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Introduction: I’m a 30 something fat bloke, I have always been the bigger chap (apart from primary school when I was 4/5 years old and I was sent to the doctor as they thought I was malnourished…boy did I get them back!) but after I joined my current employer (8 years ago) I became quite sedentary and I ballooned. I have over the years started loads of things to change this but I always ended up falling off the wagon, so joining in here I hope will help me find the inspiration and support of others. One of the best habits is to surround yourself with people who have the same goal as you…so guess I’m doing the virtual version! This will be my third challenge the second didn't go so well and this is what I need to get over. An old problem flared up but I need to just keep on getting on! Main Quest: To become a healthier fitter individual by improving my diet and fitness. This would be measured in an increase in capability (which can be measured in Stronglifts capabilities, distances covered on cardio days (mixture of rowing, cycling, treadmill (10mins each on a workout) and cross trainer (30mins session) ) using the Crossfit Thames standard sheets to aim for (with intermittent testing) and decrease in body fat and other measured body sizes. Quest 1: To work out 5 days a week working towards Crossfit minimums: Mon, Wed and Friday will be Stronglifts days and Tue and Thur will be cardio days. Measurement: 100% = 30 days Reward: 100% = +2 STA, +2 STR Quest 2: Make a return to DDP (or YRG as I have these DVDs) Yoga to improve flexibility on either a Saturday or Sunday Measurement: 100% = 6 days Reward: 100% = 2 Dex Quest 3: Will follow a 5/2 plan, it worked for me before, im sure I can do it again, will also keep non fast days to a max of 2000cals Measurement: 100% = 42 days of sticking to 2000 or 600 Reward: 100% = 2 Con Life Quest: Going to look to my epic quests for this one and aim to complete the first draft of my first Steampunk chap book. It has been sitting for ages so hopefully this will give me the drive to work with my brain in my non-physical times! Measurement: Sit down for at least 1 hour a day to work on writing Measurement: 100% = 42 days Reward: 100% = 2 WIS Motivation: I’m not getting younger, but I do appear to be getting bigger and therefore unhealthier. I’m sure there are already irreversible negative things going on in my body, but let’s see what I can do to rescue the rest of it! I also have non-physical things that I would like to achieve, so now is the time to knuckle down…2015 will be a new start to this life of mine!

TiffanyD’s New Trait – Tactical Advantage In order to have a tactical advantage at all times you must be skilled, have clarity, and always prepared. My skill-set is growing! I can now deadlift my body weight, which was my big goal for this year (I guess I jumped the shark early on that one). Now that my strength has improved greatly through Strong Lifts I am switching to Strong Curves to A. Keep things fresh and B. Focus on training for the body traits I want. Skilled: Train at least 3 times a week (strong curves, weights, or a class), and hit at least 10k steps a day (or 1 good extra workout/heavy duty home project) every weekend. Worth 3 str & 2 dex points. I usually hit close to 10k on weekdays, but my weekends become a blur of cooking, some minor cleaning and video games so I need to focus on getting moving on the weekends more. My prep work for the week has gone by the wayside and I need to refocus on making it a priority again. I also want to eat in a way that my body is always working properly and ready for anything. Prepared: Eat no more than 1360 calories a day average, and track all meals via MFP. Make sure to get within 10g of 98g of protein a day. I get 3 "cheat" days that won't count towards average total, with 1 being for my 30th birthday. Worth 3 sta & 2 con points. Water is a vital thing for clarity of body and mind, I am going to continue create the habit of drinking enough each day. Clarity: Drink at least 80 oz of water per day. Worth 3 wis & 2 cha points. Life Goal: Clean up finances and stick to weekly spending budgets, and spend 15 min everyday cleaning up the house (with Ben).

Blacker than the blackest black, times infinity! Yup, you guessed it correctly, it's heavy metal's cartoon version of Spinal Tap... Quest 1: Nutrition - Eat according to the Zone diet. Cause that's, like, metal. - In all other cases, avoid extras by resorting to water instead. That includes avoiding as much coffee as possible, because there's not Duncan Hills around and all the other coffees are just not black enough. - Track all the food in my battle blog (Time, Quantity and Quality) instead of flooding this thread with boring details. Anyone interested can follow the daily link provided Quest 2: Workouts - Crossfit, at least 3 times per week. Because it's the most brutal way to work out. - On days not visiting the box, do a placeholder workout or an outdoor activity. Like, riding a Thunderhorse. Quest 3: Band Manager - Visit NF daily. Post daily on this thread and my Battle Log. Catch up with people's threads. - Follow at least one new recruit (preferably an aspiring Ranger) every week. - Post an educational or motivational article or video every day. Life Quest: Facepunch! The new job has been confirmed! It's on a subject I have no experience with and considering the level of things, I have to justify getting picked over a more experienced colleague by lots and lots of hard work to catch up with everything! This goal is hard to set in stone for the entire challenge, so it will be broken down into weekly mini-quests Week 1: Spend at least 2 hours a day reading stuff for the new job Done Week 2: Adapt to a new town and job Done Week 3: Make the short trip back home count Done Week 4: Whatever that was, Done Week 5: Lolwut? Done Weight when this thread was posted: 84.7 kg Weight on the official start day of the challenge: 82,5 kg Weight @ Apr 23: 80,1 kg before training, 79,4 kg after Weight @ May 4: 77,2 kg after training Weight @ May 11: 76,9 kg after training Weight @ May 18: 76.3 kg after training Weight @ May 22: 78.6 kg after training Weight @ May 25: 77.9 kg after training

