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Well helloooo, all you fine and foxy Monks! I'm back and ready for business to bust out this 6-week challenge before Christmas rolls around. Ohh yes, it's that holiday season challenge time. Will we be able to meet our goals while navegating all the craziness that this time of the year inevitably brings? Only time will tell! It's a rather good test for me though, because this challenge for me is all about BUILDING HABITS. If I can make these habits work in November/December, there's no way I can't make them work the rest of the year! Habits are built by taking repeated action, so I'm going to have to REALLY be bringing the action to make these guys stick. Goal #1- Muay Thai Training Punch punch punch. Now that my week has freed up substantially (I'm happy to say that my outpatient program for EDs is nearly complete!), I'll be able to make more MT classes. If the potential is there, it's up to me to realize it! Goal- Attend Muay Thai classes 2x per week. Goal #2- Fitness it Up! Getting those abbbbbs. Alright, not really. But I liked the rhythm I was getting into on the last challenge doing some exercise three days a week in the mornings before work. So Let's make that a habit, shall we? Goal- Interval Training/Conditioning 3x per week (for less than 30 min) (See? I've got a time cap on there and everything! Not only am I super responsible, but I'm gonna make it to work on time. Double super responsible.) Goal #3- Eat for a Happy Belly (bye, FODMAPs!) (Disclaimer; hard cheeses and berries are generally considered fine. Thank goodness, because they're amazing together) So all my life I've had a super sensitive stomach. In fact, it kind of goes beyond that, I have hereditary issues that have crippled myself and members of my family from the inside for as long as anyone can remember. For a long time I just sort of took pills and avoided dairy. But one of the big current advantages of my eating disorder rehabilitation is bouncing things off of a nutritionist constantly; now that I'm comfortable eating (because eating's the best), we're starting to focus on what's up with my insides, how can we heal them, and what kind of foods make me feel good or bad. Turns out there's this way of eating that's supposed to help folks with digestive stuffs, and it's about limiting FODMAPs, which are types of sugars (essentially) found in certain foods. I read the list, and things immediately began to click. So for the third goal, I'm going to give this as good a shot as I can to see if I start to feel better. I have high hopes! Goal- Eat more low-FODMAP foods on a regular basis (and cook at least 1 NEW recipe per week). I'm going to score this day-by-day. A day where I mindfully eat few FODMAP foods will be a win. THere will be some testing thrown in too, just to see how I react. It's an experiment. LIFE GOAL - Back to School Hahaha, alright, not actually going to school formally. A BA's enough for me right now. But I have this job, where I get to do the coolest things, involving making marketing art/designs for video games. I also have this insatiable drive to get better at stuff! So I want to supplement my skills with extra training, and find some great online classes that inspire me! Goal- Start and complete an online creative course. I've actually already chosen one! It's going to be a Learning to Storyboard class (which is super appropriate to my work, we do cinematics a lot), and I can't wait to start! Heck, I can't wait to start on ALL of these! I'm treating tonight as the first night of the challenge; after all, habits are in it for the long haul!

Hey again! Back for challenge #6 for me. I've changed my motivation to include my hubby. Gotta be healthy to have a long life together! I will post a pic of it pasted to my bathroom mirror if I figure out how to do so. It's a pic of hubby and son with the words: Motivation: To be healthy and strong, so I am a good example for my son, and so I am around to watch him grow. Also for my husband and our life together. Yeah, the grammer sucks. That last bit isn't a real sentence. Main Goals: 1. Work out 6 days/week, at least 30 minutes. Will measure effectiveness with Insanity Fit test every 2 weeks, and 5k times. Weights 2 days per weekPlyo 2 days per weekrun 1 day per week (5k)yoga/stretch 1 day per weekSTR +1, STA +2, DEX +3, CHA +1 2. Follow nutrition plan. 3 cheats/week allowed. 1700 - 2000 cal/day. at least 100g protein/dayveggie/fruit + protein with each meal1500-2000ml H2O each daySTA +1, CON +2 3. Do a pullup by end of challenge. Currently I can do 5 partials (feet flat on the floor, bar about 6" over my head). use 50 Pullups app 3 days/week. STR +1, DEX +1 Life Quest Goal: Call one family member each week (sisters, Mom & Dad). We do communicate, but it's mostly by text, and I'd like to reach out and have a real conversation. Especially with my sister who's half the country away. WIS +1, CHA +1 Side Goal: Do 10 pushups every day with good form. Right now I can do 5-7, then I have to drop to my knees (knees count toward total). Once I get to 10 pushups, I'll make the goal 15... etc. STR +1 I will be tracking the nutrition stuff with MyFitnessPal (link in signature). I have a spreadsheet to track pushups and workouts. I will be posting the workouts in my battle log (link in signature). Water intake tracked on the Fitbit app (link in signature). 95-100% A, 80-95% B, 70-80% C, 60-70% D. Let the Challenge begin!

