C'mon People, We're Making it Now! - My Design 4 Life! OS

[IronGlider]

@ashcension: Nice to meet someone who knows the feeling! Thank you so much for the kind words, really it means the world to me! Yeah it's really challenging and I know almost no one who can do it in person but I know it's possible, I know there is a way to make a sustainable lifestyle!

I really been giving it my all to keep good habits and good routines for life, even if a difficult scenario/situation stumbles across into my life, and it certainly will, but I've gotta be resilient and ready for whatever may happen or come ahead, and either evade or work with those situations.

Fortunately in my 7th week, I've found things to require less effort as things are improving and the benefits are starting to rake in. I'm working towards things becoming almost second nature, so you don't even have to apply much thought to it.

Eating's certainly become much easier, exercise however sometimes requires a little more motivation to start, but I always feel good once I get going. I think it depends on the time really. I like doing exercise either early or late in the day, but not in the middle.

Overall, I just gotta remember the benefits and the notions behind doing this for my body and longterm health. Its been a little easier to forget this because my asthma's getting progressively worse now, because of the winter. :-( But in time I'm sure it will, this is all learning and refining...

Anyway, my wellbeing has improved, and this is another vital component. Finally, im happy with the big diifferences in the space of two weeks... :-)

For anyone who's on their journey of change, just remember, it might be difficult initially, this is when you need your motivation, but then when you ease into the swing of things, its a great feeling and it'll only be a matter of time.

Also worth noting, within that ease of timeframe is another great opportunity to try something new and challenging. Intermittent fasting has been a real life changer to me and has really helped make things simple + sustainable.

[ashcension]

It's great that you're able to identify when working out feels good for you and when you're resistant to it. I think it's best to go with what feels more natural/easeful to you and screw trying to work out in the middle of the day! That could mean just waking up 30 minutes earlier to make it consistent, which actually isn't so bad after a week or so! Thank you for continuing to put your good energy out there, rocking the challenge thus far, and hope your week 3 is going well

[IronGlider]

Sunday Diagnostics:

 

Okay, I'm officially 2 months into my brand new NF lifestyle, and I'm feeling great!

 

So, this weeks been pretty packed and eventful, in addition to spending time with family. I'm happy to announce that I've lost a whopping 3lbs this week, putting me at approx. 244.2lbs, leaving me at just 4.2lbs left to reach within the rest of my 6 weeks challenge goal. 

I had a great Sunday, and surprisingly, it was the first one I had where I didn't even look forward to eating at anytime or to be more lenient food-wise. I would've happily fasted, but I didn't as I always want to shock the body, enjoy the day for what it is and continue for it to be a celebratory weekly event, and to not erupt any potential urges for next week.

 

I also made quinoa pizza today, yippe! I was really looking forward to it! :-) It took a while, but it looked great and everyone liked it. Here's a pic (WARNING: Looks like real pizza!) http://imageshack.com/a/img41/1333/s8l0.jpg

 

Overall I initially liked it as it was rich and tasty, but quinoa or not, pizza tastes like pizza, and shortly after (even with fruit and tea) I feel like groggy like I use to feel when having pizza a long time ago. It didn't bring back any nice feelings I gotta say, and it certainly doesn't make me physically feel healthy or neutral. I'm happy that I did it though, and tomorrow I look forward to fasting, eating healthy and resuming my routine. I think I can write-off pizza for the rest of my life, that's certainly how I feel about it now... (p.s. I had 3 slices, with family members having the rest plus the second batch)

 

Month in Report (60 Days in):

 

Okay, 2 months is definitely the longest that I've stuck to anything regarding Health/Fitness/Well-being, so I'm really happy with how things have progressed and how I feel in the moment.

 

This month felt like a major leap from the previous month. I got into intermittent fasting, and it's revolutionised and changed my life, forever. I genuinely felt nothing like this feeling could ever come and I'm so thankful it has.The method I've been using is called 'lean-gains' (fasting from 8pm to 3pm the next day and then eat dinner at 7pm).

 

As my dear fellows may have known from prior post results, fasting has really helped with the amount of weight I lose per week, usually between 2-3lbs. Discovering this month has been an incredible turn-over, as I was previously worried at the end of the first month if I could sustain this without a higher consumption of protein, given that i'm vegetarian and my body doesn't like protein shakes. 

 

It took fasting and the discovery and combination of foods to counteract this. I've made many types of food using Quinoa, which is high in complete proteins. Also other foods that were successful from the prior month, like soba noodles and lentils. On top of this was coming up with creative methods for recipes where I create a protein-packed meal (e.g. Quinoa Omelette) overall, I'm happy with the protein options and intake so far...

 

Exercising this month has been great! I moved to level 2 and I definitely feel stronger and more capable from it, in addition to strangely feel lighter. Interval jogging progress has been slow, and it's been especially difficult transitioning from indoor to outdoor and also in the cold (as it conflicts with my asthma...)

 

Speaking of which, my asthma's unfortunately gone worse this month, but it's because of the winter season. Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do, but I did completely clean my room and considerably reduced the amount of 'stuff' I had, which has improved my well-being and even asthma a little (no more darn dust anywhere either!)

 

But yeah, I've felt so focused and happier. I really think fast especially has the power to change so much about the person's mindset, approach and body. My life feels considerably simpler and more energetic. I really enjoy savouring what I have more and I try not to use my phone/tablet or anything, just focus on every bite.

 

Anyways, lets get TECHIE!

 

Bodyware & OS Firmware Updates:

 

+ Increased Focus +1

+ Increased Resilience +2

+ Increased Stamina +2

+ Increased Strength +1

+ Increased Discipline +1

 

Bugs Removed: 0

 

Lack of Natural Sources of Energy

 

Bugs Improved Temp:

 

GPS tracker faulty
Navigation driver fault
Decreased cognition functions
High Stress Output

 

Weight Loss This Month: 9.8lbs

 

Weight Loss Total: 20.5lbs

 

Pounds left to burn: 69.2lbs (Goal to reach: 175lbs - 165lbs)

 

 

Closing notes: Going to start laying out the plans for the next month. I just want to say a BIG thankyou to everyone here in the rebellion! You guys are truly fantastic and the support has really been inormative and motivating. I really look forward to bringing you guys another great month of results, hopefully next time I'll be in the 23Xlbs zone :-) 

 

Also, if you need anymore info or if I can help in anyway, I'd be really happy to do so. 

 

Stay healthy and nerdy, folks! ;-)

[ashcension]

Great job IronGlider!!! Great to see you steadily kicking butt You've inspired me to consider integrating quinoa back into my diet. Quinoa omelette sounds great. For the quinoa pizza, did you use cheese/what kind of cheese?

[IronGlider]

@ashcension Thanks for the support! :-) I used mild cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. 

 

It initially tasted good, but I've gotta say, it later made me feel groggy (like pizza usually makes me feel) I was an exciting project, but I don;t think I'll be making it again for myself, there are better lenient foods to have on Sundays that don't make you feel this way imo (like Omelettes)

 

P.S. Image FIXED!

