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Get in, nerds, we’re aiming to understand and heal diet fatigue, and design diet cycles (cut, actively maintain, bulk, intuitively maintain) that don’t produce diet backlash. So many of us have dieted successfully only to find that, in the period after the diet, we experience extreme hunger and disinhibition and regain all the weight much more rapidly than it came off. With each new attempt we seem to have even less endurance and willpower, and each new diet is shorter, more distressing, and less sucessful. We might even become anxious at the thought of any further restrictions, and start hoarding food or bingeing. Sometimes it feels like the only option is to eat everything, forever, in a mild panic. Other times (or possibly at the exact same time) it seems equally urgent that we start a strict, rapid diet that will definitely, for sure, totally one zillion percent be different this time because we are more desperate than ever. Renaissance Periodization has a term for this; diet fatigue. It’s not a character flaw, or a shortage of willpower. Rather, it is a powerful set of phsyiological and psychological changes that occur due to dieting and weight loss. These changes are currently being studied and described by researchers and we will likely understand even more about it in the future. RP’s book The Renaissance Woman drew my attention to the concept of diet fatigue as a variable that MUST be managed in order to design a successful diet, and although every diet book or article mentions “sustainability” without explaining how the fuck you’re going to sustain being hungry for the rest of your life, this is the only book I’ve seen attempt to really design a programme to manage it, other than Intuitive Eating, whereby you manage diet fatigue by never dieting ever again, but you also never reach your body recomposition goals unless by luck. If we think of diet fatigue as a concrete constraining variable, then it becomes clear that we cannot simply push through with willpower and diet infinitely, any more than we can do infinite training and get infinite performance improvements. The problem, of course, is that dieting is needed to lose weight, but dieting causes the diet fatigue that causes the diet to fail. But hopefully, just as with stimulus vs fatigue in training, we can find that sweet spot that gets results while keeping diet fatigue low enough for success. I’m going to write up my notes on the book’s suggestions for this, and try to start designing my own diet cycles based on their recommendations. The book has some powerful recommendations for healing profound diet fatigue that I particularly want to share my notes on. If anyone is reading or listening to anything interesting that relates to the topic, this is the place to share notes. I think we can also use this space to tell our dieting histories and start planning our way out of the dieting backlash, and to review and adjust our plans as they proceed. Anyone is welcome to join. The focus will be cycles of cutting, active maintenance, bulking, and intuitive maintenance, since dieting indefinitely is not feasible for managing diet fatigue. I’m going to suggest that we stick to two important guidelines here, which is that if you're going to try another diet here, you must plan a cutting phase with an end date, and you must plan the phase after your cut. Whether it’s going to be active or intuitive maintenance, or bulking, you should be able to say what you’re going to do for the three months after dieting, even if it is just weighing yourself once a week or once a month. I have no flipping idea if this is going to work, but the concept of diet fatigue seems useful and my hope is that this is the missing piece that can explain the failure of diets past, and help guide diets future. If it doesn’t work this thread will stand as a monument to our failure and I’ll just make another art challenge thread, possibly with bats. Or pandas, since bats are unclean vectors of plague. Good work getting through this intro text. Have a (diet?) fatigued red panda to reduce your panic.

First off I know that everyone says you can't build muscle and gain fat simultaneously, but would this actually work? What is it that enables muscle gain - purely protein intake or do you have to increase all macronutrients and calories too? I know this question is kinda dumb, but I was just thinking about it because I've been trying to eat at a calorie deficit for a while now but only recently started increasing my protein intake within that calorie deficit, and (this may not be true) but I feel like I am eating more protein than I used to be when I just ate whatever and at maintenance... :')

Hey everyone, I wanted to hear some input on this thought that's been on my mind. I wanted to know if you guys would pay for a health and nutrition coaches if they didn't charge too much? Or would you pay a good amount if they can get you down or up to a desired weight based on what you like to eat?