About Swoop Just a simple Viking. Work with IT and do Crossfit. Prefer to have everything neat and simple. Try to make things efficient in both work and personal life. Recently started tracking sleep using Misfit Flash, and also logging food using MyFitnessPal. Hoping this habit will last and that the 6 week challenge helps me do that. I rarely have problems motivating myself to workout, but rather have a problem maintaining my food discipline i'm afraid. I love good food, and often the good food is not good for my belly. Not terrible overweight or anything. Around average and i good shape with reasonable amount of muscle. Just want to trim the belly fat (i know spot reduction doesnt happen btw ). Main Quest My main quest is broad atm. I don't have any numbers, but i want to lower by body fat. I have several motivating factors, the primary being my upcoming wedding to my girlfriend in 3 months time. So i want to drop as much as possible before she gets here. I'm aware that my goals is non-specific, but i have not way ot measuring my current body fat accurately nor tracking it well enough atm. But i can log my food and weight to indicate this. This excerpt is from my previous log that i never got around to using i'm afraid "From what i figure my BMR is around 2000 (30 years and around 91-92 kg and 180cm tall). So from this figure i need ~3000 kcal a day to maintain my weight with my activity level (2000 x 1.55 approx). So just because i think 3000 sounds kind of high for me i will try to put my meals at around 2000-2400 range. That gives me the 500 kcal lower at least." SMART Goals 1. I will follow proper diet 6 days of the week I have a regular delivery of lowcarb food case every Monday morning. This is my dinner for the week. Usually the meals are heavy in greens and very low in carbs. I eat the same meal two days in a row and the final day is a relaxed day with little more lax food. For breakfast and lunch i have a cafeteria at work that allows me to get what I want. so my breakfast and lunch are pretty set. Just need to load on the salad and meat and avoid too much carbs and sauce. Breakfast is yogurt w. musli and 1-2 eggs. I log everything in MyFitnessPal and try to maintain my intake to ~2000 kcal a day. The above diet and numbers are from a previously personalized meal plan so i know it works for me from experience. 2. I will workout at least 3 times a week. I track this via MyFitnessPal and regularly schedule the same workouts. Normally a Monday morning, Thursday morning and either a cardio workout on Tuesdays or a team workout Saturday. But always at least 3 times a week booked in advance. It's already a habit i just need to keep it and make sure i don't strain my ankle too much as i had a sprain recently. 3. I will sleep 7 hours a night. I monitor my sleep amount through my Misfit tracker. The goal is set for 7 hours a day. Also set an alarm on my phone to 22:00 so i HAVE to get ready for bed at that time from now on. As an added help i try to not drink any caffeinated drinks after 19:00 and additional take a magnesium pill as it previously have shown to help me relax for sleep. Finally i will read a chapter in a book before bed rather than watch TV. Side Quest My side quest is simple. A nice simple routine of cleaning my kitchen every evening after dinner. I have no dishwasher so i have to do by hand. But keeping it down every night is a pleasure and helps me feel ready to cook my low carb meals every night. Hope you guys will forgive me for posting a lot of information in my thread as i think i will use this log heavily. I might post small things and insignificant things, but posting and talking about it helps me be motivated and feel good about all the small things i manage everyday Glad to be here and please please hold me accountable to my goals as i have been meaning to post here for a long long time and just got away from it.

Hello, my name is Rachel! I am not new to fitness but am very new to Nerd Fitness. I had been striving for a healthier lifestyle ever since I graduated college back in July 2013. At my heaviest I was 293 lbs. I had been able to lose about 30 of those lbs. when I started working again. I recently changed jobs that is not as active as my last one and gained about 10 of those pounds back. But, I caught myself and started to eat conscientiously and have so far stagnated at about 274 lbs. I am currently walking, kettlebell training, and some body weight training. I wanted to join the rebellion because I wanted to try something a bit different than the run of the mill "eat clean" and "exercise every (other) day." Don't get me wrong, I do want to eat clean and exercise and apply it a lot more than I do now, but I notice that Nerd Fitness tends to put a lot more emphasis on the "mind set" of getting healthier and makes it like a game where it will be fun. I believe that is what I am missing in developing my healthy lifestyle-it is not fun for me. I am hoping that after this challenge, I will find that getting healthier is actually fun and not a chore. Main Quest: I want to get stronger and develop more stamina so I can pass a kettlebell snatch test. Quest 1: Start drinking water and adapting a paleo/primal diet during the six week challenge. I am going to start off by drinking 8 cups of water per day. As for paleo eating, I have a paleo cookbook and so will do meal planning every week and cook all my meals for the week during the weekend. I am also going to incorporate a cheat meal on Friday nights. If I know that if there is any special event coming up during the week or give in to temptation and have a bad day healthy eating wise, I don't have my cheat meal on Friday night. Quest 2: Start focusing on kettlebell training a lot more. I want to be certified as a kettlebell instructor and need to start training a lot more and it will help me lose those extra 100 lbs.! Quest 3: Start doing yoga 3 times a week. Yoga is something I always wanted to try out and I figured this challenge will be the perfect opportunity to start! Life Quest: I want to pay off some of my debt. I had accumulated a lot of debt while I was at school. The beginning of the month, I will pay about hundred dollars more than the minimal payment, than each week (I get paid weekly) I will pay a hundred dollars per week on one of my credit cards. Once it is paid off, I do the same thing with my next credit card, and then finally my student loan. I know it sounds funky, but I put a lot of thought into it for some time and found that this method is the best for me. Motivation: I want to be a certified kettlebell instructor, I would like to be certified as a Strongfirst Girevik (SFG) and the certification is a weekend long. Talking to other instructors, if you are not prepared, the weekend can be brutal and the tests they put you through are very rigorous so it is imperative to be in shape for the certification. I look forward to learning a lot about Nerd Fitness and helping each other out in attaining or getting closer to our goals (quests). Wish everyone the best of luck!

