I'll be throwing pictures of my progress in this thread from time-to-time. Some of these will not be posted on my main page and will only be posted here.

January 31, 2004

February 1, 2004

Looking good John, as always, especially great definition in the back.
Keep it up (not that you need me to tell you that, lol)

i'm in the process of updating my site at the moment, should be up in about 10 mins

Greeno :)

I seriously like your delt development, I want a pair like that! :cool:

Looks great John..

Not to hijack the thread, but nice amp there.. I got a little half stack envy going on here.. :tu: I used to lug two Marshall stacks and a rack of processors around to gigs(of course, only one cabinet actually running...) but sold it all a couple of years ago. Now I have a Line6 Flextone II. Gets a lot of different tones.. even a good marshall one.. but its just not as satisfying as blow drying your hair in front of a stack.. :spaz:

Bill

A little horseshoe action. :D

I know that my posing is absolutely pitiful, but here's a side tricep shot from this morning.

February 4, 2004

*whistles* :)

And just the other day you were complaining about having no shoulders. It looks like you've made some great progress; the striations are really showing through. :tu:

oh, and the triceps look good as usual.

Here's a side chest shot from this morning...

February 5, 2004

Stretching, nice quad view...

February 5, 2004

Just a shot while doing pushups...

February 5, 2004

Damn John, looking great! I envy your arms, those are some killer delts you got. Calves too...

Question for you (intended as constructive critisicm, of course) How hard do you hit your traps and lats? With the definition/size you have in your back, if your lats and traps caught up you would look HUGE!

Thanks again for the inspiration!

Damn John, looking great! I envy your arms, those are some killer delts you got. Calves too...

Question for you (intended as constructive critisicm, of course) How hard do you hit your traps and lats? With the definition/size you have in your back, if your lats and traps caught up you would look HUGE!

Thanks again for the inspiration!Yeah, I totally agree with you - my traps and lats look terrible because I've never directly worked them before. :o I started working them for the first time about 3 weeks ago, so hopefully within a few months I'll start to see some development in those areas!

(Looks at your January 6, 2003 & compares with these updates)

Amazing :nod:

Here's a side chest shot from this morning...

February 5, 2004

THat reminds me of the scene in "Raw Iron" where Arnold corrects Franco:

"Side chest, not front chest." ;)

Looking good nonetheless...don't mind me, I just enjoy that movie quite a bit. You know your progress is great, John. :tucool:

my traps and lats look terrible

I'm sure plenty of folks here would give their eye teeth too look as "terrible" as you.

Out of curiosity, what are your goals now? What do you want your body to look like when you are completely satisfied with it? Do you intend to do any type of competing?

I've never :drool: seen a guy built like John in person. *whistles* :)

Just a shot while doing pushups...

February 5, 2004hey john, whats on your clipboard? is that your max-ot workout tracker?

Just a shot while doing pushups...

February 5, 2004

Hi John,

I thought that you were going to lay off of the shoulder work off for a month or so. Did you change your mind?

Thanks for the replies, all! :)

I'm sure plenty of folks here would give their eye teeth too look as "terrible" as you.

Out of curiosity, what are your goals now? What do you want your body to look like when you are completely satisfied with it? Do you intend to do any type of competing?
Well, my lats and traps are lagging, but thanks Andi. :)

I don't want to get too much bigger than I am now. I'd like to increase the size of my upper body and arms somewhat, including my pecs, delts, triceps, biceps, lats and traps. I'm quite happy with my legs. I have no plans to look like a bodybuilder or compete, no.

I've never :drool: seen a guy built like John in person.:o

I think maybe you should get out more. ;)

I know this sounds cheesy, but I guess I'm still not quite used to being looked at in that way again. For so long I was just a fat guy with no self-confidence, and I guess part of me still thinks I am (although much of the confidence I had when I was younger has returned). Anyway, thank you for the kind words.

hey john, whats on your clipboard? is that your max-ot workout tracker?Yeah, sure is! This one: http://www.johnstonefitness.com/misc/max-ot.xls

Hi John,

I thought that you were going to lay off of the shoulder work off for a month or so. Did you change your mind?
Nope, I didn't change my mind. I do 50 pushups every morning, and another 50 each night. They don't bother my shoulder at all, and I don't really consider them part of my workout. I just do them to get my blood pumping.

A couple more shots that I took this morning. Quads!

February 5, 2004

I've never :drool: seen a guy built like John in person.

Yeah :drool: was my first reaction upon seeing these photos as well but I didn't say anything cause I didn't want Lisa to kick my ass!! :D

Lisa, I hope you find the female attention as flattering as John hopefully does, cause it reflects awfully well on you too ;)

And John, the fact that you haven't copped the "hot looking a**hole" attitude (at least not yet :eek: ) really adds to your charm!! I think you're developing a fan club as much as being our mentor!!

Take note guys, putting all that effort into getting in shape has a *myriad* of advantages :D

Lisa, I hope you find the female attention as flattering as John hopefully does, cause it reflects awfully well on you too

I think it's wonderful really :) I am so proud of John and what he has accomplished this past year. He looks amazing. It doesn't go to his head either, he's just really down to earth and unaffected by it all, which I think is very charming and sweet :) So, yeah...I love to see him getting attention, he deserves it :)

Please don't take this the wrong way John but to me your legs look a little off balance. From your knee up your legs look huge compared from your knee down. Maybe it's the way you are flexing. Then again, maybe it's just because I've never really paid attention to men's legs before :D

Keep the pictures coming - they fuel my motivation to work hard and stay dedicated for my future chiseled body!

