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Hi all, i've recently discovered cottage cheese. I must have had my head in the sand. The fat free stuff is 10g protein per 100g, 64 calories and 5g carbs. Equalised on protein this makes it lower calorie, lower carb and lower price than the Syntha 6 protein powder i've currently got. Yeah, i know i could get some whey isolate and blow those cottage cheese numbers out of the water but i like eating more than i like drinking. To get started here is a work in progress one i've been creating: Crustless lemon cheesecake (4 servings): 400g fat free cottage cheese "Bit" of milk (yes, i'm crap at recipes) 4 caps (a cap is maybe half a tsp) lemon extract 4 caps (ditto) vanilla extract 16 tsp canderel stevia sweetener (1 tsp sweetener = 1 tsp sugar) 3 eggs According to MFP that is: Cals: 146 Fat: 5g Protein: 15g Carbs: 8g Blend all together. It should be a pourable liquid. Before its cooked it tasted pretty bitter, too lemony. Bake in oven at some sort of temperature (see comment about being crap at recipes). I think i had it at about gas mark 5/190C/375F. Take out when the top starts to crack or the edges start coming away from the dish. Let it cool, it will sink a bit. It tastes less bitter after cooking. Well mine did with the lemon extract i have. So, any good recipes out there? Please share. Particularly interested in easy ones And ones where the outcome can be put in a tub and taken to work for lunch. Thanks

Back after a hiatus, because I remembered to put it up this time. Post your food porn, your recipes, if you want help with diet, and just general dietary accountability. People who can figure out new and tasty ways for me to deal with a chicken-and-broccoli cut diet for this challenge will recieve ONE BAJILLION MILLION Guild Leader Points*. *Not really redeemable for anything other than maybe a hug or high five.

I was thinking about starting a veggie of the week thread and I just want to see how into it people might be. If everyone is kind of meh, I might skip it. So each week I would pick a vegetable, one that is less loved or that people might not have tried, and I'll give a recipe and some recommendations for what it goes with. People could contribute their own, so it'll end up like sort of a weekly cookbook for a particular kind of vegetable. It would be sort of like an Iron Chef battle ingredient type deal. People can like the ones they try and enjoy. I wouldn't really stick to vegan or paleo, but since these are going to be side dishes in many cases, they will end up being both or one. I would also want people to give ideas on ingredients they'd like to see next. A couple of items I already plan on doing are cushaw (I'll probably wait to do this for the Holidays), Brussels sprouts and dandelion greens. I live near a landmark international market, so I have access to things like quince that our UK rebels eat but that aren't a big thing in the US. Suggestions don't have to be limited! I'm not sure if I'll take pics or not because I'm not a great photographer and the thought to sticking my phone out over a boiling pot of anything makes me take pause. So what do you guys think? Good idea? Suggestions?

Main Quest: Getting back to where I was a year ago Set the time circuits for November 13, 2013 This time last year I was doing pretty well. I had been eating a nearly 100% paleo diet for 5-6 months and completed 3 challenges. I had lost around 35 pounds (much more than that in fat since I gained muscle). I had energy, I was happy, and I felt great! Then came Thanksgiving, Xmas, and injuries. The diet was the first to go, and exercise followed shortly after. I attempted to reboot in February of this year, but only got halfway through the challenge. At that point I had finished 6 of the 13 weeks of P90X, but then I just stopped for no real reason. So here are the benchmarks from last Nov/Dec that I want to hit again, and I fully don't expect to hit them during this challenge: Push-ups: 30 (1 set max reps during a P90X workout)Pull-ups: 12/28 (1 set max / 3 set total max)Weight: 148lbsBMI: ~13.7% (measured with plastic calipers) November Challenge GOAL 1: Diet Time to get back to Paleo eating. Last time I did this I felt like it was really easy to maintain. I have to regain that feeling. I love to cook, so bring on the challenge again! I'm going to match the same eating plan I had last time--no grain, 1 serving of fruit per day, lots of protein, healthy fats, and vegetables. What has been doing me in lately are hamburgers, pizza, cookies, and pretzels. I can still enjoy hamburgers, bunless without fries, but the pizza, cookies, and pretzels will have to go. I will need to make sure I have viable snacks on hand when I need them. Also as part of this challenge, I'll be cooking (or attempting) one new paleo item or using one new-to-me paleo ingredient per week and posting recipes and photos! Grading: 70% sticking to paleo every day / 30% Cooking New things. A top score will earn me +2 CON, +1 WIS, +1CHA. GOAL 2: Strength Training It's Rebel Strength Guide's Dumbbell Division Rank 2 for me. Three times a week. I'm grading on participation, since in doing so my stats should naturally trend toward my benchmark main quest. Grading: A top score will earn me +3 STR, +1 CHA GOAL 3: Yoga I've been attending yoga classes once or twice a week pretty consistently all year. The Tuesday class is a "Challenge Yoga" class which kicks my ass, so that's good. If I can add at least one more class a week that would be great, but I'd be okay with two to maintain flexibility and balance. My biggest obstacles to a great practice right now are belly fat and strength level, so my other missions should help quite a bit. Grading: +3 DEX +1 CON GOAL 4: Sleep Sleep Sleep I can't get to sleep before midnight to save my life! (And it literally might in the long run.) I think I'm averaging about 5 hours of sleep on week nights. If I could get to sleep earlier to where I could naturally rise early in the morning I could attend morning yoga classes or get to work at a decent time (which means home at a decent time to work out and stuff). All previous efforts have failed. How can I make this one work? I need to be in bed, lights out, by 11 for a solid 8 hours of sleep. Maybe if I started gradually--lights out at midnight week 2, decrease by 15 mins each week. Week 6 if I'm good with the 11pm bed time I can try to do some morning yoga at 6:30am! Grading: +3 CON MOTIVATION: I want to fit into my clothes again. What really helped me on my first few challenges was having a great accountability group and posting often. I hope I can find/do that again!

