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I decided to start a new battle log after the first challenge ended and here it is! Going to move my weigh in days to Monday so that they coincide with the day that the challenges start, and I am going to work on a new food tracking system! We'll see how it all goes Weigh in Day Starting Weight: 230lbs (Dec 1st) Current Weight: 215lbs (February 18th)

What am I struggling with? Now that is a loaded question....but I see you are not averse to wordiness, so I feel like I'm in good company. I need to move forward to better health in so many ways. I currently weigh 250 lbs & have approx. 41% body fat. I did a turbo fire challenge last aug - oct, and had great success with it! Was eating clean as much as possible, but also using Shakeology & P90x Results & Recovery. Got down to 235 lbs. had planned on tackling Insanity in January. Then life handed me a major blow.... On December 10, 2012, my mother committed suicide. She had been struggling with anxiety & depression for two years, but none of us saw this coming. Needless to say, this emotional eater/ food lover turned back to food as comfort. Holiday eating only progressed my vice of choice. A couple of months ago, my husband asked me to check out the primal blueprint. I was intrigued, and we have been giving the concept a try. However, I'm still falling back into emotional eating pitfalls. I need to get moving again. I have been lifting with Chalean Extremes Burn Circuit 3x a week for the past month & getting about 60-90 min of cardio on a stationary bike. I have been planning on starting Insanity on April 15th but now I'm concerned that this is what is warned as being Chronic Cardio. I am so tired of spinning my wheels. The primal lifestyle suggestions have me questioning everything I've learned in fitness & nutrition over the years, and I'm in desperate need to just be told what to eat & what to do so I can lose this weight, feel healthy, and escape vices that lead to depression & regrets! I'm willing to scrap insanity, Shakeology, & p90x results & recovery if I have guidance & direction. Mark Sissons primal blueprint makes sense but it is too open ended for someone like me who lacks a natural inclination to self discipline. Turbo fire worked for me bc I was guided through nutrition & told when to push play with what. I have spent the last few years as a Zumba Fitness instructor. I opened a fitness facility with a fellow instructor. The business partnership did not work out, but I still have the desire to help others tackle the same life long struggles that I have dealt with. I now realize that before I can dream big with a fitness career, I must make my own health & fitness a priority first. I'm a challenge, but since you wear your nerd stamp so proudly, I feel confident I'm not an impossible challenge. Please help....

So challenge 2! Did pretty well on the last one. Achieved all my goals. Now I am not sure what to focus on. We have successfully transitioned to paleo. The kids are primal but even tho I would let myself I've just not wanted anything dairy so have steered clear. So to make life easy I will set my first goal as a diet one - Stay on the paleo path! It might look like this will be easy but I have just discovered I'm pregnant and the past two pregnancies I had such horrid morning sickness the only thing I could eat were oat cakes. So far apart from feeling super tired I don't feel too nauseous so fingers crossed. 90-100% = A, 80-90% = B, 70-80% = C, less than = F Goal two - do some exercise every day. Usually I run most days or go lift weights but this tiredness has knocked that on the head but I am making sure I at least take the dogs out for an hour each day. I want to do at least that and hopefully more. Everyday = A, 5 days a week = B, 3 days a week = C, less than = F Goal three - find time to meditate every day. This is tough with work and two children but the hypno birth Programme I followed with the last two and plan to use again relies on you being really able to relax yourself and that requires practice. Everyday = A, 5 days a week = B, 3 days a week = C, less than = F I may amend or add to these but I want to keep it simple and achievable as clearly I have a lot going on at the moment but I still want to be part of this. The exercise part is most daunting as I have just passed my fitness instructor course and start teaching two classes as of next week. Well we shall see how we go.

Hello! I was wondering if anyone would mind critiquing my new plan? My aims are to get to get strong and fit but also I really need to shed some fat which I know is difficult to do simultaneously i also have a plan to go travelling in June which will involve walking for around 6 hours a day so I really need to prepare for that too! So far I have been doing strength training 3 morning a week for several months but without noticeable body changes. I am putting this down to the fact the only cardio I have been doing is walking (around 4 miles a day) and the odd sprint here and there so I am not burning any fat. I have just started eating primal which is going well (I don't miss carbs) but I still need to reign in the yoghurt and chocolate addiction! So my new plan, combined with eating primal, is: Monday-early morning strength session followed by 10/15 minute interval on bike or rower in the evening Tuesday-early morning walk followed by longer walk in the evening (5miles) Weds-early morning strength session followed by 10/15 minute interval on bike or rower in the evening Thursday-early morning walk followed by longer walk in the evening (5miles) Friday-early morning strength session followed by 10/15 minute interval on bike or rower in the evening Saturday-leisurely relaxing day, maybe a short run or swimming Sunday-long walk I am not sure exactly how much cardio I should be doing so I would appreciate if anyone could have a look and let me know if they think its enough! Thanks!