Geed I think it's impossible to get knee-down as big as knee-up. The muscles are just naturally bigger there.

Please don't take this the wrong way John but to me your legs look a little off balance. From your knee up your legs look huge compared from your knee down. Maybe it's the way you are flexing. Then again, maybe it's just because I've never really paid attention to men's legs before :D

Keep the pictures coming - they fuel my motivation to work hard and stay dedicated for my future chiseled body!
It might be the way I'm flexing, or you might just prefer smaller/less defined quads on your men. :)

I really don't look like that just walking around. I was flexing to show my muscle development. My quads actually are not all that big -- just 22.5" at their widest point. They are just well-defined because of my lower body fat levels. I'm actually pretty happy with my quads and calves and their "balance", but you may not prefer my particular look, and that's a-ok!

d00d, your legs are awesome!!! Thanks for giving me something to look forward to! :tucool:

-CP

This is probably my worst pose. I'm not real happy with this shot, but this is how I look so I'm putting it here to remind me how much work I need to do once my shoulder heals.

February 7, 2004

you got some monster quads bro! really symetrical :tu:

I think it's wonderful really :) I am so proud of John and what he has accomplished this past year. He looks amazing. It doesn't go to his head either, he's just really down to earth and unaffected by it all, which I think is very charming and sweet :) So, yeah...I love to see him getting attention, he deserves it :)
i think that is fantastic! sorry of this goes Off Topic in your photo thread John, but this kinda fits with what Lisa said. let me explain why.... a few weeks ago(middle of January I believe), my tivo recorded an Oprah show. Im not a fan of her, the wife kinda likes her, kinda dislikes her, but we decided to watch the show. The topic was NYC firemen that left their wives for other firemens widows. Ok, not a problem... Well, halfway into it, a woman starts talking about the "surefire" signs to know if your man is cheating. Now, remember, this was about January 15, so millions of fatbodies across the nation are now 2 weeks into their attempts at fulfilling their new years resolutions. Her "signs" were ::

1. If your husband starts working out, he is cheating.
2. If your husband buys new clothes, he is cheating. (this can obviously be exacerbated by issue #1... lose weight, you must buy new clothes or look like crap at work)
3. Starts wearing cologne
4. Gets his hair cut more regularly
And a few other INSANE reasons.

Now, this upset me because think of all the women across the nation whos husbands just began a fitness program. Think of all the husbands that night that got confronted with "are you cheating on me" questions. Think of how many actually stopped working out because they wanted to ensure their wife didnt think they were doing this to promote infidelity. And when I say I was upset, I wasnt upset, I was pissed! My wife started laughing, but I know how people struggle with getting in shape, and how something this inane could derail them, for good. The good thing is that I wasnt a fatty when I got married. I was in shape, about 12 or 14% BF, while in the Marine Corps. So my wife knows whats under my fatness, and cant wait for me to be my old self again. But imagine all those wives across the nation that are Oprah fans, that got suspicious at their husbands efforts, just because they are trying to make themselves feel good, and look good naked for their wife?

Spousal supports is a HUGE important factor to determine ones success in any fitness program. Without their support, failure is almost guaranteed. My wife gives me amazing support, eats the food I cook, and cooks food that is proper for me. She always asks how I did in the gym, and reads over my workout logs. Without her support, it would be much more difficult, if not damned impossible.

i think that is fantastic! sorry of this goes Off Topic in your photo thread John, but this kinda fits with what Lisa said. let me explain why.... a few weeks ago(middle of January I believe), my tivo recorded an Oprah show. Im not a fan of her, the wife kinda likes her, kinda dislikes her, but we decided to watch the show. The topic was NYC firemen that left their wives for other firemens widows. Ok, not a problem... Well, halfway into it, a woman starts talking about the "surefire" signs to know if your man is cheating. Now, remember, this was about January 15, so millions of fatbodies across the nation are now 2 weeks into their attempts at fulfilling their new years resolutions. Her "signs" were ::

1. If your husband starts working out, he is cheating.
2. If your husband buys new clothes, he is cheating. (this can obviously be exacerbated by issue #1... lose weight, you must buy new clothes or look like crap at work)
3. Starts wearing cologne
4. Gets his hair cut more regularly
And a few other INSANE reasons.

Now, this upset me because think of all the women across the nation whos husbands just began a fitness program. Think of all the husbands that night that got confronted with "are you cheating on me" questions. Think of how many actually stopped working out because they wanted to ensure their wife didnt think they were doing this to promote infidelity. And when I say I was upset, I wasnt upset, I was pissed! My wife started laughing, but I know how people struggle with getting in shape, and how something this inane could derail them, for good. The good thing is that I wasnt a fatty when I got married. I was in shape, about 12 or 14% BF, while in the Marine Corps. So my wife knows whats under my fatness, and cant wait for me to be my old self again. But imagine all those wives across the nation that are Oprah fans, that got suspicious at their husbands efforts, just because they are trying to make themselves feel good, and look good naked for their wife?

Spousal supports is a HUGE important factor to determine ones success in any fitness program. Without their support, failure is almost guaranteed. My wife gives me amazing support, eats the food I cook, and cooks food that is proper for me. She always asks how I did in the gym, and reads over my workout logs. Without her support, it would be much more difficult, if not damned impossible.
I agree, spousal support is very important. I also agree that those "surefire" signs of cheating are just silly. It's all about trust, and any woman who sees her husband doing some or all of the things on that list and become convinced he is cheating based on that "information" alone, has very serious trust issues with the marriage, and that's not healthy.

