This is it! The beginning!

[PhantomDingo]

Hi everyone,

 

I came across NerdFitness about a month ago when for some odd reason, after a huge session of Assassin's Creed on the Xbox, I googled 'how to train like an assassin'...and what d'you know? There was an article exactly about that on this site!

 

Since then, I have bought the Rebel Fitness Guide and have been on the Rookie Workout for the past 4 weeks. I also tried going Paleo but did the wrong thing going in head first, crashing out and feeling disheartened just 3 days later!

 

BUT, I'm ready to try again. Frankly, for those 3 days I WAS Paleo, I noticed a big difference in my energy levels, I noticed that I didn't feel 3 sizes bigger after eating, and I felt happy.

 

But I took on too much too soon. I'm very impatient by nature, and I'm pretty sure that had a huge part to play in my inability to stick to it. I also don't eat a lot of vegetables. I am trying new ones all the time and I have favourites that I stick to and eat a fair amount of but it's a slow process and honestly, I really don't like salad. I associate it with being bland and find it quite difficult to eat. So, as you can imagine, transitioning to a diet that focuses on an increased intake of vegetables and has salad with meals was bound to be difficult.

 

But I do know that this could be the way forward for me. I'm 5'8' and 229lbs. I'm heading to Rome in September for the first time and it's honestly the trip of a lifetime for me. So naturally, I don't want to look huge in my photos. I know that doesn't give me plenty of time and I'm not saying I want to be a size 12 by the time I go but I would like to be FIT. I'm tall(ish) and have always known that being super skinny was not only not an option (Honestly, super skinny not only doesn't appeal to me, but wouldn't suit my body frame) and I love women that simply look healthy, and are lean and strong. I want to be like that.

 

2 years ago I lost 2 stone whilst at University, but it was all cardio and low fat microwave meals. I may have lost 2 stone but my body fat ratio went nowhere, and after a back injury I lay off the gym and piled it all back on in about 4 months. I'm now a PhD student and my lack of energy is taking its toll on my ability to concentrate and get the work I need to do done to a high standard. How many times have I heard 'You have everything it takes to get a good grade here, but you don't seem to have put as much work in as you should have', knowing full well it's because I'm too lazy to go the extra mile?

 

Does anybody have any tips for how they transitioned to Paleo? Or anyone who found eating that much veg to be a struggle, and how they overcame it? Or even just how people got on the right path and started losing weight, whether Paleo or not?!

 

I'm an Ogre right now, but was a really slim child, and would love to be an Assassin or Druid in the future. I know they're very different, but I do love weights, I love sprinting (and would love to get back to a fitness level that would let me do that) but I'm also desperate to get into yoga. The few times I've tried it, I felt better for it and it really does help my back. I have friends who tell me how good it is for the mind, too, and I could really do with a bit of peace and quiet up there! Plus, I study Scottish medieval history for a living, and anything to do with druids is just plain awesome.

 

I'm really excited about this and I feel like 2013 is the year for it.

 

I'm ready to level up my life!

 

Catch you all later Any help is much appreciated!

 

PD 

 

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[stubbsmcgee]

Heya PD,

 

I don't have much experience with going Paleo (still working on it myself). But I've read through some stuff on it, and from what I remember, they said specifically that you'll want to ease into it. Something like making only 50% of the meals you eat for the first couple weeks Paleo and then working up from there.

 

I know exactly what you mean about the more energy and not feeling bloated as well. I ate Paleo for funny enough, 3 days and the same thing happened. It's also difficult for me because I'm having trouble getting my wife on board and she does most of the cooking right now. Oh well with the semester almost over, that'll change.

 

What are you studying?

 

Take luck!

[PhantomDingo]

Hey Stubbsmcgee!

 

Absolutely, I think I'm going to have to work on my impatience and try to ease into this. It's like Steve says, we're trying to make this a lifestyle change, not a quick fix! 

At the 3 day mark I had a kind of mood swing, I felt like it was too hard to constantly think about what I eat and what I need to have or buy to replace what I'd given up. I'd gone from eating bread (my favourite go-to snack) to having none at all! Not cool.

 

I'm the same as you in that, at least for the moment, I'm the only one in my family who is on board with the Paleo lifestyle so it was getting a bit expensive buying things  and then getting awkward when I had to cook a different meal to everyone else! I felt like I was stressing out the people around me because I was like 'No, I can't have that, it isn't Paleo' but I definitely want to give it another shot, just slower this time!

 

Are you a student too? Or do you work in academia? I'm studying the history of Scotland in the years 1300 to 1500. I adore it. 6 years come September I've been at the same Uni and in 2 years I will (hopefully) have a PhD! I wouldn't mind looking a bit more glamorous at my graduation than I have done these past 2 times, though.

 

Thank you for your luck. I really appreciate it! I'm sending a huge amount your way

 

PD

 

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[stubbsmcgee]

Heya PD,

 

Yeah, I'm a student as well. I'm finishing up the current semester in a couple weeks and then taking the summer off. Then I'm going back to finish my last semester in the fall, speaking of which, I need to apply for graduation. As far as what I'm studying, my degree has ended up becoming an amalgamation of Social Sciences. Mostly Psychology and Sociology with a sprinkling of Family, Child, and Human Development. Which is somewhat strange since I originally wanted to study Computer Science when I started, but alas Algebra and I don't get along. Oh well, as much as I love tech, people are a lot more interesting. It also feeds into my passion for the martial arts so I guess everything works out in the end.

 

It's the martial arts that are really my fuel for wanting to get back into shape. I've wanted to do stuff with them professionally, but realized I need to get myself back into shape (got busy with school and a dead end job for a few years and so I didn't have much time for anything else). This year started off well, I got a job back that I absolutely love (testing robots) and I realized how close I am to graduating.

 

Thanks for sending the vibes my way!

 

If you want to checkout my progress as I go along I'm documenting it on my blog NerdJutsu.com for accountability sake (and because it gives me something to write about on a regular basis).

 

Have a good one!

[Morning_Witch]

That is pretty much the same way I found nerd fitness. I googled "train to be a superhero." I wish I could give you some tips on going paleo, but after joining this site, I realized thats pretty much how I eat most of the time anyway, except with less meat and more super-sweetened coffee.   So the transition's not that big for me. One of the most common meals in my house is omelets and frittatas. I love eggs for protein because they come in these nice little single serving packages. Then I load them up with frozen spinach, onions, mushrooms, green chile, tomatoes, olives, and some cottage cheese. They are super easy to make and they are delicious (really, I hate cooking and I'm not very good at). Salads don't have to be bland, either. Here are some of the things I like to use often in my salads: avocado, strawberries, walnuts, radishes, bell pepper, kidney beans, and balsamic vinegar. 

 

I hope that gives you some ideas for getting more vegetables. Best of luck!

 

BTW, nice pic. 

[Keelan]

I can't really speak for going paleo, but as a salad-shunning vegan: green smoothies are amazing. Basically some sort of liquid-ish base (i use almond milk, but i've seen others use everything from plain water to Greek yogurt) + plenty of leafy greens + a bit of fruit/berries.

My favourite as of late is 6oz almond milk + ~6oz kale + a banana + a sprinkling of chia seeds. Looks like some sort of swamp concoction, tastes great, gives a goodly amount of energy, is entirely unlike salad.

(The problem then becomes getting paleo almond milk, because the storebought stuff is full of additives. It's not overly difficult to make it but if i were going paleo, i'd probably take the easier route of swapping it with water, maybe adding a bit more veggies/fruit/berries if a straight water substitute results in a bland watery smoothie.)

[stubbsmcgee]

So PD, what about Scottish history during 1300-1500 do you find so interesting?

 

Finally getting settled into my new apartment! I bought some veggies, and juiced them (first time I've used my juicer in a bit). I think I found something comparable to Jamba Juice's Apple's and Greens (my personal favorite).

• 4 Red Delicious Apples
• 3 Cucumbers
• 1 Bunch of Celery
• 1 Bunch of Kale

Freaggin' delicious! Here's to veggies! Nom nom nom!

 

Yeah PD that picture is pretty sweet!

[PhantomDingo]

Hey everyone! 

 

Thank you so much for your wonderful replies. I always do double shifts on a Sunday so I apologize for the delayed replies! But to each of you:

 

Hey again Stubbs! First of all, I'll be following your blog as of this evening! I LOVE reading other people's experiences. I do have a blog (very new) but it's really taking a while to get into it because my schedule is so hectic, so when I get it fully up and running (for example, setting aside one hour per few days to update it) you'll have to drop by Your course sounds great! I also had a friend that started out in computer science strangely enough, and then went into psychology and sociology. He was the same, in that although he had a great interest in tech he realized it wasn't for him.

