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Heya people. Muhammad Zaid here, can call me Zaid or babyzee(well nobody every called me that except for my ex) but anyway. Hi and I'm glad I find an awesome forum that isn't too serious like bodybuilding.com. Forums like that ends up demoralising me.Lol. I kind of forgot where can i read up on the different classes attributes and stats. I've always like magic based though. Anyone can send me a link. I can't find it since yesterday.

I'm in the middle of the Level up your life book now. Its been really helpful in a crazy time. I'm joining the forum to meet other people trying to level up and hopefully find friends and support to. Short background: I've been building a company for the last 8 years only to find myself painting myself into a corner of a life I don't want. My partners a jerk, I sit at a desk all day and I can't live my own life. The sad part is I've known this for maybe the last 4 years but haven't been able to find my way out of it. Two weeks ago I told my partners I was leaving, I wanted to sell my shares of the company and go. Its been a war ever since. I will probably end up with not a lot of money, and having to start over new. I'm hoping the decision I've made is the right one, and I'm hoping I can now start working toward a life of happiness, and fulfillment, and greatness. The super me is a performer, is a world champion, a traveler and an adventurer. I've been building this side of my life for a few years now not knowing if it would ever go anywhere or if it ever will. It may or may not but above all else I want to find happiness, peace and freedom under my own terms. I was building this side of my life as an escape from the life I hated. I don't want to escape anymore to feel better for a little while, I want to be free. Me (SevenChan.com, TanksForAmerica.com)

Hey guys and gals! I am Chanel and I am excited to join the community and connect with you all about what is important to us all - fitness and our well being! I have always been active and been in pretty good shape, but not until recently did I really commit to making a conscience effort to make this a habit. I am excited to continue to better myself and see where this takes me. Feel free to drop me a line and say "hi" :-)

Hey everyone, So to preface, I "joined" NF something like 3 years ago, but I don't think I ever did anything with it. In the intervening three years, a whole lot of life happened. I moved, and moved, and moved again. I met someone, we started dating, and then we got engaged last year. We're getting married this November. I've also gained about 90 pounds in the last three years. I'm now at my highest weight pretty much ever. Both my fiancé and I are above the 400 lb mark right now. We are both doing Weight Watchers, which has worked for us in the past, but we've hit a rough patch with a change of jobs and a lot of stress for us this year, with the wedding and family stuff. We recently got together with a friend who is for lack of a better term a fitness coach. They are going to be providing us with a diet that is essentially Paleo, maybe a bit modified, and then a workout plan, but they won't be there with us during the workouts. I am still hoping to maybe find a personal trainer, but right now funds are tight, with saving for the wedding, honeymoon, and my fiancé is also looking for teaching jobs across all of Texas, so we're preparing to potentially move. What motivates me: My fiancé, obviously. We have a lot of big goals. I am trying to start a business, we both want to travel the world and eventually we both want to open a theatre somewhere. We want to have children and to be fit enough to keep up with the kids and also to be a healthy role model for them. I also want to live an active lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle, and I want to live a long time, obviously. What I'm interested in: Fitness-wise, I'm interested in weight loss, strength training, muscle building, yoga & martial arts (both things I want to try but haven't done), swimming, and running. I remember when I used to run as a kid in PE, it was the best feeling ever. Otherwise, I'm interested in theatre, opening and running my own business, and I love animals and the great outdoors. We've both discussed moving to a place with a better emphasis on health, fitness, and the outdoors. We live in Texas, and it's hard to do things outdoors sometimes because of how hot it can be and we both really love the beach, and that's obviously no where near us, living in the DFW area. We've considered Colorado or California as places to eventually look, but right now we're going to be in Texas, and we want to make the best of it. I don't know what I hope to get out of this forum yet, but I'm hoping to find support, some new ideas, and knowledge.

