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I have a younger brother who is tall and strong, but overweight and rather sedentary. He is 19 years old, 6’3", and over 240 lbs. He was always a chubby kid with a tendency to overload with junk food, but I guess my parents never decided to take his bad habits seriously enough, despite my father’s efforts to encourage him to lose weight (which, to this day, consist mostly of him yelling at my brother about how tight his clothes have gotten and why the hell he won’t do anything about it). A doctor’s visit from several years ago revealed that he was pre-diabetic, and I’m assuming he still is. He doesn’t really care about things like simple vs. complex carbs, portion control, or high- vs low-glycemic index foods. And with all this news about young people dying from COVID-19 due to preexisting conditions like obesity and diabetes, I’m really starting to get worried. I (24F) have always cared a lot about my own physical health — I’m actually studying to become a doctor. I try to limit my intake of processed foods, I rarely eat out these days, and I exercise regularly. My BMI has always been in the healthy zone, and over the years I’ve discovered ways to make exercise more fun for myself. I’m actually a huge nerd who loves video games and pretty much all things medieval fantasy, but hobbies like martial arts and LARP have helped me to stay fit over the years. My brother has also always been a bit of a geek. Like...we both like to play Smash Bros and Dragon Ball Z games together, for instance, but I’ve found more satisfaction from learning to fight like those characters in real life than to just be good at button mashing combinations. Unfortunately, my brother does not share those interests. TL;DR I don’t know how to encourage my brother to improve his diet and start a regular exercise routine. I don’t think he’s as willing to suspend his disbelief as I am and use his fictional role models to motivate him to get in better shape. I remember not too long ago that he mentioned he was interested in taking boxing classes, as he is physically very strong and boxing would seem cathartic for him. However, that wouldn’t be possible right now, due to the closure of all non-essential businesses. What would you suggest I do?

Hi, I am looking for the best way to train at home to lose (a lot of ) weight. I have a treadmill, dumbbells and barbell (W shape). Is there any pointers how to start? What is the best exercises? Thanks in advanced.

I have lots of good reasons to go into the Navy: I want to see the world, I want to be able to call myself a veteran, I want to get an edge applying for federal jobs, and I want help paying for a masters of social work and to take spanish classes. I've been a retail pharmacy tech for 5 years and have grown to really, really, REALLY hate the field, mostly because of the poor pay and instability. Things will be running smoothly, then all of the sudden, I'll get cut to 10 hours a week and I have to job hop. I often work clopenings, so I get anywhere from only 2 to 12 hours a sleep in a night and I have a big belly because I live on fast food and comfort eat a lot. I've recently cut out sugary drinks from my orders, but I still have a fast-food diet because I never have the time or energy to cook. I'm 40 pounds overweight and am not sure where to start, but I know I need to meet all requirements for a medical waiver to even be considered for the military, especially a selective branch like the Navy or Air Force. Army isn't out of the question, but I am drawn to the Navy and Air Force first, and especially the Navy. My mother had me on ADHD medicine and antidepressants as a teenager, and I'm paranoid that if I lie about that, I'll be caught, but I also know I'll need approved for a waiver if I disclose that information about me. I'd really like to lose 40 pounds in 4 months, and be passing at least the minimums expected for Navy boot camp, but the better I can be, the better chance I'll have of getting a waiver. As for a class, I think either Ranger or Scout lends itself to the workouts I'll need to increase my strength and endurance, but moreso endurance. If there is any other information I left out, I'll be glad to fill you in if I ask. I'm glad to be here, and hopefully, I can get out of this career field I hate and into something better. (In case anybody is wondering, I am a man.)

"For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again". Proverbs 24:16 I may not be very religious, but that passage speaks to me. Seven falls. Seven respawns. When I started the Nerd Fitness™ journey, I weighed around 275 lbs, and was already eating relatively well. The I went into a deep depressive episode that lasted for weeks. When I finally came out of it, I was 308 lbs., and my food choices were those of a man looking forward to his 1st heart attack. I have started walking up and down my staircase for 14 minutes a day, but I'm not consistent. I need help, fellow nerds. I need to be accountable to someone. Please. Help me up for the eighth time?