 

I love that your subject also feeds into your love of martial arts. That's a fantastic position to be in! It's also, like you say, a great motivation for getting your fitness back on track! One thing I've noticed is that when we (the collective 'we' that is) start working, or studying or anything that consumes inordinate amounts of our time (I know the dead end job feeling, I work in a supermarket right now to support myself when I'm at Uni. Seriously, it's soul destroying, 6 years of scanning other people's shopping takes its toll...) then the fitness regime is always the first thing that we sacrifice! We don't do it intentionally I think, I know for me it just started as 'Oh I don't really have time for it today...' then that turned into a few months and all the weight I'd lost came back on! But now that I have Rome to look forward to in September, I can get back on track!

 

As far as my own subject goes, I just LOVE how romantic Scottish History is. I'm Scottish, so love that I'm learning my own history, and I was furious they never taught it to us when we were in school! Our own history! It seemed ridiculous, so I sought after it at a higher level and this year marks my 6th year of it In a nutshell, I love the kings, the queens, the politics of it all, learning about our medieval landscape and how it has changed between then and now, and how the nobility and the people lived and interacted with one another! Plus, there are some amazing battles which is always interesting!

 

That's so great about your new apartment! I love moving to a new place! I am also really keen to try out your juiced veg/apple mix! I'm really into things that are easy to prepare and easy to transport (because I travel a lot between Uni and home and the archives in Edinburgh).

 

I'm really excited to see how you get on! Also, that's really cool you get to test robots! How did you come by a job like that?! It's so unusual

 

Also, I adore that picture. No idea where I found it, but delighted I did haha.

 

Take care pal, catch you soon!

 

Hey Morning_Witch! Thank you so much for the advice! You're like me, I'm a bit of an egg fiend. I absolutely love them and would you believe I've been eating omelettes for years and it was only 4 weeks ago that I tried making one with veg in it?! Shocking! But I tried it with tomatoes and onions but found the tomatoes got a bit soggy after a while so wasn't really that appetising...

 

I'm really intrigued with you putting strawberries in your salads...I think I have this standard image of salads as just being boring, some lettuce, some onions...you know the type...but if there were strawberries involved I could be persuaded to get on that bandwagon! 

 

Also, I have no idea how I came across that picture, but my my it makes it a bit easier going Paleo...

I hope to hear from you again!

Hey Keelan! Thank you so much for your suggestions! I'm really keen to try them out! Now, I've never had almond milk before but obviously it is the go-to if you're going paleo so I guess I should man up and try some, and then try using water and then compare So, when adding fruit to your leafy greens, does the taste of the fruit mask the taste of the greens? Don't get me wrong, I do LIKE the taste of greens (some...like Kale, which I love...which is probably why I struggle with salads, because I seem reluctant to give lettuce a chance haha) but you know, I'm not sure I could cope with a kale aftertaste first thing in the morning   

 

Thank you so much, catch you soon!

 

Thank you again everyone, I really appreciate your advice and tips, especially fruit and veg combos to use in my blender

 

PD

 

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[Keelan]

Yep, the fruit usually covers the greens. Or at least it covers kale.

 

Mustard greens, on the other hand… Y'know what, just don't use mustard greens. They are, uh. They are not smoothie greens.

[stubbsmcgee]

Heya PD,

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, thought I had this configured to send me updates on things every day. Oh well guess I still need to tweak it and figure it out.

 

Anyway, yeah I'll have to check out your blog, what's the address?

 

That would be pretty infuriating, not teaching you about your own history.

 

As far as my job goes, I worked for the same company for a couple years but got laid off back in 2008 after the economy had really hit the shitter. But the VP of the company was one of my Karate students back in 2005-2006 (wow, has it been that long?!?). I was studying programming at the local tech college and we ended up having a few conversations about tech and stuff, then one night he offered me a job testing robots. So I said yeah, why not? I guess I did a really good job while I was there because even though they laid me off, I still kept in touch with the CEO and the VP and the COO remembered me, so I put in a resume and they all put their blessing on it and I got my job back (with a sizable pay increase!).

 

Thus has begun the year I start taking my life and actually start living!

 

In other news I've started teaching a Wing Chun Kung Fu class! Just one night a week right now, but I'll probably push it to a couple nights a week after a few weeks and my Karate Instructor also wants me to teach American Kenpo. So hell yeah! Should help with getting in shape even more, not to mention really help build a lifestyle of fitness.

 

With regard to lettuce, get the dark green stuff. Iceberg is teh suck! I love redleaf and romaine.

 

Later!

 

Stubbs