least 6 days a week. Trying to eat 80% whole, unprocessed foods and trying to eat high fat and protein with relatively low carbs. A – Tracked every day and stayed within my goals! B – Missed tracking or ate over goal 1-3 days C – Missed tracking or ate over goal 3-6 days D – Missed tracking or ate over goal 6-9 days F – Missed tracking or ate over goal more than 9 days

Hello, I'm brand new to this site. I've tried "getting healthy" many different times, but this is the first time I've ever actually tried for things like an accountability. I'm looking at the Paleo diet and have some questions/concerns. Questions -Is chewing gum okay on the Paleo diet? When I have it, gum tends to help me to not overeat, but I don't want to consume something horrible for me. -How about tea? I love earl grey. I usually sweeten it with honey and splenda. I'm assuming that I should probably cut out the splenda, but is sweetening with Honey still okay? -I'm assuming things like fruit in a container and popcorn are a no-no? Concerns -I'm a college student. First year students at my university are required to have a meal plan. I'm also slightly poor xD Any tips on how to successfully eat at least semi-Paleo in a dining hall would be most appreciated! - Actually, that's my only concern Thanks!

Hi all, This is my first time here, but I've been reading Nerd Fitness for years. I've always been what I call a couch potato fitness/diet guru - I've read all the books and all the blogs, I know a lot about a lot of different theories, I've tried numerous different approach to dropping weight and getting healthy....but none of it really works and I don't tend to stick with it - within a few months I'm back on the couch with my bag of chips. Well in a few days I turn 31. I get married in 3 months. We're thinking about a family. And I decided a month ago I wanted to get as healthy as I possibly could for myself, and my future family. I want to be here for a very long time and before I'm ready to start giving my love and life to others, I need to get myself straightened out once and for all. I joined CrossFit boot camp in early January. I started exercising a little in weeks before and sometimes the off days. I'm absolutely loving it. I've always been 'athletic' and strong, but haven't been 'in shape' since I played inter-city Rugby 10 years ago. Now, I'm ready and loving it. In just a month I've noticed a huge difference in my shape, my endurance and my strength. I had been doing Weight Watchers since October without much success (lost 4lbs, gained it back over Christmas) then with CrossFit I didn't feel like it allowed me to what I needed to in order to have energy and strength for class. So I decided last week to try Paleo. This is what happened: I cleaned out my cupboards like they say. I cooked meals ahead of time. I ate breakfast everyday. I averaged 10-12 glasses of water a day. Cut out all the fruit for now as I'm trying to also cut some fat in the short term leading up to the wedding. The result: down 2 pounds but nearly fainted everyday around 3pm. Would get lightheaded, exhausted in the evenings (class was canceled due to weather and a personal commitment meant only 1 class this week), trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Long story short, it felt absolutely impossible and awful. I've heard of this 'carb-flu' but this was really really bad. And I ate - oh how I ate. I felt like I was eating all day everyday...nuts, cheese, meats, veggies...repeat...all. day. long. Supplemented with veggie greens, photyoberry, fish oil and a multivitamin (my usual morning cocktail). Is there something else I can try? I saw someone mention they eat fruit for a boost, but then I read that you should only have one serving. But to skip it if you're trying to lose fat. I'm confused and a bit discouraged - I can't keep going on like that...I'm worried I'll pass out driving or at work if I don't figure out a solution. But at the same time I want to be as healthy as I can be, and Paleo seems like a good solution. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

