Tumgik
#like what... they could afford all the fancy detailing on his abs but not the scars?
lesbianlanarcher · 2 years
Text
mourning sterling's scars tbh
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
i mean, i appreciate that they enhanced his boobs from an A cup to a C cup... but at what cost?
29 notes · View notes
marzipanandminutiae · 4 years
Note
So, I’ve been wondering this for a while and now seems like the time to ask, as I’m watching The Duchess: how did pregnancy figure into historical fashion? Georgian/Regency/Victorian/Edwardian dress seems ill-suited for such an extended period of many women’s lives. Was dress relaxed? Were women just never seen? I really can’t figure out how it would work because it seems like any logical reason isn’t extreme in the “historical” mind and nothing extreme is logical. Help!
A very reasonable question, and one that has a series of long and varied answers that I’ll try to condense.
Note that, while this is a woman-centered ask and response, people of other genders can of course become pregnant. But since basically no evidence exists about what the lone western trans man we know gave birth did during his pregnancy, and the Public Universal Friend never had kids, and women have made up the vast majority of pregnancies throughout history, I’m going to focus on them here.
The shortest version of the answer is that women made accommodations for pregnancy in their clothing (professional seamstresses and home dressmakers alike). Yes, in that time period. Yes, that one, too. In pretty much every time period you can think of, there have been maternity outfits- or everyday women’s clothes that can be easily adjusted for an expectant mother.
To go into more detail: first, no, women were generally not expected to seclude themselves for an entire pregnancy. Any woman who could afford to do so would generally take to her bed right around her expected time of delivery, but depending on the person, she could be actively engaging in public life almost until she had her baby.
I’ve read one letter from the 1810s that mentions a fancy dinner party being cancelled because the hostess went into labor. Really. So she intended to socialize/run an event while nine months pregnant, and everyone else seemingly considered that completely normal.
There are a lot of myths floating around about this, mostly because Queen Victoria didn’t like seeing pregnant women (she found it animalistic) and people have retroactively applied that to eras before her reign AND everyone who lived during it, but they are just that- myths. 
Through the eras you mention, there were a few options available to pregnant women:
- Maternity stays/corsets. Some people wore special purpose-made models. Some just laced the bottom sections of their support garments looser and looser as their pregnancies progressed, and/or went without them entirely in the last stages. Though of course, whether one could forgo a boned support garment relied on the same criteria as not wearing a bra today (with bonus lessened ab and back muscle tone from years of external support).
- Clothing that’s just naturally easy to adjust for a changing body. You see this a lot with working-class women in particular for most of history, though in some eras even the fashions of the elite fell into this category. Parts of the 18th century are good examples, though if I list them all, we’ll be here for hours.
- Purpose-made maternity clothes. These appear in a lot of eras, though I suspect fewer survive in their original states than actually existed. Why? Well, when modifying your clothes at home is a normal part of life, and you don’t need maternity clothes anymore or pass a maternity garment down to someone who isn’t pregnant, it gets altered.
I think the fact that these things were usually made by women, for women (sometimes by the specific women who would also wear them) probably led to a lot of the clever adaptations we see on extant garments. Likely many more that haven’t survived, too.
People have always been people, as I like to say. And pregnant people have always needed to get about their business.
141 notes · View notes
quiveringbunny · 5 years
Text
You Can’t Afford Him (Olicity fanfic, rated M) - Chapter 2
Tumblr media
Here is Chapter 2 of my fic. 
If you missed Chapter 1, you can read it here on Tumblr. 
If you prefer reading on Ao3, here are links to:
Chapter 1       Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
“Archer, meet Celeste Chen, who has impeccable taste in shoes and her fellow, Myles Crofton.”
Without missing a beat, Myles piped up. “I’m told she also has impeccable taste in boyfriends.”
At the utterance of their target’s name, Oliver had tightened his grip around Felicity, just enough for her to notice. Then he offered his hand to the arm’s dealer with a perfect playboy grin.
“Good to meet you, Myles.”
Myles offered the universal head nod that could have meant yes or the feeling is mutual. As with so many wealthy people, much was left to be interpreted.
“Panda told us you’ve had some bother with your luggage.”
“That’s right,” Oliver sighed. “Can you believe it?” He tried to seem put upon without coming off a complete dick so early in their interaction. If these two didn’t like him, they might shut down the obvious opening that Felicity had created for them.
“And since our room isn’t ready,” Felicity added, leaning into Oliver’s sizable shoulder, “it seemed like the good idea to spread a little cryptocurrency around the shops, although I guess since it’s all virtual it doesn’t actually spread.”
Oliver held his breath. He loved Felicity’s rambles, but he didn’t know if they translated well in other cultures. His worries dissipated when Celeste chuckled and Myles cracked a smile. He watched the woman tug on her man’s sleeve and then give him a questioning look. Myles took note, shook his head, then wordlessly wandered away, raising his phone to his ear. Oliver was curious, but forced himself to remain partially attentive to the half of the couple that remained. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Myles. On his first call, everything seemed fine. Then, it was as though he was talking to someone else because he looked agitated. He didn’t raise his voice so they could hear, but he was seething for a moment.
“Archer, I know this is Panda’s first visit to Macau. What about you?”
“I have a recollection of passing through once with my family, but it was decades ago. So much has changed since then. It’s incredible now. The architecture. The energy. The beautiful women,” he added pointedly. Felicity raised an eyebrow at him, at which he became very serious. “And by that I mean that Panda wasn’t here, so it was much less attractive then.”
The two of them studied each other for a moment, then Felicity playfully prodded Oliver’s ribs.
“Good recovery there,” Celeste volunteered.
“Yes,” Felicity smirked. “My hero.”
“Do you two have any dinner plans tonight? We would love for you to join us.”
Felicity looked up at Oliver, her eyes twinkling. They needed to play it cool, but she really wanted to pump her fist in the air at this moment.
“We don’t have plans tonight, do we Baby?” Felicity looked up at Oliver with a warm smile.
“I think we do now, PandaBear. That is very kind of you, Celeste,” Oliver offered the woman a genuine smile. “I hope I won’t be overdressed,” he added, looking down at his tuxedo.
“Nonsense,” Celeste replied. “It’s perfect.” She then directed her gaze to Felicity. "You have excellent taste, Panda."
Oliver felt Felicity’s hand slip between his shirt and his jacket and rest near his heart. He hoped she couldn’t feel it beating more violently than usual. What had gotten into her? The touching? Apparently Pandora Fleece was a lot more handsy than Felicity Smoak. He hadn’t even begun to process their earlier kiss. And what was that about Felicity having good taste? Before Oliver could question or protest, he was interrupted.
“That would be lovely,” Felicity responded to the other woman while softly running her fingers against Oliver’s expensive shirt-covered abs.
Just then, Myles returned and took the hand of his beautiful Celeste. He wasn’t the only one who could be affectionate. Of course, the Americans were always a little too obvious about it in public. Celeste studied his face for information.
“I have had a word with the desk. Just go see the concierge. He will be looking after you personally.”
Felicity and Oliver expressed enthusiasm for their host’s kindness.
“No problem,” Myles replied. “One of the benefits of owning the place.”
“Oh, wow.” Felicity feigned surprise. She could not let on how much they already knew about the man. They were, after all, just tourists.
“Thank you,” Oliver added, “that’s very kind.” He offered his hand again with a sincere smile. Myles took it.
“Don’t mention it.” Myles turned to Celeste. “Darling, I am now running late for a meeting and I’m told the art consultant is upstairs. I’m afraid we are going to have to try this shirt thing another day.”
“Of course,” Celeste sighed. “Panda, I’ll have dinner details sent to your room.”
“That’s wonderful, Celeste. We are looking forward to it.”
xoxoxo
Once they had settled the details with Javier regarding the final purchase, arrangements were made to have Archer’s clothing sent up to their room via the hotel concierge. Throughout the transaction, the two generally avoided eye contact. There was much to be said, much to explain, but it had to wait until they were in private.
The two proceeded to the concierge station near the front desk and were greeted enthusiastically by a middle-aged woman named Kim who had jet black hair with a shock of white on one side. She smiled warmly and apologized far too much for inconveniencing them. When she signaled for them to follow her away from the desk, they realized she was going to escort them to their room herself. The two exchanged curious looks as they proceeded up an elevator to the 25th floor. The woman finally led them down a gold and red-hued hallway to a very opulent door. She swiped a metal card and it unlocked with a decisive click.
It was a suite. Not a junior suite like at the Marriott with a fold out couch, a sad desk in the corner and a couple of bottles of water. It was a full-fledged apartment, suitable for hosting visiting dignitaries. If they were sultans. The space had a dark Arabian Nights kind of vibe. Felicity found herself gawping, legit gawping, as the woman provided the grand tour of the rooms and amenities. Huge sitting area with tall windows. Massive bedroom with gigantic bed. Check. Large sitting room with fainting couch off the bedroom. Crazy fancy bathroom with a huge soaking tub and a rain shower. Check. Second fancy bathroom. Check. Pillows. Pillows. Pillows. Everywhere. Flowers. A chilled bottle of wine placed in a cooler on a wet bar. It just became more ridiculous with every moment.
“Excuse me, Kim. This is truly amazing, but it definitely isn’t what I reserved.”
“Yes, Miss Fleece. Mr. Crofton would like you to stay in this suite. It is one he sets aside for his and Miss Celeste’s friends.”
“I am speechless,” spoke the young woman, who had eyeballed some of the finest accommodations in Las Vegas when she was young.
“Thank you,” Oliver volunteered, seeing the woman to the door. “This was a very generous gesture. We are so very grateful.”
The woman explained that she would have their purchases brought up when they were available and would call with details of their dinner plans. Oliver thanked the woman again and was grateful that tipping was not standard practice in Macau for this particular service, as he didn’t have any cash in his pocket.
Once the woman was gone, Oliver kept staring at the closed door, collecting his thoughts before he turned to see Felicity sitting tentatively on an opulent couch, her chin resting on her hands. He considered his next move carefully and then acted swiftly, as he always did.
