Search the Community

Hey everyone! My name is Jeff, but I usually go by Draconys. I just joined the boards here after lurking around Nerdfitness.com for the last week and a half or so. Let me give you some history: March 2004, I weighed in at 555lbs. It was an effort to make it from my house to my car. I didn't think I'd live to see my next birthday, which was in April. So I underwent Roux-n-y Gastric Bypass surgery. If only it had been as simple as that. After the surgery, I got down to 260lbs, and thought I was doing great. I was very lightly active, as I still had some problems with my back, and my leg joints. Then the weight regain started. I found that I had received tons of bad info from my nutritionist, and I was regaining weight slowly but surely. Fast forward: December 2006, I had a major hernia surgery. The doctor said it was one of the biggest hernias he'd seen in his life. Lovely. Throughout the next few months, I spent a lot of time in pain, and not moving around much. Then the bombshell: while doing an ultrasound to see why I was still in pain from the hernia surgery, they diagnosed me with testicular cancer. July 2007, I went back under the knife and had that taken care of. Then I spent the next couple months undergoing chemotherapy, and becoming more and more sedentary. I almost let the cancer and treatment beat me. It pushed me down, farther than I've ever been, and it's been really hard coming back from that. I've spent most of the time since then spiraling down into depression, with a diagnosis of Bi-polar disorder being added to my growing list of problems. After the chemo, I started developing daily migraines, and have been diagnosed with Transformed Migraines, which is basically a daily headache that never goes away, and that will randomly spike into a full blown migraine. The depression got worse, and i started thinking that maybe I could drink my issues away. Nope, just gained more weight. I've tried multiple diets, I've failed at going to the gym before, etc, and I had almost just given up. Then came the silver lining to my cloud: I found Nerdfitness and the paleo diet, both of which resonate well with me. I've spent the last week or so going over all the info I could find, and decided I would give it a shot. I started yesterday, and I think I'm darn near 90% paleo, maybe a bit more. As of this introduction, I'm back up to 366lbs, and a size 46 waist. I'm setting small goals for now. Work out every day. Get down to size 44 pants. (I'm still better than before my Gastric Bypass, back then I was wearing 52's!) Plus I'm going to be blogging on this, hoping that keeping up communication out will keep me motivated to keep going. My blog is http://psikic.wordpress.com/ I'm going to the gym every day, walking about 20 minutes on the treadmill. I'm also trying to do some weights with the machines. I need to get a trainer, but that's something I can't really afford right now. So that's me, in a nutshell. I am still alive, and continuing the fight. I finally succeeded on my save vs. damage against that damned cancer, and so far I've succed in my dodge checks vs death ray. Now I just need to beat this Boss battle, and I'm all good. (Edited to add my current Waist size, goal, and blog info.)

Hey y'all, (Yes I'm from the South). This is my go at entering the forum. Never been much a chatboard/forum person, but the more time passes, the more I realize that the right people are awesome to be around. Especially NF Rebels. So excited to hear from fellow Rebels and to help other Rebels exceed their goals! I'm a senior at University of Tennessee studying Economics. Personally I'm reserved but can be goofy from time to time. I'm a business, productivity, and self-help nerd. Love the stuff. Listen to HBR podcasts and the like walking to classes. When 2013 rolled around I took to NYE resolutions with a fervor. I set 10 in particular that will be accomplished before 2014 shows itself on the calendar on the wall. These weren't pie in the sky either. Each one had 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month milestones. In addition on a weekly basis I work on adding them into my productivity system (OmniFocus. Any other OF users out there?). The 1-month and 3-month goals will be adjusted on a rolling basis as they are achieved or not. So here goes: #1 Make the first sale for my company. I've started up a little side business to help students when they talk to recruiters and interviews. This year I will make my first sale and officially have started my own company. #2 Write 26 articles for my blog, FrankenLife.org. Another initiative of mine, this is a blog dedicated to designing a better life and broadcasting some of my personal views about personal productivity and achievement. #3 Reach 12% body fat. For a long time I've been the chubbier guy and at 225lbs. out of high school (with some muscle from sports) I was a little larger than I'd like. While the weight has been whittled down, this will be the year I give it the final blow. PS I'm actually ahead of schedule here due to cutting weight for a boxing tourney soon! I'm lighter than I was as a junior in high school! #4 Go on 8 dates Never one to have much social confidence, I've sorta allowing dating to come to me. No more. I'm going to start making a conscious effort to get into a relationship. #5 Publish an academic paper As an aspiring economist publishing an academic paper means quite a bit to me. It would be make me incredibly happy to see my name in a peer-reviewed journal no matter how small. #6 Establish my 7 Habits Based off of Covey's 7 Habits I want to finally delve into them in a very Ben Franklin way. Of course there's never any such thing as completing the 7 Habits but having a strong basis in them is the idea. #7 Increase my confidence A little nebulous, but I had trouble quantifying a concept as nebulous as confidence. The idea being by the end of the year, my friends will see a difference in me, and I will feel more in line with my "true self" in a way. #8 Improve my charisma Really you might say #4, #7, & #8 are similar and you'd be right. But this is different in that it's not just about communicating with the other sex (#4) and about connecting with other people, not myself (#7). Again the litmus test here is do my friends see it? #9 Visit Europe In between high school and college I had the amazing opportunity to live in Hungary for 3 weeks and ever since I've wanted to return. Instead of talking about it, this year I'll go. Already saved some Christmas money for the cause. #10 Learn Hungarian Kinda a bonus to #9, it would be great to get to Hungary and be able to somewhat converse with Hungarians. I have a pen pal in Hungary and she'll be the judge of whether I know Hungarian by the end of this year. I know that was a lot so thank you for reading! AND LET THE REBELLION BEGIN!

