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I'm a 25-year old actor, clown, gender warrior, pagan, cyclist and dabbler in the circus arts. I'm here because I want to develop a more positive relationship with my body and food. I've dealt with disordered eating for the past decade, including periods of anorexia/overexercising (i.e. too much damn time on the eliptical machine) in high school and college, followed by binge eating disorder, which is where I'm at right now. I'm not overweight, and as a daily cyclist and physical theater performer, I have solid endurance, but my cycles of binge eating and depression have taken a toll on my ability to make progress and on my self-esteem. After a binge, I can feel sick and bloated for days. I'm here because I want to learn how to look at exercise as something that's fun and functional instead of something I use to compensate for uncontrollable eating. I also want to get out of my binge eating and depression cycles so that I can get my head out of my selfish asshole prioritize helping others. Considering my passion for circus arts, training to be an Assassin is definitely for me. My name is coybat because I live in a city where I'm fascinated by the physical and mental adaptability of urban animals, particularly coyotes and bats. I have a coyote tattoo that reminds me that the small ones (I'm 5'2") are often the fiercest. I'm hoping to get a bat tattoo next. This year I had three main goals, and I'm on my way to accomplishing them all. I'll start by sharing those: 1. Perform in a full-length musical (accomplished June 2015) 2. Write and produce a full-length play (accomplished October 2015) 3. Do 15 chin-ups (not yet accomplished! My best so far is 11). Here are some additional goals I'd like to work on while I'm here: Fitness Goals -hold a handstand for 30 seconds -do 15 chin-ups -do 5 pull-ups -do 15 push-ups -do a handstand pushup -take another trapeze class -get a skateboard and learn how to ollie -25 lb dumbell bicep curl -25 lb dumbell military press Food Goals -go binge-free for one week (and eventually for good) -quit chewing gum (I'm a serious sugar-free gum addict, and I'm pretty sure that fucks with my cravings and blood sugar) Other Health Goals -quit taking sleeping aids -finally get a pelvic exam Mental Fitness Goals -complete all of the exercises on my DuoLingo app (I'm learning Spanish) -write daily Social Goals -finally tell someone other than my grrrlfriend about my eating disorder -host the first meeting the Deviant Skillshare -meet other witches and pagans Urban Skill Goals -learn how to change a tube on a bike -drive a car in the city Work Goals -develop and teach an 8 week theater class with my own curriculum -perform burlesque -perform a circus act -write a zine or develop a program to help people recovering from eating disorders Looking forward to getting involved in this community! Progress to follow.

I can currently do 11 chin-ups and no wide-grip pull-ups. I binge about every three days. I haven't told anyone other than my partner in love/crime about my eating disorder. Thus, the QUESTS: Quest #1: Own the Iron Gym -15 chin-ups -3 wide-grip pull-ups Quest #2: Beat the Binge -got at least one week binge-free Quest #3: Build a Team -hang out with one new person -tell one person who is not my grrrlfriend about my eating disorder Reward: I get to order these zombie workout leggings from Iron Fist.

First off, how cool is this site?! I'm pretty stoked about finding some motivation and support on my health and fitness journey. Not sure what guild I would fit best in yet. A little about me...I am a 31-year-old living in the Midwest. I live with my boyfriend J in an old house that is occasionally visited by a stray bat or two. We have one fur-child, a polydactyl cat named Hermes. I am in recovery from anorexia and bulimia and am learning to figure out who I am outside of these disorders. I grew up around weightlifting, as my dad was a competitive, Olympic-style lifter. My goals are as follows: Goal 1: Food is fuel As I continue down my path toward recovery from an 11-year eating disorder, my main focus is on learning moderation in my eating. I am weight-restored, but struggle to eat a "normal" amount on a daily basis--sometimes not eating enough, sometimes eating far too much. I know the best thing I can do for my health is to stop the food roller coaster and fight for a healthy calorie intake on a daily basis. I am a vegan, so I want to continue to eat a plant-based diet, aiming for between 1300-1600 calories daily. A: Between 1300-1600 B: -1 to 200 in either direction (from 1100-1299 or 1601-1800) C: -201 to 400 either direction (from 900-1099 or 1801-2000) D: -401 to 600 either direction (from 700-899 or 2001-2200) F: Less than 700 or more than 2200 Goal 2: Continue bodyweight and weight-training In the past month I have been working to get back to some light weightlifting. I no longer belong to a gym, so my workouts are done at home with dumbbells or with bodyweight. Pushups, tricep dips & skullcrushers, bent rows, squats (regular & sumo), straight-leg deadlifts, ab work. I lift four to five times a week and want to continue on this path. A: 5x/week upper/lower split B: 4x/week C: 3x/week D: 1 to 2x/week F: No lifting Goal 3: 30 minutes of cardio, 5x/week Pretty self-explanatory. I usually do speed walking, running stairs and biking. Mostly steady-state with sprint intervals, occasionally. Tried my first tabata workout today and realized I am still far too out of shape. Ha! A: 5-6x B: 3-4x C: 1-2x D: None Goal 4: Maintaing smoking cessation I quit smoking on March 5, 2014, so am nearly seven weeks clean. This is either all or none. Goal 5: Life Quests Post in my personal blog 1x/week. Read at least a chapter a day of chosen book (Lately I've been struggling with concentration, so getting back to reading is a big goal of mine.) Again, all or none. Thank you all for having me! I am open to questions, advice and general banter.