I dunno about you guys, but I love this time of year. I especially love the pumpkin flavored everything you get this time of year! But, sadly, eating healthier means that most of those delicious pumpkin treats are great big no-nos! So I thought I'd start a new topic for all of us pumpkin nuts to share our favorite healthy pumpkin recipes! Healthy alternatives to the sugar-loaded pumpkin lattes, donuts, and pies. And of course, my favorite, the IHOP pumpkin pancakes! Whoa! I need some ideas for replacing that badboy! So please share your pumpkin recipes with the rest of us pumpkin lovers! Let me start it off with something I found online: Pumpkin Pie Bars Ingredients: 15 oz. pumpkin puree (1.5 cups) 3/4 cup coconut flour 3/4 cup real maple syrup (may use honey instead) 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt replacement) 2 large eggs Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 pan with coconut oil, or butter if you are okay with dairy. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Pour into the pan, smooth it out with the spatula until even. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until firm. Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares. Store in refrigerator for up to a week! (Of course, if you want to use a different flour than coconut flour, this recipe is not going to work for you. Very unfortunate results with almond flour! Ew!)

In order to help me add vegetables to MY diet, I am putting forth the challenge to all Nerds to join me in learning about new vegetables and new ways to cook them!! Since this is my first PvP sort of challenge, I'm starting easy. This is a PvE challenge - i.e. players (us) vs. the environment (i.e. the world). I grew up hating veggies because they were an overcooked addition to a corner of my plate ... that I had to eat in order to get dessert. (You can see why I ended up fighting my weight ....) This challenge is an opportunity to stretch yourself and to get new ideas from fellow Nerd Fitness fans. The challenge to those who accept is this: 1) Work in alphabetical order (A to Z) and post one new (to you) vegetable recipe per day (or so) during the next 6-week challenge. 2) Make said recipe and post a picture of it. 3) If you make a recipe that someone else posted, and you like it, then "LIKE" it here in the forum. Recipes do not have to be particularly difficult. In fact, the easier the better. So, for instance, on day one, I might make a new recipe with Asparagus. The next day, I might try to find something with Brussels Sprouts that hubby doesn't despise. And then on day three, it could be something with Carrots or Cabbages. Get the idea??

One entry per ranger, a poll will go up Monday Morning!!! We need to see a full recipe (no links, please) and a picture of the dish!

As a student, I eat most of my lunches on the go. When I get up to pack a lunch in the morning, it's all too easy to just go for a sandwich or something tht might not be the best option for my body. Any advice/recipes on quick and easy packed lunches?

Serenity's Galley Pull up a worn-in chair around the dinner table and tell us your stories and give us your food porn! Any recipes, or help with diet can go here, as well! And in general just another place to lounge about with one another.

Hi guys! I'm looking to work my way into a paleo diet once I'm away at school and buying my own groceries. I have a few problems though... 1) I'm not very experienced when it comes to cooking 2) As a student I don't have a big budget 3) Not a big vegetable eater 4) I have an intolerance to fish(a lot of fish makes me sick) 5) I'm not sure what to replace breakfast stuff like toast with that doesn't involve eggs (eggs on their own make me kinda nauseous as well) and snacks (I usually eat crackers as a chip alternative lol) Basically what I'm looking for is easy to make and not very expensive recipes (I'm ready to put my crock pot to use) for meals as well as simple snacks that are student budget friendly. Also any paleo breakfast alternative to eating toast every morning which I usually do... Sorry for all the n00b questions, I have looked at other paleo entries in the forum I'm just looking for some recipes that take into account some of the stuff above or even some links to helpful websites.

