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I don't think this is your traditional respawn post. I am respawning, though. Hopefully into someone better. Not that I wasn't happy with myself before, but I was not being honest with myself. I did my first six week challenge back in the beginning of 2015. It was great! I did great. I felt amazing and I didn't want to let go of those feelings. Unfortunately, I did. At the time, I was fighting with numerous real life trash mobs. It was pretty much a gauntlet and while it's not as strenuous as it was, I can feel myself being dragged down by the exhaustion. I really hate when I run out of mana and health, and there is not a potion in sight. I've considered a lot of what I had been doing since the beginning of the year, and the time I started challenges. I even talked with my support crew (friends & family) about the challenges, what I was doing, and where I was going to go from there. I had big dreams and ideas for my challenges, but the execution? Ehh...it wasn't as great as the idea. That was my downfall. Jumping around too much and changing things...I think the whole idea of success is finding something and sticking with it. Stick with it until you have a routine under your belt so well that everything is second nature. I'm not a huge routine sort of person, but I have noticed that when I try and maintain one, I succeed. It's like having a bedtime for school when you're a kid. I have a bedtime (or I should) now as an adult, and when I don't follow it, I can feel it. The same thing happened traveling the fitness road. I stopped doing yoga every day. I stopped taking a walk every day. I stopped really paying attention to what and how much I was eating. Stress was a factor. Fatigue was up there, too. General laziness and procrastination? Huge. I am new to the fitness world. I am new to the health world. Rather than bog myself down with all these different "eat x amount of this" and "eat x amount of this daily value" and trying to fit in 23742934 new exercises when I can't maintain one --- I need to K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Silly (or Stupid as my high school Spanish teacher would say) Start with Daily Logs. Make a routine and keep to it until I have it down. That's when I can challenge myself to push further. To do more. So what if I eat the same thing every day for breakfast and lunch? If it's good and makes you happy, it can't be that bad! The support on NerdFitness is truly amazing and I was doing myself a disservice by not utilizing the forums more. A good friend of mine bonked me upside the head and reminded me of that. Everyone is here for the same reason. We all share a common goal. There are so few places in today's world that offer the support that is on here. Why am I not using it more? Why am I not reaching out and talking with people who are going through similar things? That all ends now. I am respawning with a full health bar. My mana bar is filled and I am ready to face this boss head-on.

You know how the newbie section has an entire section on planning and making accommodations in the event that you get sick/get hurt/can't train like you used to? As it turns out, that is actually a thing you have to look out for. I didn't think ahead. I didn't anticipate my mood tanking and my medications spiralling out of control. I didn't anticipate writeup after writeup at work and going on FMLA. I didn't anticipate a lot of things but eventually I ended up at the end of the tunnel- ten pounds heavier than when I started and feeling a tad like I got kicked in the shin and someone took my lunch money. I looked at Nered Fitness. I looked at the articles being sent diligently in the newsletter week after week fearfully, thinking that my fellow nerds would reject me. would shame me for having fallen so far after I said things were going to be okay- ... and then I remembered there was a reboot thread. I remembered that this is a positive community. I remembered, most importantly, that the people here have also fallen off the wagon. They've also hit a ledge on the way to the bottom. I haven't bottomed out; I've seen that place and it isn't pretty. I went to the hospital earlier this year, and it was a terrifying and sobering experience. It helped me, though. it helped me stand back up, and the rocks and stumbling places and the setbacks made me remember that I can fight. It reminded me that I do want to be healthy, and now that my feet are back on the ground I remembered why I went to Nerd Fitness in the first place. I made it back, ready to hitch a ride on the next wagon.

I started out strong for like three days.. but i have little to no self control when it comes to food. cake? yes please. Ice cream? how about three scoops. don't even get me started on french fries I know that it isn't bad to indulge every once in a while but for me it's all or nothing. once i allow myself to eat junk that's all i want. plus i have a dairy sensitivity so it makes me sick and i have bad acid reflux so fried food needs to be out of the picture. I just have no idea how to keep myself on the wagon because i've fallen off of it every single time. and the only person i have to keep myself accountable is me and that doesn't work so well.. if anyone has any suggestions i'd love to hear them

Ba BAYUM. While I've always "wanted" to be healthier, physical fitness and clean eating always drops in lue of "the other thing." But today, rather than chasing this abstract goal, I've created a plan. I am going to do an Iron Man triathlon in Kona, and I am going to train my butt off to get there. I'll start with running and biking. I'm beginning on my mom's bike from Germany, meaning it's 20+ years old. On Tuesday I'm running with a local club to practice running with a crowd. So that's a 5k every Tuesday night. If I feel I'm ready, on October 18th I'll enter a duathlon. Once I've paid off my student loans in a few months, I'll do one of two things: buy a proper road bike (for competitions and practical travel) or buy a membership at the Y for ~$50 month to use a pool. One thing that always threw me off schedule is my constant back-and-forth between my house and my best friend's house. *Not a problem any more! When I sleep at my house, I'll go for a bike ride. When I sleep at his, I'll run. It'll be a pretty even distribution. I might just get a new pair of shoes so I have one at each place. Bonus: SInce I've been considering the Iron Man, it's been so much easier to turn down the crap food. Yay! I like feeling healthy. So, time to start making my Battle Logs.

