Search the Community

Get in, nerds, we’re aiming to understand and heal diet fatigue, and design diet cycles (cut, actively maintain, bulk, intuitively maintain) that don’t produce diet backlash. So many of us have dieted successfully only to find that, in the period after the diet, we experience extreme hunger and disinhibition and regain all the weight much more rapidly than it came off. With each new attempt we seem to have even less endurance and willpower, and each new diet is shorter, more distressing, and less sucessful. We might even become anxious at the thought of any further restrictions, and start hoarding food or bingeing. Sometimes it feels like the only option is to eat everything, forever, in a mild panic. Other times (or possibly at the exact same time) it seems equally urgent that we start a strict, rapid diet that will definitely, for sure, totally one zillion percent be different this time because we are more desperate than ever. Renaissance Periodization has a term for this; diet fatigue. It’s not a character flaw, or a shortage of willpower. Rather, it is a powerful set of phsyiological and psychological changes that occur due to dieting and weight loss. These changes are currently being studied and described by researchers and we will likely understand even more about it in the future. RP’s book The Renaissance Woman drew my attention to the concept of diet fatigue as a variable that MUST be managed in order to design a successful diet, and although every diet book or article mentions “sustainability” without explaining how the fuck you’re going to sustain being hungry for the rest of your life, this is the only book I’ve seen attempt to really design a programme to manage it, other than Intuitive Eating, whereby you manage diet fatigue by never dieting ever again, but you also never reach your body recomposition goals unless by luck. If we think of diet fatigue as a concrete constraining variable, then it becomes clear that we cannot simply push through with willpower and diet infinitely, any more than we can do infinite training and get infinite performance improvements. The problem, of course, is that dieting is needed to lose weight, but dieting causes the diet fatigue that causes the diet to fail. But hopefully, just as with stimulus vs fatigue in training, we can find that sweet spot that gets results while keeping diet fatigue low enough for success. I’m going to write up my notes on the book’s suggestions for this, and try to start designing my own diet cycles based on their recommendations. The book has some powerful recommendations for healing profound diet fatigue that I particularly want to share my notes on. If anyone is reading or listening to anything interesting that relates to the topic, this is the place to share notes. I think we can also use this space to tell our dieting histories and start planning our way out of the dieting backlash, and to review and adjust our plans as they proceed. Anyone is welcome to join. The focus will be cycles of cutting, active maintenance, bulking, and intuitive maintenance, since dieting indefinitely is not feasible for managing diet fatigue. I’m going to suggest that we stick to two important guidelines here, which is that if you're going to try another diet here, you must plan a cutting phase with an end date, and you must plan the phase after your cut. Whether it’s going to be active or intuitive maintenance, or bulking, you should be able to say what you’re going to do for the three months after dieting, even if it is just weighing yourself once a week or once a month. I have no flipping idea if this is going to work, but the concept of diet fatigue seems useful and my hope is that this is the missing piece that can explain the failure of diets past, and help guide diets future. If it doesn’t work this thread will stand as a monument to our failure and I’ll just make another art challenge thread, possibly with bats. Or pandas, since bats are unclean vectors of plague. Good work getting through this intro text. Have a (diet?) fatigued red panda to reduce your panic.

Super interesting article on the topic: https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need/ Now, I'll readily admit that this feeds into my bias: that for most people in most situations, 1g protein/lb bodyweight is a good guideline. Obviously for some people this may be a bit too much, while for others it's still insufficient. But what do you think of the cumulative recommendations they've shown? Always interested to hear what conclusions folks have for this kind of stuff!

Initial post removed because user is 15.