I've always had a problem with eating breakfast but I'm starting to get over it recently. One thing that I really like are smoothies (I just got a blender) and I was wondering what's your go to smoothie when it comes to breakfast. I prefer sweet smoothies (otherwise I crave sugar throughout the day) but I've seen a few recipes for savory smoothies (or blends), not sure how they taste however. Has anyone tried any of them? Thank you

On my way to a healthier and stronger me, I'll have to keep it simple in the next couple of weeks. I'll have a lot on my metaphorical plate, both work related as well as private, and as the stress level rises, I will have to be careful not to have too much on my literal plate as well. In order to stay sane and not revert to bad habits, I'll do the following Keep the Sugar Monster in checkKeep movingStay flexibleKeep cookingGoal 1: Keep the Sugar Monster in check +2 CON +2 WIS The more stressful life gets, the more obnoxious the Sugar Monsters become. But I will keep them at a distance, at least 50% of the time. Like the last time, every sugar free* day of this challenge earns me a point, again with a theoretical max (again, ha!) of 42 points. Like the last time I should end up with at least 21 points, which equals an average of 3 - 4 sugar free days every week. *) "sugar free" == no added sugar, no sweets, candies, cookies, cake, sweetened desserts... Fruit and honey or maple syrup are allowed in reasonable quantities. Grades: 21 points or more => A 18 - 20 points => B 15 - 17 points => C 12 - 14 points => D anything less => F Goal 2: Keep moving +3 STA +1 DEX When life gets stressful I tend to want to do NOTHING once I get a bit of free time. This is not an option. For the first two weeks I will continue with the current program: exercise 5x / week, probably 2x Swing practice, 2x TGU practice, 1x yoga class. On June 23rd my beginner's kettlebell class will start, which will change my program a bit: 2x KB class / week (Mon + Wed), 1x yoga class as well as 1x KB practice at home. This will probably be plenty. Each workout earns me a point, including yoga. For the first two weeks, I'll aim for 5 points per week. For the last 4 weeks it's going to be 4 points per week, which gives me 26 points total. Grades: 26 points or more => A 22 - 25 points => B 18 - 21 points => C 14 - 17 points => D anything less => F Goal 3: Stay flexible +3 DEX +1 CON At least once a week take care of one of my problem areas, mostly my lower back, hips, knees or the Whinies and Wussies. This can either be a mobility routine, some stretching, extra yoga, foam rolling... It doesn't matter, as long as one of those areas gets at least 20 minutes of extra TLC per week. Each of those earns a point, for a total of at least 6 points over the course of this challenge. Grades: 6 points or more => A 5 points => B 4 points => C 3 points => D anything less => F Side goal: Keep cooking +1 WIS +1 CON +1 CHA Try at least 3 new (healthy) recipes during this challenge. (Brownies and cookies still don't count.) Grades: 3 or more new recipes => A 2 new recipes => B 1 new recipes => C 0 new recipe => F All right, let's do this - cause... WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM??????!!! Goal 1: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx 21/21 Goal 2: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx 26/26 Goal 3: xxxxxx 6/6 Side goal: xxx 3/3

So I have a problem..I think. I've been doing crossfit for about 6 months now, and I'm not seeing the results I expected (I don't think). Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I think my eating might be hindering my progress. It's hard for me to tell if I'm progressing or not, just because I'm a fairly skinny person to start with (5'8," 130lbs, roughly 18-19% BF). Anyways, I don't eat AMAZING, but I really don't eat that bad either (again..I don't THINK I do). At this point, I'm thinking about going Paleo just to see if I make progress. I'm really picky though, and I don't really cook, although I could cook if someone gave me some damn good recipes. I guess my questions are 1) How to (SLOWLY) go paleo, and 2) Any amazing recipes? By the way, by picky I mean the only veggie I eat is steamed broccoli, with the occasional lettuce and tomato on sandwiches. I hate every other vegetable I have ever tried, as far as I can remember. I do love meat though. Steak, chicken, pork chops, turkey, anything like that. Not a lunch meat person though. And I hate salad. (Also if someone wants to explain to me exactly how to do the 6 week challenge thread and all that, I would really appreciate it.)