[ashcension]

Ooo that looks like a good pizza. Yes, I know what you mean about the groggy feeling. I loooove cheese but it always makes me feel super heavy. I bought a light gouda not too long ago but it tasted like cardboard =/

[IronGlider]

Month in Report (3 months in)

 

So another busy and great month has passed, and so far all's well.

 

So for this month I'm proud to announce that this month I've lost approx. 6.8lbs, putting my total weight at 237.4lbs with 27.7lbs burned so far, which is approx. one third of my goal towards settling in the healthy BMI range.

 

Events: So this month’s been pretty busy as you can imagine! I’ve been going through the crunch period which has been really testing, as prior to NF attempts at healthy living this is how I’ve always relapsed.

 

Week 1: I started implementing 24hr fasts on Mondays, at first it was really quite hard, but then it became less of a challenge. I does feel good doing it though, and the regular fasts I’ve do on the other 5 days of the week have truly become a habit as this point. It feels good because I don’t have to think about eating until those times and I also feel in control and clear minded.

 

Week 2: Okay, crunch period time! It was hard, and I was at work most of the time and had to resort to interval joggings for most of the week as I didn't have most of my equipment in hand. For the first time, I began to feel like I had more stamina, and could run much more easily and not get asthma, which was a good feeling. I think the major loss in weight this week was that I did a 24hr fast twice too.

 

Week 3: So, here's the week where relatives start pouring in. I went out for a meal at an indian restaurant once with the family and had good food, though I did have white-flour naan breads which...yeah. Also, this week was the first I which I lost 0lbs, like, I was literally the same weight as I was the week before. I remember reading that this can happen in one of your articles so I wasn't discouraged, because I was only lenient on that one day. I just wanted to see whether it would continue to the week after, which it didn't thankfully, nut it did make me realise that I had to kick things up a notch.

 

Week 4: So yeah, this week was surprisingly good for me. I decided to do 2 24hr fasts on xmas eve and xmas day, so that I could have some of the family-cooked foods like brown rice, since I don't usually have carbs like this. I had a great time with the relatives, and I felt confident and happy to starting the new year with already a third of the goal completed, and a practical plan on how to achieve this and make this a possibility, thanks to NF! :-)

 

Fitness: I also started NF level 3 this week to prepare for the new year, and man it is cool, but challenging. I can't even do a side plank yet! So I just did the normal one. Plus I'm not allowed to have a pull-up bar in my apartment nor at home for the holidays, which sucks cause I also live far from a park. Also I can't even do the lat-pulldowns as I have nothing to grip the rope with, so I've been doing more one arm DB rows instead. I hate having to butcher the exercise plan, so I'm trying so see if there is anything else I can do. I don't wanna stick with NF Level 2 for the rest of my life! :-(

 

Food: Foods been more of the same really, I've been relying on quinoa and soba noodles with mixed vegetables and meat-free products alongside herbal teas, and all's good here. I've been experimenting with lots of quinoa recipes with has made things interesting from the start.

 

Wellbeing: Great! Asthma feels better even if the harsh winter has been cruel to it. Generally I can breathe better than I ever could before, the airways just feel very clear and clean, and in turn this has increased my happiness in day to day life. I'm also doing all that I can to improve my asthma, including using a miswak brush during the day and breathing exercises. 

 

Level Up:

+ Learned 24hr Fasting (Utilised on multiple occasions)

+ Completed my first 6 week Challenge on NF

+ Exercise NF Level 3 Workout

+ Increased Stamina

+ Asthma less frequent/more resistant

+ Productivity Evolved!

+ Efficiency Evolved (Improvements in Evernote)

+ Miswak used daily

+ Flawless Month

-6.8lbs (1/3 of BMI goal complete)

  

Weight Stats:

08/12/2013 241.8lbs (-2.4) F: 35.9% W: 44.8%
15/12/2013 239.0lbs (-2.8)
22/12/2013 239.0lbs (0) F: 34.6%
29/12/2013 237.4lbs (-1.6) (=6.8)

 

 

Conclusion: 3 months in and I've been feeling the difference for sure. I've enjoyed ace-ing the 6 weeks challenge with flying colours! I genuinely felt at the end it was something to be proud of. I couldn't really ask for more coming towards the end of the year really. I'm glad that I've already made a start to things now and not 'later' post-uni like I've been saying prior NF for so long. The feeling of just being neutral is truly the best feeling in the world!

 

Again, thanks for all your guys/gals support during the month!

Now I shall present you my most listened song so far during my entire post-NF life. I’ve been listening to the song in the mornings/afternoon, and I love it sooo much! Richard Ashcroft is one of my favourite singers, and this song is just sooo immensely positive I can’t stop listening to it! I love the lyrics sooo much!

 

http://youtu.be/9PEu2TyI-Nw

 

Wish for the very best to all NF readers and hope 2014 is a successful year for all!

[ReachingForTheStars]

Wow!  So impressed by your progress!  You are looking AMAZING.  I see an NF success story in the making.

[IronGlider]

Thanks for your reply ReachfortheStars, really means a lot that you can see that progress is visible.

Things this year are going to be challenging when things get busy and the going gets tough, but with NF and 3 months of developing this habit I genuinely believe that this time I can do it.

And if I somehow can't... I know NF will keep me in high spirits, so that restores my hope no matter what. But as of now, I can safely say that I am 100% committed to my cause, there are too many things I've done already and have felt the benefits that this is worth it. Living for the past 3 months, no matter some of the initial difficulties, has been easier then it ever has been.

I wish I could have the words that truly inspire the reader, but believe me, this has been so worth it, and it all came from a single moments notice, a simple weak thought that can very easily be shirked or dismissed. And now that single thought is growing, thriving and is now a reality thanks to a combination of things, especially NF who have made this dream a reality and sustainable. I can't thank you guys enough, but I am very thankful for everything that's happened, and I shall make sure to not forget it. Ever.

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk

[IronGlider]

Okay, so I haven't posted since the 1st, so I'm going to go through the past week as quickly as I can:

 

01/01/14: Fasted till 6pm (22.5hrs), went to an Indian Restaurant with the family, ate loads, good food but puked a little when I came home :-(, only walking on this day. Overall enjoyed the day.

 

02/01/14: Did a 24hr fast, and my second workout in Level 3 session in the morning, following what exactly the numbers of what was written, since I'm early in Level 3. Healthy eating on this day too!

 

03/01/14: Did a standard 19hr fast, 20min indoor interval jogging, and healthy eating!

 

04/01/14: Did a 24hr fast, and my first workout in Level 3 session in the morning, following what I felt I was capable of doing. It was hard, but I got through it. Healthy eating on this day too!

 

05/01/14: Lenient day! Went to another restaurant to congratulate my bro (hopefully the last restaurant I have to go to in a long time!) enjoyed the day!

[IronGlider]

Sunday Diagnostics 05/01/2014:

Despite eating a shedload on New Years day with the family, I'm happy to announce that this week I've lost 3.2lbs putting me at approx. 234.2lbs. 

 

To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting this kind of result, considering the last time I ate at a restaurant near last Xmas (a couple of weeks ago) I lost nothing that week.

 

Perhaps the 2x 24hr fasting and the Level 3 workouts really did kick things up a notch from a couple of weeks ago.

 

One things for sure, the body works in mysterious ways :-/ a loss is a loss! :-) 

 

Looking forward to the next challenge! Bring it on!

[Rookie]

Finally broke down and bought a scale off amazon haha. Thought I would let you know. Great job on the weight loss

[IronGlider]

Okay guys/gals, it’s been yet another month of Intermittent Fasting, Healthy Eating, EXErcise and most importantly... progress. Lets go! :-)

For this month, I'm proud to announce that I've lost approx. 9.4lbs, putting my total body weight at 228lbs with my total weight loss at 36.7lbs since the start of my NF lifestyle.
 
The Weeks: I’ve had a little bit of drama going on this month that I’ve covered in my daily battle log, but I won’t be explaining it here because it’s a really long story, and it drags. Just know that there were highs and (definitely) lows.

And during the worst of it, the way I would’ve handled/coped it in the past was to comfort eat. Moments like this don't happen often these days, but when they do, what did I use to do before? As I walked through town, the distinct smell of bakery triggered a response from me, "You want this! You need this! It will make you feel better. It's good for your soul"! Then came a memory of the one day I had no food for breaking my fast around mid November, when craving into the like of Subway. I searched Evernote to see how I felt after I ate it, and to quote myself:

"Gotta say it may initially taste good, but man fresh it isn't! It gives you a horrible starchy, tired wrecked feeling. I really isn’t worth it :-( It’s a mess man...†And then, I dismissed that temporary desire, sat myself down at a cafe and broke my fast (at the right time!) with coffee and a banana.

I've found this strategy useful to debunk the things I use to find tasty during my diet. That subway one was an example. I also did the same with mountain dew energy that my nephew bought without knowing about my lifestyle changes. It was on a Sunday (a day in the week in which I'm lenient) and I decided to have a quarter of the can so I can debunk that too by tracking how I felt after drinking. It wasn't pretty, I was feeling neutral and initially it tasted good, but man it just feels alien inside. I didn't help watching a crappy movie at the time (47 Ronin) but that irregular heartbeat is nasty!

A few days after, I had to pay a hefty amount of student loans, to the point which for that week and a bit I couldn't afford the food I get in the short term. I was scared at first, but then I just thought "hey, do you really need to hold onto those games you don't like much/will ever play?" so I sold a couple and have been getting cheaper versions of what I usually get (e.g. egg noodles instead of buckwheat soba) and hey, things still worked out fine. It didn't help that it was a tough week, but my mind managed to sustain itself, with "I'm happy to be in this position, be alive and learn from it". This is a new feeling. It's embracing difficulty. I've not really been positive prior-NF, and would just panic and make things worse. I've really benefited from NF!

Overall a tough month, but that's just life happening. I've essentially truly learnt that there are things in life you just can't control (dealing with negativity from others/down moments), so it's essential to control the things you can (what I eat when that happens/how it affects the rest of the day/exercise instead of curling up in bed, even on the days you’re not up for it)

I would say I'm the weakest person I know, like I'm made of debris, and going through this month has had its challenges, but the "20 second of courage" has really become a useful life tool. I've found many occasions since reading about it where I've done things I would have never done. Amazing!

Fitness: Level 3's going swell! And I'm getting slightly better at running, even if it is indoors!
Last week I managed to perform my first ever proper pushup! I managed to do 5! And then 8 the next day! It feels like my head is about to explode towards the end... amazing!

Also made my first investment (with what little I have) and instead of rewarding oneself with a gadget or game I got... a pull up bar! Whoop! (Don’t tell my landlord!) I set it up (despite how rubbish the manual was! Man, they should really explain the essentials clearly and not the useless stuff like crappy diets tips from XYZ!) And to no surprise, I can't do a pull up. I can hang for about 2 sec though! It was exciting, a new goal, and a new target! Unfortunately Irfaan v1.3 can't do it, so I instead use it for lat pulldowns.

 

 

"Not today kid, but it doesn't mean you have to like it!" Maybe Irfaan v1.9 can perform a single pull-up, we'll see how things unfold!

Food: Good, despite cuts in food budget, been sticking to the same-ish balanced stuff. My appetite has definitely lowered. I still intermittent fast 6x times a week, with at least 1 (or 2 max) days fasting for 24hrs, working well as I haven't missed a day from the day of learning about it in the end of v1.0.

Wellbeing: My wellbeing is slightly rocky, but I'm considerably more resilient than before, as the events above show.

Asthma: I'm glad to say that the general airways/breathing have improved dramatically, and that for the past 4-ish days, I haven't had a severe/mild attack. I've not even had to use it before/during/after exercise! BIG-FREAKING WHOOOOP!!! Things were bad pre-NF, were good shortly after and was then became worse for me after the first month of my post-NF lifestyle due to winter, I was thinking "hmmm, is winter going? Is that why I feel better?" but the temp/weather remains unchanged, so the only thing that has must be me! :-) I am sooo damn HAPPY about this! I would do everything I'm doing now just for this to stay as it has for the past few days and/or improve. AMAZING!

v1.4 Updates:

+ Completion of .inR Arrow
+ Using a Belt for loosened trousers
+ 8x Proper Push Up Performed!
+ 20 seconds of Courage/Jumpstart mode
+ Consistent Exercise Routine
+ Improved Asthma/Airways/Breathing
+ Breathing Meditation Built into Routine

Weight Stats:

05/01/2014 234.2lbs (-3.2) F: 33.5%
12/01/2014 231.4lbs (-2.8) F: 32.6%
19/01/2014 228.0lbs (-3.4) F: 31.7%
28/01/2014 228.0lbs (0) F: 31.8% (Total=9.4lbs)

Exercise Stats (Benchmarks):

(weights @15kg)
Jump Squat 3x30
Bent Over DB Row 3x23
Deadlift 3x30
Reverse Crunch 3x30
Incline Push Ups 3x30
Hip Raises 3x30

Side Lunge 4x25 w/ weights
Overhead Dumbell Press 4x20
Step Ups with Kickback 4x25
Plank 4x70sec
One arm Dumbell Row 3x25, 1x30 / Lat Pulldown 4x40
Reverse Crunch 4x25

Picture Update:

 

 

Conclusion: That's a wrap with v1.4! Thanks for reading + your support, I really REALLY appreciate it!

Music of the Month: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUYhK9b00yc]Click here I've been listening to mostly epic stuff to get me through the rough month and to keep me going. Love the lyrics of this song, despite the film it's from being total pants! (Well, at least it's entertaining...right?)

[IronGlider]

Okay fellow nerds, time for an update! Introducing Irfaan (IronGlider) v1.5!

 

"And in this duration, thanks to the key innovations and principles brought forward from Kamb the man, I'm proud to announce that in the past 4 weeks, I've lost approx. 6.6lbs, putting my total bodyweight at approx. 221.4lbs, my total weightloss at 43.3lbs (under 2lbs away from the halfway checkpoint!) and my Fat at 29.9% and Muscle at 35.5%.

 

And well, many surprising things have happened this month, especially in regard to my stats and performance, so lets go!

 

Events: So yeah, these last 4 weeks so far hasn't been anywhere near as hectic as the the start to January, quite thankfully. The first challenge of the year has come to an end, and like the prior one, I emerged victorious and eager to start the next! For my next one, I'm concentrating on finishing my design portfolio and website by the end of the 6 weeks (FYI, this will be a lot of work!) it also means I will have to post a picture of myself on there. This was really hard for me to do so I was going to wait in till the very end to do it, but I've had to do one earlier for my pending publications, and you what? Never have I felt happier to take a photo, prior-NF I would of really dreaded this task and very likely I would of been displeased with the end results. But not this time, and it wasn't necessarily because I appeared thinner, but because I seemed genuinely happier in the photo and I felt I was marking a special time period in this entire lifequest.

 

This is definitely a new feeling, and one I can appreciate at this stage of being v1.5.

 

The Weeks: So, what else did these 4 weeks bring? Getting much closer to that HALFWAY CHECKPOINT! In a matter of fact, if you look at weight stats, you will see how one could expect to reach it by the 22nd, as on the 16th I was just half a away pound away from reaching it, but suprise suprise I experienced my first weight-gain ever to which I'm now 1.7lbs away from the halfway checkpoint. And I can make a good guess as to why!

 

On Sunday 16th, after finding out "wow! just half a pound away from halfway!" I became a little cocky that day and thought "I'm so gonna be able to lose that 0.5lbs, might as well be super lenient on my rest day!" and so as I was having a fun day with my sister, I opened myself to just trying all sorts that day so I could chillax, try new things and document new stuff in my post-NF Junk Journal. And on that day, I went from IronGlider to human dustbin, and tried all the different things my sister bought, including different flavours of ice cream, a slice of chocolate cake, home made meat-free panini burgers, a samosa, a chocolate flapjack, an HUGE omelette, a white-floured naan bread, hell I even had BABY FOOD!

 

As I was taking pictures of the food and writing down my experiences in real time (usually finding things 'too rich' etc) by the end of that day I realised how I just shamelessly ate like a king! Needless to say I had a really fun day and I felt like I mentally experienced the 'halfway checkpoint' without actually having to physically reach it. Many memories that day I felt like I could take to the grave (not literally of course, that would be hideous!) and tried food, most of which I wouldn't of ever bought for myself for costs alone. But yeah, the following day I found myself doing a 24hr fast just because I was still carrying an abundance of energy from the day prior. It was insane, and will only strengthen me as I begin charting my way for the last half of this lifequest and burn the remaining 45lbs+. 

 

Needless to say, it seems that an entire week of fasting 19hr+, healthy eating and workout/jogging cannot undo what was essentially a single day of binge, not even on my rest day! Well, I've definitely lived and learned a tale or two there! xD

 

Fitness: I switched my routine in the last 3 weeks from level 3 outcast to outsider, and let me just say that outsider totally rules! No more step ups with kickback, yay! It's all been going well, and now in since the last 2 weeks I can now FINALLY perform a side plank, as I've really struggled with doing this in prior levels and just did the normal plank instead. I can only seem to do 45sec of side plank, but it's a start! Also push ups are hard! Captain Obvious I know, but man, my current threshold is like 11 in a row, and by the end it's like my heads gonna explode! I'm sure I'll get better hang of it, speaking of hang, I still can't perform a pullup unsuprisingly, but I can seem to hang on there for longer than before. 

 

Food: Been eating the same vegetarian stuff as usual, although when my Mom comes over she's always quite insistant on making me try meat (she always kinda been like this) and when pushed, I can try (very) small strips of chicken or lamb. I pretty much did this to make her feel content, she keeps thinking I'll become weak because of all the intermittent fasting I'm doing :-/ All the other types of meats though (like fish or beef) I would vomit upon it being near me. So otherwise, I've been having my usual, though I've noticed I've been having a smaller apetite and I have been eating less than I've ever had before, but still balanced. Have still kept the same regime and haven't broken my chain of doing 6x fasts and 6x healthy/balanced meals a week.

 

Wellbeing: Better than it was the month before, but I haven't been challenged by any strong emotions or upset about anything. 

 

Asthma: Same as it was in January, still good! Those interval jogging sessions at home especially help with general circulation and breathing, so I definitely enjoy pushing it with them. I also had an asthma check up a couple of days ago after a year, and my GP was really pleased to see that I'm making a concious effort to be healthy, and I can now breath better on the peakflow, so... yay! I came out with the affirmation that I was indeed progressing with the right lifestyle than I ever was in my pre-NF life. I'm extremely thankful to have access the right advice and information from NerdFitness, as it's the only source of information (along with the references provided) that I've used and needed to make this kind of progress so far. :-)

 

Weight Stats:

 

02/02/2014 225.6lbs (-2.4) F: 31.0%

09/02/2014 223.2lbs (-2.4) F: 30.7%
16/02/2014 220.2lbs (-3.0) F: 29.7% M: 35.6%
22/02/2014 221.4lbs (+1.2) F: 29.9% M: 35.5% (Total=6.6lbs)

 

EXErcise Stats (Current Benchmarks):

 

(Weights @15kg)

Deadlift 1x40, 3x30
Bent Over DB Row 4x20
Walking Lunge 4x20
Side Plank 4x40sec
Overhead Dumbell Press 4x20
Reverse Crunch 4x30

 

Overhead Squats 3x20
Proper Push Ups 2x11, 1x5, 1x6 (Again, these are still quite a struggle, especially toward the end)
Step Ups with External Rotation 3x20
Plank 3x70sec
Lat Pulldown 3x70

Reverse Crunch 3x30

 

v1.5 Updates:

 

+ Completion of my 2nd Challenge

+ 45sec Side Planks Performed!

+ Asthma/Airways/Breathing  Improvements

+ Skin Improvements

+ Confidence (w/ Photos)

 

Picture Progress v1.5: 

 

 

Conclusion: So, I'm sure that by v1.6 I will (hopefully) reach the halfway checkpoint, but fear not I have celebrated it more than enough last Sunday, and with the upcoming challenge. I'm going to be planning and doing what's sensibly necessary to keep moving forward and upping the difficulty where necessary so that I don't get complacent! 

 

So, until the next time, take care everyone! I'm totally ready for this next challenge!

 

[Killyourfeet]

Awesome dude! Glad to see you're still kickin butt always good to celebrate every once in awhile you earned it

[Guzzi]

Subbed

[IronGlider]

@Guzzi Thanks! ;-)

 

Month-in review: Ladies and Gentle-nerds, introducing... IronGlider v1.6!

 

So in the past 4 weeks, I've lost approximately 6.6lbs (the same as my previous month), this time souring past the halfway checkpoint and with that, my body-fat percentage cutting down to 28.6% and my muscle percentage increasing to 35.9%!

 

Events: It's been a good/busy month, haven't really experienced any difficulties or external pressures for the majority of it, though in the third week I felt really out of sync with my body and at the very end of last week things started to get hectic/busier for me. Fortunately I haven't let any of these things impact my post-NF routines, I've been doing 4x standard fasts every week and 2x 24hr extended fasts every week and so far the routine has been working out really well for me!

 

The Weeks, Progress: These weeks I've truly been experiencing the benefits and changes of healthy living and have felt the hard work of all these months truly paying off! It's all in the little wins! For example, every- time I sit in a computer chair, my belly has become so elastic and hollow it actually folds into itself! Weird I know, it's never done that, but I'm confident it's a positive sign. Additionally my body in general appears completely straight when clothed, which is a fantastic and great new feeling, one in which I've never felt before. I actually bumped into a old dear friend who I haven't seem for 3+ years, and the first thing he said (other than "hi") is that I've lost a ton of weight! YAY!

 

I've been wearing my old clothes (from like, 6+ years) a lot, ones that I distinctly remember were either tight or didn't fit period. A lot of them are quite loose still, since I've never have been at a neutral weight. All my default clothes though are really baggy at the moment, but still, it's a really great feeling wearing them. Additionally, I've noticed a great change in my skin, it appears considerably healthier and glows much more. I haven't had any spots in a while, and a lot of my facial scars are healing. Big win here!

 

Weight & Fitness: My weight loss progress this month slumped quite a bit, I achieved the same amount of weight loss as the last month. In some ways, it's to be expected after losing 49.9lbs so far! As I get closer to my goal, it will get harder chipping off the rest of my weight. I'm still happy with the weight loss count generally, but I do feel like I'm really to amp things up, especially with exercise, as I've been doing Level 3 exercise workouts since January, and I think my body become really efficient at doing those exercises, thus burning less and getting less lbs burned by the end of each week. It was nice to try new stuff out on my last week of the month, and some things (such as bootcamp) which I've never been able to do before are fantastic and I can see myself returning to them. Also, I been trying to run outdoors (since the weather here is better now), and it's something I can (finally!) do really well! I didn't expect that jogging in one place via Kinect will improve my jogging performance in the real world, on real terrain, what a suprise! 

 

Food: It's pretty much been the same old story here, although when I had to make a few budget cuts a couple of months ago (e.g. cutting down consumption of buckwheat soba noodles and quinoa during the week by half and replacing the other half with egg noodles and couscous) I've now found a shop which sells a lot of healthy things for super cheap (e.g. 500g of buckwheat groats for £1.35 and 500g quinoa for £2.89!) and have since been able to survive and sustain my poor-student life and eat healthier, amazing!

 

Asthma: Getting better! Like the month before, I never really get severe or bad asthma attacks, at most a shortness of breath, which sometimes either happens when waking up or before going to bed, and it's usually something I don't even need to use the inhaler for. Apparently my medication will be switched soon (to the inhaler which combines both preventer and reliever in one), which is also a strong indication of of my condition getting better (cause I've practically stayed on the same meds since I was 6!)

 

Wellbeing: v1.6 feels fantastic! I feel amazingly more confident, my general speech has improved, I feel really good about myself when clothed (and imagine how much better this will be when I have to buy clothes that fit my size!), my general breathing is at an all time high, my mood is generally good and I feel more capable then I ever have in my life! There is a seriously high amount of advantages and improvements to where I am right now to how I was 6 months ago and 49.9lbs heavier, I feel like a completely different person and I wake up practically everyday feeling thankful that all this is possible and that I'm in control of how I look, feel and go about my everyday life.

 

Every aspect of my life has been upgraded, I can't think of one thing that hasn't improved from that first post and I thrive off living in the moment! As of reaching 6 months in, I no longer feel like I'm living my life with a tight, metallic, ball chained neck-brace on. Asthma is no longer ruining my quality of life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And the best part is that despite happily living the rest of my life how I feel, look and operate now, it's only going to get better! When I've cut down to a neutral body-weight/have a normal body-fat percentage, I sure to experience even more, which I can't even begin to fathom at this point! And best of all, I feel extremely patient about reaching that final goal, I'll be working hard to get there for sure, but it can take as long as it needs to, just like Saint, my focus is starting to go more towards performing and being the best I can be everyday, the numbers are starting to get less and less significant.

 

I'm also less than 5lbs away from reaching 'overweight' status, and I look forward to embracing that with open arms, cutting down fasts to 4x a week and aiming towards a direction where my body continues to operate in good health. I really feel like I've dodged a bullet, considering I was a (literally) a couple of pounds away from being clinically obese, and I can 100% confidently say that if I didn't stumble upon NerdFitness via that @ArtofManliness podcast, I would of definitely stayed that way.

 

Everything I've experienced IN JUST 6 MONTHS have been incredible, and I couldn't of asked for anything more than being healthy, fit and upgrading myself every-single-day. And any struggles or discomforts within that time were all worth it for what I'm experiencing now, and I'm technically not even "[are we] there yet!?!?"

 

I'm feeling incredibly motivated, and I am 100% committed to this lifestyle, all thanks to the amazing blog posts by Steve Kamb, all the incredible people and their adventures in the rebellion! I hope you all continue to see this through! You're all keep me so inspired and energised to keep moving! I'm extremely confident that I will continue to the very end, because in regards to my wellbeing and food (which was the majority of the battle) I feel like I'm already there... :-)

 

Weight Stats:

 

02/03/2014 219.4lbs (-2.0) F: 29.3% M: 35.6%

*Halfway Checkpoint reached!*

09/03/2014 217.8lbs (-1.6) F: 29.1% M: 35.7%

16/03/2014 215.8lbs (-2.0) F: 28.6% M: 36.0%
23/03/2014 214.8lbs (-1.0) F: 28.6% M: 35.9% (Total=6.6lbs)

 

EXErcise Stats (Current Benchmarks):

 

Weights @17kg:

Deadlifts 4x40
Bent Over DB Row 4x23
Walking Lunge 4x24
Side Plank 4x45sec
Military Press 4x23
Reverse Crunch 4x30

 

Overhead Squats 3x23
Proper Push Ups 3x13
Step Ups with External Rotation 3x25
Plank 3x75sec
Lat Pulldown 3x75
Reverse Crunch 3x30

 

v1.6 Updates:

+ Enlightenment!

+ Well-being

+ Confidence

+ Breathing and Asthma

+ Skin Improvements

+ Ability and Output

 

Picture Progress:

 

This time I tried to stand in the exact spot as I did when I took my starting picture 6 months ago + getting the exact framing. The quality is a little shabby because I used my phone (my tablet wasn't charged :-/) Also, i timestamped the date wrong again (d'oh!)

 

 

Conclusion: Thank you all so much! I'm excited to jump into Level 4 exercises starting this week and levelling up my life every-single-day! 

 

P.S. Apologies if this months post is too long, it's been important for me to thoroughly capture and document this journey since the start!

 

P.P.S. I will jot down Monday progress soon. Also, I'll be treating the second half of Tuesday as my Sunday as it's my sisters birthday, we're having quite the party and there will be homemade cake! I promise not to go crazy! :-p

[IronGlider]

You know what it's time for? IronGlider v1.7-b2!

