Hi I have been reading these boards and John Stone's own transformation log for a couple of weeks now.
After a couple of half arsed attempts to lose fat last year that sort of worked (lost 24lbs in a year)
I know I can do better if I keep consistant and dedicated, tanita scales put me at 245lbs and 30% bf,u think this is correct?
Im aiming to get down to 210lbs which I estimate is 15% bodyfat, by 1st of April.
I have been following a 1600 cal , 40/20/40 diet since Tuesday 4th Jan, doing HiTT cardio for 25 mins every morning
before breakfast and lifting weights 3 times a week.
Im hoping that posting these pictures now, and knowing that I will be posting my pics and weight every Tuesday until April, will keep me on track to reach my goal.
Feel free to comment and/or ask any questions,
My Love handles Really DISGUST ME!

I think you're higher than 30%BF really. I'm no pro at guessing, at all, but I'd say 35%.

This sentence worries me a lot:

"1600 cal , 40/20/40 diet since Tuesday 4th Jan, doing HiTT cardio for 25 mins every morning "

40/20/40? which does each macro nutrient stand for? I hope you mean 40% protein / 40% carbs / 20 % fats. Also, for losing fat and not muscle, I would not reccomend HIIT on an empty stomach. Thats a recipe for burning muscle just as soon as fat (this is assuming you are doing it before you eat). Even still, doing HIIT everday is not necessarily a healthy choice. It wrecks hell on your body.

And are you really doing HIIT for 25 minutes? Thats a LONG time for HIIT, TRUE HIIT, especially in your shape. If you aren't doing real HIIT (e.g. 60% HR and 90% HR) and realllllly hitting that 90% you aren't doing anything for your body.

I'd try 65-75% HR for 45 mins (on a treadmill, elliptical, etc) do that on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning.



here is the real kicker, i should have said this first - 1600 calories is WAY TOO LOW! read the sticky at the top of the page, discover your BMR (including activity multipliers) and cut that number by 500 to lose 1 lbs per week. In your shoes, i would not go below 2000 calories, probably around 2300 or so.

and if you're not lifting weights - start. try 5x5 sets

Good work on finally deciding to make a change.

The big thing to remember is it's going to take a while, but if you stick to it, you'll get to where you want to be. We can't do the work for you, only encourage you.

I would also recommend you look into eating more calories, split into 6 meals (if possible). Eventually you are going to reach your "goal" weight, and you are going to want to have some muscle preserved when you're done. Otherwise you may not be very happy with what is looking back at you in the mirror, when all is said and done.

(Just call me Capt. Obvious)

I would have to agree with

1) you have a lot more than 24% BF. Dont trust those scales.

2) You are eating way too little. Obviously everyone's body is different, but I would follow the BMR scales, track your progress, then adjsut your diet from there

Congrats on getting started! It's a brave move to post the pics, but you'll find them an excellent motivator.

My piece of advice - don't worry about body fat percentages now. Save that for later, when you're cut down a little more. As it stands, you're big enough right now that the scale will work and the body fat measurements won't. As you get down toward the end of your cut, the scale will be less useful and the body fat measurement will be more useful. So just use the scale for now. Don't be a slave to it, but maybe weigh yourself every week or so and write it down to see the general trend of progress.

The pictures will be the best guide of all - it was a very good idea for you to take them.

Man, there are so many guys around here who wish they'd taken "before" pictures. Good work.

Oh yes, I really wish I would have taken before photos. you can sort of see it with all the fat Ive lost around my face (I actually visible cheek and jaw bones now)

I have taken current pics though, but even not until the 6 pack will be a great change

Thanks for all the advice guys, thought i'd give a mini update.
I have upped my cals to 1800 and changed to a 40%protein 30%Carbs 30%Fat ratio , the fats are mostly from almonds and cod liver oil
my training and diet on a typical day is as follows

7:30am ECA stack
8:00am 25 mins body for life Hiit on treadmill
8:30am 34grams protein shake , multivitimin, 1 banana, 10 almonds
11:30am tuna can, 5 grams cod liver oil, 2 wholewheat toasts
1:30pm ECA Stack 23grams protein shake
4:00pm chicken salad, 5 grams codliver oil, multivitmin
6:00pm tuna can, 2 wholeweat toasts, 10 almonds
8:00pm grilled chicken 5 grams codliver oil

the 25 mins hiit i do is on the treadmill, 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% effort, then I repeat this 5 times
I do the hiit on mondays, tuesday, friday saturday, sunday

I train with weights at 2pm
Shoulders and arms tuesday,
Legs and abs friday,
chest and back saturday

Will report back on tuesday with new pics and weight

Tuesday 11th January Weekly photo's and weigh in
Im down 9lbs!! i know alot is probaly water weight, but it puts me that bit closer to my goal of 210lb.
I have not noticed any strength decrese in general or in my weights workouts, so thats a plus.
On a bad note, i missed my first Hiit workout this morning :(
I had to finish up an assignment. But I am planning on doing the Hiit after my weights workout in the afternoon today.
I have also decided to update the log daily with my workout details,
I think this will help keep me on track and hopefully
provide others with a plan to follow.

