Good day folks,

Firstly a huge thank you to everyone who posts here. Your thoughts, comments and opinions have, in part, shaped my new lifestyle over the past 3 years.

So its time to stop lurking and start contributing! This journal will be my online diary - I endeavour to post every day.

3 years ago I was 15stone, and probably near 35% bodyfat, I was in a badway! At 19 years of age something clicked, I wanted more than anything to be slim. Since then, through healthy eating and an increased activity level, I have lost 4 stone. My stats as of today are as follows:

Height: 5ft11in
Weight: 154lbs
Jean Size: 32"

Here is a pic of me at the moment:

http://www.thebeef.org/images/jsf/06feb07web.jpg

<eek>I really need a tan :P

My current goal is ABS! By mid-end april I want to see some popping going on down there! I guess I'm at about 17-18% bodyfat at the moment. (Perhaps I'm being a little harsh on myself). So a fat loss of 10-12lbs should see me cut enough to start bulking.

So let the diary commence, I'll post daily updates and random thoughts and other things that are flying around in my head.

OR.

One thing I have always being self-concious about is my darn hips. Sometimes a feel like a women! They seem to exagerate my love handles.

http://www.thebeef.org/images/jsf/hipsweb.jpg

Anyone else got crazy big hips for a male?

A heads up for any of you guys who do running/jogging for your cardio day in day out!

2 weeks ago a picked up one of these Nike+ kits for my ipod. It costs £19.99 over here so its pretty cheap.

http://www.thebeef.org/images/jsf/nike.jpg

It connects to your ipod nano (v1 or v2 with software updates) and records your run data. It really has motivated me, and a few of the guys at work have them now. We have created a challange to see who can run a 100miles first - a bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone!

Anyway, the nike website explains the ins and outs better than I can.

http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/

Sunday down.

1350 calories.

3.3miles running, lovely weather outside for this time of the year in the UK. Feeling lively this morning!

hey OpenRoad... welcome to JSF! :)

congrats on losing weight and being happier about how you look and feel... my first thought though, after seeing your picture, is that you need to put on some muscle... and after your last post where you state that you only ate 1350 calories, I have to say.. you NEED to eat more than that! that is EXTREMELY low, especially for a young man :nod: with more muscle on your frame your hips will not look so disproportionate :nod:... and by the way... that second picture was taken from an extremely odd angle :lol: you can make anything look strange by shooting it from a bizarre angle :p

Firstly congrats on your progress so far.
:claplow: :claplow: :claplow:

Secondly, I'm going to second Chameleon here.
You need to eat more. A lot more. It also looks from your pictures that you are more than lean enough for a little controlled bulk and you are noway 18% with those ribs showing so clearly.

Do you perform any type of resistance training atm?
If not start ASAP.

Can you post a sample day of your diet?
Food types and amounts please.

How does your training routine look like?

Unless you're going for the POW look a 6 pack is not
going to help you as far as aesthetics are concerned.
gaining 10lbs of lean mass on your frame is going to benefit much more than losing the last 10lbs
and its will also help you lose that last stubborn fat
once you get around to that.

Good luck.

Shahar.

Reporting in!

Thanks for the thoughts so far - I have to be honest, I am scared to bulk before losing the ring of fat around my abs.

I have been doing weight training at the gym since xmas twice a week. Monday and Friday. All body each day. The gym does not have any free weights so I use the machines. Lat pulldowns, pec deck, sitting bench press (?), shoulder press, leg extensions, leg curls, leg press, ab crunchs.

Before xmas it was more irreguarly. I have made some good gains in the weight I'm lifting but have hit something of a plateau in the past few weeks - to be expected I guess eating so little.

I have a very slight frame to begin with - 6" wrists! But I will take your comments on board and start putting together a bulking plan/diet.

Yesterday's intake was 1700 cals - weight lifting day, 90mins at the gym after work doing all body as described above.

0800 Mutlivit and pure orange juice (150ml)
0900 Oatmeal (one cup, 250ml semi skimmed milk)
1100 Tuna (half can), red onion, mixed leaves - half sandwich. Small pot of yoghurt.
1300 Tuna (half can), red onion, mixed leaves - half sandwich. Satsuma.
1500 Satsuma
1700 Apple
1800 Glass milk, half handful roasted peanuts, cereal oat bar.
~work out~
2030 Tuna (1 can), mixed leaves, red onion salad. Handful cranberries.
2130 half handful roasted peanuts

~2 litres of water throughout the day, 4-5 cups of coffee/tea with sweetner

I need to seriously up my protein intake if I intend to bulk!

Reporting in!

Thanks for the thoughts so far - I have to be honest, I am scared to bulk before losing the ring of fat around my abs.

