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Hi Everyone, I'm new here. I've been receiving NF updates and emails for a while, and it seems like there is a good message here with lots of practical advice. I've been overweight my entire life, was never into sports or athletics. The first time I tried dieting was when I was about 20 years old over a summer break (which was 13 years ago. geesh) Lost maybe 10-15 pounds and got to 160, and it just came back once I went back to college. Fast forward to being out of college for a year, and I had ballooned up to 183!! I joined weight watchers, started exercising, and lost 27 pounds. I was so proud. Of course I gained a few back, and kinda leveled out near 158-160, with semi regular exercise - often running and some body pump here and there. Two years ago I ran my first half marathon, and was so proud. Ran the entire time with a steady pace of a 12 min mile. During the training I didn't really lose weight, but I also didn't change any of my eating patterns. A few months later I had surgery on both of my feet (ouch!) and was just down and out and completely unmotivated to do anything, even after I was recovered. And here I am now. I've recently discovered Vinyasa Flow yoga and absolutely love it, though I don't go often enough. I'm really lacking in motivation and I'd love to have some help with accountability. Ultimately I need to lose about 30 pounds (I think - haven't weighed myself in a while). But I know I want to focus on little easy changes to get there (baby steps...like in What About Bob..."baby steps to the elevator..."). Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions? Boards or Groups to Join? Thanks!! -M

Hey all, First challenge for me as well! I am very excited to really get involved with the NF community. I am doing this to have more accountability in my life and to help me train for the many races that I have coming up this year. I think the biggest thing I want to do with this challenge is create some positive and consistent routines to get healthy and fit. Starting Place 5'7" 240.5lbs I can run about 4 minutes without stopping. (Not very well and not comfortably but it is possible.) Goals 1. Cut candy out completely I had completely cut all candy out of my diet for a month until easter and then I started bingeing on candy again. So I will be creating the automation again that I do NOT eat candy period. I found this article to be incredibly helpful in the past and so I will stop the bingeing on candy by creating an automation that say thata I do not eat candy. 2. Run 5k without stopping **after reading the first mini challenge I am considering rephrasing this goal. Perhaps running an entire 5k is not entirely acheivable. It would be the ultimate goal but in 6 weeks, maybe its a stretch. So I think instead I will just focus on running 3 days a week.** I have already started a couch to 5k type program (completed week 3) which I will continue for the entire 6 weeks by running at least 3 times a week. I think this should make it possible to run a 5k. 3. Do weight training 3 times a week. I am not sure yet what I want to do for this, I do have a total gym at home which I might use because squats and lunges are very difficult on my knees. 4. Go to bed at 10pm or earlier every weeknight. I am a terrible night owl and unfortunately I tend to get into the habit of staying up later and later. I need to cut this out, so another automation I think. So it is 11:30pm right now and I think I will go to bed since that is one of my goals. But since I just saw this challenge tonight, I think I will give myself a pass. I will be back on tomorrow to edit this though!

hi fellow rebells, my name is fearlesscreek and this is my first challenge. i have a feeling its gonna be awesome!! starting point / the source: weight: 108,0 kg (237 pounds) height: 1,78 m (5´10´´) measures: waist: 98,5 cm bum: 110 cm bust: 103 cm bizeps: 35 cm calves: 44 cm neck: 38 cm running: able to run 3 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes walking in between. eating: clean, unprocessed food, few carbs but waaay too many calories goals for my first challenge / running towards awsome! i will be able to run 6k until mai 27. to reach this goal i will do every run of my 5k training plan unless injured. then i will do my first 5k ( AVON Frauenlauf Berlin) on mai 4th. after that i will rest for 3 days and then start training for my first 6k (Zehlendorfer Volkslauf Berlin) on mai 29th. by mai 27th i will have run 6k straight once. 6k run without walking = A+, 6 k run with up to 3 walking intervalls = A, 5 k run = B, 4 k run = C, not finished run = D, not started run = F i will eat 80 % clean unprocessed food and log it daily in myfitnesspal aiming to lose some lard. to reach this goal i will not go over my recomended 1760 calories / day. i will eat no food that comes in packages, but will allow dairy, oats and wholewheat. if i have to have fastfood i will only eat doner kebap but stick to my calories. 0-3days fail = A; 4-8 days fail = B; 8-12 days fail = C; more than12 days fail = F ( 5 CON) i will stick to a weekly budget. i am pretty broke right now !!! therefore i will review my financial situation each sunday and decide how much money can be spent during the upcoming week. i will not spend more than the amount i decided on. no fail: A; fail 1 week = B, fail 2 weeks = C; fail 3 weeks = D; borrow money = E (2 WIS 1 CON) i will have a short playdate with myself 6 times during the challenge. to reach this goal i will try out new physical activities that make me sweat ´n smile. like, i always wanted to kick ass like steve on a playground, try bikramyoga, do some weights on the roofterrace...whatever it is - i have to do something (new and exiting or just fun) 6x for at least 30 minutes. all playdates done = A; 5 playdates done = B; 4 playdates = C; less than 4 = F (1 STR 1CHA) i have joined the team "superheroes" ( spreadsheet acountabilitybuddies) and my wonderful sidekick is e-adora, who gets to read my boring food entries on mfp! *thanks girl!* looking foreward to meeting many of you! fearlesscreek

