Ahoy, mateys!

[Philanova]

Hey all - I just wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself to the NF Community, as I begin to hopefully become part of it.

General Introduction

Hi. I'm Andy. Currently, I'm a 27 year old living in Northern, VA, working for a non-profit, professional association. My parents are retired military, so I spent a lot of my life living abroad, since we moved from place to place every couple years. When I was younger, I thought this was a pain in the ass, but as soon as I went to college and remained stationary, I appreciated my opportunities so much more, and now I miss living overseas.

I'm very much into sports, as I am an avid Philadelphia fan, in addition to being a very active soccer player. Otherwise, I enjoy watching TV/movies, reading, cooking/eating, working out, trying new restaurants/beer/wine, and traveling. At this point, I'm living at home with my family after a bad break-up a bit over a year ago, but after recovering emotionally and financially, I am close to getting out on my own again.

Why I'm "Nerdy"

At some point in my life I had heard a term for what I consider myself, but it's currently escaping me. Basically, I go through "phases" where I become intensely interested in a certain activity or subject matter. I became obsessed with graphic design for some time. My current reading material is about to be the fifth installment of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I'm totally geeking out about that. I've read all of the Harry Potter books, and I'm looking forward to the release of the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 at the end of this week. I can play, and have played, video games for hours on end; and I get hugely invested in "epic" TV series (LOST, Dexter, etc.).

Also, as stated earlier, I'm a sports fan. I'm pretty fanatical about my Philly teams (Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, and, to a lesser extent, the Flyers) as well as the men's basketball team from my alma mater, Villanova University.

How I Found NF

About a week ago, I had seen something on Twitter about the Paleo Diet. I had heard about the diet, because one of my friends from college is a Paleo devotee/Crossfit trainer in the Philadelphia area.

Interested in learning more, I Googled the Paleo Diet, and one of the top articles a comprehensive summary put together by Steve on NF. I read through the whole thing and decided that I not only liked his style, but the general mission of the website.

Since this point last week, I've been reading through the blog and lurking in the Forums, and I decided - in the famous words of Popeye the Sailor - that "I can't stands no more," and I wanted to join the fun.

Fitness and Me

I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with fitness since I was a wee lad.

When I was about seven years old, I started becoming less of your average elementary school student, and more of "that chubby kid" in the class. With a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, my parents were obviously eager to be proactive with my health. Despite their best efforts to only buy healthy snacks and make wholesome dinners, I remained "that chubby kid" through middle school. I'd try to eat less, even trying to not eat at all, but those attempts would falter as quickly as they'd start. Sneaking several servings of Pop-Tarts as an after school snack probably didn't help matters.

When I hit ninth grade, I tried out for my high school soccer team. I had played soccer since I was five, but it was mostly because my parents signed me up. Once I hit high school, however, I realized how all of the cool, attractive kids that I wanted to be like were playing competitive sports. I made my junior varsity team, and that's when I began to shed weight. Every Monday practice we wouldn't even touch a soccer ball, sprints and distance runs only. That Spring, I remember dropping my weight from a soft150 lbs, to a lean (but un-muscular) 130 lbs.

I basically maintained that status quo through the remainder of high school. I put on weight gradually and healthily as I continued to grow vertically, and continued to play soccer and eat relatively healthy.

The summer after I graduated high school, I was eager to show up at college looking my best. After reading a few issues of Men's Health, I decided to try lifting weights. I remember putting 25 lb plates on either side of the barbell and sliding under it for a bench press, only to feel the weight crushing my chest moments later. I reduced my weight and, spurred on by now-defunct myths (lift high reps, low weight to tone and not gain mass), lifted with little visible difference throughout the summer.

When I arrived on campus, I made quick friends with a kid down the hall from me. He encouraged me to join him in the gym, and with a spotter and friend keeping me in check, I gained strength quickly and put on a good amount of healthy muscle mass. When I came home for Winter Break that year, I remember everybody marveling at how my body had changed in a few months. My parents said I looked to be in the best shape they'd ever seen me. A friend saw me for the first time since the summer and said, "Hey, when did Andy get shoulders?!"

In an attempt to make this already lengthy story short, I returned to school after that break, found that my friend had transferred, and started to dedicate much more time to beer pong and cheesesteaks, rather than barbells and weight plates.

The remainder of my college career was a vicious cycle. Drop 15-20 lbs over the summer, show up for Fall semester, gain it all back by the close of school next Spring. Lather, rinse, repeat.

When I graduated college in May of 2006, I was ashamed to step on the scales and see that, at 5'8", I was tipping the scales at the heaviest I'd ever been: 200 lbs.

Being away from school and my beer buddies, I dropped a great deal of that weight over the next year. I met my [now ex-]girlfriend at that point and we dated and ultimately moved in together for 2.5 years. Throughout that period, I got happy fat again. Shortly before she broke up with me, I returned from a sinful trip in Las Vegas to check my weight again: 207 lbs. A new low.

Shortly after that trip, my ex decided to end things at the end of March 2010. Rather than wallowing, I decided to get back in shape, rather than make things worse by perpetuating my cycle.