I have been doing weight training at the gym since xmas twice a week. Monday and Friday. All body each day. The gym does not have any free weights so I use the machines. Lat pulldowns, pec deck, sitting bench press (?), shoulder press, leg extensions, leg curls, leg press, ab crunchs.

Before xmas it was more irreguarly. I have made some good gains in the weight I'm lifting but have hit something of a plateau in the past few weeks - to be expected I guess eating so little.

I have a very slight frame to begin with - 6" wrists! But I will take your comments on board and start putting together a bulking plan/diet.

Yesterday's intake was 1700 cals - weight lifting day, 90mins at the gym after work doing all body as described above.

0800 Mutlivit and pure orange juice (150ml)
0900 Oatmeal (one cup, 250ml semi skimmed milk)
1100 Tuna (half can), red onion, mixed leaves - half sandwich. Small pot of yoghurt.
1300 Tuna (half can), red onion, mixed leaves - half sandwich. Satsuma.
1500 Satsuma
1700 Apple
1800 Glass milk, half handful roasted peanuts, cereal oat bar.
~work out~
2030 Tuna (1 can), mixed leaves, red onion salad. Handful cranberries.
2130 half handful roasted peanuts

~2 litres of water throughout the day, 4-5 cups of coffee/tea with sweetner

I need to seriously up my protein intake if I intend to bulk!


you need to seriously up your protien intake even if you don't intend to bulk... each meal (every time you eat anything) you should have a lean protien in there... I have a couple of questions for you... what is Satsuma? and are the cranberries dried?

on to the recommendations... first... drop the orange juice unless you squeez it yourself it will have added sugar in it somewhere, I don't think I've run into a store bought orange juice that didn't... have an orange instead of the juice.. second... instead of having the juice an hour before you eat... just eat... have the oatmeal (it's a great choice) but add some egg whites or egg beaters to that meal so get some protien

you say that your meals at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. are half sandwiches but don't mention the bread type.. what bread are you using?

add some protien to the meal before your workout... what's in that cereal bar you eat? most of those have WAY too much processed sugar in them

you need to add protien to your last meal.. this is your second post workout meal.. you need a lean protien and some clean carbs... have some more oatmeal there and some chicken, lean beef, egg whites, egg beaters, tuna, etc.

I would increase your workouts to at least three a week and make sure your hitting those weights HARD... you can do alot with machines if you really work when you use them... what rep/set scheme are you using? how much rest do you take between sets? are you hitting failure when you lift?

oh... and increase that water intake... two litters a day is not enough.. try doubling that this week... then add at least one or two more... try to hit at least a full gallon of water a day... some of what you think you see around your waist might just be water weight since you don't drink enough water ;)

Satsumas, aka clementines! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikan. Small oranges basically.

Orange juice I have is tropicana.

Cereal bar was the best of the bunch, jordans frusli bar, I always check my food labels! But I guess it is the lazy option.

Wholemeal bread all the time!

I use 3x8 rep set at the gym, and am close to failure by the end of my third set - I definately feel like I've worked out when I leave the gym!

Thanks for your comments - I will take them on board, starting with a shopping trip later tonight :) lean meats and proteins ahoy!

Satsumas, aka clementines! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikan. Small oranges basically.

Orange juice I have is tropicana.

Cereal bar was the best of the bunch, jordans frusli bar, I always check my food labels! But I guess it is the lazy option.

Wholemeal bread all the time!

I use 3x8 rep set at the gym, and am close to failure by the end of my third set - I definately feel like I've worked out when I leave the gym!

Thanks for your comments - I will take them on board, starting with a shopping trip later tonight :) lean meats and proteins ahoy!

okay... now that I know what satsuma's are... you need a protien source in your 3 p.m. meal too ;) you're going to see a lot of good progress once you start eating better and getting more protien in... just remember... the more muscle you have, the more fat you'll burn ;) and the better you eat, the more muscle you will build... it sounds like you're lifting is good :tucool:

Day 3 down. Calories intake 1800.

3.3miles cardio at steady pace in the evening around the lake - felt really good at the end.

Went shopping and bought lots of protein sources :cool: cottage cheese, chicke fillets, tuna, steak, yoghurts, eggs etc.

Made myself a lovely chicken stir fry last night.

Off to the gym for resistance training again tonight, going to up my protein intake throughout the day and start having my protein shake after the gym again.

Day 4 down.

http://www.thebeef.org/images/jsf/diet/140207.JPG

Really good session at the gym last night - aching a bit this morning :evil:

Steadily increasing those calories and protein intake.

Considering adding some Creatine to my pre workout shake...

OR.

Day 5 down.

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/feb1507.JPG

The 3.3 mile stint around the lake is getting a lot easier, actually look forward to it on Tuesdays and Thursdays :guitar:

Congrats on starting to eat more. :)

Shahar.

