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Hey Rebels! (Love that moniker.) Philosophy post-grad (PhD) student, writer/author, pagan/witch/actual druid, fantasy fan, dancer/performer/storyteller, lover of elipses, and absolutely fascinated by the idea of travelling as I can't sit still, but earning money is a hassle so I tend to conjure travel opportunities by getting teaching work in random places! I've been occasionally reading NF for a couple years now, and only TODAY discovered the forums. *shakes head* But it's good timing, really... Fancy a story? I spent over a decade in a relationship with a lovely guy who was just toxic for me (long story, we loved each other but brought out the worst in each other... and it damn near destroyed me, when I broke, I left. We're still friends!) A back injury early on meant I could barely walk for 6 months, so put on 2 stone and couldn't shift it... or get fitter... until I found my belly dance class about 5 years ago. Unfortunately, my superpower was my undoing. See... It turns out I have ADHD. I can't keep something up unless it grabs me, but when it does I can hyperfocus and excel! Within 3 months I was helping the teacher, getting private tuition in return, and spending half my time dancing. Wheeee! I got stronger! I got fitter! (I didn't lose much *weight* but I didn't really care) And my knees HATED me. Too much dance with heavy impact on the knees... I almost ended up unable to walk again. Without the dance, my core strength waned and my back began to hurt. With the dance, my knees burned. When I left my ex, I moved somewhere where I had to walk more, and back into university halls with first year students. As post-grad... I couldn't stand the state of the kitchen. So I'd skip meals/forget to eat, and was moving more. And the weight began to melt away. I won't lie... the compliments were a definite ego boost. And feeling my knees improve with gentle exercise and less weight has been amazing. But I needed something else that inspired me to move. Just walking; not enough. Enter aerial skills! Which needs upper body strength. And core strength. And endurance. and... ok... I'm going to need strength training too then. Somewhere in my brain a memory lit up of an article on "How to do your first pull-up" on a site that made me chuckle when I read it (and click more links, and read interesting stuff for hours because NERD, obviously.) I was probably meant to be doing something else when the sparkle distracted me enough to find the page again, and tumble down that rabbit hole. Bodyweight training, you say? Okiday. Last week I started doing the Beginners Bodyweight training circuit. I've done it three times now and each time it has already gotten easier... *bouncebounce* I've been using five-ten minutes of dance as a warm-up, and a bag of flour as a dumbell... MY GUILD: Definitely an Adventurer, that's what motivates me. But I'm fascinated by so many things, practice meditation, learning aerial skills (think circus), looking to start Aikido soon... that I'll likely dip into other arenas too. MORE THAN ANYTHING: I want to be fit and strong and healthy enough to explore the world and try new things, to perform and entertain around the world, and to teach. SKILLS: Creating things. Starting things. Courage. WEAKNESSES: Completion. Distracta... OMG Squirrel! (Old jokes are good jokes.) ADHD superpowers - boundless energy and fascination, learning interesting skills comes easy, hyperfocus once focused... ADHD Kryptonite - Boredom. Routine. Overwhelm. Long-term things... STRATEGIES: Accountability (from my partner, currently). Bullet Journalling. Constant challenges (I did 15 seconds of planking easy enough, so next time I did 20, Next week... 25!) Momentum. Leaving reminders in visible places. Batch cooking. Make it easy! Ummm.... yeah... TL;DR? Hi! I'm a distractable person who wants to be strong/fit/healthy so I can go adventuring and perform. And I've started with bodyweight training. Great to meet you! ~Halo www.haloquin.net

