Brand Spanking New

[VintageGeek]

Usually I'm really good at these intro threads, but I honestly have no idea exactly what to say here. I am just really, really ready for a change.

In January of this year, I quit smoking. People tend to be a little glib about that kind of thing, but...well, let's put it this way. In 2006 I gave birth without drugs to a 9 lb., 11 oz. baby boy with a perfectly round head and the shoulders of a linebacker, and I'd rather do that again than go through another day of nicotine withdrawal.

So the quitting smoking bit went a long way, but I still have a ways to go. I haven't been given a serious, life-threatening diagnosis, and I haven't suffered any major injuries, and I'm still pretty young and vital and feeling all right, but at 28 my age is starting to wear me down around the edges, which of course makes the rebel in me stand up and say, "OH HEYELL NO."

But I am so freaking tired of the standard internet fitness fare I could scream. I'm tired of long runs and 45 minutes on the elliptical and the same things over and over again. I'm also tired of fitness communities being full of guilt and phony encouragement. I've spent a few days looking over this site and these forums, and I think I can firmly say that this place actually is different.

Also, I've wanted to be a real Rebel since I was seven, so this has some of that fantasy fulfillment aspect too.

Okay enough of that crap. GOALS:

I want to be flexible, lean, muscular, and hot. I'm tired of being stiff, pudgy, soft, and "cute". I want to complete a Warrior Dash, and I want to look like I'm 25 when I'm 35. I want to be able to maintain a high level of activity for the rest of my life. I want enough energy that I'm not dropping off to sleep at the dinner table while someone is actually speaking to me.

And I want to do all this without spending hundreds of dollars a year on excess stuff. I want to do it off-the-grid as much as possible. I want to prove that the people peddling the pond scum are as full of it as I suspect them to be.

OKAY I'M DONE NOW. HAI.

[Steve]

Looks like a solid intro post to me

So let's talk about goals - how much weight do you figure you need to lose? how's your diet these days? if you're gonna be off the grid, then I'd imagine it's mostly body weight stuff you'll be doing for exercise?

Glad to have you here...I promise we're a lot of fun.

-Steve

[VintageGeek]

I'm pretty right-brained, so I tend to go after "does this dress fit?" rather than "have I reached a magical number on the scale?" But from my last doctor's visit, I'm sitting pretty at 170 lbs., 5' 7". Ideally I'll lose 30 to 40 lbs. throughout this whole process, but I'll be measuring my progress by how well my clothes fit - I have a few pairs of jeans from when I was at my ideal weight that I'll be trying to squirm my way back into, and it would be spectacular if I could give that to myself as a Christmas gift this year.

My diet probably sucks. I'm conscious of what I put in my body, but I splurge a lot more than I should, and my portion control is nonsense. I have a deeply emotional and satisfying relationship with food. I don't eat when I'm upset or tired or bored - I just eat whenever I feel like having something delicious in my mouth, which is pretty often. I'd like to get to a point where I consider food to be fuel, not friend. Also, our grocery bill is pretty tight, so cost is a big deal for us.

As for "off the grid," I currently do have a gym membership, and we have a Bowflex in the house. I use the gym membership for the use of their boring-ass cardio machines, but again - that's an expense I'd rather rid my budget of. The Bowflex has been...fairly ineffective for me so far, but it's done wonders for Mr. Geek, who works out on it until his head explodes three times a week.

I love bodyweight exercises, as it turns out. I did the Beginner's Body Weight Routine from the NF site yesterday, and it kicked. My. Ass. I've been working out pretty consistently for a while, but after the 20 minutes I spent on that thing I'm convinced I haven't been doing it right until just now.

Thanks for the warm welcome! I promise all my posts aren't this long. Y'all definitely do seem like a great group of realistically supportive, encouraging people.