Hello, everyone. I know that this is a friendly and supportive community; my shyness is just some concerns that I perhaps don't belong. I think if I were to post a picture of myself, people would laugh and say that I shouldn't worry about being fit and healthy. I look good: 5 ft. 4 in. (162.5 cm) tall and weighing 121 lbs (54.9 kg). So, what's my hangup? What's my motivation for joining Nerd Fitness? Honestly, it's my body image issues. Specifically, my issues with my stomach/tummy/abdomen. It will distend and swell depending on what I eat and how much I eat. It's natural (morning) form is a small pooch around and below my navel. I know I'm not the most healthy person, but I have been exercising and watching what I eat since January, but my downfall is consistency. I frequently break when I have a hard day, or if friends want to meet and celebrate, or if I'm feeling depressed and can't motivate myself to workout. I've been stalking the site for a few weeks; the articles get me really excited and make me think my goals are reachable. I got the starter pack emails and get updates about new articles on the website. I'm hoping maybe I can find more motivation for myself if I participate in the forums. Well, geez. Thanks for reading all of that glum stuff! Here's a pic of a puppy as a reward.

hello, all! i'm new here. i'm pretty small, partial to pastries, more inclined to sit and read than go for a run. really love nature and cats. currently, i'm studying abroad in a totally foreign country and have been a bit over my head, hit by culture-shock, bad anxiety, and isolation. i'd really like to get back on track and because i feel my mind and body are so connected, here i am! i'm visiting the druid group because i love yoga and definitely need some more balance and reflection in my life. with that lil introduction over, here's what i'd like to implement in the next month to challenge myself... daily: journal, meditation (ten minutes), yoga (thirty minutes), 2L water weekly: run ten miles total, attend all classes (11 total) diet: budget/record spending on groceries, no cooking with meat, less cooking with dairy i want to find myself- find balance and routine again- feel at home with myself- i haven't felt healthy in my mind or body for the past few months since arriving here. i would love any and all suggestions! what are good ways to achieve these goals? peace, toughhobbit

Greetings fellow Nerds!s My name is Brian Aka the Yellow Back Warrior (Nickname Yellowback was given to me by my friends while I was deployed) I currently reside in Central Texas. I am an INFP or introvert in simpler terms. 24 years young, Father of one cat lmao, Otaku, Car enthusiast. During the day I am a Sergeant in the Army that serves as IT. I've deployed twice in my career once to Afghanistan and another to Kuwait. During the night I am a wannabe Power Lifter. I am not new to fitness I've been "Bro Lifting" for the last 4 years but I've recently fell in love with Power Lifting when I was introduced to a military sponsored Power Lifting Competition back in 2014 (in Kuwait). I've been training ever since then during my nights. Although I've competed in MWR (Military Welfare and Recreation) Power lifting events. I have not competed in any organization. Some of my accomplishments were 3rd Best deadlift in my weight class and 2nd in bench. My last total was 1205 @227 lbs. Enough about my life story lol, A few of my hobbies consist of Anime (Very avid fan), Watching bodybuilding.and reading and playing MMOs. I've actually recently quit MMOs in order to focus more on reading and furthering my current education. Some of my goals which I will mark down as levels here soon, is to total over 1600 and reach elite in the USAPL or any similar federations before I turn 30, Work on my aesthetics , Find the love of my life, relearn to play the piano. The list goes on and will be more organized as soon as I put it into a leveling scheme !

Hello, Assassins! This challenge is starting a bit late, given that I was "off the grid" for spring break to live for a few days in a rural farmhouse... long story... Since this is my first challenge with the Assassins' Guild, here's a little about me: - My previous challenge - My backstory TL, DR version: 24-year-old former (soon-to-be-current?) parkour enthusiast, Washington, DC inhabitant, with slightly insane long-term endurance running goals. I hope to get involved quickly and get to know more of you soon! Now, without further ado... Talos Builds His Arsenal This challenge will probably be a step down in intensity from my last, since I'll be kicking it off by finishing the big goal that most of the prior month was building toward - my first half marathon! With that out of the way, though, I'm hoping to build up my "arsenal" of bodyweight skills, now that I'm joining the Guild. For starters, I'm going to shoot for improving some basics that I've tried at in the past, but failed due to not having a dependable practice schedule. Reliability is something I improved on a lot with my last challenge, so I'm going to use this month as an opportunity to take another stab at these. Ideally, I'd like to post a video as proof of each of these! Skills: - Complete a round-off. A couple years ago I picked up a slight hip injury that really killed my ability to do some basic skills I used to enjoy, e.g., cartwheeling and round-offs. Previously I was working on aerials, which I would love (LOVE) to actually achieve in the future - but first I need this foundation. Thus, re-learning the round-off. - Five handstand wall push-ups. This is just basic strength improvement. My shoulder strength is one of my weak spots, so this will help with the next goal... - 15-second freestanding hand stands! 'Nuff said. Something I've tried in the past, improved on, but just never practiced enough to get good at. No reason I can't pull this off if I stick with it. Life: - Build 20 'mind palace' rooms. This one probably sounds weird, but I'm serious. Remember those scenes in Sherlock where he goes into a trance to pull up some random bit of information? That's actually a real thing; it's a memory training technique called the "Method of Loci", and it's been used to win memory championships and memorize huge amounts of texts. Anyway, it's a skill I've picked up and want to develop to a fuller potential - because let's face it . . . an Assassin's best weapon is his mind. Each "room" holds a handful of pieces of information, usually related. I have maybe seven or eight set at the moment, and am a bit rusty, so this will be a fun return to form. Oh, and I'll still be running and stuff, because long-term goals. But this will be a fun challenge.