I am Arcelas, defender of all that is pixelated. At least, I used to be. Arcelas was the first character name I created for WoW all the way back to Vanilla. I mighty warrior with a will of steel and pants of twill. Death was something I was well acquainted with. Whether I was falling off something or being hunted by boars, I died so often I decided to fight naked, so my repair cost would be negligible. And that's where I am today. Fighting naked. I am Bi-polar and Manic with PTSD and anxiety disorders. When I started this grand Nerd adventure, I was 276 lbs. I am the jump-right-in-with-both-feet-head-first sort of guy. So I went cold turkey. In fact I think I mainly ate turkey for the first few weeks. Progress! I felt better, I looked better, and I needed suspenders to keep my pants around my shrinking waist. I now am 285 lbs. With almost no energy. To be honest, I do not know what to do to start again. Help me please?

We open on our hero, JulietKitsch, battling a voracious horde of demons. She has fought such creatures before - but now, her life depends on it... About Me: Very tall, very plus size. I have had (moderate) success in weight loss before, but nothing has ever stuck. I'm dangerously close to hitting a new high weight, which would put me at 200 pounds to lose. That's pretty scary to me. I just celebrated my 29th birthday, and I'm about to cross into a threshold where the weight will be even more difficult to lose. The time is now. Strengths: Funny, smart, dedicated to everything but her health, caring. Good dancer. Weaknesses: Fast food. Fast food. Um, fast food. Challenge #1 - Getting Started 2/9 - 2-28 Level One Rebel STR 0 :: DEX 0 :: STA 0 :: CON 2 :: WIS 0 :: CHA 0 Main Quest: I want to be a mother. Right now, I am not in a place financially or health-wise to do so. I will be a single parent, so I need to be financially secure before caring for a child. Main Financial Goals: 1) Live in a 2 bedroom condo or apartment 2) Have $10,000 in liquid savings 3) Be credit card debt free Main Health Goals: 1) Run a 5k 2) Lose 100 pounds 3) Break my fast food habit (3 months fast food free) Main Life Goals: 1) Keep my apartment clean (3 months straight) 2) Achieve tenure at a teaching job 3) Become a foster parent (probably providing respite / short term homes) 4) Be ready to have a child (pregnancy or adoption) Challenge Goals: I am starting simple, especially since this is such a short challenge AND I'm joining late. Me: I'm the type of person who has trouble organizing myself and making healthy choices. +1 CON 30 XP :: Financial Goal: I will eat lunch at school (school: salad bar or turkey sandwich, or bring from home) in order to save money and eat healthier. +1 STR 50 XP :: Health Goal: I will work out at least 1x a week in order to improve my strength and develop a healthy routine. +1 CHA 20 XP :: Life Goal: I will spend 5 minutes organizing my desk area every day in order to create more organization at work. +1 STA 20 XP :: Health Goal: When I walk the dogs, I will walk them down to end of the road and back in order to increase my steps and health. + 1 WIS / 50 XP:: Lent: By the end of this challenge, I will have achieved 7 consecutive days of no fast food.

Hello all. Old, overweight, super-nerd here. (6' 0", 225 lbs., 58 year old programmer, gamer). I can't believe someone actually created a fitness forum specifically for moi. So starting today I am back at trying to strip off 40 lbs., that I don't honestly need. Though I did spend a lot of effort collecting it. hmmmm..... When motivated I tend to do a good job of moderating the food in-take. I don't "diet" per se, just watch the extra junk food, and eat better. What I need is a better work out routine. I live a long way from a gym. Like a 40 minute round trip to the closest one. I've got a nice Weider free weight system, but am kind of scared to use it without a spotter close. And I don't have a lot of time. My current job has me commuting 4+ hours a day. 9 hour work day, 7-8 hours sleep, 4 hours commute and there just isn't much time left. My normal day starts around 4:30. I typically jump on the keyboard for a couple of hours before getting ready for work. That's the time that's going to get sacrificed. I'll be lucky if i can carve out 30-45 minutes, but that's the goal. I do get a chance to walk a couple of miles around the office park most days as well. I'm leaning toward junking the thing and just going with a body weight work out. (Googling "body weight workouts" is how I stumbled on this great place.) I don't really have much in the way of questions. Just wanted to say hi, and that I could use some help later to stay motivated. Thanks, Steve

