Hi I'm a Hopeless Introvert

[Zeric]

Woah talking about yourself feels so weird even when it's on the internet.

Hi I'm Jess and I've been caught in-between the  "I'm too unmotivated to change myself" and the "I'm so sick of having the physical capability of a toad" stage for pretty much my whole life. Though I imagine toads can hop for quite a while. I've never timed one though...

 

Anyway, I was hoping to find some support for weight loss because I've never tried weight loss with a community before. I've had success with it in the past, but that was with a program I can't continually afford. The biggest challenge is always habits, and starting way too big. One of the reasons I haven't focused on weight loss recently is because my mind wraps around the idea and just explodes. I have to say that Nerd Fitness was kind of like a God-send. I was just randomly surfing the internet looking for healthy recipes when BLAM this article for healthiness catches my eye and its engaging and makes jokes and reference I understand (and find hilarious). It was actually extremely refreshing. I always avoided fitness communities in the past because I felt like I didn't belong to that crowd. I thought "they wear yoga pants and can bench press other people" and I never seemed to connect with them. They also kept trying to get me to eat gross oatmeal or be a vegetarian and I mean I don't know I love steak. 

 

The point is, I'm grateful for this community and I'm loving the reading material in the emails so far. 

Fun facts about me that would be too random to just list in a paragraph
- I'm currently studying astrophysics at university
- People think I'm super chill in public but that's because my "deception" and "emotional suppression" skill is really high
- I defeated Cthulhu in D&D last Sunday by electrocuting the s*** out of some water (and critting on my roll) 

- Even though I love science I also enjoy acting, painting and writing
- I'm a nostalgic Legend of Zelda fan
- I snapchatted my friends about string theory and none of them seemed excited WHAT
 

[Wobbegong]

Hey Zeric, welcome to Nerd Fitness! You will definitely be able to find support for your weight loss goals around here. I'd recommend starting a 4 Week Challenge -- we just started a new challenge period Sunday, so there's plenty of time to jump in! 4WCs allow you to pick a couple of goals tailored to you and try to meet them over the course of the next four weeks. You can commit to anything for four weeks, right?  

 

6 minutes ago, Zeric said:

The biggest challenge is always habits, and starting way too big.

This is definitely an issue a lot of us face. Around here, "slow and steady wins the race" and "baby steps" are our bywords; the idea is to make small, easy changes that can stick, and continuously build on those until you get where you want to go. No need (and no point) doing everything today! Fitness is a campaign, not a boss battle. 

 

8 minutes ago, Zeric said:

I always avoided fitness communities in the past because I felt like I didn't belong to that crowd.

Generally speaking, everyone who can handle the rules of the rebellion "belongs" in our crowd. Full disclosure, I do eat oatmeal and wear running leggings (close enough to yoga pants), but I'm not a vegetarian and I definitely couldn't bench press another person! Well, maybe if the person was a child. A small child, though, not one of those enormous 5'6" 10-year-olds like I was.  

 

Best of luck with your personal transformation! Feel free to holler at me @Wobbegong or via PM anytime. 

[Super Starling!]

Welcome to the community! I'm new here, too. Let's be buds. 

 

Fitness communities online tend to be dead-serious bros who worry very much about their weights and times. This place is more fun, and also takes a holistic approach to more than just fitness -- like the emphasis on nutrition and leveling up other parts of your life (traveling, learning skills, etc). Plus, everyone loves geeky stuff. Go hard. Go esoteric. Someone out there will love it. 

 

 

Also, don't worry about your level. I can't deadlift people, either. I can only deadlift my ancient dog because he can't deal with stairs any more. My butt looks great. Speaking of which, people aren't doing yoga pants any more. They're doing this: 

 

 

Or is that just my mom? I can't remember. She literally still goes to Jazzercise classes. 

 

 

It still happens. Jazzercise still exists. 

[Zeric]

 

 

Nice to meet you both, Wobbegong and Super Starling, I appreciate the comments.
 

On 10/24/2017 at 9:14 PM, Super Starling! said:

Speaking of which, people aren't doing yoga pants any more. They're doing this: 

 

 

But I mean, what the hell IS that?

