Been in the Shadows a Long Time Around Here

[Sanasu]

Hey everyone!

 

I've been lurking on these forums and this website for a while now, and have been working at losing a bit of weight. I made this decision after I failed to get into a good grad school. I realized I wasn't happy with who I was and how I looked. About halfway into my masters (which was a last ditch attempt to do what I really wanted) I decided that things NEEDED to change if I wanted to be happy. That's when I went full throttle on my studies, research, and my health. For a while I was bouncing between fad diets with little success, but then I came across Nerd Fitness. I tried Paleo for a couple of months and was really impressed. So I have been doing Paleo off and on for the past few years when time, money, and willpower permitted.

 

Over the last couple of years I have made a ton of changes to my lifestyle that have been for the better. I used to eat fast food all the time, and never really cared what went into what I was eating. Now-a-days I am super conscious of what goes into my food and I have been going Paleo for the past 10 days (probably a permanent reboot). I've managed to drop from 5'11" and 260lbs to 190lbs since early 2012. My pant size has gone from a 42 (snug) to a 34 (snug), but I am still not completely content. I would love to be down to a 33 (maybe even a 32) and have recently started doing serious, regular lifting and running. The exercise along with the diet makes me feel like my energy levels have never been higher. Anymore I really don't even need my alarm clock (but I still set it). I think that I might eventually want to join the Warrior's Guild. Being able to lift really heavy things seems like it would be cool, and the lifting I am already doing is super fun. All that being said, I am really looking forward to trying my first 6 week challenge!

 

Now, with all the fitness goodness out of the way, onto my nerdiness! I am a huge Tolkien and Star Wars fan. Fantasy in general is a genre I love. Movies, video games, table tops, you name it. I also was raised on comics (my father had a collection of about 1,000 that I had access to), but never really had a favorite hero. I used to play a lot of console games and was never very genre specific, but ever since I haven't been able to find the time to play D&D my gaming experience of choice has turned to MMOs. I am presently enjoying the crap out of Elder Scrolls Online. I am also HUGE into science. I live, eat, and breathe science. Really. It's why I am getting a PhD in genetics and teach the stuff. Science is the freaking bomb. 

 

Lastly, I am glad to be here and look forward to seeing the progress I can make with this awesome community!

[Nirvi]

Science is definitely the freakin' bomb (BS in Biology here w/ reproductive biology concentration, EMT, MPH student, and hopeful Osteopathic medical student soon)!  Once you find it and develop a passion for it you just continue on learning as much as you can - across the multitudes of fields.  Lot of respect for a PhD in genetics, it's absolutely fascinating AND such a new (relatively) field... the possibilities are truly endless.  I was jumping for joy when the human genome project was completed.

 

Congratulations on your success with your lifestyle already!  I have no doubt that you will succeed.  Welcome!

[Istrix]

Soudns like a great start, and a ton of progress / results.  I'd love to hear about your process of building habits and routines. 

[Guzzi]

Hey! What you've achieved so far is great, well done! I'm glad you've decided to get involved with the community here. You really wouldn't believe how much of a difference it can make.

See you around!