Hello, I just joined this adventure today. I am looking forward to losing weight and getting in shape. I find this concept very interesting and hope it motivates me to achieve my goals.

Good evening guys, I am finally in this community, I have read the book from Steve and I really liked the idea of trying out this. I am going to be 21 this year so I want to start right away at improving my life and getting this done. I want to accomplish personal goals and to grow up with you. I hope I can interact with you all in a productive and positive manner. Thanks for reading, Greetings from Mexico.

of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew'd, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined, The question, O me! so sad, recurring -- What good amid these, O me, O life?Answer. That you are here -- that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. The first thing I thought when I first came here was, "What if I drown amidst this gargantuan forum?". So many posts and threads bombarded my sight, it feels daunting to even start lurking here. Then this poem popped into my head. It portrays how I currently feel quite accurately and reminds me that as vast as life or this forum may be and as insignificant as I may feel in the face of it, I can still contribute something of myself and that makes all the difference. So hello, how are you and do you happen to love "Dead Poets Society"? Because that is my ultimate favourite movie ever. Omgletsgushaboutitplease. And you, whoever you are, strolling around the Introduction forums, be it other newbies like me who are looking to feel less alone in this huge place or regulars who enjoy greeting fresh bloods, I just think that you must be a very warm, friendly individual or in a serious need of collecting good karma. Now I should probably share my health goals. Its been a long while since I last checked my measurements and last I remember it was 143 lbs, 4'9". I aim to lose 2 pounds 4 weeks from now. I know, I know, I'm starting small. I've done the beginner's bodyweight workout twice this week and I jog 20 - 40 minutes 3 times per week. So I'm not concerned about staying loyal to my exercise routines...it's my diet that I'm devastated with. I live with my family and we eat a lot of carbs and never enough vegetables. I ate a slice of pizza for dinner last night for goodness sake! I need a buddy to pair up with and help keep me disciplined on eating healthier. Anyone want to be my diet buddy? Would be a bonus if you're a (South East) Asian like myself since you'll understand my palate. I'm planning on cooking for myself more and more often so I can control my nutrition and calorie intake. Also, anyone else use myfitnesspal as a daily food journal? Let me know so we can add each other and learn what good things to eat. For those of you struggling to manage a healthy diet like me, holler at me and could you please tell me how you improve your situation? 'tis a pleasure to meet everyone!

Hello, everyone! I've been in and out of the NerdFitness arena for a few months now. I'm a nursing student and have had a lot of trouble keeping motivated, finding time, and just keeping my sanity in general. I just recently have found my inspiration and motivation to forge ahead. I was excited to come across this forum so I could connect, support, and compete with my fellow rebels. I look forward to getting to know and working with you guys! -Neeko