Hello there! I’m a 24 year old girl who lives far from where I was supposed to be. Nice to meet you all. Kunmaar is obviously not my real name, it means “hermit†in Dovahzul (the dragon language in Skyrim), well, at least according to the dictionary (I’m still new at learning it). Why? Because I’m basically a modern day hermit. I’ve kind of lived my life backwards so far; when I started college, I was fit, confident and healthy. I had dealt with bullying in both elementary and high schools, but with the help of friends, I gained my confidence back and was totally ready for a new adventure. But then, life happened… By the time I graduated from university, I felt like all the reserves of my energy and willpower had been drained. I still feel like the same way. Sometimes I want to pull myself back together like I did before, but I’m too afraid to do anything. I’m too afraid to work, exercise, or even talk to people. Most of the time I just hide in my room from the rest of the world. I just eat, eat, and eat until it makes me feel good, and not move around much. This is how I’ve been wasting my life for the last 3 years. Long story short, college was the end of a chapter in my life, not the beginning of a new one. I had great friends, we used to support each other in everything, but I lost most of them along the way. The rest kind of accepted me as who I am now, and I’m grateful for that. But I need motivation. I don’t even know how I’m going to find it anymore. I’m quiet overweight and it will be a very long journey. if I’m going to do this, so I need to make sure I have strength to go on before I start. Many people here seem to be achieving great things and writing their own epic adventures. I’m hoping you can inspire me to do the same.

Hi ya'll, So, I'm new to NF! I am not sure which Guild I'll want to join yet (Assassins, maybe?), but I'm super excited. I've been stalking the forum for a couple of weeks, but I finally signed up today. About Me I am currently a BMI of 45, weight of 360. This is completely unacceptable. I'm very tall for a woman, and I've been told I "carry my weight well", but that's just not okay anymore. Goals: By 12/1, I want to be a BMI of 40, weight of 320. Of course, the world doesn't always work that way. So instead of focusing on that, I will have 3 behavior goals to help me achieve that! 1: Exercise for 3 hours a week. 2: Eat vegetarian 5 days a week. 3: No fast food (Coffee is okay). Here we go!

My fiancee told me I could help her research and encourage her working toward being healthy again in September when she gets back from her work trip. I know she used to love running ((**shudders** nmk)) but is no longer fit enough to just go do that without making a mess of her ankles, knees and back. Day to day life is often enough to hurt her joints and just sleeping hurts her back. I really don't know how to help without making things worse. I know diet is 80% and we'll be eating low carb with plenty of veg, healthy fats, and protien... but what sort of activities can I direct her too that will help quickly enough to keep her from being discouraged, but won't risk a twisted ankle in the winter puting her progress back for months. Here's what I've come up with so far to start: Chair yoga since she doesn't have the balance for the "regular" kind yet. (found that out with wii fit last year)I can see her walking up to 20 min 2-3 times a week. Any other ideas?

Ok, so here it is. I am making another challenge thread. I've been lovingly cajoled(actually, it's sort of a requirement to be in an accountabilibuddies group) into creating a challenge, and I think, I need to start breaking my REAL live challenges into 6 week, 1 week, 1 day plans. This challenge should have seen me starting in San Diego, but a double root canal(on the same tooth - that is - they tried to do one, and had to put it off for another day, so they still had to do all the same stuff the second day!) prevented me from going. pain, and sick from the antibiotics. but I'm here in Clermont, Florida, in the shadow of the Mouse. here are my simple goals again: Food Fitness Function Food - try to eat paleo with very soft food - not easy. Fitness - do something every day - movement(walking or dancing), strength - certain exercises, and physical therapy Function - yeah, I need to function. - something to do with the house/home every day. And working on my therapy for me. And, I'm reading books - and working on marriage issues - as in, exercising our marriage muscles with books, and counseling, and practicing good communication skills. This could be Family! My sig line is very barren, because I was so disappointed in myself, and felt that I needed to wipe out my past. but, here I am - I will try to post once each week.