Rebells, Look what I found: http://www.businessinsider.com/our-war-on-fat-was-a-huge-mistake-graphs-2013-11 Enjoy and spread the word! -Doc Barretta

This challenge has some very awkward timing for my big picture plan. Those of you who popped into my thread on the last challenge know that I was still going strong on my recomposition. It was easily defined. Gain lean mass and drop body fat via resistance training and nutrition. Over the next month or two, I will be slowly transitioning from my recomp into a lean gain cycle. This is going to make my numbers look very stagnant for the most part…..but I want to get bigger and stronger while maintaining low bodyfat…..so this is going to be a slow and methodical process….and somewhat boring to observer…. On to the goals…. Main Quest - Stay on the Master Plan Nutritional Goals Hit my planned macros within +/-5g of each every day with exception of refeed days (CON: +2)Smoothly transition from my current recomposition into a lean gain cycle (WIS: +1 , STA +1)I plan on doing this in a very smooth and methodical fashion.I am not suddenly going to start eating 4000 calories a day. Training Goals Continue the war on gravity and try to get strongerThis will evolve from my current recomp-style training into something more exotic as I transition to my lean gain this fall (STR: +2)Continue to strengthen and rehab my right knee and safely work around all of my nicks and dings: (DEX: +3)destroyed my right knee 2 years ago….multiple surgeries etc…old rotator cuff tearhot elbowbeing old…lolOptional: Not sure if I will be on enough of a caloric surplus to do so within the next 6 weeks, but I have made some significant strength gains this summer and I want to test some of my 1-RMs. Record Good Data (WIS: +2) This is a huge regret of mine. Six years ago, I was at all-time strength levels….and I have some memories of the more epic reps and misses…..but I have no record of how I was training or what I was eating. Sad. I want to record every rep in the gym, every calorie I eat, weekly weight and bodyfat, and full body measurements at least monthlyTake more pictures, put dates on the file names! Level Up My Life Goal - Be a good nerd fitness community member and contributor (WIS: +2 , CHA: +2) This is an open letter to all and an invitation to use my thread as an open forum to ask questions about and discuss all things nutrition and supplements….and I am especially talking those lurkers who are shy and afraid to ask the "dumb question." There are no dumb questions in my thread. I have learned many things over the years through trial, error, success and failure. I feel like I have a lot to share with others….and especially the message: NOTHING can change your body and your well-being like nutrition can. You can do endless reps in the weight room…..you can run every marathon in your region…..but the true catalyst in reaching your goals (whether it is to get bigger, stronger or faster) is going to be the execution of a good nutritional plan. Now, I am not saying that I can create custom nutritional plans for everyone…..there just isn't enough time…..but I really hope to give people the tools they need to make the right decisions in building a great plan. How to find caloric targets, how to find good macro splits, what to eat and when depending upon the situation and the like……I want it to be wide open and public. That way, anyone who stumbles upon our conversation will stand to benefit. Additionally, I see it every day…..people throwing their hard-earned money away on useless supplements. Don't get me wrong…..there are absolute must have supplements that I use on a daily basis…..I am not trying to ram some homeopathic message down your throat. But I do want you to avoid spending $80 on a magic fat burning pill when you could have bought a weeks' worth the groceries with it instead. We are all in this together! Edit: we are doing a "suppleement of the week!" Stop in to discuss and debate on the most widely used/hated supplements! Week 1: Creatine Week 2: HMB Week 3: Whey & Casein Hydrolysate Protein Powder Some caveats: I am not terribly creative with food….I have my go-to things….but when it comes to turning ground beef into a delicacy, thankfully Ash, Kiwi and YellowJacket will be stopping in to join the fray….their acumen to making food more palatable dwarfs my own. I am not really a jack-of-all trades when it comes to programming weight training. I definitely know how to train to get bigger and change your body composition…..but if you want to add 75 lbs. to your squat, there are far more qualified warriors in our midst…they can get you on the right Smolov protocol or whatever is appropriate to your goals.When asking about nutrition, please try to include what your goals are. Your nutritional guidelines are going to be massively different based upon whether you want to get bigger, stronger, leaner, recomp, etc. Last Edit: supplement of the week