Even though I'm doing every single thing on that list, Lisa still trusts me 100% because she knows how much I love her and that there is no way I'd ever cheat on her (unless, of course, the woman in question was really, really hot.) ;)

I agree, spousal support is very important. I also agree that those "surefire" signs of cheating are just silly. It's all about trust, and any woman who sees her husband doing some or all of the things on that list and become convinced he is cheating based on that "information" alone, has very serious trust issues with the marriage, and that's not healthy.

Even though I'm doing every single thing on that list, Lisa still trusts me 100% because she knows how much I love her and that there is no way I'd ever cheat on her (unless, of course, the woman in question was really, really hot.) ;)

yep, i too am doing everything on "the list". Natalie bought me cologne for my b-day, so of course Im going to wear it. Natalie bought me new clothes, because everything else is falling off! So that is why she just laughed her butt off, because of how ridiculous and retarded this ladies "list" was. She too laughed at this woman for lack of spousal support, and how much of a de-motivator she could be.

Plus, the only women at my gym that early in the morning are 55+ years old, hanging on for dear life to the bars on the treadmill. No grannies for me, y0h!

(unless, of course, the woman in question was really, really hot.)

you are such a dork :p

you are such a dork :p

People still use "Dork"?

Must be an american thing :D

you are such a dork :p
ruh roh!

http://distinctivebrick.com/images/thumbnails/clinker_1.jpg

bricks inbound!

Must be an american thing

I think it might just be a Lisa thing ;)



LOL @ corbint!

Here I am in the middle of February. Florida winters can be quite harsh, so I'm all bundled up in this shot ("bundled up" in Florida means putting a shirt on). I promise that I'm not smirking at you poor people freezing your asses off right now, it's just a bad picture. ;)

February 8, 2004

at least the sun is shining here now, and the snow finally melted. its a balmy 31 right now too!

c'mon john, its 56 right now in Orlando! that means people are freaking out, wearing winter coats, 2 pairs of pants, snow boots, spreading salt on the roads, and starting up their snowmobiles down there!

I havent been able to find this out.... in all of johns pictures over time, when he would do pictures with cold flexes.... was he contracting and clenching his ab muscles or not?

I havent been able to find this out.... in all of johns pictures over time, when he would do pictures with cold flexes.... was he contracting and clenching his ab muscles or not?
Yes, I'm flexing in my pictures - abs, too.

Think of all the husbands that night that got confronted with "are you cheating on me" questions. Think of how many actually stopped working out because they wanted to ensure their wife didnt think they were doing this to promote infidelity.

Yeah, I was never married but I stopped doing a hell of a lot to continue proving to my partner of the time (the mother of the little girl who lives with me) and now my ex, that I was all for the trust etc. All of a sudden my phone was being checked for unruly text messages, the itemised phone bill was checked too. Can you imagine how all of a sudden each and every pocket was re-checked just incase I had missed something when putting clothes into the washer? I'm so glad I don't have that anymore.

Props to you John! You look good, you deserve to be told that too. Iin agreeance to what Lisa has already said, you haven't let it go to your head when there are far too many guys (and gals) think they're gods for it! :tu:

Here's a fascinating look inside my freezer. :rolleyes:

Don't ask me why I'm posting these...

On the top shelf I have about a month's worth of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and about six weeks worth of trimmed top sirloin steak.

On the second shelf I have about a month's worth of Atlantic salmon and shrimp....

On the third and fourth shelves I have a bunch of Boca Breakfast patties, Lisa's Boca Breakfast links, behind those are about 6 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas (cheat night!), a bag of ice, some Morningstar Farms links and Lisa's Go Lean waffles.

Veggies!

You've been wandering around the house with the camera unable to stop yourself taking random pictures, haven't you....

I suspect that you may have caught up with the e-mails, and so now have free time again, and have forgotton what exactly you should be doing.

Go enjoy that spanking DVD setup.

Andrew.

You've been wandering around the house with the camera unable to stop yourself taking random pictures, haven't you....

I suspect that you may have caught up with the e-mails, and so now have free time again, and have forgotton what exactly you should be doing.

Go enjoy that spanking DVD setup.

Andrew.Awww... now you've made me feel guilty, as I still have hundreds of emails to answer. :o

I try to answer at least 30 every night. After that many it becomes less enjoyable and more like work. Sometimes on the weekends, though, I get into a groove and get 100+ answered in one day. :tu:

Can you tell we like to shop in bulk? :p

Hell, lookie at all that chicken! It's a darn protein factory in there!

My fridge is about 4 foot tall and it has a freezer drawer in it. In there, I can fit probably 1kg of chicken fillet, maybe a few other things lol.

Isn't it amazing how much of a bigger house you need when you wanna get 'smaller'? heheheheh

I'm shrinking, gimme more space!