So it's been over 4 weeks since my last update, but I was starting to get a little OCD about my posts not syncing into the timeframe bracket of a month, so i decided to extend the time frame for this upgrade by one week to allow an additional week of polish and getting back into my monthly time-frame.

 

I've lost approximately 4.0lbs off my bodyweight (6.0lbs technically, but I had my 2nd ever weight gain by the end of the week 5!) , putting my total body-weight at 208.8lbs, my body-fat percentage cutting down to 27.2%% and my muscle percentage increasing to 36.5%.

Events: Things are going quite swimmingly here, we did have a large amount of pollution in our area briefly, but now it seems to have gone away. The first 3 weeks have been calm, then easter came, and I'm glad to say I had only 1 half of a chocolate egg and on my Sunday off (with family)! That week I also had to attend my neighbors wedding, and a part of me was dreading it because of the high-calorie food (at these asian wedding events, expect tons of oil and butter smeared onto everything, and then eat all that with naan bread and rice! :-O) But then I told myself "I'm not going to waste my time and be a jerk worrying about this, so...what would Steve do?" 

 

And then I thought "He'd probably do some high cardio before the event for good measure, get there, enjoy the event, and food, but only until he was full, and he wouldn't touch ANY of the soft drinks because water is available. Oh, and this would totally count all this as a Sunday break. He'd also be strict about any food he ate after, because that would be within his control." So, I did just that, work with it, not against it. 

 

Originally, I did intend to send this out by the end of week 4-5, but unfortunately, there was a lot of family incidents I had to attend to (including me getting poisoned by dishwasher cleaner fluid! Thankfully I survived it)

The Weeks, Progress: Wooohoooo, we finished the challenge! And with flying colours I might add! :-D I managed to lose 11lbs in the duration of that 6 weeks. I'm well into this challenge, and so far, it's going swell! 

Weight & Fitness: Statistically, it's not showing to be as good as the other months, but I suppose it was to be expected. I started dipping my toes into Level 4 Rebel exercises, and that 0lb from the first week magically sky-rocketed to 4.4lbs loss over the next month. The first week i only managed to complete 2x workouts and 3x interval jogging because I was really aching, but by the next week I started to get into the swing of things and before you know it, I managed to keep a steady succession of keeping up with the Level 4 exercises. Overall, I'm really digging it compared to Level 3, especially how awesome it is to do 3x separate routine workouts rather than 2x. I especially love the 2nd workout of the week, it's fun doing things in laps! Also, I'm surprised that I managed to do one-legged push ups pretty well (almost as much as regular!)

 

In addition, I've was given an exercise ball that my mom had lying around in the shed for many years, so yay, another thing to give me increased compatibility! I've also started implementing a PLP-esqe edge to my workouts, where every week I increase all stats by +1, and so far so good!

Food: It's going great! I seem to have miraculously found a way to keep eating healthy and not pay a ton for it since discovering a few new methods/shops/ingredients from v1.6! Also, I managed to find a small-electric scale, perfect for measuring seeds, grains nuts etc! I use to just guesstimate this before, by a literal handful (which ended being WAAAY TO GENEROUS!), but it's much better having to follow things by the book (I read online that 40-59g's of a mixture of nuts is a good amount to have. I also didn't realise just how small that amount is!)

 

In addition, after the challenge ended, I decided to sample a type of protein shake. This time it was 100% whey, and it had 'digestive enzymes' which supposedly help with what I suffered from in prior attempts. Low and behold, no problems! :-) However, it won't be something I get straight away as I can't fit it into my budget yet, but down the line, sure, it's something I can get into trying here and there.

Asthma: Following v1.6, it's been great. I've noticed on some days I'd go 6 days without having to use a reliever at all, even before exercise! It's progressing really well, and everyday still feels new to me, like I'm always aware that my body is operating well (kinda like having task manager open constantly!) lol It's a great feeling! :-D I've been doing yoga on a few of the days at home via Yourshape: FE, and I feel like it assists with controlled breathing a lot! 

 

And during workouts, I try to rely on breathing through my nose primarily, and prior NF, I had a BAD case of nasal septum. I use to get medicine for it but I felt like it never helped. Then about 4 months into my post-NF life, I noticed it almost disappeared completely! This has really helped improved my overall breathing and thus, my asthma too! 

 

Fasting: Oddly, the last few weeks I've been finding it more difficult to do. I've still managed to keep at it every step of the way with 2x24hr + 4x19hr a week, but one of of the weeks I decided to reduce the 4x19hr to 4x17hr. Initially, I really struggled, even though it's less of a fast! So for now, I've reverted back to default 2x24hr + 4x19hr...

Wellbeing: So, as expected, my quality of life has continued to progress well. For v1.7 and the following 6-week challenge, I sought to improve my productivity (especially self-directed work) more, I still feel like I'm recovering from burnout from last summer in many ways, but I decided to really face it head on, and this time, I felt like I had a plan.

 

So, just before the latest 6week challenge started, ArtOfManliness did a podcast with a great guy called Charlie Hoehn who wrote a book called "Play it Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety" to which I've found really helpful so far. A lot of what I found entertaining about it was the similarities in style to NerdFitness blogs, 

where it's easily digestible, a (little) nerdy and entertaining, and completely honest and open to giving the reader different examples on a given topic and forming your own opinion.

 

So, I've been reading it, and one of the principle lessons it states is "setting aside just 20min on doing something "fun" and revolving around "play") 

 

I instantly remembered the "Epic Quest of Awesomeness" and how, I've been missing that little aspect of play in my day-to-day life (after all, what's hardware without software, and by software I mean GAEMEES!) so for the start of the new challenge, I've decided to do something fun and free from personal judgement. 

 

So, I created the title 'EXPlay' and have begun 'installing it into my routine' just like that, just 20mins so something fun... everyday. And so far, it's allowed me to level up my life in ways I couldn't ever imagine doing, including:

 

- Setting time aside to fixing and using my salt-rock light that I haven't used since I was 10. (My parents gave it to me thinking it would assist with my asthma back then) originally, I use to hate it, thinking it was completely useless. 

Now, I just see it for being a cool-looking sankara stone, and have it as a symbol, representing my post-NF life and my goal to eradicate/control my asthma.

 

 

- Walking around the park (it's spring time, after all...)

 

 

- Doing something spontaneous like calling my nephew and asking him if we could jog in the park (I've never gone out to jog with anyone prior that!) that day was especially fun, as we later set decided to to watch two films in cinema back to back (I haven't been in a while). The films were Captn. America 2 #HailHydra and Amazing Spidey 2! Fun films!

 

 

- Doing something I'd never normally do/outside my comfort like belly-dancing on Kinect! :-O (The rebel's had a right laugh with that one!) Yep, turns out that there's a lot of co-ordination and skill to doing it + not looking like a fool, and it's quite the workout too! (Though, I wish my virtual instructor would stop telling me to "shake it" and "flirt a little" jeez... :-D

 

 

- And finally, getting back to using my design skills for fun and outside study! and not for grades/competition! One thing that helped me think the 20min's of play was possible for me to implement was when I did that photoshop of 'Steverine' I did. I don't normally use that program either unless when necessary, but I had so much fun thinking of that idea that it bypassed my associations with said program. 