 

On 10/24/2017 at 9:14 PM, Super Starling! said:

Or is that just my mom? I can't remember. She literally still goes to Jazzercise classes. 

 

 

My Mom just asks me to walk the dogs with her about 500 million times a year (that's an average over years of data and I have a graph). She doesn't say no to babysitting other people's dogs either so sometimes there's like six of them and I help out of pity. 

I'm pretty excited about this set up as it seems really useful and I'm a complete sucker for any system that makes me feel like life is a leveling up adventure (because WHY NOT). I like it especially because it relieves the weird engulfing pressure that I needlessly place on myself by making the weight loss process feel more like a journey with a lot of little steps. I'll try not to gush over it too much until I've actually made more progress.
 

[JustChris]

Hello Zeric and welcome! (I am also a newb here) NerdFitness definitely seems like a better community than most fitness forums. And the 4 week challenges is perfect for making small and achievable changes that can be built upon. Also astrophysics? Damn that's awesome! Kudos to you! Wish I was smart enough to study something like that!

 

 But yeah once, again welcome and hope you like it here! Introverts Unite! .... from the comfort of our own home. And preferably without actually meeting...

...

Go Team Introvert!

 

On 10/25/2017 at 3:14 AM, Super Starling! said:

 

 

What you saying? This ISNT normal??? ... shit.

 

[Zeric]

4 hours ago, JustChris said:

 Also astrophysics? Damn that's awesome! Kudos to you! Wish I was smart enough to study something like that!

HAHAHAHAHAHAH........*whispers sadly to self* "me too".....I mean uh HELL YEA I'm like a genius it's so easy pfftt - what, "physics" I thought you said "breathing" because for me they're basically the same thing.

 

4 hours ago, JustChris said:

But yeah once, again welcome and hope you like it here! Introverts Unite! .... from the comfort of our own home. And preferably without actually meeting...

You read my mind *looks for some kind of finger guns button* . You know I actually wanted to know something today, but it required speaking to two people that I didn't know and so I sat near them for a few minutes having an internal panic attack but eventually spoke to them and I think convinced them completely that I'm a normal human.

 

I don't know why I chose this picture but it just seemed right for the kind of emotion I was trying to capture. 

[Super Starling!]

6 hours ago, Zeric said:

You read my mind *looks for some kind of finger guns button*

 

 

Whenever I think "pew pew pew," I remember Tina Fey's glorious rendition of Palin. I wish they could find some reason to bring that back (without us having to fret about Palin campaigning again). 

 

Do you have any specific goals, Zeric? Mine to start out with were things like "run a mile in under 15 minutes" and "don't eat cookies and drink soda with literally every meal, you monster." 

 

 

I was raised by two medical doctors who work out and eat right. They controlled our meals. My weight was always perfect when I lived there.

 

But you know what happens when there are strict parents: 1) the kids turn out to be exactly like them, or 2) the kids revolt like hell when they get to college and promptly gain 30 pounds. By time time I noticed I had no idea how to structure my own meals, it was too late. Even my "healthy" meals were just iceburg lettuce covered in ranch and croutons. I had no idea what I was doing. 

 

Now, at 33, I have... an inkling? of the theory? of what should be done. That's honestly a major part of the battle right there. 

[JustChris]

10 hours ago, Zeric said:

HAHAHAHAHAHAH........*whispers sadly to self* "me too".....I mean uh HELL YEA I'm like a genius it's so easy pfftt - what, "physics" I thought you said "breathing" because for me they're basically the same thing.

 

You read my mind *looks for some kind of finger guns button* . You know I actually wanted to know something today, but it required speaking to two people that I didn't know and so I sat near them for a few minutes having an internal panic attack but eventually spoke to them and I think convinced them completely that I'm a normal human.

 

I don't know why I chose this picture but it just seemed right for the kind of emotion I was trying to capture. 

 

 

HA! That's amazing. All of it really and that's why I'm not splitting the quotes xD Thanks for giving me a good giggle early in the morning! But yeah I think its great to see so many nerds and introverts joining this forum to get into fitness. Considering us fabulous nerds have more or less taken over pop culture I wouldn't be surprised if fitness was next! Star Wars themed gym, anyone?

[Super Starling!]

5 hours ago, JustChris said:

Star Wars themed gym, anyone?

