OT: Pfft Do You Even Healthy Body Transformation? (General Lounge Style Discussion)

[Danko]

Been feeling really good about myself and the work I've put into living a healthier lifestyle. As evidenced by the fact that this might be my first post here (if it's not, I've posted less than 5 times on this sub), I'll provide a rundown:

-Late July 2017, my 9 year relationship ended. The last time I touched a scale I came in at 338 lbs, though I have no doubt (as you'll see in the pictures below) that I weighed more than that. I'd be surprised if I didn't come in at a little over 350 lbs at various times.

-From then until January 3rd 2018, I lost 31 lbs just by some light diet changes. I made a hard switch from regular soda to diet soda, I cut out *some* of the junk food I'd eaten regularly, but I still hadn't made a hard commitment to working out and getting truly healthy.

-January 4th 2018, 4 days after moving in with my best friend and his girlfriend, I joined my local YMCA (as my employer gets a pretty sweet discounted rate)...which was one of the conditions of me moving in with them.

-From July 2017 through TODAY, June 11th 2018, I've lost a grand total of 139 lbs. That's right, this morning after my workout I stepped on the scale to see how my week had started off, and for the first time in who knows how long, I weighed in under 200 lbs, coming in at 199.6; now obviously I know that wasn't going to last long today because I gotta eat and drink, but damn it felt good.

So many people have asked me how I've done it, and well the answer isn't one they particularly like to hear (from a "I'm going to do that too!" standpoint): From January 4th until about mid-May, I'd taken 6 total rest days. I worked out daily on the elliptical machine (which through trial and error I found to be the exercise machine that worked best for me), and I made a harder change to improve my eating habits. I quit eating at fast food places, save for the very occasional order from Subway (to which I still am not a fan of doing, but sometimes I'm too lazy to cook), I cut out all soda (diet or regular) from my diet and drink mainly water with the occasional Xyience Fruit Punch energy drink (if I want something carbonated), I'm more mindful of my sodium and caloric intake, and I do my best to not eat dinner past 7:30 PM.

Now, that's all stuff that worked for me, I know it's not close to guaranteed to work for anyone else, but my results have me proud of myself. I've gone from 338 lbs to my lowest of 199.6, and I'm ever-so-close to my final goal of 195 (though my "happy weight" is probably somewhere between 200-210). I've gone from 4XL shirts (which I was starting to creep in to) & size 52 pants down to L shirts and size 36 pants (mother flippin' SLIM fit in both categories even). 11 months of hard work has me on the precipice of realizing something that for so long I never thought was possible. It's surreal...

Good for you, that is awesome. Sounds very similar to what i ultimately ended up doing around 10 years ago. I started by doing the same, cutting out regular soda, eventually switching from diet soda to diet green tea and water. Cut out eating fast food and greasy burgers. I also found the elliptical worked best for me, i was doing that, walking/jogging and was losing around 20 pounds a month. I went from 350 to 200 before i got my skin surgery....time/life has taken its toll and i got back up to 254 personally but it took around 8 years for it to come back.

Now trying to get down to your current weight of 199....i've been doing Keto for the last 3 weeks and am down 12 pounds.

Anyway, back to your story...very inspirational and a lot of hard work, congrats.

 

[RockLobster]

Good for you, that is awesome. Sounds very similar to what i ultimately ended up doing around 10 years ago. I started by doing the same, cutting out regular soda, eventually switching from diet soda to diet green tea and water. Cut out eating fast food and greasy burgers. I also found the elliptical worked best for me, i was doing that, walking/jogging and was losing around 20 pounds a month. I went from 350 to 200 before i got my skin surgery....time/life has taken its toll and i got back up to 254 personally but it took around 8 years for it to come back.

Now trying to get down to your current weight of 199....i've been doing Keto for the last 3 weeks and am down 12 pounds.

Anyway, back to your story...very inspirational and a lot of hard work, congrats.

Yeah, I've got a bit of the loose skin thing going on. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I've got the hanging belly and some sag in the chest (again, not as bad as I thought it would be).

I don't think I'll stay in the 190's, I have no illusions that like many people time/life will ultimately see me putting on more weight. The important thing is that I'm in a healthier place now. I'm getting to a place where I can allow myself to indulge, ever-so-slightly, on my "cheat days" and go to places like Red Robin w/ my girlfriend & her kids; or I can be "okay" with eating some homemade chocolate chip cookies and milk; and so on. As of now the last 11 months have mostly been me developing the willpower to say "No" to that stuff.

My doctor set my initial goal at 220, and I've blown past that. 195 had always been in the back of my head, because the clothes I'm buying now have tended to fit me in my 200-210 range, so I kind of wanted that "buffer" for myself.