This is to be the summer of my greatest academic and physical challenges! I'm going to be stepping it up a notch for my very second challenge and let me tell you... Well, mostly anyways. I've got 15,000 words to write by August 26th, but I'd like to be done earlier than that, as I have friends and family coming out to visit me pretty much for the entire month of August, and the last two weeks of July. It's going to be chaotic, but I don't want my work stress to ruin the progress I've made so far with my health. Even though last challenge I didn't end up losing any weight (what's a number anyways?) I dropped my waist and hips by a little over an inch each! I'd like to keep that up, and to do so I'm getting a little tougher on myself and do a dual challenge of body and mind. I know it's meant to only be one main quest, but I need to tie them together so I don't back down from the progress I've made so far. Main Quest - Physical Drop at least another inch from my waist and hips, bringing my measurements to 26in and 38in respectively. +2 CHA Main Quest - Mental Complete at least half of required word count for dissertation. +2 WIS In order to achieve these big goals I'll obviously need to keep up with the day to day routine, which is where my side quests come in. Side Quests SQ1: The Diet! +3 CON, +1 STA Stick to paleo, yo! Hey and how about trying some intermittent fasting while you're at it? The fasting will be hard though, because.. A: Follow diet plan as laid out, including healthy paleo eating when forced to eat out during traveling and abroad. No more than gluten 2x per week. Fast at least one day a week. B: Follow diet plan as laid out, staying mostly paleo, but eating gluten up to 4x per week. Fast at least one day per week. C: Same as above, but no fasting. D: Eat gluten up to 6x per week, no fasting. F: Eat pizza, cake and other no-nos all week!!! NOOOOOOOO Don't do that! SQ2: The Exercise! +2 STA, +2 DEX The BBWW worked for me last time, and so I'm going to keep it up, and maybe attend a HIIT class with a friend on the off day. Also, I want to finish the last two weeks of my C25K program and start just doing free runs through run keeper or Zombies, Run! I'm currently running around a 9:40min mile, and I'd like to push that a bit faster, which I think is reasonable as long as I keep running every other day. The nice thing is that it never gets too hot in Scotland, so I won't feel like death after my runs. A: BBWW 3x per week, and either the C25K or a run at least 3x per week. Additionally, run that 5k on the 22nd of June and own it! B: Miss 1 BBWW OR 1 Run. C: Miss 1 BBWW AND 1 Run. F: Miss any more than 1 of each. No middle ground on this one. SQ3: The Dissertation!! +4 WIS A: Read at least 2 articles (of at least 40 pages each) a day, and once possible, write at least 300 words a day, even if those words are garbage. B: Read at least 1 article a day and once possible, write at least 200 words a day, even if those words are garbage. C: Read at least 5 articles a week and write at least 500 words in each week. D: Read at least 3 articles a week and write at least 500 words in each week. F: Uhhhhh, don't read, don't write and fail at the dissertation. Notes on Dissertation: I have set dates in place already requiring a certain amount of reading and writing accomplished. Specifically 2000-3000 words due on June 23rd. Then at least one chapter completed by Mid-July. This should push along the work schedule. Alongside the articles I will be doing primary source collection, which accounts for the lower number of pages I've set my reading to. Hopefully I'll be doing more than that each day, but I don't want to set unattainable goals.

Welcome to the Monastery Kitchen! I was talking to Kishi about how many people this time around have many food related challenges, and how a place where all of us can motivate one another on food might be a good idea. So come in, take a seat at a chopping board, and tell us about what you've been logging for food, any recipes you want to share, and more than a good dose of food porn. Let's rival that infamous thread that the Warrior's have in their guild!

