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I've been consistently working out for about 3 or 4 months now. I've been able to really push myself and have made good progress that I'm proud of. I know that I should be eating more protein, more veggies, less carbs. But I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder that is especially bad in the evening, to the point where I'm driven to eat bad food to cope, this anxiety also makes me unable to sleep and I end up being too tired to make healthy meals myself and often choose what's convenient. I'm on a daily medication for my anxiety but it's still been tough to cope with and it's making keeping to a healthy diet incredibly tough for me. I'm starting to feel like I'm failing at my fitness journey since i know its 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. Has anyone else had this sort of problem? What did you do to stop using bad food as a coping mechanism?

Hello fellow adventurers! This will (hopefully) be my first successful challenge here on NF. I terribly messed up during the last challenge, despite all the support I got from the incredible people here, but like I said in the title, I believe in second chances and can't wait to embark on a new adventure with you guys. Why did I fail last time? Because I underestimated my mental issues. I have suffered, and am still suffering from depression, insomnia, social anxiety, a low self-esteem (and the list probably goes on), and I pretended like those problems didn't exist. I was worried my goals wouldn't be good enough for change, but I pushed myself too hard. For example, signing up for a kick-boxing class wasn't a very good idea because I had been bullied in another dojo a few years ago (I was actually quiet fit back then), and now I'm too self-conscious to exercise in public. It is even worse, since I'm overweight. I can't stop thinking I'm a giant elephant running around in people's eyes while I exercise outside my house (I know all the reasons why this is silly, I swear, but I can't help it). What am I going to do now? I will be more humble. It's actually my motto, you can read a quote about humility in my signiture Anyway, I will consider this entire challenge as one small step to a healthier life. Main Goal: To weight 70 kg (height: 1.64 cm). This doesn't necessarily have to be completed at the end of this challenge, I just need to get at least halfway through for this one. I'm around 90 kg right now. Quest #1: Tracking my calorie intake by using My Fitness Pal. I used it before, and it worked for me. I won't take more than 1500 calories per day. Quest#2: Excersizing 3 times a week. I have a 30-minutes aerobic video I used to enjoy doing, I'm going back to that. For some reason, I get easily bored with strength training, so I will do something I enjoy. Quest#3: Wake up at 10.00 AM every morning. I'm an insomniac, so scheduling a bedtime only stresses me out more. Waking up at a specific time is easier and it also gradually helps me to go to bed earlier at night. Life Quest: Learn 3 new GRE words every week.

One of the areas that we often neglect is the joy of sleep. It's just so hard to avoid distractions and get to bed early, and then we're struggling to get up when the alarm goes. My partner usually sets his alarm much earlier than he needs to get up, because he knows he's going to snooze it several times. (I have two alarms, one of them a small furry one that usually wants feeding and/or letting out, so I don't tend to snooze anywhere near as often!) But I do regret a bad night's sleep. If I get to bed late or I can't drop off, I feel so much more tired the next day. Exercise or my regular runs become far less appealing. Work becomes an ordeal fuelled by plenty of coffee if I don't get at least six hours (and at weekends I indulge in about eight or nine, sometimes more). http://freedom-muse.com/2014/10/06/sleep-better-feel-better/ How much sleep do you need, and how do you cope with insomnia when it strikes?