Craig

Can you tell we like to shop in bulk? :p
i was gonna say... looks like someone is an avid Costco or Sams Club shopper. i do the same thing, buy my chicken/veggies/salmon/egg beaters in bulk. Its easier and cheaper, and i love those darn individually wrapped atlantic salmon fillets!

is it just me, or do i just hate freezing chicken!
i always buy about 1kg at a time (my familiy uses some of it) and i never freeze it, too hard to defrost, easier to just take it out of the meat compartment and prepare it!

and shame on you john for getting packaged vegies! i reckon fresh vegies tastes 100times better! + fresh is fresh! i guess thats how you keep track of your calories so well :)

also dont you ever get sick of having pizza for a cheat meal? if i cheated every week i would vary it up! pasta, chinese, ice cream!

the chicken i get, in 8 lb bags (99%lean!!) can be cooked from a frozen state since each breast is individually flash frozen and then bagged. basically toss them in the oven at 375 for 50 minutes, and out comes a tender, juicy breast!

is it just me, or do i just hate freezing chicken!
i always buy about 1kg at a time (my familiy uses some of it) and i never freeze it, too hard to defrost, easier to just take it out of the meat compartment and prepare it!I just take the chicken out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the day before I am going to prepare it. By the following evening the breasts are perfectly defrosted and ready to go. Takes all of 2 seconds. :)



and shame on you john for getting packaged vegies! i reckon fresh vegies tastes 100times better! + fresh is fresh! i guess thats how you keep track of your calories so well :)True, fresh veggies are the best tasting, but frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh, and we don't have time to go to the store more than once a week, so buying them frozen works out out best for us. Ideally I'd have my own garden. :tu:



also dont you ever get sick of having pizza for a cheat meal? if i cheated every week i would vary it up! pasta, chinese, ice cream!Heresy! I enjoy pizza almost more than life itself, and I would rather have my pizza than any other food. I'm just so pleased that I'm finally at a point where I can eat pizza again once a week. It was really hard for me to give it up for so long. If I ever get sick of pizza (HA!), I'll certainly go with another kind of cheat meal.

On the third and fourth shelves I have a bunch of Boca Breakfast patties, Lisa's Boca Breakfast links, behind those are about 6 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas (cheat night!), a bag of ice, some Morningstar Farms links and Lisa's Go Lean waffles. Crimany John, that looks like a Boca commercial waiting to happen! :)

All joking aside, I think I saw that you had Morningstar Farms earlier on. Why the switch? Price? Taste? Availability? I dig the Morningstar's right now, but I'll give Boca a try.

Crimany John, that looks like a Boca commercial waiting to happen! :)

All joking aside, I think I saw that you had Morningstar Farms earlier on. Why the switch? Price? Taste? Availability? I dig the Morningstar's right now, but I'll give Boca a try.
A little of both availability and taste, actually!

I always liked the MSF brand best, but one day they were out of them at the store, so Lisa brought home Boca with a "new and improved taste". I thought, "yeah, right!" Well, I loved them even more than the MSF brand and I now won't switch back. They really did make them taste better. My biggest complaint was that Boca breakfast patties tasted too much like their "hamburger" patties. I love their hamburger patties, but I don't want my fake sausage to taste like hamburger. Their new products are much improved.

:tu:

John...I don't know man, I just can't see it. After looking at the new pic of your torso in your avatar I would seriously have to say that that little bit of left over fat you were talking about is just in your imagination. All I see is skin over muscle....and I'm being totally objective here. Did you finally get rid of it or were you just pulling our legs? :D

John, you eat a lot of salmon. I wonder if you have read this warning (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/health/7669182.htm) on eating too much salmon. I am going to base my diet largly off yours, but I am going to go very easy on salmon and red meat, getting by on poultry and other fish.

John, you eat a lot of salmon. I wonder if you have read this warning (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/health/7669182.htm) on eating too much salmon. I am going to base my diet largly off yours, but I am going to go very easy on salmon and red meat, getting by on poultry and other fish.
i eat salmon twice weekly, and am familiar with this red herring of a report regarding contamination. the problem is in the food that is used to feed the salmon, specifically those raised in chile and another country that slips my mind. apparently, the salmon food has trace amounts of carcinogens in it, which could possibly be transferred to humans. other reports ive read have stated that to get a true problem from these farm-raised fish, you would need to eat salmon 4 times daily for a few months to even notice anything. also, its very difficult, and expensive, to get fresh atlantic salmon in my area, hence my need to buy farm raised.

go research the drugs that are injected into chickens! it might make you turn vegan!

John...I don't know man, I just can't see it. After looking at the new pic of your torso in your avatar I would seriously have to say that that little bit of left over fat you were talking about is just in your imagination. All I see is skin over muscle....and I'm being totally objective here. Did you finally get rid of it or were you just pulling our legs? :DOh, it's still there. It's not much, but I can see it.

The picture of me in my avatar is 100% real and unaltered, but keep in mind that it was taken under the best possible conditions: I took the shot first thing in the morning with no food in my belly, I used the perfect angle to accentuate my abs and play down my wide hips & the small amount of loose skin/fat around my belly button, I'm leaning back slightly which helps stretch the skin tighter around my abs and my abs are flexed.

Here's how I look not posed. You can clearly see a small amount of fat just below my belly button, and a little lose skin above it. I know it's not much, but it's there and it bugs me:

John, you eat a lot of salmon. I wonder if you have read this warning (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/health/7669182.htm) on eating too much salmon. I am going to base my diet largly off yours, but I am going to go very easy on salmon and red meat, getting by on poultry and other fish.
I eat Salmon twice a week and, depending on who you believe (the FDA or the study mentioned in the article), I'm either going to die within a few months, or I'm one of the few people in America who eat the proper amount of fatty fish each week. I get so tired of reading one contradictory study after another, all the while trying to decipher who funded what and the politics behind it that at this point I pretty much ignore them all.

more cushion for the pushin john, c'mon! FAT IS FABULOUS! Dont you know this mantra?!?!