Hi All, First time posting here. So I have found myself in a bit of a dilemma. I am almost 23 years old, currently weigh 86.1KG or 190LB for some of you and I am around 178CM or 5'10'' probably at 18 - 20% Body fat now. My relationship with the gym has been very complicated I have been on and off with it since I was 17, I would stop going to gym when I was happy with how I looked in the mirror and this has been going on for the last 5 - 6 years. So, I kind of know my ins and outs with it. I have had a good physique before around 10-12% bodyfat, but I recently let myself go for over 9 months now. I am looking for a quick fix to get my old physique back of which I had lost most of my strength and gained subsiquent amount of fat around my torso and legs. I just recently took up playing football/soccer 2 - 3 times a week and just got a gym membership again. What is the most efficient way to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously, I have done it plenty of times where I let myself go and I have this thing called beginners luck or what some people may refer it to as muscles memory. What sort of program should I follow, as in strength (3 - 6 reps) or hypertrophy (6 - 12 reps) or (endurance 12 - 15 reps), I used to just mix them up or have phases where I implement hypertrophy for the first 6 weeks and then do a lower rep hypertrophy around 6 reps to maintain my strength or muscle. Please kindly recommend what you think would be the most efficient way to reach my goals which is to get back down to 80KG and be around 10% Bodyfat. On a side note, I am a hard gainer for my chest it seems to grow really slow in comparision to other body parts of mine what would you recommend for this case. Also, would it be okay if I skip some leg days considering I play football 2 - 3 times a week and would like to have lean legs. PS - My body type is 63% Endomorph and 37% Mesomorph, so I tend to gain muscle easier than losing fat. Thank you and have a nice day. Many Thanks, Curiousconner

A long long time ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away...on a Forest Moon....I found Nerd Fitness, lost a lot of weight and got healthy, fit and strong. Today however is 1 Jan 2019 and the times they are a changing. I'm going back to my roots and will be reading over some old NF articles and challenges. I'll probably revise my goals each month in this log, so here is January: January Goals: - No alcohol - No bread - Angry Birds workout 3 times a week (Mon, Thurs, Sat) Starting weight Jan 1 2019: 98.9 kg's / 198 lbs (this is my heaviest ever) Final Weight Target: 78.9kg's So yeah...20 kg's to lose. I'm experienced enough to know that the scales lie and i should be losing fat not muscle. Anyway that's the plan for now, keep the goals basic and get some momentum going again.

Rookie Takes Aim No seriously...... I can do it.... seriously. I can at least give it my best shot.... Quest: Lose 5lbs more (271.8lbs to 266.8lbs) (279.2lbs to 274.2lbs) Challenge amount lost: 7.4lbs Overall lost: 13.2lbs SubQuest 1: Count calories/ practice macro counting (total of 21 points) Keep tracking 1 point for not exceeding calorie limit 2 point for hitting within 5 of macro allowance SubQuest 2: Drink 2L Water (total of 7 points) 1 point for 2L water drank .5 point for 1.5L water drank SubQuest 3: Floss teethies daily (total of 7 points) 1 point / day Life Quest: Keep chipping away at that never ending to do list 1. Finish Sasha Blouse cosplay for May 25 2. Finish Shark painting 3. Finish Snow White Horse painting Extras - Sort clothes [in progress] - Organize ensuite drawers - Fix upstairs fire detector - Re-grout upstairs bathroom - Add floor transition for M.Bedroom + fix office one - Add transition between bathroom tile and carpet in basement - Add weatherstripping to cold room door - Fix cement outside of basement bathroom - Carpet over the cement outside of bathroom - Caulk the vent outside of the house

So here I go again. Wow, it's been a long time. I'll summarize some major life changes: Getting close to a one year anniversary with my girlfriend! Over a year at my IT job Been off my medicine (depression, anxiety) for over a year So now that the good is out of the way, on to the less good. I got really out of shape again. After a photography-related accident, (fell off a cliff) I could not walk for 6 months. Needless to say, health and mental outlook suffered. I've been walking again since January, so time to respawn, reload, and destroy this challenge. 2019 Master Quests Lose 63 lbs. Eat Better Be Active Get Out of Debt Review/reduce spending Organize debts Contact creditors regarding settlements Become Much Better At Magic Education Practice Become A Much Better Vocalist Education Practice Perform a magic show Practice favorite effects till perfect Build a cohesive routine Research volunteer opportunities Build my photography business Do a few TFP photo shoots to build buzz Consistent marketing Prospective client engagement Whew! That's a lot of quests! I should probably just buy a quart of pralines and cream, a 2 liter of mountain dew and watch 14 hours of youtube videos right? #$CK NO! Let's break this *$%^ down into manageable pieces: S.M.A.R.T. Goals: Drink no more than one 21 once soda a week during the challenge (date night, movie, etc) Maintain 90% or better daily calorie goals Hit 5000 steps a day (average) Perform magic set for one open mic night