This is my first challenge, so the Rebel camp seems like a good place to start! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Challenge This month, I'm building habits so solid even an Uruk-hai couldn't bust 'em. I've realized I've had a lot of good interests, athletic experiments, and even a couple fun hobbies (or wanna-be future hobbies), but if I don't get better at regularly investing time in the ones that are important to me, I won't get very far. So, as befits a first challenge, this is going to be a "back to basics" kind of month. To that end, these are the habits I really need as a foundation for EVERYTHING I want to accomplish in the future: basic protein/nutrition, regular workout times, and time for prayer/meditation/reflection. The only exception is my running goal. Two weeks after this challenge ends, I'm running the DC Rock 'n' Roll half marathon. I've never run a half marathon before, so this is kind of a crazy thing... Regardless, I need to top out at about 13 miles max with my runs at the end of the challenge period if I want to survive. Gazelle mode, activate! The Goals Diet/Fitness: - Get my rear to the gym/trail each afternoon for my preset workouts (either Stronglifts weight training or my running plan). Both are written out... I just have to do them! - Increase protein intake on a daily basis (I'm still not sure how much I need, total. Expert advice welcomed!) - By the end of the challenge, run 13 miles in one session. (!!!) Life: - Prayer/meditation at least 20 minutes a day. I really need this one. This month is all about getting better at being dependable, so if you guys can keep me honest and reliable with my workouts, that would be amazing. I'll link up XP counts for each goal sometime soon, once I figure that out. For death and glory! For Rohan!

So I was going through the classes the other night, as I am kinda new, and thought.. hmm.. I'm kind of a warrior, but strength training won't be my only focus.. I'm kind of a Ranger, but also kind of a Scout.. Somewhere in between is where I really fit.. I hate running, but everything else? Love it... Here's my idea: A class that focuses on other outdoor sports but not running.. maybe sprinkle a little in there occasionally for those that do like it, but skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cycling, rollerblading, hiking (backpacking too) We could be called Juggernauts. We are hardcore and we use sophisticated tools to help us kill it, whether it is a wheeled steed of steel to aid our treacherous path across the lands, or we travel silently like a rogue, shredding new paths in the back-country snow. But then when we can't get outdoors to continue our epic adventure, we maintain top form in the weight room... Yay, nay? I had a whole post written out and it was awesome... then my laptop died....LOL Rebecca

Hey yo! I'm new around here and looking for a little support in the trying-something-new-and-potentially-dangerous realm About me: I'm a petite mid thirties girl (and Minecraft freak), and have spent the past 4 months loosing about 20 lbs. When I started I was doing HIIT workouts 3x a week, but that only lasted about 6 weeks before I had to put it on hold due to an unrelated injury. Fortunately, eating clean and walking was enough to keep the weight loss going through the holidays, but I'm all healed up now and doing basic, (mostly) body weight circuits at home regularly. (Some KBs, some hand weights & bands.) I'm pretty close to my goal weight, maybe 5 more lbs to go, and am interested in getting started at a gym for heavy lifting to tighten up. As much as I don't want to admit it to myself, I'm intimidated by the weight room. I've been doing my research here and all over, but I've never done any lifting and don't really know what I'm looking at. I'm also new to my area and don't know anyone I can buddy up with to make the whole thing seem less scary. I don't want to hurt myself, but I'm ready to take things to a new level (and maybe make some new gym friends...?) Has anyone had this experience? Any advise for a weight room noob? I have a gym in mind where I dig the atmosphere, but haven't committed yet. Any advise would be greatly appreciated! ~Cheers! (edited for typos!)

About me I've been around the forum for a bit, not really posting - just reading. That changes - starting now. Im starting lifting (5x5) on my own and thought I'd share my experience - hopefully get some help and advice too!! Im 5'3 and around 55kg (haven't weighed in a while - so who knows) goals 1) 3 workouts per week (mon,wed,fri) Alternating 2 different workouts which I will post here 2) Sleep 8 hours each night As a student I find this very tough - between nights out, early lectures and Netflix I think this goal will be really hard to do. I'll be tracking my sleep on an app on my phone as a rough guide. 3) Plan my weeks activities in advance Every Sunday or Wednesday sort out what I'm doing over the next few days, essay deadlines lab reports.... all that fun stuff. So far.. 1) I've been doing the workouts for the past few weeks - only twice a week though, so I'm upping it to 3 times as of next week 2) I've got much better at saying no to midweek nights out and late night TV marathons.. still have a way to go with this 3) not made any real progress on this so far... now I'm accountable to others and committed to planning I will make progress on this goal. boring? possibly. mischief managed!