O.K., here goes... Today I have become a person who no longer reads romance novels. That's it, in black and white for everyone to see. Please don't laugh... I suppose I should give some background info. There are a few different tangents that will help clarify where I'm coming from. First of all, I love reading, always have, always will. I started voraciously reading when I was about 10 years old. It started with classic young adult series: the Borrowers, the Black Stalion Series, all the Nancy Drews.... It morphed into sci-fi/fantasy in middle school. Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey, Michael Moorcock.... I would stay up 'til 3 am reading, get up at 7 am, go to school.... 3 hours of hockey practice and then I'd get to read again. I always got my homework done, I carried my 3.9 GPA (damn you civics!) in college I picked classes that asked you to read.. History, English Lit, Philosophy.... Screech forward a decade... I'm out of school, dealing with kids and house cleaning. There was/has been very little "me time." I was going through the local public library... Every now and again I like to randomly select a book off of any shelf, and read whatever it is that I grab. One day it happened to be a romance novel. Now, snobby old me would publicly turn my nose up at the idea of a romance novel... Let's face it, it isn't Tolken. So I started reading them in secret.... I was too ashamed to admit that I liked them (They can get really hot!). Then I got an iPad, downloaded the kindle app...and all hell broke loose... Or rather all control was lost. I fell back into the habit of staying up all night to read...to the detriment of other aspects of my life, like taking care of my home and family. It hasn't affected work, but still. I'm at the point now where I have no idea what my children eat for dinner, and my house is embarrassingly dirty. tangent number 2: I strongly believe I have a genetic predisposition for addiction and depression. The depression is pretty obvious, I've managed it with some not so great habits: food, shopping, and yes, romance novels. I'm sure many people would suggest medication, even my husband has, but I'm scared of addiction issues and the side effects of antidepressants. My grandfather was an alcoholic. The reason I feel I have an addiction problem is because I make decisions based upon my desire for that pleasure, rather than doing what I need to to to function properly in my life. Shopping has been an issue (over-spending), i eat without stopping when Im depressed. There have been all sorts of habits that I recognize as giving me a high. I have known something was wrong with the romance novels since I realized I would rather read a romance novel than cook my kids dinner. And I'm ashamed to say, that is exactly what I have done. Seriously, how is o.k. to tell your 9-year old son that he'll have to pick dirty clothes out of the laundry basket because mommy was reading last night and didn't have time to do any laundry. God this is embarrassing! I've tried stopping, but I keep buying the God damn things! Whenever I get a little depressed or overwhelmed, it's just one click on my kindle, and my drug of choice is instantly delivered to my ipad, or phone, or computer. I can't stand that I don't have the control to follow my own advise of avoiding something that isn't good for me! I've tried just reading one chapter a day... I haven't been able to do it. I seriously think the only way I can beat this is to go cold turkey. I'm sure there is all sorts of stuff I'm leaving out, but I don't want to drag this out forever.... The point is, today is the day that I've finally said I've had enough. I'm not going to be that person anymore. I am now a person who doesn't read romance novels. This is going to hurt, and I'm sure many people would laugh, because I mean, really? Romance Novels? I didn't say this wasn't going to be embarrassing! I'm scared that I'll pick up some other bad habit to replace this one with. I'm scared that I'll never find something to make me feel good again. Will I be able to find something that makes me feel good but that doesn't "hurt" me or my family. So this is my respawn point. I'm going to be checking in as a method of holding myself accountable. I'll try not to bitch and moan too much, but rather I want to focus on positive thoughts and ideas for how I'm going to get through the withdrawl, how I'm going to develop new healthy coping skills... I'm desperately hoping that getting some physical exercise in my life is going to help! If anyone feels like checking in to give me a thumbs-up or other form of encouragement, I'd really appreciate it. This is incredibly embarrassing for me, but I'm doing it because if there's anyone else out there in a similar situation, I want them to know that they are not alone. I figure that if its some that has to be hidden... It can't be a good thing.... So, Time to walk through that door, close it behind me, and never look back!

Yo. So, I joined the forums sometimes back in January and proceeded to get super-excited with everything here and being impatient for the challenge. When it came around, I set myself goals that, while consisting in quite a bit of effort, were mostly aimed as keeping myself on track. Long story short, within week one an injury that ended up being worse than I thought which forced me to rethink my entire planning, and keeping fit between travels and moving out and in proved to be a lot more difficult than expect. So, end of March, I fell of the bandwagon completely and stopped exercising. Today, I finally got a hold of my training gear again and went for a 1h-walk, scouting the area for a place to start my C25K training all over again. I figured it would be good for my mindset to mark an end to my training break completely by posting here. So, let's do a breakdown of the damage done, shall we? The bad: -Strengths: starting from 0 again -Endurance: starting from 0 -Flexibility: not able to touch my toes anymore, but not quite as bad as I used to be -Motivation: i feel post-workout-break in me. D: Neutral: -Eating habits: still good on those, although I have been drinking a bit more beer The Good: -Only 1kg gain shown last time I gained. Given that it was in very different conditions than my usual weigh-in and based on my clothes, I can consider no weight was gained. Next steps? -Normally going to do the BBWW tonight with my boyfriend. -Start C25K training tomorrow morning -Am going to start a diary tomorrow morning – already started one on paper, to keep myself on track. -Just saw the new challenge only started 8 days ago. If the mods allow it, I shall join in that one.

So I recently respawned and have taken up swimming! And I have to say it surprised me how good an experience it's been. You see normally I'd go to the gym and lift weights or do cardio, the usual stuff really. But after getting injured the last time I was there I kind of fell off the wagon for a bit. I tried really hard to get back into it but it was rough because things kept coming up (my grandpa passed away so we had to miss the gym for a while in order to arrange that) and before I knew it my month's membership was up and my financial incentive wasn't there anymore. This made forking up another monthly membership fee a difficult decision for me, especially since recently I haven't had a trainer to work with and all of my personal attempts at exercise felt either unsatisfactory or left me in pain. Then the idea of swimming came up. Now I'd normally turn down something as far out of my normal routine as swimming, but given that I'd seemed to have run out of options I tried it out for the heck of it, and I was not disappointed. I ended up getting the same type of muscle burn I would feel from lifting weights at the gym without the strain that would come from lifting. In addition to that it was almost always a total body workout so I did not feel like I was missing out on anything I could have done at the gym. Plus, my new swim coach is great and he immediately picks up on my strengths and weaknesses and has really helped me to improve my swimming. And...it's fun! And not at all as burdensome as the Saturday morning boot camps I used to do or as lame as though dance aerobics classes gym trainers seem to ALWAYS encourage women in the gym to do. I'm mainly writing this article though, to send a message. Don't be afraid to try new things, or even pick back up some old ones. I haven't swum this hard since the 6th grade and I had no idea how much my body missed it. So who knows? Step outside your comfort zone or respark an old flame. You'd be surprised at what you might discover.

