But I remember John saying that he used this as motivation..I mean, posting pictures up for everyone to see. I figure it could work for me too.

Now..I've been researching stuff for the last two years. I have encountered several set backs, all of which send me spiralling back to square one. I've torn my left medial collateral ligament twice (thats in the knee) and once I get pneumonia just as my training was paying off.

But I can't just sit back and let myself get worse, I refuse to. So, I've started again, this is the strictest I've been so far. I have just water, nothing else, don't eat after 8pm (unless its a protein shake/bar) and I train very hard at cardio/muay thai and now this very promising MAX-OT.

Well, I got two pics. One was on Jan 23, about 7 days ago, and this newest one was taken around tonight (around midnight) of Jan 30/31. So, a seven day time elapse between both.

I have been training seriously since the 1st - not a new years resoultion btw, I hate those. It just happened that that was the general time I got my shit together and got serious about it. Another interesting note is that the first pic was taken around the time I started using MAX-OT program (I think I used it a day later).

Anyhow..Enough stalling. Here are the pics:

http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/7/7/504907-l.gif
This was the one taken roughly seven days ago. (Jan24)


http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/7/8/504908-l.gif
This was taken tonight, a week after I upped protein intake, did my cardio harder and used MAX-OT as my weight training. (Jan30)

http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/8/0/525300-l.gif

http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/8/113/542498-l.jpg

April 30th pic. I look slimmer, and my shoulders seem to be developing well, and my lats have slightly begun to take shape. Also seems that my biceps seem to be "compacting" into themselves, if that is an apt way to describe it.

I think it is going well. However, I had a party with my muay thai class a few weeks back and blew my diet, then I strained a muscle and blew me diet for a whole week. I am just now back on track. Thus, I am only 220 lbs and 29% bodyfat, but I have much more time to fix this and as the picture shows, I am still going good.

You're looking a lot better than when you started. I can see the difference in your shoulders and posture! Keep it up and good luck! :gl:

Keep it up man.. Whatever you are doing seems to be creating a change. I think you'll be surprised at how much progress you'll have made on the 29th! Keep us updated

Way to go Tiger King! I know that posting your pictures was not an easy thing to do...

In just 7 days there is already a noticeable difference. Just 7 days! This is why I think pictures are such a great motivational tool. They really let you see improvement that would otherwise go unnoticed. If you can see improvement after just 7 days, imagine what you'll look like a year from now, assuming consistent training, a clean diet and dedication! Great job, keep it up. We're all behind you 100%.

:tu:

The area under your chin and jawline looks like it's shrinking and the gut area seems to have gotten smaller. It was hard for me to first see any improvements because the posture was a little off on both pictures but I managed to notice that you are changing slowly. It would be really encouraging, not only to many of the members on this site but also to yourself to see what improvements you've made in the next several weeks :D

Great job you've done there Tiger King! As John said, after just 1 week there's a noticeable difference.. imagine what it will be like in the future :)
I think you've done a great job so far. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the words everyone :)

I think the change I like the most (aside from my obliques shrinking a bit) would be my shoulder width. I seem to have gotten a bit wider up there, and well every guy likes that.

This spurs me on even more, so much that I'm not going to bother to have cheat meals except for every 2nd week, and all I will probably have is like...a some frozen yogurt and 2 slices pizza with a glass of diet sprite. Really that's not too bad by itself, but that's as far as I want to give myself lee-way.

Truthfully I'm really looking forward to the 29th now (assuming and hoping that my progress continues of course)

This spurs me on even more, so much that I'm not going to bother to have cheat meals except for every 2nd week, and all I will probably have is like...a some frozen yogurt and 2 slices pizza with a glass of diet sprite. Really that's not too bad by itself, but that's as far as I want to give myself lee-way.
I'd suggest not cheating -- but that's a pretty personal thing.

I'd rather you cheated and kept up the good work than didn't cheat, burned out, and quit all together :)

Good job! :tu:

Thanks for the words everyone :)

I think the change I like the most (aside from my obliques shrinking a bit) would be my shoulder width. I seem to have gotten a bit wider up there, and well every guy likes that.

This spurs me on even more, so much that I'm not going to bother to have cheat meals except for every 2nd week, and all I will probably have is like...a some frozen yogurt and 2 slices pizza with a glass of diet sprite. Really that's not too bad by itself, but that's as far as I want to give myself lee-way.

Truthfully I'm really looking forward to the 29th now (assuming and hoping that my progress continues of course)


Fantastic Tiger King!! But don't just assume and hope your progress will continue, make it happen. With all of the great people that are part of this forum its like having your own personal trainers and coaches right along with you to push each other along. I love it!! :claplow: Keep up the good work and keep everyone posted.

Hehe, I just got back from a leg workout and all I could think of were these pics.

daveo, oh I plan on keeping up the good work, but I reconsidered and have decided that I will only have a minor cheat meal every month, and I'm only talking about something like, a slice of pizza and a glass of pop, that's about it. Just something to make sure I don't get a big craving over time or something, ya know?