I'll be blunt. I'm looking for truly extreme levels of improvement. I'm already in fairly decent shape and eating 99.5% paleo. My current program is as follows: Monday: Bench Press 5x5. 135 as of this week, increased by 10 pounds each week that I hit the 5x5. Tuesday: Squat 5x5. 135 as of this week(today's lift), increased by 10 pounds each week that I hit the 5x5. Wednesday: Dead Lift 5x5. 125 Last week, 135 being attempted this week, increased by 10 pounds each week that I hit the 5x5. Thursday: Overhead Press 5x5. 95 last week, 105 being attempted this week, increased by 10 pounds each week that I hit the 5x5. Friday: Rest. Saturday: Rest. Sunday: Rest. Every day: Handstand training, PLP Challenge. I am aiming for anything and everything that will take me to next level. I'm looking for that Leonidas, DBZ character physique and strength. I'm taking any and all ideas and suggestions.

Greetings, I'm new to the forums, but not new to the planet. Been here longer than I care to admit. I'm a married dad and my slowing metabolism and aches and pains are thwarting my attempts to get "back in shape." I'm 6', 196 and I'm pretty sure my BF% is around 22-25%. I'm not obese, and I don't look fat when clothed, but underneath my disguise is a dad bod extraordinaire. Nay, I'd say it's beyond dad bod and into "built like an oyster" territory. In other words, I'm skinny-fat, with slender Grace Kelly shoulders and wide, Amish, child-bearing hips, all being help up by two old-man-looking KFC legs. Here's my problem. I want to gain lean mass, while shedding fat, and also increase my strength and functional fitness. My overall weight loss goal is 25 ibs. My lean mass gain goal is undefined. I just want to be strong, feel good and look good, dahlings. Is that too much to ask? I think the best approach to achieve this goal is probably basic progressive barbell strength training using compound exercises, combined with minimal to moderate cardio, while following a paleo, or near-paleo diet. By the way, although I don't have celiac disease, I am definitely gluten sensitive, although I just love the stuff so damn much. Mmmmm, gluten! I've toyed with 5x5 Strong Lifts and Body Beast, as well as more Crossfit-style programs, like P90X and Freeletics, and I'm not sure which one is best for me. I used to run a lot, but repeated calf and Achillies strains have forced me to slow to a walk. Questions: 1. Is it possible to achieve these goals simultaneously, or do I need to cut the fat first, then build the muscle? 2. If muscle gain is my primary objective, then should I focus on the weights and forego the bodyweight exercises for now? Thanks in advance, all!

I've been working on my fitness for about 6 weeks now and I'm trying to lose fat and get muscle definition, and the more I research how to do this the more confused I get :// I know that to lose weight you have to eat a calorie deficit, so that's what I've been trying to do for these last 6 weeks as I want to lose extra unnecessary fat. I've also been running 2-3 times a week (mostly interval training 20-30 mins or steady state jogging 20-50 mins), and strength training 2-3 times a week. I want to build muscle definition and I know that muscle burns more calories, but how can I lose fat and achieve muscle definition if I'm eating a calorie deficit to lose weight when you have to eat a calorie surplus to gain muscle?? I really want to achieve a body I'm proud of and I've seen very little results and I just don't know what to do

Welcome, friend! My overall quest is still the general ‘to look good’, and to move towards this my main goals for 2016 are: Lose body fat (aiming for 12-14%) Build muscle Obviously these cannot be done at the same time, so I have to focus one one. In January I lost a bit of weight and I think I’m making progress on my body fat %, but I’m ready to try bulking. Then, hopefully, by May I’ll have seen some results and can have a three month cut before my holiday. This challenge is going to be focused around what goes in my mouth. My current problem is that I neglect diet so much. I recently reread some blog posts by Steve and he was like 'diet diet diet'. So, this challenge will help me get my head out of the sand. 1. Hit calories I've been very lax about this - and the good thing is eating more is easy (for me)! After looking at what I need on IIFYM (http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/), my TDEE is 1966 cal and so to have a ‘cautious’ bulk I need about 2164kcal - or 2200 kcal/day for ease. My aim is to have 2200 every day, and then 2200+protein shake calories on gym days. The reason I’m being cautious is because I’m worried about putting on lots of extra fat. I’d rather bulk slow and clean than fast and dirty. Very good = <5% of calorie goal Good = within 8% of calorie goal Ok = within 10% of calorie goal 2. Hit macros I've never given a toss about macros... but now I will. After reading this helpful article (I’d never heard of endo/ecto/mesomorph before…) I’ve identified a good macro balance. Muscle gain = 30% carbs / 30% fat / 40% protein After reading the article I can tell I’m an endomorph, so I think having a low carb threshold will be good for me. Incidentally, I do tend to be able to tell when I’ve had a bit too much bread etc, with a general bloated feeling. This will be challenging, since for January I averaged about 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. Side note: Although this isn’t a target, I am going to try to reduce my bread intake (I’m a sucker for french baguettes) and up my fruit and veg intake significantly. Very good = <5% away from each macro Good = within 8% away from each macro Ok = within 10% away from each macro 3. Hit strength I want to increase the weight I'm lifting by 10-20% over some of the key exercises I do. Leg press: Current PB = 130kg. Goal = 150kg Lat pulldown: Current PB = 56.5 kg. Goal = 65kg. Shoulder press: Current PB = 37 kg. Goal = 45kg. Pec fly: Current PB = 61kg. Goal = 69kg. This goal is a hit or miss one. No running targets this time (that all seems to be going well anyway), and no 'giving up' challenges - I've done a few and although they work, I sometimes use the ban to justify a worse choice e.g. not having fizzy drinks in the pub... so I'll have a cider! I’m also going to spend more time reading NF, Reddit etc for more advice, and at the end of Feb I’ll reassess my goals and see what needs changing. I'm also going to try and spend more time on the forums...!

Yay, time for another challenge. I've been busy getting contracts for music stuff, and this is great news! Trying to lean up going into this summer was challenging. I'm convinced that it is nearly impossible to trim off fat while simultaneously nursing injuries. My body feels pretty unstable overall and it has been exceptionally easy to pull things by accident. So, I'm going to be gaining lean bodymass and trying to build back. I'll start cutting again around February. Plan: 3,000kcal per day. 200g protein, 200g carbs, and whatever else the fat is. Probably 150g or so. I'm going to try to eat clean as much as possible and most of my carb sources will come from fruit earlier in the day. I will try to have extra carbs in the morning as well as pre / post workout. The idea is to 'clean bulk' so I have less work in the summer. Lifting wise, I'm discovering that balls to the wall = injuries. I'm finding that dialing back the intensity 5 - 10% and nailing nutrition = gains. Not going to set any other goals right now, not publically at least. Although, I need to sleep more!

Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice! I've signed up to a marathon in April 2016, and I've already started training for it. However, I've had a bit of a focus change; I want to lose body fat and build some muscle. I know that everything I've read on NF and beyond has said that the best way to lose body fat is to run a calorie deficit, and the best way to gain muscle is to eat more and lift heavier. Everything I've read has said that long distance running hampers muscle growth. Great. Basically, I know I've got a set of incompatible targets. So my question is: given my goals, what is the best way to realistically strive for all three? I know it's going to be inefficient, but I want to start now and then once the marathon is over reassess my bf%/muscle target. Is it a good idea to pin my hopes on n00b gains? I'm aiming more for the Barry Allen/Flash look than the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow look - I know I won't be getting hench anytime soon! My current plan has been to marathon train and run a slight calorie deficit (about 1/2lb a week) whilst going to the gym, in the hope that I lose fat but keep the muscle I have. Current week is: 2/3 gym sessions and 3 runs (1 5k race, 1 LSR (currently at 16 miles, adding a mile a week) and 1 tempo run). Here's a bit about me: 23 y/o male, 160lb, 5ft10, est. BF of about 17-20%. I don't really want to lose weight per se, but I do want to get my BF% down to 12% in the long term. I'm a decent runner, having done a half marathon in 1h27 and a marathon in 3h19. tl;dr? How do I marathon train, lose body fat, and build muscle together (even if inefficiently)?