hi, im fearless creek! found this site about a year ago and loved it, now i would like to become part of the community. im a 45 year old woman and have been overweight my entire adult life. 2011 i joined weightwatchers and lost 20 kg on the programm. during that time i surfed the net a lot and got interested in all things to do with health and fitness. then i decided i hated to be part of the weightloss industry and the constant game of dieting and gaining. i made an experiment out of it and tried different aproaches of healthy eating. i ended up with eating mostly unprocessed foods and tracking on myfitnesspal. i also tried paleo but changed into it too fast and got so weak after one week that i got scared. since 2012 i work out regularly and thats the part of healthy living thats easier for me to keep doing because it lifts my mood amd makes me feel strong and confident. it all started with walking a 5k. then i started running and have taken kickbox-, bodypump- and pilatesclasses during the winter 12/13. my body has changed visibly and i am really happy with this! next goal: i will run my first 5k on mai 4th. im 1,78m tall now and weigh in at 105 kg. my long term goal is to get down to about 80 kg. whats really important to me is that i build new habits and actually stick with certain behaviours. its easy for me to experiment with a new diet or a sport - i want to learn how to make it a lifesyle. right now im in the middle of starting my own business offering socialwork for teenagers. it might get pretty intense workwise once i get going. therefore i think i need the acountability this site provides by motivating me to log my progress. i still have to set my goals, but im definitely doing the next 6 weeks challenge. if someone needs a trusty sidekick ... *raises hand* as for beeing a nerd: apart from loving The Lord Of The Ring im rather un-nerdy. maybe having been a classical cellist (orchestramusician) counts?? thats all, i guess viele grüße aus berlin fearlesscreek

299! So, Monday's weight in was the first time in probably 18 years or so (it's hard to tell when, really) that I have weight UNDER 300 pounds (I'm 6'5", for reference). This is a great milestone for me and has just reignited my desire to do even better. I've got 50-60 more pounds to go, but it feels like those will be easy after getting below 300. Hope everyone has a great week!

Hello dear people! During my challenge, your help and support and input is greatly valued, and even encouraged! There will be pictures, and there will be cake. Simple goals: 1. Log 200 to 400 points on fitocracy EVERY DAY. I will think of a way to grade this so I can motivate myself better, but basically, there is a high goal, and a low goal. I'm thinking of making the low goals the "thing I do because I decided to do", and the high one something I get to reward myself for. In the coming days, I think up a reward. Advice is welcome! 2. Learn how to do a bridge. In style. Nice-looking. Stand-to-stand maybe. Coming days, I look into a good route to get there. 3. Leisure time: I took some time off, because with what I earn while working, I think I better stop working and start reading for a while. Doing this now will also stop me from feeling rather sad in a month or so. Recreation is hard work: - At least 5 hikes - At least 11(!) books. There are some classics that have escaped me until now, so I'll make work of that. Expect a reading list. - Finish the three films I have started to watch ages ago and get back to the respective friends who recommended them to me. There will be no serious food related goal, because I will travel/move to new place twice during this challenge. I don't want to feel bad about something I cannot control. But: 4. Draw 5-7 different meals I made in the past month, in the same way I drew some recipes here: http://idiotdogcomics.wordpress.com/ Autocomplete/bonus quests: - I will have to learn more of the native tongue if I want to talk to the villagers. I expect this to sort itself out, since I'll be forced to do so. - I expect myself to consume less alcohol when I no longer live with pleasant-to-share-a-drink-with housemate. Which is good, maybe. Yeahhhhh Let's do thisssssssssssss.