Hey rebels! I'm Talos - I've been a member of the Rebellion for . . . a long time, actually (since 2012 or before, maybe?), but I've barely dipped my toe into the community until now. But the stars have aligned, so to speak, and I think this would be a great time to get to know everyone. I'm still not fully committed to a guild; I used to focus heavily on Assassin techniques - training parkour skills, bodyweight exercise, the like - but in the last couple years I discovered a bit of an affinity for the Scout life in my endurance running workouts (I have my first-ever half marathon coming up!), and my newest project is trying out regular free weight training for the first time. Consider me open to recruiting! My main goal right now: Get consistent. I'm in pretty good health at the moment, but I'm sort of a jack of all trades, master of none, mainly because I've sucked at sticking to a regular plan for most of my workouts. Right now I want to start by getting myself ready for my half marathon in two months, with my experimental weight training where it fits. After that, who knows? Last, but never least, I'm what you might call an amateur alchemist: Cooking has always been my first love - especially when curries are involved. Mmmm, curry. I hope to get to know a bunch of you soon! (Fun fact: my name originally came from the story of the Cretan automaton in Greek mythology, not The Elder Scrolls games... but The Elder Scrolls is wonderful.)

Hello Adventurers! I'm fairly new to Nerd Fitness and looking to start a challenge (plus make some friends while doing this). For Christmas I received a Fitbit, so some of my goals below will be easier to track with it. BTW, here's to a new year... Goal #1 (Diet) - Have a salad, fruit, or veggie each day. Goal #2 (Diet) - Cook one healthy meal at home per week. Goal #3 (Fitness) - Walk 5k steps per weekday and 8k on weekend days. One day my goal will be 10k steps. Goal #4 (LUYL) - Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Eventually the goal will be 8 hours of sleep, but I barely get 6 or 7 now. To follow along with my progress, please click here. Points (out of 104): Goal #1 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) Goal #2 - 5 points per week if a meal is made (max. 20) Goal #3 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) Goal #4 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) A = >92 B = 92-83 C = 82-72 D = 71-62 F = <62

Let's level up! If you are looking to work on your goals with someone else I can be your Sidekick! So I am a woman in my 30's and I live in Upstate New York, in Albany. I'm a Druid...I love dance, yoga, biking, helping others and lots of artistic endeavors. I am recently recovering from injury. My aim is to tighten up my muscles, continue strength training, yoga and a bit of weight loss. I am also curious about basic Krav Maga techniques, which I hope will help boost my self-confidence as I just moved into the city. I hope to find someone who is positive and supportive like I am. I would like for us to help each other virtually, online...or if someone is near my area we could discuss other options and modes of communication. I am really excited to work with someone so we can help boost another success. Who's up for it?

Hello! I found nerdfitness on instagram by looking for (stalking) the paleodiet community. Assassin seems to be the guild I belong to according to the quizlet on the forum..but I identify with the druids too. Let's see where life takes me Most people call me Aidy. I'm 23. I was 95 kgs last year , I'm 65~67 kgs now. 5 feet 3 inches tall. Yoga , light weightlifting ( a maximum of 35 kg) ,long walks (6 hours plus) twice a week are my current 'exercise regimen'. I am going to try out rock climbing and cycling soon. I'm a psychologist and a polyglot. And I love dogs. Just saying hi!. Everyone here seems very lovely. I plan on joining the next challenge. Too late for the current one.

Hey everyone! So a year after abandoning my physical health in order to focus on studies, i've finally decided to start paying more attention to my health, although the most important exams of my life are closer than ever. One of the reasons i'm doing this is because the last thing i want is to fall ill right before my papers. I need to get fit again. I WANT to get fit again. MY GOALS They're pretty simple really. I have long term goals and short term goals. SHORT TERM GOALS 1. Be capable of doing 100 body-weight squats and 1000 skips with my jump-rope on any given day. 2. Gradually lower coffee consumption to about a cup every 4-5 days. 3. Stop eating when i'm bored. 4. My arm strength is ZERO, LITERALLY ZERO. Any help is welcome. 5. If I'm not sleeping or working out, i should be studying. LONG TERM GOALS. 1. Ace my exam. 2. Become capable of running 10k on any given day (I could do that earlier). 3. Become strong enough to climb onto the second story balcony of my building from the outside. I'll be keeping a log of my progress. Any one who shares the same goals, or would like to offer me help on working ion my arms (my experience with weights is nonexistent) please reply --Nia

Hey, y'all. I'm here to regain some measure of fitness. I'm a disabled veteran who nevertheless managed to keep more or less fit once I got out of the Army, only to really let myself go over the last year due to the double whammy of illness and finally winding up in a desk job. I like hiking, Pilates, and also running, but am on an indefinite hiatus from that last because of several bulging discs. I'm kind of interested in lifting weights, but I have nerve damage in one arm and hand that might make that impractical. Got to get my doctor to bless off on it first, anyway. Hmm. Trying to think what other kinds of exercise I enjoy. I keep wanting to like yoga, but being told to relax makes me tense. It's just not my bag, I guess. Anyway, I mainly made an account to do this six week challenge that starts tomorrow.