Hi! My name is Andrew. Towards the beginning of this year, or maybe it was at the end of last year, I told all my friends that I would have a six pack by the end of this year. I think I was thinking that, since I had told everyone, I would be motivated to work out. I wouldn't like to be called a liar. That was my thought process. Anyway, it is now June, and I still have that comfy walrus blubber that people like to sleep on but never would really call "sexy". My takeaway from joining NerdFitness about a week ago: Don't start by biting out something bigger than you can chew. It is not disgraceful or stupid to start with modest goals and work your way up. Getting back on Shadowfax! But instead of starting by riding bareback, I'm going to start by riding with a saddle. And training wheels. And about 50 straps and buckles and safety knots. And a pillow suit of armor.

She Hulk has been busy leveling up in real life to the point where it's making her stress and backtrack. Let's go through the good things that have happened since my last challenge (two challenges ago). I won my lawsuit (and paid off my loans and then invested most of what was left of that) I got an internship. I loved that internship and learned SO much. I took a leap and moved out on my own. I have an apartment, two roommates, and a cat (my roommate's cat). Within two weeks of moving I was offered a job as an office coordinator at another production studio. I took it. I'm employed. I'm working in the field I love and will continue to love and I'm learning... and it's gonna be hard. But I'm getting there. I'm also getting out and doing things. I've been to one concert (for one of my favorite bands) and two cons in the past two weeks. Which is too much, honestly. But! I've had fun. I'm really learning to enjoy life and that's something that I have long wanted to be able to do. My RA seems to still be in remission (in fact, I haven't even taken my meds in about three weeks, which is totally fine!). I'm getting there. I'm at a good place... but I need to pace myself. Here are the downfalls: I'm spending too much money (I just spent about $600 on comics and eating out this weekend alone... I'm having a cover sketch done in full color... of Shulkie). I haven't gone out and exercised in ages. I'm losing muscle mass which is very bad for my joints (that's what got me into remission in the first place). I haven't found new doctors in the area yet. I need to get a psychiatrist, damn it. I'm not keeping track of my food intake. So it's all over the place. Although I haven't really binged in a while, my sugar intake is WAY too high and I'm eating out WAY too much. These are things I need to change. And I am going to change. Which is what's happening this coming challenge. Oof. Wish me luck.

RIP Andurial, level 11 Ranger on day 125 (approx) after: 45 pound weight loss 25 lb 5x5 bench increase 50 lb 5x5 squat increase 40 lb 3x5 lb dead lift increase Killed by: Fibular Stress Fracture, Quadriceps Tendonosis, Lack of Imagination to use alternate exercises What to repeat: Focus on Vegetables for breakfast, snacking Monthly pictures/weigh-ins Tracking of weight lifting workouts Research/Planning for long term goals (Senior Games decathlon in 2018) What to avoid: Primary: Accelerating workouts too quickly Not allowing sufficient recovery time Not making sufficient sleep a priority Not focusing on running form before increasing intensity (stride length too long) Secondary: Not having enough variety in cardio work to avoid overloading joints Not making good use of support available through other members of the revolution Not using upgraded equipment, specifically footwear Not having a nearer term BOSS FIGHT (Now signed up for the Reach the Beach Relay in September, 2015) Ready to try again? YES Clearing previous academy points, restarting at Mindset Module....... Respawn in 3.....2......1......