Oliver moved across the carpet and sat right down next to Felicity, invading her personal space. His warm body and even hotter breath tickled her ear and she gasped. The look in his eye was curious, even to her, and she had seen all of his expressions - or so she thought. It was like he wanted her. But that couldn’t be right. Just as she became uncomfortable with his gaze and attempted to shift away, Oliver grabbed her arm and whispered into her ear.
“Can you sweep the rooms without anyone knowing?”
Felicity let out a relieved and in no small way disappointed sign and nodded. Soon, she was grabbing her phone from her bag and touring their digs again, chatting mindlessly about the decor and the amenities, all the while checking for listening devices and cameras. It was unlikely their space would be monitored, but Oliver was right. It was good to check. After her circuit, she ended up in front of her partner, who was standing at a bank of windows, looking out on the Macau harbor in the afternoon sun.
“It’s clean,” she announced, brightly.
“Good.” His voice was flat. Tired, perhaps. But there was more to it. “I’m going to rest.”
With that, Oliver walked into the bedroom, past the bed and into the sitting room. He disappeared behind a closed door, leaving Felicity alone and unsure of what had just happened.
xoxoxo
Felicity knew something was off with Oliver. He hadn’t said more than a few words to her after they left Dolce & Gabbana and then he seemed to want to ditch her the moment they got into their insanely beautiful suite after looking at her with expressions she couldn’t decipher. Now he was asleep. An afternoon nap also seemed uncharacteristic of Oliver, but they had been traveling for 24 hours and it wasn’t unreasonable to imagine he could be wiped out.
Not knowing what to do next, Felicity first jumped on her tablet and made the necessary changes to their backstory support on the web to accommodate a quick alteration in cover stories, just in case. She also did some snooping on Celeste and soon discovered she was a very sought-after debutante in Hong Kong before coupling up with Myles Crofton.
A knock at the door signaled the delivery of numerous bags from the dress shop and D&G. Felicity had the stewards litter the living area with them.
Eventually, the lure of the amazing soaking tub in the master bath became a distraction. Felicity  gathered up her purchases and took up residence in what amounted to a marble temple. She helped herself to some of the high-end bath products that were provided on the counter, slipped into the tub, and finally felt herself decompressing from the many sharp turns of the day. But every time her mind started to clear, her thoughts drifted to that kiss.
What had possessed her to do it? Was an epic lip-lock really necessary to sell their cover at that point? Or had she done it to mark her territory — as if Oliver Queen was hers? Felicity debated with herself about it for quite some time and then decided that, yes, the smooch had quickly and definitively established the credibility of their cover to the target of their mission and created greater potential for mission success since it led to an invitation to socially engage with said target.
Yep. That’s exactly what it did. The fact that Oliver’s lips felt so hot and strong against hers, while remaining curiously soft was irrelevant, as was the way he smelled — woodsy and masculine — even though he had been cooped up on a plane for a day. She could almost still feel it reverberating on her mouth. Imagine what an actual kiss with Oliver Queen might feel like, if a fake one had her knees buckling in a designer clothing store! She couldn’t bring herself to entertain that thought. Oliver wouldn’t kiss someone he could care about. She had to remember that.
Felicity also needed to remind herself that allowing her feelings to take over could be dangerous for her heart. And they were already surrounded by physical danger just being there in Hong Kong, thousands of miles away from home, trying to wheedle their way into the private business of a man who made an impressive fortune buying and selling devastating weapons. That man might have even procured Mirakuru and the potential to raise and army of nearly invincible killers.
This was simply no time to moon over her infuriating and attractive partner. There it was - the crux of her situation, clear as day. Lives could be at stake, Smoak. Pandora Fleece and Archer Middleton were just the masks they needed to wear to be heroes now.
After a solid soak, Felicity emerged from the water with a clearer head. She was back on mission now. Hyper-focused. Once she had finished fretting, she spent twenty solid minutes considering various scenarios that could transpire with Myles Crofton and devising ways to use them to gain access to his sensitive data. Ew. That sounded a little sexual. Her mind always found the worst ways to say something.
Her first task was to fix her hair. She couldn’t decide how she would wear it for the evening. Up? Down? Straight? Curly. Being a lady uncover was not easy. She stared at herself in the mirror and grimaced.
Felicity distracted herself from the dilemma by rooting through the luxuriously-packed boutique bags and pulling out items she had sourced hours before. This included a flat box. Inside, there were three pairs of red satin panties nestled inside cream-colored tissue paper. Three. Huh. She had asked for just two pairs, but maybe Margot was feeling generous.
At first she snorted at them. Silly scraps of fabric. But then she reconsidered. Maybe they would be good luck. She could definitely use some if they were going to be successful on their mission. Who was she to turn down potential good fortune?
Relenting, she soon discovered she had underestimated them. Those ridiculous panties. How they would make her feel when she slipped them on. But the satin was perfect and rubbed deliciously against her skin. Looking at herself in the mirror…admiring herself…Felicity felt sexy and powerful. She didn’t know she needed this. God bless Margot.  
Still not sure what to do with her hair, she decided to do her makeup next. But she would need to retrieve her purse from the living area sofa first. She enveloped herself in a plush white terry robe emblazoned with the logo of the hotel and emerged into the master bedroom.
Her breath was stolen when she found Oliver sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the bathroom door. He was wearing his tuxedo, but was currently foregoing the jacket.  His tie was missing and his top shirt buttons open. His posture was deflated until he saw her and sat up straight. He didn’t speak. He just looked at her, carefully, studying her while Felicity tightened the belt on her robe and attempted to settle her breathing.
Neither of them spoke for the longest time. Felicity was waiting for Oliver to say something, perhaps to reveal what seemed to have him out of sorts earlier. Meanwhile, the Arrow’s face reflected a heavy storm, one that he couldn’t find the words to express.
“I…I just needed my purse,” she finally stammered, gesturing toward the main room. Suddenly, she was moving, scooting out to collect her bag.
Oliver’s eyes followed her as she rushed out of the room and snagged her purse from the coffee table. She returned wordlessly, steering herself back toward the bathroom. This felt beyond awkward.
“I was going to ask your opinion about how to wear my hair but since you don’t seem to be speaking to me…” she muttered, her back to him as she headed to the door. Then she heard his voice rumble, quiet and deep.
“Down.” He cleared his throat. “Your hair looks nice just like that.”
Felicity stopped and turned around.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Their staring contest reconvened. Oliver was winning like Secretariat.
xoxoxo
Oliver had woken up from a short, but deep nap in the late afternoon and then brooded in a sitting room for at least an hour. Maybe two. Every that had happened earlier in the day with Felicity in the boutique played over and over in his head. He still hadn’t talked to her about the events that led to an apparent role reversal in their cover stories.
How had she connected with Myles Crofton so quickly and made such an impression that they were already invited to dine with him and his girlfriend? The obvious answer was…it was Felicity. She was remarkable, after all. He should have known better by now to even wonder. But he was still curious.
And then there was the damn kiss. She completely surprised him with that move. He knew it was probably necessary to establish some kind of relationship with Crofton and Celeste, but it was unexpected and unsettling. He really needed to talk to her.
He opened the door to the bedroom and realized she was using the bathroom. Rather than interrupt her, he wandered out into the living area and found the bags containing the purchases from Dolce & Gabbana. He took them to the extra bathroom before indulging in a relaxing shower.
After getting cleaned up, Oliver began digging through the bags. The shop had been aware of his luggage predicament and added a number of items he might need. There was a sample of aftershave and even a simple pair of pajamas. He didn’t wear pajamas, but maybe he should start. It appeared that the hotel had also chipped in some extra toiletries so he could trim his beard.
Oliver finished dressing, except for his jacket and tie, and wandered around the main room of the suite. Okay, he was pacing, considering what he wanted to say to Felicity and whether or not he could actually express himself, even if he got his shit together, as well as worrying that any kind of conversation now might be counterproductive to the mission. A dangerous mission.  Eventually, he ended up sitting in the bedroom directly across from the bathroom door, slumping a little in his designer clothes. It occurred to him that if Thea could see him, she’d give him all kinds of shit for wrinkling the Dolce.
It’s funny when you are waiting for something to happen and then when it does, you are still surprised. That’s how Oliver felt when the bathroom door swung open and Felicity emerged, barefoot and enveloped in a hotel robe. Suddenly, the situation, the job, felt so intimate. This was Felicity like she might be at home in the morning getting ready for work or dressing for a date with someone who wasn’t him.
And he had no words. Everything he had been going over in his head earlier seemed pointless and petty. All she had to do was stand there and look at him. Like that. He could tell when she blanched that he was probably making her uncomfortable with his silence. He knew that Felicity hated pregnant pauses. It was like her brain wanted to switch on and begin ruminating on a problem or a piece of code, but it couldn’t because there might be some pending exchange.
Felicity appeared to wait a moment, then she rushed into the other room. Something about her purse. Oliver took a steadying breath, no longer under scrutiny. Get it together Queen.
When Felicity came back into the room, she didn’t engage with him at all, but rather headed for the bathroom.
“I was going to ask your opinion about how to wear my hair but since you don’t seem to be speaking to me…” she said quietly.
Something in him cracked at that comment. It wasn’t that he wasn’t speaking to her. He simply didn’t know what…how to say anything when she was right there, shimmering like a terrycloth mirage.
She sounded offended. Say something, Queen. She never asked him how he liked her hair before and in all honesty, he liked it however she wore it. Wait? Did she say something about him not speaking to her?
“Down.” He choked out. “Your hair looks nice just like that.”
Felicity stopped moving forward. She pivoted and looked right into his eyes, surprised.  
“Okay,” she whispered, tilting her head.  
A force — Oliver really had no idea what it was, or he didn’t want to name it — pulled him up off the bed and drew him toward her at the doorway like a magnet. And now she was looking up at him, her blue eyes blazing with curiosity.
“Why did you think…I wasn’t…I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to say,” he exhaled, towering over her, but still seeming soft and sincere.
“Usually I’m the babbler, Oliver. That’s my thing. You wear the leather and put the fear of God in people.”
Felicity followed up her statement with a sweet smile, trying to defuse what had quickly become a tense moment. Oliver let out a breathy chuckle and looked at the ceiling to gather himself.
“I do that, don’t I?”
