Well, I figured I'd make a post of what I used to look like, like everybody else.

Here are three pictures. One back in 2000 when I was 215lbs, another in 2003 when I was 35lbs lighter, and the last is me today. I'm 5'10, 165lbs.

I gained a lot of weight in college. I used to eat an entire pizza, a tub of ice cream, and a 2-liter bottle of coke in one sitting. I would eat a can of spam and lots of white rice.

I then went on Atkins back in 2000. Atkins wasn't even popular yet back then and finding low-carb items was next to impossible. I lost a good amount of weight on it and went down to 160lbs actually on just the atkins diet. But I lost a lot of muscle and was still flabby. I never had a good exit strategy and so my weight was a like roller coaster, going from 175-185.

Then I went on another fad diet, I tried the Fat Flush back in 04 and went down to 150lbs! I started almost seeing my abs. I was skinny, really skinny, and lost a lot of fat and muscle. I got off that diet and shot back up to 170lbs in a month. Another yo yo diet.

Being on diets for a long time with no exercise, I was used to eating 1200-1800 calories a day. Then I found this site and have been inspired ever since.

It's a contant battle, the weight thing. I'm definitely proud of what I have accomplished thus far. My next goal is to really build some muscle and get that cut look. I'm tired of stupid diets that only make me thinner and thinner and thinner. I want to see muscles now and I'm doing this the right way now.

So here's my transformation. It's in progress and it took me longer than the average person to get here. In a way, I've been trying to lose weight since 2000, but now, I've found the right way to do it and this site has been a huge help.

Weight loss is a challenge. It takes pure determination and discipline. I've learned that anybody can make a transformation for all it takes is pure will. I've had my ups and downs and my plateaus and I am sure I will see new challenges as I set new goals. It's all in your attitude. If you know you can overcome that challenge, you'll knock that wall down and pave the way to whatever you want to become. :bang:

Good luck to all!

Great work!

What are your current goals? Are you going to continue on a cut or go on a bulk first?

Great work!

What are your current goals? Are you going to continue on a cut or go on a bulk first?

Well, I had another post in here asking everybody what I should do. Mastover said I should bulk and everybody told me to listen to him, heh.

Beforehand, I was trying to cut more and more until I started seeing definition. I was eating 1800 cals a day, 40-40-20, and running daily, lifting daily (1 body part a day). I was definitely losing muscle. I was getting skinnier and skinnier.

So I was prescribed a 50-20-30 (p-c-f) diet at aroun 2500-2800 cals, which should supposedly transform my body. My calculations for my maintenance calories set me at 3000-3200 cals, so this is still slightly below my maintenance cals. I am definitely not used to eating this much.

Since, then I've started to lose weight again and I'm beginning to see some lift on my muscles. Even better, after a weight workout, they aren't sore for a week, and merely a few days.

:bb:

Can someone move this to Progress Pics? I forgot we had that section.

It looks like you lost a lot of fat and you can see that you've put some muscle on. Good job. The thing is many people on this site is sooo knowledgable that you may get confused from time to time. But make no mistake, the best way to hit your goals is to keep at it. In the beginning, newbie gains come easy and one's motivation is high. The REAL test (at least for me) came after that 1st few months of success where gains were small. Let me tell you, if you make this a lifestyle, you WILL see a big difference over time. Small unnoticeable gains to others really add up. Last night a friend of mine (someone I don't see too often) told me that I lost a lot of weight. I told him that since I last saw him, I've gained about 7 lbs and this is the most I've EVER weighed. He said, "Wow, I can see that you put some muscle on but I had no idea". The fact is that I've lost a lot of fat and gained a lot of muscle in the past 2 yrs. My training secret? CONSISTENCY.

good job bro... keep it up

Am I correct to assume that I am an endo-meso in body type? Is this something one could easily tell from pictures?

Here's a recent pic. I can already tell a difference after a few weeks! You guys rock!

You look fantastic :nod:

Awesome job! Keep up the good work!

Am I correct to assume that I am an endo-meso in body type? Is this something one could easily tell from pictures?


Well it's not always easy to tell from pictures, because a picture doesn't usually describe how your body works. I've always found the body type thing a little over-rated anyways though...

Well it's not always easy to tell from pictures, because a picture doesn't usually describe how your body works. I've always found the body type thing a little over-rated anyways though...

It seems to make sense from a "here's how to train/eat for your body type" standpoint, at least in the beginning when you're not sure where to start.

If an ecto started training and lifted weight but ate like an endo, he'd probably shrink. If an endo started training and ate like an ecto, he'd get fat. If a meso did either, well, them bastards can go die for having such awesome genes.

In the end, I do agree, it's just a baseline. Eventually, tweaking the routine like a rice boy tweaks a honda civic seems to be appropriate.