Pre-8 bit nerd

[jimmie65]

I'm guessing I've got a few years on most others here; my nerd days started with Pong and Atari and the very first edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

My latest adventure started in November 2010. I always promised myself I would never get so overweight I couldn't do the things I wanted to. Well, I got there. 330 lbs, 48" waist, 3xl shirts. It hurt to get out of bed in the morning, I had to sit down to toe my shoes, and I could barely walk half a mile. My wife and I had done several diets over the years and had a lot of luck with Atkins and South Beach; but we would lose the weight and put it back on. Ten years before, we hiked into and out of the Grand Canyon in one day on our honeymoon - we, or more specifically, I had fallen a long way.

My wife got us started us back on South Beach. A new Planet Fitness had just opened up and I signed us both up. Say what you want about PF, it's still a great way to get started. We both lost a ton of weight.

A year after that, she had started running and I was biking, so we let the PF membership go. I picked up some dumbbells and other equipment, started running as well, and continued to get healthy.

Almost 2 years later, I'm down to 240 lbs, a 38" waist and XL shirts are sometimes too big. I'm doing yoga now, can actually change clothes in the front seat of the car (pretty necessary if you go running or biking and want to go somewhere afterwards) and can run a 5k. My wife is down just as much and runs 4 miles several times a week.

But I've plateaued. Weight has been between 240 and 245 for months now. My diet has slipped and I eat too many carbs and junk food. A friend of mine on DailyMile posted something from Nerd Fitness a couple of days ago and I started perusing the site. I liked what I saw here and thought this would be a good resource to get me moving in the right direction. My friends at DM are great and very supportive, but pretty focused on running and cycling; to me, these are simply means to an end.

I'm an ogre, though a short one (only 6'). Aiming for Ranger, maybe with some levels in Assassin.

Battle plan: Still working out the long term goals.

Short term targets:

* 10 pullups (at 8 right now)

* 5k in 30 mins (probably have done this, but need to make sure I time it accurately next time)

* 60 mile bike ride (45 miles)

Plan:

Circuit training 3x a week, change up monthly to avoid plateaus (Tu Th Sa)

Running 3+x a week (M W F, sometimes Sa or Su)

Cycling - Commute to work M-Th

Mondays are also a plyometric and sprint workout (though I'm incorporating sprinting into Wednesday and Fridays as well now)

Monday and Saturday: Random day. I try a lot of different things on these days, since Monday is a half-day for me and Saturday is free.

Sunday: rest day or long bike ride or hike.

Changes for October - Angry Bird Workout. Heavier weights for circuits.

Diet: Starting Paleo. Indulgences: beer no more than twice a week, dark chocolate occasionally.

[Thilde]

Welcome! Sounds like you have already done some awesome work for yourself (and your wife has too, by the sound of it!). Your progress thus far is inspiring. Love your goals; they sound very reasonable. Will you participate in the upcoming challenge?

I am a Ranger with hopes of becoming an Assassin. There are a lot of combo-class Rebels here. If you do a challenge, you do have to pick ONE guild for that, but otherwise you can be as many combinations of classes as you want.

And, w00t paleo! I've been doing paleo/primal for almost 2 months now and I love. There's a HUGELY supportive paleo/primal community here, lots of good info, recipes, and advice.

Glad to have you here!

[jimmie65]

Thanks. Already got a thread on the challenge board.

[Chef Neem]

Welcome fellow ponger.

It is great that you and your wife are getting fit together. Part of my challenge this time is getting my family involved in their health and fitness as well.

[Chef Neem]

Welcome fellow ponger.

It is great that you and your wife are getting fit together. Part of my challenge this time is getting my family involved in their health and fitness as well.

[jimmie65]

Welcome fellow ponger.

It is great that you and your wife are getting fit together. Part of my challenge this time is getting my family involved in their health and fitness as well.

That's a good goal. One of my biggest regrets is that my wife and I both let ourselves get so out of shape while the kids were at home and never got them active. My stepdaughter has a real issue with her weight now and we've tried to get her active and working out but to no avail. My stepson does well, though, and my daughter is getting better.

[Swinging_Jarnbjorn]

Fate has delivered to us another brother in arms, and for that we are grateful! Welcome, Jimmie, to the rebellion. You've done a ton of great work already, and the rebels will help you any way we can. Thanks for joining us!