Did you say Nerd? Allow me to introduce myself...

[Shello]

This seems to be the appropriate time for introductions.  I started noticing this site a few weeks ago when I would search the net for fitness related questions.  It seemed I was asking more specific questions than other sites could answer and as a life-long geek, I found it quite comforting that the answer always seemed to be there and from a site created by nerds!  This is the perfect place for me to pursue my goals and seek assistance along the way from other like-minded individuals.  I am completely in love with this site. 

 

I have departed on quests in the past to get healthier; some even worked for a bit.  But I just keep getting more and more unhealthy.  I am no longer at the age where I can drop the weight easily and quickly and it is starting to affect my general wellbeing and causing other health issues.  My knees are bad, my shoulders are bad, my ankles are bad and let this get in the way of weight loss but it's the weight that is causing all the issues.  Plus I have to carry this damn body around with me everywhere I go.  It makes life difficult. 

 

I am feeling motivated to get this done, once and for all.  My master quest is quite daunting - I need to lose 130 pounds.  Well actually, I really only need to lose 110 but if I am going to go for it I might as well go for the big one, right?!   I can't wait for the next 6 week challenge to start. 

 

I'd say my biggest challenges are the health issues with my joints.  I have a tendency to start a work out regime only to push too hard and injure myself, leaving me hobbled for weeks.  On the other hand, if I don't push myself enough I'm not really benefiting from it.  I need help to find the right balance.  I want to be active and work out and be able to feel the 'good' pain afterwards but avoid the 'bad' pain. 

 

 

 

[Ironhead]

Start the current challenge! why wait just roll into the next challenge that's what I'm doing. If your getting injured it's possible your not taking enough rest days between workouts. Shoot for 3-4 days a week of rest, you build muscle while resting not lifting.

 

As for the weight loss i would say its almost all diet, i have dropped over 100 lbs and it was mostly portion control and better food.  Try paleo i hit a plateau in my weight loss and have been stuck here for awhile. I am now two weeks into the paleo lifestyle and the weight is starting to come off again. I lost 3 lbs this week and i eat bacon almost every morning, you got to find the good stuff without sugar though (i was kind of amazed that almost all bacon had sugar added)

 

Anyway that's my 2 cents

 

Good luck!

[Toxophilite]

Welcome home nerd. Sounds like you've got bucket loads of motivation, that's a good place to start. Good luck!

[Shello]

Methinks part of my problem is that I have had too many rest days in between workouts.....  I recently had a rest of at least 180 days...  

 

Though I haven't technically started a quest, I have rebooted my workouts.  My family and I have started going to the track to walk, and I've attempted some of the pre-made workouts here @NF.  I particularly like the Angry Birds work out.  I have been alternating walking and some version of a strength training workout with maybe 1-2 days off entirely all week, not to mention back on the diet train.  I've made some progress but already took a couple steps back due to a weekend trip to St Louis. 

 

I like that NF is all about the routine and the habit forming activities.  It makes it so much easier to avoid total derailment.  I'm getting right back on track.

 

I have had success before with just changing my diet but it makes for a 'fragile' weight loss plan.  When my husband hurt his back a couple years ago, we cut our food budget drastically and went right back to bad, easy, cheap food and gained back more than what I lost.  I'm hoping that by combining diet and exercise I can avoid my habitual descent from the wagon...

[Rob_Lourie]

Welcome fellow Nerd!

 

Definitely check the stuff around the site about foods because Ironhead's right about changing one's diet (remember your changing how your eating overall, not looking at this as a 'diet' diet, but you sound like you know that), and if you're as bad as me at drinking your calories start looking at switching to water. Already I've managed to keep my caloric intake below 2000 cals today just by avoiding all that coke I drink normally and swapping it for water. Also, if you've ever liked the taste of kool-aid I'd suggest seeing if your grocers has Mio available. The stuff is awesome when you add it to water; No calories, takes just like regular sugar-water without any of the sugar!

 

And I feel you there with the join problem. I was born with messed up knees, and though I've had things done to them throughout my life to help correct the issue, arthritis is setting in so obviously my weight and lack of exercise are not helping this issue. Try to look for Aspercreme and see if you like that. It's a cream I have for my joins to help when the weather turns nasty and my body decides to whine at me.

 

Most of all good luck!

[Shello]

Start the current challenge! why wait just roll into the next challenge that's what I'm doing. If your getting injured it's possible your not taking enough rest days between workouts. Shoot for 3-4 days a week of rest, you build muscle while resting not lifting.

 

As for the weight loss i would say its almost all diet, i have dropped over 100 lbs and it was mostly portion control and better food.  Try paleo i hit a plateau in my weight loss and have been stuck here for awhile. I am now two weeks into the paleo lifestyle and the weight is starting to come off again. I lost 3 lbs this week and i eat bacon almost every morning, you got to find the good stuff without sugar though (i was kind of amazed that almost all bacon had sugar added)

 

Anyway that's my 2 cents

 

Good luck!

 

Wait..... There's sugar in my bacon?!   Damn.  1 point for the Dark Side...

[Ironhead]

Right?!! I read the back and expected salt and whatnot but not sugar. at my local store all 20+ brands had sugar

[Shello]

I remember having a similar reaction when I discovered all the sugar in my peanut butter.  I have since switched to natural peanut butter. 

[Ironhead]

I miss peanut butter,

Fun fact: just FYI if you care. If you do considering going paleo, like Steve recommends, peunuts are on the don't eat/ eat in moderation list(depending what book /who you listen to) because they are technically not nuts. They are actually legumes (beans). Beans are usually carb dense and contain lectins which can damage your gut and the way you process food. I switched to almond butter, it is more of an acquired taste in my opinion but very good. But, nuts are also not the best food for weight loss. Good once your to the weight you want to be at.

