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Hi all, So, this is my first post. I've been trying to lose weight my whole life, and finally in the last year I figured it out. Almost. September 2013 I weighed 126kg (278lb) as of this morning I am 111kg (244lb). I was down to 108kg (238lb), but have jumped 3kgs, which has lead me to this post. I'll be logging achievements, activitives, recipies and I will be announcing any down falls. These will be related to bad eating choices. Goals; Weigh under 100kg Run 5k Bench 100kg Dead lift 130kg

Seeing family members having a hard time later in life due to their weight has made me serious about getting healthy. I know if I don't make changes now I'm setting myself up to be in their situations. The thought of surrendering to a lifetime of obesity-related issues for myself and my family is not a choice I am willing to make. So it is time to get my rear in gear. I'm using my 30th birthday as a motivator, hence the weekly countdown. Main Quest: To get as healthy as I can between now and my 30th birthday. Smaller Missions: Attend SoldierFit workouts 2x per weekTrack everything I eat each dayGo for walks 4x per weekLife Quest: Be a good word monkey and write 500 words 6 days a week to make regular progress on my novel. Overall Motivation: To be proud of the life I'm living each day. Grading: Each event is worth 1 point, i.e. one walk, workout, day of tracking, or writing is a point, for a total of 114 points over the course of the 6 week challenge. Passing the challenge requires a C or better. A >= 103 B >= 91 C >= 80 F <= 68

I lost a ton of weight before by majorly cutting calories and sporadically exercising. I started up yoga and stopped obsessing over calories. Fast forward a year and now I'm in yoga teacher training. Between moving, the stress of this intense program, and a continuing love affair with sugar, my weight has spiked back up. I need to slim down and build strength to continue seeing progress in my practice. There's no better day to start than today. Main Quest: Slim down and build muscle LifeQuest: Meditate every day SideQuest: Track food in MFP every day SideQuest: Stick to Stronglifts 3 times a week every week SideQuest: Stick to IIFYM at or (preferably) below maintaining Motivation: Them flow throughs: Starting measurements: 5'6" 178.4lbs Waist: 33in Hips: 42.5

Okay so it's way past my bedtime but I wanted to set this up before I turn in. I have decided to lose weight. After a long journey of self image metamorphosis, I decided it's time I actually lost weight. Not get stronger, not get healthier, not get more skilled. Get thinner. Smaller. Lose weight. Don't get me wrong, all those things too, I'm not going to throw away everything I've learned in this journey. But I decided it's time to focus on my weight. It took me 13 kilos (29 pounds) to get here, since I quit smoking two and a half years ago. I have been exercising to find myself, to keep my mental health in balance, to discover the pleasure of sport, to learn how to lift weight. Well, now I want to lose some weight. Yes, I know it's mainstream, but it's just something I have to do. I took some unflattering pictures of my belly in order to express what's been bugging me. I'm not really sure how to go about it. I have half a plan, which means I'm not completely clueless about what to do to exercise-wise. And I know I have to eat less, but I don't have a concrete plan yet. All I know is no low-carb (tried and got seriously sick), no paleo, no primal, no making this more complicated than it should be. I also don't know how to recruit accountability and help through NFR, but here I am. Step one, check.

I have 43 weeks until I turn 30, during which I want to overhaul my eating habits, shed excess weight, and basically become a badass. I have about 80 lbs to lose overall and want to do this the smart way (meaning I don't expect be at goal by my 30th). I do want to push myself to make as much progress as I realistically can though, and I think 70-80% of the way is realistic. Current Eating Plan: (following the Nerd Fitness Academy eating plan) Track everything I eat and stick to my weekly calorie limitKeep caloric beverages to a minimumEat a protein-focused breakfast each morningCurrent Exercise Plan: Get a minimum of 6,000 steps per day 3 bodyweight workouts per week1 adventure workout per week (could be hiking, climbing, archery, etc.)As I progress the eating and exercise plans will get modified to continue to challenge me. Once a month I will take pictures, measurements, and step on the scale, but I want the main focus to be on the changes I'm making that will keep me healthy long term. Tomorrow I'll post starting stats. Let the overhaul begin!

AHHH, I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date, with the NF Forum boards! Okay, so clearly, I'm late to join in all the fun of this challenge, especially seeing as it is technically tuesday morning here (like 04:46). Anyway, as the title suggests, I'm sticking with what's working for me. My goal for this challenge is to lose yet more weight. Specifically, another 6kgs. And because its already been Monday, I already have my weigh in: 118.4kg, and my goal therefore is 112.4kg. How I intend to get there is barely changed also: 1) Strength train 2) Cardio 3) Eat Mostly Right Couple of things are new though. Firstly, I will be progressing my strength training from my current bodyweight 5x5 program to a more traditional barbell 5x5 program. Perosnally, I like StrongLifts, so that's the one I'm going with. But because I love it here in the assassin's guild, I'm going to put a little more focus on acheiving my first pull-up. Anyone familiar with the SL program knows that there aren't any pull-ups in the routine, so that'll all be extra. The cardio will be added to gradually over the next 6 weeks from just LISS, to a combination of LISS and HIIT. And the eating right, well, that's still going to be based primarily on the IIFYM dieting style, because I'm actually really enjoying it, and I see no reason to mess with something that is working. Okay, its a little rushed, and its lacking any flair whatsoever, but there it is, my challenge for the next six weeks. Wish me luck.