Hello, this is One Dank Medic, ....or at least, that's what I hope to become. Like him Or him But will probably end up like him at best I am a 22-year-old female, recent college graduate and working as a Lab Technician is an urgent care. My main life goal is to become an excellent physician and live life to its fullest. I found Nerdfitness about a year or so ago loved the concept. The idea of making your life into a game/adventure/quest was a childhood dream of mine! I also am nerdy ad love video games (LoZ is my favorite!) I am looking to finally maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ever since I was 16 I have yo-yo-ed on so many crash diets and never have been able to sustain any weight loss. Sugar is my kryptonite, and other than working a 12-hour shift, I don't do much exercise (And wouldn't you know people bring sugar to work EVERY DARN DAY). Exercise has never been a priority for me, except lately I have been developing anxiety and its only been getting worse. I know exercise will be able to help me manage that, so I need to formulate a plan that I will stick with. I appreciate any advice on how to fit in an exercise schedule on a tight time budget! I am looking to improve my life. I moved out on my own about 6 months ago (one goal made!), but I still don't lead much of a life. After class/study or work I just go home and scroll on the internet/ watch Netflix until I fall asleep. That's no way to live, not what I think how a rebel should live. As I start this quest of life I would like to build it into a full and active life (once I get to med school though, that's going to have to be compromised). I have one other goal that I will be tracking: my grades. While I am pre-med, my grades are low. I have been fighting for the past 2 years to build my GPA and still fighting. I am going to be tracking my study hours and habits to make me a better student! I humbly ask for your gracious support, I will in return to my best to support this community!

Hello together! Very excited to be a new part of this community. You seem like a nice collective of people honest about their daily struggles. Whereas my prior fitness boards have been limited to the physical, I feel like the mental side of training has more exposure and importance here. My history in weight loss goes back 10 years, my history in training 4.5 years. I've come down from 147kg@48% Bodyfat to 98kg@18% in these years but am nowhere near done yet. Some basic stats: Male 29yrs old 180cm tall 98kg@18% weight-training 4-5x a week also love bouldering, biking Everyday life/Nerd culture: Work from home as a consultant in IT 45-50hrs/week Into Boardgames, especially cooperative ones, and ones with nice tactile feedback been an avid gamer but branching into other hobbies more and more after spending 2000 hours in WoW Classic. Enjoy painting miniatures when the creative muse blesses me The lockdown has erased around 8 of my 10 prior hobbies Nutrition: Trying to eat mostly mediterranean vegetables, fiber-rich carb sources and low-fat meat Maintenance calories without training is around 3200kcal a day and 3600kcal with training Trying to eat around 1.8g of protein per kg of target-bodyweight Fat and Carb ratios are flexible During lockdown a significant amount of calories has come from alcohol Disorder: Have always had binge-eating disorder, maxing out at 7000kcal a day Some mental struggles due to loneliness after a breakup during lockdown

Hey guys, I am new and looking to interact with people regarding my weight issue, I don't know anything about loosing and just started researching about it. I've also purchased a waist trainer from prowaist.co.uk for my wife, she looks sexy now. Glad that I found this forum. Best, Mike

Hello awesome nerds, thrilled to be here catching up on everyone's goals and progress. You're all so inspiring and fun to read! So I've decided to follow the start guide and I've put together my main quest and my first smart goals. I'm obsessed with watching the crossfit games and I love a mixture of HIIT and strength training so I fall into the Ranger category nicely. I'm 34 and I live in Melbourne Australia. We're currently in a second lockdown so what better time to build up the home gym and connect with other nerds wanting to get in shape! Main Quest To attend the Gala at my goal weight of 65kgs by improving my over all health and fitness through eating healthy and exercising. SMART Goals 1) To drop 2 dress sized before the end of 2020 2) Be able to run 5kms by the end of Jan 2021 3) Try 1 new recipe each week I'd love to meet more people interested in losing weight and getting fit. I'm thinking a weekly accountability chat would be super helpful, here or Discord. My other interests are Gravity Falls, Dragonvale, Pirates, Star Wars, Supernatural, Zombies, LOTR, and Harry Potter. I draw, I'm a writer and I have snail mail pen pals. Oh and I'm teaching myself to play the Ukulele during ISO. Looking forward to meeting you! Pix

Good afternoon! I am a female living in Indiana who's been a fat girl basically my entire life. I've tried diets, I've tried exercising. I did keto for a few months with the best results but eventually gained all that weight back. I was referred here by a friend over the weekend and I figured "why not." I'm a self-professed nerd; play DnD on the regular as well as rpg video games and boardgames. What I'm most in need of is accountability. I have some mental food issues I'm working through with a therapist that is going well, and I started getting consistent with a 5k training program up until I severely sprained my ankle. So it feels like I'm back to square one. I would love the opportunity to have an accountability partner just for some help creating discipline and good habits. Sincerely, Gwen

Starting an intro thread for all who are just starting out on NF (aka. Noobs); since the regular one is being difficult. Hopefully the NF team is ok with this. As a noob to NF; the Rebel section is where you will start for your first challenge. Welcome and best wishes for your success.

