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I quit sugar 5 months ago (except for a small amount of fruit and dairy each day) as my first step to going completely primal. I have allowed myself homemade desserts when I have been with family/friends 4 times during this time. I found that I don't react well to the sugar anymore. It makes me feel ill. I should probably mention that before quitting sugar I was basically a sugar addict. If it was sweet not only would I eat it but I wouldn't stop at just one. Since quitting I really don't have cravings during the normal course of a day. The problem I am having is that it seems that anytime people get together for any reason they bring sweet "goodies" to share with their friends. On many occasions they don't bring a healthy alternative also for anyone who may not want to eat the sugary foods. If it is an event that I know in advance where people are bringing food I will bring something healthy. Many times people just bring the sweets to surprise others and show their love. I may not have cravings normally but when things that I know would taste wonderful are continually being placed before me I am getting more and more frustrated with my need for an iron will. For example, this morning at church in my small group, brownies, cheesecake bites, and doughnuts were brought to share with the group. Since we were there in the middle of the morning, I hadn't even packed my usual stand-by baggie of nuts. So, I left the room, got some water, and strolled around a bit until I thought they would be finished eating and socializing (which seem to always go together) and then returned. Of course by doing this I missed the socializing part. So what do others who follow a paleo/primal lifestyle do about this?

My main quest is simply to get back to a dress size of 6. I am currently in a 10, so I expect this to take at least a year, but if I can achieve it sooner, you won't see me crying! During this challenge I will be revisiting the goal that I failed 2 challenges ago - No sugar! I will continue to allow myself the mere 2 tsp. of sugar in my daily coffee. Also, there are 2 dates that I will be allowing myself to have sugar. These dates coincide with my sister's wedding. Other than that, there will be NO sugar in my diet for the next 6 weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing how much weight I manage to lose. - An A will be anywhere from perfection to 10 days of having sugar (CON +5) - A B will be anywhere from 11 days of sugar to 21 days of sugar (CON +4) - A C will be between 22 days of sugar and 32 days of sugar (CON +3) - A D will be between 32 days and 41 days of sugar (CON +2) - An F will be if I've had sugar every single day Next, I will be adding one day of 30 to 45 minutes of Yoga to each week. Hopefully this will help with the injuries that I've caused myself in bodybuilding. - If I manage to do this 6 times during the challenge, I will have an A (DEX +5) - 4 or 5 times during this challenge will earn me a B (DEX +4) - 3 times will earn me a C (DEX +3) - 1 or 2 times will earn me a D (DEX +2) - I will receive an F if I don't do this a single time during this challenge. My final goal is to stop eating after dinner. No more of those nights sitting in front of the t.v. and snacking. The scoring for this will be equal to that of my sugar goal. The only difference is that my RRP points will go to WIS My motivation is my family. I don't want my husband or my children to have to care for me as I age because I didn't take care of myself in the best way that I could.

So I just started using MyFitnessPal again after a long hiatus. I make SO much of my food myself that it's time consuming to put in all my recipes. Anyway, I'm currently doing a Whole Life challenge which is basically no added sugars. No bread, no pasta, no potatoes, no soda, no juice, etc. Whole grains (rice, quinoa), beans, all meats (except lunch meats), eggs, veggies, fruits are good to go. So here's my conundrum - I just logged what I've eaten today and I had an apple and then some dried fruit and WHAM! I'm over my 39g of sugar a day allotment (according to MyFitnessPal). And what's crazy is that I didn't feel good this morning so I didn't eat a whole lot of breakfast. I'm 5'11, 165lbs... what SHOULD my sugar be? I have MyFitnessPal set to "maintain weight" because I'm really trying to cut body fat without losing muscle (or hopefully gaining muscle). I feel like an apple and not even a handful of dried fruit shouldn't be "too much sugar" in a day. Am I wrong?