Jumping in bed with the warriors for my 3rd challenge. Hello! Main Quest My main goal continues to be to shrink the belly a bit. I'd like to get to a 34" waist. Currently i'm about 36", 2" down during the last challenge. Can i complete it this challenge? I doubt, for reasons below. I have recently gotten some trainer sessions at my gym to get me going properly with free weights/barbell which i'd only dabbled with previously before trying out bodyweight with the assassins. This is my main focus for the next 6 weeks, and maybe longer. Side Quests 1 - Fix my squat. My squat is a mess. Mechanical ankle and knee problems and poor mobility/flexibility. I've got a plan to fix it from the PT at the gym. It makes sense and i'm happy with what he's prescribed. Basically i'm back to no weight/just the bar at the moment while i nail the form and i have daily stretches and what-not to improve mobility. These problems, i'm guessing, all stem from a number of injuries down my right hand side since i was 15. 2 - Stronglifts. I've done stronglifts before at home, but i ran out of weight and then my housing situation meant i had to sell it all. Hence i went down bodyweight route for a bit. Now i've finally mustered up the courage to get some supervised sessions in the gym and i've ventured into the free weights area. Made a tit of myself today but its ok, i survived. I'm basically starting again, with guidance at the start from my PT with regards to form. Squat progress will only happen once i'm convinced i've got the form. I could lift considerably more than the bar right now if i wanted but i'm not going to. 3 - Eat well. This is a constant. Something i do 90% of the time anyway but as my main goal is lose the belly it has to stay. 4 - USA damage limitation. Off to visit my girlfriend in Nashville (i live in London, yes its difficult). I usually embark on a damage limitation type mode while i'm out there. Last time i think i put on 3-4lbs, which dropped off in a week afterwards. So hopefully i can get a similar outcome. First half of the week is likely to have no gym access but might be some hiking and what-not. 2nd half i might be able to get to the local YMCA gym which i'm allowed to use as a guest. The whole week will have food. If i can get some strength stuff in it could be a mini bulk Life Quest Currently in the process of selling my house. Need to get that completed. Dubious whether it will get done in this challenge. Its not really up to me but in the hands of the lawyers. Getting my side of things in order is a must though. I have one big life quest, i hope, but i can't say too much right now. Stats These measurements are done with an Omrom bioimpedence scale. Its served me well for a year, although i've started getting some weirdness in the last month, still i'll persist. Weight and fat/muscle measurements are an average of readings over the last 7 days. Tape measurements are done fortnightly on a Sunday, as is progress pic. Week 0 Weight: 82.6kg Fat: 22.8% Muscle: 37.8% Visceral fat: 9.0% Chest: 39 Abdomen: 33.25 Tyre/belly: 36 Biceps (avg): 13.5 Thighs (avg): 24.25 Week 1 Weight: 81.85kg Fat: 22.5% Muscle: 37.95% Visceral fat: 9.0% Week 2 Weight: 81.6kg Fat: 22.1% Muscle: 38.1% Visceral fat: 9.0% Chest: 39 Abdomen: 33 Tyre/belly: 35.5 Biceps (avg): 13.5 Thighs (avg): 24

Trying to be this! http://youtu.be/BqDjMZKf-wg Instead of this http://youtu.be/stvrWdFijZc Seriously here is what I am doing this challenge. N is for Nutrition . + 2 CON 90% Paleo and gluten free. Prepare all meals at home. 1 cheat allowed each week. Track food on MFP and log on PVP. Utilize to adjust calories but keep carbs under 100 g each day. I have been messing around with this since my first challenge. Consistency is the key. 8pts/week. 46/challenge E is for Exercise . +4 STR and + 3 STA Strength training 3x per week ( BBWW or Weights) Cardio 3x per week (video, jump rope, run/walk) Walking 3x per week Wear pedometer and work to 10,000 steps a day Continue functional fitness during the day ( lunges, squats, push-ups ) 11pts/week. 66pts/challenge W is for Water +1 CON 3 L per day. One cup coffee in morning. No soda. Tea after consume water allowed and one alcohol cheat a week. 7pts/week. 42pts/challenge D is for Dexterity +3 DEX I am using " the ability to move in a way that is graceful". Flexibility. Rolling into prime arthritis weather and this focus always seems to help me. Stretching routine 3x a week. (Utilize videos and UTube) working on sciatica and hips. Stretching before and after workouts. Yoga video 1x week 11pts/week. 66pts/challenge Life goal. +1 WIS Keep working on house projects. One thing per day. No lists just do. This worked before and it can again! Also +2 CHA for Adventurer Ambassador duties. Will post mini summary daily and a weekly summary with points. Can't log onto NF until daily exercise is done. What shall our music trivia game be this challenge? Themes anyone?

Challenge Number 4!!! And no Firefly reference in the title because I ran out of decent quotes I thought could apply, bummer. Main Goal: Lose 10-15 pounds and/or 2-3 inches from arms/waist/hips/thigh/calves. I would love to do have this accomplished by New Year’s Eve. That gives me 3 ½ months - 1 pound per week for the 15 pounds goal. What’s going to make this challenge interesting, though, is that I have challenged myself not to weigh or measure myself until the end of the year. The numbers make me depressed. I’ve gone into one too many tailspins because of the scale or tape measure not showing what I want. So, to make sure I continue this year on a good note (because I sure as hell need it), I’m not going to step on the scale or pull out the measuring tape. I'm just going to focus on working out and cleaning up my diet (yet again). Main 3 goals: Do cardio 3x a week Strength train 1x week Swim 1x a week (with a 1 week exception)Mini goals: Track food 5 days a week Practice Swedish 30 minutes a weekNot to be confused with a mini challenge. These are goals I want to accomplish throughout the entire challenge, but aren’t as important as my main three. I will not be grading my mini goals. Just a yay or nay each week if completed. Scoring: Each Main Goal will be graded on a scale of A-F. Fully completed will get an A while never even attempted will get an F. Partially completed or half assed attempted will get somewhere in the B-D range. I did get overwhelmed last challenge with keeping up with my thread and with others. So I apologize in advance if I go ghost for a week or two. I also may be on vacation the last week of the challenge, but still determining my vacation days for the rest of the year, so of that I'm not yet sure. Let's get this started!!! <---(more energy than I'm feeling)