Managed to get in my HiiT after chest workout yesterday.
felt good getting stuff done.
I got alot of assignments this week,
if I can get these done + Diet + training , then I know I will be able to finish my program.

Thursday 13th- No workouts today.
never thought id say it but,
Actually looking forward to tommorows session :D

I have been sticking to my diet well, i have added some natural peanut butter on two pieces of toast.
workouts are going well, I thought that losing weight and being on low calories would leave me tired, but I actually seem to have more energy than before when I was eating crappy foods like frozen meals.

Just thought I would chime in again

You really shouldnt be doing HIIT in the morning before any meals OR after weight training. Those are not very favorable to do in terms of fat loss

I think its best to do sustained cardio (65-75% of your heart rate) for 45-50 minutes if you are doing it in the morning, or if you are doing HIIT do it after breakfast and then lift later on in the day

ucbgsr, thanks for your advice. I have dumped the HiiT after weights, i was shattered and wasnt really putting full effort into the HiiT.
I still do my morning Hiit though, what do you reccomend I have as a pre HiiT meal, as a scoop of whey good? then my full breakfast after HiiT.

19th January
Its been a really busy couple of weeks, I have been sticking to my diet,I cant wait till next week when I have a week off.
I had a planned cheat day yesterday. didnt go crazy, had about 3500calories ,feeling good though and back on track today

I got a week off!!! :D i can fully concentrate on getting my workouts in, im having a half scoop of whey before my hiiT in the mornings, i will see if my fat loss is effected by this in te coming week. Another plus, im getting fitter!! i have taken the treadmill up a notch twice since I started, im well happy with this.

thats awesome that you were so quick to post pics. i can actually see progress already. personally i eat a full breakfast before cardio in the morning. usually something light like a couple eggs and whole grain toast.

Today I deadlifted 125kg for 4reps, during my back workout, I may have even been able to do more but my grip was shot.
When I started, I deadlifted 120kg for 4 reps, and I feel stronger in general.
I guess not carrying that extra fat around leaves me alot more energy, I worked out that my previous day to day diet of frozen foods and sweets was giving me 2500-3000 calories , which does not seem like much, but it was all crap. I think my 1800calories now have alot more nutrients and this is one of the main reasons I been feeling soo good,
I can only hope it continues

Weighed in at 230lbs this morning, I always take this measurement and photos, first thing in the morning after using the bathroom.
I don't wear the same shorts every day :D I only put them on because I wore them in the first photos and now I will continue to wear to keep things consistant(nothing heighlights your body, like shiny purple shorts!!!)

Looking at myself, I notice that a lot of the fat seems to have come of my gut, it hardly sticks out anymore, and with clothes on, is barely there.
If anything this makes the fat on the obliques look more obvious( I really hate that fat, can't wait till it dies)

Another thing, the fat seems alot more "fluid" than before, more jiggly I hope this is a sign that blood is flowing to and from it, and it will be burned soon :tu:

At 163 w/ 13-15% body fat, I can still see fat around my gut and obliques.

Don't worry so much about losing all the fat (because it will take a long, long time if done properly), just worry about losing fat.

You're making great progress.

Weight lifting is extremely important for getting the "look" you want, so keep it up and you'll get there.

thanks for the words of encouragement guys

I have decided to change things around a little.
I got more time on my hands, and in the mornings am going to switch to fasted cardio for 35-45 mins, and will see how this affects things over the next couple of weeks.
hopefully this will keep things moving along nicely.
I have been having cheat days every Friday, but yesterday, I tried but I actually didn't enjoy it. I actually wanted to eat healthy.
I have a mini goal of reaching 224lbs, the 16 stone mark, by February 14th

Damn , I hate not keeping up with the updates, atleast I have kept up with the training+diet.
im down to 223lbs now, my upper back, legs , and face seem to have lost most of the fat, now I just wanna shift the lard ass and the hips :D
I havent lost any strengh on my lifts, but then again I havent gained any :confused:
no cardio today, today I did arms
BB curls 10 X 67lbs, 8 X 78lbs, 4 X 89lbs
French Press 12 X 30lbs, 8 X 40lbs, 6 X 45lbs
Bench dips, 5 X 10reps