Now

Since then, I've dropped roughly 30 lbs. As of two weeks ago, I weight in at 177.4 lbs, and I've been as low as 174 in the past couple months. My goal is to hit 165 lbs, while maintaining/gaining my strength.

One of the biggest contributors to [what I consider] my success has been challenging myself and switching things up. Previously, I had stayed within my comfort zone. If I saw a new workout plan that involved a foreign exercise (front squats, cleans, etc.), I'd skip over it. Over the past six months, I've forced myself to try new exercises.

As indicated, my weight has dropped significantly, and I'm stronger than ever. I recently squatted the most that I had ever done in sets (285 lbs), and I was extremely proud when I hit the 225 lb mark in my deadlift. I play soccer 2+ times per week, and I'm regularly getting compliments on how I must have played in college.

Generally, I feel much better about myself, and I think that I could hit my goal relatively quickly if I could just buckle down with nutrition. I eat well 90% of the time. Sometimes, though, that 10% consists of weekends with my college buddies that revolve around beer, wings, pizza, shots, etc. Also, even my healthy eating can use some fine-tuning. I probably eat carbs more than I should, although I do consciously try to limit them.

The Paleo Diet is truly interesting to me, although I'm not sure whether I'm prepared to give up many of the things that it demands. Although I limit my carb intake, I'm not sure I could give up bread products as a whole. Currently, I'm toying with the idea of a 80/20 or 90/10 Paleo Plan, although I'm still not sure on that.

Conclusion

Anyways, I've rambled on way longer than I should have. Just wanted to put my name and some background out there. I hope to get to know a lot of you moving forward, and I hope to learn a lot, as well as contribute any input and experience that I might be able to offer.

[MegaCarp]

Wow Andy, very in depth. I just say if you want to experiment in Paleo, I'd offer the Robb Wolf approach of trying it 28 days, then you can assess your grain needs/wants. I promise you, we won't mind. Good luck and welcome aboard!

[Philanova]

Hey, thanks for the advice re: the Paleo Diet. When you refer to the "28 day approach," is there a link detailing anything in particular? Or is it simply trying out a 100% Paleo lifestyle for four weeks and gauging how I feel at that point?

I couldn't seem to find anything specific when Googling "Robb Wolf paleo 28 days."

[Kristen]

Welcome aboard!

[Philanova]

Thanks! Glad to be here.

[Loren Wade]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

[Crooked]

Welcome to the Rebellion! In terms of rcarper's suggestion, Robb Wolf's basic premise is that you should try full-out paleo for 30 days and see if you feel, look and perform better. There isn't really a protocol for it except that you cut grains, legumes, dairy and sugar and try to eat as much "real food" (so not packaged or chemically altered) as possible. Here are two links to help you get started:

http://robbwolf.com/faq/#overview

http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/thePaleoSolution_QuickStart.pdf

[shinigamiPUNCH]

Welcome welcome! I am another new person too. Since you like Harry Potter, you're good in my book.

I've found cutting out bread products is easier if you find a replacement. Toasted and salted coconut chips work well for crunchy/salty cravings.

I'm still looking for something to occasionally spread jelly on though.

[Philanova]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

Thanks, buddy!

Welcome to the Rebellion! In terms of rcarper's suggestion, Robb Wolf's basic premise is that you should try full-out paleo for 30 days and see if you feel, look and perform better. There isn't really a protocol for it except that you cut grains, legumes, dairy and sugar and try to eat as much "real food" (so not packaged or chemically altered) as possible. Here are two links to help you get started:

http://robbwolf.com/faq/#overview

http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/thePaleoSolution_QuickStart.pdf

Great information, I think I might just give this a whirl. Thanks for the warm welcome and the links!

Welcome welcome! I am another new person too. Since you like Harry Potter, you're good in my book.

I've found cutting out bread products is easier if you find a replacement. Toasted and salted coconut chips work well for crunchy/salty cravings.

I'm still looking for something to occasionally spread jelly on though.

Coconut oil seems pretty popular on the Paleo Diet (apparently a substitute for olive oil?), but I hadn't thought too much about eating the actual fruit. I don't generally care for shredded coconut on cakes/pastries, so I'm unsure whether I'd like the coconut... meat?... I guess that's what it's called?

And thank you for the welcome, as well! Hope you enjoy The Deathly Hallows Pt. 2! A friend of mine got to see an advanced screening last night and loved it.

[Bear Walken]

My current reading material is about to be the fifth installment of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I'm totally geeking out about that.

Wow. Yes. I've had a few friends who read the DT series and quit around the 5th and 6th books because the story arcs were kind of meh. But please stick with it because book 7 is 100% worth it. Also, was The Wizard and Glass not one of the greatest love stories ever crafted in the history of ever? I consider that among Final Fantasy X, Romeo and Juliet, and Youth In Revolt to be among the most epic tales of human romanticism ever crafted.

Anyway, cool story...keep playing soccer, too. Swimming and soccer are pretty much the only sports that exercise most or all of your body easily, and soccer has been proven to keep your bones strong well into the deterioration years. Stick with it.