“You do, although if I’m being honest, I prefer you doing the former to the latter because leather is, you know,” she grinned, “hot and fear of God gets kind of arrowy and there’s blood. Not that it’s your blood. I mean, actually, usually it’s somebody else’s but it’s still gross and gets all over the leather, which is good.”
Oliver was shaking his head now. God, she was adorable.
“And I’m babbling again. Oliver you have to stop me when…”
“Felicity,” he spoke sharply. Then he grasped her arms at her elbows, holding her still. He had her attention now. “Earlier, you kissed me.”
Felicity’s eyes slammed shut for a moment. She couldn’t run, but she was definitely thinking about it. “I know. I’m sorry I couldn’t explain what was happening, but when I met Celeste we talked about cryptocurrency and it was a crazy coincidence that her boyfriend was involved in it and she wanted me to meet him and then there he was…freaking Myles Crofton himself and it felt like an unexpected opportunity and I should run with it.”
When her eyes opened, he was studying her face, looking at her with unexpected warmth.
“Felicity, look at me.” Oliver left hand disengaged from her arm and he gently placed his palm against her cheek. Felicity’s eye’s fluttered open.
“When we were at the house and I needed to get Slade,” Oliver said with a quiet, deliberate tone, “I said something to you…”
“It was just for the mission,” she volunteered, trying to button down her expression, which likely still reflected disappointment. “You gave me the syringe.”
Oliver shook his head and he sighed.
“It’s alright, Oliver. We have to say things sometimes that we don’t mean.”
“The natural thing for me to do to really sell the plan to Slade would have been to kiss you.”
Felicity avoided his glance as heat rose on her face. He was still cupping her jaw against his hand and she was enjoying that feeling. It was tender. Sweet.
“But I didn’t want to do that,” he continued. Felicity turned her eyes up to meet his. If he was going to deliver bad news, they should just get it over with so she could go back in the bathroom and fall apart alone.
“Felicity, I’ve kissed a lot of girls. You could wallpaper a room with pictures from the tabloids of me doing thoughtless things and making an exhibitionist ass out of myself back before the island. But I’m different now. I didn’t want the first time I kissed you to be a ruse. I wanted it to be perfect and, just…I thought if it was ever going to happen, I wanted it to be real and I didn’t want to share that moment with anyone but you.”
His beautiful partner’s eyes grew wider as she processed what he was saying.
“Oh. Oh, you wanted to…” her expression morphed from surprise to devastation. “Oh God. Did I ruin it? I did, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have…”
Her voice trailed and room became silent except for the hum of the air conditioning system.
Oliver watched Felicity’s eyes started to fill with moisture. His pulse rose with concern. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. He leaned down and his eyes shined at her in a way he had never allowed in the past.
“No,” he rasped. “It was just practice. For this.”
Then he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and the other circled her waist, rubbing against the soft terrycloth belt of her robe. He tugged her closer and lowered his mouth to hers, seeking her lips with the lightest of touches.
When he felt her her body press against his, the anxiety in him relaxed a little. Then she tilted her head to find the perfect angle to answer his kiss and his heart surged beneath his crisp, linen shirt. Time slowed and Felicity’s purse met the ground with a dull, quiet, thud.
Oliver was barely aware that he was moving them, stepping back to the bed, lifting her and draping her across his lap as he sat down. He memorized everything from the exotic perfume of the soap she wore to the whimper she made when he reluctantly pulled away and rested his nose against the soft pink shell of her ear.
“Wow,” she gasped, followed by a “meep” noise signaling she had meant to keep that comment internal. Soon, Oliver’s body was shaking with a laugh he tried to stifle by pulling her closer.
“Yes, wow,” he added, honestly, and also to assure she didn’t feel alone in expressing appreciation because it was the best first kiss he’d ever had. It was the last first kiss he ever wanted. But he kept that to himself for now.
Now, they had a serious mission. As much as he wanted to set that aside and focus on the woman in his arms, he knew that. Oliver took a step back but continued to hold her.
“Oliver.”
“We should probably try to focus on tonight now. This dinner with Crofton. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can talk about this and lots of other things.”
Felicity studied his face and the way the corners of his mouth were turning up. He was right. She gave him a definitive nod.
“Why don’t you go in there and finish getting ready?” he added.
“Okay,” she sighed and ambled to stand.
“Then you can tell me about our new covers, although I gather you are the lead on this now and I’m the boyfriend.”
Felicity headed toward the bathroom, picking up her handbag along the way. She stopped when she got to the doorway and bit her lip. If she wasn’t still flushed from the kiss, he might have noticed her sheepish look.
“Oliver…”
“You did the right thing. I’m not thrilled that you are more involved than we planned, but you made the right call. And we’re partners. Sometimes that means that you’ll be the one out in front and I have to make peace with that. I’ll still worry, but you are remarkable. No matter what happens, I never forget that.”
“Partners.” Felicity smiled at him, warmth and pride filling her. “Thank you.”
Oliver beamed back at her and leaned back on the bed, supported by his elbows.
Just as she was about to close the door, she peeked out. “I’ll wear my hair like this.”
Good, he mouthed to her.
“And it’s possible Celeste is under the impression that you are my boy toy.” She quickly shut the door, leaving Oliver to process her words and their ramifications.
“Felicity,” he groaned, then flopped against the bed.  
40 notes · View notes
jays-study · 6 years
Text
I DON’T EVEN LIKE HONEY THAT MUCH
a kacchako one shot
Summary: Uraraka has been a writer for four years now and is writing for a lifestyle magazine 'Tamami'. Every month the magazine publishes her romantic stories in the magazine and the readers absolutely love her work. Uraraka enjoys writing for 'Tamami' but sometimes it can be very stressful to have to write something decent every time, so to relieve some tension and stress she decides just write something really bad for a change. The subject of those awful stories happens to be about Bakugou Katsuki, her editor who she has a massive crush on.
Writers note: It has sure been a while since I last posted on AO3. Like I've said many times before I'm incredibly busy with college. On top of that, I'm a participant in two zines; the Kacchako Across the Universe Zine and the Kacchako Holiday Zine. And! I've also been working on a kacchako social media AU on Twitter as well. But I'm glad I found the time amidst all those things to write this. I thought of this during a shitty shift at work when "These Words" by Natasha Bedingfield came on the radio.
Word count: 6.549
AO3 link: (x)
Being able to word yourself properly is something Uraraka would never get good at. She had accepted that. In the four years that she had been writing she had written on different platforms, written different genres had switched her writing style countless amounts of times even after saying "I can definitely say that this is what makes me" so confidently. She had worked with different publishers, had a couple of projects that completely flopped and opportunities she wished she hadn't taken out of desperation.
The experience she gained in those four years of chasing a career that seemed beyond stupid to chase by many, it didn't make her good at wording herself properly.
But the experience she gained in those four years did make it a little bit easier.
Uraraka could word herself better than most.
Would she call herself a good writer? Not necessarily.
But she was good enough to get herself in a position where she was writing for a bestselling lifestyle magazine called ‘Tamami'. Women one and a half times or sometimes twice her age would buy the monthly issues and enjoy the overly romantic pieces she would write. If she would tell any of her high school friends that she would be able to pay the bills by writing old romance novel-like short stories for a magazine they would've been seriously worried about her sanity.
But yet here she was. Her sanity still intact, comfortable living with her cat in a studio apartment in the center of town.
Though this was not exactly what she aimed to do when she decided to be a writer, she sure had a good time doing what she did. Sitting cross-legged at her desk, in front of her laptop, with her hair in a bun that lasted for an embarrassing amount of days. Casually she was listening to soundtracks of popular romantic comedies and occasionally asked her cat for his opinion.
Yes, Uraraka could word herself better than most.
It was only natural that after two years of writing for ‘Tamami' she had a good indication of what her audience craved to read. It's the big dump of e-mails from her readers that made coming up with the next story as easy as pouring a cup of tea. Some e-mails gave a detailed review of her stories, a couple gave constructive feedback and a whole bunch of messages was blatantly sexually tinted. Uraraka had actually read full on sexual stories of her readers before. But even that helped her continue to deliver quality pieces every month.
However, that didn't mean that Uraraka could never get frustrated with her writing. She was determined that knowing exactly what she wanted to write could actually make things more difficult than it should be. Sometimes things she wrote weren't vivid enough. Uraraka wanted to smell the fields the couple she wrote about was standing in, she wanted to feel the heartbeat of the character sync with hers, she wanted to be able to get shivers as if a character had indeed whispered in her ear. Uraraka wanted to feel all of that from reading her piece.
And that, believe it or not, was hard to achieve every now and then.
Some sessions would leave her pouting at her screen for hours on end as she rewrote the same paragraph for countless amount of times. Uraraka would even let her cat walk over her keyboard, hoping that the pet would magically come up with something better than her.
When Uraraka would lose patience with herself she would count to twenty-five, close her document and would then open a blank one.
"…I opened my eyes and I saw the empty space beside me. Instead of rolling over, putting the blanket back over my head and setting myself on wasting the day away, I smiled. I smiled because I knew exactly that I couldn't afford to fall back asleep. The smell of waffles filled the bedroom and the sound of clashing dishes in the sink gave me the indication that they were ready.
Just as I sat up he came walking in the room. Abs glistening from the baking spray that managed to land on him whilst baking. A lazy half-smile of pride on his face and a tray full of golden brown waffles drenched in honey.
For a second it was hard to tell what the real meal was. I would've happily devoured either of them, to be frank. He sat down on the side of the bed and was quick to pick up the fork before I could even reach for it and dig in. The man wanted me to appreciate what he had been working so hard on the whole morning. With a soft smile, I told him that they came out great. As soon as I gave the sign of approval he filled up the fork and stuffed pieces of freshly baked waffle into my mouth. Honey started dripping down the side of my mouth and down onto my exposed breasts and white sheets. He started to take notice of the mess he was creating and stopped feeding me, put the tray with the half-devoured breakfast aside and touched the sticky corner of my mouth with his thumb as he cupped my face. I wanted to shy away from him but again he demanded my full attention. Turned my face back to him and leaned forwards. Between giggles in he would kiss me, our lips practically sticking together as he did. Eventually, his lips started to drift from mine to the rest of the flesh I was showing above the covers.