Damn... I find myself unable to wait until Tuesday now.. (that's my next weight workout) I got rest tomorrow and muay thai on monday.

Heh, this kicks ass. I didn't think posting pics would be so motivational.

daveo, oh I plan on keeping up the good work, but I reconsidered and have decided that I will only have a minor cheat meal every month, and I'm only talking about something like, a slice of pizza and a glass of pop, that's about it. Just something to make sure I don't get a big craving over time or something, ya know? That sounds much better to me :nod:
John went no cheats for the first 6 months. I don't think we all have the same mental resolve. I'm trying not to cheat, and so far it's working....

I'll let you know in 6 months ;)

Good job Tiger King! I can definitely see the weight loss esp. along the midsection/sides. Keep up the good work!

Significant change in my opinion. We're talking 7 days here! Keep it up man - you are doing great! Keep it up!

Hey everyone, just wanted to post here to let you know I updated my journal. The updates and pictures and stats are all in the first post :cool:

I see a slight change in my oblique area ... But I'm not sure. I'm biased in my view of myself, what does everyone else think?

I hate to bump this but I don't want it to fall too low. I would really like feedback about the recent photo and the weight/fat loss so far.

In my personal view, I see a slight change, but honestly I do not know if that is a good change in 20 somewhat days, and I would like non-biased opinions on my progress thus far.

Hey Tiger King.
There definitely is change. The most obvious is the chest & abs. Your chest is much more defined, and the stomach has become smaller. Have you kept records of your measurements?
If I flip quickly from Jan 30 to Feb 29, I can see change in your arms.
Great job!

Unfortunately I have not recorded my measurements :( something I should have done in retrospect.

Today while stretching before my run I noticed a very faint outline of my abs. Very faint, but when you haven't seen them in a decade or so, it's quite a welcome sight. I looked at my most recent picture and on the left side of the pic, under my right pec, you can very slightly see the outline of it. I just noticed it after checking myself out in the mirror.

Like I said ... very faint, but perhaps by April 29 they will be more visable? I hope so. I think I owe a lot of it to muay thai, given the ab torture we go through.

Here's another small goal: By April 29, my abs will be visable. They may not be great, they may not be defined, but they'll be visable.

Here you go: The chest is definitely smaller (due to less fat) thus your pecs and traps are much more defined. It looks to me like the stomach is much smaller as well. I can see that your right arm is looking better as well. As for your left arm, there's too much light. Overall, I would say that you're on course for an awesome transformation.

The work you're doing is definitely noticeable and I hope your friends/family are noticing because the pictures don't lie.

Some questions for you: How are the wheels? Lets see 'em. Also, are you standing relaxed or are you flexing? Are the pics before or after training?

Awesome thanks for the feedback. Here are your answers:

Wheels... Um.. What? I'm clueless here dude lol ;)

Also, I flex in every picture. Pretty much the same reason John or anyone else does so I can see every detail of my muscle no matter how small. However, I really only flex my arms, chest, back and shoulders. I don't suck in my gut or anything.

And the pics have all been in the morning, the first and last was before breakfast, the second was after cause I forgot to take it beforehand.

Wheels = Legs.
:gl:

Oops. Sorry about that (thanks BG). :bow:

I switched to saying wheels since it seems less odd to say "wheels" when asking another guy for pictures of his legs. I never thought about it until my wife asked about it. The look on her face was classic. Since then I've explained it to her but she still thinks its a bit odd :p

I switched to saying wheels since it seems less odd to say "wheels" when asking another guy for pictures of his legs. I never thought about it until my wife asked about it. The look on her face was classic. Since then I've explained it to her but she still thinks its a bit odd :p

Hilarious!

ahah

I haven't posted pics of my legs tho. Actually, I should have cause there's been a huge HUGE change in them from the amount of kicking and leg work I do. But since I can see the change tremendously in them I am not overly concerned with posting pics on them, hence the lack of leg shots in my photos.

Well, here's something to consider. I look in these photo threads and journals for motivation and inspiration (and I doubt I'm the only one). The fact that you've seen a drastic change in such a short time is reason enough to post them. I wish more people would.

OK. I'll stop badgering you......at least you've posted pics :whistle:

You're really gaining ground - it's amazing to see such noticeable difference in such a short amount of time.

So, you're definitely planning a trip to the beach this summer?

i am very impressed with the transformation you have made in this short amount of time. All you have to do is look at those pictures to see your payoff happening! keep up the god work

Hi Dude.

You are making noticable progress. Keep up the good work. :)


But I remember John saying that he used this as motivation..I mean, posting pictures up for everyone to see. I figure it could work for me too.

Now..I've been researching stuff for the last two years. I have encountered several set backs, all of which send me spiralling back to square one. I've torn my left medial collateral ligament twice (thats in the knee) and once I get pneumonia just as my training was paying off.