Hey y'all, Found NF about a week ago, and am motivated! I'm a 39-year old (5'9" 250 lb.) store clerk in NC, and I'm looking to lose some bodyfat! I've sorta drifted in and out of a Primal diet (along with IF) for a couple of years, but have lacked motivation/willpower to carry it all the way . I've had some experience with weight loss through rapid, drastic change (military, living to India), but that change has been forced upon me - I can't manufacture the change on my own. So I'll step back a bit, gradually change and create some new habits! My short-term eating goals: - Only 1 meal out per week (long days at work make this tough, maybe IF can help some) - No fast food - No wheat I've also exercised, somewhat consistently, with a Body By Science/HIT routine. I've come to realize that I respond better to a higher volume, less 'failure-y' exercise program. I am a believer in basic lifts, so I like what I've read here. Again, I'll take a step back and do the 4-week Basic Training program out of the Strength guide... Going forward, hmm... I like weights, don't like gyms, and don't really want to get a bunch of equipment for myself... maybe I'll find I really like BW My exercise goals are: - Complete the Basic Training program - Add a fairly strenuous hike on one of my off days (leaving the rest, as work can be fairly strenuous) I really like what I've seen and the support shown in my week of lurking at NF... I figure I'm going to be a Ranger (maybe with a Warrior bent), as being a jack-of-all-trades is my, uh... trademark... ugh... I've always found that if I just show up to what I'm supposed to be at, be present for what I'm supposed to do, 90% of the time I'll do what needs to be done and give it my best effort... so I guess my battle really is to JUST SHOW UP Thanks for reading my book y'all.

So, I've been squatting on doing this introduction for a week. I'm launching myself out there now.(this may or may not be long...who knows.Apologies in advance if it is).This gets quite personal...just saying Heyo, I'm Xavier, 25 and from upstate New York. I've been struggling with weight since a kid, but not in the same sense. My arms and legs have been on the smaller side, but not stickly. I have horrible asthma and I was put on steriods to help with it. I blew up quickly in my torso area and can't seem to get rid of it. In about 10th grade in high school I was sic of it and stopped sodas, sugary sweets, etc for about a year or so. I was in the right direction of eating healthy and lost a great deal of weight. I went from a womans' size 18 to a 10-my smallest. That brings me to my next bit of information. I'm a transman/FTM(femal to male). Weight now has a significant about of importance..more so than before. The more fat I have=the more estrogen still lingers in my system despite being on testosterone.Also, the more fat I have the more feminine my features appear/can appear. My gut still exists even though my legs and arms are pretty muscular. I've been going to the gym for about 3 years nowand truly love it, but still don't really know what to do/where to start. I lose some weight, but obviously not to my full potential. I'm eager to live healthier, lose my gut, get some guidance to proper workout and real information on what I'm doing. At least that's what I hope to gain from here. I'm sick of being unhappy with how I look and comparing myself to others. I used to wonder why some people got "lucky" with great bodies. Now my mindset is, I can BE one of those lucky people. I started a new leaf in my life by living as the me I always felt. Now I think it's time I can start looking like the person I've always thought myself to be. Thanks for reading guys. Any advice on where to go from here? -Xavier P.S.-Ever since stumbling onto this site and seeing something about Paleo, I've been trying to gather as much information on it as possible. I aim to begin my 30 days starting on February 1st. Any info that's explained in a simple to understand way/recipes would be greatly greatly appreciated!