Background & Motivation: I am a middle aged guy; I have been overweight most of my life. I can safely blame it on bad diet and lack of exercise. There have been peeks of exercise over the years when I bulked up because I do enjoy lifting from time to time. I am a horrible runner. I have taken various martial arts classes throughout the years. I am 140 lbs over weight and with two little kids and a dear wife who all depend and love me and want me to get my health in order. So, sitting in a cubicle all day only to go home and snore on the couch is not cutting it. Objective: I want to knock off 20 pounds and get to 3 pull ups, 50 push ups and 50 sit ups in this challenge Goal 1: 2 weeks I want to be at 1 pull up and 15 push ups and 15 sit ups Goal 2: By end of week 4, 2 pull ups, 30 push ups and 30 sit ups Goal 3: By end of week 6, 3 pull ups, 50 push ups and 50 sit ups Life goal—eat healthier by making small Paleo substitutions every week

Our story begins a long time ago, in a turn-based, text-based, role playing game called Vagabond's quest... TL;DR And ends, 12 years later, with me married to another gamer and expecting our first child together. When I joined The Rebellion, I was looking to lose weight, but the reality is that I'm 28 years old, the proverbial 'clock' scares the dickens out of me, and I told The Hubster that I'd either be at my goal weight or be a mother within a year. In my first challenge with The Rebellion, I actually lost about 8 pounds! I had busted through my first goal of 6 pounds and came out on top. I've been away for a while, dealing with this new and different experience, and now I'm returning about 7 or so weeks into my pregnancy. My main challenges have been Lack of sleepheartburnlack of appetite(followed by) roaring appetiteI've been walking quite a bit, and plan to keep that up. I was just getting into strength training in earnest and so I plan to keep going with that as long as it still feels good. Since I'm overweight by so much that my BMI is a concern for my doctor, my goal is to not gain any more than 15 lbs throughout the course of this pregnancy. I have *no idea* how I'm going to manage that, but I'm going to try everything I know about traditional weight loss to accomplish it. My home scale before the pregnancy was 238. My home scale now reads 240. The doctor's scale had me at 243 at my first check up back on 7/21. Now that you know the back story, let's get down to the battle log, eh? Primary Objective: Have a Healthy Pregnancy Walk >20 Minutes, Daily Strength Train 3x/week Continue with Paleo Plan Secondary Objective: Stay Active with Nerd Fitness Check in to chat rooms at least once/week update this thread daily motivate 3+ NF members/week

In the words of Obama, I want change. All my life I've been waaaaayy overweight, but now it's time to take a stand. I'm tired of feeling clumsy because of my bodyweight (im 15 and 20kgs over) and I'm tired of finding myself regretting eating a bag of crisps. So, after finding nerd fitness, I've decide that 2014 will be the year that I achieve my (hopefully easy to achieve) goals. But as I've found from numerous amount of times in the past, I can't do this alone, and i am weak in the face of cake and pizza. So I've joined the forums for help and support from local rebels. 2014 should be a good one. (I'm Jay by the way)

Hi all, Couch loving, food loving, Warcraft loving, Aussie female dwarf here. I've also had a migraine since March 2010, so anything that gets the blood pumping, loud noise, bright lights all aggro the migraine into Boss mode. This caused me to quit work and move around the country trying different specialists until they all said "we can't fix this". All of which led a chubby but healthy woman into unheralded levels of flabbiness, depression and morbid obesity. I've always considered fitness as merely an adjunct or means to losing weight, rather than a target in its own right. Reading through Nerd Fitness, I've finally learned (42 is an appropriate age after all) that fitness is the goal, and weight loss is merely an adjunct. So I've decided: Level 50 aim: Rock climbing Twelve month aim: to do one pull-up. Six week challenge: Establish a routine 1. Complete Bent Over Dumbbell Rows every second day - 3 x 8 reps of 500g, 1kg, then 2kg (change every 2 weeks) 2. Walk 5000 steps per day 3. Eat paleo breakfasts every day How does this sound as a starting platform?

