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2 years ago, I weighed about 235-240lbs. I was told by multiple people, at multiple locations, that I looked like Tom Welling from Smallville. Fast forward 730 days, and I've been told I look like John Belushi. OUCH. (No offense John) I want to go back to my healthy, sexy self. Along the way, I will be fighting a few Monsters: 1. BiPolar Bear - His sharp teeth and claws are great for tearing apart your plans. 2. The Depresssionator - His foul attitude and bad hygiene would be enough. But his "just stay in bed with skittles" attack is legendary. These monsters have followed me closely my whole life, but I am determined to beat them. This week's goals: 1. Continue Paleo lifestyle changes. 2. Increase daily walk to 7 minutes 3. NO SODA AT ALL. Sunday's Progress Report: Slept all day, due to being up all night Saturday for a karaoke contest. Ate at Golden Corral for breakfast (brother's treat), but ate wisely. Going for my seven minute walk right now, then in bed by 2300 hours.

Hello again Rebels! Ken The Brave here, back for my next adventure. Took a bit of a break to spend time with some friends on vacation last week. (Vegas is amazing. If you've never been, totally get on that!) I've done some tweaking from my last quest and decided to give my missions a face lift in honor of the upcoming Justice League movies. (Who else is excited for the Wonder Woman movie? About time right?!) Main Quest: Join (or create) my own Justice League Our best friends are moving away later this year, and we haven't really made any new friends. We have both had a hard time meeting and spending time with other people. I'm turning 30 at the end of the year, and I want to spend with with as many new friends as I can. Colorado is such a beautiful place, and it's all the better when you enjoy it with others! Each member of the League brings something unique to the table, but they also have deep and interesting stories to tell about themselves. It's time that I follow their lead and get out in the world and forge my own story. I want to bring something to the table too! Quest #1: The Bat: More Than Just A Man Power Lift at least 2 x a week. I left off my 5x5 progress at the end of my last quest. I'm going to start over and focus on strengthening my back. A strong man begins with a strong body. Quest #2: The Flash: Start With A Single Step Run at least 2 x a week. We're running a 5K in June and both need to be ready to take on that, and whatever challenge lies ahead! You can't take the next step until you take the first one. Quest #3: The Man of Steel: Fortress of Solitude Meditate at least 2 x a week. I recently started getting into meditation and even downloaded an app called Headspace (which I highly recommend). I've noticed a huge difference and want to keep that going. Calm mind, calm life. Quest #4: The Amazon: Wise As Athena Keep reading and learning French every day. My wife and I want to go to Paris this year (thank you joint tax returns!) and we don't want to be the American fish out of water who have no idea how to speak the language. I've also recently started reading "How to Win Friends" and am loving it so far. I want to keep my bookmark moving forward at least one page a day and keep doing at least two French lessons in Duolingo per day. Keep learning, keep growing. Quest #5: The Atlantean: Flow From the Sea Get enough water and protein. You can lift and run all you want, but you need to start by giving your body what it needs. I want to drink at least half a gallon of water and get at least 60 grams of protein per day. I'm trying to be better about prepping my meals and be more conscious about what I'm eating and logging every day helps me stay on track. Build from the inside out. It's good to be back! Best of luck to my fellow adventurers and I look forward to reading about your quests as well!

Next week another movie about my life comes out. I like the guy playing me, he's a handsome chap. And is he built or what? My red and blue suit mocks me from the back of the closet, reminding me of a healthier time in my life. I may be getting old (82 last I checked), but if you believe a man can fly, then I believe I can still get back in shape. I have a world to save, whether by journalist's pen or warrior's fist. Lo, as I call her, is getting tired of me sitting on the couch watching reruns of my great deeds. She asks me what I stand for anymore. The truth is I stand for the McDonald's line, and that's only because they do not provide chairs. My goal is to fit back into my suit by October 2016. I'll have a new goal by then, probably involving Wonder Woman and Catwoman, but let's stay simple for now. S.M.A.R.T. Goals: reduce sugary drinks to 3 per week (including fruit juice)increase vegetable servings to 4 per weekdecrease refined carbs to 3 servings a week (white pasta, white bread, sugary cereal)Walk my staircase 3 times a week for 14 minutesComplete the Nerd Fitnessâ„¢ Beginner Bodyweight Workout 3 times per weekComplete 15 consecutive pushups