.intro Salvete omnes! I've been lurking around here long enough and have decided I ought to take the next step forward and actually introduce my otherwise shady self. I'm Beth, a 20-year-old female college student living in the good ol' southern US. I'm studying statistics and computer science (any other analytics nerds out there?) and work part-time for a large software development company. Fitness has always been a hobby of mine, but up until late I've always struggled with the diet and strength aspects. Going to the gym has never been a problem for me; in fact, I rather enjoy it. But it wasn't until stumbling upon this fantastic site that I've learned about just how inefficiently I've been working out up to now. And so here I am! I've been psuedo-paleo (Beth-tailored) for about 3 weeks now and what a difference it has made already! With the help of a friend I'm also working on incorporating serious strength training into my basic workouts to make the most of my passion and goals. I look forward to sharing the journey with you all and hope to find my lil' niche within the Rebel community. .stats Height: 6'1" (1.85m) Weight: 155lbs (70kg) Bodyfat: Estimated 20-21% .goals Peak fitness 16% body fat Whatever weight is necessary to support my weightlifting goals What are those weightlifting goals? Yet to come! (aka I need to learn more about realistic weight goals before sharing...) As for baby steps, I'm starting with a goal of 18% body fat by my birthday (April). I'm thinking this is do-able, but I'll make adjustments as I see how I progress. .etc Other than all this, I'm a complete adrenaline junky. I ride motorcycles, skydive, snowboard, and travel. But I'm also a complete computer geek with a love of assembler and statistical analyses. It's fair to say I'm likely to be keeping close tabs on my progress. Feel free to say hey anytime! end

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

I'm a final semester M.A. student living in the DC area, studying International Affairs (democracy issues in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically), working my way through the tail-end of my academic career and simultaneously planning my wedding to the love of my life. Two weeks after graduation. While I'd be lying if I said that "looking good in my dress" isn't an underlying factor in what finally kicked me in the pants to do something, I would say that it's not the only one. I'm more concerned with starting the habits that will sustain me for a lifetime, get fit (not necessarily "skinny" or the Mean Girls mentality of "I have to lose x number of pounds" to feel pretty), and generally regain my confidence about myself. I'd consider myself to have always been naturally a slightly-smaller-than-average person (at 5'5", I was consistently around 120-125 in high school, around 130 in undergrad, I'm now 142), but anyone who knows me would laugh hysterically at the suggestion that I was anything resembling "athletic" or "in shape." I've never been the type of person to work out, go to the gym, or do anything for a sustained period of time (except Netflix marathons, crafting, and reading). The longest fitness habit I had was about 5 weeks of going to Bikram yoga last summer (which I loved) and walking about 25 minutes a day as part of my internship commute last semester (which has ended, hence the "no more walking"). I'm amazing at sticking to and developing bad habits, and even worse at developing and sustaining good ones. I want to change that - nay - I'm going to change that. As Master Yoda said: "do or do not. There is no try." On the fun side, the things that make me fangirlsquee are all things Whedon, Doctor Who, Star Wars, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, board games (Catan, Pandemic, Scrabble, and Monopoly, anyone?), crafts, all things musical theatre, movies (I consider myself a bit of a cinema buff), and anything written by George R.R. Martin, Tolkien, Rowling, Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child, Maggie Stiefvater, to name a few. Soooo, my battle plan, as it were, for the next week (as much as I like to plan, I'm going to try and take things in smaller, more manageable bits, for my own sanity): Transition towards paleo by cutting out bread and pasta. My goal for this week is to only have one serving of whole grain carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, etc.) a day. Only drink one cup of coffee a day, if at all (I'm a coffee nut), and drink at least 6 glasses of water (going back to Bikram will probably help with this one).Do at least three days of the body weight strength routine at home and go to Bikram three days (ideally, alternating, but I know I'm going out of town this weekend, so I may have to stack the Bikram early on).Track my food intake - I'm not aiming for something in particular, but I think it will help me realize what all I'm actually putting in my mouth on a daily basis.And, my "life goal," track and stick to my monthly budget (I have a really bad habit of making one and just ignoring it; since my finances are generally based on a semester, I usually get that "oh sh**, I have no money" moment right around finals, which is never helpful).As far as class/profession, I think I'm probably a Vengeance Demon (I have a mean/stubborn streak, and mostly humanoid lol) but also a Druid for the time being. Also, twitter handle is @nerdmal if anyone wants to connect that way.

