mgrif99

Team Next Level! Love it. Hi, my name is Melissa. I am a full time graduate student, majoring in chemistry. That will probably change soon. More about that later. As a kid, I was in every sport possible. I also enjoyed dance and did some modeling. I was quite athletic and had a pretty good self-image. I joined the Navy and left for bootcamp at 17. I left two years later with a bun in the oven. :shock: Since then, I have been out of shape and pretty unhappy with life in general. Being a single parent with constant financial stress took its toll. About two years ago, I got healthy and lost some serious weight. I was at my "hottest" when I met a hot, tattooed rocker and we fell in love. I stopped going to the gym. I started going out late at night and eating very unhealthy food right before going to bed. I gained all the weight back, and then some. I realized that I was not the person I want to be. My partner (my fiance by that time) was not supportive of me getting back to where I wanted to be. The relationship ended about a month ago. I've been doing some real soul-searching, and I want to be more active and have fun. My focus is on being able to DO things, not just look a certain way. I'm signed up for fitness challenges, 5K races, mud runs, etc. and have been seeking like-minded people to keep me motivated. So, that's where I am today. I'm really glad I found this place. I'm really excited about our challenge!

Here is my "before" photo. (I also took one wearing a bikini, but I can't bring myself to post it. Maybe the next challenge...)

Day 1 (Oct 12) Stats This is my baseline: Height: 5'11" Weight: 229 lbs Body Fat: 37% (using hand-held machine at the gym) Fat Weight: 85 lbs (weight x BF%) Spinning No spinning class today. I take classes on Mon, Wed, and (sometimes) Sat. Diet Fasting today. (Last night was pizza night...) Only consuming sparkling water and herbal tea. Dog Walking No walk today. My goal is to walk 5x/week, so I'm still okay. Exercises Jumping Jacks: 20 Pull Ups: only 1, on an assisted pull up machine with 160 lbs (I think that means I only "pulled up" 69 lbs!) Squats: 20, holding weight of 20 lbs Push Ups: only 1 with good form, on my knees Lunges: 10 (5 each leg), holding weight of 40 lbs Chin Ups: 0 Sit Ups: 0 Box Jumps: 0 Leg Lifts: 0 Plank: 0 Note: My stomach was upset, and as a result I left the gym early. Probably that pizza last night!! 5K Training Walked for only 8 minutes. Upset stomach. The only running I did today was running to the bathroom. Blog Created a blog and wrote one post that it is still new and that I will be working on it. Debating on whether or not to post "before" photo on blog. :shock: Still undecided on that one. Day 1 Synopsis: Off to a slow start...

Whew! 16-hour shifts is rough. Planning and pre-cooking meals sounds like your best option. I also used to throw out a TON of food that went bad before I ate it. One solution I found is to buy frozen veggies to eat with my protein. I still get fresh produce for salads, but the food waste has been greatly reduced. Good luck to you! I look forward to watching your progress!!

Tomorrow will be Day 1 for me. Today I was recovering from a music festival last weekend. We got home after midnight last night, and today was rest and relax day. Tomorrow I will have my baseline (weight, body fat %, etc.) established and posted. And a "before" photo. (Yikes!) I am really looking forward to reading how well everybody accomplishes their goals in this challenge! Good luck!!!

My original post in reply to Steve's Challenge: I love this challenge! I am new to Nerd Fitness, so I'm looking forward to getting involved and connecting with new people... Fitness Goals: 1. Complete a 40-minute spinning class without having to sit down on the bike during the climbs. 2. Stick to my low-carb diet. I can do it for 2-3 days at a time, and then I "cheat" for a day. I want to do it for 28 days without cheating. I think I can do it with support. 3. Walk the dog in the mornings before school and work, five times a week. Life Goal: 4. Revamp my blog to make it a goal-oriented blog, where I post my fears, embarrassing moments, "silly" goals, and accomplishments. It's part of the "putting myself out there" goal I've been working on. Specifics as suggested by Dante: 1) Spinning Class (Performance Goal): Attend a local spinning class 2x/week for 4 weeks, increasing my endurance to the point that when we do standing climbs, I can stand and pedal the entire time. Right now, I stand for a little bit, my legs scream at me, a go for a little longer until my legs give out, and I have to sit and pedal for the rest of the climb. 2) Low-Carb Diet (Paleo Status): I do not technically do paleo, but my low-carb, no processed foods diet is incredibly similar. Since diet is one of my biggest personal challenges that I have been struggling with, I would say that - for the sake of argument - I am 90% paleo. 3) Support System (Tough Love vs. Gentle Encouragement): I can handle the tough love (and sometimes need it), but I need equal amounts of positive feedback.

Hi! I recently got out of a serious relationship (wedding plans were being made), and I have since then been re-evaulating my life. The conclusion I came to is this: I need a makeover. Not a haircut & eyeshadow makeover, but a whole life makeover. I'm 35 years old, and I am not where I want to be in my life. I don't know where I took a wrong turn (which was realistically a collective group of wrong turns) that led me to this point. I feel alive again and have been very motivated to make positive changes. I stumbled on the Nerd Fitness website a few weeks ago, and it promotes a lot of theories I have been already reading about and slowing incorporating into my life. I look forward to learning more about nerd fitness, and learning more about myself. I have been doing the Greysheeters Anonymous (GSA) food plan, off & on for about six months. I got into it because I thought I might have a food addition problem, and I found GSA through Overeaters Anonymous. I am now convinced that my poor food choices are due to other issues in my life, not that I am a food addict. The GSA plan is very low carb and is very similar to the Paleo diet I've been reading so much about lately. I feel GREAT when I stick to it for a few days, then I cheat. (Having an unsupportive partner who kept bringing me to fast food restaurants and handing me bowls of ice cream late at night only contributed to my demise. That person is no longer in my life, so it has been easier to follow.) I'm looking for positive encouragement to help me through the tough times. [Did I mention that I looooove ice cream?] =/ I also started training for a 5K. I'm doing my own version of the Couch-to-5K plan. Again, this is something that I want to do, but I can't seem to find anyone who wants to do it with me. My fiance "wasn't a runner" and none of my friends were down for it. (I got rid of the fiance, and I think I need to add some active people to my group of friends!) My 14 year-old son just joined JROTC and is very into running now. We are scheduled to run a 3K this weekend and a 5K a couple weeks after that. I have this vision of what kind of person I want to be, and I am far from it. I am up for the hard work to get there, but I want to have fun, too! =) ~Melissa Newbie question: How do I update my profile?

I love this challenge! I am new to Nerd Fitness, so I'm looking forward to getting involved and connecting with new people... Fitness Goals: 1. Complete a 40-minute spinning class without having to sit down on the bike during the climbs. 2. Stick to my low-carb diet. I can do it for 2-3 days at a time, and then I "cheat" for a day. I want to do it for 28 days without cheating. I think I can do it with support. 3. Walk the dog in the mornings before school and work, five times a week. Life Goal: Revamp my blog to make it a goal-oriented blog, where I post my fears, embarrassing moments, "silly" goals, and accomplishments. It's part of the "putting myself out there" goal I've been working on. ~Melissa