Okay, so still kinda figuring things out. LONG TERM GOALS Get back under 200 lbs. Hopefully somewhere around 150 lb or less, although if I get the right muscle mass like I'd like to do, then it'd be higher, right? Who cares about the scale anyways? Why do I keep rambling? WHO KNOWSEither overcome my depression or learn how to live with it and defeat it's ploys.Overall, be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spirituallySMART GOALS FOR THESE NEXT 3 WEEKS CONSIDERING I'M A LATE DUMBASS Grading: A: 22-24 | B: 19-21 | C: 16-18 | D: 13-15 | F: 12 or less days Cut out pop from everyday. No more of it. - 3 CON Drink at least 2 liters of water everyday. - .5 STA Eat 2 cups of fruit everyday. - .5 STA Eat 3 cups of veggies everyday. - .5 STA Eat 6 oz of protein everyday. - .5 STA Be active for at least 30 minutes each day. - 2 STR/1 DEX Meditate each morning for 15 minutes. - 1 WIS/1 CHAI will create a spreadsheet where I can keep track of these and post screenshots as I go.

Howdy all! Wanted to get in here and get my battle log set up for the next challenge. My previous challenge should be in my signature. I am a little HTML inept. I can do it but man it takes a few tries LOL. I will start off by saying I am proud of my effort to have actually finished my first ever 6 week challenge from start to end. I had (past tense) a horrible, horrible habit of just dying off. Didn't matter the challenge or where it came from. If you gave me a good 2 weeks in I would be surely gone by then. Someone on the Facebook Nerd Fitness Academy group mentioned the Habit RPG app and miracle of all miracles its working for me. I love that little app! Its so silly and nerdy but hatching pets, feeding them, and buying protection gear for my character is so much fun. My main goal in the last challenge was simply to finish it. I had goals like exercise 5 out of the 7 days, tracking food, and what not but my main, main goal in my heart of hearts was to complete the challenge. So here I am a newly minted graduate of the league of Recruits. Whoo hoo! A little more about myself... I am currently 6 weeks into see a chiropractor/physical therapist for an SI joint issue (done by poor posture of all things so sit properly in your chairs LOL). From what I felt 6 weeks ago to now is dramatically different. I was in nightly pain and the lack of sleep, consistent good sleep, was not great. I'm back to sleeping like the dead so I am quite happy. I am also doing dramatically better with my seasonal depression from where I was 6 weeks ago. I have my light box, St. Johns Wort, and getting back out for walking/running to thank for that. So here is to the next 6 weeks!! Looking forward to checking in with some fellow Rangers!

Hello all, Im Demonhart (CJ) I wandered into this pub because I was researching diet/workout info on the internet and ran across this site. Im currently overweight pretty bad so Ill try to explain where Im at and where I want to get and maybe someone can guide me where I need to be. Stats: Height: 5'9" Weight: 210lbs Age: 30 Strength and Dex are both suprisingly low, as is endurance. I am prior military and all of my previous time working out has been bodyweight training but I would much rather venture into weight/strength training but have had no formal training. My goal is to have a good functional strength and agility. I dont care to do parkour but would like to be able to be competitive in something like tough mudder or spartan race while still holding my own on the free weights at the gym. I was in great shape when I got out of the NAVY at 155lbs, and I feel like I am still 155lbs strength wise but Im carrying around 210 pounds. I made a bet with my wife that I could get to <10% BF by our daughters birthday (9/17/15) and I think im at like 25-28% right now. I have a lot of work but a decent amount of time if I make the right moves in the right direction. Here are my short term goals: (6 week....getting a headstart on the next challenge ; ) ) Diet-100% paleo by the end of 6 weeks. Today is the first I have researched it so I have work to do here. Fitness Run-1.5 miles in <15 minutes (last recorded time before leaving navy was 9.07) Pushups- >50 in 2 minutes Pullups- atleast 10 consecutive (not sure I can do 1 right now) I think if I achieve that Ill be on the right track but this is where I need help and support. I have no friends who are even somewhat motivated and the gym I work out at is meathead central so there is very little support there. Any advice is welcomed, and please forgive the formatting if its hard to read....I sometimes tend to have a negative INT modifier. P.S. Im considering joining the academy but dont really see the benefit over the free forum and also I cant figure out what to do to create a character here. Id probably say Im a half-elf Ranger (Naturally thin that has let himself get a serious ale-gut)

Main Quest Week long back country Elk hunt (September 2015) Followed by a warrior dash in October Motivation 2 kids and a wife that needs me long term. An Elk hunt with my father before he is unable. Fleet of foot Last challenge, I was walking about one hour 3 times per week and I started to transition to Jogging. I’m going to continue with this goal and by the end of the challenge I will be doing 5 min walking/5 min jogging splits. My goal is to jog 30 min total within one hour. Points as follows: >30 min = 3 stam, 1 con >22.5 min = 1 stam, 1 con >15 min = 1 stam Push the earth: Instead of a boring goal like work out x times per week, I’m going to shoot for something I can be proud of. I’m going to gun for 100 pushups in one set. This will be a tough one. But I think I can pull it off. I’ll use one of the 100 push up challenges as a guide. If you have one that you have been success full with let me know. My last set of push-ups was 30/20/15. Points will be +4 str. All or nothing Let the arrows fly: In order to achieve my goal, I must start practicing now. So my goal will be to start sending shafts of wood (or aluminum) down range at a high rate of speed. I plan on practicing at least twice a week for the duration of this challenge and compete in a field tourney by the end of the challenge. Points as follows: 12 + practices = 2 dex 6 + practices = 1 dex Compete in tourney = 2 dex Writing I’m going to start a blog. I’ve wanted to do this for a while. So I’m going to commit to it. The blog is started, but it needs some polishing. My goal is to get it polished, hopefully before the challenge starts and consistently write. Points as follows 6 post over challenge = + wis/+1 Chr 3 post over challenge = +1 wis Some one subscribes = +1 Chr This is my draft and I may edit before we start. If you have suggestions please let me know. Edited to get to 15 stat points.

