Bonjour, mes rebelles

[Xtina]

Hello all,

As someone who's been reading Steve's blog for a little while, I'm very excited to join this forum, especially ahead of the challenge that begins next week.

A brief introduction.

I'm 28 years old, originally from the US but currently living in Belgium (still not quite sure how I ended up there, but I'm enjoying it for the most part). Currently, I'm 5ft 5in and 150lbs. Overall, I'm quite athletic... I played sports all through high school, and I genuinely enjoy the gym. I also just joined a field hockey team in Brussels, which, aside from the constant bruising, is a lot of fun.

My workout history

Until very recently, I've done almost exclusively cardio workouts (esp. spin class, which I LOVE). I've also done functional circuits about once a week.

In May 2011, I ran a 20k race in 1h40min. That was a major highlight of my recent training routine, and something I have to brag about :-).

Over the years, I've tried strength training a bunch of times, but I always get bored... it's never felt like a challenge and i never seemed to see results. However, I recently read The New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROL4W), and that made me reconsider strength training and the value of lifting heavy for women. When I discovered Nerd Fitness and Staci's story, I was doubly motivated. I've been following the program put forth by NROL4W for the past two months, and while I have yet to see results, I'm optimistic and I continue to be excited by the concept of heavy lifting.

Why I'm joining the rebellion

Currently, I'm 5ft 5in and 150lbs. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I've gained about 18lbs since March 2011 (!!). Over the past 6-8 months, I've gone through a really, really rough break-up, and my emotional eating/drinking has gotten out of control.

I'm tired of carrying around this extra weight. I'm tired of waking up every morning and saying "today will be the day I get control of this" and then falling off the bandwagon when I see homemade cake at work. I know I can look and feel better than I do, and this upcoming challenge is going to be my time to re-take control of my life and my health.

Goals

In general, the goal is to shed the break-up weight and to look buff and hot. With that in mind, I think I'm going to need to focus on fat loss as a primary goal.

I'm still figuring out the specifics of how I'm going to do this, but I know I want something ambitious but achievable. I feel pretty confident that I have the exercise bit of this down, so diet is going to be the focus for me. I'm debating between committing to Paleo (80/20) or focusing on reducing calories and aiming to get a balance of protein/carbs/fat. Or maybe there's something else I should consider...

Whew, that was a ramble. If you're still with me, thanks for hanging in there. I look forward to being a part of this forum.

PS - I feel i should explain the Smurfette avatar. She fits me because 1) I am blond; 2) Smurfs were created in Belgium, so it's a shout-out to my adopted homeland and 3) Smurfette was a lady living in a male world, which is sometimes how I feel when I enter the weight room. 4) And finally, smurfette has the legs for a short dress... something I can certainly aspire to :-)

[Nucleus]

Good luck! It sounds like you put the weight on after a very specific set of circumstances, so hopefully if you're through the worst it'll be easier to get on track. For me, one of the attractive things about paleo is that most of my comfort/boredom foods are carb based, so not having them in the house curbs non-nutrition eating. But I know that's not the case for everyone.

[cremshoff]

Howdy and Welcome to the Rebellion! Just took the biggest step! Now time to level up!

[The Purple Diane]

Bonjour et bienvenue! (OK, that's all the French I know.)

You've found a great place here. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions, everyone here is super nice.

[Guest Snake McClain]

Good luck! (i don't say that sarcastically). You can absolutely do this. Reaching your goals will probably have never been easier since all this is sitting right in front of you. You have all the information possible here on this site and all the tools you'll ever need inside of you. just use em. *rap hands*

[ebm1224]

welcome! it sounds like your goals and mine are very similiar (i'm about the same height/weight even). i may have to try the weight training program you mentioned. do you currently track what you eat? that can be an amazing tool

[Xtina]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

@ebm1224 - I try to track what I eat, but I am not nearly as good at that as I should be. But I know diet is 80-90% of the deal, and so I'm trying to get better. Between now and Nov. 1, I'm trying to gently ease myself into a Paleo-style of eating (not being super strict, as I'm currently back in the US, and I'm not about to turn down my mom's cooking that I only get once a year). As of Nov. 1, my goal is to go mostly Paleo for at least 30 days. To be honest, I'm very afraid of failing at that goal, as I know it's hard for me to keep my diet under control. Fortunately, I have a couple more weeks to prepare mentally and a good support group here on this forum. I'll also be going to the beach over Christmas, and if the looming prospect of a bikini can't whip me into shape, then I really might be a lost cause.

Anyways, happy to meet you and look forward to progressing through this together.

PS - I'm 2 months into the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's working well for me. I'm new to strength training and really appreciate the structure and philosophy of the book.