This is the dawning of a brave new world. No more hesitating, it's too late to turn back now, yeah! Back again for my third/fourth go around. I've given my goals careful consideration and thought, and here's what I've come up with, complete with moderately clever names and what-not. Drop and Give Me Ten (or at least six) Six would be nice. I've managed to lose a bit of weight over the past 5 months, but it's been slow. I thought perhaps if I make it a concrete challenge, that I might do better over the next 6 weeks, because goodness knows I do hate to lose. So the goal is to lose at least six pounds over the next six weeks, by means of diet and exercise. The exercise part is covered more specifically in two other goals I've set, so to achieve my six pounds of weight loss in six weeks, I'll be focusing this part of the challenge on Weight Watchers - I've been a member since February. I have managed to lose nearly twenty pounds so far this year, so I'm hopeful that I'll see more results during this challenge. I'm regularly attending meetings, but I still struggle with recording my points. So I think that if I faithfully record and stay within my points guidelines, and eat the recommended foods as I do so, I'll hit my goal. What's on the line? +3 to Constitution if I drop seven or more. +2 if I make 5-6 pounds. +1 if it's only 3-4 pounds. And no points awarded if I lose less than 3 pounds, because that will be very sad. The Final Countdown Last time around I made my strength training way too complicated, and thus it never got done. Even the Angry Birds workout was kind of a pain for me. So I'm simplifying this time around. I found something called a Countdown workout. That's where you do a certain number of reps of each exercise, like 10, then without stopping go back and do 9 of each, 8 of each, etc. I'm going to start of with 5 reps each of Burpees, Side Lunges (5 on each side) and Triceps Dips - counting down 5,4,3,2,1 - three times a week. This way I shouldn't have any excuse to miss a day, because there's always four extra days if a training session needs to be pushed forward. In Week 2 I'll up my starting reps to 6. So by the time the challenge is over I should be counting down from 10 reps of each. That's a move from 15 total reps of each exercise all the way up to 45 of each. It starts tonight. What's at stake? If I don't miss any days - do 18 days of countdown strength training, I'll get +2 to Strength and +2 to Stamina. Miss 1-4 days, I'll get +1 to each. And if I miss more than 5 days, I get nada. Run, Fat Girl, Run Yes, I've progressed through the first four weeks of the 5k program, although it took me 6 weeks to do it. So I'm thinking I'll need at least six weeks to finish out the remaining four. My goal then is to run three times a week, no matter whether I'm repeating a run or not. And actually, since my run time is so weak that fast walkers could pass me, I'd like to get a teensy bit speedier as I progress. Point being, make progress. Run longer, run faster. Either one is good and both is awesome. As an addendum, I also have the goal of finding and committing to and signing up for a 5k before the challenge is over. What's the prize? Committing to a run will get me +1 to Charisma. Failing to commit will get me jack squat. For not missing a single day of running, I get +2 Stamina and +2 Dexterity. 1-4 days missed gets me +1 to each. And missing more than 5 days will get me a big fat goose egg, and not the golden kind either. Write Here, Write Now I have some WIPs that I'd really like to finish, but I've fallen out of the habit of regular writing, and I seem to have this horrible block about writing at my own computer at home. I use a portable word processor for most stuff these days, and that's not much. But if that's what it takes to get me writing, than the word processor will be my best-est friend in the whole world. I MUST WRITE! What's in it for me? I'll finish a story, hopefully, and won't that be nice! But if I log 1,000 minutes of writing time in the next six weeks - an average of 24 minutes per day - I will get 3 shiny points of Wisdom. 750-999 minutes gets me 2 points, 500-749 minutes get's +1 to Wisdom. Less than that will be better than nothing, but not worth a point's worth of anything. So there it is. I hope I've been specific enough. Let me know what you think of my goals and if they need tweaking.

Here are some of my thoughts on weight loss. By full disclosure I have lost 35+ pounds twice doing Weight Watchers and 22+ pounds twice on two separate fasts. So, you’re trying to lose weight? Well, I have the two most important things you need to know right here. No kidding. I don’t care what weight loss plan you pick; Atkins, Weight Watchers, Paleo, Primal, South Beach, Sugar Busters, or Aunt Martha’s family plan. If you don’t do these two things you will either fail or not be as successful as you could be. And I’m going to stop with the teasing and give you these two magical things right now. Are you ready? Here they are. First, Honesty and second is the phrase “With proper diet and exercise.†That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Be honest about your plan and include proper diet and exercise. Simple. What? You don’t get it? Okay, I’ll explain each a little more fully. Honesty Be honest with yourself about your plan. This means no cheating, measure things correctly and accurately, no bending the rules, eat the correct portions, and no excuses for why you just can’t today. Period. If you’re not fed up with the state your body is in to the point that your weight is making you angry then the personal discipline needed to stick to whatever diet you’ve chosen will be more difficult. No one is going to help you with this, and no one else can either. You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to say no to that temptation food, whatever it is. If you can’t be honest with yourself when no one else is looking about your diet you will eventually stop doing it and gain the weight back. No one else is going to care as much as you do. No one else is going to be at all interested or even know if you’re pants are too tight because your ever expanding frontier just annexed a tiramisu. No one else will lament your weight gain except maybe Jennie Craig and she’ll be with you only because you’re not buying her food and for no other reason. If you want to lose the weight, it is time to jerk a knot in that person you see in the mirror every morning. Stare him or her straight in the eye and say ‘No More’. Stare at that reflection until the person in the mirror actually believes you mean business this time, and then get about the business of planning your lifestyle change. With Proper Diet and Exercise The next time you’re lounging on the sofa with a box of bonbons and that magical weight loss commercial comes on tune your ears for this phrase. If you don’t hear it, search the text on the screen, that really tiny mouse print text that hangs out at the bottom of the screen. You’ll either hear it in really fast lawyer speak or it will be in that tiny print. Then, watch for it in every single other commercial or program talking about weight loss. It’s in every one of them. Why is that do you think? Well, the answer is at once simple and so complicated that most of us reject it out of hand. This phrase is in with every single weight loss plan advertised because, are you ready? THERE IS NO MAGICAL SOLUTION TO LOOSING WEIGHT. There it is. The solution to losing weight is simple first grade math. Burn more calories than you eat each day. Period, and the best way to do that is to have a proper diet coupled with good exercise. That word ‘proper’ really is the important one too. If your diet is moon pies all day long, I don’t believe you can out exercise the fat content of your diet. Likewise, if your diet cuts you caloric intake to 100 calories a day (you will die by the way at this level it’s dramatic license to make a point) but you leave out any exercise you will flounder in either slow or nonexistent weight loss because your body isn’t burning up what you’re taking in or is just coping. The bad news is that real healthy weight loss takes time, about two and a half pounds a week on average. We are impatient and want a pill or magic solution to melt the pounds off, and that just doesn’t exist outside of fiction. The good news is that there is an excellent method for weight loss out there for every body type, fitness level, and willpower. The internet is full of good sites (including Nerdfitness) where you can find loads of people who can walk you through exactly what you need for your particular situation, and most of them will do it for free too! If you’re on the weight loss path just remember to be honest with yourself and couple that honesty with proper diet and exercise and you’ll do fine.