Hi, I'm a new member to the forums, but I have been reading Nerd Fitness for a while. Inspired by the idea of a challenge, I decided to put some of the healthy habits I'd been reading about to the test and actually be active instead of passive about my fitness. I'm not the most unhealthy person, but I'm definitely overweight, and there are health issues that would definitely improve or straight-up disappear if I were to lose weight. I currently "run" doing a Couch to 5K program, and I'm toying with the idea of yoga. I'm afraid of weights, but I want to get over that. I don't have access to a gym. My main goal is to reach 154 pounds. This number may seem arbitrary, but I have a hard time budging from a certain weight once I'm settled there, and I'm currently around 162 pounds--and have been here for several years. Losing a handful of pounds sounds easy, but I suspect it will be a challenge. The weight of 154 pounds was my sweet spot, the place where I last felt healthy, so I'd like to try and get back there. If I go lower, I won't complain! To meet this goal, here are my quests: Drink no more than one bottle of soda a day or, in special circumstances, no more than seven bottles of soda a week. I do tend to work well in crunch mode while drinking lots of soda, so if it comes to that, I will allow myself to "borrow" from the next day's allotted amount. I have forgone soda before, and I felt great. [GRADING: 6 weeks = A, 5 = B, 4 = C, 3 = D, 2 or below = F] Run a 5K without stopping to walk more than once or twice. I have done 5Ks, but I have a problem with endurance. I'd like to work on this by continuing to do the C25K program and hopefully reaching a point of 3.1 miles of continuous run-jogging--or maybe do an actual 5K! [GRADING: 3.1 miles = A, 2.5 = B, 2 = C, 1.5 = D, 1 or below = F] Try a new type of workout each week. I thrive on novelty, so this will motivate me to workout more. I will allow myself to cheat with a new variant of an old workout--for example, playing a new version of Just Dance or trying out a different style of dance workout. [GRADING: 6 weeks = A, 5 = B, 4 = C, 3 = D, 2 or below = F]These goals aren't terribly extreme, but I feel they aren't meant to be. I have been working towards these goals for a while, but this challenge will hopefully strengthen my desire to continue buffing myself up. As for a Life Quest, I have a bad habit of making a gajillion goals and not sticking to them--call it the Renaissance Woman in me--but I think the biggest thing will probably be to erase credit card debt and rebuild my emergency fund. This has been a hard summer, and my stress levels will be way, way lower if I can accomplish this even a little bit. My motivations are pretty clear in my post, I think, but overall, I'd like to stop feeling like the Sword of Damacles is hanging over me due to poor physical and financial health. There's too much to be done in my life starting in August; a clean bill of health would do the body good. Nice to meet you all, and I hope we can achieve great things. THIS IS NERDFIT!

A little about myself and fitness history.. I'm 35 and a married mother to 2 boys (ages 7 and 11). I've never been athletic and was a bookworm growing up. I'll spare you all the boring details of my weight gain over the years as I have BTDT with the starting over on forums. I don't have ups and downs with my weight. Its been more of a slow gain over the years and then settling at my current weight. I'm 5'2 and around 170. Biggest issue? Consistency...hands down. I've been through this enough that I don't place blame on anyone but myself. I am my biggest roadblock. I am a story in progress and I would like to get to the point in my story where my weight loss portion finally gets off the ground. Last year I ran 2 obstacle course races. This is a big deal for me because one of the things I have struggled with the longest is my anxiety. I've noticed the more I push myself to get out there that this gets better. Speaking of anxiety I have noticed that exercise has helped me greatly with this so that has been a pretty good motivator to keep me going on the fitness front. So far I have ended up liking racing much more than I ever thought I would. This year I am scheduled for the Muderella and a Relay at the Baltimore Running Festival. I would like to throw a 3rd race in, maybe sometime before July. Moving onto the next 6 weeks.... Main Quest - Get back into the habit of exercise and making better food choices. I want to work on building strength and endurance by doing so. 3 Detailed Quests - Strength train 3x's a week at the least and start back with my Zombie 5K running program trainer 2x's a week. 8 glasses of water a day. Track all (AND I MEAN ALL) calories on My Fitness Pal (feel free to friend me below). Life Quest - I have a kitchen table and chair set that is sitting in my garage that needs to be painted and refinished. Its been sitting out there a ridiculous amount of time. In the next 6 weeks its going to be in my kitchen again...finished. Motivation - Health....mental and physical. I'm mentally better when I exercise. I want to look physically better this summer. I want to perform well at the Mudderella and Baltimore Relay.