Spring is coming, the robins are singing for the first time all year, and I’m getting fired up after a long, cold, lazy winter. Throwing my lot in with you crew of Rangers if you’ll have me. I am staring down a big birthday in a few weeks and if I can’t be at my fittest by then, I can at least do what I can to be at my fiercest. So, getting my bully back this challenge! Big goals: Stronger, leaner, focused-er. Challenge goals: Fitness: 2 weights sessions each week 3 yoga sessions each week 3 Couch to 5K sessions each week Food: Track each day in MFP Weeks 2 through 4: hit 200-500 cal deficit Focus: Check in here at least once a week Say no to things Music (practice piano, choir, choreo) at least a little each day

Hi. I want and need to lose weight (while at least maintaining, if not improving, fitness). I was kicking ass the first few months of 2018 and then started traveling and everything fell apart for the rest of the year (although at least I largely maintained rather than gaining significantly). January 2019 was also a bit messy. I don't have any travel planned for February or March, though, so I'm ready to dig back in. I've got a lot of goals, small and large, but right now and right here, I'd like to focus on four daily S's that seem somewhat small and simple but will combine into a healthier lifestyle: Sugar. As in, minimal added sugar. I can have something small (a square or two of chocolate, for example) after dinner each day, but nothing during the day. Exceptions allowed for special occasions (dates with my partner, birthday parties, etc.), but I can't get too loosey-goosey about what constitutes a special occasion. Snacks. No snacks between meals. I'm often a hardcore grazer, especially when I'm working from home, and that needs to stop. Sleep. In bed by 11 pm each night. I have so much I want to get done at night once my daughter is in bed, but sleep is important, too. I've been running low on sleep for far too long. It'd be nice to remember what "well rested" feels like. Sweat. Some kind of workout at least five days a week. Right now I'm focusing on running and Street Parking SHIFT workouts. These are very flexible things that I can easily fit into my day even when I don't have a lot of time. Going to try to check in here once a day. Okay. That's all. Let's do this.

Hello guys, rookie here asking for advice. I'm currently standing at 5'9ft, weighing 164 lbs, waist measurement of 34 inches and quite some stubborn body fat around my chest and belly (skinny fat build), 23 years old, male obviously. I'm trying to slim down to a waist measurement of 32 inches and possibly tone my body out. As of this writing, my current exercise regiment consists of the following: PART 1 1.) 10 jumping jacks, quick jogs in place for 10 seconds, 10 push ups, 10 body weight squats done successively three times *10 second rest 2.) 10 jumping jacks, quick jogs in place for 10 seconds, 10 inclined push ups, 10 body weight squats done successively three times *10 second rest 1.) 10 jumping jacks, quick jogs in place for 10 seconds, 10 wide push ups, 10 body weight squats done successively three times *10 - 15 second rest 1.) 10 jumping jacks, quick jogs in place for 10 seconds, 10 diamond push ups, 10 body weight squats done successively three times *15-20 second rest 1.) 10 jumping jacks, quick jogs in place for 10 seconds, 10 archer push ups on the knee side by side, 10 body weight squats done successively three times *30 second rest PART 2 - Done with a barbell with 15lbs plates or 30lbs 1.) 3 sets of barbell shoulder rows, 10 reps each. 10-20 second rest per set 2.) 3 sets of bicep curls, 10 reps each. 10-20 second rest per set 3.) 3 sets standing overhead press, 10 reps each. 10-20 second rest per set 4.) 3 sets floor press, 10 reps each. 10-20 second rest per set PART 3 1.) 3 sets leg raises, 10 raises each. 10 second rest per set 2.) 30 second plank I aim to do this set of exercises everyday or at least 5-6 times per week. I exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach due to time constraints. Sleep is no problem for me as I usually snooze off about 9-6 hours per night, averaging on 8 hours. As for my diet, i've been extremely restricting my meals. Usually just having a glass of warm milk for breakfast, a small meal like a tuna sandwich, oatmeal with bananas or a small serving of fried tofu blocks for lunch and a small meal for dinner. I'm not too confident about my competence to count calories but my estimate has my calorie intake restricted at 1,000-2,000 calories max. With all this, i'm aiming to lose two inches off my waist and get myself a bit toned. I would like to ask the more experienced folks here if i'm on the right track or if i'm doing anything wrong. A little bit of history, way back in 2017 I managed to slim down my waist from 39 inches to 35 by restricting my meals and jogging daily. I regained a bit of weight early last year and shed it off by doing body weight exercises and restricting my meals in the same manner as i'm doing now once more however, I didn't get toned, only skinny fat. By the end of last year, I regained some weight again, going from a waistline of 32.5 to 34 hence here I am at it once more. I'm also a bit concerned about the effects on my metabolism and health my constant weight loss and maintenance endeavors may have. Hoping for the forbearance of the members of this forum for some advice. Thanks in advance