How often can I use a sauna to sweat off a few lbs with out harming myself? I returned from a vacation 5lbs heavier than I left and when I returned I went to the sauna at my gym. After about an hour of sitting in the sauna, cooling down, taking a cold shower, and repeatinga few times I checked my weight and I was down a total of 2lbs. I really enjoyed my experience with the sauna and want to go again soon, but I am weary of using it too much and getting dehydrated. But I really, really want to do it again soon.

Since jan 10th up until last month I've lost 14 pounds I dropped down from 289 to 275 along with that during gym class I was practicing my parkour landing (on toes/crouched.) I didn't land correctly so I had to roll forward, my hands shot down and I rolled over my shoulder to my hip like a normal PK roll! It's pretty awesome since I couldn't do it right.

Hey Everybody! MangoTsunami here, completely new to the community. Here are my stats: Age: 23 Height: 5'6'' Weight: 185 Pant Size: 13/14 Related Health Issues: Hypothyroidism (screws up the metabolism and causes weight gain), Chronic Plaque Psoriasis and Arthritis, and Clinical Depression (treated with Zoloft) Why am I here? I joined after my boyfriend told me - in the nicest way possible- that we'd have a better sex life and he'd be more attracted to me if I got in shape. Of course, I was a little sensitive about it first, and frankly very distraught, but then I realized how much I wanted this my whole life...to have a body I love. He is very involved in fitness (and as an actor, is very image-conscious) and told me about how much being in great shape changes and improves your quality of life. After a long talk with him on the beach, I felt inspired to get fit not only for me, but for me. To become strong, slim, and self-actualized. So, for the January 7th- February 18th 6 week Challenge, here are my 3 Diet/Fitness Goals 1) Cut out sugar from my diet, unless it is from fruit. 2) Work out 3-5 times a week. Special focus on strength training and cardio. [subgoal: be able to do 5 pullups with ease] 3) Stop emotional eating, only eat when you are hungry, like you are supposed to. Life Improvement Goal 1) Get a job to pay the bills. To pay off my rent, my hospital bills, my expired license, and so I can have health insurance! Thanks for reading guys. It's nice to know theres a community of people who can support me and that I can also support along the way. Let me know what you think, feedback, if you have any tips, etc. And post some of your goals! I'd love to know MangoTsunami

We're on an adventure! This is my first challenge-so obviously I have no idea what I'm doing, But I do like setting goals-its the adhering to said goals that I have problems with! I've discovered a long time ago that I enjoy working out-I feel great when I do, crappy when I don't. I also know that I feel better when I eat healthy, and -shocker- crappy when I don't- this was just reinforced over the holidays with my steady diet of cookies and eggnog! Back on track with the diet thing and feeling oh so much better- so here is my starting point: weight: 168.2 Hips: 44.5 Waist: 34 chest: 38.5 BMI 26.3 per the standard calculator-I haven't had anyone measure the fat at the gym or anything My ultimate weight loss goal is 148-even if just for a day so I can say I lost 100 pounds. One of my fitness goals is to complete Tough Mudder with little difficulty (I sighed up for the Boston event on Sunday May 12th if anyone is interested- we could use more Sexy Mudder Foockers!) But for the purposes of this challenge my goals are as follows: Weight loss: 10 pounds- or in the alternative fit into a size 8 (regular fit not relaxed fit) pair of jeans -through proper diet and exercise and maintaining my M-F weight loss through the weekend, and adding an outdoor running session on the weekend Diet:Shop the perimeter of the grocery store- start transitioning into a paleo diet-which seems to be a common theme from what I've read Fitness: Hold a plank for 90 seconds-2 minutes (I get typically squirmy around 45 seconds in-though I have eeked out a minute on a couple of occasions), and perform 10 full military style push-ups with proper form Life Improvement-Spend more time in my "reading room" reading and writing- I will accomplish this by first cleaning out said room, which was starting to look like a hoarder took over! so what's next? do I post my updates to this same thread? I haven't posted in public forums before I saw the spread sheet with the accountability groups, it seems like I just toss my name on a list-Is this a requirement? whats a side challenge? did i even tag this thing right? (welcome to my dork side)