 

So, I started using solidworks, and I haven't used that package in a while (it used to really rack my brains man!) so if I were to return to it, I would have to make the fun outweigh the anxiety... so I made a batarang! :-D

 

 

Weight Stats:

30/03/2014 214.8lbs (0) F: 28.9% M: 35.8%
06/04/2014 210.4lbs (-4.4) F: 27.2% M: 36.5%
12/04/2014 210lbs (-0.4) F: 26.7% M: 36.7%
20/04/2014 208.8lbs (-1.2) F: 26.5% M: 36.8% 

27/04/2014 210.8lbs (+2.0) F: 27.2% M: 36.5% (Total=4lbs)

EXErcise Stats (Current Benchmarks):

Weights @17kg:

 

Goblet Squats 4x11
Dips 4x11
Step Up w/ Kickback & Weights 4x11
Bodyweight Row 4x26
Exercise Ball Crunches 4x26

 

Lunges w/ weights 3x16

Overhead DB Row 3x16
Box Jumps 3x16
Lat Pulldown 3x82
One Legged Push Up 3x12
Exercise Ball Knee Tucks 3x22
Jumping Jacks 3x42

 

Straight Leg Deadlift 3x36
One Legged Push Ups 3x12 (Still cannot perform plyometric push-ups as listed...yet!)
Plank 3x76sec
Step Up with Knee & Weights 3x16
Lat Pulldown 3x82
Reverse Crunch 3x32
Dumbbell Curl 3x10 (for each side)
Overhead Triceps Extension 3x10

v1.7 Updates:
+ 3rd Challenge Complete
+ EXPlay Installed

+ Level 4 EXErcises
+ Bodyware/Agility Improvements

+ Added Equipment:

   + Exercise Ball

Picture Progress: (FYI: Picture was taken at the end of Week 4)

 

 

Conclusion: So yeah... despite 2lbs being put on in the last week (and my mind blaming it on eating at the wedding + diving into that half of that chocolate easter egg) I'll give you a hint on the development on the first week of v1.8... "scales aren't always reliable!" Seriously, the road to a better health and getting fitter is just like Homer's Odyssey! I knew the beating-oneself about â€œeaster†or â€œthe wedding†is totally pointless!

 

Also, excited to see where the next 6-week challenge takes us, v1.8 release will tie into the end of the current challenge, so that'll be exciting! 

 

Thanks for all the support! :-)

[IronGlider]

Reserved for v1.8-v1.11 pics...

[IronGlider]

Hey folks, letting you know that the 'upgrade' has been completed! Here's my woot post:

 

So, since last October (2013) I've been placing health, fitness and well-being as my number one priority after being obese for my 23 years of existence, and suffering from asthma. After a couple or so of half-assed attempts I believed that NF would be the game changer I'd need. The mentality which guided me the vision came from one of Kamb's post (after seeing the awesome Transformer Joe!) "We are complex pieces of machinery". As a tech/product/pc enthusiast, that really stuck with me. "I like getting the most out of my hardware and things, why don't I ever see myself in the same way?" Self-esteem grew and I made sure to take every step I could to go from v1.0 to v2.0...

 

And thus, I embarked on epic quest, reported to you all at halfway checkpoint, and now, I'm finally proud to tell you, with the help and knowledge of rebellion + Kamb's blog, the day has finally come and I have shredded every single of those 90lbs that I needed to burn in order to reach 175lbs a.k.a neutral BMI zone!!! 

 

(v2.0 has gone gold!)

 

Finally reaching the green zone! (and I'm not talking about Matt Damon, so stop drooling! xD)

 

I now present to you:

 

Upgrade from v1.0 to v2.0 Stats:

Starting Body-weight v1.0: 265lbs (03/OCT/2013)

Days to break past 25% completion: 94 days 

Days to break past 50% completion: 150 days 

Days to break past 75% completion: 290 days 

Days to Reach 100% Neutrality v2.0 (Morbid obesity to neutral BMI): 381 Days, or

32,918,400 seconds
548,640 minutes
9144 hours
54 weeks (rounded down)

Current Body-weight: 174.6lbs, Body-fat%: 18.4% Muscle%: 40.8% (19/OCT/2014)

Total Weight Lost: 90.4lbs

Number of 6 week Challenges Completed: 7

Total number of food relapses (excluding Sunday Fundays): 1 (During December 2013)

Biggest weight loss in a week: 4.4lbs (06/APR/2014)

Biggest weight gain in a week: 2.0lbs (27/APR/2014)

Biggest amount weight lost in 4 weeks: 10.7lbs (First month)

Lowest amount weight lost in 4 weeks: 3.0lbs (Throughout August 2014)

Asthma rate during Oct 2013: 3 attacks, blue inhaler used 6 times during the first day (steadily improved during 1st month, became progressively worse during months 2, 3 and 4 in winter, especially during night-time and workouts/jogging)

Asthma rate during Oct 2014: No attacks have occurred, no inhalers used.

Exercise ability during Oct 2013: Zero (I use to get breathless and/or asthma attacks just going up 2 flights of stairs!)

Exercise ability during Oct 2014: 23x push-ups in a row, 9x chin-ups in a row, 1x pull-up, 5min planks, 20min interval jogging (and still no asthma attacks! :-D)

Amount of Meat-Free (quorn a.k.a. MUSHROOM FUNGUS! :-o) consumed: 0v3r 9000!!!!1

Amount of intermittent fasts/types completed: Too many to count, man...

 

General upgrades throughout the process:

+ Controlled Asthma conditions (from healthier eating/controlled breathing through exercising)

+ Increased Confidence (from general appearance)

+ Better Well-being (more proactive, less reactive)

+ More Knowledgeable (Learning via members of the rebellion + Steve's blog + primary/experimental/flexible approach)

+ Improved Physical ability (from exercising and upping the ante via PLP/HIIT/Moves when able/complacent/ready)

+ Discipline (from Intermittent Fastings)

 

So all I say to you is, let's ascend the tower, as see what can learn. I was told 5 years ago that I wouldn't be able to cure my asthma from my doctor. So far speaking, he was right. However, IF I ACTUALLY lead a healthy lifestyle, I find that it's completely in control and it doesn't get in the way of my quality of life, so please, if you're asthmatic or suffer of anything that may have a link to unhealthy eating/obesity, just go for it and see where it takes you, you're bound find many things worthy of note.