WHAT THE HELL IS A LEGUME

[Shello]

I'm not sure I could ever be 100% Paleo.  I'm pseudo paleo now but I like a bit of cheese in my eggs and in my salad.  Also, I love my soy milk for breakfast.  Is soy milk paleo?  

 

As for peanut butter, I haven't had any in a long time.  I've given up PBJ awhile ago so I only use it on apples anyway.  Almond butter sounds good in that fashion.  Thanks for the info. 

[Ironhead]

I still do cheese and some other dairy, raw milk is great though an acquired taste.  I think soy is actually pretty bad for you, it is also a legume. But it might be more so for men, i think I've read it messes with testosterone levels. (disclaimer: might be wrong)

 

"The primary reason you may want to avoid soy in the U.S. is that, since 2007, 91% of all soybeans planted have been genetically modified in order to improve crop yields."-Link Below

 

Basically means they are soaked in poison, which in turn means you are consuming some amount of that poison. Small amounts aren't bad but over time can build up, especially if your getting it from multiple sources (bioaccumulation) i.e. gmo corn, gmo soy, chicken, beef, pork raised on soy and corn.

 

High consumption of soy phytoestrogens as been linked to:

• Increased risk of breast cancer
• Loss of bone mass
• Depression
• Decreased sex drive
• Impaired thyroid function
• Increased body fat
• Impaired blood sugar control

<From Link Below>

 

Key word i see there is phytoestrogen... which usually means problem for men

 

So all kinds of fun stuff! I think it's impossible to avoid everything (and possibly expensive) but do what you can when you can and it can make huge differences.

 

Don't get discouraged it's worth the effort. change what you can keep what you like, in the end it's all about being happy.

 

Is soy Paleo?

[Shello]

Ironhead - You are seriously bursting my bubble.      I love my soy milk, but I hate poison more.  I will definitely do some research.  

[Villikissa]

No, "genetically modified" does not mean "soaked in poison". Those things aren't even remotely related.

 

Genetic modification of crops is a technology that, like pretty much any other, can be used for a wide variety of purposes, positive and negative. I think possibly what Ironhead may be thinking of is that some companies have been known to modify crops for shady reasons, like to increase their tolerance to herbicides, so that they can then encourage farmers to blast their entire fields with herbicide to kill weeds, which ups the herbicide sales for those companies, but may result in higher traces of herbicides left on the produce. Which is definitely a bad thing - I agree on that!

 

However, crops can also be modified to make them more resistant to pests and disease so that less pesticide has to be used on them, or to increase their nutritional value, or to enable them to grow more easily on land that's only marginally fertile. The former of those results in crops with less pesticide residue, and less pesticide being released into the environment, and the latter two have been important in helping prevent famines and malnutrition in some places. Like any technology, genetic modification can be used for good or evil - it is not inherently a good or bad thing in itself. It all depends on how it's being used, and what for.

 

There's a huge amount of hysteria about GMOs these days - and I used to believe most of it myself. But as I got more into reading science blogs and articles on a regular basis, I was startled to discover that most scientists consider the anti-GMO movement to be no more credible than the anti-vaccine movement, or creationism, or other basically anti-science movements. I had been under the impression that there was actually some solid research behind the concerns about GMOs, but for the most part that's really not the case - there are a couple of studies that constantly get quoted, both of which had serious methodological flaws, and apart from that most studies have shown no substantive differences between GMO crops and conventional ones, except where those differences have been specifically designed into them (pesticide resistance or increased nutrients or whatever). These days, I'm not really pro- or anti-GMOs - just pro-science and anti-hysteria.

 

However, you don't have to take my word for any of this - by all means do your own research and come to your own conclusions. I don't want anyone to accept anything uncritically, include anything I say. With any issue where feelings tend to run high on both sides, it's important to think critically, weigh the evidence for yourself, and to try and be on the lookout for instances of faulty logic and cognitive biases. A few articles you might want to check out for a skeptical/scientific perspective:

• A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops (long, interesting NY Times story about a politician trying to make sense of the pro- and anti-GMO evidence, and having a hard time balancing scientific accuracy with trying to be responsive to his constituents)
• Panic-Free GMOs (article series that tries to examine both sides of the debate objectively)
• Decimating the Flawed Beliefs of Anti-GMO Activists (debunking of some persistent myths)

One last thing worth mentioning - of course, it's up to any given individual whether they personally want to eat genetically modified foods or not, just as it is with any other kind of food. But even if you decide you don't, it doesn't mean you have to give up soymilk. Just look for brands that are certified organic (because in most countries I know of - including the US - the organic standard prohibits GMOs), and/or state specifically that they're non-GMO. Personally, I prefer to buy organic anyway, not because of that issue but because of concerns about the effects of pesticides on the environment. I also like soymilk. And most of the brands that taste best are the organic ones anyway, so it's really not much of an issue.

[Ironhead]

There are other reasons for genetic modification for sure and it does depend on the crop so maybe my comment was a little far reaching. But I do have to say that the main gmo crops that are debated are corn and soy and the main reason they are modified is to withstand the effects of herbicides and pesticides so, in my opinion they are something that needs to be looked at more closely. I do agree with organic or "beyond organic" as a better choice,if you want to eat them.

As far as being completely against all gmo, I'm not and I do hope to see progress in the future. I think wonderful things could be done in this field if the goal was creating better food and more nutritious food instead of making more money. So far, all I can see is more harm than good and lower quality food. But I am also not an expert and don't have enough time to read everything out there and I'm sure there are some good things being done.

My decision is avoid them with what I currently know, but I am not completely against gmo.

A little off topic lol. Darn those hot button topics.

It still stands that soy is not considered "paleo" (by most people) which was the original question, and all the other negatives still apply. Even without the gmo issue