At any rate, it all feels good. It feels good to look the way I do (even though I have imperfections and hate taking my shirt off, because of the aforementioned loose skin...and I live in KS and it's summer time now!), and it feels good to be able to shop for clothes in places that I never could before.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

Holy cow, mr rock lobster. Well f***ing done man. 140lbs? Jesus thsys incredible.

For anyone seeking inspiration, this is the guy to talk to.

I applaud thee, sir.

 

[Mrb1p]

Yeah, I've got a bit of the loose skin thing going on. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I've got the hanging belly and some sag in the chest (again, not as bad as I thought it would be).

I don't think I'll stay in the 190's, I have no illusions that like many people time/life will ultimately see me putting on more weight. The important thing is that I'm in a healthier place now. I'm getting to a place where I can allow myself to indulge, ever-so-slightly, on my "cheat days" and go to places like Red Robin w/ my girlfriend & her kids; or I can be "okay" with eating some homemade chocolate chip cookies and milk; and so on. As of now the last 11 months have mostly been me developing the willpower to say "No" to that stuff.

My doctor set my initial goal at 220, and I've blown past that. 195 had always been in the back of my head, because the clothes I'm buying now have tended to fit me in my 200-210 range, so I kind of wanted that "buffer" for myself.

At any rate, it all feels good. It feels good to look the way I do (even though I have imperfections and hate taking my shirt off, because of the aforementioned loose skin...and I live in KS and it's summer time now!), and it feels good to be able to shop for clothes in places that I never could before.

My best friend also lost 100+ pounds and his skin is now perfect. It just takes time. Took a year I think for him to have snug skin.

 

[RockLobster]

My best friend also lost 100+ pounds and his skin is now perfect. It just takes time. Took a year I think for him to have snug skin.

Interesting, I hadn't considered that.

Basically what has remained is a sagging belly (though admittedly nowhere near as saggy/sagging as it once was) and then my pecs. My right one has tightened back up relatively well, the left one...well it's given me a man-boob basically (again though, both are nowhere near as bad as they were when I started).

AND on top of that, in the GOOD news department--I finally reached my "Final Weight Loss Goal", which was 195 lbs. I crossed over to 194.2 this past weekend (though went a little hard on some early 4th of July celebrating, am currently back up in the 196 area). It feels absolutely amazing to have finally achieved the goal I set for myself AND to move in to more of a "Maintain Weight" mode, rather than "Lose Weight" mode. IF I continue to lose weight naturally, so be it, but I personally feel good about where I am, and I've had my family and girlfriend tell me that they believe I'm at the best weight for my body type (and health).

 

[Mrb1p]

Interesting, I hadn't considered that.

Basically what has remained is a sagging belly (though admittedly nowhere near as saggy/sagging as it once was) and then my pecs. My right one has tightened back up relatively well, the left one...well it's given me a man-boob basically (again though, both are nowhere near as bad as they were when I started).

AND on top of that, in the GOOD news department--I finally reached my "Final Weight Loss Goal", which was 195 lbs. I crossed over to 194.2 this past weekend (though went a little hard on some early 4th of July celebrating, am currently back up in the 196 area). It feels absolutely amazing to have finally achieved the goal I set for myself AND to move in to more of a "Maintain Weight" mode, rather than "Lose Weight" mode. IF I continue to lose weight naturally, so be it, but I personally feel good about where I am, and I've had my family and girlfriend tell me that they believe I'm at the best weight for my body type (and health).

Yeah the under belly button sag is probably the toughest to lose.

Its a really nice transformation, now you should strive to find a healthy balance.

 

[RockLobster]

Yeah the under belly button sag is probably the toughest to lose.

Its a really nice transformation, now you should strive to find a healthy balance.

I mean I long ago started wearing my pants at my waist (as a tailor told me was the proper place), so I don't look like I have a sagging belly when I'm wearing my clothes and all. But obviously it's there. I don't plan on giving up, so I'll keep working at it, but I'm mentally prepared to face the fact that it may always somewhat be there. I can't be too upset at what I've done though, you know? Went from a 3XL (beginning to cross over into 4XL) shirt size to L; went from size 52 in pants to size 36 (and possibly am beginning to creep down into 34).

 

[M.C.G. 31]

bulking is tiring

 

[Danko]

Im on week 6 of Keto, have been doing One Meal a Day, keeping calories under 1500 and Carbs under 15g and so far so good, people have mentioned it looks like im losing weight, im currently at 237. I don't notice a difference in my clothes fitting differently which is annoying as Im past the initial water weight loss. Going to a wedding this weekend in New Orleans, so likely wont be staying in keto...hoping the rough weekend breaks me out of the current stall. Im still trying to get down to around 200 before end of October

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Has anybody tried Babylover’s Starting Strength? If so, any general comments on it?