...

Here's how I look not posed. You can clearly see a small amount of fat just below my belly button, and a little lose skin above it. I know it's not much, but it's there and it bugs me:

Oh, it's still there. It's not much, but I can see it.

The picture of me in my avatar is 100% real and unaltered, but keep in mind that it was taken under the best possible conditions: I took the shot first thing in the morning with no food in my belly, I used the perfect angle to accentuate my abs and play down my wide hips & the small amount of loose skin/fat around my belly button, I'm leaning back slightly which helps stretch the skin tighter around my abs and my abs are flexed.

Here's how I look not posed. You can clearly see a small amount of fat just below my belly button, and a little lose skin above it. I know it's not much, but it's there and it bugs me:

You have got to be one of the most modest people I've ever spoken to. haha With abs most people would kill for, you still have a full explanation of why they look that good.

I know what you're saying, but the bottom line is, your "fat" is basically non-existant. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't have a little something you can pull somewhere.

Wow lol, my freezer is far emptier than that. I have frozen veg, and thats about it, the rest isn't what I eat/own ;). although it's that time of the week for shopping. I'm going to look for frozen fish and try that..

I get so tired of reading one contradictory study after another, all the while trying to decipher who funded what and the politics behind it that at this point I pretty much ignore them all.

Slightly off topic, but this is exactly why I love this forum! While most people follow the same basic rules for cutting/bulkings, there's a lot of individual differences each person bring to their routine and they don't go shoving it in everyone's face saying their's is the only way to go.

Thanks John, for maintaining such a well behaved forum. Maybe one day, this site will be the HTF of fitness sites :tucool:

LOL@fat on your waist..

you are officially crazy, dude....

good work though...you've been alot of help..keep the pictures coming..it's motivational!

I eat Salmon twice a week and, depending on who you believe (the FDA or the study mentioned in the article), I'm either going to die within a few months, or I'm one of the few people in America who eat the proper amount of fatty fish each week. I get so tired of reading one contradictory study after another, all the while trying to decipher who funded what and the politics behind it that at this point I pretty much ignore them all.

Just hammer down a few cups of Green Tea a day. It has antioxidant actvity higher than broccoli for pete's sake! Also speeds up your metabolism!

Besides, who says all that processed garbage food like chips and crackers etc. doesn't contain chemicals. lol Hell even veggies are sprayed with pesticides, so I'm sure if you binge on them, that can cause problems as well. There's pretty much no escaping it, unless you raise (grow) your own food. Like Ted Nugent :)

Most things you hear about meat are just vegan propaganda meant to mislead you.

john, with the amount of time you and lisa spend outdoors during the summer, what have the reactions been from your neighbors regarding your transformation? were you as apt to do yard work when you were 215 lbs as you are now?

john, with the amount of time you and lisa spend outdoors during the summer, what have the reactions been from your neighbors regarding your transformation? were you as apt to do yard work when you were 215 lbs as you are now?Dude, when I was 215 pounds I was so self-conscience that I wore baggy jeans and a huge black T-shirt when I did yard work. I never got any sunshine at all back then. I also used to do the yard work very early in the morning because I was so out of shape that I thought I would pass out after a short while in the sun. Plus, I was embarrassed.

I didn't start doing yard work with my shirt off until I had my abs showing, and once I did the reaction from my neighbors (most of whom are typical suburban couch potatoes with physiques to match) was really funny; there were many very noticeable "double takes". I think some of the people who live in my neighborhood but don't really know me thought new people had moved in.

I know it sounds vain as hell (and I suppose it is), but I played scenes like the one I described above over and over in my head back when I was struggling to lose weight. Doing so really kept me motivated. I'm not ashamed to admit that I DO care what other people think of how I look, so when reality played out just as I had imagined it all those times in my head, it was really sweet. :D

They had to have noticed the fitness bug you contracted tho! I mean.... If i were your neighbor, and I heard 16Volt blaring at about 200dB at 6:01am, Id know something was up! Plus, does your gym face the street or the backyard? Im sure you have a nosey neighbor or two that has seen you busting out some squats or deadlifts through your window!

But, what I(and im sure others) want to know is... Have you been recognized at the store or anywhere else yet?

She bought me 3 pair of the same color, so I guess get to hear comments about "not changing" my underwear again if I accidentally wear the same color on sequential days...

:p package of three at Costco!!!

Dude john we got the same undies.

P.S. John what would you estimate your BF to be? I'd say 8-9?

They had to have noticed the fitness bug you contracted tho! I mean.... If i were your neighbor, and I heard 16Volt blaring at about 200dB at 6:01am, Id know something was up! Plus, does your gym face the street or the backyard? Im sure you have a nosey neighbor or two that has seen you busting out some squats or deadlifts through your window!

But, what I(and im sure others) want to know is... Have you been recognized at the store or anywhere else yet?
My gym faces the back yard, which is fenced in. I work out with the blinds open to let the sun in, and it wouldn't surprise me if a few of my backyard neighbors have looked through the cracks in the fence to see what's going on with the loud music.

I don't think I've been recognized. At least no one has come up to me and said so. I have seen a few people looking at me like they might know me, though, and I wondered what was up.

When I get my new Mustang GT Premium convertible (I'm thinking seriously about getting this car) maybe I'll spring for a custom license plate: "J STONE". :D

Dude john we got the same undies.