Heya Nerdly People! My name is Rachel, code name "Spaerrow" because if I could have an awesome ninja alter-ego, that is what it would be. This is what I've been up to so far and who I am: I am 22 years old and I'm on my last year of school to be a High School/ Middle School English teacher. However, I'm a multi-faceted nerd. My students have been pleasantly surprised that I catch their Zelda references and can brag about my bow-aiming skills in Oblivion. I can beat my fiance' and his friends in Super Smash Brothers any day (not bad for a girl,) and I love books and all things literature. (Check out the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, you won't be disappointed.) I am also obsessed with getting healthy. I used to be a big girl. I got skinny the wrong way after discovering that I could control my weight. I got so excited and carried away with it that I was nothing but skin and bone with no muscle to my name. I took two jobs where I had tons of heavy lifting to do, therefore I became Wonder Woman. One job consisted of lifting furniture and the other consisted of lifting boxes and boxes of costumes (Halloween Store.) With a combination of malnutrition and lifting I developed a dehydrated disc that became cracked/torn and I was unable to walk for two weeks. My back has never been the same since. It's been over two years of daily pain and maintenance. I gained about 20lbs after transferring to the University and dropping my second job. It hurt to exercise so I didn't, and we all know how college eating goes. This happened for about a year. This June I became engaged to my best friend. He thinks I'm beautiful at any size (truly, not just him trying to help out my ego) but I want to look great for my wedding in less than 10 months. I began exercising, reading Nerd Fitness, eating Paleo (mostly) and I have lost a significant amount of inches and I actually have muscle!!! I am not where I want to be. I will never be stick-thin. I have wide hips and short legs and I'm ok with that, but I want to transform myself into the butt-kicking ninja I have always wanted to be. I know weight will fluctuate and if I keep on truckin' like I have then I will get to the body I've dreamed of, but I do NOT know how to help my back injury. It is better than it has been, but I really need advice on how to eradicate this persistent pain. I want to go hiking on our honeymoon in Colorado, I want to have kids, I want to play with them, I want to do handstands and jump over stuff, I want to help people move into new homes, and I want to grow old without being tied to a chair or a bed because my back won't allow me to live. So if you stayed long enough to read my story and you have some advice on how to heal this rusty old back of mine, or you want to talk about how awesome Zelda is, be my friend and talk to me! Peace out-- or whatever the kids say these days.

Hi gang, For a long time now, I've been in the mindset that, once I'd lost a certain amount of weight, I'd go back to my true love of martial arts. I've loved martial arts since I was a kid, but hadn't pursued an education in it as an adult due to my weight (I'm 5'3, 240 lbs, and female). I have two friends who have taken up Jujutsu--a man and woman, both overweight. They've seen success with it, and I have a similar build to my friend. My issue is this: I want to make sure I'm choosing a style that I can do physically, and will be of benefit for me in the future. My main goals are weightloss/getting fit, and improving my mental discipline. While learning self defense is a plus, I'll be gaining that no matter what style I choose, so I'm not considering it as high a priority. Does anyone have any advice/thoughts on potential styles that would be a good fit for me?

Hey! I'm going for a chiseled, well-muscled look. I would like to lose some 10-13% bodyfat and I would like to build muscle. I've seen people say that you cannot do both at the same time, and I'm wondering what I would change about my diet and exercise habits depending on which I decide to do first. Seems like the most obvious thing would be to cut the fat first, but maybe not. Thoughts? I'm not worried about weight so much as body fat, understand. I want my muscles to show up more (and less obvious cellulite on my buns and thighs would be nice). My current nutrition: just a balance. I'm trying for a 40-40-20 (protein-carbs-fat) split, but my calories always come up very short despite getting enough protein, carbs, and fat. I'm only taking in around 1,000 calories (not on purpose...it just happened when I cut out processed and fast food) but I've read in various places that to sustain a less active lifestyle than mine I need at least 1,500... My current exercise: I go to the gym 4-5 times/week to strength train (6-8 exercises w/ +/-12 reps), hoop shoot for cardio, and walk across my college campus (which includes multiple stairways). On my off days I walk and do at least one 4-minute HIIT round. Usually I end up doing 3 rounds of HIIT. I don't even know if my current habits are for muscle building or weight loss. I have a body type goal, but at the start just healthy habits were an important thing to establish. tl;dr What do I even want to do?!