Since I’m new to the forum, I’ll take this time to do a quick little introduction: im 23 5’11 227 as of this morning I am not a total stranger to fitness as I’ve lost weight in the past, but I’m looking to actually put on muscle this time around (I know this is a Fat Loss thread, but just bare with me). As the title states, I have a skinny fat body:so I’m stuck in a weird spot with what I need to do. I’ve read up on calories in vs calories out, caloric surplus, caloric deficit, ect... I just don’t know which direction to start in: Do I cut the fat or do I bulk up. Any advice or guidence would be appreciated, and my apologies if this wasn’t the right place to make this post.

I've fallen back into old patterns and bad habits, put back on a lot of weight and made myself unhealthy, The Matrix has me again... ...and yet in realization, hope is kindled.. ...so I'm re-igniting my faith in myself and resuming the fight... 100 days to return to the light Goals for 100 days: 1. Count calories and be in deficit at least 5 from 7 days a week. 2. Drink less alcohol (not more than 2 days a week, or if I do within calories) 3. Exercise 3 times a week 4. No refined sugar 5. No bread Sub-goals 1. Save $1000 into my ute fund 2. Earn $1000 extra from ebay or other methods Bonus ball Walk 100km, that's 12km a week. 100 days dates: 20/08/2018 -> 28/11/2018 Starting weight: 93.3kg Rewards: Below 90kg = Buy a new baseball cap Below 85kg = Rent a Ute for the weekend and do the Great North Trail Below 82kg = TBA Below 80kg = From this point on I can buy a Ute, within budget.

Hello Everybody, I've been having a hard losing stubborn belly fat lately, and have tried various supplements like Apple Cider Vinegar etc.. but to no avail. Anybody have ideas and tips for fat loss? What's the most effective solution/supplement I can take to start burning body fat in as a little as a week?

So, time to finish this challenge trilogy that started on Feb 5 - to go out of my comfort zone into the unknown and run the Wings for Life World Run as fast as I can. It wasn't easy for Luke to turn himself in to two most powerful Sith in the Death Star II in a desperate effort to restore freedom to the galaxy in that final battle. And it was quite a duel, both physically and even more psychologically, just like every good race. So, the main quest again stays the same (though I am rising the minimum to 12 km instead of 10 km) and it will hopefully and finally be fulfilled during this challenge. Subquests are also very similar, with upgrades/increases (marked purple). Why? I don't want to experiment too much before the race; I just want to hold myself accountable and improve on those things that work for me. Subquest 4 is entirely the same since I failed it last time. Decided to put to an end to those hurried devotions by designating at least 20 min of uninterrupted devotions, which means I'll have to be really disciplined in going to bed in time (Subquest 4) so that I can also get up in time to do the devotions before the day kicks in. Main quest: Run between 12 and 15 km in the Wings for Life World Run (Zadar location) on May 6 Subquest 1: do: (a) >6500 steps each day; (b) 1 weekly long run (>12 km, but shorter in the taper week); (c) 1 weekly speedwork with <5:30 min/km. -> 3 STA + 2 DEX Subquest 2: strength train 3 times a week with a weekly increase of the reps in a set on the pull-up bar (+1 rep each week - starting from 5 half pull-ups and 10 half chin-ups). -> 2 STR Subquest 3: have a: (a) vegan protein powder after each workout and (b) an IF three times a week. -> 1 CON: facilitates muscle gain & repair and fat loss + 1 CHA: increases attractiveness and confidence Subquest 4: go to bed between 10:45pm and 11:15pm, without internet; only devotions and time with wife permitted. -> 2 CON + 1 STA: boosts my immunity and energy levels Subquest 5: start the day with at least 20 min of uninterrupted devotions (incl. Scripture study, meditation and prayer), and end it with at least prayer. -> 2 WIS: helps me make wiser decisions + 1 CHA: makes me peaceful and better with people Let's bring freedom to the galaxy!

