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My Motivation: It says: To be healthy and strong, so I am a good example for my son, and so I am around to watch him grow up and be here for him for as long as possible. My Main Quest: To get stronger. I have been stuck at the same weights for all my lifts for the last several weeks. I think I know what the main problem is, but it's going to take smashing a large mental block to get through it. Some background/what the mental block is from: 3 years ago I was a lazy sloth (still am, really). I wasn't severely overweight, but I was headed in that direction, and flabby. I don't know exactly what triggered my desire to change - my kid, my mom getting diagnosed with pre-diabetes... probably a combo of things. I wanted to lose about 20 lbs. I started tracking what I was eating with Lose It and was appalled by how many calories I was eating - about 2300/day. Much of it junk - chips, a whole bag of Smartfood popcorn. I cut my calorie intake to 1200/day, and when that wasn't enough (because I rarely hit it), I cut to 960/day. I did that for about 9 months and lost most of the weight. No exercise at this point yet. Then I started working out off and on (p90x mostly). I was using 2 and 4lb weights. I bumped my calorie intake up to 1200/day (using MyFitnessPal by this point, better food database). I was still eating a lot of processed foods for breakfast and lunch. Once I started on NF this last January, I started improving the quality of my food - much less processed food, cut out most grains, stopped getting the "low fat" crap. I was lifting 10 lbs for curls and such by this point. Up thru May of this year I was PR ing every few weeks, got up to 20lbs for a curl, started dumbbell squats and dumbbell deadlifts (I work out at home). About 8 weeks ago, I suddenly lost about 5 more lbs. It scared me, and I upped my calorie intake goal again, to what MFP says would gain me 1/2 lb per week (about net 1900). I hit that about 1/2 the time. I've got weight down and built up muscle to the point where I'm getting compliments. But I'm not making any more strength gains. I know I need to eat a calorie surplus to build muscle. I'm afraid to increase my net calories back to what I was eating when I was so unhappy with myself. I am literally sitting here with what feels like stagefright as I get ready to type out my goals for this challenge, but here goes. Goal 1: Eat a net 2000 cal/day, with 125g protein at least 4 days/week for 3 weeks, then 5 days per week. There. There it is in black and white (ok, green and white). And I realize I may have to adjust this upwards, this is probably too low. But I can't right now. This is my starting point. I will log my food in MFP every day. I am going to start a battlelog to track this, will be linked in my signature. Goal edited 7/31/13. CON +2, WIS +3, STR +1 Goal 2: Stay in bed to sleep at least 7 hours at least 5 nights per week. I have a bad habit of staying up past midnight watching Netflix (Fringe is my current addiction). Then I have to get up before 6 or 7 depending on the day for work, or to get my workout in before work. This is not helping any aspect of my life. By "stay in bed" I mean trying to sleep, not playing with my iphone or reading. Edited to fix wording 8/2/13. WIS +2, CHA +1, STA +1, CON +1 Goal 3: Increase lifts. Vague, I know. I want to increase my deadlifts, squats, benchpress and rows. I just don't know what a reasonable increase in the the course of 6 weeks would be. Current #'s: deadlift 40lb db x6; squats 35lb db x 6; benchpress 22.5lb db x 6; one-arm row 30 lb db x 8. I also have been stuck on 8lbx8 for side lateral raise for months. It's embarrasing! STR +1, CON +1, STA +1 Life Side Quest: Write in a Journal 3 days per week. Haven't done this since high school. I wanted to do it for the last challenge, but decided on the yardwork goal instead. I need to reflect on my life a little more. Doesn't have to be more than a few sentences. WIS +1 Grading: for each goal: 90% A, 80-90% B, 70-80% C, Less than 70%, fail. The main quest goals 1 & 2, fail either = fail challenge. Goal 3 is based on the first two - a way to gauge if they're working, so will not fail challenge by itself. Life goal is extra, will not fail challenge by itself. No power in the 'verse can stop me! (except myself).