Hey all, I'm back. (SUDDENLY BUFFY THREAD) I abandoned my last challenge mid week 3.. I think. Things with my wrist became worse and I had a brace on which made it really difficult to do anything and I lost heart pretty easily. Since abandoning my goals, things haven't gotten happier for me. I'm feeling badly about myself for giving up. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself, and it's about time for me to crawl out of my sad, anxious hole I put myself in. I think I finally am getting the hang of SMART goals. So, here I go, going to get myself back in line. I'm still recovering from my injury. That is to say, no pull-ups, no push-ups, no machines that involve wrist pressure or tension. My working out is limited. Initial MRI reports my wrist is not broken, but it still hurts some, so until it hurts none I am putting no pressure on it. Overall Goals Lose 10 lbs by July 24th Starting Weight - 135 lb Current weight - 137.4 lb (4/15 - Hence Respawn... >>) Goal Weight - 125 lb Goal Physique: Fit WomanMain Goal: TransformGoal Weight & Body Fat: 122.5 Lbs. & 16% BFTotal Body Composition Change of: 12.5 Lbs. Lost & 9% BF Lost Challenge Goals: G1 - Foodlers: Eat 1 Paleo Meal a day (+1STA +1WIS +1CON) (5 pts per meal) I've tried to fix all of my meals at once, and that didn't work for me. I'm going to ease into it this time. Each challenge I'll try to add another meal to the mix until I am in the rhythm. For now, Paleo breakfast or Lunch will do me good. Reasons I wont be going full paleo, ever, include my long list of allergies including: ALL nuts except peanuts & Cashews, Soy, blackberries, All fruit with a pit except mango & Avocado, Carrots, Celery, Apples.. Blah blah blah. ...and my inability to give up cheese and wine and this one potato thing my boyfriend's Grandma makes which is my favorite food in the world. I will be moderating these more, but they are part of my social life. I think it's just a fact of my food life that I will have to be modified paleo. G2 - Workout: Pt1 - Go to the Gym 1 time a week, for at least 45 minutes. for first 3 weeks (+1STR +2STA) (10pts per workout) I've made this deal before and I would go to the gym for about 15 minutes and call it quits. Lets put a time goal on there, even if I end up doing 50/50 strength to cardio, I'll be DOING something. Aim is for 70/30 Strength/cardio (30 min str, 15 min cardio/week) Pt 2 - Go the the Gym 2 times a week, for at least 45 minutes, for last 3 weeks (+2STR +1STA) (5pts per workout) Same song, different verse. Aim for 70/30 strength/cardio (60 min str, 30 min cardio/week) G3 - Clean : (22 pts/week possible) Get + Keep my apartment Clean (+2 CON +1 WIS +1 CHA) This will be some micro-goal points I add up. (CON & WIs for Mental Health, CHA because I entertain people on Wednesdays and its dirty) MP1 - Clothes Away 1/day (No laundry around room & Clean clothes where they belong) MP2 - Dishes Away 1/day (No Dishes in sink at the end of the day, No clean dishes in DW) MP3 - Change Sheets 1/Sundays only (Self explanatory I hope.) MP4 - Clean Desk 1/day (No Extra stuff on my desk, It is currently storage) LG - Bonus goal (5 pts/post/week possible) Post to my Cosplay page once a week (+1 CHA) Anything will go. Progress photo updates preferable, but also mini projects, videos, fun articles. Whatever. Something to engage the 700 people that follow me. ADDING another points goal for last 4 weeks. G4 - Thumb Physical Therapy (28pts/week) (+1DEX) Dex moved from part 2 of workout to here. I was prescribed to 4 weeks of PT for my carpometacarpal sprain. I will do this 4 times per day as ordered! 1 point per time (4 max per day) I was ordered PT for my ankle once and I did it for a few days then crapped out. Lets get some accountability up in here. 1 time upon arriving at work 1 time at lunch 1 time upon arriving home 1 time during dinner. (cant align images? Disappoint)

This is my first time posting in the Respawn board, even though I've done so more times than I can count. Yesterday I was inspired by Steve's article on starting over (yet again) and decided to join back up with the Rebellion. I've been reading NF on and off for years, I've participated in 3 challenges (only succeeding in one), and frankly I'm a little embarrassed to be posting yet another "I'm back and serious this time" message because, honestly, haven't I been down that road before? But I have to keep telling myself that I've learned and grown from my experience every time and than health is a journey, not an end point. Even just looking over my previous challenge threads reminds me of how much I've changed since then. So here I am, starting fresh and focusing on the positive. I've made some big strides toward better health this year: I've completed a Whole30 and the 30Day Shred (what can I say, I like challenges!) and am making the slow shift toward a totally Paleo lifestyle. I've given up soda completely and learned a ton of new recipes and kitchen skills. And yes, I've backslid over the last two months, but I'm committed to recovering my last save point and continuing on. I'm back on NF because I really love the people here and I've learned that I need accountability in my life. I'll be joining in the next 6-week challenge, but I didn't want to wait until then to jump back in. So I'll be here, making some new friends on the boards, working toward better health, and planning my challenge goals.

Geez, I feel like I am not good at navigating these forums. Today I am starting over. And hopefully this time it sticks. because I can not believe how unhappy I am right now!

Okay, so I joined this site about 2 years ago. I did really well with Paleo, and Then I fell behind, thanks to cancer. I have thyroid cancer that makes my hormones go crazy, which in turn made me not want to do anything. All the weight I lost and muscle gained, lost. But there was a new post just the other day about respawning. And it was so inspiring, I am back, and I am really going to give it my all. Help! <3

Hey there, Adventurers! It's been, what, a year? Two even?? And my physique sure shows! After my demotivating 7-month-long plateau, I stopped logging in and started a "maintenence" period with a halfassed fitness schedule -- which, when not maintaining a food log, roughly translates to "lol let's gain like 40 pounds back". Yyyep. A few months ago, an old friend contacted me in hopes of losing weight together. We haven't worked out together for a month or two (I need to text her! Why am I ignoring a potential squadmember!), but our efforts kickstarted me back into the fitness lifestyle and I'm down 17 lbs, inching my way closer to my goals once again! I remembered how much I loved NF, and after lurking a bit, I'd like to dive back in! I don't feel like waiting for the next challenge, so I'll use the remainder of this one as a springboard! Stats: F/20/5'8" Starting weight: 226 Lowest weight: 164 Restart weight: 198 Current weight: 181 Goal weight: Hella jacked Main Quest: Aesthetic-wise, I've been obese my entire life... now I want to be muscular! Fitness-wise, I have two things: I want to be a skilled poi dancer. This will require a lot of practice, endurance, flexibility, and hitting myself! I also want mastery of my body. "Mastery of my body" has a lot of interpretations, but to me, it means I have the strength and flexibility to do all sorts of things -- pull ups, spontaneous handstands, climbing stuff, balancing on stuff, etc... Fun, skill-oriented things my body has prevented me from being able to do! So, without further ado... Let's hop back to it! ~Rhyme's respawn half-challenge~ Diet goal: Stop sneaking bites of junk! I have a bad habit of nibbling on junk food because "it's only a bite, I don't have to log it!". Eventually this turns into "Uuuh I bet that entire family-sized bag of Doritos was probably like 200 calories, I guess I can log that in..." *pushes this morning's food log under the bed* Anyway, that needs to stop! If I really want junk food, I have to weigh out a portion and log it in before I eat it. I'm super lazy, so this is typically enough to deter me! If I want to sneak bites of something without logging it in, I better be in the mood for spinach or berries! Fitness goal: Work out three times a week! I've been working out pretty steadily, once every other week or so! ...No? Not buying it? Okay.jpg Let's up the ante a bit! "Work out" can mean anything active; for me, this typically means a fuckaronditis version of Stronglifts, but going on a walk counts, too. However, there is one thing I won't count towards this goal: Fitness goal: Work on poi fundamentals three times a week! I spin poi pretty often, but I tend to stick with things I know. I'd really like to get better so I can do more free flow. I'll start by working on some fundamentals, namely, planes and reels. There's no particular skill goal this time, just work on it three times a week! Life side-quest: Get to work on finals! I have a tendency of put off things I don't want to do in hopes of enjoying my free time instead... but then my free time is tainted with the anxiety of my looming responsibilities. This is especially true during finals week. No more! This time, I want to be prepared. Let's get things ready AHEAD of time. No more sleepless nights! For this challenge I will work on something related to classwork every day! Life side-quest: Get to know the Rebellion! Guys, I have a confession. I have a terrible, terrible lurking habit. I, like, never post on websites I browse. EVER. One of my previous challenges involved forcing myself to post, and it made a noticeable difference -- I had a LOT more fun than when I posted whenever I felt like it! I'd like to recreate that result and make myself more accountable to boot. For this challenge, I will post at least once a day! Time to get outside now -- the weather is great and there are walks to be had!