So, day one of this fantastic journey of self discovery, working towards greater fitness, and trying to eat healthier. One of my three minor quests was to make a real effort to cut down on my sugar intake. I'm a sugar junkie - I literally crave the stuff. I realize that it's bad for me and that the more I consume, the more I crave sugar. But....it's just so dang tasty! But I'm motivated by my desire to get more fit and to try and ultimately, reduce my chances of developing diabetes as I get older (it runs in my family). But I have to be honest, this first day has been sheer hell. This morning, I steeled myself, walked into my local coffee shop and ordered a coffee without sugar. (I also paid no attention to the little voices that said, 'Hey! Don't you need a donut or something? Even a small one?') So here I am, just past lunch time, and I'm really struggling. All I want is something sugary and sweet and let me be honest with you, the amazingly healthy grapes I have here beside me are really a poor replacement for the sheer sugary goodness of a donut or a candy bar or something sweet. I'll make it through today added-sugar free, because I'm determined, and, as this site says, I'm part of the rebellion. But my friends, the sugar craving is rebelling right back!!! Do any of you struggle with cravings for sugary things? Got any tips to share with a fellow rebel on how to cope or ways to harness that craving energy into something else? I'm open to all ideas folks, and I'm rapidly running out of grapes! LOL! ~~Trinket

Hi there! In 2012, I lost 85 pounds through clean eating and a whole lot of working out. I started out at 255 pounds -- that is the before picture of me in the hot pink shirt. I currently weigh 170 pounds. The picture of me in the the two piece swim suit is my current "before" picture. My Main Quest for these 6 weeks is to finish what I started. That is, I am going to get my weight down to 155 pounds by September 8, 2013. Then, I will post my "after" picture in the same swim suit. So, my Main Quest is to get to 155 pounds -- this will = 100 pounds lost all together. My 3 missions to complete my Main Quest: -- I will run 4 days a week in addition to my other workouts -- I will cut out sugar entirely -- I will complete the Labor Day Quad. This is a race where I will run a half marathon EACH DAY of Labor Day weekend. Yes, I will run a half marathon on Friday 8/30 and a half marathon on Saturday 8/31 and a half marathon on Sunday 9/1 and a half marathon on Monday 9/2. How awesome is that?! My Life Quest is to work on my Brave Girl Art School stuff. My motivation: It is my mission in life to be the REAL ME. I am optimistic, smart, outgoing, strong, healthy, active, and loving. I am going to finish what I started and stop messing around, creating drama for myself. I am fully capable of succeeding in my efforts to reach my goals. I am exceptional. I would love your encouragement!

Took the last challenge off. Glad to be back in the game. My ultimate fitness goal in life at the moment is to be build up my upper body strength to the point where pull ups are achievable. It's a slow process. Hence my repeated thread title. If you followed with me two challenges ago you know that I was struggling with sleep. Well, I still am. So mostly my goals this challenge focus on maintaining my current fitness level while helping to regulate and increase good sleeping habits. Diet & Fitness: 1.) Morning workouts 3x a week (Angry Birds Style): I have never been a morning person. Matter of fact I really detest getting up early. However, I don't like sleeping to the last minute and then scrambling to get to work on time. On those rare occasions I have actually gotten up early enough for a morning workout I have felt great the rest of the day. Vrasile2 has committed to morning workouts with me 3x a week. 3 STR; 2 STA Chest - Push ups Back - Assisted Chin ups/Pull ups Legs - Squats/Lunges (Varying) Core - Planks Two circuits A: 3x week; 2 circuits | B: 2x week; 2 circuits | C: 1x week; 2 circuits | D: 1x week; 1 circuit | F: Nothing at all 2.) No Sweets or Treats!: This last week I will admit that I have binged a little bit in the sugar area, which is pretty bad considering I follow an Eat Clean diet. Time to get back to only clean sweeteners: honey, agave nectar or coconut sugar. 3 CON A: 6 weeks | B: 5 weeks | C: 4 weeks | D: 3 weeks | F: 1-2 weeks 3.) De-Stress with Yoga 1x Week: I really enjoy Yoga and it does wonders for helping me to relax and de-stress. I was going to a class for a while and loved it. Don't know that I'll be able to fit the class into my schedule/budget but I have a mat at home I can use. 3 DEX; 1 STA A: 6 weeks | B: 5 weeks | C: 4 weeks | D: 3 weeks | F: 1-2 weeks Life Goal: 4.) Turn Off the TV and Read! (1 hr daily): It's a fact that I watch FAR too much TV. It's most likely contributing to my lack of sleep (visual overstimulation). Plus, I love to read. Time to be a bookworm again. I have a stack of great titles staring at me from my bookshelf waiting to be picked up. 2 CHA; 1 WIS A: 6 weeks | B: 4-5 weeks | C: 2-3 weeks | D: 1 week | F: None at all

