Introducing...

[jaz]

Jaz.

I'm a 23 year old, female, graphic designer born and bred in England.

I'm sure my story is not that different from others. I'm currently doing a Masters on top of working pretty much full time so time away from the computer is rare. I can't really blame that I've always been pretty inactive, but it's not helping.

I'm not overweight per say, out of shape would be a more accurate description. Something mentioned in Tony's (amazing) story got me thinking about why I'd want to change. I don't currently have a family of my own, but I'd like one one day. I need to look after myself first in order to be able to look after someone else.

What if someone grabbed me on the street? Would I stand a chance of fighting back? What if I had to set a good example with healthy eating? I really couldn't do that. I've eaten nearly a whole tray of cheesecake brownies this weekend alone. Not a habit I wish to pass on, nor a habit I wish to have myself! Life's so precious, I feel like I'm doing it some kind of disservice by not looking after myself properly.

I'll probably end up lurking a lot after this post, I'm building up to a change. We all know research is key! I've been reading the Nerd Fitness blog for a while now and enjoy the liveliness and nerdiness Steve communicates so well. I've no doubt the forum is full of people just as awesome and I look forward to reading your stories and eventually sharing my own!

I guess a couple of other things worth noting - I'm vegetarian so I know paleo isn't out of the question, but more of a challenge. I'm also recently single after four and a half years of not being so. This is scary, but has also helped to remind me how important it is to look after yourself as well as others.

Anyway, hi! I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do have some nerdish ways and I work with the biggest bunch of geeks that have ever been.

[tsuchinoko92]

Welcome aboard jaz!.

I can sympathize, I used to be a scrawny and weak willed lad, but training when possible, sacrificing something for it, is one good way to go.

Say jaz, why not join the current 6 week challenge?.

Start small by making it a goal to eliminate your cravings, and training a little, and that's a great start.

[jaz]

Thanks for the welcome!

The one that starts tomorrow? I was thinking about it but had no firm goal in mind. You've twisted my arm, what you've said doesn't sound hard I'm already quite the tracking-things nerd so why not... it's what I signed up for. Thanks!

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

Welcome to the Rebellion! I second joining the challenge. You don't need outrageous goals for your first time, just something so that you can participate and be active. The accountability and camaraderie that comes from joining the challenge is amazing.

[Crooked]

Welcome to the Rebellion! I want to third what's been said about the challenge — I joined this community the day the last challenge started, and it helped me SO much to stay committed to my new lifestyle changes. I think joining in would be a great idea for you!

I'm vegetarian so I know paleo isn't out of the question, but more of a challenge.

I'm a former vegetarian. I recently went paleo and started eating fish, but not meat. How much are you interested in messing with your diet?

[jaz]

Thanks for the support guys! It's very much appreciated. Knew there was a reason I signed up here...

Crooked, I will never eat meat (of any kind) again. Completely personal choice and I don't think it's wrong for other people to eat meat. My mum is a former veggie that now eats fish. I just couldn't do it. That said, I am interested in trying new things. I've seen a few posts around here about Ferriss' slow carb that's almost paleo but with beans etc for the protein/bulk up a bit on the calories. I would happily do that. I'm still easing into the solo-meals thing anyway. Everything I eat is made from scratch aside from things like Quorn pieces that I sometimes use - and obviously any non-meal junk. The ex wasn't keen on eating the same thing two days in a row but it doesn't bother me so I've been adjusting how often I cook and how much. Once I've got myself a proper routine I'd like to look at messing with my diet.

[Crooked]

I wasn't suggesting that you go pescetarian; I know people's decision of whether to eat meat and fish is very personal, and I wouldn't try to change your mind! When I said that I was a former vegetarian turned fish-eater, I just wanted to indicate that I might be able to help since I have a bit of experience with the kind of diet you're following. By "messing with your diet," I just meant do you think you want to go full paleo, are you willing to reconsider various protein sources, do you want to cut carbs, etc.? For protein, I would recommend lentils and sprouted beans, quinoa and tempeh; tofu is highly processed soy, and seitan is wheat gluten, so neither of those is ideal. Mark Sisson's preferred vegetarian protein source is tempeh, since it's fermented. Are you looking to cut dairy, legumes and sugar?

[jaz]

It's so hard to emote online haha. I realise that came out a bit sharp, it wasn't meant to, sorry. I would definitely appreciate the help.

I don't like tofu anyway so it's good that that's not a suggestion And I do love lentils. Cutting carbs is probably more of an accurate description of what I had in mind. Dairy I would just cut down on, I love cheese. As for sugar, that's something I'd love to eliminate. I've always hated that hold it seems to have over myself. I realise more things have sugar in them than one would expect. Ultimately, I want to be happy and healthy. I haven't 100% figured out how to do that yet so I really do appreciate any help.

Will look into tempeh and quinoa - thanks for the tips. Am I right in assuming that those could potentially be used as substitutes in some recipes for the usual carby thing? In a pasta bake for example?

[Crooked]

It's so hard to emote online

I know that feeling

Tim Ferriss/slow-carbers certainly use a lot of lentils, and there is definitely information out there to help you with that. This might be a good place to start - http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/

I always used tempeh more as an entree, in the place where meat would be in an omnivore's meal. It's really easy to work with; you can eat it as a big block, in strips, in cubes (for a stir-fry or similar) or crumbled as one might use sausage or soy sausage. Quinoa is kind of like cous-cous in size (but with more flavor). It's a better source of protein than other grains (though it's technically not a grain), and it can be used in place of rice and other grains. In terms of cutting carbs more generally, I would recommend that you do some research on high-carb foods that are common in your diet (including fruits and starchy vegetables). Note how many grams of carbs different foods that you consume frequently contain, as this will help you track your carb intake.

[jaz]

Thanks so much for the info Crooked! I will have to do a trip to the health food shop and try these things out - the supermarket seems to be lacking. Found plenty of quinoa in accessible shops but having trouble finding the tempeh. I will though.

As you saw in my 6 week challenge thread I'm tracking my food Calorie Count tracks carbs too so at the end of the six weeks I should have a good idea of what I'm eating and can then go from there.

Thanks again.

[Crooked]

Happy to help! Good luck finding tempeh (I think it's delicious).

[Gathris]

Found plenty of quinoa in accessible shops but having trouble finding the tempeh.

If you find a place to get tempeh in the UK can you pass it on as I am having terrable trouble. There are a few sites advocating making it at home but I dont want to try that until I know what it tastes like.

[jaz]

What I've been reading online Asian shops are a good place to find it. I also found some other threads online talking about how difficult it is to find, but this mentioned two places:

I found it chilled in 'Food for Thought' in Guildford, Surrey, and frozen in 'Elixir' in Wadebridge, Cornwall.

Lucky for me, I live Woking which neighbours Guildford so I'll have to head on over to Food for Thought! They are an independent shop though. Apparently some independent shops will order it in. There's also this website but I haven't tried ordering from there. I'll let you know how I get on in Guildford.