Hey everyone! I respawned a few weeks ago and while I wasn't terribly active on the forums, I think I've made some strides towards my goals. However, I didn't achieve any of the goals I set for myself last time. So I'm going to do it again for real. Same challenge with just a few tweaks. Hopefully I am more on top of things this time. I'm going to focus on nutrition this challenge, since that's my biggest struggle. GOAL: To fall back into some kind of fitness routine. I don't care if it's pumping iron 5x a week and eating all the steamed veggies with chicken breast and salmon or just walking every night when my boyfriend gets off work and limiting ice cream to 2 days a week. As long as I'm doing SOMETHING on a regular basis. By the end of the challenge I want to have a starting place upon which to build over the summer. Quest 1: (WIS + 4) Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. I'm not going to cut out anything like tea or soda. I just want to add water. A- 6-8 glasses a day B- 4-5 glasses a day C- 3 or fewer glasses a day Quest 2: (CON + 3, CHA + 2) I eat too many desserts. I am going to eliminate sweets from my diet, starting with dessert like cake and cookies and pie. This doesn't include sugar in my tea or coffee. I don't drink soda anyway so that's all set. Starting right now, I don't eat donuts, cookies, cake, ice cream, or anything else like that anymore. A- 0 a day B- 1-2 a day C- 3 a day or more Quest 3: (WIS + 3, STA + 3) Eat 2 paleo meals a day. Simple as that. I would like to replace 2 meals with paleo meals rather than gorge myself as I have been doing. (Eating paleo as well as normal meals throughout the day. Meals, not snacks). A- Every day B- 5-6 days C- 4 or fewer days Optional Quest 4: Hit the gym 2x a week. Cardio, weights, or a class. Doesn't matter as long as I go and do something for at least 30 minutes. It could even be a combo, like 15 min cardio 15 min weight training. But this is optional, for days when I feel especially motivated. If I don't go a single time it doesn't matter. Orrr, just work out in my room. BBWW, anyone? The points are as follows: STR: 0 STA: 3 WIS: 7 DEX: 0 CON: 3 CHA: 2 Don't feel like taking pictures, but I will take measurements on Sunday. Bust: 38.5 Waist: 34 Belly: 42 Hips: 44.5 Thighs: L: 27 R: 26.5 Biceps: L: 14 R: 13.5 Calves: L: 16.5 R: 17 Weight: 184 lbs Pants size: 12 (it's a bit tight)

**RESPAWN** Several Days had passed but Veski had lost sight of anything resembling a trail and her earlier decision to try and avoid Boss Ur'trag warriors on the road down to Fekror had been revealed as poorly conceived. "I'm so lost." she grunted, sitting underneath a slight rocky overhang and staring at the valley below. It wasn't Fekror, and it wasn't Soar Crag, by the pits it wasn't anywhere she had seen before and she couldn't care less. "It looks reasonably flatter so, that's a destination." she gathered up with few supplies and weapons she had scavenged and looking over it all she hadn't accomplished much in her few days of wandering. Her armor didn't fit any better, her arms were not any stronger despite climbing down ravines and valleys. Her belly grumbled although, luckily, she had managed to kill a large mountain goat and had eaten well enough. Hunt would be far to loose a definition of what occurred. She had stampeded a group of them with yelling near a cliff and one fell off. It had been a messy job cleaning the folded and floppy remains but she had not starved. Now the goat was gone and the valley below was, at least, green which meant small game. "Yes, onward Veshki, to a battle royal with bunnies, probably." she was relieved again to be alone so that now would witness her horribly decayed survival skills. Her odds were on the bunnies. Starting Statistics: Howdy! I'm a part time student, 3/4 time gm, part time activist (oh noes!) and full time geek. I am a trans woman with all the fun and excitement that brings. Fun. Excitement. Oh, and danger! One of the reasons I want to get back in shape. I am married to Noor's player and copying most of her formatting here because, umm, she was done before me? I am 5'11'' 234.6 lbs and my current sedentary-style is very lifey. I mean, I need to get off my ass. I am primarily interested in Assassin and possibly Ranger or Druid. Will decide the secondary class later. Main Quest: To attain my old goal weight of 165'ish and perform several one armed pull ups. Because Linda Hamilton damnit. Goal 1:(CON) I will get at least 8 hours of night. A= >37days B= >33 days C= >29 D= >25 F= <21Days Goal 2:(CON) I need to make good grub at least 4/wk. A= 24 days B= >20 days C= >16 D= >12 F= <11 Days Goal 3:(CON) I will log my food daily and remain under my calorie goals A= >37days B= >33 days C= >29 D= >25 F= <21Days Goal 4:(STR) I will complete the Angry Birds Workout training circuit three times a week.Each completed circuit will constitute 2 point, leaving a possible 108 points in 6 weeks. A=90 – 100 pts B=80 – 89 pts C= 70 – 79 pts D=60 – 69 pts F= 59 pts or less. Life Goal:(WIS) Get it down on paper. I write a lot of beginnings, a lot of notes, a lot of ideas. I enjoy them greatly but I never finish or complete any of them. I want to complete at least one story of 10,000 words or more this first 6 weeks. Should be easy but I know it’ll put up a fight. Motivation: I want to be faster, stronger, and able to perform tasks without panting like a dying catfish.