Hey guys, So I recently started strength training (stronglifts) 3x a week. I do yoga or a T25 work out video on my off days. Even though I feel like I'm pushing myself during all my workouts, my weight loss (measured in inches, not pounds) has stalled since I've started strength training. I know that strength training is supposed to help you shed fat more efficiently than cardio, so I can't imagine adding strength training is what's causing me to stall. So I guess that leaves my diet. I'm really knew to this whole "lift big, eat big" thing, and I'm wondering if anyone could help me out and let me know if I'm eating too much/too little for my activity level. Here's what I ate yesterday, which is pretty typical of how I've been eating for the past month or so: Breakfast: protein shake (130 cal, 17g protein), heaping tablespoon of peanut butter, banana, almond milk or 2% milk Lunch: 2 pieces of chicken parmigiana (no pasta- just the chicken) with roasted veggies Snack: 1/2 papaya Dinner: 1/2 salmon burger (no bun) with scrambled eggs and a slice of cheese This seems like a lot of food to me, but I'm still hungry and tired throughout the day. However, I'm terrified of eating more and then gaining fat back. If anyone could give me tips on how to adjust my diet to make it better, that would be really awesome! I'm getting a bit discouraged on the lack of progress. some quick stats: I'm female, 5'3", 160 lbs

Hey Ranger Rebels, I'm back for my third consecutive 6-Week Challenge! Let's get started! RECAP TIME Challenge 1: Food tracking and lifting were the main goals. Tracking what I eat and aiming for specific calorie goals has become second nature at this point, so I'm going to leave it off the Goals list. I'll still post my daily calorie totals here because the public sharing of those numbers is a huge motivator to stay on track. I made great progress in my lifting but hit a stall on my bench press gains; I'd like to remedy that in this challenge. Challenge 2: Running was the biggest goal alongside lifting and eating well. I started the great Couch to 5K program at the beginning of that challenge, and I'll be wrapping it up by the end of next week. I look forward to branching out my running a bit more during this challenge. In both of those previous challenges, I had the life goal of drawing several pages of the comic book I've kept on the back burner. Had I followed through on it I'd be done with the book by now, so finishing those 6 pages is something I'll get done or die trying. AND THEN SOME MORE STUFF And because I only seem to work well when things are insane, I'm going to add something on top: finishing the painting I started as a wedding gift for my sister and her husband, back in July. It's been almost two months since the wedding and I've barely started it: far past time to get the damn thing done. New for this challenge is something that's eluded me since I moved out 5 years ago, and especially since I became a full-time freelancer three years ago; a regular sleep schedule. My sleep routine is a disaster right now, to the point where I've found myself sleeping for sixteen hours after a week of four-hour midday naps during all-night work benders. This is awful for me, and if I don't sort it out now it'll be even harder down the road. So here's the breakdown for this challenge: Main Goal: Get under 200lbs, live an active lifestyle balanced with my work and friendships Goal 1 (Primary for this challenge): Run 5K in 35:00 (acceptable) or 30:00 (excellence) Goal 2: Get my 5RM bench over 175 lbs, and lift regularly at least twice a week through the challenge (2x/wk = acceptable, 3x/wk = excellence) Goal 3: Get up between 7 and 8 AM every weekday; get from 6-9 hours of sleep while doing so* Life Goal: Finish that painting, and draw 6 pages of my damn book! (and more if possible!) I've got a Post-it note stuck on my mirror, with my motivation written on it: Spartan Sprint, May 14, 2014. It's a long-term goal. A short-term goal is to run a 30min. time in the annual Thanksgiving Day run coming up in November. So! This is day 1, let's see how I did. Calories: 1823 Running: 15-minute run, with 100M dash at the end, plus cool-down walk. Not C25K. Sleep: 2AM-8:30AM It's a start!