Thanks - I feel a lot better for it :D

Day 6 down, slightly rushed workout at the gym due to bad time management on my part. But hey, at least I didn't skip it (didn't even enter my head!).

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/fri16feb.JPG

Writiing this from my girlfriends house, 100 miles from where I normally reside... should make things a little bit awkward this weekend eating wise.

Should have seen her face when I turned up on the door with a bag full of tuna, prawns, whey protein and other bits :lol:

Until next time... OR. :)

Day 7 down.

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/sat17feb.JPG

Went out for the meal and chose the best thing I could see on the menu, chicken fajitas! Was rather nice, left some tortillas but made sure I ramned that chicken home :tucool:

Sunday, day 8 down.

Not a great day, down on the calories and protein intake - had to do a lot of driving and fell asleep when I got in missing a decent evening meal :rolleyes:

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/sun18feb.JPG

Back to the weights tonight so I'll make sure I get planety of food today - feeling a bit sleepy thing morning :nono:

Hey Open Road! Good luck on your journey. Glad to see you eating more. I'll be following your progress.:tu:

Thanks - great job on the running and weight loss by the way jchan' - you must be loving life at the moment :D

Day 9 down. Sorry for the dodgy pic.

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/mon19feb.jpg

Felt really really good at the gym last night. Added a few kg to my shoulder and chest press and didn't fail so early else where.

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/tues20feb.JPG

Started adding 5mg creatine in there as of yesterday.

Felt a twitch in my knee after running and its a bit sore this morning :( Will wear my knee support for a few hours tonight and see how it goes tommorrow.

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/wed21feb.JPG

All good at the gym last night - must remember to drink enough water during the day now I'm on creatine. Seem to be getting plenty :tucool:

hey mate, good going in the food intake :tucool: your food logs are great! i should really start doing the same to get my macros right, i see you got the hang of it, was it hard to start with?

i guess you shop at tescos, and buy their tuna? do you just eat it straight without bread?

Anyway keep it up m8, im not british but i do live here now(study) so if u got a tips you wanna share ill sure will read your diary :tu:

Hey Bola :)

Thanks, they help me keep on track a lot! I could send you the template I created within excel if you wanted? pm me an email address if so :)

I shop at Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury's. I buy princess or John West tuna, but only in spring water. I tend to eat it with pasta or wholemeal bread but have been known to grab a fork and go to work on a tin! I find its much easier on the taste buds when served in water, if a little more expensive.

Any tips, hmm, myprotein.co.uk is who I used for my whey and creatine. Vanilla yoghurt and cranberries go really well!

Tesco always seem to have some sort of offer on fresh chicken fillets/breasts :)

Best of luck matey, where in the UK are you btw? I'm just north of London.

Random pic coming up, from messing in photoshop, hides my lack of tan :lol: I'm starting to feel stronger at the gym, onwards and upwards i say!

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/21feb07.jpg

Day 12 down, no time to report on anything else, hectic hectic day spent in London's Docklands dealing with a server failure :mad:

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/thu22feb.JPG

Can't wait to get in the gym tonight and take some stress out on those weights :mad:

Day 13 down!

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/fri23feb.JPG

Wow - last nights work out in the gym was awesome. Added weight to most of my core exercises and felt really pumped after my session.

So nearly 2 weeks down - I'm happy with my progress. I've only missed one cardio session due to bad weather and a late stay at work. I've stuck religiously to my eating plan and have eating on average about 2400 calories per day. I've had one cheat item in this time, an after dinner mint, containing around 37 calories.

...and the most important thing, I feel GREAT. I feel alive at the gym, I don't yawn as much, and the weights are going up.

Thanks again to those who recommended I eat more near the start of the thread :tucool:

In other news, I'm revising hard for my CCNA exam in just over 2 weeks time. I completed the academy course as part of my degree back in 2004/5 - so its more of a refresh. Sat a few practice tests so far and scored 65-85%, so a fair chunk of work left to do.

Back to the revision I go. OR.

2 weeks down!

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/sat24feb.JPG

All good yesterday from an intake point of view.

Cracked EIGRP, OSPF and Frame relay from my CCNA revision-to-do-list. Today is switching, vlans etc.

Tried making some protein cookies last night, 1/2 cup oats, scoop protein whey, little milk, some sweetener. Popped them in the fridge and had one this morning. Not the most natural taste in the world but I chugged it down - won't be doing them again in a hurry though. Might try baking something later this week for mid morning snacks.

Went shopping this morning and restocked the cupboards with the usual things, also added some new (to me) items:

- flax seed
- mackerel
- soya nuts
- cinnamon (for my oatmeal, cant wait for this one :drool:)

Itching to get back in the gym tomorrow (Monday) night.

OR.

Hey Bola :)

Thanks, they help me keep on track a lot! I could send you the template I created within excel if you wanted? pm me an email address if so :)


Im cool for the time been, with all the races and stuff its just impossible to track accurately what i eat.