Greeting fellow NERDs, So I am the quintessential fat nerd guy. A lot of people do not notice this for two reasons: one, I hide in the dark a lot; and two, I am 6' 5" with an enormous frame. But I know. Yes, I know I'm fat, unhealthy, balding and looking down the barrel of 35. If I'm not in shape by the the time I need prostate exams, I will be very sad. And possibly dead. I'm on disability for a non-physical issue, so money is tight. Also they do not let me drive anymore. So all my workouts should be done at home, with body weight. Since I have 280 lbs of it, I should be able to make a go of it for quite a while using only me as resistance. Looking forward to comparing ideas with all of you. Regards, Arcelas

Hey nerds - I'm going to try to post here daily. I'm in the process of slimming down while I get healthy. A little about me: I am an IT guy at work. I lift 3 days a week (more when I can) and should go back to running. Last summer I had a gout inflammation and went to the doctor about it. I got on the scale and to my surprise, I weight 347 lbs! I knew I'd gotten bigger but I had no idea how big I'd gotten. I spent a few months trying to cut back on eating out (for both health and money reasons). Then I decided to get serious starting December 1st. I began studying nutrition and changing how I ate. I also started working out regularly, although I was primarily using machines because I was intimidated by free weights. The first week I had DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Syndrome) which made me wary of going back to the gym. I managed to keep my motivation up thanks to Arnold and the other guys in the movie 'Pumping Iron'. Fast forward 11 months: I am now 242 lbs. I have lost 105 lbs! I want to get down to about 185 to 190 lbs and then put on 10 lbs of muscle. I have gone from XXXL shirts to L shirts, and size 48 waist jeans down to halfway between 36 and 38. I'm the smallest I have ever been in my adult life and easily the most in shape I've been in my whole life. I still have about 50 lbs to lose, but I'm not sweating it. I've reached a point where I'm more interested in the journey than the results, so I'll get there. Questions? Wanna talk? Feel free!

Working on a show, as usual, has taken its toll on my family life. It was a busy six week rehearsal process, and we have two weekends of shows left. I’m planning on taking Hoop 3/4 at the aerial studio, but I want to use this challenge to focus my energies on playing with my son and taking care of our house, rather than on feats of strength and endurance. Not, of course, that I won’t continue to work out, and eat right, but that I’ll be doing those things while focusing on my own family life and home. 1. Man of Steel Six days a week, mixing it up. I’ll run, ride, lift, dance, do aerial and yoga, and generally try to have fun. Long runs pushing the trailer (or rides pulling the trailer) with Superboy (previously known as “the apprenticeâ€) and Supergirl (aka, Mrs. Mediaguy) are encouraged. Just for fun, I’m going to track my pull ups. Right now I'm doing 5 sets of 5 in a workout. I’ll see how far I can take that by adding one to one or two sets a week. +3 STR, +3 STA, +2 DEX 2. Kryptonite The only time I’ve ever tried to track my calories I lost a lot of weight. Now, I’m not really interested in losing any weight as I’m hovering between 160-165 lbs, which is a great weight to be at for a 43 year old dude. So, I’m going to see about getting my protein up, my carbs down, and being consistent about tracking my foods. Starting in week one, I’ll track the food by estimate using MFP, while I research what macros should look like for an endurance/strength based athlete. In week two, I’ll start cooking and eating for those macros. I’ll also order one of those nifty kitchen scales. Desserts etc are fine, but only if they fit the macros. So no bingeing, and no days where I'm over my caloric goals (for maintenance, not weight loss)--those are kryptonite to me! +3 CHA 3. Fortress of Solitude Stay in at least three nights a week. No rehearsal, no classes, no meetings, no gaming. Just working on the house (cleaning, repairs, whatnot), cooking, and generally making it better, plus being available and present for the family. +2 WIS 4. Superfamily. Make dinner, go on a date, go on a hike, go on a bike ride, or simply do something fun with my lovely wife, Supergirl. Watching TV doesn’t cut it, even if Game of Thrones just started back up again. Of course, she’ll be out of town for ten days during this time, so those days won’t count. Same goes for Superboy. Read to him, bathe, play, whatever. We haven’t been playing together a lot lately and it’s had an effect on our relationship. So, put him to bed three nights a week will be the goal for that. Hikes with all three of us? Pure awesomeness. +2 WIS

