Search the Community

This glorious geeky bastard, y'all. Life goals. I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine. Goal: Sleep. Measurement: Hours. Frequency: Daily. (Night before.) 4-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ I'm doing badly on this one lately, and need to recover some ground. I've replaced my missing fitness tracker so I can quantify sleep better and report it to my ADHD coach. Also, feel free to harass me if you see this number averaging under 6.5-7 hours. Seriously. Want it fast, want it hard. Goal: Aikido. Measurement: Full points for attendance or reasonable substitution. Half points for any substitution. Frequency: 3x/week, or as possible. 0-x-_-x-x-_-x//_-x-_-x-x-_-x//_-x-_-x-x-_-x//_-x-_-x-x-_-x//_-x-_-x-x-_-x I'm doing reasonably well on this one, though I've been skipping classes for work reasons lately, which isn't great. (If I get the ADHD handled better, this will happen less.) The x's are there for adding in extra visits to the gym, which I'm going to try to step up when I get back from my vacation. Less for fitness, more for my brain. Goal: Intermittent fasting (fast, get it?). Measurement: Full points for LCHF+IF. Half points for one or the other. Frequency: Daily. 5-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ I'm pretty reliably LCHF 90% of the time or more, but IF has slipped. I'd ideally like to do both. I find both at once challenge, so that's this challenge. One track mind, one track heart. Goal: Focus meditation. Measurement: Yes/no. Frequency: Daily. 0-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Recovering lost ground again; I considered a more challenging measurement, but I realized I've meditated maybe twice in the past month, which is no bueno. Anything goes. Goal: Focus, and do some ADHD shit. Measurement: WTF, I dunno. Frequency: Daily. 10-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Yeah, I don't know how to measure this one. On the one hand, it's things like "did I successfully use a strategy or do something biggish like see my coach", and on the other, it's, like, did I do a little educational thing that may or may not move the needle. (And, to be honest, my coach and I are running out of ideas, a little. I still get more done working with her around, but the coaching isn't going on so much.) I'm not sure. I'll take suggestions. I feel like I'm the worst, so I always act like I'm the best. Goal: Metta meditation before bed. Measurement: Yes/no. Frequency: Daily. 0-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ This is a two-birds-one-stone kind of thing. I'm hoping it helps with some of the sleep problems by centering me a little at bedtime, and I'm hoping to spend a bit less time feeling like I'm the worst. Bonus: Practicing a certain Doctorish arrogance. Measurement: Sliding scale. Frequency: As arises. 0-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ I don't know what this looks like, but I think it's worth doing. Maybe I'll just practice saying some really arrogant shit about myself. I know exactly what I want and who I want to be. Goal: Timepunk lifestyle reboot. Measurement: Sliding scale. Frequency: As arises/daily. 2-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Bonus: One-off timepunk lifestyle reboot shit. Measurement: Sliding scale. Frequency: As arises. 5-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ I don't really know what to do here. (Yes, the goal quote is a lie.) I'm sort of going, "I'll know it when I see it," except then I sometimes don't see the opportunities. Any suggestions on this one? I think I might need a blazer of some kind. (Summer is not good time for layering, WTF.) Fortunately, it's sunglasses season and I have light-sensitive eyes, so I'm getting back in the sunglasses habit. Wouldn't kill me to break out the punk albums again. But that's all low-hanging fruit. If I'm really clever, maybe there's something here about using the ADHD traits in an actually useful way, cuz that dude's the ADHD poster child. Bad grades, distractable as a cat, poor impulse control, doesn't handle authority well, into adrenaline sports... but he makes it work somehow. (I'm counting the activity tracker acquisition, because any device that analyzes my activity and vibrates to extend my senses while looking like jewelry is surely a futuristic cyberpunk marvel.) TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal. Goal: Writing. Measurement: Full points for 10 minutes or 10 words. Frequency: Daily. 0-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Time to make with the fictional worlds again. Starting small to get the habit going again. If you are not very careful, your possessions will possess you. Goal: General possession-ranching, particularly organizing and repairing. Measurement: Sliding scale. Frequency: Bi-weekly. _-_//_-_//_-_//_-_//_-_ I wasn't going to, but the song's pretty clear on it, and it's not a bad goal, so just a few stuff-husbandry goals. Not acquiring. Acquiring is not the point. In theory, I do this, but in practice, I wouldn't notice if it slipped, so this is the weekly reminder. Don't do love, don't do friends. I'm only after success. Bonus: Points for social activity. Measurement: Sliding scale. Frequency: As arises. 3-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_//_-_-_-_-_-_-_ I have a habit of getting way too stuck into work, and then hibernating when I have time off. Right now, I'm just tracking and awarding bonus points, but at some point, it'll be more goalish. I will count aikido, because it's social and seeing people outside of work - any outside club activity counts. This looks like a long one, but it's mostly data-gathering, or nudging existing habits back into place. TL;DR on the audience participation: Hassle me if I don't average 7 hours of sleep a night. My ADHD goals need measurability. My timepunk lifestyle reboot needs both goals and measurability. I could also use a little help being arrogant, frankly.

1. Strong Enough to Shoulder It He grabbed the Librarian by two handfulls of chest hair and pulled him up to eye height.'I'm not bloody well going to have it, understand?' Vimes shouted, shaking the ape back and forth. 'Oook,' the Librarian pointed out, patiently.'What? Oh. Sorry,' Vimes lowered the ape, who wisely didn't make an issue of it because a man angry enough to lift three hundred pounds of Orangutan without noticing is a man with too much on his mind. -- Guards, Guards Goal: Lift Heavy Things (preferably not Orangutans) 3 times a week I've decided to scale back on running slightly and start folding in some weightlifting. To this end, I've joined a gym near work. The goal is to go workout before my morning meetings, but we'll see if that pans out. If it doesn't, I can go at lunch or after work instead. 3X a week. 2. Dis-Organizer Mark V 'Good Morning, Insert Name Here! I am the Dis-Organizer Mark Five, "The Gooseberry"TM. How may I —' it began, speaking fast in order to get as much said as possible before the inevitable interruption. 'I swear I switched you off,' said Vimes. 'You threatened me with a hammer,' said the imp accusingly, and rattled the tiny bars. 'He threatens state-of-the-Craft technomancy with a hammer, everybody!' it shouted. 'He doesn't even fill in the registration card!' -- Thud! Goal: Keep Bullet Journal Updated 80% of the time I filled up my old bullet journal and got a new one, and I'd like to keep it newly organized and do better about keeping up with it. This is a bit of a cheat because instead of focusing on goals like Meditate Every Day and Write Every Day and Keep Checkbook Balanced, I'll just track how well I track all those other things. 3. Run Hungry Someone was running, and they were chasing. They were chasing because he was running, and he was running because they were chasing. -- Men At Arms Goal: Run and Intermittent Fast 2 times a week Slightly scaled back, but still there. On days that I'm not lifting weights, I'm going to 1. Fast for 18 hours and 2. Go for a short 1-2 mile run in the mornings. I'd never try to do any serious cardio distance on no fuel, but a short run while fasting has been shown to have all kinds of good benefits. Special Long-Term Quest: Cholesterol II Vimes carefully lifted the top of the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich and smiled inwardly. Good old Cheery. She knew what a Vimes BLT was all about. It was about having to lift up quite a lot of crispy bacon before you found the miserable, skulking vegetables. You might never notice them at all. -- Thud! Goal: Lower cholesterol numbers (significantly) by August. No changes here.