Hello All!!!!! I am trying to accomplish a transition to the Paleo diet while maintaining my long-distance running schedule (run up to 100 miles a week) and going to graduate school (I also teach and coach so there are some late nights-coffee is my bff in the morning and diet cokes in the afternoon). I have done research and really believe in the diet and want to have a healthy diet to fuel my body/healthy lifestyle. I have tried this before but have had to stop because I did too much too soon and my body did not respond well ie no energy. At the end of this challenge I hope to transition to the Paleo diet for athletes and cut out all processed sugars in my diet-including my beloved diet cokes! My accountable goals include: No diet Coke or ALCOHOL by the end! This decision has been contemplated and I need to detox my body from alcohol at least for this challenge time period. I feel like at the end I wont have a desire for it anymore-but I do enjoy a glass of wine with dinner...hmm. No sweets from the beginning! enough said. And phasing out of my current eating habits and into the Paleo ones with weekly goals. Week one will include amping up my fruit/veggie intake. By beginning of week two I want to eliminate all dairy except my glass of chocolate milk after workouts and start to lower my processed grain intake each week. By week three I will eliminate all Diet Cokes/Diet Drinks from my diet (this will be the hardest week!!!). Week 4 I will focus on eliminating all dairy and switching to almond milk. By Week 5 I will cut out all processed grains left and the last week will be holding and ENJOYING the new lifestyle! I will grade it by percentage of days that I have met the daily goals and goals for the week (weekly goals are cummulative as in I will continue to pursue the previous week(s) goals and the current week's goal. I would love any support! I'll develop a healthy diet or die trying!

Hey all! My fiance and I are trying to get away from dairy products, and we are totally addicted to whey protein powder. At least two shakes a day each. So I'm wondering if any of you have tried any non-dairy protein products and what your experience is with it? Thanks!

Hey guys! I've read the article about Staci's story, and although it was truly inspiring and motivational, the diet part didn't help much just because I'm not big on going Paleo. I began powerlifting about 4 months ago. I really want to compete eventually. My biggest goal right now is to get my body fat percentage down and get my strength up!! I'm currently counting macros to a T and training daily (with one rest day/week) using a powerlifting split. I am a 21 year old female college student. I'm 5'5", 136lbs, 22% body fat (I want to get down to about 14% body fat!!). My current daily macro and calories breakdown is: Carbs: 94g Fat: 50g Protein: 169g Calories: 1500 That's a 25%/30%/45% breakdown. And if it matters, my bench/squat/deadlift (REPPING!) is: 8X85/12X180/8X180 --> I've only maxed out on squats and my 1RM is currently 245! Keep in mind I just started lifting about 4 months ago!! I'm looking for any advice, comments, concerns, or suggestions about my current plan. I want to get strong and lean!! Thanks for reading and thanks for your feedback!! Abby

Hi friends, do you do cheat meals? My main struggle is to count the number of calories and macros of a proper cheat meal. Don't wanna do too little (so that there's no effect) or too much (so that it won't destroy my whole week's hard work). Any experience? My normal cal. daily income: cca. 1500 kcal (95% paleo) Cheating once a week I go to gym every second day, doing total body workout. Goal: gain muscle + body fat loss Btw. I'm from Germany, that's why I need the exact number, to calculate everything Thanks!