Hey, fellow nerds. My name is Bob I live in lovely Lebanon, Ohio. I'm 38 and a software engineer though my roots are in server administration and ops. Back around the end of 2008/the start of 2009 I found my self weighing 315 lbs and feeling terrible. It was hard to walk up a few flights of steps or jog a couple hundred feet. I made some drastic changes and got down to 177/180 are with about 12% body fat. I go into some more detail here: http://www.robertkaucher.com/blog/2013/1/13/ygsiu8zscnuytrt6tdjnyrc63n65bm

Hey all. I discovered and did some reading and on Nerd Fitness for about a month or two last year. I was inspired and tried to change my diet around to be more paleo, but without any help or peers who understood the process it failed miserably after just a few weeks. It bummed me out and I felt guilty about it, even though there's no shame in falling off the horse. Now I'm deciding to follow the Rules of the Rebellion and join for life. I'm in. I know that if I try to stay out of where other people can see me and affect me this isn't going to take. I'm 22, my name's Tim. I weigh 220 lbs, and I'm 6'. I ate nothing but McDonald's growing up. I have a decent build with core strength, but my thighs and rear are starch bags. I have stomach flab and love handles. But that isn't me. It's who I was, and I'm committed to changing. This year on Nerd Fitness I want to slowly shift towards an almost fully Paleo diet (The hardest part will be giving up rice...I grew up with a girl adopted from China whose adoptive family actually changed their eating habits to make her more comfortable. I ate a BUNCH of rice and now I include it as a side in a bunch of my meals.), just to improve my overall health. I also want to become more educated about my body. I work out from time to time, but I've never been very good at setting reps or even having a workout plan. This is another issue I want to fix, to work out with intelligence. Other goals are certainly there, but my two specific goals are to eat smarter and workout smarter. I'm going to start doing those things this week but slowly cutting out things that are bad for me (this week it's bye bye milk!), and setting an appointment with a personal trainer at my gym to set up a cardio plan (using as little machines as possible). I'm also going to begin the Beginner's Body Weight Workout and see where it takes me over the next couple of weeks. And just because I'm not ashamed to show where I am now, here I am: Though to be honest, my real shame is my thighs and butt, which aren't really postable. I'm built to be a Ranger, and that's what I'll attempt to be. I'd like to some day throw a little Assassin in there, just because my current agility leaves much to be desired. I admit to being a little confused exactly on how the challenges work, but I'll be making a first challenge topic sometime today. So, this is me now. I'm in for Life. I can't wait to start changing not just my body but also my mind. and um....Hi?

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

Hello, fellow NF rebels! I'm a Level 1 Assassin, a woman from the Wild Elven race http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Elves,_Wild_(Race) w/ 4 Wisdom, 3 Constitution, 2 Charisma, 3 Dexterity, 2 Strength, 1 Stamina. Location: midwest USA Age: 30 Nerd-type(s): Bookworm! Math! Science! Learning! Introverted! Nature lover! Brief background: I was a major tomboy growing up till I got mononucleosis during 7th & 8th grades and could only eat and sleep. Put on some weight then, have fluctuated slightly around that weight since but have never been fit since then. I lost conditioning and agility and strength then and haven't done anything consistently to get it back. My fitness goal (the kind of vague version): I want my body to do anything I ask it to like a boss: climb a tree, jump off something taller than me, run a few miles if necessary, do pullups. Current impediments to fitness goal: I looooooooove pasta. Love it. Also, some physical injuries: recurring shin splints and a slight lower back injury/weakness. SAD & dysthymia, treated. Lifestyle: A vagabond by choice, I travel like mad - though not over any great distances, or even outside of state lines. Don't be too impressed! This year I'm traveling w/in the confines of an area which is 2 1/2 hrs' travel (by car) long and an hour's travel wide. (The assigned area changes every year or so.) The point is, I'm in a different bed every 3 or 4 nights. Weird, I know, but that's the way it is, and I hope I get to do it for the rest of my life. Since I don't have my own home, I'm not buying my own groceries and I can't go through the homes I'm staying in and throw out the tempting, but really gross, junk. The long and short of it is this: my fitness lifestyle has to fit into my vagabond lifestyle, not the other way around. (Can we say Bodyweight Beginner circuits? Love 'em!) Nutrition-wise; no, I can't control a lot of the 'what', but the 'how much'? yeah, I choose that. I'm not going to be posting huge weight drops. I don't have much to lose. I don't like the way my lower body looks, no, but what I desperately want is to be fitter, stronger, and faster regardless of my appearance. The looks will happen, if I'm true to the lifestyle. The month or so I did the Beginner's Bodyweight Workout this fall made a definite difference in my balance and strength. And I felt like I was working hard. I can't get that feeling just doing fast walks - which I love, b/c they get me outside. I think that's plenty for now. I'm looking forward to the accountability and camaraderie in the NF community. I hope to e-meet many of you and do my part to encourage you to do your own leveling up.

