4-06-07 MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 203
BF - 21%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 39 ½ "
Hips - 42 ”
Chest - 45 ½"
Arms - 14 ¾
Thighs - 24 ¼"
Calves - 15 ½ "
Forearm - 12”
2-06-07 MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 224
BF - 33%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 46"
Hips - 46”
Chest - 46"
Arms - 14"
Thighs - 24"
Calves - 14 ½”
Forearm - 10"



Today is my two month anniversary in my transformation. The pictures say everything. I am so glad that I took John’s advice and took them. It really helps to drive you. While I am somewhat pleased with my progress, I am not at all happy with my body yet. Nowhere near happy. I would guess I am somewhere around half way through with my fat loss. I would like to reach 10%. I don’t know if I will maintain 10% or not. It depends on my quality of life!!! I will definitely continue to eat clean for the rest of my life though. Holidays and special occasions being the only divergence. This has to be a complete lifestyle change for me. I have yo yo dieted for many years only to gain back the weight and then some!!!!
Here are my numbers for 2 months . I have lost 21 pounds, 12% of body fat, 6.5 inches off my waist, 4 inches off my hips, only half an inch off my chest (but I think that is a lot of fat being replaced by muscle). I gained ¾ of inch in my arms, ½ inch in my thighs, 1 inch in my calves, and 2 inches in my forearms. Wow. I really cant believe it has already been 2 months. I have come a long way, but have a long way to go. My goal is to be at 10% body fat, a whole lot leaner, and a whole lot stronger.
Every week I continue to push myself that much farther in my weight room. I think my best buy yet has been my iron man tower. It’s for pull ups, dips, leg raises, and push ups. It has really shown me how weak I really am. I can only do 1 regular over handed pull up, 3 under handed pull ups, and 0 pull ups with my hands placed on the outer handles. Those last ones are really hard. The dips and the leg lifts and the push ups are another story. I have no problem with those. I am going to continue until I can do at least 10 of each type of pull up. Right now I use the step to get to the top of the bar and let myself down as slowly as I can to get a negative work out. It hurts like crazy, but I can feel myself getting stronger. As far as weights, I am pushing even harder in that department. I really don’t know where my weight will end up but if things continue the way they have for the last month, I will be somewhere around 185 pounds at 10% body fat.
Over all, I am happy. The weight loss is good, my appearance is better, but mostly my energy level is what is exciting. I feel like I did 20 years ago. Energy to spare! My 11 year old son was running me ragged. Now I can keep up without huffing and puffing and having to gasp “ Wait… give me a minute…. to catch my…….breath !!!” My 5 year old daughter likes the fact that I am stronger and able to lift her up with out hurting my back. But I guess the most rewarding thing is to hear the complements from my wife. She is one of those that has not changed a bit in 18 years. She was a model in those days, and I was singer in a band. She still looks like a model while I was looking like Shamu !!! She never once complained or said a thing, except that she was worried about my health. I am a lucky man. God has really blessed me.
So….. 2 months down, and at least 2 months to go in my fat loss. Wish me luck.
Lastly, I just want to thank John for creating this site. It has been such a driving force. Looking at his pictures is what started this whole thing. Then I got into the forums and saw other people doing it. I check here every day to see peoples progress. It drives me to see other people succeed. If they can do it, I can do it !! John… You are the man. Thanks for your unending dedication to this site. You are changing peoples lives. Some of them you know about, but I am sure many others you don’t. That is why I have finally decided to start a journal. Hopefully my story and transformation might just compel someone else to change their life. I cant say thank you enough.

Wow awesome stuff man keep it up :tu:

Totally amazing change..... in 2 months?! Wow!

Thanks. I Still Have A Long Way To Go!!!

Thank You. 2 Months That Seemed To Fly By. I Think I Have At Least 2 More Months Of Cutting Fat. Then I Will Concentrate More On Bulking And Toning.

Buddy ((((((((giant hugs)))))))), OMG, you have done so well! You are looking wonderful! Great job!
I am so happy you joined the site!
You don't look a day older than you did last time I saw you :)
Hopefully one of these days we can all get together again.
I miss you guys.

Congrats on your progress! :D

Buddy--you are doing so well! I'm really proud of you, and it's awesome to see you here. :tucool:

Just so you all know, Buddy is a "real life" friend of mine. We've known each other for almost 20 years. Lisa and Buddy's wife, Denise, are life-long best friends. I met Buddy back in the early 90s when Lisa and I first started dating (and Buddy and Denise first started dating). Buddy is a great person and a wonderful dad. He's also an incredible singer.

Here's Buddy and me at my old apartment back in the early 90s:

19716

:D

AAhh!!! the good old days. Looking at old pics just like that one is one of the reasons that i am doing this. I was feeling like I was 90 years old. I think rigamortis was setting in. In 2 short months, I feel like myself again. Can you belive that was 20 years ago??!!??!!??

Here's Buddy and me at my old apartment back in the early 90s:

19716

:D

:D

thanks Lisa. You already know this, but, your husband is awesome. I saw his pictures and his transformation and thought, "If he can do it...I can do it". This site is incredible. You guys have to come up here and visit. Soon!!!! We live on an island. It is beautiful here. You guys would love it. But Denise and I would just love to see you guys and catch up. I will send you some pictures of Eli and Sophie.