But I can't just sit back and let myself get worse, I refuse to. So, I've started again, this is the strictest I've been so far. I have just water, nothing else, don't eat after 8pm (unless its a protein shake/bar) and I train very hard at cardio/muay thai and now this very promising MAX-OT.

Well, I got two pics. One was on Jan 23, about 7 days ago, and this newest one was taken around tonight (around midnight) of Jan 30/31. So, a seven day time elapse between both.

I have been training seriously since the 1st - not a new years resoultion btw, I hate those. It just happened that that was the general time I got my shit together and got serious about it. Another interesting note is that the first pic was taken around the time I started using MAX-OT program (I think I used it a day later).

Anyhow..Enough stalling. Here are the pics:

http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/7/7/504907-l.gif
This was the one taken roughly seven days ago. (Jan24)


http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/7/8/504908-l.gif
This was taken tonight, a week after I upped protein intake, did my cardio harder and used MAX-OT as my weight training. (Jan30)

http://i2.sell.com/1/197/124127/8/0/525300-l.gif

Here is me this morning (Feb 29). I appear to be thinner, my traps are bigger and my arms and shoulders still have a little bit more shape to them. I find that when I flex my arms I can see some definition, but I guess it's not enough to appear in normal light yet. In the gym with overhead lights, I can see my triceps and biceps. Perhaps when my camera recharges, next week I will include some of those pics as you really can't see any muscle definition in this pic. But, I think it's a good improvement over 30 days ago.

I also wanted to include that when I began to log my fat/weight loss, on Feb.07 I weighed 232 and stayed at 31% bodyfat. Around Feb20 I began to get 30% readings, and for the last 6 days I've been at 30% and now a few 29% bodyfat readings have snuck their way in there, and I am now hovering around the 224 lbs. mark.

What's even more motivating is that while I've lost this weight and fat, I've been steadily growing stronger in my weights, which tells me I am not losing muscle (thank god).

Here is a quick comparison:

Feb 07 '04: 232 lbs, 31% bodyfat
Today (Feb 29 '04): 222.5 lbs, 30% bodyfat

I will continue to update this log as it is motivating. I think my next update will be... Well, let's make it every month shall we? That way the changes will be more noticeable. So, April 29th will be my next major update :)

Just updated my pics, I am doing well I think. The pic and update is on my first post of course ... if anyone would be curious to want to know about my workouts and muay thai workouts, I will explain, but won't right now in case people aren't wondering.

But, I think it could help people ... it's certainly working for me.

Keep going Tiger King and you'll reach your goals. :tu:

Rene

I am noticing a big difference!!!! Keep it up and don't sweat the small setbacks. Someone once told me, “It’s not important how far you fall. What’s really important is how high you bounce.” :tu:

I just wanted everyone to know that I haven't forgotten about this journal.

My last pic was Feb29th, I officially messed up the whole month of April and a bit of May, because I forgot to lower my caloric intake to match my new body weight.

However i have recently corrected that and am proud to say that I have lost 16 more lbs and 4% more bodyfat than when that last pic/weigh in was taken. So, I am now 206 lbs and 26% bodyfat.

I hope to get around 202 or even 200 by next Sunday, but even if I get to 203 I will take a picture of me regardless to compare the differences.

Excellent progress so far! Just keep doing what you''re doing, and you'll reach your goal.

Like I said in my MaxOT (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=5578) thread, it amazes me how easy it is to change the way your body looks.

I wouldn't call april a setback - heck...maybe that was exactly what you needed to get your metabolism going again? After "dieting" more or less continuously since october last year(had a planned "break" in december), I went on maintainance in april, and that certainly helped me :tu:

great going Tiger King, your progress really shows!
Looing forward to seeing the current pics.

good job man, way to stay motivated! keep us posted!

Tiger King keep up the good work. Stick to it. I can see the difference from your first pic up to the last!

I'm a bit pissed. I know I promised more pictures however since my last comment I have completely plateaued at 207 lbs and 26% bodyfat. This means I've have been at a plateau for 2 1/2 weeks .... that's too long to me, I should have begun to break through it by now.

For three days I increased my calories by 200-300 and did no exercise. I hoped this "jumpstart" my body/metabolism but so far it has not. I'm still in the 207 lbs. range.

So, yesterday I increased the intensity on all my cardio routines and I've begun taking Hydroxycut. I'm going to do my weigh in tomorrow morning .. and if it is above 207 lbs, I'm going to really start wondering what in the hell is going on. I hope that all this extra stuff will get something going again.

I just wanted to lose 10 more lbs before I switched gears and began my endurance phase (basically road running every day and muay thai 3 times a week) but these last 10 are proving extremely difficult for me.

Suggestions? I'm about out of ideas on how to solve this.

Are you using the same equipment ? I know when this happend to me, I started using a recumbent bike insted of just the tredmill and eliptical, and that got me off of a major platue. My body didn't like it... had that "new excersize, I'm gonna die" feel :spaz: . :lol:

Just a thought....