Hey Rebels, I've been lurking around NF for a while now and have become sold on the idea of intermittent fasting. From reading people's stories and the articles, it appears to me that most people generally prefer to skip "breakfast" and start their eating window around 1200 after some mid-morning training, then consume the second half of their day's calories in the evening. The issue for me is that I'm a diehard early-morning trainer, for both pragmatic and romanticised reasons. I'm generally in my lab from around 0745 until the evening so I get up at 0500 to train before I get the chance to become tired out from the day, then eat afterwards around 0615. I then stick to a normal eating plan of lunch ~1200 and dinner ~1800. I want to start intermittent fasting, but I don't want to change my training schedule as I absolutely adore training alone in the back garden before everyone else wakes up. Provisionally, it makes sense to me to just shift the fast so that I'm actively fasting in the evening rather than the morning. Ie I train as per usual, then extend my breakfast to include more food and also consume a larger portion at lunch. Giving me a fast from around 1300 until the next morning. I imagine that the collective wisdom at NF contains more grounded information than my hunch though. I suppose, following this, my questions are: Has anyone had any experience with something similar, and if so how did you find it? How would you stagger the calories? 50/50 across Morning and Noon or some other configuration?

Last Edit: 4-Feb-2015 After starting this thread, I was informed that what I am doing is known as a Protein Sparing Modified Fast (PSMF). I am constantly consulting The Oracle (Google) to find out more about this subject and modify the diet plan as approriate. As of right now here is how I am planning on executing the diet: I am still learning more about it as the days go on. Based off of what I have learned so far, I will be trying the following diet/exercise plan: Every day my goal will be to consume 140 G of protein. I will cycle 2 days of nothing but protein shakes and fiber powder. 144G Protein, 10G Fat, 6G Sugar 30G Fiber, 738-ish Calories on a shake day the calorie count will be slightly higher - by how much depends on how you calculate the calories from fiber. This figured incorporates the calories from the 4mg of fish oil I will take. Every 3 days I will have have a big ol' egg white omelet made from 4-ish egg whites with spinach, red peppers, mushrooms and jalapenos. In addition I will eat a whole egg as well as a big plate of fresh spinach or lettuce, red peppers, cucumber, a couple of green olives, and about a big handful of salted mixed nuts. I will also have protein shakes to get my required grams of protein. Every other "food cycle" I will have a little bit of cantaloupe (half a cup-ish) and a banana in addition to the omelet, plate of low-carb veggies, olives, and nuts. I will take a multivitamin twice a day with food or a protein shake and a 2mg fish oil capsule. I will continue to workout as normal - Lift 6 days a week and cycle between running 3 miles and doing sprints (ideally 3 days a week). I have a hard time motivating myself to do cardio, so I often find excuses to not run. I will work on becoming more consistent. Before I lift or run I will take 10G of BCAAs. I will drink tons of water, and lots of tea. FOR THE EMPEROR!!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the original post which led me down the path to discovering PSMF (Thanks Hazard) Hey everyone! This is the result of something I was mulling over in my head, and then spending about a week reading a bajilliondy different articles on nutrition, fat loss, muscle growth, carbohydrates, fats, etc etc etc.... TLDR version: Perhaps the best body recomposition (lose fat, gain muscle) thing to do is to focus on eating 1 Gram of protein per lb. of body weight per day, and then minimize both fat and carbohydrate intake while lifting heavy things and then putting them back down??? Note: I will be eating egg whites, chicken, beef, fish, and using protein shakes as needed to hit my 1G protein/lb/day goal while drinking copious amounts of water and tea (Earl Grey and Black Currant, both made by Twinings – it’s more to help keep me from boredom snacking than anything else). I am stuck with cafeteria style dining at the moment and cannot make my own food so I will be getting some carbs/fat as well but will limit them to only what I get as a byproduct of eating the aforementioned foods. Once I hit my desired body fat % (basically I want to look like Deadpool) I will add other foods for maintenance. Perhaps I could live off of just meat, but variety is the spice of life so I will be throwing in other food items once I get to a maintenance phase. Other people have a lot to say about why cardio isn’t the best thing for weight loss. Other people have a lot to say about why heavy weight training (4-6-ish reps for 3-ish sets) is best for increasing muscle strength/mass. Other people have a lot to say about why lifting to get gainz is better for fat loss than cardio for the same amount of time. I am a fan boy (not really, I have a mind more open than Olaf’s arms when administering warm hugs) of the aforementioned things… but I am just here to pose the following question and give my best guess as to the answer: SO…. a certain bit of dietary advice had always confused me, specifically the concept of caloric surplus/deficit in relation to muscle growth. Basically I keep reading that I cannot put on muscle if I eat fewer calories than my body needs in a day and you cannot lose fat when in a caloric surplus. The question: Can I lose fat while gaining muscle on a low calorie diet where I eat 1G Protein/Lb Bodyweight/Day and eating as little fat/carbs as possible? My body needs protein to build muscle. So I will eat lots of amino acids (the building blocks of protein). My body also needs energy to carry on all its myriad of functions (including building muscle). My body already has plenty of energy stored as fat. I can understand why I would need more building blocks to make new muscle, but I already have plenty of energy saved up. Why do I need to eat more energy? Why does using up my energy stores (IE the fat) prevent me from putting on muscle? The energy is already there in my body waiting to be used…. The body seems to me to be pretty efficient and does not appear to want to waste things, especially energy. Now, you can literally piss away glucose at times, but I’ve never read anything that shows this happening in significant amounts in healthy individuals. SO – according to conventional wisdom, it is impossible to put on muscle while eating fewer calories than your body needs to meet its daily energy needs. That doesn’t make sense to me. Why you ask? Well… most of us have huge energy reserves, I.E. fat. Fat is where your body stores the *VAST* amount of its energy. Sure, the body can breakdown muscle (NOTE ON THIS: I have not found any information on exactly when this happens. Since this would seem like a last-ditch sort of thing, I imagine that the body will tap into its fat before eating away at the muscle for energy in significant amounts. I have also heard that consumption of protein and exercise can stave this off, which is why I would want to keep up with the whole 1 G of protein per pound of body weight per day thing. If anyone can point me in the direction of some good information on when muscle cannibalization occurs, I would like it). There seem to be limits on how much muscle a person can put on. Our ability to put on fat appear to be limitless (people can weigh over 1,000 pounds). Our body obviously likes to, and will, easily use fat as an energy storage depot (really more like energy storage medium, but storage depot rolls off the tongue (fingers?) so well….). With this said, just because I don’t consume as many calories in a day as my body needs for all of its various functions does not mean that I do not have energy available. You can live off of your fat stores for a hot minute (here is a link to a report on an obese man whom fasted for a year under the care of a doctor http://pmj.bmj.com/content/49/569/203.short). Glucose is not an “essential nutrient†meaning that you do not have to consume glucose to live. You need glucose to live, but your body can produce it in sufficient amounts to live without you having to eat extra (google gluconeogenesis for more info – there isn’t a whole lot unfortunately). Supposedly you can make 150 G of glucose a day (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/#axzz1za02xNxp – Go to the paragraph “So How Much Glucose Do You Really Need?†near the bottom. He doesn’t cite the source for this, and I have not been able to find any research backing it up myself. If someone can find something supporting/rejecting this number, *please* send me a link ). Anyways, unless you are doing some hardcore crossfit thing, doing some crazy bicycling thing, etc etc etc your body will keep up with whatever you are trying to do (Note: This isn’t a fault of gluconeogenesis… People can eat carbz for dayz and still run into these issues with extreme feats of humaning). If you are worried it can’t, then eat a little carbs right before/during the event as needed just to get you through. Your body only has about a teaspoon-ish of glucose floating around in the blood (this is closely regulated by the body) and can store about about 400 grams of glycogen (glycogen gets converted into glucose) in the muscles (I imagine this number varies a bit from person to person based on muscle mass) and about 100 grams of glycogen in the liver (again, probably varies a bit from person to person, but I imagine the biggest variance in individuals come from muscle stores of glycogen). http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/body-store-excess-calories-9627.html (not a direct link to the study which was conducted by Iowa State, a thousand pardons…). There are certain parts of your body which like glucose… the brain, for example, *needs* glucose (even when adapted to using ketones, it still needs 50% of its energy to come from glucose (UGH – Of course I cannot find a source for this now… Fear not though citizen I read it on the internet, so it must be true.. For cereal though, again, if anyone can find anything supporting/rejecting this, feel free to let me know! ) I think our blood glucose levels are pretty much just for the brain, but that is simply a guess with nothing to support it other than observations and my little bit of knowledge of how the body works… With that said, there are parts of your body that like ketones (cardiac muscle). A lot of your cells can use either glucose or ketones for energy once they become “adapted†(which supposedly takes a couple of weeks. I am not even gonna lie – I am getting burned out at the moment with googling things… If someone thinks that my aforementioned statement is wrong then at that point I will go verify it’s rightness or discover is wrongness). SO…. This is a little all over the place, but I think it’s a great starting point for a discussion…. Low Carb…. Low Fat…. Why not both?? https://literatastrophe.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/screen-shot-2012-11-08-at-6-08-31-pm.png As I stated before, I cannot get as low fat or low carb as I would like in my current situation, but I will start implementing this as of today (2-Feb-2015) and post pictures, weight, and tape measurements of different body parts (sorry, I do not have calipers yet… :\) as well as a log of what I eat everyday (with super guesstimated portions). Oh – a note on ketoacidosis… This is a disease state present in diabeetus-ified individuals…. IE their body forgot how to insulin properly. Supposedly insulin helps regulate ketones (this is argued a lot by science-ey people (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/749914). Protein stimulates insulin release (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/72/1/96.full). So, I should not go into ketoacidosis since my body knows how to insulin. However, I will keep an eye out for signs of ketoacidosis (unfortunately I do not have the capability to run labs on myself). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will post weekly updates. When I take pictures they are done with relaxed muscles, full exhaled breath. For the measurements: They are done with muscles relaxed, the fixed end of the tape measure (a plastic tape measure intended for use by a tailor) will remained pinned in place against my body while the free end is pulled tight. I close my eyes and let the free end slip through my fingers until it is barely snug against my body. I will re tighten and let it go loose 3 times before opening my eyes and taking note of the measurement. I purposefully keep things in 8ths. When doing measurements on the torso I do it with a fully exhaled breath, and take 3 measurements (everything is so squishy I have a hard time getting accurate results, so I don't want to rely on just one measurement). Here are the exact locations I measure: Neck - Widest point (over the peak of the adam's apple) Chest - Just under the nipples Bicep - Widest point (no landmark) Forearm - Widest point (no landmark) Waist - Narrowest point (which happens to be my last rib) Belly - Widest point of my pooch (which is just below my belly button) Butt - Widest point (I kind of figure out through trial and error where this this, there is no specific landmark) Upper Thigh (this is the widest point of the fatty area of my thigh. No landmark) Mid Thigh (this is the widest point of the muscular area of my thigh. No landmark) Calf (This is the widest point of my calf. No landmark) I do more exercises than just the ones listed... for sake of not having too much info here I will only post a few lifts. I will fill out a more comprehensive log at a later date and link it to this post. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-Feb-2015 - (NOTE: I know this was not ideal but I took all of these measurements just before dinner. In the future I will do them first thing in the morning when I wake up) Weight - 141.9 pounds Neck - 15" | 14 7/8" | 15" Chest - 33 2/8" | 33 1/8" | 32 7/8" Bicep - 11 7/8" Forearm - 9 7/8" Waist - 29 2/8" | 29 3/8 " | 29 3/8" Belly - 32 7/8" | 33" | 32 6/8" Butt - 24" Upper Thigh - 40.5"" Mid Thigh - 43" Calf - 14 3/8" http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/gallery/image/9974-2feb15-front/ http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/gallery/image/9975-2feb15-side/ Deadlift: 150lbs 8r 3 Set (working on form) CHANGE: N/A Pullup: (On assist machine): -35lbs 7, 5, 4 Reps CHANGE: N/A Dumbbell Bench Press: 65lbs 4 reps, 65lbs 3 reps, 60 lbs 4 reps CHANGE: N/A Dip: 25lbs 5 reps for 3 sets CHANGE: N/A Squat (butt to calves): 135lbs 5 reps, 135lbs 7 reps, 135lbs 6 reps CHANGE: N/A Standing Shoulder Dumbbell Press: N/A CHANGE: N/A +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hey guys, I decided to post my challenge in the rebelgroup because I really don't belong anywhere else. I should do more yoga (or another form of stretching - according to my doctor) but I'm really not up to that so I see if it will be possible to add it in there. Goal 1: I want to lift weights again. Not heavy (because I can't) but at I want to do somethign every day. More like a bodybuilding approach but only bodyweight and dumbbell exercices. The Buff Dudes have a whole Home Workout Routine for every bodypart which sounds really interesting. I really want to get more muscle. The last month I have done some shoulder, back and chest workouts and I can feel and see that my chest is already bigger from only three workouts. Goal 2: I want to take the intermitten fasting tot he next level, I've asked my doctor for advice on waterfasting. I now all the risks and signs that I should stop etc. I can start with 4 24h fasts (1/week) and then I will discuss this with him and see if I can take it a step further. He thinks it's nto a bad thing to doo, certainly because I'm overweight. Goal 3: Walking! I just need a way to find out how to walk more. AI need a walking program, sounds stupid but it is just a disadvantage of the handicap. (Any advice on this is welcome) Goal 4: Studying. Every. Day. (exam period..... uuuuuuuuuurghhh) Goal 5: Painting. Every. Day. i first wanted to make this making a painting every day but that was a bit to hardcore. My works also need some quality as well. That being said: I have an instagram for my artwork only, check it out: https://www.instagram.com/tsjebbevandamme/