Hey all. I'll start off with my breakfast and workout for today, the 2nd of July, 2014. I woke up this morning and did the Beginner Body Weight Workout. I can only do 2 cycles before I absolutely die. Well, it's not quite that drastic, but it's still a solid workout, and I have something to move toward. Stretching afterward, and now I feel great. One thing I have noticed (now that i'm three weeks along, even though this is my first diary entry) is that my posture and daily energy is generally improved by my exercises. A big plus, seeing as I'm going to start playing tennis for sport soon, and soon after, soccer. For my breakfast, I made my usual: A vegetable omelette with homemade salsa. For all those curious, the omelette consists of 4 mini sweet peppers, 4 green onions, 1 cup spinach (uncooked), and 1 egg, seasoned with a little salt and lotsa pepper. For a cooking grease, I use olive oil (Is there even anything else? ) The salsa is a family recipe. I'll post it here if any are daring enough. 1 tbsp Olive Oil/vegetable oil if you don't want any flavor coloring 4 roma tomatoes 2-4 jalapeño peppers, to taste 2 cloves garlic 4 green onions cilantro to taste 3 or 4 mini sweet peppers (optional) salt to taste Add the oil to a large skillet and heat on medium low. Wash all the vegetables. For the cilantro, simply pull the leaves off the stalks. The stalks are a bit bitter and don't blend as well later. Cut the stems out of the tomatoes. Do not peel the two cloves of garlic. The skin comes off much easier after the cooking. Add tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and garlic to the skillet. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables so they don't burn. After they are done, take them off the heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the bottom of the garlic off (The part that attaches to the bulb) and pinch the other end. The garlic should slide out of the skin very easily. Cut the stems off the peppers. If heat is a concern, one could devein the jalapeños and remove the seeds (This can be done before the cooking for even less heat). Add the cooked vegetables to a blender. If they don't all fit, it's fine to do this in stages. Add the cilantro and salt*. Blend on low until finely pureed. Enjoy immediately, or place in a jar or tupperware container and refrigerate for later use. This type of salsa keeps for about a week, but I've rarely had a batch last that long For a more chunky style, you can use a mortar and pestle to blend by hand, or chop some tomatoes, onions, and cilantro and pour this pureed salsa over it. *For a first timer, it may be better to wait and add the salt later. As usual with salt, try to err on the side of less. You can always add more. If you find you have added too much salt, never fear: Just cook another two tomatoes, puree, and add it to the mixture. Now, for my lunch. I have brown rice and chicken with vegetables, along with a small side salad. My usual beverage is water for all my meals. On top of this, I have a job at a big box grocery store which requires me to walk for about 8 hours of the day. Woot! I'll update my dinner later tonight, or early tomorrow morning.

Here I am, after a week off - and, unfortunately, also an off week. I fell off the wagon and had a major relapse into stress / emotional eating, and I need to get a grip on that. I had been doing much better at the beginning of this year, but now that the stress level is rising, those pesky Sugar Monsters are showing their ugly mugs again. My Main Quest is still basically the same - improve my overall health and get fitter and stronger in the process. Goal 1: Keep fighting to get rid of the Sugar Monster. Again. +2 CON +2 WIS I need to dust off those sugar-monster-slaying swords Kiwi gave me for my first challenge - they worked like a charm! Since they worked so well the first time around, I'll repeat the program from my first challenge: start with one sugar free day* per week, add one day each week and hopefully end up with six sugar free days in the last week of this challenge. *) "sugar free" == no added sugar, no sweets, candies, cookies, cake, sweetened desserts... Fruit and honey will be allowed in reasonable quantities (note to self: eating a whole jar of honey as a snack is NOT a reasonable quantity). I'll award myself a point for every sugar free day of this challenge, with a theoretical max (ha!) of 42 points. If I stick to the plan, I should end up with 21 points, which equals an average of 3 - 4 sugar free days every week. Grades: 21 points or more => A18 - 20 points => B15 - 17 points => C12 - 14 points => Danything less => FGoal 2: Keep moving +2 STR +2 STA For the past couple of weeks I have had a rather erratic workout schedule. Instead of working out first time in the morning I opted for sleeping a bit longer and did the workout in the evening. Which meant I was often already tired even before doing any exercising. I'd like to switch at least the BW stuff back to mornings. Since the KB workshop today was tons of fun (and will be tons of pain tomorrow and the days after that), I'll aim for 2x BW + 2x KB practice per week. Plus the usual yoga class once a week and whatever kneehab the Drill Master has in store for me. Each workout earns me a point, including yoga. (Not the sessions with the Drill Master or my kneehab homework, though.) I'll aim for 5 points per week, or 30 points total. Grades: 30 points or more => A27 - 29 points => B24 - 26 points => C21 - 23 points => Danything less => FGoal 3: Keep trucking tracking (+2 WIS) while hitting my target kcal range (+2 CON) Keep tracking my food intake with myfitnesspal every day. Each day of complete tracking earns me a point, max 42 points. Keep the weekly average at 1600 kcal or below. Each week hitting my average kcal-target earns me a point, max 6 points Grades for tracking 42 => A38 - 41 => B34 - 37 => C30 - 33 => Danything less: FGrades for hitting kcal target 6 weeks => A5 weeks => B4 weeks => C3 weeks => Danything less: FSide goal: Food! +1 WIS +1 CON +1 CHA I'm still working on expanding my leet cooking skillz *cough*, so I'll keep that goal from my last challenge. Try at least 3 new (healthy!) recipes during this challenge. (No, brownies and cookies still don't count!) Grades: 3 or more new recipes => A2 new recipes => B1 new recipes => C0 new recipe => F So here's to kicking some serious ass (mostly probably mine - that KB workshop was killer!) in the next six weeks! :triumphant: :triumphant: 'cause... beware of the usual battle cry... WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM??????!!! Goal 1: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx 26/21 Goal 2: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx 30/30 Goal 3a: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx 42/42 Goal 3b: xxxxxx 6/6 Side goal: xxx 3/3 Prequel Mini: Check Goals. Check! +1 WIS Mini Quest 1: Find Accountabilibuddies. Check! +1 CHA