Where to begin? I'll start by saying I am a 24 year-old Canadian girl. I'm 5'3", weighing ????? pounds (I'll get to that later), looking to really commit to getting my butt in shape!! Literally and figuratively speaking. I need to go back a bit to explain. A long time ago, in a city far far away.... For the longest time I was kept in decent shape by a physically demanding job, but then I was promoted to an office job. A financial "Yay!" but a physical "Oh no". I quickly went from weighing about 115lbs to 150lbs. Ouch. Over and over again I told myself I would get in shape, but I could never commit. Until about a couple months ago. I am doing great! I'm really trying to stick to mostly healthy eating as well as working out most days of the week. It also helped that I STOPPED weighing myself! I have no idea what I weigh right now and it's incredibly liberating. I realize that the scale is what made me stop every other time. Since your weight doesn't properly reflect how well you're doing, it was always a disappointment and very discouraging. Now that I am more determined than ever, I NEED SOME HELP. I need anything I can get ESPECIALLY support. Unfortunately my friends, and fiance, are all gaming nerds with 0 interest in being healthy, so I am on my own here. I'll tell you where I am at right now: Every Sunday and Thursday I take a 1 hour Iyengar yoga class (cutting back to one soon for financial reasons). 1-2 times a week I go to the gym with for 1-2 hours, usually focusing on either my arms or my legs (mostly machine-work for my legs). At home I switch it up quite a bit. From running on my treadmill for 20 minutes or so (attempting HIIT training), or doing awesome and short Youtube "Blogilate" workouts. As far as food goes, I am REALLY trying to eat healthy. Overeating is my weakness...and cheese...mmm...cheese (I'm never giving that up though). It's tough to find time to prep and cook dinner every night (if I don't cook, it's pizza or KD for dinner), So I'm also looking for great, healthy recipes that I can prep ahead of time, use the slow cooker and/or freeze. I also need some MAJOR support here. It's incredibly hard to eat healthy and properly living with someone that is determined to eat and buy junk all the time, as well as argues with me about what is good food and what is not. This also causes a lot of food to go to waste. If I don't eat fresh food right away, it's garbage. Did I also mention that I love playing video and computer games?!? It's true. So far I'm proud of myself for staying away from a new WoW subscription. Although I could probably resist the temptation on my own, it's nearly impossible with a certain someone I care about, begging, bribing, and reasoning with me to join him in doing some LFR (as in al of them) dungeons, daily quests etc. I also have incredibly low self-esteem. I need to stay positive and I just need someone to keep me on track! Someone I can talk to on a regular basis about healthy eating, new techniques and overall encouragement...and you know, I can also be won over with talks about Fantasy novels (esp. WoT...I have a Moiraine costume), Star Wars, Firefly, WoW, Diablo, and you know, general awesome things like that. Help me Rebels, You're my only hope!

Hello everyone, Where do I begin? This is probably the saddest I've ever been in my life. An artist and entrepreneur who has had mild success but hasn't reached a consistent revenue stream yet. Somehow I still managed to fall in love and find the woman of my dreams. At the moment of writing this post I have a negative balance in my bank account. I weigh the most I have ever weighed in my life with a nice high body fat percentage to go with it. I'm extremely out of shape. This time last year I was hitting the gym 6 days a week. I did it for almost 8 months straight. Then I landed a "dream job" that ended up taking all of my time and stressing me out. Thats when I began going to the gym less and eating unhealthy more. A few months into the job a good friend of mine asked me to take a leap of faith and quit my job to join his start-up...I jumped. Its been extremely stressful and really taking a toll on me and my life. I spend most of my time hunched over a laptop with little to know breaks or physical activity. I started drinking more too. It feels like every time I look down at my gut it gets bigger and bigger. Last night I hit a breaking point. I got drunk and acted out of character. My awesome fiance called me out on it today and it has put things in perspective for me. I'm going to down a dark path. So I decided to google fitness forums. Last week I saw a video about a virtual bully that joined a health forum and it changed his life. He dropped his old ways lost half 3/4 of his body weight (he was in the ball park of 600-700 lbs.) He said it wasn't possible with the help and encouragement of the forum members. I'm broke, and really sad. I don't know if any one will even read this but this is a cry for help. I want to change my life for good. I want to get in the best shape of my life. I hope someone sees this, I could really use the help. I'm tired of being good, I want to be great. If there's anyone out there listening, I don't have any more to offer but maybe we can do a trade-off. I paint and am a graphic-designer by trade. I hope to hear from some one soon. In trust, 2