I find your photos very motivating. Summer season starts in a month here, exactly around my two month transformation anniversary:D, and you give me hope that I'll be able to wear my bikini this year with a smile :)
Great progress, keep it up.:tu:
Perhaps you could give us some insight into your diet?

here is a picture of Elijah, Sophia, and Samantha. I dont know where Benny was. But are they growing up fast or what.

I am problably the last person to ask advice from, but I will let you know what my diet is. I eat around 2000 cal./day. I start with a nitrean protein shake, then for mid morning I have chicken breast and broccolli or grean beans or any other veggies. Then I will eat 3 or 4 boilded eggs around noon. A couple of hours later I will have a pretty big salad with cut up chicken breast, any type of dressing, and some croutons. Around 5:00 I will have the same meal I had earlier( chicken breast, broccolli). Then around 7:00, I drink another nitrean shake right before I work out. Thats it. It's kind of bland. But I could care less. I am changing the way I think about food. Instead of eating for enjoyment, I am trying to put the best "fuel" I can in my body.

Is that really bad 80's hair or what?

I am problably the last person to ask advice from, but I will let you know what my diet is. I eat around 2000 cal./day. I start with a nitrean protein shake, then for mid morning I have chicken breast and broccolli or grean beans or any other veggies. Then I will eat 3 or 4 boilded eggs around noon. A couple of hours later I will have a pretty big salad with cut up chicken breast, any type of dressing, and some croutons. Around 5:00 I will have the same meal I had earlier( chicken breast, broccolli). Then around 7:00, I drink another nitrean shake right before I work out. Thats it. It's kind of bland. But I could care less. I am changing the way I think about food. Instead of eating for enjoyment, I am trying to put the best "fuel" I can in my body.

I'm still fighting the usual idea about eating less and losing fat, and am trying hard to follow the advice given here: eat more and BUILD muscle :D even though it's working (I'm losing weight), I still worry...:rolleyes:

Is that really bad 80's hair or what?

uhmmmm :whistle: :D

I agree. The whole eat more, gain muscle, loose fat thing is hard to understand. But it is working for me. I should probably be eating even more than I do, but my mind tells me if I eat more I won't continue loosing weight

I agree. The whole eat more, gain muscle, loose fat thing is hard to understand. But it is working for me. I should probably be eating even more than I do, but my mind tells me if I eat more I won't continue loosing weight

EXACTLY! I find this struggle with my mind much more difficult than any training :doh:

WOW Buddy that's extremely good progress for two months!!! Its cool tho think that in a period of around just 4 months you will achieve your first fitness goal! I am sure you will have more goals after that, as you say you are committed to healthy living for life now :) :claphigh:

Wow, the kids sure have grown! Sophie and Sam are just beautiful and Eli is very handsome. Thanks for posting them!
And yes, one of these days we absolutely must come to visit- it's been far too long.

EXACTLY! I find this struggle with my mind much more difficult than any training :doh:
overcoming your struggles in your mind is the hardest part of any endeavor. If you can control your bouts with temptation and doubts, you are 90% of the way to completion.

WOW Buddy that's extremely good progress for two months!!! Its cool tho think that in a period of around just 4 months you will achieve your first fitness goal! I am sure you will have more goals after that, as you say you are committed to healthy living for life now :) :claphigh:
thank you. I was really motivated by this website. I feel like I kind of Know everyone already because I have been checking on everyones progress daily. I was a little ashamed to post the pictures, but then I realized how much everyone elses pictures motivated me. So I started posting. As far as my fitness goals, there is no telling where this whole thing could lead. Right now, I just want to get rid of the fat around my midsection. Then down to 10% BF. After that I will probably want to build up my chest and arms a little. Not too much though. I really just want to be healthy for the rest of my life.

overcoming your struggles in your mind is the hardest part of any endeavor. If you can control your bouts with temptation and doubts, you are 90% of the way to completion.

I find that the '100 challenge' helps a lot in this, and I mean A LOT, and when it comes to fighting traces of prejudice, I just read and read and read through threads, and then feel more confident. Still, having to deal with those around me who think I'm 'too young', or 'too healthy' (?!!!) or something, to watch my diet so carefully and weight lift is another problem. Ignorance is bliss? Yeah right, not for me:mad:

O.K. Today is Easter and I really expected to loose it with all of the candy around. I didn't though. I am really proud of myself. I am the type of person that can't stop at just a couple of pieces. Like with a bag of potatoe chips. Before, I would sit in front of the TV and eat a whole bag! Without taking a breath! I would wash that down with a couple of huge glasses of Pepsi. Then 5 minutes later, I was scrounging for something sweet. Anything !!! If there was no chocolate, sometimes I would open the bag of nestles chips meant for cookies, and eat like 5 handfulls!! I was out of control. What I have finally realized is that food is not just for enjoyment. I just typed this same thing in my 100 challenge thread. Anyway, food is meant for fuel. I was filling my body with terrible fuel, and my body was showing serious signs of wear and tear. For 2 months I have put only premium fuel in my body, and it is rapidly improving. 2 more months and I will be in the best shape of my life. Tomorrow I am entering in a new stage of my workouts. Namely my cardio. We live at the beach and my son and I are going to start running sprints on the beach in the mornings. Me for my health, him for his football training. I have to say how proud I am of him. He kicks butt on the football field. Offense and Defense. He is everywhere. Am I gloating ?.... Yes. and get used to it. My kids are everything to me. Any chance I have to rave about them, I am going to do it. Anyway, Tomorrow is weigh day and measurment day. I will post everything. By the way here is a little before and after pic. I will add more tomorrow.