Origin Story: On a small inland coastline, tucked in between a sprawling dark forest and miles of open water, was the bustling town I called my home. Raised to be an inquisitive lass by a Merchant and Healer, I grew up traveling across the land and learning to aid others, to the point that it became part of who I am. Not long into childhood, the joys of exotic foods and ancient tomes made themselves known, and frequency of my adventures decreased. It seemed the more knowledge I acquired, the more my figure acquired. Fast forward to the cusp of adulthood; standing at only five-six of feet, and weighing two-fifty in pounds, my health had reached a point where I had endangered myself. As the ward of a healer, I was shocked at the diagnosis. Pre-diabetic. Knee problems. Endocrine problems. Maybe, unable to have children. And it would only snowball if I didn't do anything about it. That was enough to shock me into making changes, albeit slow ones. In the two years following, I had been able to lose over eighty pounds, on my own. Yet in a period of darkness this past year, I had gained twenty of those pounds back. Unwilling to let the demons roaming my home lands defeat me, I fled south, and found apprenticeship in a scholarly institution. I am now studying to be a nutritional healer, but still struggle with the results of years of self-abuse. Real Time: Now that I'm a university student, and far from the source of many of my struggles, I've felt so much more free to tackle and take on my own inner monsters. I've been working steadily since last fall, and have managed to take off six pounds already through diet alteration alone. I'm hoping that by joining this community that overflows with support, I can find a steady source of encouragement and an extended hand, when I stumble on my journey. My plan is to get in on the challenges (I've started offline already!), and become involved and report back frequently so the ball stays rolling. I've even managed to find a campus work out buddy, but they're waiting until the classes settle to join me. So! Here I am, excited and delighted to meet you all. I look forward to seeing everyone around! ~Morrigen Starting Statistics: Hume Adventurer Level 1 STR 2 | DEX 1 | STA 2 | CON 4 | WIS 5 | CHA 1

Hello everyone I'm Victoria (or Vicki if you prefer; I don't mind either) from New Hampshire; I'll be 27 in a few weeks, I'm married with an almost seven-year-old son, and I'm a college student who cashiers on the weekends, while partaking in far too many hobbies in between. I'm just a plain old liberal arts student at my local community college right now, but I'm planning to transfer to UMass Lowell next year to pursue a degree in applied mathematics (For math nerds: yup, that's where the "torus" in the username came from. To be honest, I'm nowhere near studying topography yet, I just think that they look cool.) When I'm transferred, I'm hoping to apply for an undergrad research position as well, in what would be my biggest level-up yet. Speaking of which, I stumbled on this site some time ago and have been lurking for some time, since the idea of "leveling up in life" seemed personally meaningful. I joined the Army right out of high school, then ended up getting out after having my son, and watched my physical and mental health slide from there. I'll spare the details for now, and just say that I hit rock bottom around December 2007. Since then, I feel like I've been climbing out of that pit in mind and spirit, which I am very proud of; however, I also feel like my body is trailing twenty feet behind mind and spirit wheezing "Wait up, you jerks!" Last summer, I began cleaning up my dieat and was finally able to lose about 20-ish pounds (moving down from a lifetime high of 246, yikes!)- unfortunately, college keeps supplying me with tasty goodness, lots of sitting down, and heaps of stress, and I was barely able to maintain my weight, let alone lose any more. So, with the new semester looming, I figured it was time to come out of lurking; I made my account this morning, took a nice walk, and am now figuring out a points system for the first 6-week challenge (hooray for that Wednesday deadline, phew.) My husband has been talking about getting healthier, so I'll see if he wants to do this with me; that would be pretty sweet! So, now for the fitness side of things... I'm 5'8", with a medium-to-large build; with this in mind, a) my race is likely just good old human, and I've got an overall goal weight of 155, which means I've got about 70 pounds to go. I am somewhat strong, but plump and a little bit awkward; I've been doing the Beginner's Bodyweight Workout on and off during my lurking time, but can still only kind of do two circuits of it, and I think I need to lose 10-20 more pounds before I try too much running. Ranger, Assassin, Monk, and Druid all seem like appealing paths to take in the future, but for now I am fine sticking with Adventurer; I've been wanting to get back into hiking, so perhaps walking to Mordor could be another long-term goal. We'll see... in the meantime, nice to meet you all, and I hope I haven't rambled too much.

Hello World! This being Nerd Fitness, I figured I'd start my introduction with everyone's favorite "first computer program." I used to write code in college, until it consumed my life and I began to abhor it. I still have lots of "coder" friends working for super nerdy companies. I, on the other hand, jumped ship before finishing my engineering degree to pursue finance (just like many other failed engineers before me). Nevertheless, I am a nerd through and through. I love statistics and analyzing numbers. I am also a big video game fan, but more so of classic NES games than WoW and RPGs. My favorite games are Super Mario Bros (a game I used to be able to beat in less than 9 minutes) and Nintendo World Cup Soccer. Today, my game of choice is Texas Hold'em. I'm not very good, but I'm not losing money. This is already longer than I intended so I'll just hit the big highlights. I'm 25 years old and I've been working out on and off for about 1.5 years. I once won a bet with my best friend (someone who's worked out religiously since high school) that I could gain 15 pounds of muscle in two months, and accomplished the feat in 33 days. Unfortunately, I gained about 10 pounds of fat alongside that muscle from stuffing my gullet with food all day. Anyway, I won a free gym membership for a year, and have since lost the weight (and a lot of the muscle). I now weigh 160 lbs at 6'0" I came across Nerd Fitness a couple months ago, really liked Steve's writing and the idea of treating working out (and life) like a video game. I'm a very competitive person, and when I read about the six week challenge in the Nerd Fitness community, I decided it's just what I needed to give myself a kick. So here I am. Hello World!

Greetings & Salutations. I'm Sevryn. I have tried to lose weight... I don't know, a lot! Each time I'd have some minor success but something would derail me and I'd gain it all back. I've been heavy my entire life. Last month I turned 36. Only five years until the age my mom was when she passed. She died of cancer, a brain tumor that spread from her lungs due to smoking. If, at 36, had someone told her "Hey, seriously, this will kill you." Would she have stopped? I don't know. But the idea that I might have less than five years now? That's a little scary. I intend to make it to the end boss. So, that's my sob story, more about me personally... I'm female, married, one cat, and I live in the Midwest. I'm currently going back to school to finish my bachelor's degree. While I do that I work for an insurance company doing data entry. It's boring, but it's a job. A desk job, where I have to sit all day. I have a production number to meet so there's really no getting up and taking a walk every hour or something. It's head down, do your work if you want to stay employed. Oh and to show our appreciation, here's some popcorn mixed with M&Ms. I like to read, play video games, watch movies, and surf the interwebs. One of my biggest challenges is finding an exercise I can do and enjoy. I am morbidly obese, so just picking up a sport and doing it, isn't likely to happen. I know I need to start small and slow and build up tolerance and lose weight so I can do something. It's quite frustrating to know that to lose weight you have to move more but to move more you have to lose weight. Also, I hate running. Always have. If I'm running, it's because someone is chasing me with a big knife. Walking is OK, but I have back problems (that are probably largely weight related) that cause me to be in pain if I'm on my feet too long. I also have Lymphedema which causes my lower left leg to swell. So I have an exercise bike. It's activity and less stress on my back and legs. I tend to get winded on that too, so I'm also taking that slow, building up where I can. As for diet, I'm looking to try this paleo diet thing that gets so much press around here. A little over a year ago my cat was dx with diabetes. I did a bunch of research on it and found that cats are obligate carnivores and really have no need for carbohydrates. Most dry food is chock full of them. I switched him to a canned diet that's less than 10% carbs and within a month his blood sugar numbers had dropped to non-diabetic numbers. He's in remission, and doesn't need insulin at all. So when I started reading about paleo, I was thinking "Huh, that's pretty much what I'm doing for him." Problem is, he never was fond of pizza and bread and he's fine eating whatever comes out of the can. I'm slightly more complicated. So that's me in not quite a nutshell. How are you?

I grew up the chubby kid and then became the fattest kid in my high school and this continued into college. I had seen friends lose weight before but never believed I could do it (self-confidence was never a main attribute). But then a little over 2 years ago I started a weight loss/fitness regimen with the help of my physician. I walked into the doctors office in November of '10 and weighed in at a whopping 347 pounds and I broke down. I saw my own mortality that day along with the extremely realistic fear that I wouldn't see the age of 30 (I was 24) and over those next 12 months, through some of the roughest times of my life and depression, I lost 107 lbs. I was able to manage my weight/fitness with minimal fluctuation and most of it was positive. Then I found out my gf and I had lost our child and I spiraled down. I stopped worrying about my diet and without that discipline so disappeared the want to exercise, I gained major weight and became almost continually sick and tired throughout the summer. In October I walked back into my doctors office for a check up but when I realized I was at 270, that check up turned into "Doc help me turn this back around." I went back the basics, back to my beginning, each month is one large habit change fueled by small ones throughout the month. Around Christmas I was feeling good, lost a few pounds, diet was back on track, easing back into weight lifting, then I found out an old friend was pregnant and it opened my eyes to my life at this point (which I am not proud of) and I decided to change everything. I have always wanted to enlist in the military as many of the men in my family have, to serve my country, and to know that I have something to be proud of when I look back on my life. I know I can do it, I have accomplished so much before, but I need the accountability (Hello Rebels!) to follow through because I've never lost weight or gotten in shape for myself or my own dreams before, it has always been for someone else. So I'm here to hold my self accountable to finish what I started long ago. I'll be following the Rebel Strength Guide to maximize my drop in BF% and increase in overall strength along with interval training on cardio days to hit my PFT marks for enlistment

Well, it's been a long time in coming, but I am finally going to buckle down and get into shape. Got out of the Army in 2001 and have put on almost 70 lbs since. I've got lots of reasons excuses for why I've gotten to this point, but that's all in the past, right? I want to be sure to be around for my kids and family, so need to get started. I've actually started out on the Pooch to 5K, which is similar to the Couch-to-5K, but includes your dog. My dog has gotten a little bit overweight over the past year as well - has had seizures, so is on medication that makes here lethargic and hungry. So, we both get to get in better shape through some increased activity! Taking a look through the Rebel Fitness Guide as well and will be starting on some gym stuff (never been a fan of the gym, though). Gonna have to start out nice and slow so I don't burn myself out. Anyways, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hoping to be around here a while!

Hey Rebellion! This is Peter from FringeSport- you may remember Fringe from the gym rings that Steve mentioned in his playground workout article. Anyway, I hit some solid fitness goals for myself last year and I dig NF, so I thought I'd join the forums and use them as an accountability tool to hit my goals for this year. Brief background on me- I have been chubby to fat my whole life, and until I found running and later, CrossFit, my younger brothers could always kick my butt in sports. I played soccer in HS, but never made the team, and I played rugby for Texas in college, but without distinction (and they took all comers). During senior year in college, I started running and eating "better" (low fat, high carb), and I became for the first time in my teen to adult life, skinny. However, I needed to run 25 mpw to stay that way. When I was looking to get stronger, I found CrossFit in 2005. I've had my ups and downs since then, but I am a confirmed CrossFitter now- even though I dabble in a lot of other stuff too. And, in 2010, I founded FringeSport to sell CrossFit equipment online. Oh, and I am one of the 80/100 paleos these days- 80% clean, 100% of the time. I'm not fat anymore, but I care more about performance than BF% or looks these days. As for my Nerd bonafides, well, I loved sci-f and horror in HS, and I dabbled in fantasy (Tolkien, C.S. Lewis mainly). I read a lot back then, and I was the editor of the HS newspaper, plus the President of the Coin Club (the largest HS coin club in the world, if you can believe it). I loved and am still fond of NES and Super NES games- largely Zelda, Mega Man, and Mario, but I am far from a gamer these days. Here are the fitness milestones that I hit last year: Grace in 4:02Sub 1:30 500m rowHit sub 10% BF for the first time... everCompeted in my first Oly meet... by accident! Totaled 140kg (terrible!)Booked my first fitness modeling gig... also by accident (! Where the #$%^ did that come from?)Won an adventure race in Austin with my team (team FringeSport), and then placed second in a follow-up adventure race when a team of Navy Seals edged us out by 60 seconds (over a 3 hour race)Competed my first GoRuck challenge- I am certified GRT And the fitness milestones that I missed/stopped striving towards: Bench 225Squat 315Dead 405 I'm going to start a log for 2013, but here are my big fitness goals as 2013 opens: Heavy Grace in sub 10 minutes (25 C&J at 225#)5 strung muscle-upsRun an ultra Happy to be here!