I shop at Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury's. I buy princess or John West tuna, but only in spring water. I tend to eat it with pasta or wholemeal bread but have been known to grab a fork and go to work on a tin! I find its much easier on the taste buds when served in water, if a little more expensive.

Yeah i also buy princess tuna from tescos in water its aight but i wouldnt eat it on its own, tomato and letuce and sweet corn is my fav.


Any tips, hmm, myprotein.co.uk is who I used for my whey and creatine. Vanilla yoghurt and cranberries go really well!

Tesco always seem to have some sort of offer on fresh chicken fillets/breasts :)

Best of luck matey, where in the UK are you btw? I'm just north of London..

Thanks u2! i live in Cambridge at the moment cant wait for the sunshine to come out..

Anyway keep up the good work, have a good one :tucool:

Day 15 down, off to the gym after work - can't wait - feels like forever since I was there!

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/sun25feb.JPG

Keep up the good work!

Thanks - I intend to :)

Day 16 down. The spreadsheet is getting bigger :P

I realise that day after day of a similar spreadsheet doesn't make for an interesting read - but its going a long way to keeping me on track :tucool: I feel like I've got people watching me :lol:

http://www.stu.tsohost.co.uk/images/jsf/mon26feb.JPG

Good :bb: session last night - maintaining the weight increases I made last week.

Days 17, 18, 19 and 20 down.

I've pretty much got my diet sorted now so I'll only post my calorie intakes - the spreadsheets every day is a bit OTT for this thread - I will be keeping them up for personal records though :tucool:

Day 17 - 2386 cals, missed cardio session due to late stay at work again.

Day 18 - 2637 cals, 80mins in the gym, all body resistance training - all good.

Day 19 - 2811 cals, 3.3 mile jog after work

Day 20 (today) - 2911 cals - good session in the gym, added KG to a lot of my sets.

Main thing - still feeling great.

According to the scales I've put on 4lbs in the past 15 days but I presume some of that is water down to the creatine.

Doing pretty good on the CCNA front, hitting high 80%'s in most practice tests. Got about 10 days now to tidy up the bits im still rusty on. Cough ISDN, cough.

Be well. OR.

great[/b].



So true!! :tucool:

The weekend is down! Sat/Sun are always rest days for me but I keep the diet clean of course ;)

2500cals yesterday and on for about 2800 today, just polished off a nice chicken stir fry :eat:

Looking forward to the gym again tomorrow night - won't be long until I'm one month in to the bulk, damn time flies!

Some recent flexed pics below, starting to see changes :bb:

http://www.thebeef.org/images/jsf/flex04mar.png

Another 4 days down, keeping the calories up and have not missed a workout or cardio session :flex:

Yesterday I accomplished two life firsts.

1) Passed my CCNA exam with 98%
2) Ran 10km for the first time (59mins)

Bring on the weekend :evil:

Another 6 days down :bb:

I think I've been underestimating my calorie intake - its around 3000-3100 calories a day at the moment of good clean food.

Last night was 4 weeks in to the bulk, I had my weight in at the gym and bam! Starting weight - 151lbs. Weight last night 160lbs :tucool:

I've added around 15% as an average to my weight lifting, and my waist has stayed the same pretty much - perhaps 1/4" increase.

Come on father time, roll another 2 months on by, thats the only variable I need to tick by at the moment :madpimp:

Thread revival alert.

3 months on and I think its time for me to cut.

Today I hit 12st, 168lbs.

I've gained a little fat, about 1.5" on my waist.

I'll get some pics up soon - just to let you know I have not died ;)

http://web2k.co.uk/poASD45gk_4rff/1182242054.jpg

Picture upped as promised - 15lbs difference between the 2 pictures.

4 month gap.

Tweaked my ankle last week running in the woods, tried to run through it, but this morning it has stepped up its pain levels :(

Bit gutted, had planned my first 10k race next Tuesday night.

Ho hum, no point mulling about it, stationary bike it is then until it sorts itself out :)

Booking my summer holiday soon, probably Greece, cot roughly 7 weeks to build up some sort of fake tan and cut back a bit of the fat gained in my last bulk.

Onwards and upwards.

Tweaked my ankle last week running in the woods, tried to run through it, but this morning it has stepped up its pain levels :(

Bit gutted, had planned my first 10k race next Tuesday night.

Ho hum, no point mulling about it, stationary bike it is then until it sorts itself out :)

Booking my summer holiday soon, probably Greece, cot roughly 7 weeks to build up some sort of fake tan and cut back a bit of the fat gained in my last bulk.

Onwards and upwards.
Ohhh Greece! Nice :) Please tan before you go. I'm gonna pass out if I see one more lobster-red-burned Brit walking around :lol: