Ummm. Hi.

[EmCee]

Not sure how much of a "nerd" I am... but really love this site and what it stands for.

For what it's worth, here is a little background:

In February of 2011, I got in a serious boating accident and it caused - surprise! - a pretty big epiphany for me. When I was admitted into the ICU, I weighed over 200 pounds. Clocking in at 5'2"... I'm sure you can imagine that it wasn't exactly my ideal weight. Since then I have worked super super hard and have dropped 90 lbs and currently weigh 132 with a body fat percentage of 22-23%.

However, I am stuck. I did "strength" training three days a week and did some serious chronic cardio. A friend of mine introduced me to this site and has encouraged me to try a new approach. I am on day four of following a pretty strict version of the Paleo diet and have begun moving away from my previous strength routine and have been attempting to do heavier weights and more compound movements. Additionally, I am moving away from doing as much cardio as I used to (insert scared face here).

I have had some challenges... I ate pretty clean already so giving up the minimal grains/legumes I was eating wasn't a huge problem for me. However, I have been advised to steer clear of all sugars, including fructose, if I'd like to see a reduction in body fat (duh!) and that has been a big big struggle. It's summertime and it pains me to put away the peaches, nectarines, cherries, strawberries, watermelon and not over-indulge.

Anywho - I'm looking forward to being a part of this community and I see that I got here just in time for some challenge! Off to find out what that is all about! Love a little friendly competition

[shortstuff]

Welcome - the challenges are great! My first one was the one that just finished. On top of your own goals you can also take part in your guild's weekly challenge which is also fun

[Caitriona]

Welcome! And holy crap - you've already achieved awesome results! Now we can work on getting strong together. =) I'm just now making the switch from all cardio all the time to a more balanced, strength oriented approach. How did you go about starting heavier weights? I just started reading starting strength, but I'm still a little intimidated by walking into a weight room and just picking up the heavy stuff without proper supervision, heh.

[BinaryPhoenix]

Welcome! I am now where you used to be. 5'3 and 235lbs. I hope that I see as good results as you've had! I'm also following a fairly strict paleo/primal diet, though I do allow myself some berries (mostly blueberries). I'm already noticing changes in how I feel, if not how I look. Looking forward to getting to know you!

[EmCee]

Welcome! And holy crap - you've already achieved awesome results! Now we can work on getting strong together. =) I'm just now making the switch from all cardio all the time to a more balanced, strength oriented approach. How did you go about starting heavier weights? I just started reading starting strength, but I'm still a little intimidated by walking into a weight room and just picking up the heavy stuff without proper supervision, heh.

I actually spent a good part of my weight loss journey doing P90x (I still do the videos actually - the cardio ones are pretty intense!) so I took what I knew from the videos and just modified it to fit what I want now. For instance, I tossed out super localized exercises that I found to be monotonous like full-supination curls... I don't need a million different bicep exercises and, in fact, do not do any bicep exercises specifically. I spend an entire workout doing pull-ups, chin-ups and push-ups (okay, maybe just trying to do a pullup/chinup) which inadvertently work my biceps. I experimented a little with the weight and had to switch weights sometimes in the middle of a set because I knew it was too little or too much. I also spend a good amount of time doing squats and lunges! My next thing is deadlift - I really want to figure that out!

Anyways... you just have to kind of figure out what works for you. I have made tweaks and had to figure some things out but I have a lot of fitness minded people around me. Be careful about asking someone at the gym - the other day I made the mistake of asking a man, who looked pretty fit, if he could show me the proper way to perform a lateral row (to help with my pull-ups) and he showed me a barbell row. Is there anyone you know that has a good idea of what they're doing in the weight room?

[EmCee]

Welcome! I am now where you used to be. 5'3 and 235lbs. I hope that I see as good results as you've had! I'm also following a fairly strict paleo/primal diet, though I do allow myself some berries (mostly blueberries). I'm already noticing changes in how I feel, if not how I look. Looking forward to getting to know you!

Looking forward to following your progression! It's a tough road but so great!!

I noticed one of your goals is to make at least $100 in one week through writing projects - is that what you do for a living? I'm a journalist!