 

[BHD]

I never realized how tiring it is to eat until I decided I wanted to bulk up. I knew the weight training would require strength, but man...

 

[UnrealMachine]

I never realized how tiring it is to eat until I decided I wanted to bulk up. I knew the weight training would require strength, but man...

That's where protein shakes and a blender come in. Don't get caught up or spend too much on the protein powder or weight gainer. Instead, focus on the other ingredients that you can blend up to make it into a meal:

- Dry oats
- Peanut butter (careful not to overdo it)
- Milled flax seed
- Banana & other fruit

Instead of just shaking up 100-150 calories of protein powder, you can easily and cheaply turn that into a 600-800 calorie meal. 2x day and there is nearly half your calories for the day.

 

[SouthGeorge]

How many grams of protein is everybody trying to hit? 200g for me and even with 2 shakes of 2 scoops. It's exhausting and tough to go down.

 

[blue425]

Haven't been posting much in FnT, but I've been doing the progressive calisthenics for over two years now.

Very close to getting my first clutch flag.

 

[Thucydides]

Plant based diet 8 weeks progress .

 

[kanuck87]

Wow I hate bulking so much. I eat at least 5 times a day and I've actually lost weight in each of the last 4 weeks. Probably gonna have to add a pre-sleep meal. I can't eat anymore during the day.

 

[LarKing]

Wow I hate bulking so much. I eat at least 5 times a day and I've actually lost weight in each of the last 4 weeks. Probably gonna have to add a pre-sleep meal. I can't eat anymore during the day.

Try drinking some calories. I do a banana peanut butter protein shake that’s ~650 calories. Easy to down if you like the taste of peanut butter.

 

[kanuck87]

Try drinking some calories. I do a banana peanut butter protein shake that’s ~650 calories. Easy to down if you like the taste of peanut butter.

I'll probably just eat a PB sandwich with milk every night before I sleep.

 

[Mrb1p]

Wow I hate bulking so much. I eat at least 5 times a day and I've actually lost weight in each of the last 4 weeks. Probably gonna have to add a pre-sleep meal. I can't eat anymore during the day.

I love bulking, but now I have hit a wall at 225. Cant get any higher, I just dont have the appetite.

 

[Mrb1p]

Plant based diet 8 weeks progress .

So it goes from upper left to lower right, right? You got fatter?

 

[Mrb1p]

How many grams of protein is everybody trying to hit? 200g for me and even with 2 shakes of 2 scoops. It's exhausting and tough to go down.

I do 200 @ 225 lbs. I think .8 to 2g per pound is fine

 

[Captain Bowie]

Is this forum dead?

 

[LarKing]

Is this forum dead?

More or less. Nobody posts consistently.

 

[mazmin]

Had a stupid idea, need to know if its actually stupid or so stupid it might work

Always been relatively skinny, like 170lbs 6'1" or so, let loose a little this winter, I'm probably up to about 200 now. Not fat or anything, just need to slim down for weddings and stuff this summer

The problem is I want to lose weight but have been having a hard time cutting down completely on food that is unhealthy.

So my thought I had that would allow me to still indulge a bit but also lose weight was to have like one big meal a day.

I work during the evenings, so I was thinking something like:

Light Breakfast (12pm): something like carrots, small smoothie, etc.

Dinner break (7pm): Chipotle burrito (big meal of the day)

Post work (12am): Bowl of spinach

All together probably comes out at around 1600 calories I would guess, with my height and weight I would burn around 3000 a day if I go for a run in the morning, walk on my break, and maybe do some exercise in my room every other night before bed. So a pretty decent calorie deficit.

Would this actually work? I realize its not gonna be the best for my metabolism, and isn't ideal, but it would probably work best for me at the moment.

Really appreciate any feedback.

Hey there, I’ve been a personal trainer for 13 years and before that I did a 4 year degree in Kin. So half my life has been dedicated to fitness and health. I’ve tried every diet imaginable just to see what they’re all about. The most impact in diet and nutrition comes from intermittent fasting. I’m not going to bother explaining as it’s pretty trendy right now and you’re just a google away.

My days look like: black coffee for “breakfast”, heavy lunch consisting of only whole foods, heavy lift or HIIT at the gym, and heavy dinner (whole foods)

Aside from that, many people (myself included) need to supplement with protein powder, magnesium, omega-3 fish oil, zinc, vit-D, vit-C, B12, and for a few months out of the year you’ll need to take an extremely high quality probiotic as you are NOT what you eat, you are what you can digest and metabolize.

Hope this helps more than it confuses.

Cheers

 

[Captain Bowie]

2 weeks into OMAD. Getting easier by the day. Love how easy cooking and shopping is. Just gotta be more consistent with the exercise to maximize results.

Anyone else done OMAD?