Hello Nerdom! I've been lurking for about a week now, chatted with a few of you last week in the chat room and have decided that I am sticking around, you guys speak my language (going to college right now, mid-life carrer change so HTML/CSS and Visual Basic are my language right now). Now some background info.....I'm no stranger to fitness. In high school I was on the swim team (I was a sprinter, freestyle and butterfly) kept me in great shape. After highschool I joined the United States Marine Corps where I spent the next 6 years, running, rolling, hanging, and in general doing Marine things, I was probably at the peak of my fitness at that time in my life. I was able to do 20 dead hang pull ups, 100 crunches in 2 minutes, and had a 19 minute 3 mile run time. Well I guess the years of doing that took it's toll on my knees, I developed arthritis in my left knee at a young age (25) my surgeon (former Phoenix Cardinals team surgeon) very strongly urged me to no longer run, an activity I used to love. After that surgery I started putting on more weight, I had a sedentry job and not being able to run really took it's toll on me mentally and physically. So in around 2008 I decided to take my life back, I came across a book that I owned and actually used sucessfully to lose weight ( back in 2000 when I got out of the USMC), Body for Life by Bill Phillips. Over the next few years I participated in a group online and did back to back BFL challenges, after losing probably 30 or more pounds I started slacking off and trying different lifting programs like Chris Waterbury's Summer Program, I started putting on some mass and went from about 180ish to 190ish but with visible muscle mass added. Now somewhere in there I somehow hurt my lower back.......this was a game killer....I've never expereinced so much pain in my life. I found out that I have severly herniated discs, L4,L5,S1.......I've been told the surgery is 50/50 on pain relief and that my best bet is to lose weight. I have been dealing with this for about 3 years now, I just found out about 6 months ago that I have really bad venous reflux (vericose veins) in my legs with my right leg being the worst of the two. Needless to say I now have to wear the super cool medical style compression stockings, or have surgery, which even after I would have to wear the compression stockings. With these health problems I'm limited in what exercises I can do, which is part of the reason I'm here. I need some accountability and some advice, because I am going to give 110% of my dedication to losing weight. I absolutely need to start losing weight, it's impacting my life in more ways than one. I have six kids, I can't do squat with them, because I'm either in pain or too tired because I'm in pain....make sense? I don't feel like I'm guiding my kids into healthy decisions because I don't eat the best and I don't exercise. Right now I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life at 235 lbs, I carry it around my middle like a tractor tire. My goals for right now are to change my eating habbits to become more Paleo like (sorry gotta have my coffee and kombucha). I already drink a ton of water, at least 96 oz daily, if not more. And just be more active, I am going to start doing the body weight exercises I saw in an article here, I'm pretty sure I can do most of them. I want to start walking with my wife, but I don't know how far I can go without my legs killing me. So that's another goal to get out and walk with my wife. **Sorry for the run-ons and wierdness, I was just trying to get the bulk of it down.**

Introduction: HIYAH! I'm Zee & up until last week, I had no motivation to change my unhealthy eating habits...that is until I found this amazing website by accident! Ever since, I joined NF, I have been welcomed with open arms and tons of support! I'm very excited for my first challenge! I work a mostly sit down job, but, I am very active after work (long walks, jogging, kickball games etc.,) It's after all that, when I find my self hungry...that's when I make the worst mistakes ever, fast food, late night eating, and SODA! I am ready to make a life change and lose some weight. I just want to be more comfortable in my skin and gain more self confidence. Current Stats: Height: 5'4 Weight: around 280 LBS. Main Quest: Lose 70 by July 2015 Quest 1: Walk for 15 minutes a day and work out for more than 1 hour 4 times a week (in addition to walking) Measurement: A = 15 min & 4 times a week for 30 days, B = 15 & 4 times a week, 25 days, C = 15 min & 4 times a week Reward: A = +3 STA, +2 STR, B = +2 STA, +1 STR, C = +1 STA Quest 2: Only drink soda once a week when I go out to dinner with pals Measurement: A = 1 sodas, B = 2 sodas, C = 3 sodas Reward: A = +3 CON, B = +2CON, C = +1 CON Quest 3: Go to bed by 11pm during the week (excludes weekends) Measurement: A = 11pm, 42 days; B = 12am, 36 days, C = after 12am Reward: A = +3 WIS, +2 CON, B = +2WIS, +1 CON, C = +1WIS Life Quest: Get up early when I do not have to and doing something beneficial with my life, learning how to manage stress at school and work effectively Measurement: A = 42 days, B = 36 days, C = 30 days Reward: A = +2 WIS, B = +1WIS, C = +1 WIS Motivation: I want to feel comfortable in front of my friends without awkwardly making jokes about myself to ensure no one else can make fun of me. I have the best friends, I just feel uncomfortable around them. I want to be noticed more and possibly date more! LET'S DO THIS!!!!

Hello! This is my second challenge, Going to be the first as an adventurer! For challenge one, my missions were: 1) run three times a week 2) do another workout (at least 20 minutes) 3 times a week 3) drink (at most) one pop a week About two thirds of the way through I realized that I HATE running outside. Totally not my thing. I'm asthmatic, so it sucks. Going to have none of it. But now I know that, and we're moving on. This time, my missions are going to be: Mission 1: Calorie Count. I want to meticulously count my calories (during the week, M-F), and report them here. Staying under 1400 calories every day. I used one of the calculators for counting maintenance calories and I was right around 1800. I thought this number would allow me to lose weight but also give me a little leeway. Mission 2: Walk every week, increasing the number of steps by (at least) 1,000 every week. I'm going to go out and buy a pedometer. Week 1 will be my baseline, and every week after that I want to increase the number of steps I take by at least 1,000. I walk a decent amount at work, and I have a pond I can walk at here in Kansas. Once I get to Purdue there are lots of walking and biking trails, and the same can be said for while I'm in Ohio. Mission 3: For 6 weeks I am going to completely cut out liquid calories. I will allow myself I cheat meal a week, but that is it. No alcohol, no pop, for these six weeks. For a life mission I am going to continue the one I started last six weeks, which is to create an emergency money fund of $3,000. I'm currently at $700, which I think is a good start. I also want to start a character, but I need to read more into that, as I've never done any sort of "role-playing" before. But I'm stoked! And really want to do well on this! (I have a wedding to go to 5 weeks into this six week challenge, and I would really like to look better than I do now!!!!) Good luck to all. And let us Adventurers carry on together, being ever supportive of our goals, and let's just kick ass!

