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I think I used the Princess Bride for theme in ages past. Who cares? It's a brand new challenge, and I'm coming off a win for a change. Stayed with it for the whole challenge, didn't fizzle out at the end and officially leveled up and earned money for my Motiva-ca-tion Fund (it's a savings account now, not just a jar ). I've been in the Assassin's Guild for ages before the Adventurers became official (SOOO looking forward to the Assassin's Creed movie coming up), so I have an affinity for men in black. If I ever hope to follow in the footsteps of my favorite man in black - The Dread Pirate Roberts aka Westley - I need to continue my training in the proper direction. Goal 1- Scale the Cliffs of Insanity! I have bought and paid for at least five trips to Adventure Rock, and they've opened a second gym that is shiny new and awesome, and much closer to me than the other location. I've had some back issues this summer, but I've been pretty solid for at least the past 6 weeks, so I think I'm ready to start climbing again. I'm nowhere near 'Insanity' level, but i gotta start somewhere, right? - Go climbing four times - BOUNTY = $10 Goal 2 - Defeat the R.O.U.S.'s I know of no Rodents of Unusual Size in my neighborhood, though of course they DO exist. That's why my R.O.U.S.s are Regions of Unusual Shambles. I'm really quite a messy person with a lot of crap that I need to get rid of. This seems like more of a 'life goal' than a diet and fitness goal, but it's really not. Housecleaning burns calories same as any other fitness activity, and it comes with the added bonus of making my home a better place to work on all my other goals. It's hard to do a work-out in the living room when you can barely walk through it. Hard to cook a healthy meal when you can't find the counter, or clean dishes for that matter. Yes, I suck. I go in cycles on the cleanliness of my apartment and right now I'm on the bottom end of the cycle, my nadir. I can't promise that at the end of the month everything will look House Beautiful, but I intend to make the improvements noticeable. I'll post before and after picture of each R.O.U.S. that I'm tackling. Since this goal needs some extra motivation for me to do, I'm upping the bounty, but I also increased the number from four to five so I get extra improvement for my dollar. - Take down five R.O.U.S.s = BOUNTY = $20 Goal 3 - Survive the Pit of Despair I joined a new gym. I went to it quite often for my last challenge but not at all during my week off. The machines at the gym aren't as bad as the machines in the Pit of Despair, but sometimes I feel a bit like Wesley being tortured. Regardless, that's no excuse not to go. The more often I go, the stronger I'll get, torture or not. - Workout at the gym 10 times - Bounty = $10 Goal 4 - Follow advise from Miracle Max and Valerie Miracle Max and his lovely wife Valerie are way older than most people living in Florin. Why? I think it's because they eat right and they enjoy food. Max appreciates a good MLT, when the mutton is nice and lean, and the tomatoes are ripe. And Valerie wisely knows that a little chocolate helps things go down better. Last challenge I was trying to track my food, which is an important strategy on Weight Watchers. But I really really really hate tracking my food. That's why I'm excited to try a different technique that Weight Watchers offers. It's called Simply Filling and it's basic foods are listed here if you're interested. So I'm looking to follow the plan, with a couple of allowances in the chocolate/sweets variety to help it go down better. I have sugar-free pudding to go with the sugar-fee gelatin, fat free Cool whip, and some fat free cream cheese to help expand my dessert options. I hope to make a few low point goodies to keep me on track. And the plan does allow for 7 points worth of food that doesn't fit the plan per day which can be banked over the course of a week for special occasions (49 points per week), so I'm going to work that to allow for treats here and there. Follow the Simply Filling technique at least 16 days - BOUNTY = $10 BONUS Have Fun Storming the Castle! Just like last time around with the Treat Yo Self bonus quests, I've chosen some other activities that can earn me extra bounties along the way, EXPLORE! - $1 for every new place I visit and explore SLEEP! - $1 for 5 nights of at least 7 hours of sleep FLOSS! = $1 for 5 nights of adding flossing to my bedtime routine DRINK! = $1 for 5 days of drinking at least 64 oz of water COOK! = $1 for each new recipe I try CHECK-IN = $1 for 5 times checking in on my progress MINGLE = $1 for 3 times liking or commenting other people's challenge threads. PLANK = $1 for 5 minutes of planking.