Running with the Doctor can be very tiresome, especially when you have a Cyberman on your tail. Your life is literally on the line when you have a Sontaran running at you, flailing his plasma weapon in your general direction. And when a Dalek performs a temporal shift and materializes right in front of you, the stress is enormous! So that’s why I’m going to work to get back into shape, and de-stress myself over the next six weeks. My life has been full of stress, which has only served to worsen my health. Most recently, I have become unemployed while dealing with health and financial problems. So the stress has been overwhelming. I am not at all whelmed. So over the next six weeks, I am going to make changes in my life to overcome my stress, and get back into shape. MAIN QUEST To De-stress, and manage my health better. PRIMARY OBJECTIVES Perform heavy workouts three times a week, and light workouts three times a week. Stabilize my blood sugar. (I am hypoglycemic.) Take one day off for “me time.†LIFE QUEST Begin working towards my “Home Inspector†license. These objectives and goals will characterize future six-week challenges as I aim for better health overall. And perhaps, I’ll be able to start running with the Doctor again by the time Peter Capaldi takes the reins. -------------------------------------------- As a reward for myself, for every six-week challenge that I complete successfully, I will crochet two feet of the Fourth Doctor's scarf, until I get the entire scarf in all it's crazy long glory. As I make the scarf, I will be sure to post pictures of it for all to see. -------------------------------------------- *Edit: due to some injuries and health issues.* Instead of three heavy workouts at the gym every week and three light workouts in between, I'm changing both to two times a week. Hopefully, this way, my injuries can heal without me aggravating them.

Hi, I am the sexyshoediva. I am excited about the challenge because I do better when I am held accountable. Having to answer to someone else seems to help me. Main Quest Lose the weight I’ve regained. Which is now up to 51 1/2 lbs. Goal 1 Eat 70 grams of protein a day. Goal 2 Exercise: Strength training every other day. Do my PT like I am supposed to. Goal 3 No drinking with meals. Wait 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything. Life Quest Still trying to decide between getting a schedule that works and getting back into my art. Both of which I need to do for my sanity. Motivation I am so tired of people giving me their fat clothes. Just last week another person gave me her fat clothes. This surprised me, but I don’t know why? It made me want to cry. Do you know what that means? After all the weight I lost, when people think fat they still think of me. 1 1/2 years ago, all I heard was how good I was looking. Guess that’s over! :-( I also need to prevent another stroke. Exercise and losing 50 lbs were at the top of the doctor’s list. This actually was my number 1 motivation until I got those bags of clothes.

Hail. I come seeking membership. I've been an (inconsistent) adventurer for some time so I think it's finally time to throw in with a guild. As my name would suggest, I move around a good deal, so the concept of the world as my training ground and equipment-free training agrees to me. Additionally, this thread is serving as my challenge thread, my first as an assassin (I completed one as an adventurer). Main Quest: Move my own weight fast and repeatedly First Quest (6-month time frame): 8 miles in 56:00, a 7:00/mile pace Six-Week Challenge Goal 1: Run 5 miles in 37:30, a 7:30/mile pace. Current pace 8:14/mile. Six-Week Challenge Goal 1b: Drink no more than one gallon of milk a week Second Quest (6-month time frame): 20x consecutive pull-ups / chin-ups, ea. Six-Week Challenge Goal 2: 10x consecutive pull-ups / chin-ups, ea. Currently 4x consecutive, ea. Six-Week Challenge Goal 2b: Attend to my financial books weekly, as opposed to monthly. Quest (6-month time frame): Clean-up my eating habits Six-Week Challenge Goal 3: No grains 1) after breakfast during week-days, 2) on the weekends, except for a single beer Side-Quest: Organize the house, make it a home. Six-Week Challenge Goal: Each week complete 2x tasks to make my house a home. Examples: hang pictures, organize book collection, organize music collection, make improvements to my computer network.