P.S. John what would you estimate your BF to be? I'd say 8-9?
About 8%. My fat is just below my belly button. :(

Looking REALLY LEAN John!

Honestly, thats not the look that I'm going for. I'll be thrilled to hit 15% bodyfat. With my genetics, I'll be very satisfied. I've got a wide, muscular build so I'll look pretty good at 15-16%. Plus, I like food too much to continue an eating regimen which would maintain 10% :D

Oh and John, QUIT OBSESSING over the miniscule "fat" above your belly button. I dont see an issue with it, but if it bothers you that much you'll either need to starve yourself to death or have liposuction :rolleyes:

Be glad you dont store fat on your chest like I do :mad: :o

Here I am in the middle of February. Florida winters can be quite harsh, so I'm all bundled up in this shot ("bundled up" in Florida means putting a shirt on). I promise that I'm not smirking at you poor people freezing your asses off right now, it's just a bad picture. ;)

February 8, 2004




John, has anyone ever mentioned you look like the real-life counter-part to Max Payne? I noticed it a while ago but never posted anything.

John, would you post a picture of your quads and calves standing as normal as possible (minimal flexxing)? Pretty please? :nod: :whistle:

I've been working my legs hard and want to know what I can expect just standing around.

My gym faces the back yard, which is fenced in. I work out with the blinds open to let the sun in, and it wouldn't surprise me if a few of my backyard neighbors have looked through the cracks in the fence to see what's going on with the loud music.

I don't think I've been recognized. At least no one has come up to me and said so. I have seen a few people looking at me like they might know me, though, and I wondered what was up.

When I get my new Mustang GT Premium convertible (I'm thinking seriously about getting this car) maybe I'll spring for a custom license plate: "J STONE". :D



ruh roh.......... from minivan to mustang. It must be the glutamine and one of its unknown side-effects! Propz to the pony car John, we all expect to see video of you and Lisa burning up I-4 in it!

At least a drop top would be easy to load servers and routers into, and would help you maintain the tan! heck, isnt it mandatory to own a drop top in florida anyways?

lookin good john! someday ill have some abs like that.

I eat Salmon twice a week and, depending on who you believe (the FDA or the study mentioned in the article), I'm either going to die within a few months, or I'm one of the few people in America who eat the proper amount of fatty fish each week. I get so tired of reading one contradictory study after another, all the while trying to decipher who funded what and the politics behind it that at this point I pretty much ignore them all.

If you are going to be eating alot of fish, steer clear of farm raised fish. Try to eat fish caught the farthest(or is it furthest) off-shore. If they are farm raised, then chances are they were raised near other farms(normal farms). They will be exposed to alot of agricultural runoff(chemical fertilizers, pesticides for crops, herbicides for weeds, animal wastes). And we all know where chemical pesticides end up, fat. A farm-raised fatty fish has bad written all over it. Yea, fatty fish is great... until sh*t like this happens. I limit myself to tuna twice a week because of the dangers of metal poisonings from fish.

John, has anyone ever mentioned you look like the real-life counter-part to Max Payne? I noticed it a while ago but never posted anything.
LoL! Good call. With that smirk, its uncanny.

I have been compared to Gordon Freeman a couple times, but I dont really see it myself. :)

You look incredibly good, John...as you've done for months. However, I think you'd look better if you added more lean mass and got up to about 10%bf. At least that's what I'm aiming at, and I simply think it looks better;)

I got some sun today while working in the yard, and Lisa took this picture of me in my new underwear right after we finished.

Um, I'd just like to clear something up.... you do yardwork in your underwear?


:spaz:

Um, I'd just like to clear something up.... you do yardwork in your underwear?

HAHAHA!! Excellent! :D

Looking REALLY LEAN John!

Honestly, thats not the look that I'm going for. I'll be thrilled to hit 15% bodyfat. With my genetics, I'll be very satisfied. I've got a wide, muscular build so I'll look pretty good at 15-16%. Plus, I like food too much to continue an eating regimen which would maintain 10% :D

Oh and John, QUIT OBSESSING over the miniscule "fat" above your belly button. I dont see an issue with it, but if it bothers you that much you'll either need to starve yourself to death or have liposuction :rolleyes:

Be glad you dont store fat on your chest like I do :mad: :o
I'm not obsessing about it, I'm just...um, keenly aware of it! ;)

There's nothing wrong with striving to improve, even if the results don't come easy! :tu:

I think I can get rid of it without starving myself (and lipo is out of the question).

Until it's gone you'll just have to put up with me whining about it. Sorry! :p

John, has anyone ever mentioned you look like the real-life counter-part to Max Payne? I noticed it a while ago but never posted anything.
Haha, I never noticed that. We even have similar chains... :)

John, would you post a picture of your quads and calves standing as normal as possible (minimal flexxing)? Pretty please? :nod: :whistle:

I've been working my legs hard and want to know what I can expect just standing around.
Well, my legs are not going to look anything like yours just because of our genetic differences, fat storage areas and on and on, but here ya go anyway...

Relaxed and un-flexed (3.15.2004):

You look incredibly good, John...as you've done for months. However, I think you'd look better if you added more lean mass and got up to about 10%bf. At least that's what I'm aiming at, and I simply think it looks better;)Well thanks!

More mass - YES! As soon as I can lift again. More fat? NO! ;)

Um, I'd just like to clear something up.... you do yardwork in your underwear?


:spaz:Well, yeah. Don't you?