Name: Hammlin "Hammi" Race: Wood Elf | Class: Footpath Ranger Leader Level: 19 (STR):44.25 (DEX):41.25 (STA):32 (CON):31.25 (WIS):31.5 (CHA):27.25 Motivation: The last 6 week challenge for me kind of ended abruptly in the beginning of January. I was feeling weak all the time, exhausted, and just not myself. I felt like my depression was kicking in, and like all the dark from daylight savings time was sucking the life out of me. Turns out, after nearly 2 years of trying, I'm pregnant. And exhausted. So this challenge, is devoted to moving more and staying healthy so that the Bacon Bit is growing inside me grows and grows and becomes healthy and strong! Main Quest: Be Healthy for Bacon Bits (baby) (Feb 23 - Apr 5) Missions: 1. Walk. Every day. 5,000 steps. This isn't a ton, considering I am a hiker, but with my energy level being slim to none, even with a B vitamin, 5k is a big deal for me. 2. Water. Drinking more, my doctor wants me drinking 4+ of my water bottle a day. 3. Nutrition. I don't have cravings or morning sickness, thank God, but I do have some slight aversions. I am trying to be more mindful about getting enough good food and am trying to avoid the glutens. Life Quest: 4. Stress Management. I need to stay even keeled and not let little things get to me. Going to explore yoga and meditation with Mr. Ham, to see what works best for me. I won't be tracking or grading myself. I just need to be mindful and focused right now. I don't need one more thing to do or feel bad about, if I forget. Bonus: - I recently made it onto the Safety Team. Yay!

At the beginning of last challenge I was inspired to create a series of challenges based on major battles of Middle Earth. Right now these challenges only contain the exercise aspect of the challenge so I will be adding other goals as well. I decided to skip over the first couple as they are more geared to beginners or at least people who are where I was a few challenges ago. If you are interested in using, viewing, or helping me construct these challenges there is the Link. If you look at the challenges I posted in the other thread you will see that I made some changes to parts of Helm's Deep and I may make more before this challenge begins. It's all about working out the kinks and building a feasible plan. The Battle of Helm's Deep This is the first battle in which the members of the Fellowship had a chance to prepare for battle. Armor was donned, blades sharpened, and the fortress bolstered, though there was little time. The battle raged through the night against a relentless foe of unbeatable numbers. The warriors were tired, their muscles ached under their armor, yet they fought on. This Challenge is about building endurance while maintaining the strength needed to fight under the weight of armor. Q1: Workout Strength: 2 Days a week 5x5. Bench, Military, Deadlift, and Curls both days. Calisthenics: 2 Day a week, Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD while wearing chainmail hauberk. (substitute any workout that mixes strength and cardio, substitute weighted vest and/or ankle and wrist weights) Core: 1 day a week: 1 min Leg Raises, 1 min 1 leg 1 arm row, 1 min Mountain Climbers. Repeat 5 times, no Breaks. Weapons: 5 Days a week, 10 minutes Pell training with heavy boffer weapons. Workout Doesn't Count If I Don't Stretch After! Q2: Diet Consume no more than 3400 calories per day while consuming at least 215g protein. Q3: Work I am trying to work toward a promotion, and have set up a list of things to work on. My goal is to stick to my checklist for the entirety of the challenge. Score is based on percentage completed. SQ: Chainmaile Produce 10 pieces for sale at craft fairs.

My goals this time out include: Body Fat Percentage down to about 15%, weight below 160#CON: +2CHA: +1Set new deadlift PRsSTR: +2Continue improving at pull-upsSTR: +1Get at least some level of exercise (almost) dailySTA: +1Learn a new recipe good enough to make for my wifeWIS: +1

Introduction: My name is Swiftblade and this is my first 6 week challenge. I’m 27 and currently 170 lbs., dress size 12. I have done some weight training and exercising before; I’m not a complete noob, although I have not been able to reach my goals. I usually fade off or hit a slump of depression. I have a job where I move a lot and I find it hard to motivate myself to not be lazy on my days off. I work in a kitchen as a manager, so I am always on my feet and keeping up that speed. But that also means that I am eating poorly, skipping meals and shoving my face to make the growling tummy subside as quickly as possible. Also, I drink sugarfree rockstar like it’s water, seriously. I mean, seriously. I drink on work days (14 hr shift) about 4-7 and on an off day about 2-4. I am also a smoker and that doesn’t help anything. It’s just the only way I have found to get a quick break from work without being hassled or called lazy. My smoking has recently increased and I’m smoking about 12 cigarettes per day. I would like for my life to become more consistent and healthier Main Quest: I would like to get down to a dress size 6. Quest One: Complete some sort of cardio for at least 30 minutes for 3 days of the week. Measurement: A=30 mins all 3 days B= 20 mins all 3 days C= 20 mins at least 2 days Reward: A=+3 to STA B=+2 to STA C=+1 to STA Quest 2: Complete 3 days of advanced bodyweight circuit Measurement: A=100% B=80% days C=60% Reward: A=+3 to STR B=+2 to STR C=+1 to STR Quest 3: Drink less energy drinks, more water. Measurement: A=1 gal of water a day and 4 energy drinks for the week (if you know me this is an extreme goal. B=1 gal of water a day and 1 energy drink a day C=1 gal of water a day and 2 energy drinks on work days, 1 on off days Reward: A=+4 to CON B=+2 to CON C=+1 to CON Life goal: Cut down smoking. Measurement: A=Smoking only 3 cigarettes a day (by the end of challenge, at least one week consistent) B=Smoking only 5 cigarettes a day (under same conditions) C= smoking only 7 cigarettes a day Reward: A=+3 to WIS and +1 to CON B=+2 to WIS and +1 to CON C=+1 to WIS and +1 to CON Motivation: My grandmother. It is sad to say but I don’t want to have any of her health conditions. We are very similar genetically and I want to avoid the diabetes, heart problem, breast cancer, COPD, and so on. Seeing her suffer motivates me to want to improve my condition. She is only 65, but with her multitude of health conditions, she cannot enjoy her life. I don’t want that for myself. I need to make a change.