Searching continiously for a better job and has yet to have a successful "Yes, please join our company." Still working at current, stressful and underpaying job. Bleh. Lack of Zil has caused me to fall away from healthy Paleo eating. I freaking salavate at salads and fruits like a wild thing. Sigh. Family matters has jacked up my anxiety attacks %50. Conversations with the grandparents and mother have fallen beyond expectations. Ending verdict? "Their house, their rules." Arrrrgh... End result? NewMe has been hurt! Do you have any Food or Rations? So. I restarted the Beginner Body Workout by 5's. Any veggies I can get my hands on, I cherish and then devour. I've gotten my resume updated 3 times and am still attending interviews until something sticks. Research! Re-reading articles from the Blogs and mentally downloading them. More pictures of my progress. There will be a purging of things soon... Taking up friends and partners advice and assistance of "You have a safe place here NewMe, whenever you need it." I just have to accept the new mission. Mentally, it's terrifying. But for my anxiety sake, I need to do this.

Just married, starting a family with a couple of fur babies, getting noticed by your awesome bosses at your awesome Texas radio station job, then... BAM! The same day I get promoted is the day my husband gets the job he's been waiting for since leaving the military... In Pennsylvannia... When life hands you lemons, I am right? We had our first real-life, grown up talk that day (on Valentine's Day, 😓) and as much as we hated to admit it, both of our life changing job opportunities were something we couldn't pass up. He had to move to PA and I had to stay in TX. I gave my bosses a "1-year garantee" that I would stay and do the job. My husband moved and I began life as a geographically separated wife with 2 dogs and a cat to take care of and living on my own for the first time. Nothing would had prepared me for what challenges I would face. To make the year long story short, this is what happened in a nutshell: Dove in head first into my job Realizing that I had no real support system in this game changer Lost confidence in myself Ultimately became depressed I lost the trust of my bosses Finally hitting rock bottom by using food as a reward/punishment Quit my job after 11 months and moved to PA a month early with no real plan on what I'm doing. So here I am, one month in living in PA, no job, no confidence and absolutely no motivation left in me to even do the simplest things. But... You can always hit restart So here I am, looking to restart. So for months I had Nerd Fitness open on my iPad of how to do a push up. It was always opened just like I was always going to start one day. Never looked past to the vast awesomeness that lurked behind that blog post. Till 4 days ago... I decided to join the rebellion because I need similar, like minded people to tell me I matter. That I can get healthy again. That I can be happy with my new life, even if it doesn't go according to what I dreamed of. My husband told me once the best time he ever knew me was back to the first summer were engaged. I was happy, I had just graduated and I was living my life the way I wanted too. I want to be that happy again. I just gotta restart somewhere.