Hi everyone, this will be my first time posting in this section of the forum as I just finally decided to get a gym membership, as such I have very little experience weight lifting. So I will start with my stats: Fitness Goals Not just lose weight, I want to also gain strength. Maybe size later on but definitely not a priority right now. Exercise Preference I found the 5x5 stronglifts program super easy to understand and was planning on that being my starting program, but am open to suggestions... Current Physical Stats Male 27 5'11"(1.8 m) 220 lbs (100 kg) Previous Training History I have never done weight training before. Current Training Basic Bodyweight/ max 2 pullups/ 20 pushups Past 6 Months Current Diet Normal/ no tracking but I have maintained the same weight over a year now. Current Resources/Limitations Gym Access: free weights, cardio equipment, racket ball courts sauna/ showers, 24/7 access. Work Schedule 7 AM to 6 PM I work and live and go to the gym all within minutes of each other. Limitations, my wife and I both signed up and we have kids so we need to go at different times, she is very much not a morning person so she will be going in the evening when I get home from work... which leaves me with my dilemma... I'm left working out before work, really early before work, ideally starting at 5:30 AM. So does anyone have experience with how to make early morning workouts work? My current plan is to go 3x a week, go to bed at 9:30 pm wake up at 5:00 AM be at the gym by 5:15 AM Drink plenty of water/ BCAA's - I can't eat food first thing in the morning and I heard BCAA's are good for lifting in a fasted state 10 minute sauna/ meditation session - again I have heard a sauna session can aid in warm-up which I find would be helpful since I have been awake less than an hour at this point. By 5:30 I want to be doing my program (again planning on 5x5 stronglifts) be done at 6:30 Shower be to work at 7:00 AM Either have a protein shake or hard boiled eggs or any other suggested first meal that is portable Basically, I'm looking for flaws and critiques of this program, and definitely suggestions from anyone who has worked out early in the AM. Thanks.