Of course I can. I know that much, but I am overweight by thirty pounds of fat I assume and today I start my work out plan. I want to know what are the best workouts that are okay to do while in my first trimester (I just recently found out I am pregnant). I don't want to gain any more weight and use the usual excuse of of "I'm eating for two" or "it's just baby fat" or even worse "All pregnant women gain weight, only the lucky ones go back to their pre-baby weight". Where do I begin? Can anybody help me?

Hello! I've finally come around to join the rebellion, too. My name is Nadine, I'm 34 and live with my boyfriend and our three cats in Wolfsburg, Germany, So don't be surprised when my English sounds strange to you - I do my best. I've stumbled upon NF a few months ago - I'm loving it. Thank you, Steve. (Btw, I work at McDonald's.) You'd be hard pressed to find something similar in German. (I wouldn't even try, but my boyfriend's English is not good enough to read the articles here.) But you know - Germans can be really uptight when it comes to nutrition. It's a bit like Bush's war on terrorism - you are either friend or foe. If you don't eat a 100% Paleo, you can't be serious about your health and fitness. Duh. Anything but motivating. But I digress. Right now, I weigh 100kg/220 lbs at 1,62m/5'4''. Probably 51% Body Fat Percentage, but I don't know for sure. (Navy Method) It doesn't matter - it's the easiest method and I only need to know that it gets less over time. I've been more or less overweight all my life, with a few years of a healthy, normal weight when I was between 20 and 25. I worked in a hotel, which can be a prime work out. All this lifting and 10-12 hours a day running around the premises, cleaning rooms, serving guests... I lost 66lbs in 3 years. Then I went to University to study languages, but had to quit because of 1. no money and 2. no motivation. And I got depressed. Partly because I wasn't sure what to do with my life and partly because I gained weight rapidly. Finally, I went to see a doctor who diagnosed hypothyroidism. (which can cause depression and unusual weight gain, both) But no apologies: I really ate a lot, too, and I still like big portions. WelI... now, 5 years later, I start to get problems with my knees and my veins. No pain, yet, but I'm quite aware of an overall degeneration of my body. I'd probably be dead by now if I had to work in an office instead of running around all day long. I'm a pretty good cook and know a LOT about nutrition. It's been kind of a hobby since I was 11 or 12. In theory. I just can't stand to read something like: "Don't eat cereal." and not to know WHY. Another reason why I appreciate NF - not only rules, but reasons. Diets usually didn't work well because I easily lose interest. I eat healthy for a week and then it gets boring and is simply too much effort to plan and cook differently for two people. Lucky me, now my boyfriend wants to lose weight, too, and especially get rid of his health problems (heartburn, probably Roemheld-Syndrome). Just a few days ago, it was always like: "I don't like salad, I don't like spinach, I get heartburn from tomato sauce, can't you cook a lasagne that doesn't make me fat but still got a lot of cheese?" Duh. It's no fun this way. Now he's doing his own research and doesn't object when there is chicken stir-fry or vegetable soup without any noodles for dinner. Or, gasp, when I pack him some fruits in his lunch packet. Though I did get a "look" when I told him that I wanted to start weight training with barbells. I don't have an elaborate plan, yet, but we haven't eaten bread, noodles and sweets for 3 days. I baked some low-carb-bread today with eggs, almonds, lineseed, just a bit of shredded wheat and lots of quark (curd cheese? cottage cheese? it's not exactly the same). Like, mostly Paleo, but I don't plan to get rid of dairy any time soon. Also, I have a few goals: my first real, complete, perfect PushUp would be a milestone. To get rid of 10kg until March 1st. (Maybe more, but I'm terrified of getting a pendulus abdomen. Slow and steady.) Main goal: less than 25% BodyFatPercentage. Tomorrow, I have an appointment at the Gym so I can learn to do a perfect squad and dead lifts. I really hope they know what they are doing there and don't try to get me to use the machines or do 20 reps with light weights. Have fun! P.S.: My probably most nerdic moment so far: An inflamed vein because I spend 200 hours playing "Skyrim" in just two weeks.

