How is this my life, again?

[SigridEllis]

Hey all --

I've been lurking like a mad lurking thing on the NF site and boards the last week or so. Someone from Fitocracy linked to something here, and I found my way.

:waves:

Howdy, all.

So, here's me. I titled this post "how is this my life, again?" because the last year has been an amazing culmination of changes, all of them for the good. I am a full-time air traffic controller, a homeschooling parent of two kids (with my partner, co-parent, and co-teacher,) and as a family we've been working out for almost two years. We joined the local YMCA, the kids have been swimming and exercising, and we've been getting in better and better shape. In the last year I've been professionally published, and now I'm the editor of a line of anthologies about geeky subjects. My bills are paid, I am saving money, and I'm hoping to get my first comic book published in 2012.

Things are damn fine. So why am I here?

I'm here BECAUSE things are going so well. I want to build on the momentum I've got going to keep improving, keep succeeding, to continue towards being an even better me. See, I don't know how I got to where I am. In my head I am still the faily slacker screw-up I was until ...

Until we had kids. Man, do those things focus your attention on what's important.

Okay, so, it's a lie that I don't know how I got here. I DO know how I got here. I found goals, I made priorities, I worked a little bit every day without expectation of miracles. I made the journey into the goal. And, over the last eight years my kids have turned from squalling pooping blobs into these freaking AMAZING short people *who I will do anything for*. Children are an excellent reminder of two things -- gains are incremental, not immediate, and, I am not the center of the universe. My life is worth the service I can do for others. But part of that service is being a better me.

So, two years ago I started at the Y. Weight 335 lbs, I could bench a 35 lbs bar, do a 60 lbs lat pull-down. (I'm female, by the way. Woman, 38 years old, 5'7", just to give you an idea.) Five crunches wiped me out. Over the past two years I've been really happy with my gains -- 110 lbs lat pull-down, bench 80 lbs, press 45 lbs, squat 45 lbs, deadlift 100 lbs, 30-sec assisted plank, and I am a beast on the rowing machine -- but I want more changes. I still weigh 330 lbs, and while it is distributed differently, I have goals that .... won't work with that weight. Not unless I magically turn into a 6'5" guy who is ripped like Statham.

In the spring of 2012 I'm going to take up Tai Chi. (I've taken it before and really loved it.)

I will lose 30 pounds by May 15th. (There's a science fiction convention in May that I want to look better for.)

By September 15th 2012 I will deadlift 135 lbs. I will press 75 . I will squat 95 . I will hold a 60-second plank on the damn floor. I will do a push-up.

I will lose 80 pounds by September 15th 2013. That's 40 pounds a year, that is ENTIRELY possible. At that point I will be 250 lbs, more or less.

In 2014 I want to take up parkour.

This week I started logging my food. I'm a vegetarian, so full-on paleo isn't an option for me. But I haven't had grains in four days *and I feel freaking fantastic*. Like, lunaticly good. Like, crazy-good feeling. I'm going to keep going on this modified paleo vegetarian path. I'm going to keep logging the food and the exercise. And yesterday was day one of the level one Rebel Workout.

Today is my son's eighth birthday party. Sure, I'll have some of his cake. But I'll have the cake and do the workout, too. That's the kind of life I seem to have.

Anyway, nice to meet you all! I hope to see you around here over the next few months, as I intend to work hard on those lifting goals. See you soon!

[Brometheus]

Hello! Welcome

It is actually possible to do paleo as a vegetarian. It will probably never be as optimal, but a whole lot better than eating grains. I know several people on paleohacks who are, and they tend to do it with lots of butter (grass fed preferable), eggs, whey and raw dairy/cream + veggies + starches. Seems to work from what I can see. Take a look at these threads for a bit more info on it...

http://paleohacks.com/questions/64284/vegetarian-paleo-diet#axzz1XfwuYLaX

http://paleohacks.com/questions/56799/mingers-talk-why-cant-we-all-get-along-similarities-between-veggies-and-paleo/56864#56864

[SigridEllis]

Thanks! I will be reading those links, certainly. Right now I'm in the camp of keeping legumes and avoiding grains. Chickpeas and lentils! I do love some chickpeas and lentils.