2016 was an exciting year for me. I bought a house (and did a lot of work renovating it), I got married to the love of my life, and I went on my first international trip. Despite all of these things 2017 is going to be much more monumental - because my wife and I are expecting our first baby in June. In order to insure that I am in the best possible, health mentally and physically, for when the baby gets here, I plan on really pushing myself with my challenges for the start of this year Quests Workout - My goal is to workout 6 days each week over the course of this challenge. Ideally each week will have 3 lifting days, 2 cardio days, and 1 day of circuit training with my trainer. 16-Hour Fasting - I plan on starting intermittent fasting during this challenge with each day having a 16 hour fast and an 8 hour feeding window. For the first week of the challenge this should be relatively easy since I am still on winter break and can eat on my own schedule. However, next week when I go back to school I have to eat per my school schedule which sucks because my assigned lunch is from 10:30 to 11. I am thinking of working through my lunch and eating during my prep period which is from 1:45 to 2:30. Vegetable a Day - I will be having at least serving of vegetables every day, preferably at dinner. Tomorrow morning I am going to the store to pick up some salad stuff and some instant steamable veggies. Do the Dishes - I am terrible about letting dishes building up in the sink and only washing them whenever I am running out of clean ones. However, with the baby on the way the sink will need to be clear to wash bottles and what not, so I need to start keeping the sink clear by making sure that all of the dishes are taken care of before I go to bed every night. Goal - Over the course of this challenge my goal is to lose 16 pounds. That's a weird number, I know, I determined it by calculating a 1% weight loss per week over the course of the challenge.

Yes, I said I would take the week off. But the new forums look so shiny and pretty I couldn't resist. If you think: what does this image do here. Well, it's a shiny and pretty object. Just like the new forums. Hi, I'm Terah, and I'm a zumba addict. I've been doing challenges here since forever (okay, since January 2015, but it seems like forever). I've been trying to lose weight and get a fitness routine in place. I found zumba and I practice it twice a week. Two challenges ago I rediscovered my love for swimming. This year I lost 5 kg's, and I'm hoping to lose some more before 2017 starts. My plan for this challenge: Stop obsessive tracking. No spreadsheet this time. I'll just do the best I can and won't beat myself up when I had to skip a goal. Food goal: Intermittent fasting. My first meal of the day will be lunch, my last will be dinner. I won't obsess about a certain number of hours. I won't obsess about kcal. I'll just try to eat as healthy as possible, with the occasional treat. Fitness goal: Continue zumba and swimming. Listen to my body. If I can do more, I will. If I need to take it easy, I will too. No guild, just fun. Life goal: I'll continue with the Spanish lessons, but no pressure, it needs to be fun. I'll continue with my Bullet Journal, just to make my life easier.

I have decided to try out fasting but not everyday. Has anyone else ever done a fast? I plan on fasting Mondays and Thursdays from sunrise to sunset. This means no food or drink until sunset. In addition to that I want to cleanse myself of sugar, so no more sweet tea or other sugary drinks during the weekdays.

This chapter follows the time line of The Legend of a Banished Man. The wolf-warrior has survived the fight against Rurik, the immortal, but the injury he suffered has affected his shape-shifting. A Beast I Am The man was sitting beside the fire, carefully honing the edge of a broken seax with a small whetstone. Somehow tip had broken off inside the hunter’s ribcage taking the first rune of the engraving with it. His brother’s seax… now instead of “RAGNAR” the engraving spelled “AGNAR” “Agnarr… one who inspires awe”, he translated. “Not a bad name either” Once the blade was razor sharp he sheathed it but kept it close, there shouldn’t be anybody around, but one could never be sure. His mind drifted towards his last fight, the one he had with the hunter named Rurik in those woods. He unconsciously touched the scar left by the hunter’s axe on his chest… the only scar he’s ever had since he took his oath and turned for the first time. And since the encounter with Rurik his transformation lasted less and less. He even felt, slower, weaker; his senses duller. “Am I losing it? Ragnar is dead, Njal is dead; they are all dead. If I can’t turn my clan dies with my inner wolf”, He thought to himself “I need to recover my true form”. That’s how the brothers referred to their animal form. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound horses. Four men rode to his small fire, all wearing richly embroidered tunics, rings and necklaces. “Good evening kinsman”, the youngest of them greeted ”My men and I are scouting the lands of the Jarl, my father, in search of a poacher who’s been killing the animals that by right belong to my father. You'll tell me your name and reason to be out here alone, at once" "Of course, milord. Agnarr is my name", it was the first name that came to his head, of course he wouldn't tell his real name to those people. "And I'm just making a stop on my way to the market. I'll leave at dawn's first light, I swear" he tried to sound as simple and honest as he could. "And may I ask what you inted to sell at the market? I see no goods around here" the young nouble asked. "Damn it" thought Agnarr "I'm getting bored of this lad" "I'm the merchandize, sire! I sing for the noble, merchants and beggars alike. Would milord want to hear a tune?”, Agnarr took a risk for he was no singer, but he knew the noble man would be disgusted at a street troubadour. “Ugh. Gods, no!” he turned to his men “let’s go, there’s no point on searching in the dark”. “And you”. He looked at Agnarr. ” I want you out by sunrise” “Sure thing, milord!” the fake accommodating tone wasn’t very convincing, but the men were already on their way to the Jarl’s homestead. Of course he didn’t intended to visit the market at all, but leaving at sunrise seemed to be the smartest choice. He wrapped his cloak around him and fell asleep right there on the ground. In his dream, Ragnar called him but the warrior’s feet were slow and every step was a struggle, like he was submerged knee-deep in honey. “C’mon little brother, hurry up! Run, don’t let him get you” Ragnar kept on calling Agnarr looked over his shoulder and saw a horrible monster, made out of black smoke; with a thousand red eyes, chasing after him. “Brother, help!” he tried to run faster, but it was of no use. “What are you doing? Turn to your true form!” , Ragnar’s voice echoed inside his skull. “I can’t!” suddenly he was a boy again. The monster started to take form: now it had only two eyes of fire and the shape of a bearded man wielding a ludicrously big double-bitted axe. “Of course you can! The animal is inside of you, let it out!” Ragnar now spoke with Njal’s voice. It’s funny how dreams mix and mangle our memories, yet they seem alright at the moment. “Feel its growls, hear it howl and let it out damn it!” Njal’s voice filled his head like a sea storm. Agnarr’s heart was pounding so fast he thought it would explode. Right when it seemed that actually would happen, he turned: his growls louder and wilder than ever; the claws and fangs sharp as damascus steel blades. The transformed warrior turned to the monster in the shape of a man and slashed its face with a powerful strike of his claws. The monster let out a terrible scream and before it could re-build it took another claw to the gut. The monster seemed defeated; Agnarr raised another claw. As he went in for the killing blow, the face of the monster took form again and Rurik’s voice sounded clear as a mountain river and loud as thunder “You filthy beast! You can’t kill me”. The smoke figure off the hunter drove his axe into the werewolf’s chest and then… the sun rose on the horizon. Agnarr found himself still wrapped in the cloak. “That was rotten dream, if anything”, he stood up, ready to leave. All through that day he felt different, invigorated and at the same time, like he was still dreaming. The breeze brought the smell of flowers; he could hear the squirrels on the trees, the birds taking fly. It seemed like the country had abruptly come to life. At night he encountered a road inn, and for the first time in what seemed like years, he decided to rent a room. He traded some of his dried goods for a bed and board and spent the night sipping light ale. Around midnight, he went outside to relieve his bladder. He was almost done when he heard a voice behind him. “Took a while to find you. Missing your furry self, eh wolf?”. He turned around to face and couldn’t believe his eyes: There was Rurik alive and kicking. He was not bluffing when he said it was impossible to kill him. “How?... It cannot be! I killed you, I drove that axe of yours right into your back” Agnarr slowly reached for his seax while speaking. “You are not the only one whose injuries disappear… except for that one that is” laughed Rurik pointing at the wolf-warrior’s chest. “how do you like my axe now?” the hunter’s laughter made Agnarr’s blood boil. His hand grasped the seax handle. With a swift motion, he unsheathed, cleared the distance between the two and stroke across Rurik’s face with the broken seax, slashing it right open. Knowing it would heal quickly he kept on attacking; cutting and stabbing as much as he could. “Enough!” roared the hunter, tackling the werewolf to the ground. Weapons flew through the air, leaving both combatants unarmed. They rolled on the dirt trading vicious punches until Rurik took the top and landed three haymakers on Agnarr’s face, leaving him stunned. With a grip like a vice, the hunters hands wrapped around the werewolf’s throat. “Trust me mate, there’s no healing for asphyxiation”, Rurik said, blood staining his teeth “so you’re in for a really shitty death”. Agnarr felt himself fainting. His heart pounded inside his chest like it was going to blow; it pounded so hard he could feel it on his head. All of a sudden, Njals voice:” The animal is inside of you, let it out!”, his vision was blurring “Feel its growls, hear it howl and let it out damn it!”. He felt like his heart had exploded. All his muscles contracted violently, his blood boiled inside of him. He heard Rurik’s voice like it came from far, far away “what in the world?... “. Before he realized it, he was standing tall, bearing his true form. The hunter looked desperately for his axe, but the werewolf was in a rage. Claws and fangs tore the flesh of the hunter. He turned to human form again, but this time he did it at his will. “Let’s see how you heal once I rip your heart out” he shouted at the bleeding hunter. In the blink of an eye the scene was filed with riders bearing weapons and torches: A band of werewolf hunters. “Look what we’ve got here” started the leader ”seize him!”. A heavy club hit Agnarr on the back of the head, sending him groggily to the ground. When he woke up he found himself in chains, lying on the ground where he fell. As his vision cleared he saw Rurik on horseback, his hands tied behind his back with a rope around his neck: they were executing him. A fur bound hunter came by “wakey wakey wolf!” he was clearly drunk. “who could have thought that the fella’ you torn to shreds was mighty ole Rurik”. A much bigger man shoved the drunk aside and crouched next to Agnarr, it was the leader of the group. “He is a drunk fool you know” that man wasn’t drunk and his tone resembled more of a scholar rather than a hunter ”but he’s right. Your ‘friend’ here is very famous. He’s the one slaying entire bands of wolves like you” “Why are you hanging him if he’s one of yours?” Agnarr asked, trying to wobble his hands free of the chains without the man noticing “He’s not one of us” answered the man ”he’s our enemy you see. Every wolf he kills is a bag of silver we don’t cash and this whole being immortal business makes it quite unfair, don’t you think?” The man looked rather entertained. “Unlike your kind who heals immediately in wolf shape, and not at all in human shape” the man explained ”our mutual acquaintance here takes a bit to heal, but he does it no matter what. That said, there are ways to kill an ‘immortal’, y’know? ripping his hear out, chopping his head off or hanging him to death. Somehow hanging won the poll” He seemed disappointed. As the man spoke, Agnarr had managed to release his left hand. The man walked away a few steps and then turned around as if he had remembered something “Oh, and don’t try to turn and brake those chains, they won’t break and the change in size will cause your bones to shatter. You are wanted alive”. He released his right hand off of the chains. He would have to make a run for it. “I know I’ll regret this” he thought. As quick as he could get rid of the chains, he rushed past one of the hunters taking the sword from the man’s belt. He got to the tree where Rurik was about to hang and with a single motion hacked through the rope, then turned around and killed the first man that came at him. He took the dead man’s axe. “Don’t make me regret this” he shouted at Rurik while cutting the rope that bound his hands. He gave him the sword and kept the axe for himself. Rurik dismounted and split the head of the first attacker with a powerful swing of the sword. Agnarr watched as the bearded man dispatched another enemy and then turned around to face his share of foes. He spotted the leader of the band a couple meters away. It was a clear trajectory. The axe flew throw the air and sunk deep into the leader’s chest. Bearing a smile of satisfaction Agnarr turned again with a vicious howl. The werewolf tore up enemies with his claws and fangs alike, punching them into the air and stomping them on the ground. He took a couple spears and swords to his legs and torso, but the wounds healed almost instantly. As he slashed through the last of his foes, he searched for Rurik. Found him getting rid of the last two hunters. He had recovered his axe at some point and he was swinging it wildly, keeping the adversaries at bay. One of the hunters went for it and had the horn of the axe driven into his throat. The last one tried to surrender but a beastly blow with the axe landed on his neck, severing his head altogether. The immortal and the werewolf stared at each other for a second, not knowing what to do. Agnarr, was expecting Rurik to come rushing for a final stand, but the hunter calmly sheathed his weapon. The werewolf returned to his human form without losing sight of Rurik, who was taking one of the horses. Both men looked at each other one more time, nodded and parted ways. The dust of the riding hunter was still visible when Agnarr mounted, after seizing clothing and gear from the dead hunters, heading west. This is the last challenge of the Becoming Ulfhedinn series, focusing on the shapeshifting skill of the character(beast mode anyone?). While I'm 100% positive I can´t turn myself into a werewolf Companions style, that doesn't mean I can't get in and out of beast mode -more or less- at will. This challenge will be aimed at achieving this as well as "beasting" in other areas as well. Goals: - Find my inner beast: Meditate at least 3 times a week, 10min before bed, focusing on the positive aspects of my life and myself. - Brains and Brawn: Study every day implementing the pomodoro technique - Animal FORM: I realized the reason why I don't like high rep lifting for some movements is that I'm not very good at mantaining proper form. Practice form with light weight on my home gym every weekend, be it saturday or sunday. Aditional beasting - I'm gonna take up intermitent fasting again. It used to work fairly well but for some reason I stopped doing it. The idea is to fast for 16-18 hours and do my workout immediately after on CrossFit days. On non-CF days I'm deppending on Nare's shedule so the workouts will fall where they may. Of course I'm still eating paleo with 1 variance/week I think that's all. Let's do this!