Hi Rangers. I’m back... a few pounds fluffier after a long dark winter... but determined to regain my old lithe self. Keeping it simple this time, all comes down to focus. Fuel the fire: Track food. Eat to 500 cal deficit. No alcohol (variance allowed for my birthday, coming up towards the end of the challenge!) Move that body: Walk outside, at least an hour each day (can be broken up throughout the day). Hot yoga, targeting 3x per week. 100 squats (also can be broken up through the day, and just body weight for now, say my knees). Focus on the positive: recognize 3 good things each day. I’m excited to getting back to my best self! Range on!

Close your eyes and imagine for me if you can; you have spent the time, done the research and finally figured out what it is that is wrong with you. At least in part. You have been in more then a rut, you have been in part hell for over a decade. You have search back to when you were happy and full of energy and life and realize that perhaps the depression is linked to your health, that the extra fat and wacky hormones that it creates has been playing havoc on you. You realize that you have to go back to being fit again, otherwise you will not just die young, but will lose the rest of the things you love, that which you have not already lost to the depression. But fighting it head on is like pushing the boulder up a hill, and I will be damned if my head is going to be hazed by some pill. I have spent so much time researching how to get healthy, but refused to acknowledge my depression. How many times have you tried to fight the battle of the bulge and lost? Imagine trying to do it with a millstone hanging from your neck, but you refuse to acknowledge the damn stone. I am depressed. Yes, I appear jovial and happy most of the time, but that is when I am around people. When I am alone, which is far too often, I am either sleeping or magnetically bound to the chair in front of my computer. Temple of the Dog described my life far too well so many years ago. I'm listening to that song now, while I fight the tears welling in my eyes, because the truth hurts so hard, but the specter of my looming failure stabs even deeper. How do I fight this thing that has had me beaten for so long, and while I have so much yet still to lose. I know now I have to come at it sideways. It's kind of funny, but when you research natural treatments for depression there is a huge overlap for fat loss, HUGE. Sleep better, exercise more, eat right, take these certain supplements. But I'm not trying to lose weight anymore, oh no. That is a symptom, perhaps a cause of my real problem. I am depressed, that is my demon, my monster, my dragon to slay. I am concentrating on treating that, knowing that by doing so, as a consequence my body fat will go down, and I will get healthier again. Before I was lost, now I am Sisyphus with a hammer, whacking off part of the boulder, throwing them up the hill, until I can finally reach the top. Pray for me, and ask yourself, do you have to attack it sideways too.