I have decided on my goals for this six week challenge. They may be a little odd, but they are what needs to happen. Take my asthma medications. All four. Every. Single. Day. I will not get better unless I remember to use these medications. Measure my peak flow morning and night. (For those who don't know, this is a basic test of lung function) Stretch my hamstrings, glutes, and achilles at least four times a week. Do cardio. I am leaving this open because I don't know how well my lungs will behave over the next few weeks, so I don't want to set a concrete goal on this one.

Hi everybody. BRHemp here. Going to start my first challenge on the 13th. I am a federal law enforcement officer and a CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 certified instructor. I also hold certs in CF Olympic Lifting, CF Gymnastics, CF Strong Man, CF Kids and am certified with Kettlebell concepts as an instructor. This is why I classify myself as a Ranger My goal for the 6 week challenge is to eat better, lose 5-8 pounds and be a better man and father. My fiance and I will be seeing a sports nutritionist this week and hopefully she can get us on a better eating lifestyle. When I started back exercising 2 1/2 years ago, I was 245 lbs and had a 40 inch waist. I'm down to 222 and a 34 inch waist, but know I can do better. I am glad to have found a community to bounce ideas off of and keep me accountable. Why do I need this? Well as often as I teach, I only get to work out by myself. Hard to stay motivated and challenge myself. Plus I love the community aspect of Nerd Fitness. I look forward to hearing from the rest of you and us motivating each other. GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!

I am a newbie, wannabe Ranger. But have been doing a lot. I work in Federal Law enforcement running around in the desert and mountains. I also am a CrossFit LV1 and LV 2 coach with 5 other certs. Why do I hurt? Well...last night I did the "Prison Workout" with a twist. You do 25 burpees, jog 25 yards then do 24 burpees and so on down to 1. The twist is that I added 10 sit ups per round. It comes out to 350 burpees and 250 sit-ups in just under 40 minutes (for me anyway) I had some athletes beat me by a few minutes and a few athletes take up to 55 minutes. Either way, it hurt. During the challenge I have a few goals. Modify my diet to cut out most "bad" carbs and sugar Up my cardio and get leaner. I lift weights, but for cardio, I lift weights faster. Stay off of the Copenhagen snuff. It's been 5 weeks since I had one, but the temptation is still there. So in general, I want to be a bad ass Ranger and keep up with the youngsters (I'm 44) Look forward to hearing from you all.

I really don't have a big, pretty speech to make this time. Just need to eat good food, workout, and take care of myself. Goal One: Workout! I made up a circuit for myself that I think will be a good focus for this round, comprised of some kettlebell stuff and body weight stuff. I'll explain in detail later. If I want to sub something of greater or equal intensity though, that's fine. 3 workouts per week. A = 18pts B =15pts C = 12 pts D = 9pts F = <9 Goal Two: Eat well! If I've learned one thing from the bajillion challenges I've done, it's that I suck with diet goals. I'm going to focus on preparation and habits this time, rather than elaborate rules. Plus the very act of making myself track food instantly improves the quality of my choices. 1. Bring lunch to work. 1 pt per day. 2. Plan weekly menu. 2 pts per week. 3. Weekend food prep - batch cooking, veggie cutting, and freezer meal making. 5 pts per week. 4. Food tracking (via MFP). 1 pt per day. A = 66pts B = 55pts C = 44pts D = 33pts F = <30 Goal Three: Walk a bunch! I got a fancy schmancy pedometer (It's not really fancy, actually, but it makes me happy) a couple weeks ago, and I am finding it very motivating. I've been hitting 5500 - 6500 steps most days (Although I always seem to have one abysmal day that brings my weekly average down ) so I want to keep inches things upwards. Week One: 6250 average (43,750) Week Two: 6500 average (45,500) Week Three: 6750 average (47,250) Week Four: 7000 average (49,000) Week Five: 7000 average (49,000) Week Six: 7000 average. (49,000) A = 283,500 steps B =278,000 steps C =273,000 steps D =268,000 steps F = <250,000 Goal Four: Use your brain! My brain needs to start working out again just as much as my body does! 6 days a week I am going to either:1. Meditate2. Learn something (Hello Khan Academy!)3. Make some art. (Repetitive stuff I can do without much thinking, aka crocheting, does not count)4. Play piano. 5. Read some non-fiction. A = 36pts B =30pts C =24pts D = 18pts F = <18 Okay, it's simple and it's plain. But it's exactly what I need to do!

34 years old packing too much wieght, 280 at my highest. My lifestyle created my weight, so I'm going to change my lifestyle and let the weight follow. Main Quest Week long back country elk hunt (September 2015) First 6 week challenge Quest 1 Get stronger (4 Str) Work out atleast 3x per week Quest 2 Eat less crap (4 Con) Bring food to work daily Quest 3Transition from not walking to walking (2 Sta) Walk atleast 3x per week (last week 2 miles each walk) Motiviation 2 kids and a wife that need me for the long term. An elk hunt with my father before he is unable.