Welcome everybody - big or small, old or young, boy or lass, elf or orc, etc Finally! Rises from the ashes, new Ent is born from the earth. Another addition to this fine Rebellion. I want to talk about so many things about me, but who will read all that? After all I am just another Rebel, not different than any others newbies. So instead of writing whole essay here, I will let myself answer 10 MOST IMPORTANT questions about me and so you will have general idea of what kind of ENT I am. 1. Panczo you are so awesome, are you single? Nope, sorry… … hello? Next question? 2. I see you can’t see the sarcasm. Ok then. Tell us who you are? I am 28 male; living in small town in Poland; in relationship with gorgeous lass [she might read that one day so ] 2. What is Start Point for Panczo? I.Skinny and Tall – that what I am. - Height: 6,17 feet = 188cm - Weight: 165,35lbs = 75kg - Body Fat %: 14,50% (it was like 17% 180 days ago) - BMI: 21,2 - Biceps: 12,44 inches = 31,6cm II. Strength: - Pushups – x8 - Pull-Ups – x7 - Plank – 60s - Bench Press: 54kg 3. Star Wars or Lord of the Rings? Always LOTR. But also big fan of Harry Potter. My girlfriend always says that I am like Ronald – silly and goofy. And then I say like: WTH gal?!? Check out those biceps! And then she says like: 'Pleeeeaaaase' and walks away ... So I guess I am kinda like Ron afterall 4. What kind of creature will Panczo be around here? Race: Ent Wanna-Be Half-Dwarf Half-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Profession: Warrior. (one day maybe monk, assasin or druid) 5. So you are an Ent and wanna be what? I got 4 favorite movies: Fellowship of the Ring, Matrix, K-Pax, Titans. Although first movie that make me a movie-lover was Twister. Sorry, just wanna say that. About your question: Yes, I wanna be half-dwarf half-tmnt. I guess I like dwarfs the most of all fantasy races. Unfortunately I can’t be dwarf myself (I am to tall) – but half-dwarf is doable: growing my beard at the moment TMNT is about they skills and look. They healthy, they chill yet responsible when they have to, they muscular and strong, their aerobic and fight skills are freakin awesome, they have good lines, they have their own master and they can eat as much pizza as they want – what else do you want? 6. Good luck with that. Any special skills Panczo? I can solve Rubic’s Cube in under 5 min if that counts? No? I am also writing a fantasy novel – actually Panczo is a name of a dwarf from that novel Not interested? I can fly baby fly!!! Aha now you’re listening heh? Sorry, just kidding. 7. No comment. So what are Panczo’s ultimate goals in fitness? That is a hard question cause they are evolving all the time. But at this moment they looks like this: - Push: First Hand Stand for 30s then Hand Stand Push Up - Pull: 15 pull ups - Legs: Squat 100kgs - Bicep: 14,17 inches = 36cm - Static strength: Human Flag - Aerobics: Back handspring - Out of my comfort zone: Bungee Jumping -> Ski Diving -> Jumping of the high cliff to the water ... Nope, that will never happen ... unless 8. How you train Panczo? Last 4 months I did barbell lifting (SS style). I loved it, but my form (especially squat and DL) was not so great so I decided to GET BACK TO BASICS: I will be doing Body Weight Training now. I also walk 1 mile everyday in the morning and sometimes swim on weekends. I had to left soccer behind and do some clean cooking during that time… Oh you meant how hard I train? Well, I like to train as hard as stone girl! 9. Yeah right! Anyways Panczo, what kind of superpower would you like to have, while you can’t have none? That is easy one: ability to stop the time! Like the girl from “Out of this world†ya know? I could do lots of stuff then and always have time get it? Always have time ha ha ha ... Ok, it dosen't make sense to me either 10. Ok, it becomes creepy so we’ll be ending. Last question Panczo. Very important, are you ready? Here we go… Wait, why the hell do you keep your hand in your pants you sick ****!?!? Uhhmm … You see… uhmm… I was just… It was a rhetorical question moron!!! Oh ok. See you around then right? Right? … Hey! Where did she go? …. That is it folks. Of course if you have any questions for Panczo (they don’t have to be nonsense) go ahead, I will be more then glad to connect with all you guys. Ps. Please don’t be offended by any of these. My sense of humor might be a bid weird but I promise I meant no harm or disrespect. Ps. 2. Forgive me all gramma and spelling mistakes – English isn’t my native language for the Shire!!!

Hello everyone. I have been reading Steve's blog for almost a year. In fact I have been reading a lot of information about the most effective way to lose weight and feel better. I got started with the 4 Hour Body. That lead me to the Primal Blueprint. I have been mostly Primal for over a year, and when doing what I know is best for me, I feel great. Afternoon slump? Gone. IBS? Cured. And like most people around here, my main motivation was weight loss. I started at 220 lbs with a goal of 170. At my best I got down to 180, but then I got cocky. It was so easy that I didn't think I needed to be so particular. BIG MISTAKE!. I am currently back up to 200. A number I never wanted to see again. More importantly, all the new clothes I bought for my new (old) waist are too tight. I will NOT buy fat pants again. I have my nerd membership card. My best time on the original Super Mario is 12:41. I am eagerly awaiting the release of A Memory of Light. And I have an addiction to World of Warcraft. But unlike most nerds, my problem is an over abundance of confidence. I think I can do anything. And That lack of humility has packed a bag of butter on my ass. I know it works. I have lost 40 lbs. I know it feels awesome. What I don't know is why I started sabotaging myself. Well, I am looking for some small compelling habits that will allow me to change for the better. I am really looking forward to the next six week challenge. I have been a warrior in the past but like Caramon from the Dragonlance books, when the war was over, I let my muscle turn to fat. Now the world needs saving, and I have a job of work ahead of me to do my part. I can't wait to start the six week challenge. Expect goals focused on small activities that will prime me for lasting change. It's nice to meet you all. And I look forward to keeping each other accountable to doing what is best for us. Change is coming.