Wow, ok I am in. I´m used to going at things alone. Just writing this post gets me a bit emotional. Scared? Yes Excited? Also. So here I am CuchoISFIT checking in, 2 days late, from Madrid, Spain. Here goes EVERYTHING: Main Goal: Visible Abs, Toned Muscles Smaller Goals: 1) Do the beginner bodyweight workout at least 3 times a week. 2) Drink 3 liters of Water per day 3) Eat Bread/Sweets only one day a week Life Quest: Learn how to be a profitable Day Trader. Starting Measurements: Neck: 17 inches Chest: 43 inches Navel: 43 inches Hips: 45 inches Right Thigh: 24 inches Left Thigh: : 26 inches Weight: 227 pounds

My challenge goal is simple. I want to lose weight and feel better. I'm a cancer survivor who's always battled with her health and weight, and I no longer want to worry. 3 specific goals: 1) Lose at least 12 pounds in the six weeks. 2) Get to the gym 2-3 times a week, even just for 30 minutes. If the gym is totally not doable, be active at home. 3) Eat Paleo 5-6 days each week, still being healthy on non-Paleo days. Non-fitness goal- take the time each day to breath and assess my day, taking the time to prepare and face my work without getting stressed. LET'S DO THIS, FITNESS NERDS!

Hi there! I'm a 30-year-old teacher from Brazil. I have been struggling with weight loss for as long as I can remember. There are many cases of obesity in my family. My mom passed away at the age of 49 due to a complication after a stomach reduction surgery. She was 5'7'' and weighed almost 400lb. I don't want the same to happen to me! Because of the extra weight I carry, and the sedentary life I lead, I feel very weak and tired most of the time. I don't have the energy to do things, and that really upsets me. I simply don't have the disposition. Nine days ago I decided it was time to make some changes in my life, so I joined a gym. I have started working out, and, even though I enjoy it there, I didn't completely trust the instructor. Here is why: I told him I wanted to lose some weight and work on becoming a bit stronger. When I mentioned I was a vegan he immediately told me I would have to drink protein shakes with milk if I wanted to have muscles. "Vegans will never be strong", he said. That didn't sound right to me since I had already read articles about vegan bodybuilders. (And, believe me, that is not my objective at all!) I changed instructors, and kept on going to the gym anyway. I went there every day last week, worked on weight lifting and cardio exercises. I have always wanted to run, but never had the guts to do it. Last week, on the treadmill, I decided to give it a try. I remembered something about the walk/run technique, and just went for it. And that's how I got to Nerd Fitness. I was searching the internet for tips on how to run better. I read some articles on the NF website and got so inpired by the life transformations I was reading about that I decided to join the rebellion! I consider myself a total noob when it comes to exercising and dieting, so any words of encouragement and advise will be helpful. Thanks!

Hey guys! I'm new to Nerd Fitness Rebellion. I immediately joined this community after weeks of scanning the web for weight loss communities and dieting sites. I wanted to know about diets that ACTUALLY work because i have tried so many!!! I am overweight but not by alot. Height: 5'7 Weight: 165 lbs Goal: 145 lbs Current BMI: 25.8 Should weigh: Between 138-160 pounds I want to lose between 10-25 pounds in the next three months. I plan on trying the Paleo diet and also a no carbs diet after hearing so many good things about them. I hope it works along with daily exercise and (this time!) STICKING TO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am one of those kinds of people who give into temptation SO easily that it's pathetic. I you are reading this right now, please somment and pray for me! P.s I might have to take days of this diet due to celebrations such as Aunt's wedding in 2 weeks time and Barbeques on sunday ect..ect... *PlusSized101*

Hey Everyone, So I've been coming on to this website for a while and I've read basically everything that's been written so far, but I at this point, have not idea how much I should be lifting, or what to work out when. I'm currently 5'10 240 with a body fat percentage of over thirty. I'm not trying to get skinny as much as built. When I go to the gym what should I be doing? I've done the body weight and it is great, but how do I start to incorporate weights, what would that circuit look like. Let me know if you have any suggestions.