Total newbie to this... and I need and want to Keep It Stupid Simple! Goals I'm going to achieve in the next 6 weeks: 1. Sugar. - Just Say No. I seek out processed sugar. Candy, candy, candy! I have a bad sweet tooth. Goal: no processed sugar (not even the yummy french vanilla creamer in my coffee) 2. Jog peacefully for 4 miles. - I can jog 3 miles now but my breathing is heavy and steps are hard. I am not one with the movements. Goal: I want to glide along and be one with nature, and myself, as I 1up to jogging 4 miles. 3. Meditate. - Years ago I used to meditate 3-4x a week for 15-20 minutes. I loved it!!! Even though I loved it I stopped, completely. Goal: I will meditate 2x a week for 10-15 min. Looking forward to being awesome, and looking forward to reading about everybody else being awesome with their goals too! Game on!

Hullo, just a friendly neighborhood halfling assassin, don't mind me. I've got a neat 'Keep Calm and Carry On' notebook that my goals reside in as well as this. Ok so GOALS!~ Beck's 6 Bitter Weeks - Ouran High School Host Club No processed sugar. I'll have one cheat day per week [saturday] for this one to battle against temptation to laps back into my sugary ways. Run. - Doctor Who Run around at a park for half an hour twice a week [Tuesday & Thursday] Live By the Creed - Assassin's Creed Parkour/free-running training while I'm out running / at the park. Smithy - Nearly every game with a town in it ever We have Races and Classes... Why not Trades? It is real life role playing, but it can still be cool! New hobby interest: Make chain-mail. AKA medieval under armor. I've been told it's tedious to make it from a spool of wire like I'm going to, but I'm still excited!!! I know it's not really blacksmithing, but is there a name for people who bend metal and link it together?? Bonus: Zumba at the gym on Mondays I was originally going to have a goal that involved people watching and deducing, but then I remembered that only John Watson tolerated Sherlock's crap. [i love Sherlock Holmes to pieces, just to be clear] There it is... Ee-gads! Only four more sleeps until the challenge starts!

Background: I started barbell lifting right before the last challenge began, and launched into my lifting challenge with gusto. I LOVED going to the gym, feeling badass, racking up new PRs every time - I even enjoyed the DOMS. But after three or four weeks of lifting, my body started complaining. My left shoulder (trapezius) sort of seized up, my back got super stiff and tight, and my right hamstring and glute got all knotty. My body felt so bad and out of sorts that I made myself slow down on the lifting. Thus my new challenge: Goal the First: Get Supple I got Kelly Starrett's new book, Becoming a Supple Leopard, and have been doing a MobilityWOD faithfully every day. My goal is to improve my shoulder mobility (which has ALWAYS sucked) and get rid of all this annoying new tightness. I've been working with my Pilates teacher to improve my posture, and just today saw an awesome bodyworker who gave me a new perspective and new things to work on. Plan: do a MobilityWOD for at least 15 minutes every day. Kstar pretty much insists on this as a minimum commitment. Goal the Second: Get Strong I'm going to continue barbell lifting. Unfortunately the gym I go to is closed on Sundays for the whole summer, which was my favorite day to go! Boo! Plan: strength training twice a week, tracked on Fitocracy. If I can't get to the gym, I will substitute bodyweight/dumbbell/kettlebell stuff at home. Goal the Third: Get Serene Continue with the meditation, but bump it up to 45 minutes a week. Goal the Fourth: Get Sweet-Free (sort of) I did very well limiting sugar during my last challenge, except for the giant loophole of unlimited ice cream. In fact, I ate a shit-ton of ice cream. Can you say cop-out? No more. Plan: I can have something sweet twice a week - this includes sugar as well as any other added sweetener. I will keep track of everything on a spreadsheet. I find this very helpful!