The summer is the perfect time to really get going and make progress in achieving better health. The main thing that has always held me back is how my body feels, I genetically have lower muscle tone and I believe I have hypothyroidism even though no test has came up positive. I have many symptoms plus all my parents, aunts, and uncles have it. 1. Fasting; no food or drink till 8:00 pm. I will be able to eat something for breakfast by waking up just before 4:00 am. I will log what I eat as well 2. Workout every other night 3. Cpap; wear cpap each night

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I will definitely not regret this challenge about two weeks in. Goal 1: Yoga Work diligently towards the following three targets, by doing yoga that challenges me, DAILY.1.) Put legs behind head2.) Hold Crow Pose for longer than it takes to fall haphazardly through Crow Pose3.) Move forward from Down Dog to a forward fold in one fluid movement, without taking my hands off the mat and without doing a Night of the Living Dead shuffle. I don't expect to achieve them this month, but that doesn't mean I won't give it a square go. +3 DEX, +1 STR Goal 2: Food and Drink - Consume no more than 1400kcal/day, through a combination of calorie counting and intermittent fasting. (My normal fasting method is 23hr fasts. I'll decide whether I'm having several weeny little meals throughout the day or just one meal in the evening at the start of each day, but I have to do one or the other.) - Record calorie intake daily. - Eat at least five portions of freggies within that calorie allowance. - 2 pints of plain water down the hatch every day. +4 CON Goal 3: PAIN Since a reward system doesn't seem to work, we're going to go for a punishment system this time. Ho. Ho. Ho. - Every day I don't update my thread, I put a £1 coin in the Idiot Jar, and reveal one embarrassing fact when I next update. - If I miss a goal more than three times in one week, I am only allowed to eat raw vegetables the following Monday. Photographic evidence is required. Not nice, delightful, refreshing vegetables like cucumbers and bell peppers, either. We're talking cruciferous vegetables here, my friends. And onions. - At the end of the challenge, the money in the Idiot Jar is taken to a British charity shop of your choice, selected from the following list of ones near me:- The Bethany Christian Trust - Providing practical help for homeless people across Scotland- The British Heart Foundation - Research into heart disease- Cancer Research UK - What it says on the tin.- Marie Curie Hospice - Support and palliative care for people with terminal illnesses throughout the UK- Capability Scotland - Help with education, employment and care services for disabled children and adults in Scotland. - I then spend the idiot money on the thing I find most hideous and useless in the whole shop, be it a weird fluorescent mesh bodysuit with Nameless Stains, an earthenware arse, a 5-video VHS boxset on How To Use Your Filofax, whatever. This will serve as a reminder that I am an idiot. The remaining idiot money will then go in the wee collection box on the counter. - If there is no money in the Idiot Jar, I can reward myself by spending up to £10 in the chosen shop on something I really fancy. +2 CHA, +2 STA Life Goal: Write a Play Produce a first draft of the play I need to write for the playwriting course I'm attending. Redraft until I'd be happy seeing it professionally directed and performed, because it will be, on the 22nd of April, no matter what. Pressure is good.Pressure is good. Then redraft it even more. +2 CHA, +1 WIS LET US NOW DO THIS THING.

