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Hello everyone! As stated in the title, I am a newbie to a REAL healthy lifestyle. By this I mean that I have tried many of the low-calorie, carbs, fat, and "miracle" diets to no avail! After discovering Nerd Fitness, I have become inspired to do whatever it takes to lose between 60 and 80 pounds by the end of 2014. I am specifically interested in the Paleo Diet as far as food goes and was wondering about other peoples' experiences with it. For me, any permanent diet where I can still eat whenever I want to eat is a dream come true! Today is my second day trying to incorporate a mostly Paleo diet into my life, and I think that so far I am doing good. A couple of questions about the Paleo diet are: How hard is it to eat Paleo on a tight budget? Will I notice any changes in my body in the first couple weeks/months? As far as exercise, my goal is to at least do the Beginner Body Weight Routine 3 days a week, and perhaps fit 1 day of interval training and another of cardio. I realize that I have to start slow and focus on what I can do instead of completing the recommended reps/sets, but my main question is if this is too much to start off with? I appreciate any help!

Hello, all. I'm Kat, and I run. Well, I try to run. Since early August I've been using the Zombies! Run! app to get myself to a point where I'm comfortable calling myself a litte-r-runner. I want to be a Big-R-Runner, though, and since that is a textbook example of levelling up, here I am. I live in Western Australia with my girlfriend, cat and enough yarn to dress the Sydney Opera House. I'm vegan (since April 2013), have a science degree (Ecology, Wildlife Biology were my majors, in case you're wondering) and I work for a giant hardware retailer, and really enjoy my job. My body's lived a whole lot of life in my 32 years and it's got some hiccups to show for it, like back problems, bad wrists and shoulders, and a bung foot. Excuses are boring, though, so I'm trying to learn how to work around those issues. I'm not much of a nerd, except about weird obscure things like knitting, spinning (yarn, not cycling) and occult science. I'm tough-minded, cynical and sceptical, though, so I figure I can quietly hang here and leech off y'all.

Soooo....(-.-)' I am just beginning my lifestyle change. I have some idea on where to begin such as a caloric deficit(?) I'm assuming that means eat less. Which means less energy, which is bad because I already have an energy issue...or rather a lack of energy issue. I cannot sleep at night, second night in a row that I am up. Even when I get 6-8 hrs of sleep I am groggy and slow and irritable. Some days I am down right violent, verbally. Nothing I do or take gives me the energy to do much, save the fact that I need to do something or my son would never eat or shower or learn. I also have anxiety/depression whatever the doctor says or some such, for which I refuse medication convinced that when I start losing weight that I'll feel less so. Basically where do I find energy where energy is absent? I want to make this change. I want to get up and exercise. I NEED to but I cannot seem to do it and I get upset and angry at myself for not doing it. Then I look at my son and think that I am a failure. I think I have failed him and will keep doing so the rest of his life unless I make some kind of change. It sucks because I keep making excuses for myself. It sucks because I'm tired of looking this way and I'm tired of thinking it is because of this weight issue that my marriage ended even though he kicked us out. I'm just tired. But I WILL NOT GIVE UP!!! I just need help to figure out what's next. What do I do next to ensure that my son still has me when he is older?