So I took last challenge off for sanity reasons, which was a highly useful break to let me see what I do when I'm not chasing specific goals that may or may not actually help my bigger goal. With some newfound clarity, here goes my twelfth challenge: Big goal: climb a 5.11 route at my gym. This isn't a thing I'm trying to do by the end of this six weeks, necessarily, just the reason I'm doing the other stuff. Goal 1: Add a morning strength session to Wednesdays and Fridays. Wake up at 6:15, do the workout, get on with the day. 12 sessions gets me full points, and the days don't have to be set in stone, those just work best around my other workouts. Goal 2: Try 4 new recipes. I've got the weight/calorie setup pretty well dialed in, but my food has been getting repetitive. I'd like to experiment with some new stuff. Goal 3: 3 juggling sessions a week. I've got a festival in early June that I'm really wanting to feel competent for, and more time with the clubs in my hands is the best way to get there. Standard juggling club meetings count for this, but more is better. So that's it for this challenge. With the added strength workouts, that makes my schedule look like this: Mon: lunchtime swim, evening 3-hour climbing session. Tues: lunchtime bouldering, evening juggle Wed: morning strength, lunchtime swim Thurs: lunchtime bouldering, evening juggle Fri: morning strength, lunchtime inner tube water polo (or swim, if not enough people) Sat: juggling club Sun: rest day!

I am continuing on my way to a healthier and stronger me, and the basic building blocks for this will remain the same (that's the "old" part): bodyweight trainingyogaworking towards my first real chin-uptracking my food intakeSince I have become a bit bored with the former routine and have also had little to no progress for the past couple of weeks, I have decided to change things a little. So here's what's "new" (or at least different than before): a slightly different BW routine (including leg raises and dips), 3x / weeksquats will remain kneehab squats for the time being - I'm still in physical therapy, and will probably stay there for a while, and I will need to do some homeworkchin-up practice only 2x/ week, focusing on slower negatives, not on volumenot only tracking my food, but aiming for a specific kcal rangeGoal 1: Chin-up practice 2x / week (STR +3, STA +1) Starting with (hopefully) 2 sets of 2 reps, 15 sec each, aiming for 2 x 2 x 20 secs at the end of this challenge (raise duration 1 sec every week). A: 2x chin-up practice per week, 12x total B: at least 10x total C: at least 8x total D: at least 6x total F: anything less Goal 2: Kneehab exercises 5x / week (STR +2, CON +2) Can be either a PT session with the Drill Master, or kneehab exercises done at home (as part of the BW routine or solo) A: 5x kneehab exercises per week, 30x total B: at least 25x total C: at least 20x total D: at least 15x total F: anything less Goal 3: Food tracking 7x / week, averaging 1400 - 1600 kcal / day per week (CON +2, WIS +2) I'll continue tracking on myfitnesspal, even if I'm not happy with the quality of their food database. A: track food 7x per week, 42x total AND weekly average 1400 - 1600 kcals / day B: at least 5x per week, 35x total OR average between 1600 - 1650 / day C: at least 3x per week, 18x total OR average between 1650 - 1700 / day D: at least 1x per week, 6x total OR average between 1700 - 1750 / day F: no tracking OR average over 1750 / day Life goal: Try at least three new recipes in the next six weeks (WIS +2, CHA +1) The biggest problem here will be the FC, since he's not that adventurous where his food is concerned. So I can either convince him to try something new, or it's going to be something I make for myself. And no, cookies or brownies don't count. A: 3 or more new recipes B: 2 new recipes C: 1 new recipe F: nothing at all... Have a great challenge, y'all! Here's a little Happy Dance to start things off properly... :triumphant: :triumphant: Status: Goal 1: xx | xx | xx | xx | xx | xx Goal 2: xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx Goal 3: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx Goal 4: xxx Mini Quest 1: xxxxxxx (60 oz plain water / day) + 1 CON Mini Quest 2: xxxx (goal: 1 x rest day, 3 x go to bed at a reasonable time) + 1 CON Mini Quest 3: x (goal: trust my wussies (wrists) with a (wall) handstand as a first step towards a press handstand) + 1 STR