Hello everyone! This looks like such a fun way to reach our goals! I hope I'm not starting too late, but better late than never. Main Quest: -Become the most fit and healthy version of me possible. Starting Stats: -26 year old human female -Weight: ~60kg (~130 lbs), Goal Weight: ~55kg (~120 lbs) Main Missions: -Workout for an hour 5x per week: I would like to mostly focus on cardio since I have been working on strength for the past few months and now I need to increase my endurance and aerobic fitness and lower my body fat %. -Eat healthy and track calories: This includes eating around 1400 calories (mostly Paleo) per day M-F. I am not required to track on the weekends since I am often obligated to attend my husband’s work functions/parties/dinners and if I try to track during these times I get too obsessive. However, this is not meant to be a ‘pass’ and I will still strive to make healthy options. This also includes finding new healthy recipes and cooking dinner most days (at least 5x a week). -I will consume alcohol no more than once per week: Again, this is due to my current social situation as all of my friends socialize by going to bars or clubs. I don’t want to completely avoid these situations, but I would like to keep my drinking in moderation. Life Quest: -Review Japanese: I will (finally, yay!) be visiting Japan for the first time this December. I majored in Japanese in college but I have not used it in so long that I feel like I have forgotten absolutely everything. I would like to at least get myself back to an intermediate level before December. For the first challenge, however, I am setting a goal of learning all 1st and 2nd grade kanji (about 240) and reviewing and completing the exercises in Genki I. Motivation: Two months ago I was in the best shape of my life. I ate ridiculously healthy for about 3 months and joined a women’s strength training class. I loved the feeling of having energy throughout the day and I was really proud of myself. I got into a nice routine that I felt comfortable in. Then I moved abroad to the UK. Long story short, it’s been about two months since I left my routine and 2 weeks since I settled into my new home for the next 5 months. I’m ready to make a new healthy routine and continue getting healthy. I’d also love to lose the last 5kg or so. It may not seem like much, but it’s holding me back from feeling comfortable in my own skin. I have never in my life felt confident or sexy, but I’m starting to think that I might actually be able to get there.

Hello Rangers! This is my first very first 6-week challenge I just finished my first Half-Marathon over the weekend; while I loved training for it and getting my endurance up to par...I really don't think long-distance running is for me. I was looking for some new and exciting fitness goals when BAM! 6-week challenge appears. So, here are my goals for this challenge: 1. Do a body weight and/or strength training workout 3x per week.( +1 STR) 2. Do HIIT cardio 3x per week. (+1 STR +1 DEX) 3. Meditate on MettÄ at least 7min 3x per week. (+2 CHA) 4. (Life-goal) Finish my internship project on time. (+1 WIS) I feel pretty good about weight, endurance, and eating habits. What I'd really like to do is build some strength, power, and speed (and hopefully muscle tone). The 4th goal is a bit of a cheat since I technically have to do it anyway, but I feel that making part of this challenge will extra-motivate me and also help me with procrastination. Believe it or not, I think the 3rd goal will be the most challenging for me. I'll post some beginning photos up here soon. Excited to get rolling with you guys!

Hello! I am new to the Nerd Fitness challenge but I believe I've got what it takes to complete it. My goals are relatively simple and I hope that will make completing this easier. I do have an injury so I'm also trying to compensate for that as well. I'm Female, 5'8, 167 lbs. I do lots of martial arts, but I'd like to train myself more towards Ranger. Goals: 1. Complete the first 3 weeks of Couch to 5K. This one will start on the 23rd due to my injury. In the meantime I am allowed to bike. 2. Cut out soda by week 2. This is to help me up my water intake. I only get about half of what i should. 3. Strength Training (Back/Shoulders/Arms) 3 x a week. Its a spot I've neglected for too long now. 4. Finish reading A Feast for Crows It's not a big life changing goal, but it's something I've been meaning to do for a long while now. I already have the habit of going to the gym, now its time to put more focus behind what I do at the gym. I'd like to get into the habit of writing down what I do, for how long, etc. In order to really gauge my progress. The long term goal is to be ready for Tough Mudder in October. There you have it!