Main Quest: Loose 15 pounds and build healthy muscles Side Quest: Finish the 30 Days of Yoga challenge Challenge: Try to monitor calorie intake, but don't obsessHit the gym at least three times a weekWalk 50 deliberate milesGoal One: Find new ways to cope with stress, instead of stress eating or hiding with Netflix Goal Two: On days I don't go to the gym, do some kind of exercise daily. This can be walking or simply doing crunches

I've never done a challenge before, so I'm not sure exactly the best way to set these goals or write out a challenge. So here goes. Main quest: Lose 40 pounds, build stronger muscles Side quest: Complete the 30 Days of Yoga program from Yoga with Adriene Challenge: Monitor calorie intake each day - 1500 per dayHit the gym at least three times a week, for at least 30 min per sessionWalk 50 deliberate miles. Deliberate as in, actually setting out to go on a walk instead of just counting the steps of everyday living.Goal One: Lose 15 pounds. I want to begin to chip away at the weight I gained over the last year or so and get back to a healthier, happier weight. Goal Two: Eat, but not too much. I'm still recovering from ENDOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified) and I've swung the lines between eating not enough and binging and eating way too much. I want a healthy calorie deficit Goal Three: Get out of the house more! all I do is eat, go to work, watch netflix, and occasionally work out. I need to be more social and more active.

Hello Rebel Army! My name is Parker. I am a 160lb 20yr old college student who is tired of feeling sub par about my fitness level. I have done one challenge before, but some family tragedy along with passivity on my end helped me fall off the wagon pretty hard afterwards. BUT: the past is in the past, where it belongs. I'm ready to kick some tail, and I am honored to do it alongside of you inspirational fighters! Goal #1 Lose 10lbs I understand that because I am wanting to become stronger my weight might not change that much whereas my body fat percentage might, so this one is flexible. Ultimately I plan on trying to get from Level 4 of nutrition to level 6 (based off of the Academy descriptions.) This means to go to level 5: "I consume a vegetable with every lunch or every dinner, replacing a normal carbohydrate or starch, for 10 total days in a 2 week period, and I go one week without eating pasta. Instead of french fries, I order broccoli. Instead of white bread, I’m eating asparagus." and then to go to level 6: "I have gone 12 out of 14 days without eating bread OR pasta, and 12 out of 14 days with a vegetable in every meal I eat." Goal #2 Do bodyweight workouts 3x a week This one is pretty self-explanatory. I just want to get back into a routine. To help me with this I decided to do the Nerdwarts mini challenge, so I will be adding those workouts to my schedule as well. Goal #3 Drink 3 liters of water a day and go to bed BY 11. Also self-explanatory. Needless to say the times I have felt the best were when I drank enough water and consistently had a good bed time. In other words: NO MORE BINGING ARROW UNTIL 1AM. Life Side Quest #1: Keep up with French I am aiming to learn 5 new french words every day. I am about to enter my 4th and final semester of French, and I HAVE to kill it if I want to maintain my scholarship. Life Side Quest #2: Budget for this summer I am moving away from my parents's house finally and I'm about to be in the big, bad renter's world. I need to work my tail off and save money like a miser. I look forward to updating y'all on how life is going and to hearing how your journeys fair! (Hopefully my next posts will be more fun and dynamic with nice little gifs and such.) Loot: Vape Mod If I get an "A" in all of my goal categories (and the budget allows it) I'm finally buying my own (zero nicotine) Vape pen/mod and ejuice. Yay no more borrowing a few hits off of my friend's!