All of my goals this challenge are set with the aim of building habits, rather than achieving something specific. I don't have a specific goal at this point, however I do have a life in flux, so I want good habits that will carry through and that are easily adaptable to change. Main life quest: Balance Generally, to achieve a healthy balance in all aspects of my life: eating vs exercise, work vs play, rest vs activity, alone time vs social time, etc. The area where I feel I need the most work eating and my tendency to overeat. Goal - end overeating - step 2 WIS +1 CHA +2 - slow down and enjoy every meal - stop eating when I am full (or if this doesn't work: take smaller portions and wait before taking more OR measure out portions) - this is new this challenge Grading: This is a daily yes or no. As last time, I'm looking for progress, not perfection, so I'll tend to be easier on myself at the beginning and harder toward the end. I'll grade myself based on the percentage success out of the 42 days. Fitness + Health goals Movement STR +1 DEX +2 STA +1 (bonus as below STA +1) 30 minutes of activity every day, ideally outdoors. This is not limited to one specific activity, but can change depending on how I'm feeling, the weather, and other life circumstances. This includes, but is not limited to: walking to work (which I usually do 4 times per week already), running, yoga, Pillates, strength training, aerobics, serious walking to do errands (at a good pace, not wandering, unless its for a very long time). bonus - 3 times per week, movement gets my heart rate up & I get good and sweaty Grading: Total days missed through whole challenge: 0 - 6 = 100%, 7 - 10 = 75%, 11 - 15 = 60%, more than 15: FAIL (I am allowed to miss up to one day per week, average, and still get 100%.) Bonus is counted separately: 16 - 18 = 100%, 12 - 15 = 75%, less than 12 = FAIL Food WIS +1 CON +1 eat fish / seafood at least twice per week - should be easy with lent starting (& my husband is Catholic) plan meals in advance - include leftovers / batch cooking freezer food for lunches create a list of quick meals to make when I haven't planned for something - using basic ingredients start a searchable database of favourite recipes for easy reference and planning Grading: The fish is easy to count. 12 or more = 100%, 9 - 11 = 75%, 7 or 8 = 50, 6 or less = FAIL -> worth 50 % Planning meals -> I'll give myself a weekly grade to see how I did. This is hard to judge so I'll do my best to be honest. -> worth 40% Creating list + setting up database -> this is something I want to incorporate for the future, again, I'll just judge and see how I do -> worth 10% General Health CON +2 floss every day get up and move / stretch every hour set timer on phone drink more water + tea to encourage more getting up Grading: This is a daily yes or no. I'll judge myself based on the percentage of successful days out of the 42. Life Goal Reduce Stress (with a clean house) CHA +2 CON +1 I have this weird emotional attachment to "stuff" and can have a hard time getting rid of things. Not always, but sometimes. I need to stop. Just because something was a gift, doesn't mean I need to keep it, for example. So, my life goal for this challenge: PURGE - get rid of stuff - don't just "organize" it! clear out the two closets in the spare room / office the bookshelf (aka dumping ground) beside my bed - I hate looking at that mess first thing in the morning! CLEAN - second priority, but still important - clean the house, especially the ever-present nemesis - the shower Spend at least 1 hour per week (not necessarily all at one time) working on this goal. Grading: Total weeks missed through whole challenge: 0 = 100%, 1 = 80%, 2 = 65 %, 3 or more = fail