Where to begin. I'm obviously new here. I am very excited to find this site, however. I've always been comfortable pursuing and enjoying whatever interests me (I guess that's called being a "nerd" now) and I've been mindful of health and fitness my whole life as well. This site seems like a really great mix place for support, community, encouragement, and education. Let's get the stat-dump out of the way. Species: Human Age: 29 Sex: Male Height: 5'11 Weight: 165 lbs. Recent Picture: Here's me, looking tired, after helping a friend move As this community is the fusion of Nerdiness and Fitness, I'll introduce the two sides of me: Nerd: I've always loved Fantasy and SciFi. I've been a Dungeons and Dragons player since I was in high school (Thorin, level 1 Fighter) and I started playing PC games on our old 386 when I was about 6. I have played many (admittedly, too many) video games since then. Lots of Diablo II and Vanilla World of Warcraft as a teen. Favorites have been . . . opens Steam account Fallout 3, BF2142, Left4Dead, and DayZ, among many others. #1 spot goes to LoZ: Ocarina of Time. I love the Zelda series and OOT will always hold a very special place in my heart. Other "nerdy" interests, aside from the tabletop gaming that I don't think I'll ever give up, have been PC tinkering and recently quadcopters. Fitness: I am fortunate that I have grown up in a family that was generally healthy. As a result, for most of my life I have been rather conscious of health and fitness. I feel like I was also lucky to get pretty good "base stats." Good immune system, no significant medical problems, and a metabolism I can barely keep fed. I wrestled in High School for 3 years, and in my adult life I have lifted weights on-and-off with wildly varying regularity, focus, and intensity. I've been eating between 75% and 95% Paleo for longer than I know exactly. Over a year. I really believe in the principles of the lifestyle and it was already pretty close to what I was eating. I don't drink soda at all. Sugar truly is white death. Exercise aside, I feel fantastic on Paleo, my parents tried it for about 6 months and lost quite a bit of weight (not a goal for me) and had much more energy. My dad, for example, went from about 215 to 185. I am trying to convince myself to like running. I sit a desk all day (IT work) and I know I'm not doing my heart any favors just letting it sit around, so occasionally I'll put on shorts and run 3-4 miles. So, why am I here? -Lots of reasons. So far, this community seems really cool. I struggle with motivation sometimes (bed feels so good) and I think by connecting with other people, I'll challenge myself to stick with the plans I make for myself. So "making friends" is on the list. aww -Achievements! I know we "work out to improve ourselves" and all that, but the idea of getting EXP and leveling up for being healthy is just too cool to pass up. -Track my progress. Scribbling weights down on a paper in my gym shorts isn't nearly as cool as recording my progress on a forum. -Motivation. Lately, I'd started a new lifting schedule and was really enjoying it. Going pretty regularly, putting on some weight and really starting to feel a strength difference over a few months. I was cooking well, eating well, even running a fair bit (ok, like once a week maybe). Then I got dumped. It really took the wind out of my sails. My gym bag just sits there. My running shoes do the same. My "95%" Paleo diet has turned into "Paleo + Beer, donuts, and pizza." Beer for dinner, drinking coffee again, back to a terrible sleep schedule - the works. The whole ordeal really took the wind out of my sails, and while breaking up is always hard mentally, I know its been bad for me physically as well. Geez, I feel like I should have been laying on a couch for that sob story. Nothing like getting it all out, huh? So anyway, that's me. I'm going to poke around the forums and read about the guilds, check out some profiles, and hopefully start up my own little progress thread. If you made it this far, thanks for reading all this! Feel free to say hi! - Dash