John Stone
Sun, March 1st, 2009, 06:45 AM
One of the things that stands out the most about Guava's (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/member.php?u=1480) impressive transformation is that she didn't just drop some fat or gain some muscle; she was successful in making a highly sustainable lifestyle change. I love how Guava (Lisa) has made constant improvements over the years without depriving herself!
Please tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
I was frustrated about the shape I was in while I was growing up, but it took a long time to fully understand everything that was included in a healthy lifestyle, and how to adapt those things into what suited my specific tastes, drives, and interests. I was an overweight kid at 11 years old, outgrew my baby fat and leaned out a little bit in my teen years, but then kept growing right through until I graduated University at near 160 pounds (I am 5'5"). I used food to control stress through that period, and it was not only harmful to how I looked, but also to my fitness and energy level.
In 1996, after my first child was born, I took the time to learn more about nutrition, and focused a bit more effort on adding physical activity when possible. It was a whole combination of wanting to be able to climb multiple flights of stairs without being out of breath, wanting to have more energy, and wanting to minimize my chances of developing any health problems. Also, I wanted to feel better about how I looked. At that point, I didn't understand that there was anything more to it than being active in things like jogging and sports, and eating healthy foods. I levelled out for several years near 130 pounds, and was somewhat satisfied about how I looked, but uncomfortable about certain areas. In 2004, I found the JSF forums, and was finally excited about not just losing weight or getting smaller, but about changing my body fat percentage and my proportions.
30283
What were your initial goals? What are your current goals?
One of my ongoing goals is to be a good example to my kids (now 13 and 8). First, to teach them about energy and nutrients in food and how to plan to get the right amount of each. Second, to show them how many active and fun things there are to do. Third, to encourage growth in skills, in strength, in speed, in flexibility. All of these things will help them to be proud of who they are, what they do, and how they appear to other people.
My goals have always been to feel more confident about who I am and be more comfortable with the body I have. But at different points I've been focused on different aspects to achieve that end. For the main part, I've been focused on losing fat while maintaining muscle mass, but at the same time, I put a lot of emphasis on improving several measures of strength and endurance, and optimizing my diet to give me the right kind of fuel at the right time.
Most of the times that I've set a goal to "look better" by a certain date, I end up feeling worse, but that each of the times I've set a performance goal, it's ended up changing my body composition to something that looks better to me in the mirror.
For a long time, I focused a lot of effort on weight loss, and even when I was smaller than I wanted to be, it was difficult to change that mindset. Currently, I'm working on adding lean body mass without adding fat, which is a little scary. It's never fun to fear that you'll be fat again. In the last 8 weeks, I've gained about 4 pounds, more than 80% of which has been lean body mass. I'm happy with that progress.
30286
30284
What does your current training program look like?
My training program is detailed in my journal (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=42222). Right now I'm specifically training to reach target number of reps, weights, or time under tension for some very specific exercises. They've been chosen fairly arbitrarily, for fun, just too see how far I can push myself and how much the numbers will change. On Mondays I do pushups, Tuesdays I do squats, Wednesdays I do pullups, Thursdays deadlifts, Fridays floor press, and Saturdays planks. Usually I add one or two optional exercises onto each of those days, like rotator cuff work, or more isolated movements to target triceps, hamstrings or glutes. On Sundays I snowboard. I'm not currently doing any scheduled cardio, but I walk nearly everywhere I go, and it seems that it's nearly every day that my youngest daughter is challenging me to some new jumping or running activity on the Wii.
How has your training evolved?
I'm not sure that my training has evolved to be any smarter or more efficient, but it's evolved mainly to add new challenges, and to keep aligned with the things that make me feel successful. For example, even if I think circuit training isn't the best match for whatever my physique or health goals might be at the time, I still like to throw it in there once in a while because it's it's a rewarding style of working out for me. That's important.
It's fascinating to revisit where I started out, and where I've arrived. I've forgotten how much incredibly stronger I've become. When I started weight training, my only weights were a pair of 5 pound dumbbells, and those were challenging! A couple of weeks ago, I was frustrated that I'm not progressing beyond 40 pound dumbbells on an exercise. But when I checked back on my old journals, I saw that 5 years ago, I was struggling on the same exercise with 10 pound dumbbells. I'm lifting things now that seemed impossible when I first began.
What is your diet like?