And Im back folks! Ah the forums......good times, good times. SO, what brings me here today you ask. What problem do I need my fellow nerds to help me tackle? Well, the problem is mainly this- I is fat. Like, putting weight back on fat. But, at the same time, I am doing strength training 3x week (full body exercises-squats, deadlifts, bench and OHP). Im 5'7'', and as of yesterday (Fri 5/8/2015) I weighed 350 lbs. Now I will admit my eating the last couple of months has not been the strictest. Ive definitely allowed a few too many sugary desserts, HFCS laden items, and refined carbohydrates creep back into my diet. But at the same time, my workouts have been progressing nicely- well, as nicely as I would expect, all things considered. So where is the question in all of this? Well, my question is, basically, how can you tell if the weight youve put on is fat or muscle? And before you suggest tape measuring/ calipers, I own a body tape measure, and my measurements have stayed consistent the past........5 months (despite diet slips, some lack of exercise, and a general focus more on strength building vs weight/fat loss). I want to assume Ive just put on muscle, but I went from 330 in November to the 350 I mentioned earlier. And I will also mention I know the scale lies, and that hydration/water retention will definitely affect your weight at any given time, but it still seems rather unlikely that I put on 20lbs and didnt gain any fat. Eh, Ill wait for the responses before I start freaking out. Thanks in advance folks!!! P.S. I figured this was more weight loss-y than Weight/Powerlifting, but if it should go in that forum I apologize in advance

It's been 3 years since I first discovered Nerd Fitness. I've done 18 six week challenges. Surely, I've learned something in that span. One of the first lessons I learned from Steve was the importance of tracking. I've tracked measurements, calories, and workouts, and taken plenty of pictures. However, I've consistently neglected the equally important step of analyzing my results. As I look back on 3 years of work, I don't "feel" like I've made much progress. I don't even really look like I've made much progress. But there are more ways to measure progress than just the scale or the mirror. Since I have so much data strewn about various platforms, I figured it's time to buckle down and analyze, so I'm making that the theme of this challenge. Goal 1: Analyze my data, comparing weight highs/lows, visual progress, measurements, diet, and exercise routine.Having 18 challenges to review, I will aim for analyzing 3 per week, but I may end up switching to a month-by-month or quarter-by-quarter system.Things I already know: I want to build muscle. Progressive overload can help.I want a bigger chest and bigger arms, but I'm limited by not having a barbell. Dips can help.Goal 2: Weighted Dips - go from 3x5x5# to 3x5x30#I am not genetically inclined to build muscle. Creatine can help.Goal 3: Daily weight gain shake and creatine. 6 cups (48 oz) of water a day.My core strength needs work. Hollow body holds can help.Goal 4: Hollow body hold practice 3 days/weekConsistency is key to making progress.I am more consistent with my workouts when I stick to 3 a week.I have workout ADD when I don't see immediate results.I will workout 3 days a week - 1 for High Intensity Training, 1 focused on core work, and 1 focused on Dips progressI was going to post an inspiring picture of the old "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" quote, but apparently the internet can't decide who gets credit for it. So if you know of a good one, send it along.

Main Goal: Bulk up to 175 pounds with 12% body fat by my 40th birthday Current Status: Measly 156 pounds at 15-20% body fat and just turned 38 How am I going to do it? It may take some divine intervention, but I have a plan: HIT it! Goal 1: Lift! Follow the workouts in The New High Intensity Training by Ellington Darden. Darden has a variety of workouts in the book, and I should probably play it safe and just follow the beginner routine, but I was intrigued by the workouts focused on specific areas of the body. So I'll be focusing on Arms, Shoulders, and Chest (while not neglecting the rest of the body). For the first 3 weeks, I'll do 3 days a week: A-B-C, and then for the last 3 weeks I'll switch to 2 days a week and do A-B, C-A, B-C. Total of 15 possible workouts. Goal 2: Eat! If I'm going to get up to 175 pounds, I need to eat more. Every day. Plenty of carbs, protein, and fat. My weight has been all over the place for the last 2 years and I *think* I'm finally ready to commit to just gaining some dang weight. If I stick with the weight training and don't overdo the calories, I should hopefully build more muscle than fat. I'll worry about losing any excess fat once I get closer to my goal weight. My plan for this challenge is to continue to eat healthy (more meat, fruit, veggies, and water; less candy, donuts, desserts, and soda) but also to make sure I get 300-500 extra calories a day. Goal 3: Mug shots. I've been dutifully taking progress pictures for over 2 years, but I've never really done much with them. My plan is to put together a progress collage (a la Waldo) so that I can actually see when I was making good progress and then correlate that to what kind of diet I was eating and what exercise plan I was on at the time. I've got around 30-40 pictures, so I'm going to shoot for just adding one a day over the challenge. I tried this project once before and lost several hours worth of work when my Photoshop crashed and I hadn't saved any of it... If I stick to one a day, that will be a more manageable time commitment and it will force me to save! Life Goal: Get The Band Back Together! I play bass, guitar, and banjo. Or rather, I own a couple of basses, a guitar, and a banjo. I don't play them nearly enough. So my life goal for this challenge is to play at least one of those instruments for an hour a week. That works out to less than 10 minutes a day! Plus, it aligns nicely with my wife's new year's resolution to learn to play the mandolin. She loves to play/practice and I am terrible at it, so hopefully we can spur each other on and it may even bring us closer together. As everyone knows, you have to keep your woman happy, otherwise...