Seriously, Lisa and I do yardwork in the nude. I just put the underwear on for the photo because I'm very shy.

ruh roh.......... from minivan to mustang. It must be the glutamine and one of its unknown side-effects! Propz to the pony car John, we all expect to see video of you and Lisa burning up I-4 in it!

At least a drop top would be easy to load servers and routers into, and would help you maintain the tan! heck, isnt it mandatory to own a drop top in florida anyways?I think the Mustang is more fitting for me than the Minivan. :D

I'll keep the minivan for moving servers and groceries and stuff like that. I'll reserve the Mustang for weekends when I'm out cruising for chickz.

I'll reserve the Mustang for weekends when I'm out cruising for chickz.

When I read that I nearly spit whey and milk all over my keyboard :D

This is really amusing. John, how does it feel to have your underwear a national (even international) concern? The things you put up with for us! Costco got a free plug from Lisa - potential sponsor? Slogan:
"Go all the whey in Costco undies"
(was that outloud? sorry)

I'm not obsessing about it, I'm just...um, keenly aware of it! ;)

There's nothing wrong with striving to improve, even if the results don't come easy! :tu:

I think I can get rid of it without starving myself (and lipo is out of the question).

Until it's gone you'll just have to put up with me whining about it. Sorry! :p
as lame as this sounds, have you ever thought about using a topical fat burner (yohimburn for example) now that you have thinner skin, etc? it might be suitable for this application since you have that tiny patch of fat left.

as lame as this sounds, have you ever thought about using a topical fat burner (yohimburn for example) now that you have thinner skin, etc? it might be suitable for this application since you have that tiny patch of fat left.
Hrm, I had not thought about that. Do those things really work? I mean I'm willing to try just about anything short of surgery to get rid of it. It seems like no matter how thin I get the little roll is always there. I've had it to one degree or another all my life - even when I was 147 pounds and rail thin and overly-skinny. It's one of the reasons I hate to eat a lot when I bulk because all the fat goes right to that spot and it's SO hard to get rid of it again.

Hrm, I had not thought about that. Do those things really work? I mean I'm willing to try just about anything short of surgery to get rid of it. It seems like no matter how thin I get the little roll is always there. I've had it to one degree or another all my life - even when I was 147 pounds and rail thin and overly-skinny. It's one of the reasons I hate to eat a lot when I bulk because all the fat goes right to that spot and it's SO hard to get rid of it again.personal opinion is that they work if your skin is already thin enough, which helps with the transdermal action. check out this thread from "str8flexed". he applied Lipoderm to his abs and posts his pics and results. (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=237748) Id love to see you do a similar report on its effects john. Be warned, there are multiple types on the market, and some are better than others. Speaking of thin skin, obviously you have had a change in skin thickness due to your transformation. Back in the day, you probably had thick skin due to sub-dermal fat, along with water retention correct? How much different is it now? Is it "paper thin" or close too?

NOTE FOR ALL READERS OF THIS THREAD :: UNLESS YOUR ABS ARE SOMEWHAT VISIBLE, AND YOUR DIET IS ROCK SOLID, AND YOU HAVE A PERFECTED CARDIO/LIFTING ROUTINE, YOU SHOULDNT WASTE YOUR $$$ ON THIS TYPE OF TRANSDERMAL FAT BURNER. It wont have the desired effect.

For people in Johns situation where there is that tiny patch of fat that remains, and just wont disappear after months of cardio/diet/lifting/etc, then this is an alternative to going under the knife for lipo.


Also, regarding your bulk... Im talking with Chris Janusz about his dietary partitioning programs. One of the keys of his bulking(and cutting) programs is that he doesnt mix certain macros with other macros during certain meal times. With that said, his bulking diets produce interesting results with less than average added bodyfat during a serious bulking phase, but more than average added lean body mass. Might be worth looking into! ;-)

personal opinion is that they work if your skin is already thin enough, which helps with the transdermal action. check out this thread from "str8flexed". he applied Lipoderm to his abs and posts his pics and results. (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=237748) Id love to see you do a similar report on its effects john. Be warned, there are multiple types on the market, and some are better than others. Speaking of thin skin, obviously you have had a change in skin thickness due to your transformation. Back in the day, you probably had thick skin due to sub-dermal fat, along with water retention correct? How much different is it now? Is it "paper thin" or close too?
I wouldn't say paper thin, but pretty thin! st8flexed sure has some MASSIVE biceps, doesn't he? Damn...

I am going to do some research on this and may give it a try.

On another note, why do so many threads over at BB.com have to end up as flame wars? :(


Also, regarding your bulk... Im talking with Chris Janusz about his dietary partitioning programs. One of the keys of his bulking(and cutting) programs is that he doesnt mix certain macros with other macros during certain meal times. With that said, his bulking diets produce interesting results with less than average added bodyfat during a serious bulking phase, but more than average added lean body mass. Might be worth looking into! ;-)
I am doing something like that. For example, I no longer eat fats with carbs. I used to have peanuts and pretzels for a snack, now it's just peanuts and protein (tuna) or pretzels and protein (tuna). Never both at the same time. Is that similar to what Janusz is doing?

well crap, i had a huge reply typed up, but IE blew up when I previewed the post...

to paraphrase without the cute-sy formatting ::

- yes, str8flexed is hoooooge, and natural

- regarding the flame wars, I have my own theory, but Im only willing to elaborate during PM, to prevent a flame eruption here!