 

There's definitely a financial killing to be made out there on geeky/wacky gym memberships. One of my dreams is a giant American Ninja Warrior style obstacle course -- all inflated/soft, so nobody can get hurt -- as my gym. How much more fun would that be than literally anything I currently do for fitness?

[Zeric]

6 hours ago, JustChris said:

HA! That's amazing. All of it really and that's why I'm not splitting the quotes xD Thanks for giving me a good giggle early in the morning!

*breathes deeply*



It's cool it's not like my self-confidence is so low that I need the approval of everyone in order to avoid falling into a pit of existential despair. 


 

9 hours ago, Super Starling! said:

Do you have any specific goals, Zeric? Mine to start out with were things like "run a mile in under 15 minutes" and "don't eat cookies and drink soda with literally every meal, you monster." 

Yo, my goal is actually just to become the living embodiment of a goddess on earth and to conquer the hearts of all humanity. *Desperately thinks of a way to tone it down* Losing 50lbs would be nice! 

But in all seriousness, I have dreamed of being fit and healthy for years. I'm hoping to just do the best I can and see where it leads. Ideally though I would stop eating crap and locking myself in my room to watch Rick and Morty. 



Why weight's basically been holding me back for years (heh, could that be a pun?). I believe the main reason why it has never really changed is that, 1) I didn't believe it could and 2) There was never a good enough reason (in my mind) for it to. In terms of 1) It was more of a combination between my fear of failure and my already established feelings as a failure. I tend to be motivated to do what I'm good at (man did that backfire in physics!) but now that I've been in school for a bit I'm really learning to accept the concept of "not being as good at something as you want to be, but accepting it as a learning process" which has helped a lot. Since I felt that I had "failed" my physical appearance and health quest, I didn't believe there was a point in fixing it. Kind of messed up logic, which leads to point 2). I never thought there was a real reason to change myself physically because I wasn't really used to focusing on myself and doing things for me. When it finally clicked in that, "hey, this is something you want and you should put your energy into making it happen" it was like this really super easy to grasp concept that I had never really grasped had been...grasped....(the heck am I saying?). 

 

10 hours ago, Super Starling! said:

I was raised by two medical doctors who work out and eat right. They controlled our meals. My weight was always perfect when I lived there.

Both my parents growing up were (and still are) overweight. They both have gone on numerous diets over the years and haven't seen much progress. My Mother if anything has shown a real desire to change her weight and has made much more progress comparatively to my father. But in terms of healthy food I am just as in the dark. Cooking has done wonders to open my eyes to all the food out there which is actually real. 

[JustChris]

Hahaha! Well this is the perfect thread to talk about yourself all you want. Entertaining to read anyway cause you clearly have a knack for writing But yeah, best fitness tips I can give for starting out is, find something that you find somewhat entertaining! or atleast dislike doing less than other things! Makes it so much easier to maintain in the long run. The 4 week challenges also seem great for achieving short term goals that eventually lead to bigger ones.

[Super Starling!]

7 hours ago, Zeric said:

I never thought there was a real reason to change myself physically because I wasn't really used to focusing on myself and doing things for me.

 

Thiiiiiis. I always thought I was a brain first and foremost, and my body was the meat sack that carries it around. But I need that meat sack to cooperate if I don't want to be wheezing around everywhere and dying early. Maybe, eventually, I could even have a meat sack I... liked? 

 

 

Crazy, I know. 

 

It's an eye-opener, for sure. 

[Zeric]

On 10/28/2017 at 12:21 PM, JustChris said:

best fitness tips I can give for starting out is, find something that you find somewhat entertaining! or atleast dislike doing less than other things!

Thanks a lot, I like that advice. I always work harder and longer when I enjoy something. Motivating myself to absolute torture every other day just isn't that sustainable for me

 

On 10/28/2017 at 5:25 PM, Super Starling! said:

Maybe, eventually, I could even have a meat sack I... liked? 

A concept I truly didn't even consider myself until recently. You mean I don't have to base my entire self-image on what I can scrape from intelligence and awkwardly delivered yet perfectly timed humour? I can actually one day have the energy to do cool stuff and look nice in clothes? There's this whole world beyond hating my body that I missed and it's actually really exciting to consider it. 