Goals: - No Alcohol - 1 hour walk or 1 hour gym every day - Track Calories - "Never 2 in a row" Big shift in my training this challenge, I got injured (again) and decided I am no longer doing Crossfit training with a Personal Trainer. I'll be going to F45 classes instead and training weights at home. I have signed up for the Crossfit Open but I'm not sure at this stage whether I will take part because I'm carrying a bicep tendon impingement injury which prevents me from doing any overhead or bicep work. The overall goal at the moment is body composition, specifically losing fat. Bonus motivators: 1. I'm in a weight loss competition with a friend at work from 6 Feb to 27 Feb, every 500g one of us loses more than the other is $5 you owe them. (This is a repeat, I crushed him in January in case you were wondering!) 2. I've entered an 8 week challenge at my new F45 gym, which runs 29 Jan to 25 March 3. I've set myself up for success with (another) 20 pre-packed Paleo meals. 4. In a PvP with @Baxtan which is a race to see who can lose 7kg (15.4lbs) first. Current status: Starting weight 93.0kg Current Weigh in: 88.9kg PVP progress: 4.1kg lost, 2.9kg to go. Super secret (not so secret) Open motivation

I'm the most overweight I've ever been. I'm embarrassed. But I'm going to put my measurements on here for my start and every check in. I think it will help me immensely. Weight: 246 lbs Neck: 15" Waist: 50.5" Bicep: 14" Hips: 51" Thigh: 25" Bust: 50" This is going to be a battle log for me to get my health and my finances in order. My first goal is to get below 200 lbs. When I reach that target, I'm going to reward myself by going to a rock climbing class. The gym is 3 hours away, and my sister says she'll go with me. It'll be a ton of fun.

Hello! I’m tei. I’m a professional classical musician who always wanted to be good at gymnastics and two years ago, decided to give a real try at making it happen. Gymnastics is my priority, athletically. It’s easy to lose sight of that because it’s also the hardest thing to train consistently, but it really is what I care about most so I want my training to reflect that. My big goals this year are: General: - 1 min handstand hold - Stalder press Floor: - Roundoff backhandspring layout - Front handspring front tuck Beam - Back walkover - Switch leap Bars - Giants - Clear hip Vault - Tsuk onto a mat????? I have no idea how realistic this is but it’s NYE, let’s just saying this is a thing I wanna do by the next one So here are how these big goals map onto the first month and a half: Nutrition goal: be gymnast-sized When I was eating at a deficit last year and training a lot, I was hovering around 108 lbs and I could honestly feel it? I could feel that it was less effort to move my body in space. Then I discovered that I could suddenly do fulls, cast handstands, connections I didn’t have before, all sorts of stuff. I’m probably about 10lbs above that now, which is a lot when you’re a tiny halfling So I am going to go back to the deficit that I was using then, helped along by beginning the day’s eating at noon. Training goal 1: maintain strength *chants* I lift for my body, not my ego. I lift for my body, not my ego. I am going to keep lifting 3x/week to maintain my strength while losing fat. And it’ll be frustrating, because I just want to be awesome at everything and get super strong while shrinking! But it turns out physics will adjust your plans if it thinks your plans are stupid. So if I go to the gym weeks in a row and am lifting the same weights, or lighter weights? That’s OK! I am focusing on my lifting E-score this challenge. Training goal 2: work on foundational skills It it’s sucks that I can’t go to gymnastics as much as I used to be able to, and that there aren’t tons of people around me with similar goals. Oh well! There are lots of things I can work on that don’t require a gymnastics club or a coach. Handstands are pretty important in gymnastics! Imagine how much awesome I would be if I could hold a really long handstand, or do a real press! Also— leaps! Leaps, jumps and turns are gymnastics skills just as much as flips are, and there’s no law against practicing them in the group fitness room at GoodLife. I am going to do 2 sessions/ week of handstand and dance skills work. Recovery goal: sleep Pretty self-explanatory. Sleep makes you good at stuff. So, them’s the gymnastics goals! There are other goals: - I am playing a concerto with an orchestra in February, so that is actually the main goal I’m working towards for the first two months of this year (also, the past year and a half.) So if I drop off the face of the earth, or allude to other goal-type things without explaining them, that’s probably why. - There is a climbing gym opening in Regina! Which is cool because there wasn’t a place to climb at all before. I don’t think it’s open, but once it is I’m looking forward to checking it out and maybe incorporating that into my life . I went outdoor climbing once this summer and would really like to get into that more, so if the opportunity presents itself I’d love to learn to lead climb, start acquiring the necessary gear and be ready for next summer climbing-wise!

