Joining the rebellion!

[Kaitri]

Hello everyone!

I've been reading these forums (and Steve's delightful blog posts) for a month or so. If it's not too late, I want to join in on the current 6-week challenge, but I'm still trying to figure out which class I want to be.

I've loved all things fantasy/RPG since I was young, and I think this forum is a perfect blend of nerdy fantasy things and fitness.

Here's my story:

I grew up as an athletic kid. I loved sports, and was a competitive sailor for most of my teens and early twenties. After graduating from university, I got an office job, stopped sailing and started eating pretty poorly. I played Warcraft for 5 hours a day (raiding in a US top 50 guild), and totally neglected my health. Needless to say, I gained a bunch of weight in a few short years. I quit Warcraft last summer, and have wanted to lose the extra 40 pounds that I gained ever since.

In April, I decided to get off my ass and start eating healthier and working out more. I started with calorie counting, then moved to the South Beach Diet. I lost weight, but then went through some significant health problems and was put on very high doses of prednisone. I transitioned then from SBD to a more paleo/primal diet, and for the last month or so I have been trying to eat 100% primal. I have had stomach problems (had my gallbladder removed when I was 19) and auto-immune issues (eczema, asthma, allergies) since I was a kid, so I know I should probably try the "auto-immune" version of paleo, but I can't give up tomatoes and peppers!

Although most people say it's impossible to lose weight on prednisone, I was able to lose 30 pounds. I did it, however, by severely limiting my caloric intake (1200 calories a day), and working out way too often and for far too long. Now that I'm off the prednisone (and now that I only have 5 pounds left to lose), I need to re-learn how to feed myself in a healthy, sustainable way. Maintenance is going to be a challenge for me.

I'm also looking for a more sustainable workout regimen, since my new goal is to gain muscle mass and lose fat. I love the idea of MovNat, and I'm thinking of joining the only MovNat gym in my city (Toronto). Unfortunately, it's an hour away from me, so I need to see whether it's worth 2 hours of travel time for one-hour workout sessions.

I have some questions for the community, if people are willing to answer:

1. Eating paleo/primal seems to have stalled my weight loss. I'm not eating many nuts (I eat a few almonds maybe 1-2 times a week), and I'm not eating a ton of dairy. I know that the last 5 pounds is the hardest to lose, so I'm patient. I just want to know if anyone has some tips to get those last few pounds to slowly melt away.

2. Given that I want to gain lean muscle mass and lower my body fat percentage, would you guys recommend that I start lifting weights? Or can I do this using body weight exercises? I've been doing Steve's body weight workouts for the past week or so, and I love them. I'd like to find a workout regimen that works for me, and I'm open to suggestions from the community. My local gym has Gravity classes (no idea what these are) and kettlebell classes. Have any of you had good results with either of these?

3. When choosing a class, do I have to do one of the activities that's listed? I think my overall goals would align closest with an assassin or ranger, but I'm not going to join a crossfit gym, and I don't see myself starting gymnastics or parkour. Should I stick with the adventurer class for this first challenge?

[esteel]

1. What ever you change, change SMALL things and test for a while to see how they work out.. otherwise you'll have no idea what did help and what did not.

Could be many things.. gaining muscle mass (muscles weight more then fat..), retained water, maybe your body adjusted to the current calorie intake..

2. Body weight exercises should be fine. However i sometimes prefer weight lifting as it seems more controllable and clear. A 100 kg squat is always the same, but if you are loosing weight and do one chinup more was it because you got stronger or the reduced weight?

A kettlebell class is worth trying it, and if just for the experience and learning something new

That being said, i'm currently doing both body weight exercises and kettlebell

3. Just choose a class that you think fits you more..