Well, I've read Nerd Fitness before and used some of the recipe's when I tried unsuccessfully to lose weight. However, I am a newbie and have been reading over the info and now I just need to get some things in my life back on track. I've been reading over the blogs and success stories and finally had to say, "If you're not happy with your life now, why wait? What can we do to start fixing it now?" As with any quest I will start with where I am at the beginning. My real name is Michael, I just turned 30 last week and life has been kicking me in the proverbial groin for the last couple of years. I was at a job I hated until I got fired, am the fattest I've ever been (363lbs, 50 waist) and as a result I don't fit my old clothes at all, and I'm having money troubles that make me thankful we don't have debtors prisons. I suffer from depression, but I'm at a very low point to a degree that I don't even bother with the one thing that has always brought me joy: writing. However, nothing good has come from my crying and worry and thus the first step begins today. Now, I have set some goals for where I want to be on my 31st birthday. I'm writing them all down here so I can reflect on them and give myself the motivation. As I move closer, I can look back on this and say, "Yes, we made some fine progress! But, the journey isn't over." To that end, I have three quests: Fit into my old, swanky clothes...buy nicer, skinny guy clothes. I used to be a fashionable fellow, the type who was Mad Men before the show. I know how to tie everything from a double windsor to a bow tie. I know how to fold a pocket square. However, I can't fit into any of my suits and the one that barely fit me ripped at a wedding this last weekend. I'm setting this as a goal rather than the generic "lose weight" because I know that's not enough. However, if I'm able to put on my old Tommy french-cuffed shirt and back into the stone grey suit, I know I'm back. Other reasons why I'm making this goal: 1) So I feel good when I wake up in the morning and because 2) I want to walk the streets of Rome on my next visit without being in pain and panting. Be financially Stable. Not rich, per se, but not having great anxiety about checking my mail as there is another overdue bill or constantly having overdraft charges because I really need food and to pay my rent. If I'm still making the same at 31, then I want to sell enough of my stuff and cut my expenses so that I don't do stupid things. Become a word smith extraordinaire. While this post is poorly-written, I'm actually quite the word smith when I work at it. I used to write all the time and it brought me so much joy. I can read a book, review it, and publish it in a respectable place. I used to dream and plan my own novel while writing short stories. I can do it again, and this time even better!I know that these goals are hard and I'm not going to be the Eager Beaver I was in the past who gets tired by trying everything at once. So, here's how I'm starting my quest: Cutting out all fast food. If I eat out, it's for a social reason not to shove carbs down my gullet. This will save money and help me drop the inches.Starting the Paleo diet, one step at a time. I've gotten rid of all sugar and I'm going to slowly eliminate all carbs from my eating that isn't from fruit or veggies. Soda, hard cider, and beer will be the hardest to go without, as I consume them every night. I'm mostly there now, but I can accomplish this.Start an exercise program. Right now, I'm committing myself to walking briskly for 15 minutes a day. Next week, I'll start the nerd fitness program in the mornings and slowly up the ante, asking myself each week, "Can I do more? If I do, won't I feel like Rocky at the Art Museum?"Start writing on the weekends. Write what I enjoy, as much as I can. My initial goal is to do just 100 words on Friday and another on Sunday. If I'm really enjoying it, I'll write more. Look for work in a more fulfilling place. Hear that, Chicago, I'm coming back!Visit this post, and the forum in general every Tuesday to see where I've come along and to encourage others. We will do this, boys and girls. I'm taking a picture of myself today, as soon as this post is done. I'll take a shirtless picture on the second of each month and check over my other goals. I can do this, and this will be the mind candy that gets me to the end. No more excuses, no more, "But I'm tired, but I'm poor, but I'm stressed and depressed and splurging money on junk when I should be exercising or writing makes me feel good." I know what self-indulgence does, and it doesn't lead to joy. Just more pain. So, to end this long post, I am hopeful! Writing this actually makes me feel better already and I think this time it will be different. I've failed, but I'm picking myself up and getting ready for round 3. If anyone else in the NF community is full of advice, let it come. I'm okay with harsh criticism if you need to tell me what's what. Also, if you want to message me here and be my accountability buddy and fitness pal, that would be great! Especially if you happen to be in New England and love comics, philosophy, HP Lovecraft, and old black and white flicks. Here we go, once more into the breach! Rah!