I'm returning to the Rangers, been a rough 6 months and I'm finally ready for change. Inspiration: Nerd Fitness! Back to a proven standard I have used for fat loss in the past. Level up your life. 1. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/level-up-your-life-make-a-change/ 2. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/level-up-your-life-body-mass-index/ 3. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/level-up-your-life-3-basal-metabolic-rate/ 4. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/level-up-your-life-4-determining-your-calorie-level/ 5. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/level-up-your-life-5-activities-that-burn-calories/ Overview: Long Term goals - Reach sub 25 BMI = 79kg (3 months) - Muscle Up (3 months) - Save enough for a new car (6 months) Key Goals: - Calorie count (stay under 1912 cals per day + exercise cals) - 1 hour walk every day Sub-goals - 1 hour swim on Sundays - 4 lifting sessions per week - 4 hours study per week Starting weight: 94.1kg Extra cals I can eat if I exercise: 1 hour walk = 473 cals 1 hour PT = 600 cals (guess) __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Calcs from the NF articles

Well! so it's almost over.. my last one was good so I'll try another to end the year on a high easy Short version: 1. Get below 90kgs. 2. Drink no more than 4 sodas. 3. Do kettlebell workout 8 times, Do yoga 12 times 4. Write one chapter of my PhD. All this will make me a better photographer, can't handle the equipment or the awkard positions if I'm soo out of shape Sting like a hummingbird

Hello, folks. I am Ava and this is my first challenge (sort of) so I'll keep it short. I am a 27 year old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who loves gaming, lifting heavy things and her cats. I run an e-commerce store so I am always interested in all things digital marketing and etc. I am getting married next year (yay!) so my two Main Quests for now are to look great in my wedding photos (lose weight, go back to having a fitness routine and all that jazz) AND to become more financially stable (save and earn more money). So for this challenge my goals are as following: 1 - Diet Stuff - I am not going back to counting calories just yet, so I need to stop eating like an idiot. Only one "cheat" meal each week. - Alcohol only once a week and definitely no beer. NO BEER. 2 - Fitness Stuff - SS 3x/week. - Crossfit at least 2x/week. 4 - Level Up My Life Stuff - Save 1,5k this challenge. - Study and get another two DigitalMarketer's certifications. - Plan my week every sunday and my day the night before.

Alright, I'm finally back home and getting an early start on this challenge since I ended the last one early due to unplanned travels. I'm going 5 weeks as hard as I can to get ready for the holidays. The final week will actually be the first week of my Thanksgiving vacation wherein we will again be traveling, so I'm going to have to modify my goals to finish out the challenge strong while out of my routine again. This time I'm going in with a battle plan for the road, but we'll be staying at my mom's house for the first time ever, and I can't possibly know what to expect. All I can do is give my best. And if I'm able to wrangle the Dad Bod into decent shape for SoCal adventuring then I'll have a little more motivation to maintain mindfulness during the off-week when the holidays get going in full and I'm surrounded by dangerous eats 24/7. I'm going to rock with the same four goals: 1. Sleep. In bed on work nights by 10:30 pm with lights out and ready for proper sleep. This time of year brings new challenges with football and hockey games that sometimes run late, but I'm just going to exercise my good judgment and impose the discipline of prioritizing my sleep to turn off the TV and go to bed as planned. I'm still limiting my night-time Netflix viewing to a max of 1 hour, which is helping greatly. 2. Wake. Good days also start on time, so I'm going to continue to push myself to get up at the appropriate hour. I still haven't managed to establish a sustainable morning routine, so I'll continue to try and build one around rolling out of bed, doing a few minutes of warm-up stretching, reading a quick Bible passage, and getting ready for work. 3. Eat. Still pushing with calorie counting via MFP. I'm not adjusting daily targets for this challenge since I'm already losing at the max rate I think is sustainable for me. As usual I'll take a break on Sunday to eat a little higher and looser. Macros aren't super important, but food quality is. I'm aiming for 80% Paleo/Primal on program days. Free days need to be mindful without being restrictive. And again I'm abstaining from ice cream for the duration. 4. Move. I'm sticking with my new Power Cardio regimen (semi-heavy powerlifts at higher-than-usual volume with shorter rest periods to keep my heart rate up) without adjusting any of the weights. I completely failed to inject afternoon yoga on non-gym days like I intended, so I'm going to take another run at making it work this time around. In Week 5 I'll be completely off my routine, so the current battle plan is to sub in a bunch of bodyweight work for those Move days and still try to do yoga on the tweeners. The usual spreadsheets are fabricated and ready to go for tracking my progress. Standard weekly check-ins will consist of belt notch reports and progress photos. There's still a long way to go in returning to non-Dad-Bod glory, so let's get under way.