Has anyone here tried any kind of cleanse? I was really into my strength training workouts for about 5 or 6 months but then fell off the wagon due to a lot of travel, crazy heat waves with no air conditioning, moving to a new apartment, etc. Now I feel physically gross and I'm starting to notice my pants feeling tight. I need to get on the path to healthy again, but I'd love to start by cleaning up my diet and getting rid of all the toxins, hopefully making my body feel a bit less gross right off the bat. I've never tried a cleanse before though and I'm wondering if anyone here has any recommendations for a cleanse that will be (1) healthy, (2) relatively easy to prepare, and (3) make me feel awesome so I can start my strength training and cardio again?

As I stated in my introduction post, I completely changed my diet four weeks ago, and have just finished my third consecutive week of the Level 1 rookie routine. I've lost 11 pounds according to my scale (from 230 to 219), though how much of that is fat loss and muscle gain, who knows. Anyway, I found quitting all of my bad food and drinks to be easier than I expected. I pretty much woke up, and stopped on day one, cold turkey. At first this made me happy, I thought I'd be going through withdrawels. After a week of this, however, I started to struggle with an entirely new problem. I'm finding it harder and harder to meet my calorie goals every day. I use one of those calorie counting websites and am VERY consistent with it, going as far as entering each individual piece of food in custom entries. At 5'6" and 230, I was told I should be aiming for about 1616 calories on days I don't work out. Even on days I do work out, I struggle to even get in 1000 calories. I've been made aware recently of just how bad this may be for me. That I may be subtly starving myself and negating my exercise. But I don't know what else to do. I snack on fruit as well as almonds which are packed with calories. I eat my chicken breasts, brown rice, and veggies but can barely stuff down the 300 or so calories I need in each meal. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice at all? Has anyone else had this problem? Should I really be as worried about this as I am? Some food suggestions would be awesome too, something that is healthy but packed with calories. I just wanted to hear from my fellows in the rebellion. Thanks in advance.

Let the games begin! My primary goals are these: - follow specific nutritional plan and hit my macros every day - add lean mass and get stronger - drop body fat My level-up-my-life goal: I bought a house in March. I basically completely gutted it and ripped out every wall that wasn't load bearing....lol It has been a crazy project, and it is almost done. So my goal there is to finish it, move into it and get settled into some semblance of a normal life. Edit: My starting stats: 07.28.13 Height: 6' 5" Weight: 216.6 BF%: 14.7% Fat Mass: 31.9 Lean Mass: 184.7 Waist Flexed: 37.25" Waist Relaxed: 38.5" The means: - I have been executing to very nice success a diet that was built 7 weeks ago. It is working extremely well and I plan on sticking to it. - Workout (strength training, resistance training) at least 3 times per week (I am a huge believer in recovery) - I do absolutely zero cardio - Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night (This is the hardest....I am an insomniac) What I hope to achieve (my targets) - Drop approximately 5 pounds of scale weight - Drop approximately 9 pounds of bodyfat - Add approximately 4 pounds of lean mass (muscle) - Add either a rep or more weight to every exercise every week. (Example: I get x lbs for 6, 5, 5, 3 reps on bench....I better get at least 20 reps next week) I will update with more information later....this is all I could think of now.... Cheers! -Michael

Hi. I have been doing intermittent fasting for quite some time now and I have found it to be amazing not just for results but also to maintain it. However recently I have stopped the gym and moved to bodyweight training for budget and different goals reasons. Do I still do carb switching? Since I moved to bodyweight i started working out almost everyday. Are there any guides I could use to calculate my macros for it?