I am a 39 year old woman, divorced this year. I am determined to get fit enough to do the things I want without slowing others down. I like hiking. A LOT. I just finished a 3 day hiking trip with a bunch of 9 year olds. They wore out before I did... first time for that. I want to get into some gymnastics and want to build a base to start that. I am a juggler, specifically contact juggling and 3 ball/club toss. Working on improving that. I've been doing the challenges, but I don't like the gap in between. A year ago, I was a couch potato, eating poorly, not exercising much. This year, I did C25K, ate better, lost weight. I am running 3 miles on a training run now, going to do a 4 mile race in January. I joined a gym for the weight room and starting to lift. No deadlift bar available though. Still just starting out and focusing on my upper body, doing assisted dips/pull ups, bench dumbells, barbell rows. Starting stats Weight: 204 lbs Waist: 33 inches Hip: 45 in Arm 14 Thigh 24 Calf: 17 in

Hi! Several questions, but first background. I am 5'0", female, 18, and about 45 pounds overweight. 1. Half my family is doing Atkins ( the other half doesn't need to lose weight, which makes it really hard ), but I'm having a really hard time doing it because I can't seem to keep my carb count down. I'm eating the right foods, but I keep eating too many vegetables (cauliflower, brussel sprouts, green beans, etc), and I'm never sure if I'm using too much salad dressing (I like French and Caesar). Is there something I can do to make this easier, or is it something I just need to deal with? 2. Paleo vs. Atkins. Is one inherently better than the other? Not just in losing weight, but also in keeping it off and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? One allows fruit and not dairy, and the other allows dairy and not fruit (I love both). Is there a way to mix and match the diets and take the best from each one while still losing weight? With Atkins I can't have cheat days 'cause that messes up the whole body-in-fat-burning-mode thing. Is that how it is with paleo? Does one make you lose faster? Is one more reliable in keeping it off? Will I completely ruin it in paleo if I have cake and ice cream at Dad's birthday or with the occaisonal junk food snack? 3. Can you still lose weight if you're eating grains? Please don't tell me grains are bad for you; I don't believe that (I have evidence to back my belief up), so don't waste your time or mine trying to argue otherwise. I just want to know if the high carb count will counteract my losing weight or keeping it off. 4. Can I lose fat and build muscle at the same time? I don't care about looking muscular or toned or whatever- I just want to be stronger, more flexible, and have better stamina. Can my muscles improve to that while my body is burning fat? It seems to me doing that would help with the burning of fat because it could draw energy from the fat and the new muscle would also eat at the fat. 5. I tend to get bored when I exercise. I was doing a program that would get me up to doing 200 squats (in one set) in a day, and I was doing great, except I would get bored around the 18th rep. I'd like to train myself to run because it's useful in games and in case I ever need to run, but I get bored less than two minutes in. The same for using my stationary bike: it takes about a minute before I get hopelessly bored. I tried setting up so I watched a movie (doctor who, actually! ) while I cycled, but going at a steady pace I wasn't tired at the end, going any faster and I'm completely pooped in about ten minutes. Also when I try to do bodyweight exercises in my room, I can't because the floor squeaks and it disturbs my sisters (don't say do them another time, because I can't). So I guess my question in this, how can I build my strength and muscle in a way that I don't get bored. I'd still like to be able to do 200 squats and pushups and stuff, but if I'm bored I hate it and if I hate it I make excuses to not and if I make excuses I don't improve. I tried upping the intesity (ten jump squats instead of normal squats-to-boredom), but that still gets boring day after day. I think part of the problem might be I'm not being stimulated mentally, only physically. It's especially difficult to warm up, because that's five minutes when I'm not even pushing myself physically. Does anybody have any suggestions to stave off the boredom? And is there a faster warm up I could do in about a minute or less? 6. I'm tired all the time. Not exhausted, just in that want-to-lean-back-and-close-your-eyes kind of way. I get up between 6 and 7 and go to bed never any later than 10, but usually around 9. Am I getting enough sleep? Am I getting too much? Is this a result of a bad diet? Could it be not enough exercise? I'm at the same level of exercise I've been all my life (none) and it's only in the past year or so I've started feeling like this. 7. And finally, is someone willing to acountability buddy with me? Someone my age(ish) and gender (I say age because I'd feel more comfortable with someone my age. With an adult, it just gets complicated because I'm supposed to defer and can't disagree and stuff). I just want someone I can text with who will encourage and hold me accountable, and I'll do the same. I will not meet in person with you, so location doesn't matter. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me. I really really appreciate it.