Normally on arm day I include a supplementry exercise for biceps and tri's.
something like hammer curls and close grip bench, but I was really pushed for time. If those son of a bitch professors only knew not to give assignments whilst people are cutting :D

No weights or aerobic today, Feeling fine during the day, but lacked the energy for a workout.
Diet was clean though, and I am planning a refeed for this weekend :D

Done some forearm work today, Everything in kilo's, can't be Buggered converting to lbs.

Barbell wrist curls 15 X 30kg
12 X 32.5kg
8 X 35kg
Behind the back wrist curls
15 X 30kg
12 X 32.5kg
8 X 35kg
Reverse Barbell Curls
10 X 30kg
6 X 35kg
5 X 35kg

45 cardio on the treadmill
Felt more energy and upped the speed a little, I seemed to have increased my cardio vascular ability :D
tommorow is back day, my favourite :bb:

No back day today, done 45 mins fasted cardio in the AM instead.
I have decided to change my workout program so I avoid hitting a plateau, and also cause im a student with no job, no social life and nothing better to do :D

Here's the new routine,
Monday
AM - 45mins fasted Cardio

Tuesday
AM - 45mins fasted Cardio
PM - Shoulders, Biceps

Wednesday
PM - Lower,Upper back, Forearms

Thursday
PM - Chest, Triceps

Friday
PM - 60mins Cardio(not fasted)

Saturday
AM - 45mins Fasted Cardio
PM - Legs, Biceps

Sunday
AM - 45mins Fasted Cardio
PM - Abs, Forearms

I have also decided to change my diet, My meals will be 30-40 grams of protein and about 5-10grams of fat(good fat, fish oil, almonds, etc).
The only carb meals will be after weight training.
example,

straight after training:
Protein shake + 60 grams dextrose

1hour later:
tuna + half cup of oats

I will be on the new diet and training program for at least 2 weeks to see how it goes.

45 mins fasted cardio in the morning
Protein+ fat meals only today, wasn't too tough, will see how I feel in a week :p

Was actually 220.5 this morning but what the heck, 221lbs today.
I will for damn sure break into the teens by this weekend :)
I started feeling better about myself after the first week of this program, but only now am I starting to notice big differences in my self, My body feels pretty solid apart from the midsection, but even that seems to be shrinking.

45 mins fasted cardio in the morning
Shoulders and Biceps this afternoon, cant wait, some carbs :drool:

Was feeling kinda sluggish today, that was until I started my workout :)
after thais I felt great for the rest of the day.

Deadlifts
12 X 60kg
8 X 100kg
6 X 120kg
4 X 125kg

Stiff-Legged Deads
12 X 35kg
10 X 50kg
8 X 60kg
6 X 70kg

Bent-Over Barbell Rows
12 X 35kg
10 X 45kg
8 X 50kg
4 X 60kg

219lbs!!! im finally into the teens!!
I think I could have been down a bit more if I hadnt had a dirty great big cheat weekend, I was up to 228 on Sunday night, and felt like a balloon.

I think I might try not having a cheat meal for the next 4 weeks, it will be tough, but im intrested in how this may affect results.

Wow I can definately see the reduction in the belly girth, especially on the rightmost picture! Great work man!

JoeBiron - Thanks for the kind words. Yea the belly is going down big time,
I got a month till my deadline of April 1st, so im going to cut all cheats till then

Im thinking of buying some new clothes, my sweatshirts(which I always wear/wore) are starting to look quite baggy.
I have been sticking to my workouts like glue,and feel like I have actually gained some strengh.
Not having a cheat day this weekend was kinda tough, I thought my scale weight would drop like mad without the water weight of a fine cheat day.
But it didnt, I do feel alot better though, without that bloated, puffy feeling, hope it continues. :tu:

Im such a bastard for not updating daily, so here's a round up of last week.
Monday - AM 45mins morning Fasted Cardio
PM Barbell Curls
15 X 20kg
10 X 25kg
8 X 30kg
6 X 35kg
Bench Dips
3 X 10 reps

Tuesday – AM 45mins morning Fasted Cardio

Wednesday – PM Front Squats
10 X 40kg
10 X 50kg
6 X 60kg
Power cleans
10 X 50kg
10 X 60kg
Thursday - PM 10 mins treadmill @ 9kph, 30% incline