Hello Adventurers! I just completed my first challenge last week and am ready to take on a second! Although the first didn't go as well as I planned, I learned a lot from the experience. MAIN GOAL Lose inches! I don't have access to a scale so I will measure my progress with inches and by how my clothes fit. My goal weight is 145 lb and size 9 pants. Currently, I don't know my actual weight, but I imagine it's in the 175-180 lb range. At the beginning of my first challenge, it was 182 lb. SUB-GOALS 1. Exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week. Doesn't matter what it is - as long as I get my heart rate up. Up through August 8th it'll be a mix of Insanity, walking, and whatever I'm doing at work. (For those of you who don't know, I work at the botanical garden in South Carolina - weeding, mulching, light construction. I enjoy it!) After August 8th, I stop work and go back to school [ugh!] - but also get access to the gym! 2. Be able to do 20 consecutive REAL pushups. Right now i do pushups on my knees. This week I've started doing 60 pushups each morning followed by 30 30lb rows per arm. With the pushups I can do the first 20 consecutively, then 10, then sets of 5 for the rest. The rows I do in sets of 10. I've made some progress already - at the beginning of the week I could only do 10 consecutive pushups, now I can do 20. Do you all think this strategy would work, or would you suggest others? 3. Create a budget and stick with it. Next week (Thursday) I'm moving into a new apartment. I'm excited, but NOW I have bills to pay and deposits to make. In the past I had on-campus student housing and this past year (my first year of graduate school) I had off-campus housing, but electric, water, internet, and cable were included in the rate. This year everything's separate AND since this is my first time, I have a boatload of deposits to make! I didn't realize there'd be so many huge deposits! $200 for electric, $150 for water, and $60 for internet! Whew! Toooo much! So basically I want to make sure I get all these deposits and bills paid on time, figure out a good gas budget, food budget, and other. This goal will not be able to be measured weekly - it'll depend on how the bills come in. I can work on a food budget first though! If ya'll know what the cheapest protein sources would be or any other helpful ways to save on food let me know! Right now I've been buying frozen vegetables,bags of carrots, eggs, frozen chicken breasts, bananas, apples, and beans. I also buy hummus, guacamole, and feta cheese to add some flavor! I'm gonna do my best to eat healthy, but I don't plan to measure it in this challenge since it was such a struggle last challenge. Also, I'll take measurements Monday and post them to measure my progress. I'll update weekly. Hopefully I'll post pictures too! Best of luck on your challenges fellow adventurers!

Introduction Hi, I'm Talora Dion! I have been struggling with fatigue of unknown origin, insomnia (worsened by exercise), anxiety, and various "weird" medical issues (like seemingly random allergic reactions to food) for about 5 years now. This is my quest to get my life back! Current stats: 5'7", about 150lbs, size 8 (Canadian), a mile long list of minor to moderate severity medical complaints. Main Quest I want to be healthy, fit, and happy, with more energy than I know what to do with! Specifically, here's what that would look like: Endurance Measures Able to mountain bike for a full day and be only slightly sore the next day, with no impact on energy levels for the following weekRun 5km with my dog 3x/week Strength Measures Deadlift 200lbs 1rep (Currently 75lbs?)Back Squat 120lbs 1rep (Currently 45 lbs)Press 75lbs 1 rep (Currently 30lbs)25 toe pushups in one set (Currently 2 :S )3 pullups (dead hang, no kipping) (Currently none) I want to achieve this by April 30th, 2015. This will likely entail losing some weight (and I would like to weigh closer to 130lbs) but my focus is on HEALTH and ENERGY. Quest #1 Goal: Eat Whole30 for the 6 weeks of the Challenge. Measurement: A = 100% success, B = 1 mistake, C = 2+ mistakes Rewards: A = +2 CON, +3 WIS; B = +1 CON, +2 WIS; C = +0 CON, +1 WIS Quest #2 Goal: Sleep 8+ hours every night (11pm - 7am) Measurement: A = 5+ nights per week, B = 4 nights per week, C = 3 nights per week Rewards: A = +2 STA, +1 DEX; B = +1 STA, +1 DEX; C = +1 STA, +0 DEX Quest #3 Goal: Strength training 3x/week; starting with the NF Basic Bodyweight workout, until that gets too easy, then I'll figure out what to do next. Measurement: A = 18x during the Challenge; B = 14x during the Challenge; C = 10x during the Challenge. Rewards: A = +1 STR, +1 CHA; B = +0.5 STR, +0.5 CHA; C = +0.5 STR, +0 CHA Motivation I used to be fit: epic all-day XC mountain bike rides, 4+ days a week in the gym lifting heavy, CrossFit. I want to be that fit again. I want to look that good, and be that capable, again. I want to make serious progress in life. I want to be fierce and strong, with the energy to make the most of my time as this particular collection of particles!