Thought I'd start a topic for the hard-gainers (individuals with high metabolisms or other problems gaining mass). Although it may be difficult for those of trying to curb our caloric intakes to imagine, one of the biggest obstacles hard-gainers seem to face is A. Healthy, high-calorie variety in their diet, and B. Healthy, high-calorie affordable food. So let's go over a few rules for this thread, shall we? 1. No sarcastic posts, ie. suggestions like a "Blenderized Happy Meal" (<--- shameless Vlogbrother plug, and yes, SFW) 2. Try to post recipes that have both variety and lost-cost in mind. 3. Don't be afraid to post the obvious! If it's healthy, high-calorie and cheap to make, feel free to share. I'd like this thread to be something our veteran NFers can point newbie hard-gainers to as a resource for their fitness journey; there's an awful lot of available recipes and advice for those of us who need low-calorie recipes, but let's not forget our fellow NFers on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Fitness Goals -Loose fat and gain muscle Exercise Preference -Olympic lifts Current Physical Stats -Female -22 years old -5'4" -170lbs Previous Training History -Starting in January I was doing some variant of Couch to 5K anywhere from 3-7 days a week and eating a strict 1,200 calories a day. I have since fixed this upon discovering NF and really doing the research on what is healthy. Current Training -SL 5x5 -About 4 weeks so far -Current working weights: Squat 70lbsBench 80lbsBarbell row 70lbsOHP 45lbsDeadlift 80lbsCurrent Diet -Paleo, I do weigh just everything and eat nuts or nut butter less than once a week if that -About 1,700 calories -Macros: Fat: 50gCarbs: 178gProtein: 156gCurrent Resources/Limitations -Gym Access and no limitations Questions I started at 200lbs in January on the aforementioned "program." Once I hit 170lbs I switched to Paleo, upped my calories to 1,784 (my BMR is about 1,500), and started working on weightlifting, as I really loathe running. It's been about 2 months since I hit 170lbs and I have yet to loose another pound. After such a large loss this has been very disheartening, but I have resisted the urge to return to 1,200 calories. I have a few questions based on all of this, the first is have I just trashed my metabolism so much at this point that loosing has become more difficult, or is it more because I'm trying to do too much at once? I really love weightlifting, but if I had to pick between getting stronger and fat loss I'd pick fat loss at the moment, I'm still about 20-30lbs overweight. Is there a way to continue lifting while making my main focus fat loss? How? As I'm eating at a deficit and working out 4-5 times a week and not loosing I'm more confused than anything. Actually, I've been keeping track of my measurements and BF% and it seems like I'm actually gaining inches and fat. My lifts are starting to get hard, in fact today I fell short on my bench press. But I'm afraid that if I eat at maintenance or even a slight surplus that I'll just have fat gain considering that I'm maintaining at 1,700 right now. Help! I'm so confused!