Hi Rangers! I actually googled the word "ranger" and found an interesting set of definitions that match my challenge goals. Neato! Main Quest: To run a marathon (plus about 100 other things ) Goal 1: Run faster or "a person or thing that wanders or rangers over a particular area or domain" Before I start training for distance, I need to get faster. Nobody wants to run a marathon in 5 hours because that’s just a long time. I recently ran 2 miles of intervals in about 9:18/mile. So for now, I will run easy on Tuesdays (~3 miles/30mins), intervals on Thursdays (~3 miles/30mins), and a long run on the weekend (~6 miles). Every run earns me a pt. Total pts possible: 18 Goal 2: Eat better or "a keeper of a park, forest, or area of countryside" (kind of a stretch I know. But lots of park rangers know a ton about what's edible and what's not!) Macros! I recently discovered counting macros and realized I was overeating fat, undereating carbs and protein. I calculated my macros from IIFYM.com. Macros are a target and there will be days that I miss my macros because of life. I’m going to say that anything +/- 20% of my macro target is a problem. So that looks like this: Protein 160 g (128/192) Fat: 64 g (51/76) Carbs: 288 g (230/345) If I’m in that range, I get to keep 3 pts per day. If I miss one of the ranges, I subtract a point. Total pts possible: 126 Goal 3: Get stronger or "a member of a body of armed men" (note the emphasis on armed. I want to be an armed lady!) I want to continue to gain strength in my upper body. Right now I’m doing MWF upper body; Chest/Tris, Back/Bis, Shoulders/Abs. Heavy weight, 6-8 reps, mostly dumbbells but some cables as well. Bodyweight abs. Every workout I get a pt. Total pts possible: 18 Life Quest Post up recipes! I make a lot of food and a lot of good food. I often find the recipes from the interwebs but I should post them up and discuss whether they were good, what I changed, etc. This should involve pictures because everyone likes food porn. Once a week, I’ll post up a new recipe that I’m trying (new to this thread) and basically review it. This earns me a bonus pt. Total pts possible: 6 I'm trying to be more lenient this challenge because I'm moving March 1-3 and will probably be eating pizza and not working out. But that's okay, that's life! I'm not going to set "grades" for myself on this challenge, but obviously strive for 100%. First things first, who is your favorite ranger? Strider from LotR? Jon Snow from GoT? Others I've yet to discover?

Hey all! Just joined the community! I am excited! I wanted to share this recipe with you that I just made lsat night... 1 Scoop of your favorite protein powder (I use Chocolate as it tastes great with the Peanut butter)Half a cup of Peanut Butter1 TBSP Coconut Oil1 TBSP Hemp Seeds1-2 TBSP Chia Seeds1 TBSP Unsweetened Shredded Coconut1/2 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk1/3 Cup OatsCinnamon (as much as you want, I use lots!)NutmegDirections Put the Coconut Oil and Peanut Butter in a Pot on the stove (dont turn on yet) In a mixing bowl, mix together the Protein Powder with the milk until you have a pudding like consistency. To the Protein Pudding add the Chia Seeds, Oats, Hemp Seeds, Coconut, Cinnamon and Nutmeg and Mix it all together. Turn the Stove on medium to melt the Peanut Butter, once it is a smooth consistency add the Protein Mixture. Remove from heat, mix it all together in the pot. Use the TBSP to take individual scoops and place on a plate (cover the plate with wax paper first). Once the plate is full, place that plate in your freezer for 45-60 minutes. Remove from the Freezer and store the bites in your Fridge!Finished! I am curious if anyone gives it a try. Nutritional Info per bite: Calories: 69Fat: 4.2 gramsCarbs: 3.8 gramsSugar: 0.9 gramsProtein: 4.1 grams

Welcome to the battle log of Ms. Lolavictrola! Me: 26 years old, 6'3", female Starting Weight: 350 Current Weight: 345 Current Goal: 330 by 2/16 (-20), Ultimate Goal: 195 (24.9 BMI) Calorie Target: 1800-1900 Log: Food Breaktfast: 1/2 a banana + coffee (got up late) Lunch: 1 slice leftover healthy meatloaf, leftover veggie mix (sauteed summer squash, onion, and peapods) Dinner: Red-braised haddock, a DELICIOUS and light Chinese recipe that my family loves. Also called Hong Shao Yu. Net Calories: ~1900. Exercise: None today. I have a huge 3 hr dance rehearsal tomorrow (I'm a lead in a local musical).

Hey guys! Hope everyone's ok! Just wondering what everyone's favourite healthy recipes are and if anyone felt up for sharing them. If there's already a thread on this, I apologise!! I am particularly liking Staci's bacon and sweet potato hash, really really tasty (the recipe is on the blog). So yeah! What do you all like to eat?

Hi guys!! I'm back to trying to get my diet back on a more paleo/primal level and have been going through some of my favorite sites for snack and meal ideas that I can make ahead once a week and take with me to work so I can resist the vending machine and fast food stops. There are tonnes of recipes out there that I can't wait to try but some of the ones that I really want (trail mix bars, "muffins", and other baked type goods) call for coconut in some form or another most particularly coconut oil. The problem with this is that I'm allergic to coconut. I know I can swap out coconut flakes for raisins, slivered, nuts, and other dry things but it's really the coconut oil that's the problem since a quick internet search hasn't really been helpful. So the question is does anyone have any suggestions on substitutions for coconut oil, coconut flour and coconut sugar? I'd really like to make some of these treats so that I don't constantly crave the chocolate bar or box of Nerds! Thanks in advance!!