I knew exactly what this was leading to.
Sex, obviously.
We were both half naked, there was honey involved, which is apparently a sexy food.
Which someone still has to explain to me; how in the world can food actually be sexy?
Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of sex. I haven't even done it a lot of times but I have imagined multiple steamy scenarios in my head. When I had sex I was constantly doubting myself which led to a train of thought that ended nowhere. I would think about the taxes I still had to file or that I had to return those jeans that I recently bought in a sorry attempt to change my style.
But I could not not give this man all my attention even if I tried. I could describe how he was looking right now but no amount of fancy adjectives would do him justice. This man was looking like he was he carved out of marble. Smooth and toned just right. And that combined with the way he knew exactly how to move and said the right things at the right moment.
The man was like an actor in a porno where they hired writers that actually cared about the plot.
He was the type of guy that would tell you his favorite color and have a debate with you about issues in today's society whilst putting you to bed.
"You know what pisses me off; the debate about plastic straws. Until I see a turtle choke on plastic I will not stop using the damn things." He would say whilst kissing your neck.
He also seemed like the type of guy that would coax you through the whole act. And not the usual "you're doing so well sweetheart" that seemed to be a standard line for men. But kind of like a soccer coach. Maybe a bit stern, but you know he's doing it out of love.
Yeah.
Having sex with him was probably like speed dating your soccer coach that also happened to do high-quality porn.
Which is honestly the best you could wish for."  
When it all gets a bit too much it was nice to just write whatever you wanted, how awfully you wanted. So awful that Uraraka could look back at the work in progress for the magazine and think "it actually could be much worse".
So writing pieces like these did not only help Uraraka with the obstacles her perfectionism created but it was to get those particular thoughts out of her system. The man Uraraka wrote about and had so for so times, was, in fact, Bakugou Katsuki, her editor. An amazing and underrated editor who she happened to stumble upon in a coffee shop. They were sitting next to each other, working on their respective stories but Bakugou couldn't help but peek at her screen every now and then. Uraraka, who eventually got fed up with her since his silent judgment stopped her from writing asked him what he was thinking. And it was as if he was waiting for it because he sure didn't hold back. Uraraka was more impressed than offended in the end and continued to work with him for the rest of the afternoon.
Bakugou had been editing for Uraraka for a year now.
And over that year she had developed a huge crush on.
When Uraraka realized that she felt that way about her editor she instantly decided to never confess. It would bring too many problems that she really didn't fancy facing. Not only their friendship but their work relationship would be in ruins, to the point of no return.
"What do you think of plastic straws Waddles?" Uraraka pulled the Bengal cat off her desk and onto her lap. He cradled underneath against her neck and purred as she carefully stroked the cats tail.
"Interesting views," she laughed.
Uraraka kissed the top of the cats head and put him down on the floor.
Now that was out of her system she could try to make something of her draft. She was actually cutting it close to the deadline and knew Bakugou had recently got other work he needed to attend to. Uraraka was happy people had finally started to recognize Bakugou's talent and were now getting eager for him to edit their work. Though he said that her pieces are still his priority because that simply "came first", she didn't want to be too much of a bother.
And it had already proven to be difficult.
Quickly she saved the short story and opened back the monthly piece for ‘Tamami'. Uraraka put her earphones back in her ear and continued writing. She started to get pulled into the story again which made the words flow out of her easier. She managed to come up with a few twists that she wouldn't even have considered at first but now thought they could work. As Uraraka's fingers kept dancing over the keyboard, the soft smile she was wearing on her face got larger. The scenes she wanted to write out were clear as day to her and everything her characters felt, she felt too. Her chest felt heavy, like every emotion she described.
Uraraka kept on typing and typing and eventually thought of a proper way to end her story. It almost felt a little sad that there had to be an end. She had so much more in store for the two lovebirds in her story. But guidelines were guidelines so the story had to continue in her head instead.
The writer straightened her back and rubbed her eyes after writing the closing sentence. She had now only noticed that her ears had become immune to the sound of the song she had put on repeat for almost two hours on end. Between rereading her story she tried to find a song that fit her mood properly. Between interludes, she could hear strange noises in the distance. She chose to ignore them until she heard something clashing to the floor. She threw the earphones out of her ears and turned around in her chair. Uraraka then checked the time in the bottom right of her laptop screen and she instantly knew.
"Waddles! Waddles what the heck have you done?" She shouted toward the kitchen.
All she got back from him was a single ‘meow' which she sensed had an annoyed undertone.
See Uraraka's cat could be quite impatient. He knew exactly around what time he got fed every day and if there wasn't any food in the bowl at that time a day, he would get fed up. Fed up to the point that the pet would decide to make food for itself. He would go into the kitchen and make a ruckus trying to open cabinets and knock pots over in his quest to look for anything to eat.
"Can't believe it's half past eight already," Uraraka sighed as she pushed herself away from her desk to then immediately grab it and pull herself back towards the screen of her laptop. "It's half past eight!" she yelled as she had processed what she said.
"I should've e-mailed this to Bakugou by now, I-"
Another thing fell to the kitchen floor and Uraraka's neck snapped back to the doorway. She saw kibble spilling all out of a big bag coating the majority of the kitchen floor.
"Crap!"
Quickly Uraraka opened her Gmail and formed an e-mail. As fast as her hands could possibly move around she typed out a small message to Bakugou, apologizing for the tardiness and thanking him again for his time and effort. Hoovering above the chair she put the document in attachments and sent it.
Uraraka then strode into the kitchen to attend to her impatient pet. Swooped him off the floor as he was heavily enjoying the mess he created.
"It really doesn't hurt you to wait a little bit you know?" She picked the crumbs out his fur and couldn't help but laugh at the cat. "You feel no shame, do you? You just ate food off the floor like a barbarian."
Waddles didn't feel a single ounce of shame as he tried to escape from Uraraka's grip and fall back into his food. After a bit of struggling Uraraka put the cat down in the living room. Before Waddles could make his way back into the kitchen she grabbed a broom and started to sweep together all the kibble. With her leg, she gently pushed Waddles away who tried to get to the food.
"Don't worry, I'll whip something up for you that's not coated with dirt from the floor."
Uraraka slightly cringed as she threw away the cat food which was honestly not the most economical thing on the grocery list, thanks to the king's taste buds. As she prepared a proper dinner for Waddles she thought about what Bakugou could be thinking as he read her story. She wondered how he felt when he read her work. She hoped he felt everything she felt when writing it. Or to some degree at least. Uraraka thought it would be a whole achievement if she managed to get the lightest blush on his face.
Uraraka felt her face grow hot at the thought.
She continued to put the prepped ingredients together for the homemade cat food whilst touching her face every few minutes or so. After putting the meal in the cat bowl Uraraka warmed up pasta she postmated yesterday for herself. With a bottle of vitamin water under her arm, she brought the two meals to the dining table. She sat down and next to the leg of her chair she put down Waddle's bowl.
"See, isn't that much better, mister? Wasn't that worth the wait?" She asked as she spread out her own food, scratching Waddle's side with her food as she did. The cat softly purred against her touch and she giggled.
She went to talk to her cat about everything she wanted to get done before she went to sleep, about everything she wanted to do in the morning and all the other things that came to mind.
As Uraraka tried to gather the remaining sauce from her pasta onto her fork she heard the familiar ping of an incoming e-mail. She leaned in to check the now lit up screen and saw that it was an e-mail from Bakugou. Confused she pressed the home button on her phone and checked the time.
"That's…Fast," Uraraka said to Waddles. "Even for him, that's…"
She cleared the dining table and brought the dishes to the kitchen, still facing the laptop screen that was slowly dimming. Uraraka came back to find Waddles already at her desk, facing his snout upwards. With a confused frown still stuck on her face she sat down and lit up the dimming screen again.
Uraraka opened the e-mail and to her surprise, there was only a short message. She ruffled her bangs and squinted.
"Dadada…"Are you sure this is the work you want to hand in for this month?"" She read.
She read the sentence a couple of times and every time she found it harder to believe what she had read. Uraraka fell back against her chair in disbelief.
He had to be kidding.
What she handed in was one of the best works she had written. By a mile. She was so sure of it but Bakugou did not seem to believe so. Uraraka read the sentence out loud. Immediately a sense of frustration came to her.
What a kind of question…
There's no further elaboration as to why he had asked her that either. The nerve! Of course she was sure!
"Of course I'm sure," she typed out, frustration causing her fingers to twitch.
Without any sign off she replied to Bakugou's e-mail and then immediately logged off.
Uraraka wondered if she should ask him for a reason behind the kind of crude e-mail. But she wondered how she would be able to take whatever he had to say about her piece. She valued his opinion a lot and if he really did dislike the piece, as she had come to think because of his lack of elaboration, then she had no idea what that would do her writer's spirit. Uraraka had so many ideas for future stories and felt like she could write them all the next day if physically possible. That could be gone in a second.
She was used to Bakugou's brutal editing but rarely ever did he doubt the actual story. Said the bare minimum about it but in the few words he used, you could tell he enjoyed the small world for two Uraraka managed to create every month.
If Uraraka would've asked for Bakugou's honest opinion, she wouldn't have been able to change it anyway, even if she could. Bakugou was sending her piece straight to the publisher, instead of sending it back to her. There had been trouble there lately when it came to time management and deadlines Bakugou had informed her. Had then asked her to allow him to send her piece straight to the publicist for however long they were in trouble.
A week and a half later ‘Tamami' published their September edition. Days, after it came out Uraraka, went to look at the final product.
Uraraka walked to the nearest tobacco shop with a with a tight chest. She now had no clue how her story was going to be received by her readers. When thinking about the worst possible reactions Uraraka frowned and sank deeper into her coat. Before entering the bookstore she looked through the shop window. Right in front of her was this month's edition. Never before had they displayed the magazine. And never before did they advertise it by hanging up a poster on the window, saying that it was being sold here and mentioning specifically that it mentioned her work.