Greetings, Rangers! I am Thalianost, Knight Banaret of the Order of the Gules Oak. I have been training and feasting with the warriors for most of the winter but now that spring is just around the corner, as is swordplay season, it is time I start getting more active and putting my strength to use. This challenge my plan is to ease out of weight training mode and into combat mode. The Plan: Main Quest: Increase mobility while maintaining strength. Q1: Workouts Since I don't want to loose all my hard earned strength between now and next fall, I am going to keep lifting but only 2 days a week, rather than 4. The other two days I will be doing The Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD to try to get my endurance and mobility back. Also, as I have been neglecting my core, I will be adding a shorter Core workout on Friday's (the day I have the least amount of workout time). So It will look like this: Monday: Lift, chest and shoulders Tuesday: DVD workout Wednesday: Lift, arms and legs Thursday: DVD workout Friday: Core Q2: Diet I decided toward the end of the previous challenge not to get too caught up in the numbers on the scale for a while. I am planning to just put in the work and trust that the numbers will take care of themselves. On that note, even though I am flabbier than I would like to be (currently 29%BF). I am not going to be shooting for a caloric deficit this challenge, I am going to aim to maintain. My last challenge was a cut challenge in which I was aiming for less than 2700 calories and a minimum of 260g protein, not an easy task. I have noticed that this help teach me to eat leaner proteins and cut out a lot of carbs and junk, so I feel I might end up eating well under my goals anyway. This challenge I am shooting for less than 3500 calories a day while consuming a minimum of 255g protein. Q3: Stretching I have developed, over the past few years, a bad habit of not stretching after my workouts. This must stop. My goal will be to stretch after every work out. SQ1: Chainmaile In my spare time I am an amateur craftsman, making stuff out of chainmaile. I am considering doing a craft fair this summer and need to build up my stock. My goal for this challenge is to complete 20 bracelets and 5 Head Bands. SQ2: Swordsmanship This is more of a trial run for future challenges. As a knight I need to cultivate and maintain good swordsmanship. I don't have a good indoor practice space so training in the harsh northern Illinois winter is a bit of a challenge especially with a baby running around my feet. My goal for this challenge is to spend 5 minutes 5 days a week "shadow sparring" using either my sword or my waster. So for those of you who didn't want to read all that: Q1: Lift 2x per week, DVD 2x per week, Core 1X per week Q2: <3500 cal per day, >255g protein per day Q3: Stretch after every workout SQ1: Complete 20 bracelets and 5 headbands Complete 5 bracelets and 2 neck ties (Edited 3/16/15) SQ2: Sword training 5 min/day, 5 day/week Though I don't identify myself as a ranger, I am still very excited to be working with you all. Happy challenge everyone!

Heyo, My name is Tatzumi, but you can just call me Tatz. I'm a freshman college student and I've been making use of my schools gym over the past two months. I've consistently done weight lifting since winter break and I'm ready to step it up a notch. Growing up, I remember always being overweight and once I got into gaming my fitness level dropped considerably since I was no longer entertaining myself by running and climbing rocks and trees with my neighborhood friends. Other factors in my childhood led to me having an unhealthy relationship with food and I still struggle a lot with it. A lot of emotional eating and all that jazz When I started two months ago I was 215lbs and when I measured last month I was 205 so I'm making progress. I have no doubt that this program is going to stick with me, because I absolutely love weight lifting. You know how Stacy said had love at first sight with the barbell? Pretty much the same with my and Stacy is a big inspiration for me. Main Quest: Become a Badass My long term goal is to be able to bench, squat, deadlift (almost already there), etc the equivalent of my Dad's weight with ease (220lbs), have between 13%-20% body fat percentage, eat entirely paleo, and be fit enough to start competing with weight-lighting and running. A side effect of this is becoming toned and dropping weight. It's a long ways off I know, but I'm enjoying the small steps getting there. Quest #1 Run to Mordor Run three times a week and by April be able to run 5k without stopping. I'm currently a week into the Zombies! Run 5k app so I'll continue with that. Quest #2 Eat Through My Inner Demons Eat 80% Paleo and track what I eat. Also minimal snacking with three meals a day and very little extra intake. Carbs only on days I've lifted weights and strictly paleo other days. I have gluten and dairy allergies so I'm most of the way there but I've struggled with consistently recording and limiting my food intake. Quest #3 Record Keeping Record my workouts. How much did I lift for how many reps? When did it get hard? That way I can actually track my progress in terms of how much my body is doing. So taking a notebook to the gym with me. Life Side Quest: Procrastination Vacation Try and complete my homework and assignments for school two nights before they are due, not the night before. I'm adding this one so that I can start trying to kick my procrastination bug. Since I'm an engineering student I'd have a lot more time if I stopped putting off my work for a "better" time. Grade Scale 3/3 main quests is an A with the side quest being kinda like extra credit. I'm allowing two slip ups for each quest but after that each slip up is 1% off. At the end I'll calculate a GPA type thing for each quest and based on how I do I'm going to set different awards. 3.5< I will get a massage at the campus Rec and a new ear piercing. And,depending on weight loss, new workout clothes. 3.5-3.0 I can get a new ear piercing 3.0> I'll figure something for this later. Completing a challenge is fun enough.

This week I start my second challenge both with the rangers and for the year. Last challenge had a great middle, I hit my stride by finding something that clicked with me and got me to the gym, and I saw good results. Family coming to visit (and me trying my best to de-bachelor my boyfriend’s home because of it) as well as a ton of meetings at work during my lunch break (my favorite time to work out) side tracked me at the end. I still learned a lot, and now I KNOW I can do it. This Challenges Focus: Signet of Stone – Passive Boost to Toughness (Outer Strength) Training – To be tough you must train. 3 weight training days, 2 cardio days, and a walk 20-30min every day. Worth +4 Str +2 Dex (Inner Strength) Food – This has been my most difficult wall to break through, but to be tough you must feed your body healthy things, not crap. During this challenge I will track all my food via TwoGrand (TiffanyD if anyone else is on there), I’m going to write in the comment calorie info when it’s available, and I am going to focus on eating no more than 1450 calories a day (my protein shake post SL 5x5/Crossfit will not be counted). I am not having anything be “off limits†this go around. Worth +3 points (tbd) (Resilience) Water – In order to be tough you need to be hydrated, I will drink a minimum of 2.2 liters of water a day (9, 8oz cups). Worth +2 to Con My life goal this time around is to be nicer to myself. I am the type that refuses to expect something out of people that I don’t expect from myself, so I can be very critical. I don’t think anyone should be as harsh on themselves as I am to me, and I need to change that. I will be completing the love your body challenge here.

