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Happy New Year, Happy ZERO Week, Happy New Challenge! Right into things, then: 1. Use my fancy schmancy new spreadsheet to track ALL THE THINGS. Daily weight, daily calories. 2. Lift 3x per week, good ol' 5x5. Log here. 3. Find maintenance. I anticipate that will be 2380, but am still on the hunt. Once found, stay there through the end of this challenge. 4. LUYL: spread more positivity. This can be here, through positive posts to others, at work, to myself, or randomly at any other time. So...don't be Randal when he's like this:

Hey everyone! I'm very new to this community and wanted to take a chance to say hello! I'm Ashley and I'm 25. I don't generally like to define myself by my food choices but if I had to I'd say I eat mostly vegan and mostly raw. I juice and/or blend on a daily basis and just don't enjoy eating meats. I have a stomach condition called gastroparesis which means my stomach is paryially paralyzed and doesnt contract to digest food properly. Because of this I try my hardest to eat as healthy and clean as possible and do whatever I can to make digestion easier. My history: November 2012 I started my weight loss journey. Like many it comprised of lots of cardio and scant calories. My body wasnt getting the nutirtion it needed and I was literally making my gastroparesis worse to the point where I was having aversions to food and becoming malnourished with talk of feeding tubes by my doctors. Needless to say, in the calorie counting community I was involved in, I was look at as 'lucky' for having this condition and difficulties eating because of it...can we say 'INSENSITIVE?!" So 20lbs down and unhealtheir than ever I decided to stop with all the weight loss garbage and 'learn to love myself' which, in regards to me personally, ment I was giving myself an excuse to be fat. I was 'sick', my body hated food, give myself a break right? I have enough to deal with just with the gastroparesis right...WRONG! Letting myself get laxed on fitness or nutrition are both very bad things for me. I either put myself into a flare with my gastroparesis where I can't eat anything and end up with low potassium in the hospital, or I end up stuck in a flare gaining weight because all I can bring myself to eat is processed carbs. At my lowest weight of 138 back in August 2013 I was not eating enough food and working out way too much. Since then I have tried to increase my calories but then holidays happened and life happened (including my dad having a stroke when he was staying with me for the holidays) and I've ballooned back up to 158lbs...my starting weight in November 2012 was 160lbs. So we've come over a year and I have lost and gained 20lbs. I'd be lying if I said I didnt know what I needed to do to make lasting improvements; my problem is not sticking with them. But, giving myself some credit, i've come a long ways learning new habits to incorporate...i just need to stick with them for extended periods of time. Which leads me to here...Nerd Fitness...not sure how I happened upon this site, but I love it so far and hope to become an active and motivating part of the community. My husband has a goal of gaining about 50lbs and my goal is to lose about 40lbs. Hopefully with us pushing each other, and having the resources of this community, we can be successful. He will be increasing his protein, calories, and lifting weights (LiveFit Program). I've been eating clean (but the goal is to do this on a regular), lifting weights (already a few weeks into LiveFit program), light yoga 3x/week, and running weekly for long term marathon training. Hoping to find some friends on here to help encourange and motivate each other!