As someone who has lost 30+ pounds on two separate occasions on the knowledge of "Eating many meals a day will keep your metabolism fired up" and have never heard of intermittent fasting until a few days ago, I'm kind of skeptical about it. So my question is for the people who have successfully lost weight in the past based on eating many meals a day: Have you noticed any difference between the two methods? Does one work better than the other? Do you also only eat between the hours of 12PM and 8PM and skip breakfast? Isn't it difficult to workout on an empty stomach? Thanks for any and all info

Goal 1: Be strong. work out, 3x/wk (bodyweight, dumbbells, challenging yoga, TRX) Goal 2: Be nimble. mobility 6x/wk walk 7x/wk (GMB Elements per programming) Goal 3: Be limber. flexibility -pick 4 stretches to perform daily, scale up or down as needed (GMB Focused Flexibility) Goal 4: Be mindful. -switch to black coffee to eliminate unnecessary a.m. calories -play with regular am fasting, aka skip breakfast -do daily walk fasted if possible -drink extra water -one alcoholic drink per week, or 2 halves -take a picture and post it -read a book I'll be tracking this challenge with a daily checklist (thank you maegs!). Goal 1 is any workout I choose. I realize consistency is preferable, but I love variety and variety loves me. Goal 2 is a pre-written program through GMB and a daily walk. I may need bail on the walk if the air gets bad, but hopefully I will be able to make those up by doubling up some other time. Goal 3 is a pre-written program and I may need to change the parameters there. I haven't read through it yet or done the assessments. Goal 4 is a bit more loosey-goosey. I'm just going to do as much as possible on that front and see how I tolerate some of those changes. Yay for checklists!

This challenge, I'll be doing what I usually do, but with a few important tweaks to help it run more smoothly. Goal 1: Intermittent Fasting One fresh fruit smoothie or juice, up to 400kcal, around lunchtime One meal, up to 1000kcal, in the evenings. Half-hour evening eating window. The idea being that it'll give me less room for error (i.e going over 1400kcal, which is my tried and tested weight loss Magic Number) than my usual 23hr weekday fasts and 16hr weekend fasts, but will also give me a bit more energy during the afternoons when I tend to find myself flagging. +3 CON (I can't get my head round the new XP rules today, may switch next challenge!) Goal 2: 5 Freggies a Day. Enabled in part by the fruit in my smoothie tweak Goal 1. Ideally, make sure the rest of the day's freggies are vegetables. Key to this one for me is always budgeting. I rarely manage a full 35-freggie complement in the week before pay day. The +1 WIS is meant to reflect having successfully budgeted if I pass this goal. +2 CON, +1 WIS Goal 3: Self-Care - Face: Apply day cream in the morning, night cream at night. Face scrub every two or three days. - Creaky bits: Yoga, as needed, when needed. By which I mean 20 mins, every day I don't want to do yoga. And then as much yoga as I like every day I do want to do yoga. - Squishy bits: One pint of water when I wake up, and one pint of water at 6pm. That's the minimum. Extra fluids encouraged, but every day must see a litre of unadulterated water going down my gullet. +2 DEX, + 1 CHA Bonus Goal 4: Acting Waffle Chief-ery JC's taking a break from being Chief Waffle in the Doodlie PvP for this challenge, so I'm keeping his seat warm. (And also making sure I'm more accountable by being responsible.) - Check up on every Waffle every two days without fail. - Ensure that by Sunday night all Waffle scores are calculated and entered. - Pure beast every PvP challenge you can take part in, and make sure that you officially sit out the ones you know you won't get done so that your zero score doesn't drag the team average down. - Avoid going mad with power. +1 WIS, +1 CHA, +1 STA, +1 STR upon successful completion of all PvP challenges only. Otherwise, nil points. Life Goal: Weekly Scavenger Hunt I liked the cultural scavenger hunt I did last month as my adventurer class qualifier, but there was a whole load of stuff that I regret not having included, and I'd included too many repetitions of things. Happier with the variety in this one. Complete 50%+ to pass. - 1 hour of vocal practice - See one new play - See one new film - See one new episode of a decent TV show - Cook one new healthy recipe from a different country - Read and contemplate one new poem - Complete 1 unit of the Khan Academy course "Crash Course in World History" that the Doodlies are working through together. - Pick up litter from the beach. - Find something beautiful and photograph it. - Finish one unfinished craft project. - Complete 1 unit of another online course. - Read one new poem - Read 1+ new chapters of a novel, or one short story. - Read 1+ new chapters of a non-fiction book. - Write one new thing - a poem, a song, a short story. - 1 hour of guitar scales (Just scales. Any extra playing is encouraged but will not count towards total.) +1 WIS, +2 CHA Prep: - House is clean. - Kitchen has protein and vegetables in it - Clothes are ready - Misc. courses and books selected. They include a free course on theropods and birds on Coursera if you're interested in playing along. - Not much to prep this time. Which is quite nice, really. Just need to set aside an hour or so tomorrow, to prep the Waffle sheet and sub to everyone's threads, and do whatever prep I need to do for the first Doodlie PvP week, and that's it!

Happy January! I've had a Dexterity level of one since... I can't be bothered looking it up. Possibly Challenge One. I can't do my regular walking since my Achilles tendon has been throwing a tantrum since Halloween, so I think this is a good opportunity to do some carefully thought out yoga. Struggled a lot with intermittent fasting over the holidays because I don't have a solid routine like I do at work. But, I know that when I do have that routine, it works well for me, so that is what I'm doing for my dietary component this challenge again. (I'm planning to work on a holiday-only system next time I have time off work coming up.) Goal 1: - Monday to Friday – 23 hour fasting, (e.g. 7pm Sunday to 6pm Monday) - Saturday and Sunday – 16 hour fasting (e.g. 7pm Friday – 11am Saturday) - Aim for 1200 – 1400kcal limit on weekend days. (I have some difficulty in controlling my intake during longer non-fasting windows, so setting a calorie target for those days should help.) +2 CON, +2 STA Goal 2: Five portions of freggies to be eaten daily during non-fasting periods. (My usual secondary food goal.) +2 CON Goal 3: Four yoga poses a day. That's barely anything, just a warm up, cool down, and maybe four minutes of work. That's the minimum to pass. The plan, though, is to work through a beginners' yoga video lasting about 20-30 minutes long, every two days. (I've been drawing a yoga poses poster over the Christmas break to pin to my wall for quick reference.) +3 DEX, +1 STR Goal 4: Three pints of water a day. That's only 1.5 litres, not too difficult. But it has to be plain water, it can't be tea. I can stick ice and the odd lemon wedge in it. + 1 CON Life Goal: Complete at least 50% of the table below each week, to pass. This is my justification for remaining in the Adventurers now they've changed the guild description, since I love the Adventurers, and exploring the world doesn't necessarily require wading through mud. (Although, as soon as my leg's better, mud had better watch out.) Cultural Scavenger Hunt Description: Date Accomplished: Notes: Read and contemplate three new poems. See one new play Learn one new vocal technique Practice vocal techniques for two hours throughout the week. Write 500 words Write 1000 words Watch two new films Cook a new recipe from a randomly selected country Have one drink in a new place Read four new book chapters Learn to sing one new song by heart Speak to one new person +2 WIS, +2 CHA Tracking: I will check off scavenger hunt items as I'm doing them, and will track challenge goals in the posts below. Rewards: For every successfully completed week, I get to reward myself that weekend with a face mask, manicure, pedicure, and sauna visit, if I feel that way inclined. I'm not bothering with rewards I have to purchase, because I know full well I'll just buy them anyway. Here's to an excellent January and a decent start-of-year stretch!