WEEKLY LOG 4-09-07




2-06-07 MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 224
BF - 33%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 46"
Hips - 42”
Chest - 46"
Arms - 14"
Thighs - 24"
Calves - 14 ½”
Forearm - 10"


4-09-07 MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 201
BF - 20%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 39 ½ "
Hips - 41 ¾ ”
Chest - 44 ½ "
Arms - 14 ¾ ”
Thighs - 24 1/2 "
Calves - 15 ½ "
Forearm - 12”

Things really didn’t change much this week. I lost 2 pounds, 1% of body fat, ¼ of an inch off my waist, and ¼ of an inch off of my hips. I think these numbers are pretty normal for the last two months. It seems I loose 6 or 7 pounds every two weeks no matter what. I lost 5 pounds last week and really thought I would break below 200 today. But this week I only lost 2 pounds. At this point, the numbers don’t really matter to me. It’s how I look. When I look at the fat around my midsection, I cringe. I know it is slowly going away week by week, but I want it gone now!!! I am taking a wild guess here in saying that I will be happy around 180 pounds. I really don’t have fat anywhere else on my body except around the middle. My upper fat %, (per the FatTrackll), is 10%, my lower is 15%, but my middle is like 35%.:cry: So, obviously, all of my fat is just congregating around my middle.:mad: GROSS!!!!!! So it’s like I have an extra 20 pounds just around my middle. You know if that’s the way they work out your body fat, it seems wrong. Looking at my belly would make me think I am at least around 30%. Anyway , For the next 2 months I am going to loose that 20 pounds, and the extra 10% of body fat; AND… I am going to continue pushing really hard on the weights. I will be in the best shape of my life this summer at the beach. Lean, cut, and just all around “in shape”.

Today was tough. For the first time since I started this whole transformation, I did not want to work out tonight. And its my legs workout. I normally love my legs workout!!! But it's raining and chilly here, and I would have loved nothing more than to just hang on the couch and veg out. But I didn't veg out. I had one of my best leg workouts so far. They are really hurting right now. Nothing like they are going to hurt tomorrow though. But I love it !!!! I know that the more pain I have, the more muscle that is being broken down, only to rebuild into bigger stronger muscles. Now thats exciting !!! Looking at myself in the mirror today, I think I am getting a little saggy in the stomach area and around my sides. As sick as that sounds, I just feel squishy.:o I really hope it's not skin that is just gonna sit there and cause me to flip out !!!!! :confused: Anyway, it's way too early to tell. I am sure it will tighten up as time goes by. I hope :scared:

A major milestone reached today. I dropped below 200 pounds!!!:dance: When I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 199, I got really happy; and it lasted all day. I went with my son to his flag football field this morning and we practiced and ran sprints. Not that I am very fast, but the kid beats me just about every time. I really thought after losing 24 pounds I might just beat him most of time. :nono: Not so fast my friend! He still beat me...... Every time....... Maybe not by as much as before. But he still beat me. I am getting faster. I also had the best leg workout ever last night. I was very sore this morning. I am not making excuses though. The kid is fast. If I do start to beat him. I will actually be very surprized. I am very happy today. It was just a great day all around! I suspect I will drop to 19% body fat this week. Leaving me 9% more to loose to reach my 10% BF goal. I started at 33%!! You heard right. 33%!!!!! :eek: There is no way around it. I was fat. My son said I was fatty mcfat-fat. Charming, right?!! I have come a long way in a short 2 months. I am hitting it harder this month than the two prior. I really hope I can beat the other two months measurement wise. Anyway, I'm headed for a shower and the bed.:sleep:

Today I changed my routine a little and I think I like it. Instead of waiting until the evening to workout, I did it around noon or two. Somewhere around there. It felt great. I blew my arms out. It was intense. I continue pushing myself very hard. I wonder if I will show any more gains in muscle in my arms and legs right now since I am majorly cutting right now. I feel very blessed to know that I haven't lost any muscle in those areas. I just want to get this fat off of me. I worked in the yard today and busted my a** !!!! I wouldn't doubt tomorrow when I weigh, I will have dropped another pound. I really didn't sweat that much. It was gorgeous weather here today. Highs in the mid to upper 70's, clear with a very nice, cool, ocean breeze. While cutting the grass, I almost just turned off the mower and laid on the swing. Forget yard work!... Just Relax!!!! I couldn't though. I promised myself I would get the yard work finished and I did. I know I have said this before, but the more weight I loose, the more and more I begin to feel like myself again. It's a great feeling.