"Meanwhile in Michigan" Someone who deep down knows how truly great people have the potential to be is yet to find himself. Yet to find the inner potential screaming inside of him. When suddenly he hears it. "Get your ass up!!! You are ruining everything!!!" He jumps as there is no one else in the room. Frantic he looks in the mirror and realizes he is not the person looking back. For the first time since he was a child he can see the real hero inside begging to be set free. "Just give me a real chance at life and I will amaze you. We will go places and do things that you thought were supposed to be for t.v. and late night pipe dreams. WE HAVE POTENTIAL" A half smile... Damn good place to start. The road ahead will be scary uncomfortable and hard. This soon to be hero has no idea how much things will change. No idea how much he will change. Yet a new feeling rising from within. Is this happiness? He can't explain it. Only describe how it makes his hair stand up and his eyes water while his body tenses pleading for action. Soon... Soon the outside will meet the inside and they will become the same. This new person new action and new life will break free and amaze the world. "The First Challenge" "Well we might as well get familiar as I will be haunting you until you become who you are supposed to be.Tell me about the body that holds me. I don't want to hear about jobs girls and other bullshit. Tell me about the real things that matter when you are alone in a room with a mirror and nothing but yourself and your own opinions. Give me the back of the trading card stats. You know what I mean." "I am 27 years old. Currently I weigh 260 lbs and am 6'4". *sigh* Measurements are as follows Neck -- 16.5 Chest -- 43.5 Right Arm -- 13 Left Arm -- 13 Waist -- 47 Hips -- 44.5 Right Thigh -- 28.8 Left Thigh -- 28.5 I don't have any abilities or cool things about me. Just a bit of a slouch and lots of body." "If only you could see what I do! See what you really have is inner strength bursting from the seams. Let me take over. Only for a small amount of time everyday and in 6 weeks we will look back in the mirror and see if the trading card can rise through the ranks from uncommon to rare." There it was again. That smile... As if some spell was removed he was lighter. Able to breath and move freely. "So here it is. Our quest for greatness." MAIN QUEST "This one will take the longest but you know that. It is time to become a real hero. We can break that down into smaller pieces. It will be quite some time before you can achieve greatness so lets stick to a few smaller goals to chip away at superhero status" "Like what?" GOAL ONE "We start by changing all the shit you have been shoving into your body. Without a strong body how do expect to be super? I know that things taste good and are easier the other way but its time to put a stop this travesty. It has taken you further away from who you are... Who we are. NO MORE. Great foods make a great body. I will be watching so don't slack off!!! You know what to eat so do it. Here is how we will monitor progress" 6 weeks of eating healthy foods = A 5 weeks of eating healthy foods = B 4 weeks of eating healthy foods =C 3 weeks of eating healthy foods = D 2 weeks of eating healthy foods = E 1 week of eating healthy foods =F "WHAT!!! No french fries?" "I am not trying to kill you so every Sunday of a successful week you get one meal with whatever you desire on the plate Choose wisely." GOAL TWO "Next up we have to work on cardio! If zombies were real they would all plan to meet at your house and eat you for days. It's not like you would be able to out run them for more than 25 seconds" "Ugh... true." "You have the knowledge passed on by C25K. Remember this isn't going to happen over night. Everything we are changing will be worked on till you die. So here is how we will monitor your cardio for the next 6 weeks. 6 weeks of running 18 times = A 5 weeks of running 15 times = B 4 weeks of running 12 times =C 3 weeks of running 9 times = D 2 weeks of running 6 times = E 1 week of running 3 times =F His legs were shaking and lungs were breathing deep. Not out of fear but shear excitement of the thought of being used. GOAL THREE "You can't be super without strength. We need muscles... Not for show but for use. Again I can't stress enough that this will take a long time. 6 weeks from now you will finally notice that you indeed have muscles under that fat eager to be used. You won't be able to pick up a train but you will be able to convince yourself that this is something worth fighting for when you look in the mirror. We will have to ask a lot of people for advice when it comes to a good workout schedule but for now I will help you as much as I can. If only there were a community of awesome and heroic people able to listen to our conversation and give some input Here is how we will monitor your workouts." 6 weeks of working out 18 times = A 5 weeks of working out 15 times = B 4 weeks of working out 12 times =C 3 weeks of working out 9 times = D 2 weeks of working out 6 times = E 1 week of working out 3 times =F "This will be tough but I am starting to get pumped!!!" "YES! I feel a fire inside that has almost burnt out. It held on for as long as it could by itself. If you don't try it may still die but if you push and believe it will grow into a wild fire" LIFE GOAL "I am going to set a goal for myself as well. Every week I will set a portion of my wages back. After the 6 week challenge I will spend it selfishly on myself! Every hero has sweet clothes and I want that too!" "That's perfect but don't go easy on yourself. For each week you don't achieve your 3 goals you will take that wage you set back and give it to a charity of my choice." "That's going to be hard... You don't get to be super easy! I am confident that I will not fail so deal. " The change has been made. Our soon to be hero has started a journey that will forever change his world as well as many others. The hero needs your help to succeed! On top of achieving your goals which will inspire him to reach higher your advice and encouragement will give him the strength and know how to become something great! Keep watching for updates as well as before pictures soon to be posted. Thank you so much for reading. I hope my first challenge goes well. Sorry for lack of punctuation errors and if the format is wrong. This is just the best representation of who I am Some pics of motivation

