Patrick

Hey JR, I love the idea for this thread, and look forward to following your journey! I have also been losing weight. For context, maybe 4 years or so ago, I was at my highest weight, like 185 or 188. I'm 6 foot, so that isn't too terrible, but it was at the high end (or above) the generally considered healthy weight. And my vital stats from blood work were going up. So, I got more serious about my workouts (I love Fitness Blender routines). I also stopped drinking soda, and continually have made small changes in how I eat. Like not eating chips. And eating a lot less bread and/or lower calorie bread. Nothing drastic, and in April of this year, I was down to 160. I figured I wouldn't lose much more, but I also was carrying around more belly fat than I really wanted to have. Obviously, diet is super important, but I had always thought I'd never log my food. But I decided to start. I was eating healthy stuff, but I had a feeling that I was eating too much. Without tracking it, I wouldn't really know. And my stomach was a motivator for me. It was alright... but it wasn't particularly good, and I wanted to see what I could do. So, I started using MyFitnessPal. I put in my accurate info (age, weight, lifestyle). I said I wanted to lose half a pound a week (again, I don't really need to lose weight, necessarily). And last week, after two months, I was down to 147, which is pretty amazing to me. I wanted to keep it simple for me, so I only focus on logging food that has calories. I log those foods diligently, and don't give myself the benefit of the doubt. I think you have to be that way, and log everything with calories, otherwise it's 50 calories here, 100 calories there, and you're actually missing your goal when you think you are hitting it. Since April, I have had two days where I went way over my allotment, and a few where I went a little over. But other than that, all under and for maybe a third of that, I had hundreds of calories left. It was easier than I thought, and educational. I don't log foods that don't have calories. I don't worry about macros, except in a very general, long range sense. I don't log my water. I don't log my exercises. Again, needing it to be simple and not be too much of a chore. I have 2,090 calories per day, and I give myself an extra 100 if I want it, because I don't log the exercises. But that's the limit. And it has really worked. Around the time I started logging, I also started intermittent fasting. Basically, I don't eat past 10 PM and don't start eating until noon. I tend to exercise before noon, and I like it. I feel pretty great! And I have noticed a difference in how my body looks. At this point, I am just looking to lose more body fat, so I am still logging and maintaining those goals. I might lose some more weight, or not, but I want to continue to lose body fat, and it has visibly helped with that. (I was already exercising 5 days a week with a 6th recovery/stretching/yoga day, and that has continued throughout this process. Though I do take some extra days off when I travel, which is usually a couple times a month). I'm finishing up this Fitness Blender routine now, and will switch to a more lifting focused one for 4-8 weeks after that. I realize I'm not at the same place as you or other people, e.g. you might hear my weight and think "haha, you don't need to lose weight." And I'm not trying to lose weight at this, but thought this story might be interesting/might update here as my stomach (hopefully) gets better. Will be really interested to follow this thread! Thanks, Patrick

Welcome aboard, Mr. Aslin. Happy to have you. Patrick

Happy birthday to JR 137! Thank you for all of the amazing contributions that you have made to our community! Patrick

Hey xhel. Welcome to KF! Patrick

Hey JMulford79. Welcome to KF! So happy that you decided to join our community. Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for June is... TJ-Jitsu. Congratulations! Thank you for all of the contributions that you have made to our community over the last (nearly) 3 years! Sincerely, Patrick

Glad that you had the opportunity to connect. Thanks for letting us know and sharing some of the conversation. Patrick

That's a fun way to think of it. Thanks for being a part of that! Patrick

And now we have such a thread. I went ahead and split this post off to create it. Thanks LLLEARNER. Patrick

Welcome adekpohan. Thanks. Patrick

That is very kind, John, italian_guy, Tempest and James (a.k.a. jdash/member #2). So happy to see people pop back up after so many years. Patrick