Never has this graphic been more true to me. I’ve been all lost and turned around somewhere in that clusterfuck of squiggles. I’m sure the vast majority of people here, and in the world in general can relate to the frustrations of plateaus and setbacks. I’ve let them get me down for far too long, and have fallen back into the old habits of trying to crash diet to get back to my lowest weight so I can go from there. The results have been exactly as you would expect. I’ve gained 14 pounds in 4 months from my lowest weight. However frustrating it is, it’s a good reminder not to let myself slip back into old habits. So what if my shorts are fitting a bit tighter. So if I haven’t run a ten minute mile in months. So what I’m the only person in my Exercise Science club at school who can’t do a pushup or a proper box jump. I’ll get there. It’s not going to happen today. I am where I am now, and I’m not going to be able to snap my fingers and put myself back where I used to be. It’s going to take some time. It’s a journey, an adventure. Not a race. I’m a freaking superhero when I let myself be. My name is Jess. I'm 22, and I'm on a quest to lose 100 pounds and get strong, fast, agile and healthy. As of this morning, I am 22.5 pounds down from my highest weight. And for this challenge (and for the rest of my life), I want to focus on my health first and weight second. Goals Eat Paleo (+3 CON, +1 WIS) I have a problem with sugar. I’d actually call it an abusive relationship with carbs. When I’m stressed, I can’t be bothered to cook, and end up eating terribly most nights of the week. I don’t particularly want to delve into it, but these last few months have been stressful. Now that things are starting to take a small, but noticeable upturn, I need to get my diet back under control. I’m going to go back to eating paleo, specifically minimizing my grain and refined sugar intake. I'm applying the two in a row rule to this one. Never miss two good meals, never miss two workouts in a row. So... Don't miss two Paleo meals in a row to earn an A in this category. Bodyweight Training (+3 DEX, +2 STR) I’ve been doing group fitness at my school Monday-Thursday before my classes, (Zumba twice a week and Body Sculpting twice a week) and I’ve come to learn a few things about my body. My balance is embarrassingly abhorrent. My legs are a powerhouse. My triceps have been horribly neglected my entire life. My coordination actually isn’t as bad as I thought it was. I have no upper body strength. My cardio stamina is rather impressive given the approximate extra 50-70 pounds of body fat I’m carrying. My spirit is far stronger than my body. I did a Spartan Sprint in February and absolutely fell in love with obstacle course racing. I’ve decided that in 2016 I want to try for the trifecta, and to do that, I need to train and train consistently. So here is my Level 4 Training: 1 Sun Salutation 30 ft Bear Crawl 4-10 Pyramid Pushups 20 Kettlebell Swings 20 Russian Twists 10 Burpees MAX Plank MAX Pull-Up Hang Do this three times per week to earn an A in this category. Increase Flexibility (+2 STA, +1 CHA) One of the things I mentioned is that my core stability, balance and flexibility are all terrible. I am so bad about not stretching after working out, and I pay the price for it every single time. The morning after is always hell. I want to make it a good point to stretch after every workout, and do some deep meditative stretching before I go to sleep. Hopefully this will alleviate the problem. Take some time out of everyday, even if it's only 5 minutes, to stretch, practice basic yoga, or meditate to earn an A in this category. Spend some more time outside (+1 WIS +2 CHA) I like being outside. Actually, I love being outside. And somewhere between being stuck between school and work and the gym and the library, I forgot how much I love it. I sat out on the lawn under a tree to do my homework yesterday instead of sitting in the library and it put me in such a great mood. I don’t want to forget how therapeutic the clean air and sunshine is. It’s good for my soul to be outside. Spend a cumulative hour outdoors every day to earn an A in this category. Motivation- (Same list from my very first challenge. I'm crossing things off as I complete them, and adding new ones as I come up with them) I'm tired of being fat. I've been obese since childhood and it sucks. I really love doing sports and outdoor activities, but my weight makes it really friggin hard. I want to be strong, energetic and healthy and active.I no longer want to be the obese chick in the Exercise Science department at my school.I want to be able to do recreational sports Complete Aug 8, 2014I want to be able to shop at normal clothing stores, wear shirts without sleeves and dresses without tights. Complete September 29, 2014I want to buy a swimsuit for the first time since the 8th grade. Complete July 5, 2014I want to learn how to dance without running out of breath halfway through a song. Complete April 9, 2015I want to be strong enough to do a cartwheel. It's a little silly, but when I was a kid, I got made fun of for not being able to do one. I want to run an entire 5k without stopping, and run a marathon one day.Join the ranks of the Spartan Trifecta Warriors I’m really excited that I got to cross off ‘learning to dance’ off my checklist this month. I’ve been taking a zumba class twice a week since mid-January. I wanted to quit after the first class I was so embarrassed of how bad my dancing was. But I paid $84 for it and was too stubborn to not get my money’s worth, so I stuck with it. Now, three months later, I can make it through the entire one hour class with only the 15 second breaks between songs for a breather. I can’t believe how naturally it comes to me now in comparison to three months ago. I look forward to it, and want to look into taking another Zumba class over the summer at another establishment since they don’t offer it at the college. Wow this was a lot to type. I want to note too that this is my one year anniversary from my very first six week challenge. It seemed like a great day to respawn. Go get 'em rebels.

G'DAY FELLOW REBELS This is like the (calculate that) time I respawn, but with good reason, apparently. After 2 years of continuously struggling with my health and my GP telling me it's all because I'm "psychologically unstable'', I was fed up with it and decided to go to a private clinic abroad, with all the results from lab tests from the past few years. It paid off. Not only did they find I tested positively for Lyme disease OVER A YEAR AGO (can you imagine my GP just overlooked that...) and still do, but they also discovered my T4 levels (thyroid hormone) are way below the minimum, let alone for my age. These 2 things can perfectly explain why I felt tired all the tileHad continuous headachesSkipped school because I felt depressed or sickFell ill all the timegained weight despite being on a starvation dietmy hair fell outmy nails were brittleMy skin was super dry, despite applying the most expensive lotions or creams..... In other words, I am not insane or psychologically messed up, I just had medical conditions. I'll have to take a lot of antibiotics for a month, and take hormone pills for the rest of my life, but if it brings me closer to health, I'll happily take them. They found other really depressing things, on which I may elaborate later, but I don't think a fitnesswebsite is the place for it. They will definitely influence my progress, but I'm confident they won't stand in the way. Because of all the medication I need to take now, they put me on a very strict diet, which is basically a modified paleo diet, so there shouldn't be too much trouble there, I hope. I'm not really allowed to do any vigorous exercise for some time either, but I can stick with long walks and yoga every day for now! Finally, I feel like I'm getting somewhere. I feel like there actually MAY BE a solution to this ''hopeless case''. I may not directly shed the pounds I gained because of my hypothyroidism, but that's not my primary aim. I want to get healthy, I want full, healthy, vibrant hair. I want the twinkle back in my eyes. I want the motivation to ace my calculus classes back. And I will get it all back. I may rely on pills all my life, but I will not let that depress me. I still have my life goal of climbing Mount Everest, then settling in Nepal and founding a charity for science education for Nepali children in remote areas, and I will achieve it one day. But for now: chicken wings, avocado and hella Hatha Yoga.

Hi! So, I am back (from outer space..or not) atleast hopefully. Moving onwards right? I have gotten my doctor to put me on antidepressants because I couldn't deal with my depression any more. Which is a big step for me. I am attempting to make my UNI work a priority and possibly throw in some exercise. Positive thinking a go! I am so over respawing.