She looked into the shop and saw that in the magazine corner ‘Tamami' was being restocked. There were even several people grabbing it straight from the box and walking to the counter. Uraraka walked into the shop and met the shopworker that was in charge of restocking the magazines. She gently tapped on his shoulder and perked out the collar of her coat.
"Excuse me but, what's going on?"
The worker turned around and smiled brightly when he saw her face. He took her by the shoulder and squeezed tight. "Ochako, darling, there you are! Our little star of the neighborhood, you've really done it now!"
The people at the counter turned their heads towards them. Uraraka leaned out of their line of sight behind a shelf.
"What have I done exactly?" Uraraka awkwardly chuckled.
"You dear, have been responsible for almost half my revenue this week. People have been coming in here just to get a copy of the magazine, Ochako, they are in love with your work!" The shopworker went on to say.
Uraraka's eyes widened. "They are?"
"We are!" The two women at the counter were now approaching Uraraka waving their newly bought copies in their hand.
"Sorry to eavesdrop," a woman with a short bob and gleamy eyes said to her. "But we couldn't help but overhear the conversation."
"But are you really Uraraka Ochako? Are you really thé Uraraka Ochako?" The other woman, with a pink-dyed pixie cut and very shaky hands added.
Before Uraraka could ever get a word out, the shopworker proudly confirmed that she was in fact ‘thé Uraraka Ochako'. She could only nod at the two women. The two shared a look before exploding into chattering. It was hard to make any sense of what the two were saying but it was obvious that they were beyond excited. Uraraka had never really dealt with those kinds of conversations before. She usually would get reactions like this online, where she could take the time to process the kind words and find a proper way to reply to them, after a little bit of squealing of course. But now the only thing she could bring herself to say was;
"Thank you so much."
Luckily the women could laugh at her flustered response.
"This might sound silly but can I have your autograph?" The woman with the bob asked.
"Oh me too, me too!"
They started flipping through their magazines and Uraraka looked back at the shop worker. He just proudly smiled back at her and handed her a pen from the pocket on his shirt. Hesitantly, she turned to the open magazines and felt butterflies as she finally saw the printed version.
"You know Toshiko said at work? That she honestly wasn't able to look at honey the same way ever again.
Uraraka perked up.
"I know that she means. God, I can't wait to read that part again at my own pace now that I've finally got a hands on a copy of my own."
The writer slowly shook her head. "Honey? I didn't mention…"
Her eyes started scanning the pages of the magazine and her eyes started falling on certain words that caused her chest to become even tighter than before she walked into the store.
"C-can I…Can I hold that for a second?" She pointed at one of the copies.
The woman with the pixie cut handed her copy and Uraraka immediately buried her face between the pages.
"A lazy half-smile of pride on his face…"
"Honey now dripping down the side of my mouth…''
Uraraka closed the magazine. "Alright, this is…That's…"
Her eyes started closing and before she could grab onto something she fell on her knees and slide face first across the store's carpet.
The first thing Uraraka felt when she came to was the slight carpet burn on her face. With her eyes, half closed she slowly put her hand on her left cheek. As she stroked her face, she tried to get back on her feet. The slightest movement of her leg sent people yelling and grabbing her arms.
She fully opened her eyes and saw a handful of worried faces looming over her.
"What in the world…" Uraraka mumbled. She looked around herself and saw the magazine laying on the ground.
"…That's wonderful," she sighed as she could already feel herself getting lightheaded again. Uraraka held onto a shelf and tried to keep herself on her feet. Immediately people came to her assistance to help her up and looked at her with worried eyes as she kept staring at the magazine.
"…I…I need to go," Uraraka stammered. Before anyone could hold her back she walked out of the tobacco shop.
Alright, this was happening.
This was really happening.
Her incredibly sexually tinted fantasy story about her editor had been published in ‘Tamami'. People have read her incredibly sexually tinted fantasy story about her editor. People seemed to love her incredibly sexually tinted fantasy story about her editor.
On her phone, she searched for other bookstores in town and pinned her route to the closest one. Took the subway and ended up in an unfamiliar part of town. After a bit of stumbling around she reached the bookstore and saw the same thing as in her neighborhood's tobacco shop; they were restocking the magazine. Uraraka rushed to the clerk and stuck her head under her nose.
"Sorry, how fast have these been selling out?" The writer asked.
"Too fast if you ask me! This is the third time I had to restock them this week. I haven't even been able to get my own copy yet, and I work here!" The clerk grumbled as she kept putting the magazines on the shelf.
"Do you have the exact number of sales? I'm Uraraka Ochako, one of the writers of the magazine and I would just like to-"
The girl jerked her head back. "Wait, you're Uraraka Ochako?!"  
Again, heads turned at the sound of her name but now costumers came flying to the source straight away. All with their copies of ‘Tamami' tightly clutched to their chest, asking for confirmation if she was, in fact, the writer everyone was currently talking about. Uraraka could barely make herself understandable above the noise but she managed to confirm that it was her.
"It's not your usual style but I absolutely loved it nonetheless!"
"Can you please write more stories like this? Or just a whole book perhaps?"
"This was so genuine! I could relate to the main character so well!"
The writer got showered with compliments and though as embarrassing as this whole thing was, it did her good to hear that something she didn't even consider anything decent was being received so well. Uraraka thanked the readers and signed a few copies here and there. After that, she left the bookstore and traveled to a few others where things kept repeating themselves.
The magazine would be selling better than ever before, people would come up to her and gush about this month's story and she would sign a few copies here and there.
Uraraka spent the whole day walking around town from bookstore to bookstore in complete awe, feeling better and better about circumstances.
Her readers have actually managed to make the best out of a bad situation.
When she got back to her apartment she was eager to jump behind her laptop to finally check the e-mails from readers she had been stacking up in the past days. On her way from the front door to her desk, she got stopped by Waddles, walking right in front of her feet. Not being able to maneuver past him, she groaned and picked him up.
"This is one of the few times I stayed out the house for so long, you should at least be a little proud of me, right?" Uraraka moaned.
Owner and pet kept glaring at each other until Uraraka was the first one to lose composure. She tickled the cat under his chin and watched his face turn softer.
"But you just need the constant attention, don't you?" She softly spoke.
Uraraka carried Waddles in her arms to her desk and put him next to her laptop. She put away her coat and put her hair down before sitting down and letting Waddles use her lap as a pillow. She opened her mailbox and saw it had been completely bombarded with e-mails. This was the first time that she had to click the next button in her mailbox.
There were a lot of positive reactions. An occasional reader being sad that she veered away from her usual style but most people were excited about it. ‘Excited' could be taken in multiple ways. Uraraka had never received so many horny e-mails before. And it was somewhat to be expected but twenty-three emails that were not, no, definitely not safe for work? That was definitely a record broken.
Most of the horny e-mails were a good laugh nonetheless, she had woken up Waddles a few times because of them.
Slowly the writer cleared her mailbox and reached the most recent ones. When she saw a particular e-mail address, she felt her heart skip a beat. Uraraka would be lying if she said she hadn't forgotten about them for a second. A reader who had been reading her work ever since her work just started to get published in ‘Tamami'. Their e-mails were always almost like essays, very detailed reviews of the story and how much they enjoyed it. They were as honest as they could be with her and had honestly made her reflect on her writing almost as much as Bakugou did.
It was always exciting to see what they had to say.
""…I have to say I was surprised when I read this month's story. I-"…Waddles please, you have enough other toys to plays with," Uraraka scolded the cat.
But the cat remained intrigued by the light coming from her phone screen. She turned the screen around and continued reading the e-mail. Uraraka got closer to the screen as she kept reading it and felt herself smiling brightly at all the kind words.
"…I've noticed that you never write in first person. I have read the story a couple of times now and I've got the feeling that you were heavily inspired by someone close to you. Heavily inspired is a term I use lightly here."
Out of anyone they would have been the first one to clock, wouldn't they?
Uraraka rarely responded to fan mail but she felt a little caught by the anonymous critic. Curious to what made them exactly come to the conclusion she opened a new message to reply.
"What gave it away?"
Uraraka sent the message and bit the tip of her thumb. In the corner of her eye, she noticed light emanating from her phone screen again. She looked around, saw that Waddles had found another way to entertain himself and then grabbed her phone.
"Text messages from…Bakugou?"
Katsuki Bakugou, 16:24 PM: Are you around?
Katsuki Bakugou, 18:15 PM: Never mind.
Uraraka scratched her head.
Ochako Uraraka, 18:18 PM: Why? What's up?"
Only moments later a call from Bakugou came in. Uraraka jumped and threw her phone in the air. Just about managed to catch it and save herself from pressing decline.
"H-Hello?"
"Uraraka…Did I not call at the right time?" Bakugou asked.
Uraraka covered the mic of her phone with her hand and took a deep breath. It was always something else to speak with Bakugou on the phone but now considering this had been their first conversation since her story got published especially.
Once she got her breathing steady she put the phone back to her ear. "No, it's fine, it's fine. Why did you call?"
"It's about the celebratory dinner? Don't tell me you forgot to check your private e-mail account again."
"What? No! Of course not!" Uraraka sputtered as she opened her private e-mail account and saw the e-mail from the magazine's headquarters, about how they were hosting yet another celebratory dinner. This time for Uraraka.
It was an incredibly sweet gesture but, that sort of thing just wasn't for her. She hadn't been to a single dinner where she didn't feel stupidly out of place. They always ate at places that were way too fancy for their own good. Where everything was in French but somehow French fries didn't exist on the menu. Where you would have a napkin on your nap and no one would bother to explain what it was exactly for. Places where she could easily embarrass herself and often did.
It wasn't exactly Bakugou's cup of tea either. They had gradually gravitated from sitting across from each other to next to each other and started to complain about everything they could possibly complain about during every dinner. Have even started dreading the dinners before they were invited.
"I can't even pronounce the name of this restaurant…" Uraraka mumbled.
She continued to scan through the e-mail until her eyes fell on the time.
"I have to be there in an hour, are you kidding me?! I'm not even remotely ready!"
"So you did forget," Bakugou scoffed.
Uraraka could hear the cheekiness in his voice but was too busy panicking to even think of sassing him. She stood up and walked to her bedroom.
"I really have to go, there's a lot of stuff I need to do. Oh man, I haven't even thought of how I'm going to get there. That place is probably on the other side of town as well."