Thirteen! Challenge Thirteen! It took me twelve challenges but I've finally found The Thing That Works For Me! Rejoice and be merry because it bloody well took long enough and now I can finally stop trying out new nonsense. I got through the last six week challenge doing 23hr fasts every day (barring the last week and a bit, where I'd caught something from someone). I made more progress with weight loss in that challenge than I had the whole year, and to my great surprise it turned out to be pretty easy when I'd moved past the stage where I wanted to feast upon the flesh of my fellow human beings. GOAL 1: - Tell Breakfast and Second Breakfast and Elevenses and Lunch and Afternoon Tea and Supper to sod off and bother other people. - 23 Hour fasts Monday - Friday (One meal sometime around 7pm.) - 16 Hour fasts Saturday and Sunday (Can swap a 16 and 23 hour fast round in social emergencies.) - Tea with skimmed milk is exempted from fasting until the 1st of December because it's NaNoWriMo time and if I have to write a novel in my lunch breaks without any tea I'm going to scream. +2 CON, +2 STA GOAL 2: - Since Delicious Precious Dinner is to be eaten all in one go, Delicious Precious Dinner must contain five portions of fruit/veg. - This will be achieved by cooking plenty freggie-rich meals for the freezer during the weekend - And backed up with a bottle of pure fruit smoothie in the fridge at all times. - My big issue with this last challenge was running out of money for anything but couscous and my stash of emergency lentils, so budgeting will be the key to unlock this tricksy little goal. - And any filler food (couscous, bread, pasta) must be avoided where possible and restricted to one recommended portion size if unavoidable. (I won't say I'll cut it out completely in case there are unexpected bills and I'm back to spaghetti and imaginary bolognese.) +2 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHA GOAL 3: (This was originally walking and yoga but then my Achilles tendon betrayed me.) Take Care of Self With Warmth and Tea and That Sort Of Thing, and Thereby Avoid NaNo Burnout Every weeknight: - Alternate a face mask, face scrub, or a really good moisturising. - Make a cup of tea from one of the many, many teas you have in the cupboard that don't require milk. - Do not pick at blackheads. Do not pick at whiteheads. They are so small nobody ever notices them and all I do is leave horrible marks on my skin from fiddling with them. Every other weeknight: - Read for 20 minutes in the sauna, then shower and sleep. Every weekend: - Change at least the pillowcases without fail + 1 STA, +1 CON. LIFE GOAL: - Write a novel for NaNoWriMo. +3 CHA. Tracking: Points system as in previous challenge, see posts to follow. Weekly weight measurements.

Merry Autumn, everyone! This challenge will be the twelfth of a dozen documented attempts now, and I'm still floating around the same weight I've been for years. I cannot seem to control the amount and quality of the food I eat for more than a couple of weeks, so you know what? This time, I'm not even going to bother imposing a calorie limit or a portion size limit, I'm just going to say: Goal 1: Eat whatever I damn well like. But: I have to cook it myself, from scratch, using items that are recognisable as bits of plant, fungus, bits-of-plant-or-fungus-that-have-been-turned-into-something-pretending-to-be-bits-of-animal, or something that came directly out of an animal. Seasonings don't count.*EDIT: I hate Week 0 Sarah, she does not consider my feelings. The main substance of my meal has to follow the above; once I've finished eating that, I will then proceed to eat whatever couscous/bread/cheese might be within reach. I am only allowed to eat it between the hours of 7 and 8 at night.Five portions of fruit and veg have to be consumed in that hour regardless of what it is I cook. I suspect that with those caveats, I am going to end up eating about 1500kcal in one sitting because there are only so many calories you can fit into a person when you can't eat pasta or chocolate unless you've made it yourself from plants and despair. Snacking during the day will be combated by leaving my purse and cash at home. Snacking at home will be combated by not having anything suitable in cupboards. Even flour. No flour for Sarah. Tasty tasty flour. (Honestly, I will snap and make terrible pancakes otherwise.) Points: +4 CON; +1 STA Goal 2: Build on walking home from work every night by walking to work as well; I'm going to see how that goes this preparatory week, and if it is terrible I will start Week 1 by walking to work once as well as home five times, and gradually build up to work-and-back five times a week from there. It's all uphill on the way to work, and I expect to be able to crack a man's skull between my thighs by the end or I shall be requesting my money back. Not that I've paid anyone any money. Points: +3 STA, +2 STR Goal 3: Spend Sundays organising everything I'll need for the following week. Will involve the following, in order. - Laundry; and organise five work outfits on hangers for the week ahead like I imagine extremely fashionable people do/n't. - Do cupboard stock taking, work out a shopping list. - Take out just enough cash for food shopping. - Go food shopping, and do not touch debit card. Leave debit card at home if possible. - Cook for week ahead; freeze meals. - Do dishes. - Take out rubbish, hoover. - Hair mask, sauna, shower, moisturise, manicure, pedicure; because I feel a bit grim after housework and not buying snacks, and because self-care is important anyway. - Spend rest of the day reading. Points: +3 CHA, +2 WIS. Life Goal: ...Actually, I think that's probably enough for this challenge, don't you? Oh, wait, no! LIFE GOAL: TALK TO PEOPLE ON THE FORUMS THEY ARE YOUR FRIENDS AND YOU ARE A BIG BUTTOCK FOR NOT TALKING TO ANYONE FOR THE WHOLE OF LAST CHALLENGE. No points because DAMMIT SARAH GO TALK TO PEOPLE. There, I have even made a note on my work to-do list for tomorrow to make time during lunch to talk to people. Proper reading-threads-and-saying-hello-and-congratulating-on-progress talking rather than a snatched five minutes of liking old posts. Monitoring: - POST ON YOUR THREAD POST ON YOUR THREAD POST ON YOUR THREAD. Post things about what you ate, how cranky you are, how much sleep you got and why, how much water you drank; not as if it were a lab experiment, but just to see if there are patterns you can manipulate to make life easier. Say, if you have a really easy day, what did you eat the night before, and can you replicate that really easy day by eating the same thing and going to bed at the same time? - Weigh self weekly. * Clarification of Ridiculousness: I know it sounds convoluted and stupid, and I'm really not convinced by the "clean eating" evangelism that happens a lot these days, but it's not about "eating clean", it's about establishing an arbitrary but entertaining rule that will force me to strongly consider the value of what I put into my mouth and eat my vegetables. Is it really worth all that effort turning wheat and milk into a plate of macaroni cheese? Or is it not better in every way to make a big vegetable casserole? And if I do somehow make macaroni cheese from absolute scratch, won't that be pure dead magic?

One has not been as active in the Monk's section lately. The madness drives one to solitude, the solitude drives one to madness; and one neglects an entire community of supporters who are willing to keep me accountable. And we all have a meeting place. THE QUEST One With The Universe Declare a schedule at the beginning of the week. Even if I don't follow the schedule to a T, having a schedule gives me a reason to not sit around wallowing in misery (or at least limit the time that I spend doing it). And declaring said schedule, I suppose, would keep me honest, or at least make me work hard to be otherwise. (+2 CON, +2 WIS) The Middle Way Despite keeping to myself, I spend too much time on Facebook. But I cannot just delete Facebook, since it also deals with my work, so I have resolved to follow Intermittent Facebook Fasting. No Facebook from dawn to dusk. (+2 CON, +2 WIS) Embrace The Madness I have a blog, but it remains relatively empty. I have words running around in my head but I never write them down. I shall spend at least two hours a week reflecting and writing on my notebook. (+3 WIS) SIDE QUEST Basic Review A rather overdue belt test is coming up, and I am going to take part in it. No more sandbagging [albeit honest]. Review techniques from the Gracie University's Blue Belt requirements. (+2 DEX, +2 WIS)

Hello! So I have read a lot about Paleo and IF and they both sound great. But for women, there seems to be some downsides, ESPECIALLY with IF. Does any of my fellow female rebels have experience with Paleo and IF, particularly the later? I would greatly appreciate your experience, advice, knowledge, and expertise!