My diet is loosely based on the government nutritional guidelines, with the appropriate number of servings form each of the recommended food groups. But I've also taken a lot of tips from new research about the glycemic diet, the benefits of a lower carbohydrate diet, eating by the rainbow, functional foods, and various bodybuilding diet strategies. It's a lot to keep track of! There's a rough guideline of how I try to eat in the sticky I put together "Nutrition for a Healthy Weight." (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=42001) A big target for me is always to eat foods rich in iron, to keep my hemoglobin levels high enough for me to be able to donate blood.
It's actually more important for me to have food that tastes delicious and is exciting to me, and is convenient to access, prepare, and share with my family, than food that's somehow scientifically been proven to be best for my body. So, here's what I actually eat:
morning: whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana
early lunch: vegetables, lean meat, and brown rice, or a sandwich and fruit
late lunch: cereal and yogurt, or a muffin
supper: lean meat and vegetables, sometimes with a starchy vegetable like sweet potato or brown rice
late supper (occasionally): carrot sticks and nuts, or an apple or orange, or cereal and soy milk, or chocolate, or a piece of cake, etc.
No foods are off limits, but there are several foods that I've chosen not to eat anymore because I've decided that the calories I get from them are not in relation to how much I enjoy them (mainly deep fried foods, and also most meats that have more fat than protein). I don't have cheat days or cheat meals, but, instead, allow for more comforting things or a greater amount of calories on more stressful days. Usually I'll find that I'll automatically make up for it later on with better choices in the next few days.
Do you use any supplements?
I sometimes take multivitamins, sometimes take calcium supplements. I had some omega-3 supplements but I quit taking them because the fish breath was nasty. I'm not really concerned about any magical daily macronutrient ratio, so I don't usually use protein powder, though I do find that it's convenient for when I'm cutting. Typically, my target for protein is about twice the RDA, or about .8 grams for every pound of body weight, or about 15-20% of my calories. On a lower calorie diet or while I'm specifically aiming for fat loss, I find I feel better when I try to keep my protein intake slightly higher, up 25% of my calories, which is easier to do with the help of a powder than with a meat source.
One of the things that really stands out about your transformation is that you have managed to maintain a very healthy lifestyle while not depriving yourself of the things you enjoy. You have truly made a lifestyle change, and this is an area that many people struggle with. What advice would you offer to those who find maintaining difficult?
I don't do anything quickly. And I don't do anything perfectly. Those might be the secrets of my success. I leave a little wiggle room for unexpected stuff to happen. I haven't ever made a quick dramatic transformation in the history of my healthy lifestyle, but I've never wanted to throw in the towel either. Some weeks I will feel much worse than others, and these weeks, I usually don't push myself quite as hard as in other weeks. It's nice to have recovery periods to renew my energy. Dedication, consistency and small improvements have a better payoff than good precise planning without a committed follow through. I like to celebrate small victories, and this makes me feel good about where I've been and where I'm going.
It's frustrating to see people who are on an extremely restrictive plan beating themselves up when things get overwhelming. People who feel deprived are the ones who give up their new habits and slide back right to where they started or worse. I've tried at a few points denying myself chocolate, and it just wasn't any fun. So instead of telling myself that I didn't deserve chocolate, I found a way to fit it into my plan.
How has your commitment to a healthy lifestyle changed your life?
It's a really great feeling to know that I can do things now that I didn't used to be able to do. When I joined the forums, I could do only 7 pushups in a set, and now I'm up to 34 at a time, on my way towards a goal of reaching 100 consecutive pushups.
I think that the way I eat and work out has reduced some of the stress, anxiety, and fatigue that I used to feel. Making these changes has given me a lot to feel proud of, which has boosted my self esteem and outlook.
How have JSF and the JSF Forums helped you?
Before finding this site, I had no idea what a dramatic change a person could make to his body. I'd seen before and after photos in magazines, but seeing your pictures, and having access to your complete diet and training took out all of the mystery and made everything real for me.
I'd always thought that the proportions I had were there to stay, and that I could only become a larger or smaller version of myself. Seeing your amazing visual representation gave me a completely different set of goals to work towards. I loved the idea of taking daily progress pictures, and keeping a public diary to share my struggles and successes, and make myself accountable.
The people who visit these forums are a special type of people. They are honest, supportive, open-minded, and curious. On the forums, it is always stressed how there is more than one way to do something. I love how so many people have achieved so many changes with such different methods. The Bikini challenge is really helping me to push my physique to the next level. I hope to maintain my current body weight, but with 2 1/2 pounds more lean body mass, and 2 1/2 pounds less fat mass. My deadline is June 21. It's not a huge transformation, but I'm confident that I can make it.