Allll-righty then!!!!(in my best jim carey immitation). I have been studying weight loss and muscle building for the last couple of days, for hours and hours!!! There are a few things I think I need to change. First is my frequency of working out. I am learning that if you don't give your muscles a rest, they will not grow as much. Beyond my workouts and aerobics that are planned, I have been doing all kinds of other push ups, pull ups, running, etc. I think I may be overdoing it. Man, I am slowly turning back the clock. I am in better shape now than I was in my early 30's by far. I am aiming for an even better physique than I had in my twenties. Back when I was a singer in a band, I had very low body fat, but not alot of muscle. Check the picture below. I can handle being that thin again, I would just like to have a much larger chest and arms. I hope I'm not jumping ahead of myself. Should I loose the fat first, then bulk? Or...try to build as much muscle as I can while cutting the fat? I don't know. Maybe I should copy this to another area to get my question answered. I think I will do that.

WEEKLY LOG 4-15-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 199
BF - 19%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 39 ¼ "
Hips - 41 ¼ ”
Chest - 44 ¾ "
Arms - 14 ½ ”
Thighs - 23 1/2 "
Calves - 15 ½ "
Forearm - 11 ¾”


What?!?!?!?!?!?!? Oh crap!!!!!! These measurements have caught me completely off guard. I lost 2 more pounds. Great, right? No! not great. While the drop in BF%, ¼ inch drop in my waist, and an ½ inch drop in my hips are all wonderful, the ¼ inch drop in my arms is not good. The whole 1 inch drop in my thighs is hopefully all fat, but the quarter inch drop in my forearms is alarming. I am freaking out. This is the first drop in my arms in a long time. I don’t want my arms or chest or legs for that matter to get any smaller. Only my waist needs to get smaller. Way smaller. I just posted something the other day about wondering if I should gear more towards my fat loss than bulking. I only got one reply. Is it possible to gain muscle while cutting fat? On the other hand, after you cut all of the fat you want to, is it possible to gain bulk without gaining back the fat you just lost. It seems to me that there has to be a middle road here. I want to gain muscle in my arms, chest, and legs, while dropping at least another 4 or 5 inches of fat off of my waist.
My wife says I am looking great. She is saying that there isn’t an ounce of fat in my arms, and that they look cut. I disagree. If the fat around my waist was going away quicker I really wouldn’t be alarmed. I want to cut this fat faster. What do I do? Maybe it’s my cardio. From the beginning, I haven’t really broken much of a sweat during cardio. I am using a bow flex’s rowing attachment to get in my cardio. I am going to change that this week.

You wouldn't get much of an argument from my wife on that statement. :lol: I have been complaining about this fat around my waist being very stubborn. It's not that the fat has been stubborn, it's that I have been a doofus. :doh: Each day I drink 2 nitrean protein shakes. The first day I tried it, I read on the directions to add milk for extra protien. I did not pay attention to the fact that milk has sugar in it. The one thing I am trying to completely eliminate from my diet !!! So I have chunked the milk and added some natural whole grain rice to my meals for some complex carbs, protien, and some extra calories. I am going to show my diet below. If anyone has any comments on my diet, please feel free to reply. Actually, I would like to hear from as many people as possible. I can thank Maya for shedding light on my milk problem. Thank you, Maya! :bow: Before anyone has a problem with me eliminating milk from my diet, don't worry. I love milk. As soon as I reach my goal of 185 pds, or 10% BF, milk is going to be re-intoduced and I will have to watch my weight and BF% to regulate it. Also I know I should be eating more calories, but I am going to finish out this week with this diet and see what happens. If I loose too much weight, or God forbid, start losing muscle, I will gladly add some more calories. Especially more protein. Maybe I could double up on nitrean before my workout?

meal 1 - nitrean, 2 Udo's choice oil caps, 4 Mass Amino Tabs 150 cal, 29 protien
meal 2 - 3 hard boiled eggs 225 cal., 18 protien
meal 3 - 8oz chicken breast, 2cups broccolli, 1 cup natural whole grain brown rice. 400 cal., 50 protien
meal 4 - Large salad with 8oz. chicken breast, dressing, croutons. 460 cal., 48 protien
meal 5 - same as meal 2
meal 6 - same as meal 1
Totals - Calories = 1785, Protien = 222, Fat = 41, Carbs = 101

