I am a Cylon. Well, maybe not...

[kabotnik]

Actually I am a college grad of 2010 and since then I've been thrilled enough to have not gained any more weight. I stumbled upon NF a few months ago, read the blog posts, studied up on Paleo and fitness. I'm a software engineer, calculating and efficient (like a Cylon!). So my day involves sitting, sitting, and more sitting. I started riding my bike to work any day there is no rain, which is about 8 miles one way and running at lunch for about 3 miles on days I don't bike. But that doesn't burn the weight.

My current goal is weight loss and it has been since high school, but without much success. I'm at roughly 220 right now, hoping to get to 185. Right now my goals are simple. By the end of the summer, I want to be able to do 5 pull ups, run an 8:30 min/mile, and fit into my large t-shirts without looking like a blob. After that I will do the Agile thing, and re-evaluate my goals.

I love just about any outdoor activity; cycling, hiking, even running now (all aerobic). I really need to incorporate strength training though for burning fat. I'm not keen on gym memberships so I'm really looking for a way to do strength training without one; although there is a gym across the street that I am looking into. I've already leveled up my diet, now it's time to level up my workout which is.

My overarching goal is to be a combination Ranger/Scout; which I will call the Adventurer class (haven't taken any arrows to the knee yet). Able to cover great distances but still able to face any beast or situation I may face without thinking "Oh crap I didn't train for this". See these situations: http://artofmanliness.com/2011/05/27/the-hero-training-workouts-putting-it-all-together/.

[AKLulu]

Welcome! Sounds like you've got some good goals. I'm sure plenty of people around here could advise you on strength training outside of the gym. Maybe take a look at Steve's beginning body weight workout on the main site? Good luck, Adventurer!

[drayz]

Welcome! I really dig strength training. I do some body weight and dumbbell training at home vs. going to a gym. Good luck, you are going to do awesome.

[kabotnik]

I think I'm going to do a body weight circuit in the morning when I bike to work. There's a tree out back with a limb that I can do pull ups on or wrap some rope around to do "swing rows" until I can actually do pull ups. The only thing I'm not sure about is the dumbbell rows as I don't have dumbbells and I don't have a lot of rooms in my panniers for extra stuff. I wonder if I could use resistance bands at all? Those are light and if I remember my physics lectures correctly, I could use multiple bands simultaneously to make it tougher. Or I could hit up craigslist or Walmart to find a cheap set of weights for my desk.

[DChristian]

Bodyweight exercises are great - I really need to do more. I've also had a lot of success with kettlebells for strength and conditioning. You can find good deals occasionally. I got my first kettlebell (10 lbs) for 12 bucks at TJ Maxx, of all places.

[Jaswandi]

Welcome!

Those are some really great workout goals, and very impressive that you bike almost 16 miles per day AND run 3 miles.

What about some diet goals? As some wise people have said, 'you can't outrun your fork, you can't out-train a bad diet'.

[kabotnik]

My diet hasn't been terrible. I've been slowly moving away from processed grains, but as I typically buy stuff in bulk, I had quite a bit in my apartment to get rid of. My typical day is like this:

Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins on weekdays; 2-3 eggs, bacon, potatoes with peppers and onions on weekends

Lunch: salad with tomatoes, peppers, sometimes a meat and 1-2 Tbsp dressing, banana with peanut butter OR leftovers from dinner the previous night

Dinner: soup and salad OR meat and vegetables, sometimes with rice

In addition, average of 3 or 4 beers a week depending on how many times I go out for a meal. I only have wine in my apartment, so the beer is much easier to cut out since I have to physically go somewhere to get it. The only other thing is the dairy and fruit juice. I don't usually have fruit juice, but I do enjoy milk, and I'll sometimes have chocolate milk after a workout.

Also, I usually don't run AND bike on the same days. I tried that once and it sucked. I might start doing a body weight circuit and sprints every other day since I've been becoming much more active and doing the aerobic exercise has given me a ton more energy. Plus, the sprints will help me prepare for the Warrior Dash.