February 2009
5'5", about 125 pounds, about 19% body fat.
30285
Thanks for sharing your incredible story with us, Lisa!
Please tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
I was frustrated about the shape I was in while I was growing up, but it took a long time to fully understand everything that was included in a healthy lifestyle, and how to adapt those things into what suited my specific tastes, drives, and interests. I was an overweight kid at 11 years old, outgrew my baby fat and leaned out a little bit in my teen years, but then kept growing right through until I graduated University at near 160 pounds (I am 5'5"). I used food to control stress through that period, and it was not only harmful to how I looked, but also to my fitness and energy level.
In 1996, after my first child was born, I took the time to learn more about nutrition, and focused a bit more effort on adding physical activity when possible. It was a whole combination of wanting to be able to climb multiple flights of stairs without being out of breath, wanting to have more energy, and wanting to minimize my chances of developing any health problems. Also, I wanted to feel better about how I looked. At that point, I didn't understand that there was anything more to it than being active in things like jogging and sports, and eating healthy foods. I levelled out for several years near 130 pounds, and was somewhat satisfied about how I looked, but uncomfortable about certain areas. In 2004, I found the JSF forums, and was finally excited about not just losing weight or getting smaller, but about changing my body fat percentage and my proportions.
30283
What were your initial goals? What are your current goals?
One of my ongoing goals is to be a good example to my kids (now 13 and 8). First, to teach them about energy and nutrients in food and how to plan to get the right amount of each. Second, to show them how many active and fun things there are to do. Third, to encourage growth in skills, in strength, in speed, in flexibility. All of these things will help them to be proud of who they are, what they do, and how they appear to other people.
My goals have always been to feel more confident about who I am and be more comfortable with the body I have. But at different points I've been focused on different aspects to achieve that end. For the main part, I've been focused on losing fat while maintaining muscle mass, but at the same time, I put a lot of emphasis on improving several measures of strength and endurance, and optimizing my diet to give me the right kind of fuel at the right time.
Most of the times that I've set a goal to "look better" by a certain date, I end up feeling worse, but that each of the times I've set a performance goal, it's ended up changing my body composition to something that looks better to me in the mirror.
For a long time, I focused a lot of effort on weight loss, and even when I was smaller than I wanted to be, it was difficult to change that mindset. Currently, I'm working on adding lean body mass without adding fat, which is a little scary. It's never fun to fear that you'll be fat again. In the last 8 weeks, I've gained about 4 pounds, more than 80% of which has been lean body mass. I'm happy with that progress.
30286
30284
What does your current training program look like?
My training program is detailed in my journal (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=42222). Right now I'm specifically training to reach target number of reps, weights, or time under tension for some very specific exercises. They've been chosen fairly arbitrarily, for fun, just too see how far I can push myself and how much the numbers will change. On Mondays I do pushups, Tuesdays I do squats, Wednesdays I do pullups, Thursdays deadlifts, Fridays floor press, and Saturdays planks. Usually I add one or two optional exercises onto each of those days, like rotator cuff work, or more isolated movements to target triceps, hamstrings or glutes. On Sundays I snowboard. I'm not currently doing any scheduled cardio, but I walk nearly everywhere I go, and it seems that it's nearly every day that my youngest daughter is challenging me to some new jumping or running activity on the Wii.
How has your training evolved?
I'm not sure that my training has evolved to be any smarter or more efficient, but it's evolved mainly to add new challenges, and to keep aligned with the things that make me feel successful. For example, even if I think circuit training isn't the best match for whatever my physique or health goals might be at the time, I still like to throw it in there once in a while because it's it's a rewarding style of working out for me. That's important.
It's fascinating to revisit where I started out, and where I've arrived. I've forgotten how much incredibly stronger I've become. When I started weight training, my only weights were a pair of 5 pound dumbbells, and those were challenging! A couple of weeks ago, I was frustrated that I'm not progressing beyond 40 pound dumbbells on an exercise. But when I checked back on my old journals, I saw that 5 years ago, I was struggling on the same exercise with 10 pound dumbbells. I'm lifting things now that seemed impossible when I first began.
What is your diet like?
My diet is loosely based on the government nutritional guidelines, with the appropriate number of servings form each of the recommended food groups. But I've also taken a lot of tips from new research about the glycemic diet, the benefits of a lower carbohydrate diet, eating by the rainbow, functional foods, and various bodybuilding diet strategies. It's a lot to keep track of! There's a rough guideline of how I try to eat in the sticky I put together "Nutrition for a Healthy Weight." (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=42001) A big target for me is always to eat foods rich in iron, to keep my hemoglobin levels high enough for me to be able to donate blood.