Last challenge I really looked at where I was, where I wanted to be, and what I needed to do to get there. I was the heaviest I've ever been, and not for the good reasons. With the help of a whole30 I managed to drop back down to a more "acceptable" (to me) weight. I had a week of holidays right at the end of the challenge that sabotaged my progress, and I've had considerable life changes that have been pretty stressful. My ultimate goal is to lose weight. I would like to get back down to ~150lbs or less. Lets talk about those other challenges sprinkled in called life. Firstly, injury. It may as well be a 4-letter word! My right shoulder hurts when doing a lateral lift, but not really when my arm is close to my body. This is the first time in my life (and I've always been active-dance, cheerleading, group fitness) that I have an injury that is persistent and requires expert attention. It's killing me. I was hoping that it would get better but it hasn't. So I now have a physio appointment for Tuesday. This is my first time going to physio, but I know this guy is really good, at the same time, it's a major joint that's very complex, so while I"m hopeful he can help, I'm trying not to set my expectations too high because I know it will take time. The other big life thing that I alluded to at the end of last challenge is some big shake ups at work. I work for an electrical service company that deals primarily with big mining corporations. Right now in that sector things are tight and it trickles down to contractors like us. A few months back we laid off our marketing director. About 3 weeks ago a more senior engineer in my department was offered a new position elsewhere. Yesterday I found out that our procurement manager was laid off as well. But the biggest hit to me personally was when I found out my boss was leaving. His girlfriend who is a close friend of mine transferred within her company to Kelwona BC (beautiful place, but far from Saskatoon!) Three and a half years ago when I started at this company, the department was pretty much just me and my boss. He's like the big brother I never had. It came as a pretty big shock that they're moving, and everything's happening pretty quick. The bad news for me is that because there will be no senior engineers (things are tight and it doesn't make sense to replace anyone), the engineering department will go back to being a support group for the other departments as opposed to taking on our own projects. It blows and is a career step backwards for me. HOWEVER I'm choosing to look at this as an opportunity. It has been my plan to quit being an engineer and move to the Vancouver area to own a fitness studio for quite some time. Because I just bought a house last year, I was planning on doing it when my mortgage needs to be re-negotiated (2018). This change at work however is pushing me to look at this more seriously and taking steps to achieve this. One of those things is to become a certified personal trainer. The certification I want is likely going to require me to go back to school. SO I intend to use my bargaining power at work (I'm basically the only engineering resource we have left) to negotiate a remote work agreement to facilitate getting my certification. And then I want to spend less and less time in the office so that I can train people on the side. My goal is to work out most of my business and career changes before moving, largely because I'm doing all this on my single income (which I realize is currently more than what some duel income families take in, but when I'm not working as an engineer, things will be much less certain!) GOALS 1) Whole30 - I did a whole30 for the first time last challenge and it was great. Because my eating isn't terrible to begin with, I didn't have a lot of the side effects that other people have described. This time I'll be doing a whole 42, but plan to allow for a few slips here and there. (I know that whole30 is about being committed for the whole time, but this time around I feel like I know what my problem areas are, and if I say I'm eating "paleo" I let myself cheat too much - so this is me, finding something between whole30 and paleo that works for me) Last time I used a calendar as a hardhat challenge which worked really well for me because it's very visual, and I'll be going with this again. 2) Move more - I've read enough articles lately about the dangers of sedentary life, even if you work out and go to the gym, that now I"m going to do something about it. I intend to break up my stints of sitting by setting a timer while I'm at work to remind me to get up every 30 minutes. I'll be trying to implement this on weekends too, but it's tougher when you're not in one place. So my ranking is just for monday-friday. A - 30 days B - 25 days C - 20 days D - 15 days F - <15 days 3) Exercise - I really wanted to put handstands in this challenge, but with my shoulder that's looking like a poor idea. So this spot is going to be open for now, but likely will end up being "do your prescribed physio exercises" Life side quest Do 3 fitness business-related tasks per week and journal about them. These tasks include: Finish reading 4-hour workweekget concrete information about CPTstart making business planbudget for better money tracking/savingwrite more on my fitness blogfinish dad's estate paperwork (and get $$)Tracking: 1) Whole42 - 5.5/7 3.5/7 0/7 0/7 0/7 0/7 = 9/42 2) Move more - 5/5 4/4 0/5 0/5 0/5 0/5 = 9/19 3) Exercise - 4/5 3.5/7 0/7 4) Handstands - X X 0/7 0/7 0/7 0/7 = 0/28 Life challenge 3 Business-related tasks - 3/3 3/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 = 6/18 Expense tracking - 1/1 1/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 = 2/6 Starting weight: 157.5 lbs

Ahoy ye mateys! Omg he has a little hat! The names Rookie and I am finding myself back at the Adventurers door step I hope you will have me back! Last challenge I joined the Scouts to help me focus on my upcoming 5k Color Run (July 26). During that challenge I focused on doing my C25K, eating clean without counting calories and doing exercises/stretches to help with my horseback riding. During that challenge another challenge popped up between my future SIL, Mum and my friend... If I lose 55lbs by August 2015.. I get a free trip to Positano, Italy! So my focus is back on losing those pounds and getting a killer bod. Main Quest: Get to (and maintain) 190lbs by August 2015. Sub Quests: Do BWW twice a week (probably Thursdays and Saturdays) BBWW reference A: 2 workouts B: 1 workouts F: 0 workouts Journal my food daily (1 optional day a week) A: 6-7 days journalled B: 4-5 days journalled C: 2-3 days journalled D: 1 day journalled F: 0 days journalled ..... NOT SURE YET D: for my third one. -paranoid this thing will get deleted- Thinking something to help upper body strength. I suck at that but that could get covered in my BWW. Life Quest: Readddd more I miss reading and I have a lot of books. I would like to read some and then donate the ones I don't want to keep. Starting Stats: (I will update this closer to the challenge start date) Height: 5'10 Weight: 241.4 lbs Fat %: 41.1 Water %: 37.6 Muscle %: 34.1 Bone: 4.2lbs Motivation: To be more athletic for horseback riding I'm a bridesmaid at my brothers wedding August 2015 Positano Weightloss Challenge August 2015 (if I get down to 190lbs by then.. .FREE TRIP) Rookie my puppup He has too much energy. I really need to invent something to siphon it from him. Yup. Dat face!