Do any of you add non-paleo carbss to your post-workout meal to help with recovery? Loren Cordain recommends it for very long, intense workouts in "The Paleo Diet for Athletes", but after weight-training for an hour to an hour and a half I usually find that I feel fine and am getting excellent gains using bananas and maybe some raw honey (in other words, small amounts of high-sugar but technically paleo foods) to my post-workout meal. What about periodic carb re-feeds? What foods? How often do you "re-feed"? Aimee

Main Quest: Focus on HIIT, Spartacus like, Tabata, High Impact/Small Amount of Time workouts. Going back (about 6 years+) to the time when I played soccer; I was fast and furious. Several injuries and a crazy sickness later, I had to turn to enduro sports. Speed and explosiveness were gone! I did triathlons and enduro events for 4+ years (total of 8+ years of racing overall - lots of running, biking, du's). I did level up my life in several ways and had a great time overall....but, my body is over it; my mind is over it; my use of my personal time is over it. (Throwing in no processed foods of any kind (yes....just say no to the Cracker Jacks at the baseball stadium, just say no to the Chex Mix at beach week, etc). 12 on/12 off fasting program compliments the no processed foods. Its pretty much a no brainer. The next challenge, I would like to see it go to 16/8 - - that will take time. ) I have been practicing the above off and on for 9 months since my last major enduro event. I signed up for a small tri this weekend; its a personal test; I have definitely decided that im moving on 100% away from enduro.....but, i will be connected (you can never stay away). I am going behind the scenes to be on the other side of racing. I have already volunteered at 4 events and more to come. I hope to be a run or bike buddy for my favorite tri in October!!!! So Vital Athletic abilities - (which i obtained from Share it Fitness) and have been processing in my mind and researching - - - - My main focus will be on: SpeedExplosive PowerShort Burst EnduranceA part of that list is Flexibility - i m pretty gumby, so i will maintain! So as I mentioned above - short burst workouts, plyo's, crossfit like workouts, etc. Its daunting b/c i havent been that type of athlete in a while, but exciting as well. Its going to be a huge challenge!!!! Side Quest/Life Quests: #1 Complete the first few pages of Proposal for my Masters Thesis - I need to wrap this up by Dec 13 #2 Use my steel toed boots, hard hat and safety glasses for my outdoor work via my internship to level up my career #3 Plan my Africa trip for November Looking forward to the next few weeks!

Main Quest Storyline: My goal is to build muscle and get stronger Goals to Help Me Get There: I will work out at least 4 days a week for one hour each workout I will consume at least 3000 quality calories every single day I will get 8 hours of sleep each night Side Quests: Life Quest: Save $200 each month Fitness Quest: Try a CrossFit Class for the first time Mini Quests: ?? My Motivation: I'm doing this to live a happier, healthier, and longer life. And because I like to be challenged!