Today marks my first full week of IF (16/8) and I'm down from 180lbs to 175.5 so far. I'm 5'9" and 40 years old, my calorie intake has been around 1700-1800 per day with 150-165g protien daily. I'm "skinny-fat", I can grab about a 3" fist full of fat from around my belly button but I can feel it getting firmer by the day. I bought some calipers this weekend and after taking several measurements I've concluded that I'm in the 30% range for both chest and stomach. Flubbery... My only workouts have been fasted intervals on a treadmill 3x week, 50 pushups every other day, and 25lb kettlebell squats. Starting this week I'm doing the basic bodyweight circuit. My goal is to get down to 165lbs and develop my back, chest and legs. My diet has been mostly home made soups (beans, veggies, turkey kielbasa, Beef and Barley.) eggs, chicken, fish, broccoli, green beans, lamb chops, whey protien shakes, and sometimes 1-2 glasses of dry red wine just before 6pm. Am I eating enough? What's a good protien target? Thanks for any help. Eric

Okay, I had to abandon the last challenge after a few weeks due to an injury, but this time I am back and I am going to finish. I am going to succeed, and I will keep a diet and exercise log here. Sugar is the enemy that I need to defeat, and she hides insides drinks and waits for me.... Sugar came back today despite my best efforts. I had 2 eggs with coconut milk, kale and beef mince for breakfast, but I went out for dinner and had a baked potato with beef chilli and then chocolate fudge cake AND a pitcher of cocktail for dinner Luckily, I followed dinner with a session at the gym and I lunged and did chest flys with heavier weights than I have ever used before (12kg total). I followed that up by burning 500 calories on the lateral something machine- I thought I was going to die and had to let go as my heart rate was so high that the machine was freaking out. Sugar is now on the run, but I will find her and I will catch her and when I do I will go all Liam Neeson on her ass. Tomorrow is a new day and although it will take every tool in my arsenal to succeed, I am sure that this is a battle that I can win. I'll post measurements and progress pictures in the morning. Goals! Challenge One- Liquid- Drink 4 litres of water a day. This seems like a lot but it stops me binging. Do or do not, there is no try, and this is an attainable goal, so I'm going to make it pass/fail, a pass being an A and a fail getting me no points. Challenge Two- Liquid- Seriously restrict my alcohol consumption and stick to Paleo drinks. This will mean one glass of red wine for pre-drinks and two shots of tequila in the club TWICE A WEEK AND NO MORE. I know this will be difficult, and so if I break it a few times I'll get a B, if I usually stick to these limits but go out more than twice a week I'll get a C, if I drink non-paleo drinks moderately I get a D and if I cut down my current consumption I get a D. Challenge Three- Air- I will get back into doing the splits. In order to do this I will do this video- three times a week. Challenge Four- Fire- I'm going to be strong and I'm going to conquer my fear of the weights room. I will lift heavier than I ever have before and I want to be lifting 25kg total by the end of this challenge. (I'm currently at 12kg). I will lift at least twice a week in order to achieve this goal, and once a week I will increase my weight load. ***BONUS CHALLENGE- Earth- I will do university work for four hours a day, because being fit will be a lot harder if I am un or underemployed after university. I am here to get a degree and so I can't forget the earthly challenges that I will face in my quest for greatness. I'm going to be twenty in a few months, so I need to grow up and start taking responsibility for my life. Wish me luck!

Hey there, I am a teen and I want to get in good shape. I've been a pescetarian for 4 years, have a "cholesterol level of a 2-year old", and am leading a continually active life (doing football conditioning currently). I want to shed off my fat and get swole. Can you help? Here are my stats: -15 -145lbs. -5'4.5 (as tall as I am getting) -Waist (from navel): 36 -Neck (from narrowest): 12 I am considering doing the Paleo diet. I only drink water. I don't know why I am so fat, it is probably because of the amount of carbs I eat, I assume. Help me out? Advice? Thanks, JHW35