I do I do! Working on getting some basic stuff back on track this challenge, so this'll be pretty simple this time around. Things I'm good at: sticking to lifting schedule Things I'm okay at: finding protein when I try Things I'm bad at: cookies, any kind of adulty habit, life stuff all the time! Things I care about this challenge: Tracking lifts and doing the usual, learning as I go (but I'm on a short cut this challenge, so not expecting unicorns and rainbows) Why bother grading something you can't stop me from doing? lol Getting enough protein while on said short cut. The goal is bodyweight in grams, to ensure I'm more than hitting the appropriate target. Weekly average is fine. Basic mobility stuff. Rolling and stretching. Stretching will be 15 min of whatever. Rolling will be targeted at whatever I've hit that day. 3 of each per week. Glute work. 3 sets of stuff to get my booty activating. A squatter's best sidekick. Continuing to study for MS 70-461. Since I'm almost done with the read-through of my training kit, the challenge will focus on practice tests, internet research on the test, scheduling, and possibly taking the test depending on that last bit. This is just a P/F at the end, because I'm not really sure how to track it yet. Maybe once I gather underpants and see what's out there for practice on the web, something will come to me. But the truth is I'll just schedule that test when I'm just about ready to take it. Bare minimum adulting. A 2-3 item to-do list 5 days a week with some house chores so something happens at least. Apply to one job per week. Don't get complacent! Writing practice and brainstorming sessions. Anything goes. Just do something every day, even if it's a short brainstorm and wiki update. Get exactly one massage. Putting this in here so I do it, because believe it or not, this is difficult because it involves money. Things I don't care about this challenge: I said I'm on a cut. I'm not tracking this here, and it's not basic enough to go into the challenge, so if it needs to go to preserve the rest, it goes. This is just for context. When I'm not hitting PRs this challenge, this be why, probably. Diet soda habits, sugar habits, whole/good food habits. I care, but these are pretty secondary to everything above. Cardio. I'm doing it, because it makes cuts easier for me, but I'm not tracking it or caring if I miss a planned session. Anything else, really Phew, this was longer than you might expect for a simple challenge, isn't it?? I haven't decided if I want to use ending stats from last challenge as starting stats (they are IMPRESSIVELY bloated, so my cut would look really successful lol), or if I want to wait for the end of zero week and remeasure for the "real" start, because I'm not tracking anything for zero week, besides the lifts that I'll do anyway. Those will go here, though.

Hey there, Rebels! I'm heading into my third challenge, and I'm hoping to push myself even harder. I only have 3 weeks left in this semester, but I'll probably stay on campus for an extra 6 weeks to take a "Maymester" and work. Anyways, life will for sure get a bit easier, so I want to start my summer break off strong by finishing this challenge! I'm breaking this challenge into "Fitness" and "Life" goals, although there's a bit of crossover. Thanks for following me on this journey! Current Weight/Measurements: Weight - 120lbs Bust - 34" Waist - 30 1/2" Hips - 37" Thighs - 21 1/2“ Fitness Goals GOAL 1: Run like Wonder Woman. (Run, or Use Elliptical or Treadmill 3 days a week) (Fun fact - my English professor is Lynda Carter's first cousin. Unfortunately, I still don't have an autograph.) Details: I am not a big runner. It's just not something I've ever done, and I've been okay because I've found other ways to stay fit. However, I need to up my endurance. I am only choosing to do 3 days a week because I get a lot of cardio from dance (especially tap) and I don’t want to set too high a goal. Possible Points: +3 Stamina Current Progress: 2/20 Days GOAL 2: Do a Handstand (Take 2!) Details: This was my goal in