I found it! I found the most epic video known to man! Shout it from the mountains! SUPERMAN VS. GOKU!!!! Watch this video!

Some of my friends have a nickname for me: Superman. I have not turned back time by going in reverse, nor have I sacrificed myself to save the universe on any occasion. I haven’t even thrown my insignia at someone and have it turn into dangerous entrapping cellophane. I’m not sure why the name stuck, but it did; maybe it was the dark hair and glasses, maybe it was my dedication to ‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way.’ (pauses for grad school deconstruction of all those words) The fact is that I haven’t felt like Superman. At best, I have felt like Superboy: half the powers of Superman with twice as many problems. But I think that it is about time to change that… The good Superboy: not the bad Superboy: Like any good comic book, I have an origin story which I will term as my 'Smallville' Period. With health problems popping up in my family and just a general unhappiness about myself, I resolved to do something to stave off the end of my Krypton. I spent the summer getting serious about being healthy. I watched everything I ate and walked an hour everyday with weights to and from work. I lost 50lbs. over the course of 5 months, dropping from 240 to 190 pounds. Much like Superman, I was finding out I have powers! But I am still just a farm boy living with his parents. Thus, I resolve to turn Superboy into Superman! This Six Week Challenge is a part of a larger goal as I work towards finishing graduate school in June, but for now, here are my goals for the next six weeks: Physical Goals: 1. Become faster than a speeding bullet – Run a continuous 5K in less than 30 minutes (My current time hovers around 40ish minutes because I have to stop and walk). 2. More Powerful than a Locomotive – Drop down to 185lbs. and do 5 pull ups (I am currently at 195 and can do, well, none). 3. Able to Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound – Replace 4/5 cup a day coffee habit with 6 glasses of water and 3 green teas a day. (I can currently leap tall buildings in a single bound, but only with the help of large amounts of coffee. I need to kick the habit because it is messing with my body and mental focus.) Personal Goals: 4. Develop Super hearing – Be a more present listener – Can’t talk as much as I do now if I have super breath, right? 5. Create a secret identity – Clark Kent needs a job (http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/10/23/superman-clark-kent-leaves-daily-planet/#/0) and so do I. By the end of this six week challenge, I need to apply to at least six jobs/fellowships, so I am shooting for one-a-week. Spiritual Goals: 6. Learn the Ways of Krypton – Few people recognize the Jewish roots of Superman! Both his creators were Jewish and designed him to be the ultimate immigrant (He comes from his homeland, which he cannot return back to, and anglicizes his Semitic sound name (Kal-El) to Clark Kent; As he struggles to fit into his new culture, he becomes a nebbishy Jewish stereotype). To honor my Kryptonian roots, I want to learn a prayer week in Judaism that I do not know. (Though according to this article, Superman was a Methodist.<http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Superman.html>) I have got the gear, and the support network (a Justice League if you will, though for Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes would be more appropriate), so I guess the only thing left to say is... UP UP AND AWAY!