Friday - Hehehe

Saturday – AM 45mins morning Fasted Cardio
PM Stifflegged deadlift
12 X 50kg
Deadlifts
10 X 80kg
6 X 132.5kg PR
Stiflegged deads
10 X 70kg
10 X 90kg

Sunday - AM 45mins morning Fasted Cardio
PM Bench Press
12 X 30kg
10 X 35kg
8 X 37.5kg
im a real pussy on the bench but it's slowly improving

Diet is around 1800cal with 50%Protein 25%Fat 25% Carb
Apart from Friday when I had 2,yes two pizzas and Saturday, when I ate 3 quarter pounders :eat:

216lbs

Am 45 mins fasted cardio
Pm
zercher Squats
10 x 30kg
10 X 40kg
8 X 50kg
6 X 60kg

Power Cleans
10 X 50kg
10 X 60kg

Barbell Shrugs
10 X 60kg
10 X 60kg extra slow

Fasted cardio, 45mins. but in the afternoon, I ate about 4 hours before and following the cardio had a whey shake and some fish oil.

at about 5-6pm I felt really drained, and decided to have some roasted cashews, 62 cashews infact, yeah I counted. Good thing was that I stopped at that, I didnt think awww fcuk it and eat 3 chocolate bars and a pizza. I would never have done that before and im quite pleased with myself, its a positive thing.

Hey there;

Just checked out your progress as I like to do on here before heading for a work-out... Good work man - you're really melting away!

I think you deserved those 62 dry roasted cashews & besides they're decent fat for you & at least they weren't covered in oil, etc. Sounds like you stuck right down to exactly one serving.

Keep up the good work & I'm hoping that you'll make your upcoming goal.

G

Jabba- Thanks for the kind words, support really motivates.

Am - No morning cardio today
Pm - Bench Press
10 X 30kg
8 X 40kg
2 X 50kg

Barbell Rows
10 X 40kg
10 X 50kg
6 X 60kg

After the workout had a 10 min full body stretching session

Am - 60 Mins Cardio
Pm - Deadlifts
10 X 90kg
4 X 120kg
4 X 135kg [PR]
Did not have time for anything else, as I was going out for dinner :D

Sunday 20th March

Am- 45 mins Cardio

Pm - Bench Press
10 X 40kg
10 X 40kg
10 X 40kg
5 X 40 kg
5 X 40 kg
5 X 40kg

Barbell Row
10 X 45kg
10 X 45kg
10 X 45 kg
5 X 50kg
5 X 50kg
5 X 50kg

Monday
Am - 45 mins cardio

Weight 219lbs up 3 pounds Wtf,I haven't had a cheat or anything either. I feel better than ever though my strength starting to go up again after stagnating for a while, so im not changing a thing.

Great progress! I look almost exactly like you and fighting that same battle in the 2-teens. Keep with it, it looks like your plan is pretty good.

Am - Cardio 65mins, because I CAN!!! Muhahahahaha,
jk, felt good and kinda lost track of time.

Pm - nada

The only carbs I had today were 50 grams (oats) this was the second meal of the day.
-Chadster- Thanks for the support. I checked out your website, you've made great progress. can I ask what you have set your short term weight loss at(like in the next 4-8 weeks)?
Cause im not gonna stop now(in 2 weeks) I wanna build up a decent physique for summer.

Wednesday -
Am - 45mins Cardio

Thursday -
Am - 45mins Cardio
Pm -
Front Squats
10 X 40kg
8 X 50kg
8 X 55kg
4 X 60kg

Power cleans
10 X 30kg
10 X 40kg
10 X 55kg
10 X 60kg

Wrist Curls
10 X 30kg
15 X 30kg

I did have some rather shitty foods in the evening(ice cream an some fujitas) ohh well.

Monday-
Am-Nothing
Pm - Bench Press
10 X 30kg
5 X 40kg
5 X 45kg
2 X 50kg

Barbell Rows
10 X 50kg
6 X 60kg
4 X 65kg
4 X 70kg

Umm... I think I can lift a bit more on bench presses but it seems to be more of a muscular endurance issue. I know from experience if I had done 3 sets with 30kg I would barely have been able to lift 40kg :(

I went from 245 lbs to 215 lbs from the 4th of January to the 1st of April :)
I didn't quite hit the 210 mark but its ok, I have already started a new program, and I aim to lose some more blubber, from the 1st April till 1st June.
This past 3 months have been very positive and certainly the most productive period I have ever been a part of.

CONGRATULATIONS! You've got a great, positive journey going! -Martin