my last quest, but it didn’t happen. I have managed to stay in a wall handstand for 60 seconds, but I can’t do it consistently. I also can’t get up on my own away from the wall. So, I’m going to try it again! Possible Points: +2 Dexterity Current Progress: Can hold a wall handstand for 60 seconds. Can get into a handstand away from the wall. GOAL 3: Hulk up! (Regular Weight-lifting Details:I am trying to get more into regular weight-lifting, beyond what I do in my tiny apartment. I’ve been trying to use the free-weights at the gym, but I need the added motivation of making it part of my challenge. I'm also partial to bodyweight stuff, so I will probably rotate between that and free-weights. I’m shooting for a bare minimum of 4 days a week - but hopefully I'll make more than that. Possible Points: +2 Strength Current Progress: 2/24 Days Life Goals GOAL 1: Get more sleep. Details: I used to have a very steady sleep schedule, and unlike most college students, I'm not into partying and I rarely stay up late of my own accord. (#nerd) But recently, especially this past semester, I've been getting an average of 4-6 hours of sleep. I didn't notice it until I got a FitBit and started tracking my sleep, but MAN is that unhealthy. So I'm going to work on getting more sleep. Possible points: +2 Constitution Current Progress: 4/42 Nights of at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep. GOAL 2: Pass the Psychology CLEP Test (And not Britta it) Details: I need to knock some of these GenEds out of the way so I won't have so much going on. First up: Psychology! I'm basically gonna be a therapist, guys. Possible points: +3 Wisdom Current Progress: Studied first 4 chapters of Textbook GOAL 3: "I...am not left-handed." (Regular Fencing!) Details: So I've done a little fencing in the way of workshops (and a lot of stage combat, since I'm an actor), but I never had the opportunity to do it regularly. Thankfully, I now have access to a fencing school that has adult classes DURING times I can take them! So I start on the 18th with a weekend intensive, and I'll be doing it regularly after that. I am really excited about it, since it's something I always wanted to do but never had the time. Also, this school teaches historical fencing, which I'm totally into. I'm actually making this a "Charisma" challenge, because it just makes me incredibly happy, and what's more charismatic than a 5'4" chick with a sword? Absolutely nothing! Possible points: +3 Charisma Current Progress:

Prince Humperdink and the Six Fingered Man have locked up Princess Buttercup in the castle. The gate is guarded by 30 men! We need a plan to get in there now! Main Quest Cut my Body Fat in half (From 30% to 15%) while increase my strength. In order to do this I will need 3 things ... aside from a Wheelbarrow and a Holocaust Cloak 1 Fezzik's Strength (+3 Con) But as he says... So It must be his Diet. Eat between 2000 and 2500 calories including >150g of protein and <150 grams of carbohydrates. 3pts if I miss less than 2 day a week. 2 pts if I miss less than 3 days a week 1 pts If I miss more than 3 days a week but I did put effort in 2 Inigo's Steel (+3 Str, +3 End) He trained all his life to avenge his father. StrongLifts 5x5 3x a week 100% = all the points 0% = none of the points 3. Westley's Brain (+2 Dex) Westley was The Dread Pirate Roberts and learned to think on his feet... He also learned to move them as well Do at least 2 session of Cardio after lifting. One of which has to be intervals Life quest- "As You Wish" (+2 Cha, +1 Wis) Help out more around the house. At least 2 nights a week focus on picking up cleaning or organizing... Whatever need doing. Motivation I have lots of family history with heart disease and diabetes in my family so loosing body fat will help with that. I want this too. I want to be fit and healthy. I love lifting and I am even starting to like running. I want to be a good example of manliness for my future kids... in addition the loss of body fat will increase my chances of having kids. Anyway Hope I have fun... Psh I know I will!

