A Stumbling Druid

[Redbeard The Scruffy]

Hi People,

 

This is my first time interacting with the forums here. I've read through a lot of NF, and really like the philosophy and theme, but never really got to be part of the community because, honestly, I'm a bit of a solo-flier type, and it's never really been my way to reach out for help...but I think I need it.

 

I used to be quite the fatty. I ate fast food, was sedentary, and at one time weighed about 235lbs at 5'10". I had high blood pressure in my 20s, and it wasn't pretty. My doc said I had to do something. I hated working out, and it's much easier for me to change what I eat than cut back on the amount of what I eat, so...

 

I became a vegetarian, and without any extra effort I lost like 20lbs. My blood pressure and cholesterol also leveled out, again, with no effort.  Six months or so later, I took to bike riding and yoga because I could do them on my own without a gym (and because I have asthma so really high impact stuff is hard), and I lost another 20lbs...195 was my lowest in my adult life. I then got hit by a car when biking, wrecked my bike, got sedentary, and gained back that last 20.

 

For the last five years since then, I've been bouncing up and down with weight as I try to exercise or control my portions or eat less heavier carbs...stumbling over and over again. I've successfully kept my vegetarian diet the entire time, so I never blew back up to my full biggest weight again, but I've always been in the "overweight" category of BMI (at the very least - occasionally obese), and as I am now in my 30s, my blood pressure and cholesterol seem to want to be jumping up again...particularly triglycerides. I have attempted at least five times to go full vegan and stumbled again, every time. I've done six months at a time, even in my 30s most recently, and my skin would clear up dramatically, and my weight would drop without even trying, but the siren song of cheese calls to me. I have a really addictive personality, so if I like something, it's really REALLY difficult to have "just a little" of something. It's why I had to totally quit eating meat, because I couldn't just eat a little. Apparently the same has been true with dairy...

 

I also have a hard time continuing a workout regimen. I hate the gym. I loathe it. I refuse to pay to do stuff I can do outside or in my home for free (there's a massive city park behind my house with a 1.75 mile track in it). I really like yoga, body weight exercises, and light weights, and most recently I started getting into walking, and then jogging with an attempt to make it up to full running...but then the Florida summer hit me, and I got really stagnant and stayed inside. So I stumbled again. I was at 202 and slowly going down, able to jog the entire track, but now I'm back to 207 after two months of stagnation, I'm barely able to walk the track (the 90+ degree temperature may have something to do with that), and really having a hard time getting motivated.

 

I'm now working to cut the dairy out of my diet again (pretty much not buying any more and then when it's out of the house, that's it), and get active again. 

 

I still don't have a bike after the wreck. Finances are really tight. I do have the following:

 

• two pairs of cheap sneakers
• a smartphone with headphones
• an adjustable weight dumbell
• a pull-up bar (I sadly can only do one right now)
• a yoga mat
• a single story staircase
• a 1.75 mile track practically in my back yard

 

I feel like I need to get a program together that I can get into, and I know that's enough to work with...I've read enough about exercise theory to know I can make a good routine with body weight calisthenics, yoga, and walk/jog/eventual running to trim down and even tighten up and get some muscle, but...

 

...I stumble. I want to figure something that I can and will do, with enough variety to not be boring, but enough routine to stick to it...enough time to be effective, but short enough to not take up all my free time. I also want to get back into yoga, which I used to do on my own semi-regularly in my 20s, because it always helped me relax, and it felt good to have some flexibility and be able to touch my toes without "bouncing" or feeling like I was going to pull a muscle if I held it.

 

Thanks for listening to me. If you have any tips, or can point me in a good direction to start, I'd appreciate it. 

 

- Redbeard

[V for Vetinari]

17 hours ago, Redbeard The Scruffy said:

I've done six months at a time, even in my 30s most recently, and my skin would clear up dramatically, and my weight would drop without even trying, but the siren song of cheese calls to me. I have a really addictive personality, so if I like something, it's really REALLY difficult to have "just a little" of something. It's why I had to totally quit eating meat, because I couldn't just eat a little. 

Cheeeeese.... I am similar, I had to completely cut out alcohol and coffee to make it stick, and can't buy any tempting foods whatsoever.