Hello everyone! So I've been living primal for a little while now, but have recently cut out my breads/grains, dairy and legumes for the FULL Paleo effect. I've never felt better! The best part is, is this lifestyle change has me in the kitchen more than I've ever been IN MY LIFE. But, I love it! Over the past month since going 100% primal, I've made some pretty tasty meals, and I find myself looking at recipes and new ideas for food on my free time... My question is in regards to ground... whatever; Bison, beef, lamb, elk, chicken, turkey, etc. I feel like my options are kind of limited to ground meat. I love making chili, hamburgers, and meatballs... or even my own version of "hamburger helper" but I feel like I'm running out of ideas for ground meat I would love to get input, recipes, and suggestions from ALL my primal folks out there, so post away!! Wolf

Road to Rangerdom Challenge I have big plans for myself this year and hopefully weight loss will be a pleasant side effect of this and the forthcoming challenges. My first weight loss goal (not part of the challenge) is to be under 210lbs by March 22nd for my visit to see my parents in California. My second weight loss goal (also not part of the challenge) is to be under 200lbs by my 30th birthday on April 27th. I hope that by putting this out there that I can help to motivate myself to get it done, and with any luck I should be Ranger ready by summer Second Challenge Parameters Strong like ox (Why yes, I do lift, thanks for asking) Body weight/barbell/dumbbell training 3x per week Worth 3 Str Swift like cheetah (ZOOOOOOOM) Interval training/DDR/Tabatas 3x per week (30-45mins per session) Worth 3 Dex, 2 Sta Eat like a cavewoman (sugar-free but still sweet) 100% primal and 100% sugar-free Worth 2 Con, 1 Wis Cleanliness is next to Goddessness (squeaky, squeaky clean) Tidy house 1 day and a full clean 1 day per week Worth 2 Cha Friendship is magic (the fate of this challenge does rest on me making friends) Once a week make time to hang with my friends and do crafty things, exercise things, or play board games. Worth 1 Wis, 1 Cha Let's rock this challenge!

Hey Rebels! Here's my story and other information that might be helpful: I have been Primal since Nov. 28th 2012. At that time I weighed in at 191lbs with 18% body fat. Currently I am at 177lbs and clocking in around 12% body fat but have been there for 2+ weeks. I have read that doing a carb refeed once a week can help break through a plateau if you have been eating low carb. I have read a lot on MDA and the LeanGains sites but I was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with this. I have recently adopted the IFing approach suggested by LG of 1pm-9pm serving as your feed window and 9pm-1pm as your fasting window. I have been doing it for almost a week and have had no problems with it. I enjoy it actually. I also did a carb refeed yesterday to see how my body would react to about 300g in starchy carbs after keeping my carb intake to between 75-85g a day since Nov. 28th. My protein intake is set up to be 1g of protein for every pound of lean body weight and my healthy fats make up the remaining caloric needs after carbs and proteins are accounted for. I have been getting around 166g of fats a day to keep me at/around 2400cals a day for roughly a 500cal deficit. Goal: To continue lower my body fat % to about 8% or 9% without losing lean muscle mass while still feeling fantastic and not compromising my health. I think that carb refeed yesterday really was needed. I noticed an increase in energy due to what might have been low glycogen stores. I may need to up my carbs to around 100g or so given my activity level. Thoughts? Any thoughts/advice are more than welcome. Thanks for reading! Cheers! ♣IRISHodabred

Hi there! I've been recently conquering the Adventurer mini-challenge to eat 1-2 full days of Paleo. Now, while that's not an amazing feet, I'd like to keep the process going, but I need some help. I want to find a good replacement for peanut butter. That was my go-to snack when I was craving something sweet but didn't want to have a dessert. I know of things like almond butter, etc, but I've never bought them or used them. If you have any brand suggestions and where I could find them (online or otherwise) that would be awesome. I know things can be overpriced, so I don't wanna be made a sucker out of, but if it's quality I'm paying for I'm fine with it. Thanks in advance for chiming in

For those of us who end up eating out from time to time, you probably have a mental list of restaurants where you can get Primal/Paleo food. Until now, Panera was not my list. But at the beginning of this year, they opened up a "Hidden" menu to all their US locations featuring surprisingly low-carb, protein-packed meals! http://mypanera.panerabread.com/articlestips/article/access-into-paneras-hidden-menu/ For nutritional information see: http://www.paneranutrition.com/NutritionCalculator.aspx (Note: The steak wrap and hummus bowl are tucked under "Soups & More", and the breakfast bowls are under "Breakfast Favorites") My only complaint is that they feel the need to keep this menu 'hidden' instead of adding these options to their normal menu. Hopefully if these meals gain popularity, they will gain a regular spot. For my part, I can't wait to try the new "Power Steak Lettuce Wraps"!

So, I am a 27 year old college student and I am looking for a paleo buddy to exchange recipes, provide each other motivation/support, and maybe just someone to chat with about the whole paleo journey. My best friend and roommate are both far from healthy eating/paleo and they just get bored when I start talking about my paleo struggles and triumphs. lol. I also want to learn how to do heavy lifting and try to incorporate a more primal style workout into my fitness routine (to replace the cardio and bodyweight workouts that I have been doing) So if you're knowledgeable on that subject, or want to learn with me, that gets you bonus points!

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