"I can come and pick you up," Bakugou offered.
Through the sound of clashing clothing hangers, Uraraka could hear Bakugou typing in the background. The guy had most likely been editing all day and was even looking less forward to the whole happening than usual. She didn't exactly want to be that much more of a nuisance by making him play taxi.
"Thank you but you don't have to, really," Uraraka said as she smelled a dress she found at the bottom of her closet.
"Oh shut it. You don't want to be late to your own fucking dinner right? I'll be at your apartment in thirty, be ready."
Before Uraraka could put up any resistance Bakugou had hung up on her. Distraught she looked at her phone and sighed. She didn't have any time to call him back and argue with him. She still had to shower, make herself somewhat presentable and mentally prepare herself for all the questions she had to answer about the story whilst Bakugou was sitting next to her.
Uraraka decided that the dress she sniffed was good enough. It didn't smell too bad and she believed none of her coworkers had seen her in it before. In record time she jumped in and out of the shower and messed around with make-up as much as her skillset allowed her.
With wobbly knees, Uraraka slowly walked in her heels to her mirror. She turned around and then nodded at herself, coming to the conclusion that was as good as it was going to get. Waddles had cared to join her in front of the mirror, but only to come and beg for a meal.
She tried to strut into towards the kitchen but stopped in front of her desk.
Would the anonymous critic have replied?
She moved the mouse, the screen lit up and they had indeed replied.
"You can't make up those emotions and thoughts. Not even the best of writers can."
Uraraka swallowed before opening another e-mail to reply.
"I can't deny that no. The story was something very personal yes, that most likely shouldn't have seen the light of day. So far, you're the only one that's on to me. It's actually rather embarrassing so can you please do me a favor and keep this a secret between us? Can you promise?"
Send.
That was the right thing to do, right? Fighting the accusations could have brought up discourse. And right when her career was thriving, that was the last thing she wanted. Things could easily spin out of control and that could make her the laughing stock of ‘Tamami' in no time.
It was in her best interest to keep this long-time fan a friend.
As she made dinner for Waddles she kept listening for the sound of a notification, but it didn't come. After she put down the cat's bowl full of homemade cat food in the kitchen, she shuffled to her laptop to double check.
There was really no reply from them.
"Oh God, I'm scre-,'"  A loud buzzer cut Uraraka off.
Immediately Uraraka jolted and rushed to the door.
That had to be Bakugou.
She tucked her hair behind her ears and straightened her stance before opening the door.
"You didn't have to come u-"
"I promise."
Uraraka blinked at the guy standing in the hallway. In response, she laughed and shook her head.
"You what?"
Bakugou pushed past her into her apartment and went to lean against the wall opposite her.
"I said I promise. I can promise to keep it a secret between us," he elaborated.
A moment of silence past between them, which was eventually broken by hysterical laughter from Uraraka.
This was something she couldn't comprehend. This was some sort of joke her brain just couldn't process. As she kept laughing she pointed back at her laptop.
"So you're telling me that…that you're…" Uraraka hiccupped.
She couldn't even finish her sentence without bursting into laughter again. Fell against the wall opposite Bakugou as she grabbed her stomach that was starting to ache.
Through her tears, she saw Bakugou cocking his brow. Gradually the writer collected herself and stopped laughing. She took a good look at Bakugou and then her face went blank.
"Wait, are you serious?
Bakugou gestured at his face. "I'm not exactly laughing my ass off am I?"
"Oh…Now if you could excuse me…"
Uraraka felt herself getting weak at the knees and prepared herself for another fall. As her eyes closed an arm went around her waist and a tug at her wrist. The sudden touch caused her eyes to shoot back open.
"Fucking hell, you're something else," Bakugou groaned.
He put her right back up, kept his arm around her waist. Uraraka's eyes darted from his arm to his face which was suddenly incredibly close to hers.
"You know I don't even like honey that much," he complained.
"Really?" Uraraka said genuinely baffled, she figured anyone would like honey on their waffles after all.
"But would do you like then?" She asked.
"Take a guess," he made his voice low, eyes flicking from her eyes to her mouth.
As he leaned in Uraraka held her breath.
"Oh God, this is happening," she murmured.
Bakugou opened his eyes and glared at her.
"Sorry."
Uraraka closed her eyes and through her lashes, she saw Bakugou smile before putting his lips on hers. Their mouths started to part and her breath hitched.
She had written about Bakugou kissing her countless amount of times. But none of that compared to the way he was kissing her there and then. She didn't expect it to live up to her fantasy, no, to be even better than her fantasy.
Uraraka's arms curled around his neck and she smiled against his lips. Steadily she slowed down the pace of the kiss and pulled away from his touch.
"But seriously, what do you like?"
"Syrup over honey, any fucking day."
55 notes · View notes
deanaemasters · 4 years
Text
Look At These Tips For Buying A Used Vehicle
Do you feel overwhelmed as soon as you step foot into a used car dealership? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. However, it’s likely that some sound advice on the matter could have assisted you. Buying a used car can be much easier by following the advice in this article.
Never let salespeople talk you into a used car that is beyond your means. Dealers are great at talking you into something you may regret later. Don’t listen to any rhetoric that goes beyond the car’s shape and its value. This dealer is working for a commission, so your money is his or her money. Stick with what you can afford.
If you don’t negotiate down when you’re shopping for a used vehicle, then you’re throwing away your money. Advertised prices on cars should never be paid. Dealers increase the price in order to have wiggle room with the customer; use this to your advantage.
Negotiating helps to save you a lot of money towards your purchase. Never pay the sticker price for cars. Sticker prices are marked intentionally marked up so that the dealer has room to negotiate.
The Internet can be scoured for some good deals. You can save a lot by doing some research online. Once you know which vehicle you like, you can drive over to the dealership to purchase, or arrange for your local dealer to obtain it for you. This is the smart way to shop for a new South Boston used car.
Take another person South Boston used car shopping with you. They may hear things you miss and will help make it easier to turn down a deal, should it be an unfavorable one. The person could be your spouse, a good friend or even a parent.
Never show up at the dealership driving a luxury vehicle. This will end up costing you a lot of money in the long run.
When negotiating, focus on the price of the car overall, not just the monthly payment. A dealer can make any desired monthly price possible, but you’ll end up paying that monthly price for years and years, making the final cost of the car outrageous. Instead, concentrate on getting the best purchase price and the type of financing available. From there, look into the monthly cost.
See an auto show. This show can assist you in determining which makes and models are right for you. This is a great way to view many cars in a short amount of time. You will also have access to numerous professionals who can tell you anything and everything about each vehicle. Once you visit an auto show, you should possess more knowledge on the vehicles that interest you.
South Boston
You should take time to gauge your personal budget before deciding to purchase a South Boston used car. You must know how much you can afford for a used car. You need to know a comfortable used car in South Boston payment amount you can afford monthly. You need to secure a loan before shopping for cars.
If buying from a private individual, make sure your mechanic checks out the vehicle before cash trades hands. If the owners deny this, it should be a red flag. There may be extensive problems the owner is trying to hide. You don’t want to buy into these without knowing about them first.
If there is a particular model that you are interested in, call the dealer to find out if one is available on the premises. Salespeople will try to sell you the used vehicle at all costs if they have them available. If the dealer does not have a used vehicle that meets your needs, your trip will be a waste. Make a quick call and find out the situation.
The goal of a salesperson is to make the highest commissions. While this is a given, you may forget this fact when confronted with a strong salesperson. So watch out for the add-ons and extras that may find their way into your sale. Even a bargain used car in South Boston can easily increase by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
You should wait a while before buying any South Boston used car model that has been released recently. This will result in paying the highest possible price for the used car in South Boston. Let the cost go down some before buying it.
When you are looking for a car, be sure to look at the safety features that are the most important. Anti-lock brakes or ABS are a must. You should also get as many airbags as possible. You are needing to use this vehicle a lot, so safety is important.
If you figure out there’s an advertising fee within the car’s price, ask the salesperson to remove it. Why should you pay for their ads? If necessary, threaten to walk on the deal unless it is removed. It is almost guaranteed that they won’t want you to walk on the deal over it.
Make sure you’ve discovered the rebates before you purchase a used car. Some dealerships offer rebates in order to sell a used car in South Boston quickly. Other unscrupulous dealers may not even tell you there is a rebate, rather keeping the incentive cash for themselves.
Bring up the trade in that you have after the offer is in place. You may not receive the best of deals for your trade in, but at least you now have the overall deal that you want, so be flexible. It comes down to the fact that you have been through the wringer, and it is time to finish the sale.
Don’t overlook gas mileage when considering a new vehicle. For instance, it might seem good to buy a car with a V-8 engine that has a towing capacity. However, you should think about whether you will really be taking full advantage of these features.
Test Drive
Make it a rule that you must test drive the exact used car that you are considering buying. There are some problems that could appear when you’re giving it a test drive, so be careful. The last thing that you want are problems after you sign the contract, so make sure to test drive the vehicle.
Never allow a greedy salesperson to take you for a ride, financially speaking. Some salesmen come across as friendly; that is just their way of luring you into their trust. You should take a few days to think about the deal they are offering you instead of letting them convince you to purchase a used car right away.
If you drive a pricey vehicle already, don’t bring it with you on your car shopping trip. The salesman may take one look at your fancy ride and refuse any low-ball offer you make. If you are looking to trade the vehicle in, this does not apply.
When choosing a used car in South Boston look for one that can inexpensively be repaired and is known for its dependability. Nothing’s worse than buying a cheap South Boston used car and then spending a fortune in repairs over the next several months. Go online to get reviews so you know which used car in South Boston is right for you.
Low monthly payments should be a red flag when you are buying a used car. The distraction of trying to target a budget friendly payment is tough to get away from. Dishonest salesmen will use this to their advantage when they are negotiating a price with you; therefore, they’ll offer you monthly rates that are low but a purchase price that is high. Before agreeing, read every detail of your contract.
When you head out to shop for a vehicle, keep the tips from this piece in mind. With this advice in hand, used vehicle shopping will be an easier experience. If you feel like you want to brush up on some of these tips before you go out to make a purchase, save this article.