WEEKLY LOG 4-22-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 195
BF - 19%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 38 ¾”
Hips - 41”
Chest - 44 ¾ "
Arms - 14 ½ ”
Thighs - 23 1/2 "
Calves - 15 ¼"
Forearm - 11 ¾”
O. K. Well no muscle loss this week. It may not have been last week either. There is still a lot of fat in my arms, chest , legs, and definitely in my stomach. If most of the fat was gone, I would be able to see more veins in certain areas like in my biceps. I know this because I have seen them before, many, many years ago. I am just waiting on them to appear. One consolation is that veins are popping out of my forearms like crazy! Hopefully the rest of body will follow fairly quickly. I have gone through some big changes this week. First I dropped milk from my diet for now. Where I have been losing 2 pounds per week consistently, this week I dropped 4 pounds. That is with having a cheat meal and missing cardio a couple of times. If I would have been faithful to my regimend I could have lost 1 maybe 2 more pounds. That’s alright though. You have to live life, and things are always going to “come up”! If I drop another 4 or 5 pounds this week, I may re-introduce 1 glass of milk each day. Probably not though. I am liking the weight loss as long as no muscle gets lost with it.
Here are the numbers this week. I lost 4 pounds, ½ inch off of my waist( hooray ), ¼ inch off of my hips, and ¼ inch off of my calves. Everything else stayed the same. I am going to look for an elliptical or bicycle today. My cardio has been stinking horribly. I don’t even sweat. I have to just bite the bullet and buy something. It doesn’t have anything to do with money. I just can’t decide which would be better. I am waiting for an awesome deal too. My wife has taught me to buy things on sale. To not be too hasty on a purchase. I never do. Just like the weight machine I bought. I bought the weider machine at sam’s club instead of the awesome Marcy smith cage. The smith cage is what I should’ve bought. It was on sale for like $190.00 last week. I almost bought one anyway but they sold out!!!! Bummer.
So this week I am aiming for much better cardio and some extra weight loss. I am going to up my intake of protein and actually try to gain some muscle in my arms and chest. They say it is impossible to bulk while cutting fat. I disagree. They might be right (whoever “they” are…). But I am very bull-headed. I love proving people wrong. :neener: Wish me luck!:D

I feel myself getting complacent. In a rut. I am not pushing myself hard enough. My cardio is sucking. Instead of talking about it, just do it. Tomorrow, my real cardio begins. Don't know what I will choose, but I will tell you that it will be 30 minutes of sweat and pain. I am 10 days away from the 3 month mark in my transformation and I want it to be remarkable. I will have to loose 5 pounds in 10 days to reach 190 by the sixth of May. I can do it. It is getting hot here in north Florida and the beach is calling. 10% BF seems so far away. I am at 19% at the present and I think losing 9%BF by June 6th is a tough call. Impossible??? NO! I have to turn it up a notch. Maybe 2 or 3 notches would be better. My dad had this saying when I was a kid facing something (I thought) was impossible. He would say "Son, There's nothin' left to do but to do it". When I was young I would think:rolleyes: "here he goes again". But now that I am older I know better. If you look at problem and worry and think about it or fret over it, you have only wasted time. Immediately attack that problem or task, and before you know it, it will only be a memory. Another problem that you have overcome.

WEEKLY LOG 4-30-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 191
BF - 19%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 38 ¼”
Hips - 40 ½”
Chest - 44 ¼"
Arms - 14 ½ ”
Thighs - 23"
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”
Another great week!!!! I lost 4 pounds, half an inch off of my waist, hips , thighs, and chest! I also lost ¼ of an inch off of my calves. At first glance, I might should be worried about muscle loss. I’m not. As far as body fat percentage. I think I have been off. Just looking at my midsection lets me know I am still at 19% - maybe even 20%. That being said, my goal of reaching 10% by June 6th is blown out of the water. It will probably be closer to July 6th. That’s ok though. My original goal was to be 180 pounds or 10% BF. The 180 pounds is a definite.
This has been an eventful week. I have purchased two new pieces of equipment. The first is a Gold’s Gym GR7000. It is a smith cage with a great bench, and four different pulleys. I also bought a Gold’s Gym power tower. It’s for pull-ups, dips, leg raises, and pushups. You may know that I just bought one of these like a month ago. I loved it. The only thing was I could only do like 3 pull-ups. The new machine has an assist seat with 80 pounds of resistance. In other words, you can add up to 80 pounds to counter balance your weight. That makes it way easier to do pull-ups and dips. Now I can do like 3 sets of 20 pull-ups. I love this machine. It is my favorite workout. I really sweat and feel totally pumped after this workout. I don’t have the cage put together yet, but after today, I will. Here are pictures of both.


I only have 6 days until my 3 month transformation anniversary. So I am really going to hit it hard this week. The numbers are already good. If I can ratchet up the intensity, the numbers will be even better. Wish me luck.

WEEKLY LOG 5-06-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 195
BF - 18%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 38”
Hips - 40”
Chest - 44"
Arms - 14 ¼”
Thighs - 22 ½"
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”
Strange is the only way to describe this week. Let me say first of all that I was a bad boy yesterday and ate some things I shouldn’t have eaten. But again, as I have said before, you have to live life. We live on an island and we have a weekend celebration called shrimp-fest. We have a ton of family here and everyone is eating out and sticking cake and shrimp and everything else in my face to eat. I actually have been very good, considering. Again, I am not sweating it. You cheat, or get off track, then you jump right back into your routine. That is the difference between a “DIET” and a lifestyle change. On a diet you lose weight and then go back to your normal ways only to gain back the weight you lost. In a lifestyle change, you might get off of your routine for a day or two, but then you get right back to your goals.
Anyway, as I said before, this is strange. This week, for the first time in 3 months, I have gained weight, not lost. I was horrified when I stepped on the scale to see an extra 4 pounds. I weighed again and again. No change. But…..when I started to do my measurements, it really got weird. I expected to see a gain in my trouble spot, my midsection. But I didn’t. I lost ¼ of an inch! Then my chest lost ¼ of an inch, my arms lost ¼ of an inch, and my thighs lost a whole ½ of an inch. Then it really got weird. My body fat went down 1 whole point! Shocked is an understatement. I am sitting here literally scratching my head. Could it be, that I have replaced fat with muscle? That is my main goal. As I have said repeatedly, I could care less what I weigh. I want to be at 10% BF. If I weigh 200 lbs at 10% that would be great!!!!!!
So…. The monthly numbers go like this. For the month of April, I have lost 8 pounds, 1.75” in my waist, 2” in my hips, .25” in my chest, .5” in my arms, 2” in my thighs, .5” in my calves, and .25” in my forearm. I am not happy at all with the gain in weight this week. The more I think about it the madder I get. I expected to reach into the 180’s this week. Not soar back into the mid 190’s! I have to keep reminding myself to not get discouraged. It is just a minor setback in a lifetime of successful weight management. This week, I am adding some real cardio to my workouts. I got a stationary bike. So now we will see if cardio is what I have been missing all along. I am also putting together my new weight machine. We will see if free weights are going to jumpstart my muscle building process. All in all, April was a good month. But May has to be my best month yet. I either have to loose 15 pounds, or 8% body fat. I think the 15 pounds will be a lot easier than the 8% BF. Wish me luck. I think I am going to need it. These were my goals when I set out on this journey. I am pressuring myself to perform. I won't be totally crushed if I don't make it. Just dissappointed. I think I can do it. Actually, I know I can.