 

Can you wake up early enough to go walking/jogging before it gets really hot? If you're like me and barely make it to work on time and want to run away from morning people, there's also the option of waiting until dark.

 

Good luck! If you haven't started a challenge yet, I would look into that and start in the Rebel category to get encouragement and advice. I'm new, and a meat eater, so I can't help you much.

[Bookish Badger]

On ‎7‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 6:45 PM, Redbeard The Scruffy said:

I still don't have a bike after the wreck. Finances are really tight. I do have the following:

 

• two pairs of cheap sneakers
• a smartphone with headphones
• an adjustable weight dumbell
• a pull-up bar (I sadly can only do one right now)
• a yoga mat
• a single story staircase
• a 1.75 mile track practically in my back yard

It sounds like you have everything you need! You mentioned wanting to try running; a lot of people here report good things about the Zombies! Run app, which I think works up to a 5k run.

 

Also, with your emphasis on yoga, bodyweight exercises, and vegetarianism, you'd probably fit right in with the Druids. Or Assassins (are there vegetarian Assassins? sounds like a contradiction in terms  ). My suggestion would be to post a challenge thread to the Druid Challenge forum with two or three "foundation" goals. These are the basics that will get you back into the right mindset, like "eliminate dairy over the next four weeks, walk once around the 1.75mile track 4x week." Then ask for advice on your biggest stumbling blocks.

 

Within a few days, you'll have more ideas than you'll know what to do with, people cheering you on, and people pestering you for progress reports if you don't post for a few days. I've always been a lone badger, myself, and have been surprised at how much the community already means to me.

 

Good luck on your journey!

[Redbeard The Scruffy]

On 7/20/2016 at 0:16 PM, Bookish Badger said:

It sounds like you have everything you need! You mentioned wanting to try running; a lot of people here report good things about the Zombies! Run app, which I think works up to a 5k run.

 

Also, with your emphasis on yoga, bodyweight exercises, and vegetarianism, you'd probably fit right in with the Druids. Or Assassins (are there vegetarian Assassins? sounds like a contradiction in terms  ). My suggestion would be to post a challenge thread to the Druid Challenge forum with two or three "foundation" goals. These are the basics that will get you back into the right mindset, like "eliminate dairy over the next four weeks, walk once around the 1.75mile track 4x week." Then ask for advice on your biggest stumbling blocks.

 

Within a few days, you'll have more ideas than you'll know what to do with, people cheering you on, and people pestering you for progress reports if you don't post for a few days. I've always been a lone badger, myself, and have been surprised at how much the community already means to me.

 

Good luck on your journey!

 

Thanks, BB!

 

I had considered the assassins, and honestly, they're further in my long-term goals, but I just don't really have the fitness level yet (in my opinion) to handle the kind of exercises I'd do with assassins and their higher impact exercises. I can only do a single pull-up, for example, and can't even do multiple sets without at least an hour break between. I guess I want to take a few levels of druid before I start multi-classing into assassin, if possible later.

 

Anyway, I appreciate the input. I'm going to work on my challenge post now. Thanks, man!

[Redbeard The Scruffy]

On 7/19/2016 at 3:19 PM, M_J said:

Cheeeeese.... I am similar, I had to completely cut out alcohol and coffee to make it stick, and can't buy any tempting foods whatsoever.

 

Can you wake up early enough to go walking/jogging before it gets really hot? If you're like me and barely make it to work on time and want to run away from morning people, there's also the option of waiting until dark.

 

Good luck! If you haven't started a challenge yet, I would look into that and start in the Rebel category to get encouragement and advice. I'm new, and a meat eater, so I can't help you much.

 

I've tried getting up early enough, and it's just too hot by the time I'm able to. Tonight I'm going for a lap when the sun goes down, though!

[V for Vetinari]

36 minutes ago, Redbeard The Scruffy said:

 

I've tried getting up early enough, and it's just too hot by the time I'm able to. Tonight I'm going for a lap when the sun goes down, though!

 

I feel you. I grew up in South Florida. It is, how you say, hot as balls.

[Redbeard The Scruffy]

I made myself a challenge thread as had been suggested. Thanks.

 

...and yes, it is incredibly hot.