Most salesmen will have monthly goals or quotas to make. This system works to your advantage at the end of the month. Due to their quota, salesmen become a lot more friendly at the end of the month in most cases. This may make negotiations easier.
Many people are interested in Used Cars for sale in South Boston VA, but are unsure of how to learn more. Thankfully, this piece has given you information to help you do it. Get out there and implement this information.
from South Boston Used Cars https://southbostonusedcars.com/look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle from South Boston Used Cars https://southbostonusedcars.tumblr.com/post/616314952128593920
0 notes
pauladbluford · 4 years
Text
Look At These Tips For Buying A Used Vehicle
Do you feel overwhelmed as soon as you step foot into a used car dealership? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. However, it’s likely that some sound advice on the matter could have assisted you. Buying a used car can be much easier by following the advice in this article.
Never let salespeople talk you into a used car that is beyond your means. Dealers are great at talking you into something you may regret later. Don’t listen to any rhetoric that goes beyond the car’s shape and its value. This dealer is working for a commission, so your money is his or her money. Stick with what you can afford.
If you don’t negotiate down when you’re shopping for a used vehicle, then you’re throwing away your money. Advertised prices on cars should never be paid. Dealers increase the price in order to have wiggle room with the customer; use this to your advantage.
Negotiating helps to save you a lot of money towards your purchase. Never pay the sticker price for cars. Sticker prices are marked intentionally marked up so that the dealer has room to negotiate.
The Internet can be scoured for some good deals. You can save a lot by doing some research online. Once you know which vehicle you like, you can drive over to the dealership to purchase, or arrange for your local dealer to obtain it for you. This is the smart way to shop for a new South Boston used car.
Take another person South Boston used car shopping with you. They may hear things you miss and will help make it easier to turn down a deal, should it be an unfavorable one. The person could be your spouse, a good friend or even a parent.
Never show up at the dealership driving a luxury vehicle. This will end up costing you a lot of money in the long run.
When negotiating, focus on the price of the car overall, not just the monthly payment. A dealer can make any desired monthly price possible, but you’ll end up paying that monthly price for years and years, making the final cost of the car outrageous. Instead, concentrate on getting the best purchase price and the type of financing available. From there, look into the monthly cost.
See an auto show. This show can assist you in determining which makes and models are right for you. This is a great way to view many cars in a short amount of time. You will also have access to numerous professionals who can tell you anything and everything about each vehicle. Once you visit an auto show, you should possess more knowledge on the vehicles that interest you.
South Boston
You should take time to gauge your personal budget before deciding to purchase a South Boston used car. You must know how much you can afford for a used car. You need to know a comfortable used car in South Boston payment amount you can afford monthly. You need to secure a loan before shopping for cars.
If buying from a private individual, make sure your mechanic checks out the vehicle before cash trades hands. If the owners deny this, it should be a red flag. There may be extensive problems the owner is trying to hide. You don’t want to buy into these without knowing about them first.
If there is a particular model that you are interested in, call the dealer to find out if one is available on the premises. Salespeople will try to sell you the used vehicle at all costs if they have them available. If the dealer does not have a used vehicle that meets your needs, your trip will be a waste. Make a quick call and find out the situation.
The goal of a salesperson is to make the highest commissions. While this is a given, you may forget this fact when confronted with a strong salesperson. So watch out for the add-ons and extras that may find their way into your sale. Even a bargain used car in South Boston can easily increase by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
You should wait a while before buying any South Boston used car model that has been released recently. This will result in paying the highest possible price for the used car in South Boston. Let the cost go down some before buying it.
When you are looking for a car, be sure to look at the safety features that are the most important. Anti-lock brakes or ABS are a must. You should also get as many airbags as possible. You are needing to use this vehicle a lot, so safety is important.
If you figure out there’s an advertising fee within the car’s price, ask the salesperson to remove it. Why should you pay for their ads? If necessary, threaten to walk on the deal unless it is removed. It is almost guaranteed that they won’t want you to walk on the deal over it.
Make sure you’ve discovered the rebates before you purchase a used car. Some dealerships offer rebates in order to sell a used car in South Boston quickly. Other unscrupulous dealers may not even tell you there is a rebate, rather keeping the incentive cash for themselves.
Bring up the trade in that you have after the offer is in place. You may not receive the best of deals for your trade in, but at least you now have the overall deal that you want, so be flexible. It comes down to the fact that you have been through the wringer, and it is time to finish the sale.
Don’t overlook gas mileage when considering a new vehicle. For instance, it might seem good to buy a car with a V-8 engine that has a towing capacity. However, you should think about whether you will really be taking full advantage of these features.
Test Drive
Make it a rule that you must test drive the exact used car that you are considering buying. There are some problems that could appear when you’re giving it a test drive, so be careful. The last thing that you want are problems after you sign the contract, so make sure to test drive the vehicle.
Never allow a greedy salesperson to take you for a ride, financially speaking. Some salesmen come across as friendly; that is just their way of luring you into their trust. You should take a few days to think about the deal they are offering you instead of letting them convince you to purchase a used car right away.
If you drive a pricey vehicle already, don’t bring it with you on your car shopping trip. The salesman may take one look at your fancy ride and refuse any low-ball offer you make. If you are looking to trade the vehicle in, this does not apply.
When choosing a used car in South Boston look for one that can inexpensively be repaired and is known for its dependability. Nothing’s worse than buying a cheap South Boston used car and then spending a fortune in repairs over the next several months. Go online to get reviews so you know which used car in South Boston is right for you.
Low monthly payments should be a red flag when you are buying a used car. The distraction of trying to target a budget friendly payment is tough to get away from. Dishonest salesmen will use this to their advantage when they are negotiating a price with you; therefore, they’ll offer you monthly rates that are low but a purchase price that is high. Before agreeing, read every detail of your contract.
When you head out to shop for a vehicle, keep the tips from this piece in mind. With this advice in hand, used vehicle shopping will be an easier experience. If you feel like you want to brush up on some of these tips before you go out to make a purchase, save this article.
Most salesmen will have monthly goals or quotas to make. This system works to your advantage at the end of the month. Due to their quota, salesmen become a lot more friendly at the end of the month in most cases. This may make negotiations easier.
Many people are interested in Used Cars for sale in South Boston VA, but are unsure of how to learn more. Thankfully, this piece has given you information to help you do it. Get out there and implement this information.
from https://southbostonusedcars.com/look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle
from South Boston Used Cars - Blog https://southbostonusedcars.weebly.com/blog/look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle
0 notes
bradleymmcmillian92 · 4 years
Text
Look At These Tips For Buying A Used Vehicle
Do you feel overwhelmed as soon as you step foot into a used car dealership? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. However, it’s likely that some sound advice on the matter could have assisted you. Buying a used car can be much easier by following the advice in this article.
Never let salespeople talk you into a used car that is beyond your means. Dealers are great at talking you into something you may regret later. Don’t listen to any rhetoric that goes beyond the car’s shape and its value. This dealer is working for a commission, so your money is his or her money. Stick with what you can afford.
If you don’t negotiate down when you’re shopping for a used vehicle, then you’re throwing away your money. Advertised prices on cars should never be paid. Dealers increase the price in order to have wiggle room with the customer; use this to your advantage.
Negotiating helps to save you a lot of money towards your purchase. Never pay the sticker price for cars. Sticker prices are marked intentionally marked up so that the dealer has room to negotiate.
The Internet can be scoured for some good deals. You can save a lot by doing some research online. Once you know which vehicle you like, you can drive over to the dealership to purchase, or arrange for your local dealer to obtain it for you. This is the smart way to shop for a new South Boston used car.
Take another person South Boston used car shopping with you. They may hear things you miss and will help make it easier to turn down a deal, should it be an unfavorable one. The person could be your spouse, a good friend or even a parent.
Never show up at the dealership driving a luxury vehicle. This will end up costing you a lot of money in the long run.
When negotiating, focus on the price of the car overall, not just the monthly payment. A dealer can make any desired monthly price possible, but you’ll end up paying that monthly price for years and years, making the final cost of the car outrageous. Instead, concentrate on getting the best purchase price and the type of financing available. From there, look into the monthly cost.
See an auto show. This show can assist you in determining which makes and models are right for you. This is a great way to view many cars in a short amount of time. You will also have access to numerous professionals who can tell you anything and everything about each vehicle. Once you visit an auto show, you should possess more knowledge on the vehicles that interest you.
South Boston
You should take time to gauge your personal budget before deciding to purchase a South Boston used car. You must know how much you can afford for a used car. You need to know a comfortable used car in South Boston payment amount you can afford monthly. You need to secure a loan before shopping for cars.
If buying from a private individual, make sure your mechanic checks out the vehicle before cash trades hands. If the owners deny this, it should be a red flag. There may be extensive problems the owner is trying to hide. You don’t want to buy into these without knowing about them first.
If there is a particular model that you are interested in, call the dealer to find out if one is available on the premises. Salespeople will try to sell you the used vehicle at all costs if they have them available. If the dealer does not have a used vehicle that meets your needs, your trip will be a waste. Make a quick call and find out the situation.
The goal of a salesperson is to make the highest commissions. While this is a given, you may forget this fact when confronted with a strong salesperson. So watch out for the add-ons and extras that may find their way into your sale. Even a bargain used car in South Boston can easily increase by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
You should wait a while before buying any South Boston used car model that has been released recently. This will result in paying the highest possible price for the used car in South Boston. Let the cost go down some before buying it.
When you are looking for a car, be sure to look at the safety features that are the most important. Anti-lock brakes or ABS are a must. You should also get as many airbags as possible. You are needing to use this vehicle a lot, so safety is important.
If you figure out there’s an advertising fee within the car’s price, ask the salesperson to remove it. Why should you pay for their ads? If necessary, threaten to walk on the deal unless it is removed. It is almost guaranteed that they won’t want you to walk on the deal over it.
Make sure you’ve discovered the rebates before you purchase a used car. Some dealerships offer rebates in order to sell a used car in South Boston quickly. Other unscrupulous dealers may not even tell you there is a rebate, rather keeping the incentive cash for themselves.
