Hallo out there!

[wanderluck]

Hello to you, NF members! I found NF through a winding road of links starting at Crossfit Maximus and am definitely glad I did. RPGs and hot bods? Yes, thank you. (No one wants to look bad in their next con costume, right?) Even better, it's good to see information delivered in a way that many people can understand it.

A little background on myself: I am 26, married with three dogs and live in one of the poorest states in the country. I have never really "struggled" with my weight, although it has always been something present in the back of my mind. I yo-yo'd through high school and university, losing fat and gaining muscle during school breaks thanks to daily farm work, and gaining some of it back during school. I maintained 150-160 lbs. until junior year of university, when I stopped working outside and took a PT desk job for better hours and pay. In a year, thanks to stress and laziness, I had gained considerably. I've never really recovered to that 150-160 lb. and am currently at my heaviest, which is somewhere around 210-220. I am 5'7 and could truly care less about the size - I have never wanted to be 'small' and would prefer to be muscular over being skinny any day - but my physical weakness, waning energy levels and low confidence every time I look in the mirror are tearing me up.

I looked into Crossfit initially during the end of university but was practicing martial arts pretty heavily at the time - I couldn't afford both, so I pushed Crossfit aside. I liked how Crossfit could be done anywhere by anyone and, at its core, used body weight to achieve functional fitness. (I hate gyms.) Since I am no longer on the farm, I knew I needed to find an alternate form of maintenance. I am still in martial arts, buts it's not enough to do any damage on its own. Maximus is the closest box to me, and I'm working on saving up enough to start there. Until then, I'm going to start on my own.

The biggest thing that strikes me here is the Paleo diet. I had heard of it before, from the "fitness nuts" at my old dojo (they follow the Gracie diet, which is a little too restrictive sans reason for me), but didn't give it any credence because of an intrinsic distrust of "diets," "systems," or anything remotely related. Now, revisiting Paleo and Crossfit-style fitness, it makes more sense to me - especially as I can see how Paleo relates to sustainable and local ag, a personal passion, especially for someone growing their own veg. I also see a lot of connections with the "nourishing traditions" subset, though most of their doctrine comes from getting back to the land and off the grid, not necessarily just for health reasons. That's encouraging to me.

Anyway, I'll quit yapping before I scare everyone. Looking forward to learning with all of you!