What doth mine eyes perceive? Behold, a scale! A dastardly scale upon which I stand and the number doth rise well above my liking. I find myself weary and worn, too exhausted to focus on the task at hand and bring that wretched number down. Sleep...sleep I must. Sleep, shall I compare thee to a bar of soap? The tighter I grasp the more you slip away. All my chances of dreaming torn asunder. Sleep! Sleep! My kingdom for some sleep! Only with more sleep shall I maintain the focus to reach my goals. This is the short and the long of it. *This challenge being seriously edited due to life circumstances* This has been one of the hardest times I've had in a while. Life came out of nowhere and just kept throwing punch after punch. Everything that could go wrong has been. Starting status: Height: 5'10 Weight: 180 lbs Goal weight: 135 lbs Main Quest: Stay Alive Quest 1: A= Eat vegetables at every meal B= Eat vegetables at 2 meals a day C= Eat vegetables at 1 meal a day D= Eat vegetables every other day F= Eat vegetables less than twice a week Quest 2: A= Drink 8 cups of water a day B= Drink 7 cups of water a day C= Drink 6 cups of water a day D= Drink 5 cups of water a day F= Drink less than 4 cups of water a day Life Quest: Prepare my kingdom for occupation (make our 11 acre plot my new home) Step 1: Get at least 1 acre fenced for chickens +1 STR Step 2: Get a house +1 WIS Step 3: Get house hooked up to water and electric +1 WIS Mini Quest: Experience a previously unknown bounty of the earth every fortnight (try a new vegetable every 2 weeks) +1 WIS #1: Brussels Sprouts Motivation: The healthier I can be the less stress I will put on my husband, other people, and myself Week 1: M- 0 hours sleep, 2 hours outside, followed diet, 180 lbs T- 2 hours sleep, 25 min outside, followed diet, 178.2 lbs W- 7 hours sleep, 10 min outside, cheated, 177.6 lbs TH- 4 hours sleep, 0 min outside, cheated, 176.2 lbs F- 0 hours sleep, 0 min outside, did not eat, 177.6 lbs S- 3 hours sleep, 1 hour outside, followed diet, 177.4 lbs SU- 5 hours sleep, 30 min outside, followed diet 176.8 lbs Weekly Summary: Total weight loss- 3.2 lbs, A Average hours sleep per night- 3, C Average minutes outside per day- 30+, A Diet- cheated 2 days, A Overall weekly grade: B+ Week 2: M- 5 hours sleep, 3 hours outside, cheated, 177 lbs T- 2 hours sleep, 0 min outside, followed diet, 177.4 lbs W- 2 hours sleep, 20 min outside, cheated, 175.6 lbs TH- 3 hours sleep, 15 min outside, cheated, 175.2 lbs F- 3 1/2 hours sleep, 30 min outside, followed diet, 174.6 lbs S- 8 1/2 hours sleep, 1 hour outside, cheated, 175 lbs SU- 5 hours sleep, 10 min outside, cheated Total weight loss- 5 lbs, A Average hours sleep per night- 4+, A Average minutes outside per day- 30+, A Diet- cheated 5 meals, D Overall weekly grade: B+ Week 3: M- 5 hours sleep, cheated T- followed diet

Introduction Hi, I'm Talora Dion! I have been struggling with fatigue of unknown origin, insomnia (worsened by exercise), anxiety, and various "weird" medical issues (like seemingly random allergic reactions to food) for about 5 years now. This is my quest to get my life back! Current stats: 5'7", about 150lbs, size 8 (Canadian), a mile long list of minor to moderate severity medical complaints. Main Quest I want to be healthy, fit, and happy, with more energy than I know what to do with! Specifically, here's what that would look like: Endurance Measures Able to mountain bike for a full day and be only slightly sore the next day, with no impact on energy levels for the following weekRun 5km with my dog 3x/week Strength Measures Deadlift 200lbs 1rep (Currently 75lbs?)Back Squat 120lbs 1rep (Currently 45 lbs)Press 75lbs 1 rep (Currently 30lbs)25 toe pushups in one set (Currently 2 :S )3 pullups (dead hang, no kipping) (Currently none) I want to achieve this by April 30th, 2015. This will likely entail losing some weight (and I would like to weigh closer to 130lbs) but my focus is on HEALTH and ENERGY. Quest #1 Goal: Eat Whole30 for the 6 weeks of the Challenge. Measurement: A = 100% success, B = 1 mistake, C = 2+ mistakes Rewards: A = +2 CON, +3 WIS; B = +1 CON, +2 WIS; C = +0 CON, +1 WIS Quest #2 Goal: Sleep 8+ hours every night (11pm - 7am) Measurement: A = 5+ nights per week, B = 4 nights per week, C = 3 nights per week Rewards: A = +2 STA, +1 DEX; B = +1 STA, +1 DEX; C = +1 STA, +0 DEX Quest #3 Goal: Strength training 3x/week; starting with the NF Basic Bodyweight workout, until that gets too easy, then I'll figure out what to do next. Measurement: A = 18x during the Challenge; B = 14x during the Challenge; C = 10x during the Challenge. Rewards: A = +1 STR, +1 CHA; B = +0.5 STR, +0.5 CHA; C = +0.5 STR, +0 CHA Motivation I used to be fit: epic all-day XC mountain bike rides, 4+ days a week in the gym lifting heavy, CrossFit. I want to be that fit again. I want to look that good, and be that capable, again. I want to make serious progress in life. I want to be fierce and strong, with the energy to make the most of my time as this particular collection of particles!