Bring up the trade in that you have after the offer is in place. You may not receive the best of deals for your trade in, but at least you now have the overall deal that you want, so be flexible. It comes down to the fact that you have been through the wringer, and it is time to finish the sale.
Don’t overlook gas mileage when considering a new vehicle. For instance, it might seem good to buy a car with a V-8 engine that has a towing capacity. However, you should think about whether you will really be taking full advantage of these features.
Test Drive
Make it a rule that you must test drive the exact used car that you are considering buying. There are some problems that could appear when you’re giving it a test drive, so be careful. The last thing that you want are problems after you sign the contract, so make sure to test drive the vehicle.
Never allow a greedy salesperson to take you for a ride, financially speaking. Some salesmen come across as friendly; that is just their way of luring you into their trust. You should take a few days to think about the deal they are offering you instead of letting them convince you to purchase a used car right away.
If you drive a pricey vehicle already, don’t bring it with you on your car shopping trip. The salesman may take one look at your fancy ride and refuse any low-ball offer you make. If you are looking to trade the vehicle in, this does not apply.
When choosing a used car in South Boston look for one that can inexpensively be repaired and is known for its dependability. Nothing’s worse than buying a cheap South Boston used car and then spending a fortune in repairs over the next several months. Go online to get reviews so you know which used car in South Boston is right for you.
Low monthly payments should be a red flag when you are buying a used car. The distraction of trying to target a budget friendly payment is tough to get away from. Dishonest salesmen will use this to their advantage when they are negotiating a price with you; therefore, they’ll offer you monthly rates that are low but a purchase price that is high. Before agreeing, read every detail of your contract.
When you head out to shop for a vehicle, keep the tips from this piece in mind. With this advice in hand, used vehicle shopping will be an easier experience. If you feel like you want to brush up on some of these tips before you go out to make a purchase, save this article.
Most salesmen will have monthly goals or quotas to make. This system works to your advantage at the end of the month. Due to their quota, salesmen become a lot more friendly at the end of the month in most cases. This may make negotiations easier.
Many people are interested in Used Cars for sale in South Boston VA, but are unsure of how to learn more. Thankfully, this piece has given you information to help you do it. Get out there and implement this information.
source https://southbostonusedcars.com/look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle from South Boston Used Cars https://ift.tt/2yH6grD
0 notes
southbostonusedcars · 4 years
Text
Look At These Tips For Buying A Used Vehicle
Do you feel overwhelmed as soon as you step foot into a used car dealership? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. However, it’s likely that some sound advice on the matter could have assisted you. Buying a used car can be much easier by following the advice in this article.
Never let salespeople talk you into a used car that is beyond your means. Dealers are great at talking you into something you may regret later. Don’t listen to any rhetoric that goes beyond the car’s shape and its value. This dealer is working for a commission, so your money is his or her money. Stick with what you can afford.
If you don’t negotiate down when you’re shopping for a used vehicle, then you’re throwing away your money. Advertised prices on cars should never be paid. Dealers increase the price in order to have wiggle room with the customer; use this to your advantage.
Negotiating helps to save you a lot of money towards your purchase. Never pay the sticker price for cars. Sticker prices are marked intentionally marked up so that the dealer has room to negotiate.
The Internet can be scoured for some good deals. You can save a lot by doing some research online. Once you know which vehicle you like, you can drive over to the dealership to purchase, or arrange for your local dealer to obtain it for you. This is the smart way to shop for a new South Boston used car.
Take another person South Boston used car shopping with you. They may hear things you miss and will help make it easier to turn down a deal, should it be an unfavorable one. The person could be your spouse, a good friend or even a parent.
Never show up at the dealership driving a luxury vehicle. This will end up costing you a lot of money in the long run.
When negotiating, focus on the price of the car overall, not just the monthly payment. A dealer can make any desired monthly price possible, but you’ll end up paying that monthly price for years and years, making the final cost of the car outrageous. Instead, concentrate on getting the best purchase price and the type of financing available. From there, look into the monthly cost.
See an auto show. This show can assist you in determining which makes and models are right for you. This is a great way to view many cars in a short amount of time. You will also have access to numerous professionals who can tell you anything and everything about each vehicle. Once you visit an auto show, you should possess more knowledge on the vehicles that interest you.
South Boston
You should take time to gauge your personal budget before deciding to purchase a South Boston used car. You must know how much you can afford for a used car. You need to know a comfortable used car in South Boston payment amount you can afford monthly. You need to secure a loan before shopping for cars.
If buying from a private individual, make sure your mechanic checks out the vehicle before cash trades hands. If the owners deny this, it should be a red flag. There may be extensive problems the owner is trying to hide. You don’t want to buy into these without knowing about them first.
If there is a particular model that you are interested in, call the dealer to find out if one is available on the premises. Salespeople will try to sell you the used vehicle at all costs if they have them available. If the dealer does not have a used vehicle that meets your needs, your trip will be a waste. Make a quick call and find out the situation.
The goal of a salesperson is to make the highest commissions. While this is a given, you may forget this fact when confronted with a strong salesperson. So watch out for the add-ons and extras that may find their way into your sale. Even a bargain used car in South Boston can easily increase by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
You should wait a while before buying any South Boston used car model that has been released recently. This will result in paying the highest possible price for the used car in South Boston. Let the cost go down some before buying it.
When you are looking for a car, be sure to look at the safety features that are the most important. Anti-lock brakes or ABS are a must. You should also get as many airbags as possible. You are needing to use this vehicle a lot, so safety is important.
If you figure out there’s an advertising fee within the car’s price, ask the salesperson to remove it. Why should you pay for their ads? If necessary, threaten to walk on the deal unless it is removed. It is almost guaranteed that they won’t want you to walk on the deal over it.
Make sure you’ve discovered the rebates before you purchase a used car. Some dealerships offer rebates in order to sell a used car in South Boston quickly. Other unscrupulous dealers may not even tell you there is a rebate, rather keeping the incentive cash for themselves.
Bring up the trade in that you have after the offer is in place. You may not receive the best of deals for your trade in, but at least you now have the overall deal that you want, so be flexible. It comes down to the fact that you have been through the wringer, and it is time to finish the sale.
Don’t overlook gas mileage when considering a new vehicle. For instance, it might seem good to buy a car with a V-8 engine that has a towing capacity. However, you should think about whether you will really be taking full advantage of these features.
Test Drive
Make it a rule that you must test drive the exact used car that you are considering buying. There are some problems that could appear when you’re giving it a test drive, so be careful. The last thing that you want are problems after you sign the contract, so make sure to test drive the vehicle.
Never allow a greedy salesperson to take you for a ride, financially speaking. Some salesmen come across as friendly; that is just their way of luring you into their trust. You should take a few days to think about the deal they are offering you instead of letting them convince you to purchase a used car right away.
If you drive a pricey vehicle already, don’t bring it with you on your car shopping trip. The salesman may take one look at your fancy ride and refuse any low-ball offer you make. If you are looking to trade the vehicle in, this does not apply.
When choosing a used car in South Boston look for one that can inexpensively be repaired and is known for its dependability. Nothing’s worse than buying a cheap South Boston used car and then spending a fortune in repairs over the next several months. Go online to get reviews so you know which used car in South Boston is right for you.
Low monthly payments should be a red flag when you are buying a used car. The distraction of trying to target a budget friendly payment is tough to get away from. Dishonest salesmen will use this to their advantage when they are negotiating a price with you; therefore, they’ll offer you monthly rates that are low but a purchase price that is high. Before agreeing, read every detail of your contract.
When you head out to shop for a vehicle, keep the tips from this piece in mind. With this advice in hand, used vehicle shopping will be an easier experience. If you feel like you want to brush up on some of these tips before you go out to make a purchase, save this article.
Most salesmen will have monthly goals or quotas to make. This system works to your advantage at the end of the month. Due to their quota, salesmen become a lot more friendly at the end of the month in most cases. This may make negotiations easier.
Many people are interested in Used Cars for sale in South Boston VA, but are unsure of how to learn more. Thankfully, this piece has given you information to help you do it. Get out there and implement this information.
from South Boston Used Cars https://southbostonusedcars.com/look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=look-at-these-tips-for-buying-a-used-vehicle
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx
http://ift.tt/2jajPTE
http://ift.tt/2iYeJfv http://ift.tt/2iKfQ3Y http://ift.tt/2iNfDgA
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx
http://ift.tt/2jajPTE
http://ift.tt/2iYeJfv http://ift.tt/2iKfQ3Y
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx
http://ift.tt/2jajPTE
http://ift.tt/2iYeJfv
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”. ��
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx
http://ift.tt/2jajPTE http://ift.tt/2iY8R6b
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx
http://ift.tt/2jajPTE
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx http://ift.tt/2jatY2O
0 notes
dorothyd89 · 8 years
Text
How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?
“Holy crap! Seriously!?”
It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:
“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!
I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”
What followed were the photos you see above… right!?
My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!
Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  
I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.
Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  
Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)
Why are you doing this?
I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.
I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!
I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.
As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:
I want to lose weight. Why?
Because I want to feel better. Why?
Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!
If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”
However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.
Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.
How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.
The Right Mentality at the Start
Now, this is where most people get thrown off.
After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.
The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:
“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”
I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.
Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.
Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:
“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  
I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!
The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”
Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.
Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:
In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.
I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  
Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   
Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?
Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?
It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!
Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:
I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?
Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?
Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.
“The less you do, the more you do.”
– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)
If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”
And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:
Signed up for a gym
Gone to the gym every day
Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
Started flossing
Add another 5 things.
Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!
When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months! I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  
In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.
In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.
If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.
So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 
Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:
Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.
How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?
Scale your thinking WAY back.
How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:
Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.
ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.
Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.
How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.
This means two things:
ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.
It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”
Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.
We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 
This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:
You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  
I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.
My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!
I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!
I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.
All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.
READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”
Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:
Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.
When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.
And NEVER underestimate momentum.
Accountability and Momentum.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.
Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.
Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:
I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  
If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 
As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.
Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:
“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  
Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”
Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.
Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.
You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.
Focus on the Next Thing.
I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.
But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.
You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?
Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.
Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:
Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.
A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.
What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?
-Steve
PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.
PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  
http://ift.tt/2k1qGmx
0 notes