Welcome, Guardians, to my 3rd (post-respawn) challenge! Over the course of the two prior challenges, I’ve made some observations as to what’s working for me, and, more importantly, what’s not working. Having taken this information into account, my challenges are getting an update. The gamification and such will still be there, it’s more about the content, tracking, and set up. If you would like to read the full, written out list of my observations, they can be found in the spoiler. You don’t have to read all that in order to follow this challenge, it’s just some insight and reasoning behind it. As some of you may have guessed, this is a Destiny themed challenge. I’ve been obsessed with this game since day 1, even more so than I ever was with Halo 2 (which is quite the feat, given that H2 was the game that turned me into a gamer). I’ve chosen this theme, not only for that reason, but because Destiny 2 came out on Sept 6 and I can’t get it off my mind, so I might as well incorporate it into other parts of my life. For those who are unfamiliar, here is a little background info from Destiny 1: “Destiny is set in the 28th century, in a post-apocalyptic setting. Humans had spread and colonized the Solar System with the help of a spherical entity known simply as "the Traveler". It reshaped planets and moons, and taught humanity new technologies and gave mystical powers that led to a time later called the Golden Age. An event known as "The Collapse", an attack from the Darkness, an unknown faction or entity, saw the dissolution of these colonies and left mankind on the brink of extinction. The only known survivors of the Collapse are those living on Earth, who were saved by the Traveler. Now the Traveler hovers above the last remaining human city as a large spherical body, and its presence gives the Guardians of the City—the last defenders of the human race—the ability to wield an unknown power. Upon mankind's first attempt to repopulate and reconstruct after the Collapse, it was discovered that hostile alien races have occupied mankind's former colonies and civilizations. The player takes on the role of a Guardian of the City, and is tasked with investigating and destroying these threats before the remnants of humanity are completely wiped out.” The situation as of Destiny 2: Humanity’s last safe city has fallen to an overwhelming invasion force, led by Ghaul, the imposing commander of the brutal Red Legion. He has stripped the city’s Guardians of their power, and forced the survivors to flee. You will venture to mysterious, unexplored worlds of our solar system to discover an arsenal of weapons and devastating new combat abilities. To defeat the Red Legion and confront Ghaul, you must reunite humanity’s scattered heroes, stand together, and fight back to reclaim our home. I am a Guardian - an Awoken, and a member of the Hunter class to be exact. I’ve reclaimed my Light, and have the ability to choose one of three subclasses: I typically go with the Gunslinger subclass, because it fits my play style best. I’m a short to mid range, sharp shooting run-and-gunner, who occasionally chooses to use a little stealth. It’s time for me to gather the Vanguard, fight the Red Legion, take down Gary-- I mean Ghaul -- and, most importantly, get back Cayde’s stuff! This challenge is 8 weeks long and has two parts, each spanning 4 weeks. Goals will be separated into 4 categories: Story Missions: These are the main goals - the meat and potatoes of my challenge, if you will. This is where most of the focus will be. Adventures: The side quests.These help me level up and gain more experience, but aren’t the main focus. Milestones: Tasks that must be completed within a set period of time. Some milestones have a certain date that they need to be done, while others need to be done within that part of the challenge (part 1 vs part 2). Lost Sectors: A type of ‘Patrol’ activity. I can do these at any time and at my own pace. They aren’t mandatory, but they are things that I would like to do by the end of the challenge. *Challenge drops 9/23/17*

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 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++