WEEKLY LOG 5-13-07


MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 193
BF - 18%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ¾”
Hips - 39 ¾”
Chest - 43"
Arms - 14 ¼”
Thighs - 22 ½"
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ½”
This week can be described as modest. I have lost ¼ of an inch in my waist, hips, and forearms. There was a major drop of 1 inch off of my chest. I am hoping that there is not much more fat to loose from the rest of my body, and I will start to have 1 inch losses from my waist. I still have almost six inches to lose from my waist to reach 32 inches. I also have 3 weeks to lose 13 pounds. 180 pounds by June 6th is a tall order. That means I have to lose 4.3 pounds per week. I only lost 2 pounds this week. My goals my be lofty, but it gives me something to shoot for. Last weeks shrimpfest took a serious toll on my goals. At first I thought that I only gained 4 pounds, but in reality, it was 6 pounds. Sunday night, I weighed 197 pounds. I somehow lost 2 pounds before Monday’s weigh in. I started the week at 191 pounds. So if I would not have indulged, I would have lost at least 2 more pounds, and on last Monday, I would have weighed 189. Then this week another 2 pounds lost would have brought me to 187 pounds. Then I would have had to lose only 7 pounds by the 6th of June. That is a 6 pound difference. Now, every time I think of cheating, that is going to be in the back of my mind.
I just have to tough it out for 1 or 2 more months, and then I am doing a slow and easy bulk. I am going to slowly, slowly, add more clean calories to my diet and try to gain a little more mass in my arms and chest. I am taking a wild guess in saying that to get to 10% BF, I will weigh about 175 pounds. I am just guesstimating when I say that with more mass in my arms and chest, my ideal weight will be around 183 pounds or 185 pounds
I am also a little discouraged with my lack of weight loss, because this week I started cardio on a stationary bike. I did HIIT 4 days this week, and expected a big weight loss. 2 pounds is modest, but it is not like losing 5 pounds. I know I shouldn’t be looking at the weight loss as much as the inches lost, but I just can’t help it. If your losing fat, you should be losing weight. As I said last week, Maybe I am working out hard enough where I am replacing fat with muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, so the weight is just not coming off, but the fat is. Maybe……. But I would love to get on the scale for the next 3 weeks and see a 5 pound drop each week.

WEEKLY LOG 5-21-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 192
BF - 17%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ¼”
Hips - 39 ¾”
Chest - 43 ¼"
Arms - 14 ½”
Thighs - 22 ½"
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”
I am very excited about this weeks progress. While I am worried about the lack of weight loss, I am phsyched about the loss of inches in my trouble spots, and the gain in inches where I want to gain. Here are the numbers. I lost 1 pound. I lost ½ of inch in my waist ,and my body fat finally went down 1%. But the ¼” gains in my chest, arms, thighs, and forearms has me totally pumped. As I have said a bizillion times, I don’t care what I weigh. I just want to lower my body fat and gain muscle in my arms and chest. I can only come to the conclusion that I am really replacing fat with muscle. I am having great workouts. I guess they are finally starting to pay off. I guess the addition of the cardio on the bike is paying off too. Where reaching 180 pounds by june 6th is totally off the board now, I guess I should just set my sights on trying to loose 2 more % points from my body fat by June 6th. So officially, I am changing my June 6th goal to be at 15% BF. My waist still has 5 inches of fat just sittin’ there. It’s slowly going away, but I want it gone like yesterday. So, I am going to tweak my diet this week and try to add some more protein, and eat less carbs. I know that a low carb diet is not the best way to loose weight, but I have been very successful before on the whole low carb thing. So for the next two and a half weeks, I am going really low carb. Let’s see what happens.