TLDR: Experienced dieter friend may be sabatoging himself. Do I bring it up or butt out? Facts: 1. Very good friend and I have boring monkey desk jobs are on chat all day at work. We talk about everything, including, when we're eating lunch, what we're having. 2. He has succesfully done a low carb diet in the past, losing over 100 pounds. Then he got very sick, had to have major surgery, and gained it all back an more over the next few years. 3. Last summer, I happened to read "Why we get fat and what to do about it." Since then I've lost 50 pounds on a low-carb diet. 4. In that time, he has tried a low carb diet again and fallen off of it. My sense is that this has happened several times in the years since he lost weight the first time. 5. Now, he's trying again. But his conception of "low carb" is not mine. He's two weeks in and yesterday, he was `like "i had a chunk of meat and a V8" and I thought "Dude, unless that was a tiny glass of v8, you probably drank 15-20 carbs right there. There is no way in hell you should be having any kind of juice this early in your program" Last time he tried to diet and failed, he'd be like "I had half a mini-croissant, since I can eat that much" and I would make horrified faces at my computer. Situation: He's really struggling with his motivation and with carb cravings. Part of this is that he's just two weeks in, but I think it is also because he's keeps letting himself have stuff that people on low carb diets need to just go cold turkey on in the beginning and that he's actually making it harder on himself. If it weren't for Fact 2, I'd say "oh, he doesn't know" and educate him. But he's dieted successfully in the past, so theoretically he does know what works for him. So I'm tempted to just smile and nod and let him do his thing, but I'd hate to see him fail again as he has repeatedly. Thoughts?

Hi Everybody. I made this spreadsheet about a year ago. I put quite a bit of research into the math behind it, and I can guarantee you it's pretty accurate. I've just started dealing with google docs, so this isn't exactly the most pleasant-to-look-at spreadsheet, but I know that many of you will find it very, very useful. Please save a copy of this to your drive. Please do not override this version. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnGMZqWIG4MHdHVXOGhYNmlxRlNmenQtaFUtelFEdWc&usp=sharing What is it? Many people do not know how to calculate their calories burned throughout the day, and therefore cannot estimate what their calorie deficit is. This sheet will guide you and help you get close to that number. This is tailored for a general user. If you want something with specific activities on it, let me know and I will be happy to make a modified version. Instructions To track your calories burned, just fill in all the data in blue. Your calories will be calculated and displayed at the bottom of the page. Enter the time spent doing each activity during a day. So if you spent 30 minutes cooking dinner, 15 minutes getting ready in the morning, and 40 minutes organizing the top level of your bookshelf, then plug 1:25 into the "Standing" time. For the distance exercise items, enter the time you exercised and the distance you traveled. If you ran 3 kilometers in 25 minutes, then enter 3 kilometers and 0:30 into the time. The sheet will calculate the rest. I used the metric system for all the calculations. There is a conversion table on the right side if you need it. If this really bothers anyone, I might go and make pound-mile system. Additionally, I included two user-defined spots for other activities. You may use the MET table linked on the document to estimate what your activities are worth. These are completely optional. Questions? I am a mechanical engineer, and have spent many hours punching calorie numbers just for the hell of it. If anyone has any concerns to the accuracy of these calculations or how I came about them, I will be happy to break it down. Otherwise, I hope this helps!