Hey guys, Thiefzer0 here. I've lurked a while, and always take time to read Steves awesome e-mails/blog posts. Thought I would get on board with this challenge! First off, some about myself. I started trying to lose some weight back in Jan/Feb as yet another new years resolution except this year I found myself about 40+ lb. heavier than my ideal weight and I'd begun to really FEEL it. You guys know what I mean right? That feeling where you have noticably less energy, can't even WALK a flight of stairs without being winded, just a general feeling of being slothly and unwieldly (if those are words lol). So anyways, beginning of Feb. my girlfriend and I rather spontaneously broke up after trying to deal with multiple issues for months and months. We had been together almost 2 years. Anyways that was my breaking point, and decided rather than sinking into the pits, getting depressed, and letting myself go and risk losing everything (my home, my job, etc), I was going to pull it together, man up, and get things done. That was around the time I first found nerd fitness. No idea how, must've been aimless Googling as usual, but it was a breath of fresh air to me and reinforced ideas I was already beginning to grasp. Namely that fitness didn't HAVE to be this big scary intimidating thing reserved only for the "attractive" and "jocks". So I left work one day and went to our company gym and just sort of walked in, confused... but eager! It's been a heck of a journey, along the way I've met so many new friends, effectively rebuilding my social/support circle from the ground up with healthy, active, and supportive friends. My birthday was this past Sat (June 1) and my "uber" goal so to speak had been to get to 185, which I am happy to say I achieved! Total I have lost just over 30 lb. since I started, and dropped from 34% body fat to (last I checked, maybe lower now) 19%. ANYWAYS, enough with the long rambling intro... guess I could've posted that in another forum actually. Let's get to the meat of it, LE CHALLENGE! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Become a Ranger: My four goals are what I consider necessary to call myself a ranger, in the sense that I'll be in good enough shape to basically take on any challenge, and be equipped for most anything. To me that's the essence of the ranger class. Rangers are typically very self sufficient "solo" types, which suits me 100%. CURRENT STATS: Sex: Male Age: 32 Weight: 183 LB. BMI: 25.2 Body Fat: 19% Goal 1 (DIET): Eat at least 50% more VEGE's and LEAN meats each day, while cutting back carbs at LEAST 50%. Goal 2 (fitness): Pass the US Air Force BMT Physical Fitness Test and enlist in the Air Reserve (before I reach the age cutoff). A stretch goal for this is to achieve the "Warhawk" designation (extraordinary / highest standard) which requires: Run 2 miles in 13:30 minutes, 1.5 miles in 8:08, 75 pushups in 1 minute, 80 situps in 1 minute, and 10 pullups. This stretch seems ... well, like a HUGE STRETCH, and maybe a bit unrealistic given where I'm currently at. I HAVE HOPE! Goal 3 (related to goal 2): Do 5, 10 or (stretch goal) 20 pullups! Goal 4 (final stretch goal): Obtain body fat % in the single digits! MY PLAN: My plan is to start using MyFitnessPal daily (to let others help hold me accountable!!!) and record everything I eat, and all my fitness activity. I have been working SO HARD this year, and now it is time to STEP IT UP, and LEVEL UP! Going to try to find a plan to steadily build up pushup/situp capability daily, and start running (walking/jogging and building up) until I can sprint/run 1-2 miles. Not sure HOW I will do all this, I need you guys help! Other than that I don't know. I have been seeing a personal trainer for 3-4 months and my last day is this Friday, so now it's all in my hands. ANYWAYS, thanks for reading for those who did, and if you want to buddy up for this challenge e-mail me through the website or PM, or whatever. Thanks guys!!! ~thief