My Anthem song folks, I love Kanye's version, the rythm, the flow (not the lyrics though). It gives me the strength to give my all (not this all ) For those who do not know me : PrincessNatarella, a strong and independent blackbarella, on my way to greatness , like most of you! I spent quite some defining and chosing the goals, the rating system! I am a multitask person, focusing is already a challenge for me. Main Quest Fit in a size 40 and weight 72kg. I'd be happy happy to fit in the size 40, no matter how I weight. My motivations (randomly) Health: Diabetes and heart blood pressure in my family…Sense of accomplishment: every year I say " this year I want to succeed in getting slimmer/healthier". I want this year to be THE one! I have been progressing drastically, so reaching the main goal would be the cherry on top of the cake Be inspiring: I am a future coach I work a lot on myself, I read a lot on personal development and I'm following trainings to become a coach in 5 / 6 years. I want to be a better ME, healthier, persistent and fitter. I want to be inspiring.Self-appreciation: I take care of myself because I deserve it Goals By the end of the challenge I'll be eating processed carbs/sugar only once a week My diet is mostly low carb High fat : - OK : Veggies, proteins, dairy (from grass fed animals) - Limited : legumes, fruits (limited) , nuts - Avoid : processed food & sugar This diet implies PLANNING a week ahead (Sundays) Groceries only once a weekHealthy snacking (veggies, nuts) *******Ratings****** A. 1-2 serving processed carbs/sugar /week B. 3 C. 4. D. 5 E. 6 F. 6++++ Working out 6 times a week Why 6 times? Because I'm already going almost everyday! The aim is regularity of the training. I want to keep on being consistent to maximise the results I want to get. Of course, it would be interesting to set goals in terms of reps but I'd better wait to have another month with this routine AND I've done my first thrusters this morning and I still want to cry I will plan the Strength sessions where there won't be any trainer with me. (Or because I'm a bit lazy I'll just ask the gym staff to give me a WOD ) - Strength training (3 / week) Programme with free weight and body weight set by the trainer - Cardio training (3 / week) Zumba & Spinning ******Rating ****** A. 5 to 6 /week B. 4 C. 3 D. 2 E. 1 F.0 Weight only 3 Times a month A funny one ! I hesitated with Attend a trial class of CrossFit and Samba because it is also very important, but I know I will do it anyways. However, I have this love/hate relationship with scale, so I will NOT use it for 3 weeks. Scale and measuring days: 29 July 19 August 9 September I am not allowed to weight myself in between. Believe me or not, this will be the hardest goal to reach! ******Rating****** A. I respected the 3 dates C. I went on the scale 1 more time E. I went on the scale 2 more times Why am I so demanding on this one? It is important that I quit this bad habit. Life Goal Read 3 books in the month I hesitated with " spend X hours dedicated to my job search" OR "find a flat" but I will relax a bit on those quests (that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on them, they just won't count for the NF challenge" I always complain that I don't read enough. I'll have a full month for myself (yeah !) and I don't want any pressure So the idea is : One book on project management (for dummies e.g... Any recommendation is welcome)A book on personal development (carrier advice, relationships, efficiency at work)A Fun book I'll update my post with chosen books and I'll ask for your recommendation in the book session ******Rating****** A. 3 books B. 2 books and a half C. 1book D.0 Measurements on 29th July On 19th August On 09 September Weight : 87 kg (the day before was 85 so..) 82,4 kg 82,9 kg -4,1 ( but I am much thinner..Pics will follow ) Breast : 100 cms 100 cms Under Breast: 83cms 83 cms Waist : 86.5 cms 82 cms - 4,5 Belly : 104 cms 98 cms - 6 hips 114 csm 109 cms -5 Tights : 70 cms 68 cms - 2 triceps : 35cms 34 cms - 1 ------ So I hope to be able the give as much support as I will receive on this! Let's smash it!

And so the dragon egg hatched, fifteen years ago. As it grew, it frolicked and rambled and once in a while caused some minor annoyances to wideeyed as she wandered too close to its home. When the dragon reached maturity, it received its name, which was Fog. Fog had only ever encountered one human, and with his race's instinctive fear and hatred uttered his challenge: "TO THE PAIN." For a year, wideeyed cowered in confusion, and fear, and always, always, pain. One day, she thought about the strong person she had once been. She decided to seek help from the local group of wizards. They taught her what she needed to do to send Fog back to his lair and put him to sleep. My quest: to manage my fibromyalgia/neurological problems with the medicine of healthy food and physical activity. To achieve this I will: 1. Complete one set of beginner's body weight work out three times per week with the goal of being able to do unassisted squats and lunges with proper form at the end of the challenge. 2. Make sure to hit my net calorie minimum of 1200 calories a day, working my way up to 1500 at the end of the challenge. 3. Stay off of the scale from pre challenge measurements until end of challenge measurements. Of equal importance to my main quest is my life goal: I will completely transition to an electronic cigarette and wean down to zero nicotine by the end of the challenge. For this challenge, inhaling steam will remain acceptable. My motivation: My own children, because they deserve a mother who is fully present and able to participate in their lives fully, and who will be around for a long time.

Hey Nerd FItness Community! This is my first post, and this is my first week eating Paleo. I decided to eat Paleo to improve my overall health, I'm not really worried about weight, but I do want to maintain my current weight, grow stronger, and eat healthy. This first week was tough. I cooked at home a few nights, and ate breakfast every morning! (yeah sweet potatoes!). Overall I have been feeling like I have more energy, especially in the morning. Which is a positive! (but I'm having some intense carb cravings) The place where I'm having trouble is when I get asked to go out and eat with friends for lunch, or dinner. How do you find options that work with the foods you want to eat? Avoiding grains is the hardest. Any advice?