WEEKLY LOG 5-28-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 191
BF - 16%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ”
Hips - 39 ½”
Chest - 43 ½"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 22 ½"
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”
Well, another week of giving in on my sweet cravings. I still lost 1 pound, but by my earlier projections, I should be somewhere around 185 right now. I am not that upset though. As I have said before, I am not worried with weight loss, but I am concerned mostly with fat loss. This week, I have also lost another Fat percentage. Here are the numbers. I lost ¼ of an inch in my waist and hips. These are the areas I want to lose from, while I gained ¼ of an inch in my chest and arms. These are the two areas I want to continue to gain in. Nevertheless, if I would not have had all of those cheat meals, My waist would probably be an inch or 2 smaller.
Because of my weakness, I am changing my diet. I am cutting out almost all bad fat, cutting a lot of carbs, and adding more protein and veggies. This should jumpstart the weight loss again and help me to finish out this month with a bang. My official monthly weigh date is on the 6th of the month, so I have about 10 days to set some things straight. I am aiming for 8 pounds of fat to be lost between now and then, and maybe 2 more Body fat % points. That would put me at 184 pounds and 14% Body fat, which would leave me 4 pounds shy of my projected weight, and only 1% off from my projected Body fat.
If there is one thing that is remaining constant, it is my workouts. I am really starting to enjoy them more and more. I love the way I feel after a workout. Last week, I finally finished putting together my Gold’s Gym GR7000. It is awesome. It is a smith machine along with free weight capabilities, as well as 4 different pulley systems for every type of exercise you can imagine. Along with my Gold’s Gym Power Tower, which is an assisted pull-up, dip, leg raise, and push up machine, I have a well rounded workout station.
I am very proud of what I have accomplished so far. I am very close to my desired weight and Body fat %. But more than anything, I am happy with my appearance. I haven’t been to the beach yet, but I am ready. I am no longer ashamed of my body. I’m even a little proud. I still have a ways to go. After I have cut all the fat, I am going to do a very slow bulk, then, figure out how to maintain all that I have worked so diligently for.

WEEKLY LOG 6-03-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 194
BF - 15%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ”
Hips - 39 ½”
Chest - 43 ½"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 22 "
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”
This will be my last month of cutting. For the last month, I have not done well with my diet. So I decided to do something a little drastic. This past weekend, I totally indulged myself with any food my heart desired. My philosophy is that if I start this month out with a cheat, I can finish the rest of the month strong. I am adding a serious load of work every day that will include jogging, biking, jump rope, and a myriad of other exercises. I am going to burn around 1500 calories per day. That is after the 1100 calories I will be eating per day. I will be exercising for 1 hour, and weight lifting for 30 minutes. It will take a lot of work, but I am really going to do this. Because of my cheat weekend, my measurements are off. I gained 3 pounds. But somehow lost 1 % body fat. All of my measurements stayed the same except for a ½ inch loss in my thighs. I am expecting really big losses next week. Stay tuned to see what happens.

MONTHLY MEASUREMENTS
5-6-07
Weight - 195
BF - 18%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 38”
Hips - 40”
Chest - 44"
Arms - 14 ¼”
Thighs - 22 ½"
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”

6-6-07
Weight - 191
BF - 15%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ”
Hips - 39 ½”
Chest - 43 ½"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 22 "
Calves - 15"
Forearm - 11 ¾”

This month has pretty much sucked. It's all my fault, though. I could not help myself on cheating. Everything from pizza to ice cream to cookies and all kinds of chocolate. I just couldn't stop eating. This will be my last month cutting. I actually plan on losing 15 pounds this month to make up for the total loss of control in May. I have already lost 4 pounds since the 1st of June. I want to break into the 170's by July 4th.

Here are the numbers for May. I lost 4 pounds, 3% body fat, 1 inch off of my waist, 1/2 of an inch off my hips, 1/2 inch off of my chest, and 1/2 of an inch off of my thighs. I gained 1/2 of inch in my arms. These numbers are good monthly numbers, but I know if I wouldn't have cheated, I would probably be at or very near my goal of 10% body fat.

After June, I am planning on maintaining for a very short period, and then bulking. I would like to add a couple of inches of lean muscle to my arms, chest, and thighs. I don't know how long that will take, but I don't plan on ever letting my body fat get above 14% ever again. Below are my beginning and ending pictures.

OMG Dude...amazing transformation! I'm a little late getting to you but just amazing. Keep up the good work! Great photos from the rocknroll days! I'll be following your progress! No pressure....:D

Totally Inspiring!:tu:

This is so funny that you decided to write to me today. I was just checking out your story a few hours ago. I was going to reply and tell you what an awesome job you have done! I went through the whoe yo-yo dieting years ago and then just gave up completely. This site has given me all the tools I needed to do this thing right. Thanks again....

This is so funny that you decided to write to me today. I was just checking out your story a few hours ago. I was going to reply and tell you what an awesome job you have done! I went through the whoe yo-yo dieting years ago and then just gave up completely. This site has given me all the tools I needed to do this thing right. Thanks again....