edit - if you are just starting with us - this is to be a fun way to level up for the first 6 weeks. if there is too much here - just glance through, pick some folks to say hi to - and jump on. Don't get overwhelmed - if it's not fun - don't do it! ;-) We have all chosen to come here to level up our lives. We all have Prince Humperdink, Six fingered man, Vizzini type people in our lives. We have all had Pit of Despair moments. We all need a place to run away to - like the Fire Swamp? We have all wanted to go to the Miracle Max guy and take the chocolate covered pill that will bring us back to life! In case you have never seen the Princess Bride - go, watch it now! Well - here we are. Let’s do this! Think it will work? It'd take a miracle! We'll never survive! You're only saying that because no one ever has! LET'S STORM THE CASTLE! For the purists, yes, I've combined two different dialogue quotes to make the focus that I wanted! I'm like that! To join, please post with a short intro, the link to your thread, and put your name on the sign up sheet!****make sure that you subscribe to your own thread...so you know when people comment or like your thread!***I'll post the thoughts or activities or games for the week on the weekend - and the storming starts on Monday! Here is a list of the members of this group.Please take the time to go to each member, and just follow their thread. This is the beauty of accountabilibuddies - we are able to support each other throughout the 6 weeks. ChristArtist - CA Prepares for CampNFSachiko*Kawaii - Spirit ChaserAlaia - Down the Rabbit Hole!Logos88 - Progress LogsThister - Thister Calling into Rebel HQTINSIngredient - Annihilate the Bing MonsterTwo ToneWA - Challenge AcceptedWazukamama - Wazukamama's ChallengeThyrm - Thyrm goes Lean and MeanZombie - Zombie's First ChallengeTundralily - Tundralily Finds the Harmony WithinFeowyn - Feowyn Packs her BagsScarlet Legend - [scarlet Legend] I'm Going On An AdventureTWburn - Chasing Down a DreamTacoTako - Building Good HabitsTheComeBack Kid - http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/51751-thecomebackkid-aims-to-earn-his-name/xt-424 - http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/51883-super-spoonie-the-paleo-autoimmune-protocol/The Spider - http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/51243-the-spider-hitting-the-books-hitting-the-weights/

Introduction: Hi Everyone! This is my first challenge with the NF crowd and I am SUPER excited! I have some things that I definitely need to work on... I am a HORRIBLE self-saboteur, so I feel I really need a place to talk to other people to not fall into my self-destructive habits. Training Background: I used to train/compete aggressively for Olympic Weightlifting a few years ago, unfortunately afterwards, between a series of injuries and academic commitments I quit the sport and it has been a massive life regret. I dabbled in some crossfit, long distance running, Muay Thai, but I always missed weightlifting profoundly. About 6 weeks ago I found a new local team and I started training again! I am very excited and want to sign up for the challenge to not screw this up. Diet background: Oh food and healthy eating - I have a gluten allergy, so I have to be very careful with what I eat. I try to be paleo w/ minimal dairy BUT I have a few mind monsters I need to get rid of. In the beginning of the year, I was doing a "super strict for 6 days, cheat day on 7th" type of meal plan which turned very self-destructive and brought me into a horrible place physically and mentally. Eventually it turned into a binge day/starvation day 48 hour cycle. I noticed my weight starting to creep up, which was very draining physically and emotionally. Then, a bit of good news - I had to travel for a few weeks, and somehow my eating habits are always better on the road (perhaps because my mind is occupied?), and I've managed to get back to where I was before it all started... the weight dropped and my eating habits are now much more normal. The biggest shock was that my training improved EVEN though a lot of my usual "rules" were broken - i.e. not eating immediately before/after a training session, not hitting the g number for protein, and all my other usual stressors. But now that I am back home, my biggest fear is falling into my old horrible set of habits. I am hoping between training with my team and having a support network I can abandon my binge-monster forever. Main Quest: Work towards getting into competition shape for weightlifting. Quest 1: Epically annihilate the binge monster - Eliminate factors that seem to screw with my appetite: ditch the diet soda and chewing gum. A = 1 soda/gum pack per week. B = 2/week C = 3/week - Have vegetables with every meal/snack and start with them when hungry - Try to eat by functioning off natural hunger/satiety cues instead of following strict timings and stressing when there is any variety in them. Reward: A = +3CON, B = +2CON, C = +1 CON Quest 2: Build strength - Measurement: Improve back-squat to at least A: 90kg 2x2 B: 87kg 2x2 C:85kg 2x2 - Train with my team as per plan 3x/week. - Never miss 2 workouts in a row Reward: A = +3 STR, B = +2STR, C = +1STR Quest 3: Improve mindset - Stop negative self-talk - Break free of self-destructive habits - When facing a binge/screw it moment, post and vent on the forum instead of buying a jar of almond butter. - A = 0 cheats/week, B = 1 every 3 weeks, C = 1 every 2 weeks Reward: A = +3WIS, B = +2WIS, C = +1WIS Life Quest: Continue to pursue my french studies by registering for night school at a university close by. Motivation: I wish I had something beautifully motivational like kids or family members to keep me going when things get challenging... but this is where I need the most help. The only person I am really doing this for is myself, which unfortunately, is not the greatest motivation for me, and which is why I need all of you wonderful people!! Most people are scared of failure... but I am scared of success! How weird is that!? Any time I set a new personal best or achieve a new goal, instead of being proud and happy like a normal person, I get freaked out a little and the self-sabotaging thoughts are stronger than ever? I need to change my mindset to "YES this is really you and YES you deserve this!"