You mean I could buy a trenchcoat? I could WEAR it and it would look NICE?
Maybe I could go up these stairs without sounding like Darth Vader?
My body won't consistently feel like crap all day because of the food I'm shoving in it? Nice!

When you think about it, the pay off is so worth it, but I kept giving up without even trying or believing that I could succeed. But naht no more.

[Scaly Freak]

Zeric, you don't mind if I steal that picture for the next time certain family members send me inspirational quotes on Facebook, do you? 

 

I'm new here too. I've spent a lot of the past 15 years trying to eat healthy and exercise more, and it wasn't until I found Nerd Fitness that I realize I've been doing it wrong all this time. Not mechanics wise, but from a mental standpoint. I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and trying to motivate and encourage myself the wrong way. Which of course led to massive failure every time.

 

I'm determined to do better this time. I like this fitness community a lot better than any other I have joined. In my mind, that's a good sign.

[Zeric]

7 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

Zeric, you don't mind if I steal that picture for the next time certain family members send me inspirational quotes on Facebook, do you? 

Lol, I just found the photo on Google images by typing in "inspirational quote meme" and it showed up. You're welcome to it. 
 

7 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and trying to motivate and encourage myself the wrong way. Which of course led to massive failure every time.

That's exactly what happens. I do love the approach of Nerd Fitness, I feel like I'll be blathering about how much I like it forever. It's like someone finally woke up and realized "eh, maybe fitness ain't just bout' making weight loss the most torturous process ever!* and then they thought about how to make it better and stuff....(that's it, that's definitely how it happened).

 

I encourage you to stick with it and start with the weekly challenges you get in your email (you're getting those right?). After that I've started with the 10 level nutrition process thing. It feels like I'm doing something right for once and that feels nice.


 

[Scaly Freak]

5 hours ago, Zeric said:

I encourage you to stick with it and start with the weekly challenges you get in your email (you're getting those right?). 

 

I actually am not. I didn't sign up for them. I probably will eventually though.

 

I'm planning to set my own challenges at first, until I get the hang of this new mindset I'm trying to learn.That way, I can go slow and steady and start the new habits I know I need (like no more soda). Which reminds me that I need to make myself a challenge thread before the weekend is over... better get started on that.

[Deckard Gainz]

On 10/28/2017 at 8:43 AM, Zeric said:

Why weight's basically been holding me back for years (heh, could that be a pun?). I believe the main reason why it has never really changed is that, 1) I didn't believe it could and 2) There was never a good enough reason (in my mind) for it to. In terms of 1) It was more of a combination between my fear of failure and my already established feelings as a failure. I tend to be motivated to do what I'm good at (man did that backfire in physics!) but now that I've been in school for a bit I'm really learning to accept the concept of "not being as good at something as you want to be, but accepting it as a learning process" which has helped a lot. Since I felt that I had "failed" my physical appearance and health quest, I didn't believe there was a point in fixing it. Kind of messed up logic, which leads to point 2). I never thought there was a real reason to change myself physically because I wasn't really used to focusing on myself and doing things for me. When it finally clicked in that, "hey, this is something you want and you should put your energy into making it happen" it was like this really super easy to grasp concept that I had never really grasped had been...grasped....(the heck am I saying?). 

 

Welcome Zeric! I relate to all of this so hard. It's taken me a long time to prioritize this stuff, and I also chalk it up to not wanting to focus on myself, lest I become "vain" or narcissistic, or whatever. Like most things, there's a spectrum of vanity and there's nothing wrong with shifting your needle in the direction of caring how you look or present yourself, and advocating for the things you want, especially if it benefits your health and overall happiness. 

 

I generally like the quest thing, but I also think it should be less like a pass/fail (you failed to beat the boss -- you're dead now) and more like school, where there are degrees of success, and the main consequence of failure is a loss of time, but you can always accept the quest anew and try again. You and I very well may have failed at those quests in the past, or they just sat idly in our quest log as we pursued others, but it's never to late to pop open the quest guide and start making better decisions, even if they're small ones! Especially if they're small ones.

 

Anyways, like you I'm really excited about the possibilities as well, and excited to cheer each other on as we improve our minds and bodies. I wish you luck in the trials to come!