Thanks Buddy!:tu: This forum has played a huge role in my success. John's daily post are part of my morning routine and they always seem pertinent! I'm looking forward to following your progress you really have done an amazing job!:claphigh:

Jason

WEEKLY LOG 6-10-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 192
BF - 16%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ”
Hips - 39 ½”
Chest - 43 ½"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 21 ¾ "
Calves - 15 ¼
Forearm - 12”
Things were going great until Sunday. If I would have made it through just one more day, I would have been fine. I was down to 189 Saturday. But on Sunday….I lost my mind and had pizza, popcorn, and some candy. It was like I wasn’t even thinking. I was swallowing my last bite of a chocolate bar when I came to my senses. What was I thinking. I worked my butt off all week, just to throw it all away for junk food. I have a problem. I am addicted. Anyway, as usual, all I can do is keep on trying. Get back on track. Although, Tuesday is my sons b-day, and I know I will cheat that day. If I could have stayed at 189 I would have lost 5 pounds this week. Instead it’s the usual 2 pounds. No change in body fat, waist, hips, chest, or arms. The one bright spot is the slight gain in my calves and forearms. The slight loss in my thighs is good too. Next week will be different. I have 24 days until July 4th. To break the 170’s I would have to lose 12 pounds. That is 1 pound every 2 days. I can do it. I have to. Just to prove to myself that I have some glimmer of will power.

WEEKLY LOG 6-17-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 195
BF - 15%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ¼ ”
Hips - 40”
Chest - 43 ½"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 23 "
Calves - 15 ¼ “
Forearm - 12”
This has been my worst week yet as far as diet goes. I am weak. The cravings for really bad stuff is overwhelming. For the first time I have gained back in my waist and hips. Very bad. VERY, VERY, VERY BAD. Somehow my Bodyfat stayed the same. The only thing saving me is that I have started running 3 miles on the beach 3 times per week. My transformation has always lacked cardio. Now I am getting it and I gain 3 pounds because I cant keep away from the junk. My goal of 10% BF is gone again for this month. I just have to regroup and have a better week this week. It’s just simple math. Burn more calories than you eat and you will lose weight. Eat healthy. No junk. I am giving myself a little challenge. No junk this week. July 6th is 19 days away. I have to lose 15 pounds in 19 days. Very doubtful……But I am gonna try.
I just went back through my journal and realized that I have hung around 195 pounds since April 22nd! How sad is that. I have been working my butt off for almost 2 months and ruined it every week for junk food! I am done. It would be really easy to blame my wife for bringing all of this crap into the house, but she is not the one shoving it down my throat. I can’t take the joy of sweets away from my kids just because I am weak. I’m done. That’s it. No more crap. Next week I will be 5 pounds lighter. No excuses.

I feel your pain, some months are just sucky, but we learn and turn it around :lol:

WEEKLY LOG 6-17-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 190
BF - 13%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ”
Hips - 39 ½”
Chest - 44"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 22 ½ "
Calves - 15”
Forearm - 12”
After last weeks horrible outcome, this week has been awesome. I lost 5 pounds, ,2% of body fat, ¼ inch from my waist, ½ inch from my hips, ½ inch from my thighs, and ¼ inch from my calves. I also gained ½ inch in my chest. The gain in my chest is promising. I have really been pushing my workouts, especially my chest. The loss of fat in my legs is from 4 miles of running 3 days per week. Next week if I lose the same amount of weight and body fat, I will be only 1% away from my goal. Unbelievable….. If I just could have stayed the course for the last month, I should be in the single digits of body fat. I can’t worry about the past. I still have 10 pounds of fat around my waist. This is some seriously stubborn fat. I am guessing that I am going to have to lose all the fat from every other part of body before this last bit starts to go. No matter how long it takes, I am going to stick it out to lose this fat. My waist should be much smaller than 37 inches. At least 34 inches. I went shopping this week and I am happy to say that I am now wearing 32” pants. For over 12 years, I have been wearing 36 to 38’s. I am also no longer wearing XL shirts. Large and even mediums in some shirts. I have come a long way in a pretty short amount of time. I have 11 days left in my 5th month of my transformation. To lose 3% of body fat is not very likely, but maybe. I am not going to stop at 10% if this fat is still hanging around my waist. I have to keep cutting until all of that fat is gone.

Keep fighting and never ever...give up. Your doing fantastic!

It has been 8 months since I stopped writing in my journal. I coached my son's football team and just stopped everything. No workouts, no diet, no cardio. I just stopped. Thinking that after the season got going I would just fall back into things. Some time off would do me good. WRONG!! I think the title TOTAL FAILURE is a little harsh. A total failure would be continuing down the same road and never coming back. Well, I am back. As embarrassing as it is going to be, I have to post my stats. It will force me to continue if I know that people are watching. Here are my ending stats as of June 17th 2007

WEEKLY LOG 6-17-07
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 190
BF - 13%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 37 ”
Hips - 39 ½”
Chest - 44"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 22 ½ "
Calves - 15”
Forearm - 12”

And here are todays measurements
WEEKLY LOG 2-28-08
MEASUREMENTS
Weight - 215
BF - 24%
Height - 6"1
Waist - 42 ”
Hips - 42.5”
Chest - 45"
Arms - 14 ¾”
Thighs - 24.75 "
Calves - 15”
Forearm - 12.25”

Most of the measurements are not far from 8 months ago, except the glaring 25 pound gain, and the 5 inch increase in my waist. I do have to say that I have been through spurts of work outs and sparse dieting. I really feel that if I would have totally let go, I would be in way worse shape than I am now. I will post pictures on Monday and start my old routine again. I am not looking forward to posting the pictures, but I have to do it. It will motivate me.