Hello everyone! I’m missrackl. Fitness-wise (and life-wise), I like to do a bit of everything. During this challenge, I’ll be teaching HS Physics, doing BTSA (a professional development project) and finishing up my MA in Education. This 6-week challenge is part of a larger secret mission to be in shape to hike the John Muir Trail this summer. Because summer is the time when I like to do all the things!!! Here’s my starting stats: Info: 28-years old, female, HS Physics teacher Height: 5’6†Weight: 167 lbs. # of pull ups I can do: 5 negatives # of minutes I can run: 35 Highest grade I can climb: 5.9 Injuries: none (and I’d like to keep it that way, thank you!) Diet Goal #1 – Do Not Eat: white sugar, corn syrup, or other processed simple carbs. Like that evil (but totally sexy) female assassin in every James Bond movie ever, I know it’s trying to kill me, but I always go back for more. This challenge: stick to flirting with MoneyPenny (a.k.a. honey with my morning oatmeal). Grades: A 2 desserts by the end of the challenge B 5 desserts by the end of the challenge C Chocolate every day during “that time of the month†(Sorry if this is TMI!) D Ice Cream Most Days F 2 Ice Creams Every Day Diet Goal #2 – Eat: 1600-2000 kcalories per day. My long-term secret mission is loose 20 pounds by the end of the school year. (Thus allowing me to kick ass at hiking with a 20 lb. backpack on the trail this summer.). I will log my kcals on my phone app, and post the summary on the challenge thread. Grades: A 1600-2000 kcals / day, every day B 5 days over 2000 kcals by the end of the challenge C 10 days over 2000 kcals by the end of the challenge D 15 days over 2000 kcals by the end of the challenge F 20 days over 2000 kcals by the end of the challenge Fitness Goal #3 – Work Out 5 days per week, for at least 30 minutes. These workouts will be a combo of bodyweight playground workouts, running on the trails behind my house, rock climbing, yoga, and biking across town. Basically, anything that efficiently raises my heart rate and makes me sweat counts. Grades: A at least 5 workouts / week, every week till the end of the challenge B at least 4 workouts / week, every week till the end of the challenge C at least 3 workouts / week, every week till the end of the challenge D at least 2 workouts / week, every week till the end of the challenge F at least 1 workout / week, every week till the end of the challenge (Outliers will result in a – or +. For example, If I almost always work out 4 days/week, but one week I only hit 3 workouts, that’s a B- overall.) Level Up Life Goal #4 – Complete my Master’s in Education degree. This is going to be a busy quarter, culminating in completion of my comprehensive research presentation. This is the goal that’s going to make the other goals seem hard to accomplish. Whew! Grades: Pass: MA Degree Completed Fail: MA Degree Not Completed

Hi everyone, My name is Ange and I'm an adventurer with some inklings to be a warrior, but as I'm an overweight and unfit full time cook who hasn't lifted weights in months if not years, I have a long way to go. I also want to be a regular runner and even have the goal of the Great Wall of China half-marathon in May to work towards, but I still need the kick in the butt that I'm hoping this six week challenge will bring. My three goals are meant to be easy as one-two-three: Eat only vegetarian stuff for one day a week. Go to the gym (either a group fitness class or a weights session) two times a week. Go for a run (either on a treadmill or outdoors) three times a week.Of course, any more than this will be awesome. If I don't keep up with my goals in a given week, I will try to make up for them in the following week. The plan to achieve these goals is pretty straightforward: I'm a cook by trade, so if I make myself a vegetarian meal whilst on shift I can eat it then and there or take the leftovers home. I will be shopping for mostly vegetarian foods and snacks to fill my pantry/fridge at home. It should be easy enough to designate one of my days off as a vegetarian-only day. My housemate regularly attends an outdoor boot camp, a work colleague is a member of a civilian gym that runs group fitness classes, and I have access to a free gym. I will be designing my own basic weights program to follow if I can't make it to the aforementioned classes within a given week. I want to get used to running outdoors and in relatively hot/humid conditions, but if the going gets tough I will use a treadmill instead. I have signed up to a half-marathon training program on RunKeeper so that three runs a week are scheduled in my iPhone. I am also using the Zombies, Run! 5K and regular game for additional motivation to run outdoors.I'll be blogging at stuficionado.net and you can follow me at @angeftw on twitter if you're feeling so inclined. I look forward to updating you on my progress, hearing about yours, and generally cheering you guys on! -- Ange (forthewin )