"Climb to the top of the world" System reboot initiated. ProtoJitters online. Battle program found. Upload previous missions. ... Upload failed. The latest newsletter from Steve had a link to an article he wrote about putting fitness first and being selfish about it. For those of you who are not new to my challenges knows that this is not me. I have a huge problem not putting others first; especially my family. To me, they take priority in my life, even if it means that I suffer. "And as you stand tall, you will see..." This challenge, I will break that cycle. I will find a way to keep them as a priority, and make improvements for myself. I will do this for myself, and for them. We all deserve it. We booked a trip to Wisconsin Dells in late July, and I will not be embarrassed by the way I look. By my actions, perhaps, but not by my body. I will be following a simple workout routine for the next 6 weeks. I will continue my search for inner peace through meditation in the mornings. Most of all, and without a doubt the most difficult for me; I will get my eating habits under control, specifically, portions. "That when you fall..." Work out 4 days per week. No matter what. My family has helped me in the past with my workouts, they will help propel me to the man I can be. Too often I say I can't because I'm watching the kids or I have some obligation that prevents me from doing this. No more. 0/4 - Weekly 0/24 - 6WC Meditate 5 days per week. This is usually not a problem, but for some reason, I fell out of habit. Time to go back to my roots. 0/5 - Weekly 0/30 - 6WC Portion Control. Grading is subjective and difficult, but I will do my best on this. I should not be finished with my meal and going back for seconds before my wife and kids are done with half of their plate. I will try to limit my intake as well. To give you an understanding of my capabilities, 3 Chipotle burritos is no problem for me to finish. I was one quarter of the 36" pizza challenge team that finished in just over 13 minutes (the team gets 30 minutes) and had some of our friends pizza after. I can eat. I don't want that anymore. Why? Because I can't be there for my family if I'm dead. Pass/Fail 0/21 - Weekly Pass/Fail 0/126 - 6WC "You will fall from a height most men will never reach" I do this to be a better man. For my kids, for my wife and now, for myself. I deserve this. I will not let one failure deter me from my goals. I will stumble along the way, but it will not stop me. I will beat this.

Good morrow fellow nerds. My last two challenge attempts have been very much sub-optimal, with challenge five being an utter fail. Basically I injured my foot and spent the next couple of weeks sulking* because I couldn’t do any walking let alone high impact exercise. This is challenge six, but I'm still Level 5 due to the failing. *eating chocolate THIS CHALLENGE! Life Goal This remains as ever to reduce body fat and be less flabby. Also I want to get stronger and increase my knowledge of, like everything. Year Goal To get below 11 stone (currently around 11.5) and be able to do one chin up. It will happen dammit! Challenge Goals Calories: I MUST STAY WITHIN CALORIES. This is myfitnesspal calories set to lose 1lb a week and sedentary (1300), with added exercise calories. I’m allowed four days of no logging within the six weeks. Walking: Now I can walk again (SO happy about this) I have to do at least 20 miles in any 7 consecutive days; my normal commute involves 5 miles a day. This will stop me being lazy on days off hopefully! Weights: As I’m still off the high impact cardio until my foot is definitely better, I’ll pick up the slack with dumbbells. My workout will be 3x10 sets of bicep curls, shoulder press and bench press with my 10kg dumbbells followed by 60 sec plank. I have to do this at least 3 times in any 7 consecutive days. EXCEPTION: I’m going to Edinburgh for a week in the second week of the challenge so will amend my calories to lose 0.5lb a week but I still have to stay within. Also as I won’t be carting my dumbbells up on the train, my workouts will be 3x20 pressups, bench dips and squats, and 60 sec plank. Wish me luck!

Hi, I'm Ashley. My first NerdFitness Challenge was amazing: I was so dedicated to changing my lifestyle, I met every goal with enthusiasm, I lost weight and really had fun doing it. Then during my second challenge, I was dealing with many distractions and made many excuses. And I did not feel good, mentally or physically. This challenge I want to get back to basics, remember why I wanted to change my lifestyle in the first place. I want to feel good and make fitness an integral part of my life, not just a commitment or a burden. Part of this is not just eating well and exercising, but budgeting and spending money more wisely. I am also going to finally do my research and add the RPG element of NF! Anyone who is awesome at this *coughGlasscough*, please feel free to give feed back. What do I need: YOU! That's right you! I need my NF friends to be the most annoying, nagging, persnickety accountability buddies. You keep me honest and motivated. Goal #1: Fitness. I will walk 10,000 steps each day. I will also try to do the thing I dread most—Running!!! I will run for at least 5 minutes, twice a week. Even if I cannot run for 5 minutes straight, I will run for 5 minutes. +5 STA Goal #2: Eating. I will eat 3 'paleo' meals each week. While I'm not going to full paleo, because I feel like that would be tough to jump right into. So I will be focusing on eating unprocessed foods with a heavy emphasis on vegetables, fruits, and meats. Any good recipes appreciated! +5 CON Goal #3: Money. I have been spending so much money on food and I need to start budgeting and being more careful with my resources. I think the best way to start this is cutting down on money spent 'out'. So I will only buy food out twice a week. This includes grabbing snacks at work, buying lunch because I suddenly don't want what I have, and going out for dinner. I will only buy coffee once a week. I am a huge Starbucks addict so this will be tough. +3 WIS Goal #4: Health. I have a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) from an accident. This malfunctioning of my jaw causes all sorts of way side effects: misalignment in my neck, fun popping and clicking noises, headaches, and (my personal favorite) pressure and pain in my ears which makes hearing hard sometimes. I have been seeing an excellent physical therapist, but any who has been to therapy knows that the treatment in the office is really 1/3 of the solution. I am REALLY bad at doing my PT exercises. So I will do my chest and back exercises 3 times per week, jaw stretches daily, posture checks every hour. +1 CON/+1 DEX