Hello all After reading several of your challenges I feel inspired and infused with enthusiasm, enough to detail my own very first challenge, so here goes! STARTING MEASUREMENTS Age: 24 Height : 178cm/5' 10" Weight: 78.7kg/12st 5lb Body Fat %: 12.8 Jimmies: Unrustled 1) Cycle to work at least 12 times in the 6-week challenge ||Reward: +2 STA|| I've been cycling to work on and off for a couple months now, at 11 miles each way, 78kg weight, and avg speed of 14mph, that's about 500 cal each way, 1000 cal total. A great way to get closer to my fat loss goal! If I can do this more than 12 times in the challenge time I'll award +0.1 STA for each return journey If you want to calculate calories burnt by cycling for yourself, I used http://www.bikemetro.com/calculators/calorie.asp 2) Drop BF% from 12.8% to 12.3% ||Reward: +1 STR, +1 CON|| As my BMI has always been well out of wack due to being extremely physically dense, I figure that BF% is a better way of measuring my fitness! Today's reading was 12.8%, my initial thought was to aim for 12%, but given that I actually really enjoy eating, albeit healthily, I think a drop of 0.5% to 12.3% is more realistic. 3) Attend 4 social events to meet new people (and maintain contact with said people!) ||Reward: +1 CHA, +1 INT|| Inspired by several fellow NFers' social/confidence goals. If my stats are anything to go by this is the most important, while I do have a few amazing friends, sometimes I'm a little shorthanded for local friends to hang with, this is an attempt to remedy this. If any UK Nerds want to help me achieve this goal, I'd be over the moon! 4) Limit confectionery intake to one small portion of dark chocolate a week ||Reward: +1 DEX, +1 WIS|| No explanation needed really! Just a good idea. I'm a bit of a fiend when it comes to chocolate and so demonstrating some self control will help my BF% goal, and demonstrate some real willpower, I'm sure many of you can empathise haha 5) =Super bonus core strength goal!= Be able to hold an L-Seat on the parallel bars for 10 seconds (inspired by Steve's muscle up goal) ||Reward: +2 STR|| I'm lucky enough to have some fairly low steel parallel bars on the roof of my apartment, I use them for knee lifts, lawnmower extensions, archer pushups, and recently straight leg lifts, and tougher than that, the L-Seat position. For me this is particularly tough as I have very heavy muscular legs, so this is a REAL punishment for my core. Currently I can hold it for about 3 seconds if that, so in the interest of having a rock solid core that a truck could drive over, I'm going to aim for 10 seconds of straight legs at 90 degrees! If you've given this a look through and you're thinking "this sounds a lot like my goals!" drop me a reply, it'd be great to share ideas and compare progress! Take it easy!-JakeItEasy

My starting point: 5'2"137 lbs50 years25-minute mile5 lousy modified pushupsMy goals: Walk a mile in 15 minutes11 modified pushupsNo candy, cold cereal, sugared pop for 6 weeksMy plan: Keep walking the dogs at least a mile every day, rain or shine.Monitor heart rate and keep it above 110 for 10 minutesAdd one modified pushup every weekEat LOTS of fruit and veg--don't let myself get too hungry

Hey guys, My brother sent this to me last night, I watched half of it and had to switch off so that I could watch it from the beginning with my housemates today. For those who already have an addictive personality, this one might be the hardest one to give up. Enjoy! http://www.hungryforchange.tv/free-worldwide-online-screening