Hi! I'm a total n00b. :)

[deadlierrainbow]

I officially joined the forums a few days ago and have been grappling with exactly what to say to kick off my heroic quest. I wanted to sound cool because everything I've read so far makes everyone sound cool. Everyone knows far more than I do and is just far better at this than I am... then, it dawned on me that everyone's been a beginner at one point. As much as I'd like to jump a brand new character from level 1 to 85 in a matter of seconds, I have to drudge through killing many murlocs and kobolds to get there.

I have a long journey ahead of me. I'm not sure how much I weigh exactly to the pound, but it's approximately 225. I am 5'4" and 26 years old. (I was weighed back in September for a physical I needed in order to join my husband who's stationed in Germany, so I'm referencing that number). I've been this way for as long as I can remember. Obese. I tried losing weight about 2 times. The second time was by far more successful than the first, but none-the-less, I gave up. Looking back at that time, I began to get incredibly obsessive with the scale. The first two months I had seen about 20lbs of weight loss, but it stalled almost instantly when I hit month 3. I most likely was putting on muscle weight, working more strength training into my workouts than cardio, but I eventually only cared about the number that was flashed on the screen. After another month, I gave the scale to a friend and I called it quits. I'm actually upset that I didn't resort to using my common sense at that point. My body certainly WAS being re-shaped. Without a doubt it was. I just got drawn into how easy it is to only care about the number. That's why, this time around, I'm not going to weigh myself... I know that it goes against the "rules", but I know what is going to happen if I step on the scale again and I'm in this for the long haul.

I'm also not going to get wrapped up in cardio. I can't begin to explain just how happy I am to find people that actually agree that long, drawn out cardio feels like going into a raid without healers (in other words, it feels like ultimate death to me). I definitely want to focus on strength training two to three times a week and supplement with interval training (most likely on a stationary bike) twice a week. This makes complete sense to me. Also, I'm almost finished my first week with the Paleo diet and I absolutely love it so far. I kind of jumped in both feet first, and luckily haven't had any kind of issue with it. No cravings, no problems with digestion, nothing. I just feel great!

The only issues I'm truly having is finding a support group. Because I'm a girl, my husband thinks the idea of me lifting is a bad one. I tried to show him the story about Spezzy, but he resisted.

It went something like this*:

Me: I've been reading up about girls lifting heavy. I think I want to try it.

Husband: But... but... you'll lose teh epic b00biez & you'll look like a b0i...

*Something like it. It's not an official transcript. That wasn't the first reasons he was against it, but those did get thrown into the mix.

Also, I don't know many people where I live. My move was approved late December and I got here in February (the Army; "hurry up and wait!"). It's been difficult to meet new people since I'm a shy, geeky girl who has roughly kept the same group of friends for a decade. After trying out a few groups and organizations and feeling like nothing was a good fit, I've been kind of geekin' out at home most days.

So, here's where the level 85s can help me out:

Has anyone had experience with loved ones not being supportive or resistant to the changes you are trying to implement in your life? Have you had problems getting a great support group together? Do you have some seriously epic advice for a girl who wants to lift heavy, but has no idea where to begin (I really don't understand much about reps or sets and what I'm supposed to be shooting for!). I do want to eventually lose weight. Losing weight is a goal, but I mainly just want to look freaking awesome. Is it wrong that I want to focus on building muscle and not my weight/the scale? Or is that exactly what I need to be focusing on?

Thanks in advance

(And... I'm sorry. I have a tendency to be wordy.)

[Morrigainz]

Wilkommen! You've come to the right place!

There are lots of us here in single-player mode. If you feel like hearing my whining, you can check out my thread "husband frustrations" or some of my early blog posts. Fair warning: they are whiny.

Lifting is AWESOME! There are lots of good programs out there...I started out with New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler, but due to a lack of equipment at my home gym, I recently started Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength program.

Check out the Warrior's Forge for more info...and feel free to ask questions! We can help you come up with goals and plans, AND we can support you when you need it

Good luck!

P.S. The scale sucks. I got tired of chronic cardio so even though I technically have a little fat I want to get rid of, I switched to strength training because boring schedule was boring.

[deadlierrainbow]

Danke Schoen!

I just read the first couple sentences of your thread and I honestly feel as if this is going to be one hefty resource for me! I'm so glad I'm not alone in that. It was really discouraging to hear that he was far from supportive of my decision.

I actually added that book yesterday to my Amazon wishlist, so I'm glad I'm heading in the right direction. I'll have to look into that program and have to head over to the Warrior's Forge. Someone helping me out with my goals and making a plan would be perfect.

Thanks so much for the response and advice!

[Wicked Pixie]

Rules? Schmoooles! I only weigh in for silly things like the Spring weightlifting showdown.

Otherwise I rely solely on measurements and more importantly how my clothes fit!

You will find everyone here to be very helpful and supportive! I love it here and I'm in no way a level 85!

We're all here to help each other level up! And yes everyone has to start somewhere and the fact that you started is an EPIC WIN!

[So Late So Soon]

Glad you found the site and welcome! Don't worry about not knowing as much as everyone else just by reading the forums you are going to learn a whole lot, i know i did. If you ever have questions or need a kick in the butt don't be afraid to ask, we are all here for you.

[AKLulu]

Welcome! And yeah, you'll find lots of good resources around here. I'm with you. I just want to look good. I haven't weighed myself since probably December and enjoy the non-obsession. Scales and calorie counting make me crazy in the head.

And me? I'm lvl 20 at best... definitely haven't gotten a faster mount yet....and might still be running without a mount. *sigh*

[tigersheart]

Welcome! There are so many friendly and knowledgeable people here, it is an awesome place to be. I am new too, but they make you feel right at home.

Make your own rules....but no excuses

I stopped weighing myself well over a year ago, but others here who are probably in better shape, still weigh themselves...neither of us are wrong, we are just following our own path. The things we have in common is our desire to be in the best possible health we can.

So focus on your health and let the so called 'rules' just happen as they fit in with your journey

good luck!

[Oklibrarian]

Welcome! Scales can be double-edged. I didn't weigh for about the first 3 months of this weight loss attempt (which led to an amusing surprise this week when I learned I'd lost 40 lbs, not 30 ), but I have to start refining my plan to get off the last 20-30 lbs while keeping muscle. That means tracking lean body mass, and tracking lbm means weighing. However, I'm in a different spot. Keep away from scales and go by your clothes. Also, the awesome thing about most of europe is that most places you need to get to will be within walking or walking+mass transit distance. Walk. When I lived in Scotland during college I lost 20 lbs without even trying just by running around town. Good luck!

PS-what base?

[RaeVynn]

Welcome!

I'm still a rank newbie ... and learning all this stuff, too! I picked up a copy of the NF fitness guide (available on the website) and am working through the Rookie level...

My hubby is very supportive, and plays along, but won't do much if I'm not here to encourage him to be active...

I do weigh myself daily, as it is my personal form of self-accountability... but I do realize that weight fluctuates due to many things, including muscles "plumping" after a good, hard workout, so I really just watch the overall trend by the week.

You will find this a very positive, supportive place. I know I have

[deadlierrainbow]

Thank you all for the kind responses! It's really nice to feel such awesome support

[deadlierrainbow]

Oklibrarian : Thanks. I was planning on judging my success at first with the way my clothes are fitting. Congrats on the 40lbs . And yeah, it's really nice to have things in waling distance, especially with the weather getting nicer.

We're at Garrison Wiesbaden.