Intro

[Korvin]

So, figured I would just post my response to the first e-mail:

(Do excuse the length, I lack the ability to "get to the point" when talking about anything....lol)

Quick stats:

Age: 26

Weight: 203

Height: 6'1"

Currently I find myself struggling with how to get to the next level. I started my quest of getting fit in March of 2011. I weighed 250 lbs and had just applied to the local police department. I knew I had to get in much better shape than I was, so I started going to the the Crossfit gym that my company sponsors and eating Lean Cuisines and various fruits & nuts for snacks while monitoring the heck out of my calorie intake. By October I was down to 215 and was noticeably healthier looking, though I did not end up getting accepting into the department. From that point I maintained a semi regular attendance at the gym and laxed on my eating, but not to the point I was eating Baconators for every meal...lol. I attempted a resurge around February trying the "Zone" and got down to 196, before laxing again (wow, measuring everything kinda sucked) and settling between 203-205. As you can tell, I seem to have gotten stuck on weight being tied directly to level of health, though I will admit I think I continued to lean up when I plateaued because my pants size fell another size to just under 36 from a high of a tight 42.

(Here comes the point....lol)

Now, I sit at another point in my life. I am currently trying to enlist in the Army, with an estimated ship date to basic being somewhere around January (no date yet though). I want to be as physically prepared as possible for this, which for me means being able to run like a champ and also being able to bust out push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups on the fly. However, I need to help on this.....

(That sure was small... needs more ranting....)

See, what I was doing before got me down to a better weight and eating somewhat healthier, but I want more. I enjoy the CrossFit gym for its structure, but I do not like the reliance on Olympic lifts in many of the workouts. My form sucks with any real weight put on the bars, so I feel I want to get stronger using other methods first. So a workout plan/schedule that I could perform at my apartment gym OR the Crossfit Gym would be great. My other fitness hurdle is running. Oh lord, how I have struggled with this. I will say that my first hurdle was that I was heavy in the beginning, though I am not exactly light now at 205/6'1". My form, as far as I can tell is heel striking all day long, though I consciously attempt (keyword) to land on my forefoot. Regardless, I seem to always have shin pain which I am told is due to my over-pronation. I have a pair of Saucony shoes that I got awhile ago that helped a bit, but the pain is still there from time to time. I have tried "couch to 5k", but I feel I need something more in depth. So, pretty much my goal as far as exercising goes is to be able to have a plan that I can follow precisely and get results. I hate going to the gym and kinda lifting some stuff and maybe running or biking a bit, but never really feeling like i dominated.

(Just a bit more rambling...)

On the food side, I gotta admit the paleo diet thing intrigues me. It seems pretty fool proof on the surface, "Eat natural stuff like meat and veggies". Though I have to say grains seem to be in everything nowadays. I really feel like I could do it, but I would need to learn how to make it simple and easy so I I can make breakfasts quick in the morning (i love eggs!), and lunches and snacks I can eat at work. Easy dinners would be nice too. Oh, and ofcourse trying to offset the cost would be a big plus.

So there you go, thats what I am struggling with right now....forming a simple workout plan that can be followed precisely with results, a food plan that can be cost effective and uncomplicated.

That was painless....

[turandot500]

Hey Korvin! Welcome

I'm new to the Paleo diet as well, what has helped me is to cook twice as much as I need for a meal, then save the extra for the next day. I agree, I never noticed before just how many meals contain grains. But I am looking forward to it, I love trying new foods, this is a great opportunity. Good luck with all your goals!

[Laney]

It's definitely hard to avoid grains completely. The best thing to do is to cut out packaged food and slowly ease your way into the Paleo life.

Welcome to the Rebellion

[Korvin]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I have been googling a lot stuff as far as recipes go to replace the staple dishes I like to prepare a lot. I made Steve's paleo spaghetti last night and loved it. Boooo on pasta now, that stuff was great. I didnt feel like I was stuffed either like I would after eating pasta.