It's actually more important for me to have food that tastes delicious and is exciting to me, and is convenient to access, prepare, and share with my family, than food that's somehow scientifically been proven to be best for my body. So, here's what I actually eat:
morning: whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana
early lunch: vegetables, lean meat, and brown rice, or a sandwich and fruit
late lunch: cereal and yogurt, or a muffin
supper: lean meat and vegetables, sometimes with a starchy vegetable like sweet potato or brown rice
late supper (occasionally): carrot sticks and nuts, or an apple or orange, or cereal and soy milk, or chocolate, or a piece of cake, etc.
No foods are off limits, but there are several foods that I've chosen not to eat anymore because I've decided that the calories I get from them are not in relation to how much I enjoy them (mainly deep fried foods, and also most meats that have more fat than protein). I don't have cheat days or cheat meals, but, instead, allow for more comforting things or a greater amount of calories on more stressful days. Usually I'll find that I'll automatically make up for it later on with better choices in the next few days.
Do you use any supplements?
I sometimes take multivitamins, sometimes take calcium supplements. I had some omega-3 supplements but I quit taking them because the fish breath was nasty. I'm not really concerned about any magical daily macronutrient ratio, so I don't usually use protein powder, though I do find that it's convenient for when I'm cutting. Typically, my target for protein is about twice the RDA, or about .8 grams for every pound of body weight, or about 15-20% of my calories. On a lower calorie diet or while I'm specifically aiming for fat loss, I find I feel better when I try to keep my protein intake slightly higher, up 25% of my calories, which is easier to do with the help of a powder than with a meat source.
One of the things that really stands out about your transformation is that you have managed to maintain a very healthy lifestyle while not depriving yourself of the things you enjoy. You have truly made a lifestyle change, and this is an area that many people struggle with. What advice would you offer to those who find maintaining difficult?
I don't do anything quickly. And I don't do anything perfectly. Those might be the secrets of my success. I leave a little wiggle room for unexpected stuff to happen. I haven't ever made a quick dramatic transformation in the history of my healthy lifestyle, but I've never wanted to throw in the towel either. Some weeks I will feel much worse than others, and these weeks, I usually don't push myself quite as hard as in other weeks. It's nice to have recovery periods to renew my energy. Dedication, consistency and small improvements have a better payoff than good precise planning without a committed follow through. I like to celebrate small victories, and this makes me feel good about where I've been and where I'm going.
It's frustrating to see people who are on an extremely restrictive plan beating themselves up when things get overwhelming. People who feel deprived are the ones who give up their new habits and slide back right to where they started or worse. I've tried at a few points denying myself chocolate, and it just wasn't any fun. So instead of telling myself that I didn't deserve chocolate, I found a way to fit it into my plan.
How has your commitment to a healthy lifestyle changed your life?
It's a really great feeling to know that I can do things now that I didn't used to be able to do. When I joined the forums, I could do only 7 pushups in a set, and now I'm up to 34 at a time, on my way towards a goal of reaching 100 consecutive pushups.
I think that the way I eat and work out has reduced some of the stress, anxiety, and fatigue that I used to feel. Making these changes has given me a lot to feel proud of, which has boosted my self esteem and outlook.
How have JSF and the JSF Forums helped you?
Before finding this site, I had no idea what a dramatic change a person could make to his body. I'd seen before and after photos in magazines, but seeing your pictures, and having access to your complete diet and training took out all of the mystery and made everything real for me.
I'd always thought that the proportions I had were there to stay, and that I could only become a larger or smaller version of myself. Seeing your amazing visual representation gave me a completely different set of goals to work towards. I loved the idea of taking daily progress pictures, and keeping a public diary to share my struggles and successes, and make myself accountable.
The people who visit these forums are a special type of people. They are honest, supportive, open-minded, and curious. On the forums, it is always stressed how there is more than one way to do something. I love how so many people have achieved so many changes with such different methods. The Bikini challenge is really helping me to push my physique to the next level. I hope to maintain my current body weight, but with 2 1/2 pounds more lean body mass, and 2 1/2 pounds less fat mass. My deadline is June 21. It's not a huge transformation, but I'm confident that I can make it.
February 2009
5'5", about 125 pounds, about 19% body fat.
30285
Thanks for sharing your incredible story with us, Lisa!