 

Weight Tracker:

A Nimble Thought...
03/10/2013 264.5lbs

 

The Quarter of Hope:
13/10/2013 260.5lbs (-4.0)
20/10/2013 258.8lbs (-1.7)
27/10/2013 257.2lbs (-1.8)
03/11/2013 254.0lbs (-3.2) (Total=10.7lbs)

 

10/11/2013 251.8lbs (-2.2)
17/11/2013 249.0lbs (-2.8)
24/11/2013 247.2lbs (-1.8)
01/12/2013 244.2lbs (-3) (Total=9.8lbs)

 

08/12/2013 241.8lbs (-2.4) F: 35.9% W: 44.8%
15/12/2013 239.0lbs (-2.8)
22/12/2013 239.0lbs (0) F: 34.6%
29/12/2013 237.4lbs (-1.6) (Total=6.8lbs)

 

The Quarter vs. The Empire:
05/01/2014 234.2lbs (-3.2) F: 33.5%
12/01/2014 231.4lbs (-2.8) F: 32.6%
19/01/2014 228.0lbs (-3.4) F: 31.7%
28/01/2014 228.0lbs (0) F: 31.8% (Total=9.4lbs)

 

02/02/2014 225.6lbs (-2.4) F: 31.0%
09/02/2014 223.2lbs (-2.4) F: 30.7%
16/02/2014 220.2lbs (-3.0) F: 29.7% M: 35.6%
22/02/2014 221.4lbs (+1.2) F: 29.9% M: 35.5% (Total=6.6lbs)

 

02/03/2014 219.4lbs (-2.0) F: 29.3% M: 35.6%
*Halfway Checkpoint*
09/03/2014 217.8lbs (-1.6) F: 29.1% M: 35.7%
16/03/2014 215.8lbs (-2.0) F: 28.6% M: 36.0%
23/03/2014 214.8lbs (-1.0) F: 28.6% M: 35.9% (Total=6.6lbs)

 

The Quarter of Discovering Neutrality:
30/03/2014 214.8lbs (0) F: 28.9% M: 35.8%
06/04/2014 210.4lbs (-4.4) F: 27.2% M: 36.5%
12/04/2014 210lbs (-0.4) F: 26.7% M: 36.7%
20/04/2014 208.8lbs (-1.2) F: 26.5% M: 36.8%
27/04/2014 210.8lbs (+2.0) F:27.2% M: 36.5% (Total=4lbs)

 

04/05/2014 207.8lbs (-3.0) F: 26.4% M: 36.9%
*Over-weight status achieved*
11/05/2014 205lbs (-2.8) F: 25.7% M: 37.1%
18/05/2014 205lbs (0) F: 25.7% M: 37.1%
25/05/2014 202.2lbs (-2.8) F: 24.8% M: 37.5% (Total=8.6lbs)

 

01/06/2014 199.0lbs (-3.2) F: 24.0% M: 38.0%
08/06/2014 198.8lbs (-0.2) F: 24.2% M: 37.7%
15/06/1990 195.8lbs (-3.0) F: 23.2% M: 38.3%
22/06/2014 196.4lbs (+0.6) F: 23.4% M: 38.2% (Total=5.8lbs)

 

The Quarter of Shaping Neutrality:
28/06/2014 193.4lbs (-3.0) F: 22.7% M: 38.4%
*Ramadan Fasting Begins*
06/07/2014 194.6lbs (+1.2) F: 23.1% M: 38.3%
13/07/2014 191.6lbs (-3.0) F: 22.6% M: 38.6%
20/07/2014 188.6lbs (-3.0) F&M%: Unknown
27/07/2014 187.0lbs (-1.6) F: 21.1% M: 39.3% (Total=9.4lbs)
*Ramadan Fasting Ends*

 

02/08/2014 187.0lbs (0) F: 21.2% M: 39.2%
10/08/2014 185.0lbs (-2.0) F: 20.8% M: 39.4%
17/08/2014 183.8lbs (-1.2) F: 20.3% M: 39.7%
24/08/2014 184.0lbs (+0.2) F: 20.5% M: 39.6%
31/08/2014 184.0lbs (0) F: 20.7% M: 39.5% (Total=3.0lbs)

 

08/09/2014 184.0lbs (0) F: 20.3% M: 39.7%
14/09/2014 179.8lbs (-4.2) F: 19.4% M: 40.3%
21/09/2014 178.6lbs (-1.2) F: 19.1% M: 40.3%
28/09/2014 177.4lbs (-1.2) N/A% N/A% (Total=6.6lbs)

 

The Quarter of Change:

05/10/2014 177.4lbs (0) F: 18.7% M: 40.5%

12/10/2014 176.6lbs (-0.8) F: 18.6% M: 40.6%
19/07/2014 174.6lbs (-2.0) F: 18.4% M: 40.8% (Total=2.8lbs)
*Neutrality Achieved*

 

Credits List (Alphabetical):

AshPS (Thank you so much! I still owe you a belly-dance session! :-p)

Bearlee (Kickin' A 24/7!)

Countess D'lf (Ginger-power wooh!)

CellarDoorRaven (Super badass and supportive rebel!)

Deftona (One of the nicest, most supportive person I know, thanks for everything!)

Guzzi (100% win, thanks for all the encouragement!)

Hansjay (I'm pretty sure she has enough energy to power 

Hazard (Very motivational man!)
Kailer (Dino-cooking extraordinaire!)
KingLeeroy (Cooler than you!)

Rookie (Super cool adventurer!)

SarahBarr (Always has the best facts evar!)

sillyAnneh (Super thanks for all your encouragement at the beginning!)
Steve Kamb! (a.k.a Shen Long)
skinnyLara (Very inspirational, thank you for all your assistance! :-)
SuperDestroyer (Total win!)

Swampling (a.k.a Sugar Monster Slayer)
T2sarahconnor (and all those guessing games with lyrics!)
Teros (a.k.a my handy man!)
xanjra (The long road!)

+Everyone in the rebellion + all the good folks that work hard to keep NF going!

 

Thank you all, NF was just what I needed in order to slay the ogre that I thought I could never beat. NF has changed me in every way and for the better + allowed me to conquer this goal despite many of the constraints I had going forward ('mostly' vegetarian, no gym membership, finance, etc). It was worth every single thing I had to endure to get here.

 

I ain't going nowhere atm, but I have a few ideas as I journey myself towards v3.0... 

 

Already seeking the next challenge...

- I plan to weigh myself weekly, but only document my weigh-ins at the end of every version upgrade (4 weeks). If it's neutral, I continue onwards. If it isn't, I'll take better measures to ensure the next update will be closer towards the green. More focus will be placed over body-fat% and muscle% than total body-weight.

- Getting stronger via body-weight workouts and runs. Hopefully, my body-shape and appearance will improve in time...

- Placing focus on slaying other beasts!

- Perhaps moving from adventurer class to assassin one day...

 

The way I see it, my 'Bodyware & OS' had an incredibly inefficient architecture, an oversized case, an old shoddy operating system, lacking with updates, ridden with malware, and in desperate need of defragmentation and system restore in order to adapt and survive to the ever changing world. I am now a fully operating, working entry-level pc! But this pc dreams of pushing competitive performance and power, and will be (literally) crunching its way to release v3.0 eta Oct 2015!

 

Thanks for reading, see you around, and remember:

 

"Whatever you find worthwhile in life is worth fighting for" Ryu

 

;-)

 

I'm happy to see this journey through to the end, it's been great! Seeing how I use to end every version number with a song, I think it would be appropriate to end this post with:

 

 

:-)