Introduction: My name is Swiftblade and this is my first 6 week challenge. I’m 27 and currently 170 lbs., dress size 12. I have done some weight training and exercising before; I’m not a complete noob, although I have not been able to reach my goals. I usually fade off or hit a slump of depression. I have a job where I move a lot and I find it hard to motivate myself to not be lazy on my days off. I work in a kitchen as a manager, so I am always on my feet and keeping up that speed. But that also means that I am eating poorly, skipping meals and shoving my face to make the growling tummy subside as quickly as possible. Also, I drink sugarfree rockstar like it’s water, seriously. I mean, seriously. I drink on work days (14 hr shift) about 4-7 and on an off day about 2-4. I am also a smoker and that doesn’t help anything. It’s just the only way I have found to get a quick break from work without being hassled or called lazy. My smoking has recently increased and I’m smoking about 12 cigarettes per day. I would like for my life to become more consistent and healthier Main Quest: I would like to get down to a dress size 6. Quest One: Complete some sort of cardio for at least 30 minutes for 3 days of the week. Measurement: A=30 mins all 3 days B= 20 mins all 3 days C= 20 mins at least 2 days Reward: A=+3 to STA B=+2 to STA C=+1 to STA Quest 2: Complete 3 days of advanced bodyweight circuit Measurement: A=100% B=80% days C=60% Reward: A=+3 to STR B=+2 to STR C=+1 to STR Quest 3: Drink less energy drinks, more water. Measurement: A=1 gal of water a day and 4 energy drinks for the week (if you know me this is an extreme goal. B=1 gal of water a day and 1 energy drink a day C=1 gal of water a day and 2 energy drinks on work days, 1 on off days Reward: A=+4 to CON B=+2 to CON C=+1 to CON Life goal: Cut down smoking. Measurement: A=Smoking only 3 cigarettes a day (by the end of challenge, at least one week consistent) B=Smoking only 5 cigarettes a day (under same conditions) C= smoking only 7 cigarettes a day Reward: A=+3 to WIS and +1 to CON B=+2 to WIS and +1 to CON C=+1 to WIS and +1 to CON Motivation: My grandmother. It is sad to say but I don’t want to have any of her health conditions. We are very similar genetically and I want to avoid the diabetes, heart problem, breast cancer, COPD, and so on. Seeing her suffer motivates me to want to improve my condition. She is only 65, but with her multitude of health conditions, she cannot enjoy her life. I don’t want that for myself. I need to make a change.

Well I fell down over the past coupld of months, so now I have to get back up and start pretty much all over again. That is what this challenge will be about for me. Getting up getting back on track and getting consistent and getting my weight off. Steve’s article on being strong nerds with the link to the Henry Rollins ‘Iron and the Soul’ really touched a nerve for me. I need to do this so I can feel like Henry did in his article. I need to do this so I can say look at my success over my body, my laziness, my self. I need to do this so I can be the example my six kids need me to be. I need to do this for my Rebbecca, so she has the best me as her partner. I need to get back up off the dirt and start again, because I AM NOT A LOSER. Losers lay in the dirt whining, winners get up and fight again. I AM GETTING UP. First Goal: Get up and Walk I have stopped walking consistently. I am not even making my 10,000 steps per day. I have a perfectly good driveway walk, 1.5km [just under a mile] in length. Hel I used to walk 5km per day. Last year I had even started running. I need to get this back. This goal will be in two parts. The first is the number of walks up my driveway. The second is the average number of steps per day [calculated over a week]. At the moment my weekly step count daily average is a measely 6500. That has to go up. I am also struggling to get any walks in at all. There are four points up for grabs for me here, two for Constitution and two for Stamina. Critical Hit: 4 points 6-7 walks/week 10,000+ average daily steps Hit: 3 points 4-5 walks/week 9,000+ average daily steps Dodge: 2 points 2-3 walks/week 8,000+ average daily steps Block: 1 point 1 walk/week 7,000+ average daily steps Miss: 0 points No walks Less than 7,000 average daily steps Second Goal: Get up and Workout I have to get up and rebuild all of my strength. I am getting to fat for my 92/36 jeans. I am too fat for my xl/2xl t-shirts. This is due to me not working out regularly anymore. I need to get up and workout. I have recently started doing a morning body weight routine, this consists of 20 incline push ups, 10 lunges and 20 squats. I want to extend this into the a full BBWW, with rows and a plank. I want to keep this going as a daily routine. I do need to add extra to my weekly routine. I love burpees; they have to be the ultimate bodyweight total body exercise around. I plan to use them as a Hiit workout. Over the past couple of weeks I have been doing just this, with 4 sets of 30 seconds [which works out to 4 burpees per set] once per week. I want to do this three times per week. I also need to do a strength workout. I want to do this twice a week. I love using the kettlebell and my hammer. So I have created a simple routine to use both of these tools. This routine will consist of Hammer Wielding Maniacs as a warm up followed by; Hammer Kisses, Grave Diggers, Wood Chops, Goblet Squats, Kettlebell Swings and Turkish Get Ups. This also has four points available. Two for strength and two for stamina. Critical Hit: 4 points 4-5 total workouts any combination per week Hit: 3 points 3 workouts any combination per week Dodge: 2 points 2 workouts any combination per week Block: 1 point 1 workout any combination per week Miss: 0 points No workouts. Third Goal: Get up and be creative I have started getting back into going to the markets and selling my crafts again. But I need more stock. That means taking time out to make stuff. Which means time engraving glass, wood burning and shaping faux bone pendants. Not to mention putting the pendants on necklaces. This is a time-orientated goal. Time spent doing my crafts rather than selling or researching. I will also post pictures of items made each week. There will be three points available here. All going towards wisdom, as using my time well is an act of wisdom. Critical Hit: 3 points 3+ hours per week Hit: 2 points 2-3 hours per week Dodge: 1 points 1-2 hours per week Miss: 0 points Less than 1 hour per week Life Goal: Get up and start building garden beds. The next six weeks is the right time [in my area] to start getting garden beds ready for planting winter crops. I want to build and set up one garden bed per fortnight. That is three beds made for this challenge. I don’t need to explain the importance of home grown veggies to everyone here on Nerd Fitness. I do need to post pictures of each garden bed made as proof of completion. H’mm where to allocate points here? Dexterity could work for the ability to make the beds, as could Stamina. Charisma for the benefits of doing something for my family would also count [my Bec would be very happy]. Constitution for the benefits of home grown food, wisdom for the application of knowledge of the importance growing food. Strength for the lifting and carrying of beds and fertilizer and so forth.. Bugger it. I am going with one point for dexterity, one point for wisdom and one point for stamina. Critical Hit: 3 points Three beds made Hit: 2 points Two beds made Dodge: 1 points One bed made Miss: 0 points No beds made. Which will leave me with one point to attribute to whichever attribute I wish based upon the completion of the challenge.

