Hi! Teenager alert.

[Lydia]

Hi! I'm Lydia. I'm a Doctor Who, Harry Potter, LOTR, and general literature nerd, and I'm really excited about joining Nerd Fitness! I've been stalking through the site for a while now, and it seems like such a great community.

I've been struggling with my weight and especially with trying to keep up with ways to manage it. I currently weight around 140 pounds, and I'd like that number to be lower. Although, really, I'm starting to realize that the way you look is more important than the number on the scale, so maybe I'll just start taking pictures to track progress instead! I'm hoping to start living healthier - both with my eating habits and exercise ones.

And while we're on the subject of food, if anyone has a moment, I have a question - I'm 17, and is that too young to start eating Paleo (or trying to haha)? Or is age irrelevant? I'm assuming it is, since healthy eating is probably a great idea for everyone, but I figured I'd ask. I'm a little nervous about trying out some of the Paleo ideas, but excited too. I'm just trying to sift through all of the info at the moment to figure out where to start!

Speaking of starting, has anyone bought the Rebel Fitness Guide? It's a little pricey, but it sounds amazing. A total overhaul to all of my work out ideas and ethic! Recently I've been on the tumblr scene of things, and I'm starting to realize how unhealthy some of those "health blogs" really are. I'm trying to come up with good ways of exercise that I actually enjoy doing, and the fitness guide seems like a good place to start.

Nice to meet you! (:

[AKLulu]

Welcome! We're glad to have you here. It's a great place to stumble upon

How tall are you, Lydia? 140 pounds can mean different things for different heights and I think you're on the right track with being more concerned about how you look and feel than what the number on the scale is. Weight is definitely not the most important thing and it's better to make sure you're fit than to make sure you're light.

Age is irrelevant I think. If you check out some Paleo blogs (like Nom Nom Paleo), they have their whole families eating Paleo. I've seen books floating around for childrens' Paleo too, so I'm sure it'd be fine for a 17-y-o. I wouldn't be that concerned about Paleo recipes. I don't really cook any special Paleo recipes right now, I just try to avoid grains and refined sugars. It can be fairly simple.

I haven't gotten the Rebel Fitness Guide yet, but I'm thinking about getting it. It sounds like it's helped a lot of people!

[ReveilleWolf]

I was about to ask your height as well, very different depending on your height for sure.

But it's nice to meet you! I'm 20 myself so we're kind of close in the age department. If you'd ever want to talk or anything like that I'm game.

[Lydia]

Nice to meet you both!

I'm 5'4. So I'm definitely not all that overweight (if at all) for my height, but I'm way flabbier than I want to be.

And awesome. If little kids are eating paleo, I'm sure its fine for me I also showed my mom the nerd fitness intro article, and she's getting pretty into it too.

[Rush]

I wish I had started eating paleo when I was 17 (though I'm not that far off now). You've got an opportunity here that any adult would probably pay ridiculous amounts of money for -- an early start. Doing this while you're young will do wonders for you when you're older, I guarantee it. If you have any specific diet-related questions, feel free to let me know, and I'd be happy to do what I can to help out.

It seems like you've got the right attitude so far, so keep it up!

Good luck!

[Rosie]

Welcome to the nerd community! I wish I'd started thinking about healthy eating and levelling up my lifestyle when I was your age! You've already got a great head start on many of us :-p

[AKLulu]

Nice to meet you both!

I'm 5'4. So I'm definitely not all that overweight (if at all) for my height, but I'm way flabbier than I want to be.

And awesome. If little kids are eating paleo, I'm sure its fine for me I also showed my mom the nerd fitness intro article, and she's getting pretty into it too.

If you've just got a bit of extra flab, I'm sure a combination of Paleo and maybe some lifting/strength exercises will probably help you out. I'm no pro, but that's what I'd guess from listening to everyone else's stories!

[Lydia]

You guys are all so friendly! Nice to meet you, Rosie and Rush.

And thanks for the offer of food advice, Rush! I'm currently trying to do as much research on paleo as I can, and its pretty overwhelming haha. Even though the idea of it is so basic. Luckily there's tons of websites about it out there.

And AKLulu (Lulu? If so, that's a really pretty name) - that's what I was thinking. Although I'm a little fuzzy on what strength training exercises actually are. Like, are they just lifting weights? Or do all sorts of exercises, like pull ups, push ups, squats, etc, count as strength training? Either way, I'm thinking about doing something like the angry birds workout for a few weeks to get me started.

[AKLulu]

Lulu's a nickname My real name is Laurinda. And thanks!

I don't know that I can give the best advice on that (I'm pretty new to trying to work on weight loss and getting strong myself). I guess I was thinking more weight lifting, but pull-ups, push-ups, and squats definitely count. Another thing you might check out under the free resources on the main site is the Beginner Body Weight Workout. Also, if you were thinking about buying the Rebel Fitness Guide, you might consider getting the Rebel Strength Guide in addition or instead of that (depending of course on what you're really looking for in your workout routine). If you want more advice, make sure to look around the forums a bit more, and don't be afraid to post a thread!

[So Late So Soon]

Nice to meet you Lydia! i'm only 19 so you aren't the only teenager here so don't worry. Don't be afraid to ask questions we all love to help!

[shutterpillar]

I am 5'4 as well and began at 145 lbs. Though I am not a teenager anymore. lol. I am 25 and the mom of two small kids, so 145 lbs definitely sits differently on my body than it would on yours, but I just wanted you to know there is someone out there that began around the same weight. I saw myself getting flabby and I knew it, so I put a stop to it. That was about a year ago and now I am sitting at 127 and looking to gain muscle (which was the reason I joined here a few weeks ago). Its a great place with great people and a HUGE wealth of information.

Good luck!

[blahblabhlabh]

17 here! So I'm right with you, though I'm a fair bit taller/heavier

[BadWolf]

Welcome! I'm a nerd in the same vein (HP, DW, LOTR, literature). I'm not a teenager, but I used to be not that long ago! It's great that you're interested in getting healthy and fit now, because it's easier to learn younger and to make a habit! Good luck and hope to see you around here!

[Morrigainz]

Welcome! I am 5'3" and weigh around the same as you I recently got off the cardio bandwagon and started lifting heavy as well as eating paleo. Nom Nom Paleo, as mentioned, is a great resource...so are Elana's Pantry and PaleOMG. You can also Google "paleo x" for whatever you're trying to find.

If you are concerned about a lil extra flab, and you are interested in strength training, definitely taking pics/measurements is the way to go (instead of the scale). AKLulu gave you some great advice re: strength training.

Welcome, and I hope you find this place as awesome as I have!

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Welcome!