Welcome aboard, PhilExpat. Glad to have you. Patrick

This is awesome, Danielle. Congrats again. Patrick

Wow! It's amazing to see you, italian_guy. Patrick

Thank you for the kind words, Liam, Alex, Bob, Danielle, MatsuShinshii, Devin, Mo and Safroot. They mean a lot. Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. May 16 marked 10 years that DWx (Danielle) has been a member of our staff here at KarateForums.com. I wanted to allow the community to have some time with ninjanurse's exit from the team before celebrating Danielle's milestone, so that each would hopefully receive the attention it deserves. I hope that you will join me in congratulating Danielle on this impressive mark. On KarateForums.com, you are primarily judged by what you contribute to the community. We generally don't know what you look like, where you're from, how old you are or anything like that, unless you self-disclose to us and then, at that point, we are going by your word. For this reason, in online communities like this, teenagers and young adults have the opportunity to become some of the most valued members. Whereas, if we were all in a room together, their opinion or knowledge might be disregarded or assumed to be of lesser value, simply because they looked younger. Over the years, we have had amazing contributions from all age groups, from teenagers to senior citizens. We've had all ages on our staff, as well. When Danielle joined our community, she was a teenager, around the same age as me when I started this community 16 years ago. But from the beginning, it was clear that she was special. She joined on January 17, 2007, became the Member of the Month for April and was invited to the staff in May. We have threads here where people say that teenagers shouldn't be this, that and the third. They shouldn't hold this rank, they aren't mature enough for this. In the midst of discussions like these, Danielle has always set a high standard for all members of this community, regardless of age, to follow. Then and now, I think of her as an outstanding example for all of us. Someone who not only brings knowledge to the table and freely shares it, but also pursues knowledge from other members and is always respectful. The consistent thought and consideration that goes into her posts is incredible and something that has no doubt helped (at least) tens of thousands of people through her posts here alone. On staff, Danielle has this amazing level of attention-to-detail that she brings to the table, where she notices the small things and makes sure they are accounted for. That's incredibly important to me, as we strive to make sure that, when it comes to moderation and member content, we don't just get it sort of right or right most of the time but, in the end, as correct as possible, all the time. I feel incredible gratitude to have someone of Danielle's quality and character on our team. In honor of Danielle's milestone, as with the two staff members who reached this mark before her (ninjanurse and bushido_man96), we sent Danielle a physical award as a token of our appreciation for her contributions here. Here's what it looks like: http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/dwx-award-10-years-on-staff.jpg Danielle, thank you for being such an important part of our community. Thank you for the outstanding contributions that you have made, both as a member and a staff member, and for the careful approach that you have taken with the responsibilities that you have had as a moderator. I am grateful for your friendship and support over the years. Sincerely, Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We launched our community on this day, 16 years ago. KarateForums.com has such a rich history, that we have made a habit of celebrating, and that I’m deeply appreciative of. However, in honor of today’s milestone, I would like to take a moment to specifically recognize a crop of current members, who are active now, who have contributed to our community in an outstanding way this year. They have sought to grow, helped others and thought critically while also being respectful of their fellow members. They are an important, incredible part of what makes our community special in 2017. Thank you to JR 137, Alan Armstrong, Wado Heretic, MatsuShinshii, hammer, tallgeese, The Pred, bushido_man96, sensei8, Lupin1, JusticeZero, Zaine, Safroot, Wastelander, LLLEARNER, Tempest, Bulltahr, DWx, ShoriKid, Nidan Melbourne, mazzybear, TJ-Jitsu, Spartacus Maximus, ninjanurse, Kusotare, Dani_001, Wayofaswede and ashworth for really exemplifying what KarateForums.com is all about. This is not an all-inclusive list of great members, now or in our history, but of members who have really made a big mark this year. Thank you to all of them, and you, for being a part of our community. I can’t believe that 16 years has gone by since we started this community. When people ask me what makes this community special and what I am most proud of, I always talk about the people and how they treat one another, even in disagreement. Thank you to everyone who that describes. Sincerely, Patrick

Hey all, I apologize for the error in this announcement initially (it said Spartacus Maximus, but linked to Alan Armstrong's profile). Congrats again, Alan! Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for May is... Alan Armstrong. Congratulations! Thank you for the great contributions that you have made to our community. Sincerely, Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We are about a month shy of Heidi (ninjanurse) being a member of staff for 14 years. It was on this day, 12 years ago, that she was promoted to moderator (Sensei), from the staff guide role (Sempai). That tenure comes to an end today. The type of long term commitment that Heidi has made to this community is extraordinarily unique. I have managed online communities for 17 years, and to have someone as a member of your team for this long is rare. Not just for our community, but for any. I am tremendously grateful for her contributions as a staff member, many of which most people will never get to see, but are so important in helping this community to be the best that it can be. On Sunday, this community will turn 16 years old. Heidi became a member pretty early. She joined within the first 9 months, and has been a fixture ever since, collecting 6,153 posts (6th all-time) and 12 KarateForums.com Awards nominations (5th), receiving 3 awards (T8th). This community is richer for Heidi's presence, and I feel fortunate to have had her as a member of our team, and as a member at all. Thankfully, though her time on staff is coming to a close, she intends to stick around as a member, and I look forward to continuing to have her as a thoughtful, exemplary contributor. Everything must come to an end, and having talked to Heidi a lot about this, I support her decision and believe that the time is right. She will be missed on our staff. I have been fortunate to have many amazing staff members over the years, including our team now, which is incredible. Heidi stands out within that group. I hope that you will join me in honoring her contribution to our community. Heidi, what a pleasure it has been to have you on our team and to get to know you through the community, over the last 14+ years. Obviously, this is not good bye. I look forward to continuing to know you, both through the community and outside of it. Thank you for the incredible contributions that you have made (and will, no doubt, continue to make) to the community. The quality of the contributions you have made, the lives you have changed or made better through those contributions - it's not a small number. Thank you for your friendship, kindness and loyalty, as a member of the team, over the years. Thank you, Heidi. Sincerely, Patrick

Solid perspective on the whole thing, but also super cool to see you up there. Congrats on the renewed excitement and the investment you made to be able to hold your own up there. Patrick

Thoughts after the event, Alex?

Welcome to KF, NifanchinxSanchin! Patrick

Safe travels, Bob!

Congrats on the godson and the promotion, Whisky147! Patrick