I'm a complete beginner and after losing 8kg recently, will be stepping into my local gym for the first time at the start of September. I expect for the first couple of weeks to do some cardio and get used to my surroundings until I feel comfortable. I've planned that once I am comfortable, i'll follow the article on how to build your own workout routine (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/15/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/) and that will start my progress off until I find things that are more suitable for me? I am massively interested in following the paleo diet and would eventually like to make that transition. I have no idea which way to go in terms of what I should be eating? My diet at the moment is relatively healthy in terms of meals. I eat a lot of veg and try not to eat a lot of pasta/carbs. I eat mainly white meat and fish but also enjoy bacon every few days haha. At the moment I don't eat bread of rice as I feel that it bloats me and makes me put lbs back on. I eat too many sweets and artificial sweetners at the moment but am slowly cutting them out as I type, but don't feel as though this will be a problem. My aim really is to lower my body fat %, lose some more weight/get smaller, but also put on some muscle and look lean and tight. I keep reading about calorie surplus and deficit etc. but as much as I read I don't have a clue what I should be doing. I know I shouldn't compare but I have a favourite lady that I like to look up to at the moment, and in essence this is what i'm aiming for - http://instagram.com/moietys Any help? Katie x

I'm starting this out and I'm going to start talking here. I've attempted to start an accountabilibuddies thread but that did not seem to work out so well. So I think I'm going to just get all my thoughts, work out feats, defeats, and all around daily struggles here. Be prepared for what might come because my mind tends to really scatter. But I think this will be a new and very well needed adventure. I welcome all beneficial criticism/comments/concerns. Optimism encouraged. Negativity left at the door. If you have questions about me, look me up and check out my current challenge. Or my accountabilibuddies page pretty much is a good explanation of myself. I don't feel like typing much about myself. Basically because it's 11 pm. Ugh. Gotta get to sleep. first thing is first.... some numbers: 7/30/13: BF% of 29.78 8/13/13 BF% 29.4 I'm slightly on target with my goal. However, I think I gotta kick it into high gear. What do yall think? I think I'm gonna look up my macros after reading some threads. I've always attempted to do a food journal but have never followed through. I think it's finally time to really commit. Any tips on how? I know to use MyFitnessPal. I guess just eat the same things all the time that way I just have to put in the same things and not have to worry about measuring things out. Macros found.... Calories: 1740 Carbs per day: 208 g Protein per day: 100.1 g Fat per day: 56.4 g Fiber per day: 28-35 g Calories per meal: 580 Carbs per meal: 69.3 g Protein per meal: 33.4 g Fat per meal: 18.8 g Fiber per meal: 9-12 g

Just what are they, exactly – and how do I use them to reach my weight loss/body fat reduction goals?

I struggle with this. Today is a hungry day. At least I THINK it is a hungry day. I just had a snack of Paleo egg salad and a green pepper, and SOMETHING is telling me, "Not enough. Go eat more." Except it's not my stomach. It was my stomach BEFORE the snack. Now it's my head. My husband and kids are gone. The house is quiet. No distractions. I KNOW I'm not really hungry. But my brain yells so much louder than the rest of my body some days. I think now would be a good time for some water and a walk. I have totally destroyed whatever natural mechanism there is to tell me when it is time to eat something and when it is not. I eat for SO many reasons other than physical hunger. Not today, I won't. Today, I'll stick to the plan.

Hi! This is my first true blue attempt at joining an online community that isn't a guild in an MMO. I'm new to the Nerd Fitness forums, though I've had my fair share of exercising stints and I'm slowly devouring all of Steve's articles. My goal is to gain strength through body weight movements in order to fling my body through the air in a succession of flips, kicks, and twists. This training stint is going to largely focus on gymnastics training (went to my first adult tumbling class on Monday, loved it!) and hanging rings for upper body development. I like to play frisbee, slackline, read nutrition articles, read books (half fitness, half whatever interests me), and hang out with friends. I dream to have a job doing something involving fitness, maybe involving teaching children, and owning a well kept VW bus. And my name comes from a strip in one of my favorite web comics ("Antics"), though years of biking have had their benefits in the development of my posterior. I'm looking forward to being a part of the community and making new friends!