Help me, NF Rebels. You're my only hope!

[Virago]

Hi fellow Rebels

 

I've been reading NF for nearly a year now but have finally decided to shyly take a peek at the forums - so I guess I'll introduce myself!

 

I'll be graduating college and turning 23 in May (woohoo!), and up until the past year or two, I was incredibly un-athletic. (No issues with nerdiness though -- Firefly, Dr Who, Skyrim, Halo, Assassin's Creed, Star Wars, Star Trek, LOTR... yeah, we're good there. ) Crossfit and kung fu have been helping with physical fitness though -- while I still have a hard time thinking of myself as an athletic person, I've definitely made some awesome changes. I'm still working on a pull up (so close!) but in December I deadlifted 1.5x my bodyweight! I still can't believe it!

 

My biggest problem is food though -- I eat well enough (though there's always room for improvement), but not often enough. I'm not overweight, but I'd really like to move towards Spezzy's awesome lean/athletic build instead of my softer build -- it's hiding all my hard-earned crossfit muscles!

 

I didn't grow up in a house that cooked much, so lately I've been trying to learn how to cook at home. My boyfriend (let's call him "Rogue Leader" ) and I have been cooking Paleo dinners together at home the past few weeks and I'm really enjoying that, but I can NOT seem to figure out breakfast/lunch. I like to grab things on the go that don't require any preparation; I usually end up not eating enough, or frequently enough, and I know I don't drink enough water.

 

Whenever I decide I'm going to change, I pick far too many big goals and obviously can't follow through with them. I would LOVE some suggestions on small habit changes I can start making to overcome my poor eating habits. I bet eating more regularly would really help the body transformation happen!

[JustAStudent]

Welcome to the forums Snowfox, it's great you've decided to join us! Plus a big yay for nerdiness!

 

For your goals, how about starting with something small like having something for breakfast each day, even if it's just an apple? If not wanting to prepare things in the morning is a problem for you, how about setting something up the night before, or just having something quick like a bowl of cereal that you can quickly pour out? To increase water intake, you could try carrying a water bottle wherever you go, just so that you will always have it to hand and whenever you remember you can take a sip. Just don't try to change too much too fast, and you will soon find the little things become habits, at which point you can start implementing more changes, one step at a time.

 

By the way, I'm jealous of your near pullup abilities. I doubt that I'll ever do one sometimes, just got to keep working at at though! That deadlifting is pretty impressive too, keep up the good work!

[Virago]

Thanks! I commute an hour to school and usually do try to bring something along like a banana or apple with peanut butter. It's tough trying to balance eating with my school/commuting schedule and I never know what to do for lunches. The night-before prep is something I DEFINITELY need to try doing.

 

I carry my water bottle (with my NF sticker on it!) almost everywhere, but I forget about it. Maybe if I bring a straw or figure out a reward for getting through the whole bottle...?

 

Don't give up on the pull ups!! I've been doing crossfit with Rogue & our friends out of our garage for almost a year and a half now, and I'm STILL not quite there. The "tabletop" method Steve suggests really helped - where you're lying on your back and hold onto the bar/table above you and pull yourself up keeping your body straight. I'm now doing jumping pull ups and except for that little jump at the beginning, I have it. Frustrating to be so close and still not be there, but it'll happen. We can both do it!

[JustAStudent]

An hour long commute, gosh, I thought my 15 minute walk was annoying!

 

For lunches, how about making some extra dinner the night before and packing that cold? Cold chicken salad or extra meatballs is always yummy! For your water, I think you need to get one of those amazing twisty straws just so you will always want to use it!

 

I would love to even get that far with pullups haha. Tried doing that method under my bed and din't even have the strength for that... the only other place would be the dining room table or door handles...neither of which I  think my family would be too pleased about! For now I'm keeping on improving my rows with resistance bands, it's better than nothing.

[labtx]

I'm a big fan of leftovers for breakfast. I had salmon and brussels sprouts today! 

 

Also - google egg muffins. There are lots of recipes out there that involve whisking up some eggs and whatever goodies you like, then baking in (silicone) muffin pans. You can pop those out and microwave them before you hit the road in the morning. I like eggs, chopped garlic / scallion / tomatoes / spinach, and sausage in mine. I put the toppings in aobut 1/3 of the way, then scrambled eggs on top another 1/3. Hope that makes sense!