Hey All, This is my first post ever to NF, so this is pretty exciting to me. I came across NF a few weeks ago and after reading a lot of articles, I found this challenge and thought, what better way to put all this info into action than participating in this challenge!? About me: 27 year old female, appx 150 lbs, 5'8" Starting point: Did Angry Birds Workout for the first time yesterday and was able to get to Level 2 on the first try on all things except pushups ((need more upper body strength)) I've always been pretty conscious about staying fit and eating well, but I usually let it slide during the holidays. It's my favorite time of year and I'm a sucker for all the holiday goodies and seasonal treats. On top of that, I love to bake - so it was kind of a gorge-fest and I need to get back on track. Tight jeans are NOT comfy! As for exercising, I am pretty good about cardio - we have a treadmill in our house and also belong to a gym with lots of equipment. But as for strength training, ever since I started working out with a trainer, I cannot go do it by myself at the gym. I think it's part motivation and part intimidation by all the guys in the free weight area. I haven't worked out with a trainer in a few months, but I want to try and up my confidence to be able to do my own thing at the gym once again, sans trainer. But I want to get my strength up again with body weight exercises before I go back to weights. My Fitness / Diet Goals: 1) Do the Angry Birds Workout 2-3x/week Plan: I did this for the first time last night after reading through the workout. I like how it can be broken up thru the day or done all at once as a circut training workout in appx 20-25 minutes. Time is of the essence for me. I liked the workout, liked how it was mostly body weight work, so I can see myself sticking with it. I plan on doing this Mondays, Wednesdays and choice of Fri, Sat or Sun. 2) Eat Paleo for at least 1 month. Plan: I actually have already begun this (Jan 2). So far, I like it and am sticking to it. It's a little hard not eating dairy ((love me some cheese)) but so far I'm doing great. I have Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso out from my library right now and have made several paleo recipes from the book already. I also follow a number of paleo blogs to get inspiration and motivation. Bonus Goal: Get my boyfriend ((we'll call him "JP")) on board as well. 3.) Run a 5K in under 30 minutes Plan: I do run already. When I do, I usually do a 3 mile run and I usually do it in 32 - 35 minutes. When I run my 3 miles ((on a treadmill - esp now in winter, brrr!)) I up my speed every quarter mile. After a warm-up walk, I usually start at 5.6 - 5.8 depending on how I'm feeling. I think if I gradually increase my starting speed, I can achieve this. Level Up Goal: Read at least one book start to finish. Plan: I know, I know, you're thinking....one, book? really, Bourne? But yes, one book. I love to read, but somehow ever since I changed jobs ((4 years ago)) and started driving and hour to work each day, I almost never read anymore. Lately, it's only at the beach that I read a book, but now summer is over JP and I watch entirely too much midless TV ((hello, Gold Rush Alaska, Pawn Stars, Duck Dynasty, Alaska State Troopers, long time no see!)). I need to remove myself from the room with TV in it and start reading at times that are NOT right before bed ((too many abrrupt wake ups from books / iPad falling on my face, lol)). So, I am really excited about starting this challenge, but since I'm so new to posting & the challenges I think I'm going to need some help with that along the way. Hope I can rely on some of your guys to guide me through Oh, wait - Current Attributes: (STR) 4 (DEX) 3 (STA) 2 (CON) 2 (WIS) 1 (CHA) 3 Here's to Challenge 1 of 2013! -MJB

Hi, I always think about food, about how I want to be and how I want to get there. I've been doing this for years. I'm sick of it. By the time I reach a quarter century in this world, I want to physically be where I imagine myself in my mind. So, my 3 diet/fitness goals are.... 1. Go Paleo except for one unit each day of grains (a delicate digestive system has been telling me to ease into it little by little) 2. Do at least 10 minutes of exercise each day (I'm aiming for conistency not quantity). I will aim for at least 2 weights circuits each week. 3. I will have the ability to do 10 situps. I have horrible core strength. This will take the form of the first few weeks doing assisted sit ups by focussing on only lowering my upper body with control, and the second 3 weeks doing full sit ups but working up to 10. Looking forward to getting into it. I know I'm late, but really you can never be late to the beginning of the new you, right? Tess