Improved diet? Check. Strength training? Check. Accountability? Check. Let's see how this Fitness of the Nerds plays out. Main Quest: regain my strength and stop eating processed grains/sugars! Mini-goals during the 6 week Challenge.... Complete progressive workout every other day with stretching (back/shoulders/quads/toes) (# of total workouts: 18-21 = A; 14-17 = B; 10-13 = C; 6-9 = D) <2 refined carbs daily; up to one grain and one sugared coffee/tea. (avg. total/day <.5 = A; <1 = B; <1.5 = C; <2 = D) Intermittent fasting (avg. 20+ hr. = A; 17-19= B; 14-16 = C; <12-13 = D) Side Quest: Go for a walk in the woods on non-strength training days (weather permitting). Workout format: jumping jacks (50, warmup) push-ups (6x3) body weight squats (12x3) 25 lb. Arnold shoulder press (2 reps/4 sets) 30 lb. dumbbell rows (8 reps/3 sets) side planks (20s/3) stretch//quads/toe touch/split/spine/arms Sprinting goals: 100m/4 [14 s]; 200m/3 [30 s]; 400m/2 [65 s] (to be added week 4 - May 4th) This is my virtual basic training boot camp for my first Challenge. After this, I'll be joining the Ranger guild! This photo is my motivation; I was away from home for college and was taking advantage of the free gym membership. I remember when tagged in this I thought *dayum*, my back and arms put the blonde and ginger redhead to shame! I was clearly more ripped that the av-er-age girl then and it shows, but now I've become soft like my former drinking buddies. I want my sexy back...back.

Hi everyone, I did my first challenge two months ago and everything went quite well. The challenge helped me to lose some weight and start training again. As it is being difficult to me to start a challenge on time again, I have decided to start a battle log to keep track of my progress. My intention is to write down everything related to my workouts and diet for the next three months, at least once a week. I'm starting at late March, so it will finish at the end of June. My numbers after a week off on holidays (I will deload more or less 10%) are at this point: SQ: 75kg DL: 85kg BP: 55kg BR: 55kg OP: 30kg BW: 85kg BF% around 25% (hopefully less, I must check) My main goal is to stick within the SL5x5 program for this three months, and to get under 80kg and 20% BF. Tomorrow is my first day after my little break, I will update soon telling how everything is going.

Hi! I'm 0gravity I'm starting a log here to keep all of my things in one place. A short intro - I'm a 35 year old guy who just trying to stay in shape. Bouldering is my sport, and I spend more time doing that than any other physical activity. I have specific goals and training techniques specifically to improve at bouldering, which you will see below eventually. I also until very recently weight trained regularly, and recently I have switched into trying to develop specific bodyweight only skills such as the handstand, and have left the weights behind for now. I was climbing pretty well in the Fall, then I had elective surgery in November to remove hardwear from my ankle. I was unable to climb for four weeks, and now I have been climbing indoors for four weeks, after four more weeks (February 15) of climbing indoors I will be able to climb outside again. My work hours are a big obstacle to me. Currently I work 3AM to 3 PM, three days a week. In March, I will be switching to the opposite shift, 3PM to 3AM. I think this will be much better for me and involve less caffeine and hateful alarm clocks. My short term goals (by February 15 - taken from the challenge thread) 1. Complete a v6 indoors updated: Complete a v7 indoors 2. Campus 1-5-9 (metolius spacing) - each side - will explain later updated: Campus 1-6-10 both sides 3. Complete sets of 5x5seconds of m4/m4 and 35slope/35slope on beastmaker 1 hangboard - again needs explanation, later 4. advanced tuck front lever x10 seconds 5. one arm lockoff x10 seconds each side 6. freestanding handstand x15 seconds 7. tuck planche x10 seconds 8. wall headstand pushups x5 with full ROM 9. pistols x5 each side 10. Run 5Km in <30 minutes Medium term goals - (by April 1) 1. Finish Pow Pow (v8), at the Sad Boulders, which has been my project off and on for years Long term goals - (by 12/31/15) 1. Planet of the Apes (v6), Joe's Valley 2. Gibbs Cave (v8), Squamish 2. Finish Soul Slinger (v9) at the Buttermilk Epic Goals (any time, but if I don't get them by ~age 45, most of these will never happen) Stained Glass (v10), Bishop Xavier's Roof (v11), Bishop Mandala (v12), Bishop Spectre (v13), Bishop Midnight Lightning (v8), Yosemite Valley The Orb (v8), Rocktown The Shield (v12), Little Rock City Karma (v11), Fontainebleau Rainbow Rocket (v11), Fontainebleau Duel (v11), Fontainebleau Shosholoza (v12), Rocklands

So I read the articles on Nerd Fitness about working out in a fasted state. It seems to make sense that without as much glucose in your blood from food, your body will turn more quickly to your fat storage for glucose. Then today I came across this thread in the bodybuilding.com forums: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=119186991. User Blenderate says about his daily routine, " I kept my carbohydrates low throughout most of the day to keep insulin low, but just before my weightlifting workouts four times per week, I would eat a large serving of fruit and have a glucose/protein/BCAA drink. I would continue sipping the drink throughout my workout, and then finish up with a whey protein isolate shake after I was done. This serves to spike insulin, driving nutrients into the muscles." So, I'm wondering how much truth there is to what this man is saying. Because I know that the only thing that insulin directly affects is the amount of glucose that is taken from your blood into your cells. Would this really have anything to do with the nutrient use by cells? tl/dr: Please compare and contrast the physiology of workouts while fasting and after carb loading.

Diet Goal 'Knowing is not enough, we must apply'. — Bruce Lee - Be accountable for my nutrition Respect my intermittent fasting schedule (11:30am - 7:30pm)Track what I eat and drink every day and share it publicly. (myfitnesspal account here)Bad Guys: Coffee AddictionSocial Pressure from Peers I eat withPower-Ups: Green TeaOrigami (Origami replaced Smoking on anxiety-dealing ways list).Future Boost: Performing the 'I Told You So' Dance to my Doctor next time I check on her (I told her I'll weigh less instead of just maintaining my weight).New Smaller Clothes Fitness Goal 'Willing is not enough, we must do.' — Bruce Lee - Be accountable for my workouts Never miss two workouts in a row.Track and share your workouts.Bad Guys: Snooze Button (I train at 4AM)Power-Ups: Two Steps from Hell.Future Boost: New Smaller ClothesMr. Incredible Lifestyle (I want to do that nodding thing in front of the mirror). Martial Arts Goal 'Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.' — Bruce Lee - Be accountable for your training Train at least twice a weekTrain at least once a week with someone elseBad Guys: Willpower Suckers (The things when I get home after work)Power-Ups: My Training PartnersMotivational Videos (like this one)Dojo Rivalry (Someone opened up a TKD "school" in my neighborhood, I can't let that happen).Future Boost: Black BeltMy Dojo Life Goals Bookend my Days ‘Take Pride in your Pregame and your Pregame will take care of you throughout the day'. — Brett McKay (Art of Manliness) I've been following these routines on and off the few last weeks. They set the tone of the rest of my day and when I successfully follow them, everything becomes easier. As the quote says, they take care of me. I just want to make sure I do them religiously and not just occasionally. My Morning Routine: · Wake Up Before Sunrise (4AM) · Drink a Big Glass of Cold Water · Perform Vigorous Calisthenics · Take a Cold Shower · Groom · GTFO 'I Have A Plan... Attack.' — Captain America My Evening Routine: · Write a new entry in my journal · Create a Daily Attack Plan · Yoga · Self-Compassion Meditation · Cool Down Shower · Bedtime Story · Lights Off Bad Guys: Willpower SuckersEvery TV Series that I watch.Power-Up My whole routines are a power-up in themselvesFuture Boost: None, I'll just enjoy the ride. Track all expenses and stick to my budget. 'What am I, some sort of wizard?' — Spezzy Bad Guys: The Neverending List of Useless Crap I Want to BuyPower-Up: "Look at how much you've saved!" ReminderFuture Boost: My Christmas List!