A traveler hails from the neighboring country of Fitocracy!

[Quickbeam]

Hi!

tl;dr: I consist of 140-something solid pounds of passive aggression, and a will to conquer everything I can't do. Barbells are my best friends, and I want to get my firefighter certification next year. Recovered bulimia and hypothyroidism are my only obstacles.

And the long part, my story!

My fitness before I moved to China in January of 2012 was spotty. I exercised to lose weight, and thought running was the best way to do so, despite problems with asthma. Nov '11 I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and by that point I was weak as hell and not eating at all and exhausted constantly. I got to China and was enrolled in a fitness class at school, where I got pretty fit with bodyweight/lightweight circuit training.

In May I discovered Fitocracy, and it changed me completely.

I learned a few things until June, left for the summer, and came back in August foaming at the mouth for some barbells.

Since August I've upped all of my lifts by 10-30 kg, and I lift at least every other day. I live for leg days. Deadlifts make me HAPPY.

My progress has slowed though, from a mix of thyroid fluctuation and other medications that make me not want to eat. I'm slowly falling back because I'm too afraid to gain fat to eat enough to maintain/gain muscle, and since I don't get hungry, I can't tell what's enough and what's too much.

Also sweet tooth.

List of things I want to conquer:

Firefighter 1 certification by 2014

Archery

Parkour (I'm terrified of jumping from things)

Run a mile without stopping (**** you, asthma!)

Kayaking

More rockclimbing

Fighting of some sort

Side splits

Nice to meet you!

[Space_Elf]

Hi! I think we have a few things in common, like being afraid of jumping off of things. I have this oddly variable fear of heights. Sometimes they don't bother me at all and sometimes I'm completely petrified. Also, I adore your screen name, he was always my favorite Ent.

[Laureleye]

I'm hypothyroid and I struggled with the eating problems you describe. I never felt hungry and never felt full either. I took to eating by the numbers; eat a specific amount at a specific time. And the sweet tooth. I wanted sweets, and nothing was quite as sweet as I wanted. An increase in my thyroid meds helped both of these, although it helped the sweet tooth more. It really sucks that you're having thyroid problems at only 18. I found this site helpful. Good luck.