JessOfAllTrades's 2nd Nerdiversary Challenge Level Up Main Quest: To become a better JessOfAllTrades (recently changed from being the best Jofalltrades I could me, also known as creating the myth) Backstory: I am a 28 year old school counselor who happens to have a passion for nerdy, geeky things. I started on this website as a graduate student one semester into a program that was testing my limits. However, I also came here as someone deeply broken by my previous job as an educator, some major life changes, and some damaging relationships with others, my self, and all areas of my health. I came here already on a path of healing, but frustrated over a lack of changes in other areas (such as my weight and eating habits). I have struggled with weight and my views of food for the majority of my 28 years. I also struggle with depression and anxiety. I have ADHD. However, I am also a highly accomplished person who has done some amazing things the past two years. I finished my masters degree with a 4.0, I have national counselor certification, and I landed a job in June at a brand new school. I have an amazing partner who supports and loves me. I have an awesome family that inspires me everyday. I have some bad ass friends who also accomplish the impossible all the time. I am in constant awe by the people around me, and for some reason they seem to want what's best for me too. I originally came to NF because I wanted to become healthier. I can honestly say that over the past two years I have made progress in that goal, but recently I have been slacking. I'm beginning to backtrack, and that is not okay. So it's time to change that. Currently: I'm taking the time to slowly rebuild habits. I originally wanted to jump in with a Mass Effect N7 themed challenge, but realize I am no where near ready for that. I ain't exactly fictional sci-fi military recruit material yet. So instead, we're going to take this nice and slow and begin with the foundation - habits. I'm coming off of the holiday season, a back injury, and still trying to learn how to do my job. Here goes nothing. Goals: 1. Track One excuse I've had this year is that I'm eating better. I'm beginning to suspect that this is only true about 50% of the time. So the only way to be certain AND to change my habits is to track and see. Therefore, I will be using MyFitnessPal everyday during this challenge. Grades: A: 6 days out of 7 B: 5 days out of 7 C: 3 days out of 7 D: 1 day out of 7 F: 0 days out of 7 2. Hydrate Over the summer I went to Colorado with a group of friends. We cleverly nicknamed ourselves N7 because there were seven of us and we're huge Mass Effect fans. I earned the extra nickname "Puddles Shep" because I was too well hydrated and constantly had us stopping for bathroom breaks. However, since I've started working again drinking water has practically stopped. So that needs to change. Therefore, I will drink about 70 to 80 ounces of water a day. Grades: A: 70 to 80 ounces 5 days a week B: 70 to 80 ounces 4 days a week C: 70 to 80 ounces 3 days a week D: 70 to 80 ounces 2 days a week F: 70 to 80 ounces 0 days a week 3. Move My back was a great excuse not to move the past few months. That's over now. I have been cleared to move again, so move I will. Three days a week - no excuses. Grades: A: 3 days a week B: 2 days a week C: 1 day a week D: -- F: 0 days a week 4. Life Goal: Be a jack jess of all trades I have a lot of side projects and hobbies that tend to get ignored when I get wrapped up in work. Part of my goal for 2015 is to nurture those hobbies and side projects, otherwise I'm not really living up to my internet user name, am I? So, I have four things I want to focus on this challenge. I must attempt to get in one hour of: Reading (for fun)Research (must keep up appearances of being a stodgy academic)Creative project (think new dice bags are the current project, as well as a costume for my upcoming performance)Work on one of the projects on the 2015 To Do List (which I will post shortly)I hope to up it from an hour after the first week, but small steps. Grades: A: 1 or more hours of work B: 45 minutes or more of work C: 30 minutes or more of work D: 20 minutes of work F: No work on side projects

Hi all, my name is Phytomancer, and I am back. Last week, I have a very embarrassing but neccessary surgical procedure. The mark is small, but the doctor told me not to exert heavy physical exercise until further notice. But as everybody knows, superheroes (and super villains, like me) only get stronger after every defeat. So do I! Disclaimer: This image is only representative. You may find the real me slightly more physically alluring, that is, if you are a dwarf like me. This guy's just too elvish dontcha thang? The winter holidays is almost over, and Santa has done his job, and it started to spoiled Phytomancer's mood. Because he's taken a liking to Grinch, and even when Grinch got his heart melted (,sentimentals only fail,) Phytomancer would take up to do the Grinch's job. He will steal New Year Resolutions! Whatever popular resolutions people wish to do and didn't, Phytomancer will take it and make it better. 1. "I'll lift, like, everyday at the gym." - Walk 30 min/ day - Lift/ bodyweight workout 3 times a week 2. "I'll eat better" - Eat greens 7 days a week - Only eat between 7-5 (10 hours) 3. "I will study hard" - 2 hours in the morning in writing creatively for the first week - 2 hours working on dissertation everyday (or 14 hours/ week) - Sleep 8 hours/ day for brain capacity. And that's it. Time for minion to start his first set of evil tasks. Good luck, everybody !! I--I meant-- MUAHHAHAHAAAHAA