I liked how i did the last challenge, so i'm going to do it again this challenge. Also there will be plenty of introspection the next few weeks. I need to identify some deeply ingrained issues.

Summer B - Not my idea of a Caribbean Cruise! (BF 33%)Story: Following the clues up the river to the Burned City and dealing with an undisclosed BOSS at the endDiet - stick to <= 1550 net calories (adjust for exercise) and protein >= 66 grams 76 grams Do a chin up or pullup with <= 30 pounds of assistanceDeadlift 80 pounds Walk/run 10K Decipher the clues (i.e. plan the move)Or ..... this could be named the ........ Summer Challenge. My epic quest is to rediscover myself as the Mal Ravenne. It involves a LOT of attributes that are not measurable and really come down to those golden moments when you stop and realize that you're living an authentic life and are achieving your goals. Not all of my goals are fitness goals, thank the gods. Many are listed in the second post of this thread. My main quest (this year) is to get down to a normal BF% of < 32%. That's only 1.5% from where I am today. I can make this by the end of the year if I commit to my workouts and COOKING healthy food. That's about 12 pounds of weight loss, assuming I can maintain lean body mass where it is now. Subgoals (challenge starting June 28th) My goals this time are a mix of process goals and objective end-point goals. Process goals are not as strongly motivating for me as end goals 1 - keep calories down and make sure protein stays above 66 g per day. I'm using SparkPeople to track because I like their interface and recipe database (+5 CON) 2 - pullup or chinup using less than 30 pounds of assistance. I'm currently at 50 pounds of assistance; so this should be feasible .... and maybe I can surpass it by dropping the assistance 5 pounds each week. (+3 STR) 3 - deadlift 1/2 my bodyweight, which I hope will be 160 by the end of the challenge ..... hence, 80 pounds. I'm currently at 35 pounds, and it feels easy. (+2 STR) 4 - walk/run 10K. For no particular reason. I like cardio, and I love running along the Lakewalk in Duluth. I can easily do 3.5 miles now with a mix of running and walking. (+5 STA) 5 - Life quest: get moved ..... or at least get further along the process. Grading: 1 - Count the success days vs. goal days and grading will be by a percentage 2 - A = 30 pounds B = 35 pounds C = 40 pounds D = 45 pounds F >= 50 pounds 3 - A = 80 pounds B = 75 pounds C = 70 pounds D = 65 pounds F <= 60 pounds 4 - A = 6 miles on my long run of the week B = 5.5 miles C = 5 miles D = 4.5 miles F <= 3 miles 5 - LIfe goal is pass/fail and does not carry points. It is very unlikely that I'll actually move during this challenge, but I'd like to have the purchase offer in on a house that passes inspection this time!!! I am hoping to spend August packing and continuing to clean out stuff we don't need. Given the types of goals, I'm hanging with the Rangers this time and hope to complete the mini-challenges. My tracking spreadsheet is ready and waiting the starting gun!! And YES, I am doing more strength training than is represented in my goals - both free-weights (or dumb bells or kettlebells) and bodyweight training. I'll continue to work on refining a new class chooser program and maybe do one for races as well. If anyone has a fun PvP or accountability group that has room, let me know!!

Hi! I'm a first time adventurer, having just finished my level 1 rebel challenge this past week. I've been on the diet and exercise train for what seems like forever, and have about 80 lbs more I need to lose (I've lost 20 or so already, prior to NF). I have done several whole 30s and have found that this is a really good way for me to eat, so I've embraced the primal lifestyle, although it's mostly been "ish" lately. I also have addictive tendencies around food, so I cannot count calories or carbs or anything, really with numbers on a regular basis, so I work with that. I haven't yet found my preferred movement - I still, if I'm honest, really dislike exercising (I don't like to sweat), and haven't yet found my movement yet, so I have incorporated that into my challenge. Main Quest: Get under 200 lbs by the end of the year Quest #1: Do hard things! #1a: Complete training workouts and complete half marathon on Aug 3rd Scoring: 1 point per workout; 2 points per long walk/actual marathon #1b: [beginning Aug 4] Do BBWW at least 3x per week. I hate BBWW with a passion, but I really need to strengthen my core, so this counts as a hard thing. Scoring: 2 points per workout Quest #2: Get off my butt. Reach 10,000 steps or over 6 out of 7 days each week Scoring: 1 point per 10K day; 1 point for each 5k over 10k, rounded down [so 21k steps would score 3 points] Quest #3: Eat what is good for me #3a: Limit recreational sugar to 3 small squares of 72% (or greater) plain dark chocolate per day Scoring: -4 points per recreational sugar item consumed #3b: Eat 1lb cooked veggies and 1lb raw veggies every day. [i do need to work up to this, and it will mean eating salads for breakfast most days, I think] Scoring: 0.5 points per ½ lb veggies consumed Quest #4: Find my movement. Once per week, get a guest pass to a gym and try out a new class. Scoring: 2 points per new class attended Statistics: Use the Chammy spreadsheet to track weight and measurements regularly Weekly Challenge Grading: A+: 26 (or more) points A: 23 - 25 points B: 21 - 22 points C: 18 - 20 points D: 16 - 17 points FAAAAAIL: 15 points or fewer [look at that correct grammar!] OVERALL CHALLENGE GRADING: A+: 156 (or more) points A: 140 - 155 points B: 125 - 139 points C: 109 - 124 points D: 94 - 108 points FAAAAAIL: 93 points or fewer [i should also put a life quest in here, but maybe this is enough for now....] Motivation: I am tired of being tired, easily winded, and not confident in who I am. And I'm working on changing that right here!

Well everyone knows if you rush the main boss too early it'll dump you broken on the floor with that evil manaical laughter booming away at your pathetic attempt to beat it so unprepared. I'm guilty of this with my attempts to lose weight and generally improve myself, I run full force then hit a wall, bounce off and mope about in despair at my failings without ever truly learning from it enough to prevent it happening all over again. With exercising, I simply try too much too fast and then fail as I over tax myself and give up before restarting again some time later with similar results. But not this time! I'm Dom, I'm overweight though have aspirations of replacing the fat with some good strong muscle. This challenge is for me to get on the road winding up the mountains to slay the big bad (my paunch) as unfortunately training montages don't work in real life. Info: Male, 27 years, 5'11", somewhere between 375 & 400lb (no scales I have access to go past 350lb....) Orc Adventurer looking to be a Warrior someday soon Main Quest: Set up the habits to get me closer to the big goal of 200lbs or less Quest 1 - Train Get into the habit of exercising properly 3 times a week be it bodyweight or strength training without fail Quest 2 - Sustance Build on my recent success with going paleo in many aspects & stop any snacks and cook healthier Quest 3 - Daily Instead of being lazy first thing in the morning, walk to the station instead of taking the bus (its only 20 minutes of walking but every little helps) Life Quest Get on with getting myself out of the office job I hate and get on with etting some IT qualifications with the aim of changing job and emigrating to Canada. Motivation: I'm not happy with myself and I've been deluding myself for far too long. Its time to change for the better and be the person I should be not the slob its easy to be!

I started this particular chapter of my journey back on January at the gloriously miserable weight of 228lbs. Not the worst iv ever been! (Plastic summer I went from 240is to around 200) but still, dissatisfied with my reverse progress, I decided to crack at it, and stick with it til the jobs done. As we approach the end of June, iv had a chance to reflect on some old photos and asses my progress! A whole back I posted a woot about dropping under 200- since then iv dropped to, as of today, 191lbs, which is the least iv weighed pretty much ever. If I carry on with the same weight loss trend as iv stuck to so far, I'll be in the 180-s by the start of July. Yet, for the past few weeks, iv been miserable, feeling like nothing's changed and that I looked no different. However, today I stumbled upon some old photos, and though the change isn't enormous, there was definitely visible progress. This cheered me up no end. If your reading this, and your cutting, for the love of all that is good, take progress pics! You never know when your gonna be miserable and deflated and feel like nothing has changed, and you need that boost, of something completely undeniable in front of you to make you see the changes. This ended up being a really long post! All I wanted to say was: TL;DR 228 to ~190 in 6 months. Yay me, and stuff.

Hey, So I'm assuming I'm among friends here, even some friends who were overweight before, or are overweight and struggling with it, or are even beating it. I'm sure there are people on here who have felt insecure about the way they look, too, so my question is, how do you guys deal with it? How do you embrace it? I've had family members and other people commenting on my looks for as long as I can remember. I used to be under 100 pounds, then got severely depressed and shot all the way up to 150-ish in four years, and my family has been commenting and calling me fat ever since. I've had total strangers tell me I'm ugly, and I've also had people tell me I'm one of the most beautiful people they know, but of course I think they're lying because they're my friends. I lost a lot of weight and gained a lot back, but I'm not nearly as heavy as I was in high school, so that's a plus. I always think that people are judging me on my appearance and especially my weight. I am scared to be noticed. I'm Miss Frumpy for a reason. Do I have to have a flat tummy again, dress up, and do my makeup every day to be worthy of notice? Somebody even told me once that I don't deserve an attractive partner until I do, and sometimes, with the whole prevalence of this "no fat chicks" mentality that a lot of guys seem to have, I feel like I wouldn't be able to get a partner regardless of whether or not I deserve one (Important note: dating is soooooo far from my main priority right now. The reason I mention this story is because it horrifies me that somebody felt that it was their place to say something like this, and that they felt totally comfortable doing it. It further confirms my belief that people see me and judge me for my weight, clothes, and on most days, complete lack of any makeup whatsoever, and that every time I was interested in somebody, my appearance was a huge factor in my rejection, as I have never not been rejected). Anyways, what do you guys tell yourselves to help you embrace who you are? I firmly believe that everyone deserves love and kindness, and yet I don't give myself any. How do you change a thought pattern that is so deeply ingrained? If any of you have stories that you want to share, especially if you think I could learn from them, I'd appreciate that so much. Of course, if you want to share so you have somebody else to cheer you on, I'm more than happy to do that, too. Thanks everyone, Fia