- what research did you do to change your snack around? do you have any urls to share?

I have the following from a message from Janusz ::

"1) A customized training program that coincides with the "Eating
Patterns" so as to allow growth, but cease over-training. 2) TWO
"Eating Patterns" which are the core of the entire program. You have
one for days in the gym, and days out of the gym. These patterns
contain the precise amounts of each macronutrient at each meal. "

- I can neither confirm nor deny thats what Janusz is doing, since I havent seen a diet plan, nor would I break my word that I wouldnt divulge his info, since its what he bases his business on. I will however test his theories for 6 weeks as a natural fat loser(tm)/body builder and compare it to the results from my regular 50/35/15 breakdown, and see which one promoted the greatest loss of fat mass, while promoting the largest gain in lean body mass. Yes people, its possible to LOSE FAT and GAIN MUSCLE at the SAME TIME!

Anyways, we now return you to your regularly scheduled program of John Stone, Underwear Model Extraordinaire! :-D

You guys need to check these articles out. That's where the whole not eating carbs+fat in the same meal comes from:

Massive Eating Reloaded, Part 1 (http://www.t-mag.com/nation_articles/302mass2.html)

Massive Eating Reloaded, Part 2 (http://www.t-mag.com/nation_articles/303mass2.html)

Well, my legs are not going to look anything like yours just because of our genetic differences, fat storage areas and on and on, but here ya go anyway...

Actually, surprisingly, besides not being quite as large as your legs, I have very similarly shaped ones. Thanks a lot for the pics.

Hrm, I had not thought about that. Do those things really work? I mean I'm willing to try just about anything short of surgery to get rid of it. It seems like no matter how thin I get the little roll is always there. I've had it to one degree or another all my life - even when I was 147 pounds and rail thin and overly-skinny. It's one of the reasons I hate to eat a lot when I bulk because all the fat goes right to that spot and it's SO hard to get rid of it again.

Are you sure that it's fat and not just stretched skin?? I think I will always have some stretched skin in the abdominal area, since I allowed myself to balloon up to 235 pounds. I'm surprised how much it actually has retracted and/or ab muscle has filled in that location. But I don't think it will ever go away. Probably some residual fat there also.

I dunno - I never thought I could get my BF% down where it is now, much less have a perfect abdominal region. It's annoying not to see those final tweaks happen. On the other hand, I'm a 37 year-old married man -- not expecting a call from Playgirl anytime soon for a centerfold spread, and I really have little or no incentive to refine my swimsuit appearance. LOL.

Are you sure that it's fat and not just stretched skin??
At one time I thought it was just loose skin, but there's no question about it--it's fat. When I put on even a little fat, that's the very first place it goes (and like I said, it never fully goes away). It's also the very last thing to come off when I lose weight.

I often joke with my wife and said that if I were starving to death my body would eat my organs and skin before that roll, and I would die with a little fat roll draped over the mid-section of my skeleton. He's a tough sucker, I'll give him that!

I'll reserve the Mustang for weekends when I'm out cruising for chickz.

well aren't you just too funny!!! :p

well aren't you just too funny!!! :pHey, you stay out of this. I can't very well take my wife along when ahm cruising for the hottiez, now can I?

Flirt flirt flirt
Flirt flirt flirt

So, when you two love birds are teasing each other on the forums, are you actually sitting right by each other the whole time?

Cuz... you know.... that would be funny.... and sad :D

So, when you two love birds are teasing each other on the forums, are you actually sitting right by each other the whole time?

Cuz... you know.... that would be funny.... and sad :D
We sit in the same room, but not right next to each other It's funny because we'll often be talking about other stuff while we are posting to each other. Yeah, we're != normal.

:spaz:

Yeah, we're != normal.

I once tried to write my own Operating System, how's that for not being normal! :nod:

Anyway, sorry about the threadjack folks. We now return to the normally scheduled thread about John's pics, already in progress....

John, congrats on your new camera. And I am SO glad you switched to an all white background. Is that a wall, or...? To me the lighting looks very even and the sharpness is awesome. Is that straight out of the camera or did you do some sharpening in post processing?

It's amazing what a difference it makes when someone's eyes are sharp. They suddenly look 100% more human. Sounds weird, but it's true. Compare John's eyes in the new shot to the old shot (in the side by side on the main page) and the difference is very obvious.

Even with the shot being resized the increase in detail is excellent. Damn, congrats on such a great purchase!!

Andi asked me for some sample images from my new Fuji S7000 camera, so I thought I'd post them here just in case anyone else is interested.

Some of these are LARGE!

Banana (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/banana_small.jpg) - 640x377 (87 KB) - resized from 6MP original, no post processing, re-saved in Photoshop
Banana (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/banana.jpg) - 1206x711 (293 KB) - crop from 6MP original, no post processing, re-saved in Photoshop

Loki Snob (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/loki_snob_small.jpg) - 480x640 (148 KB) - resized from 1MP original, re-saved in Photoshop
Loki Snob (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/loki_snob.jpg) - 960x1280 (487 KB) - 1MP original

Loki Nose (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/loki_nose_small.jpg) - 640x481 (106 KB) - macro shot, resized from 12MP original, no post processing, re-saved in Photoshop
Loki Nose (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/loki_nose.jpg) - 4048x3040 (2743 KB) - original 12MP images, no post processing (this thing is HUGE but the detail is amazing!) Don't forget that some browsers will auto re-size the image to fit the window it's in so make sure you are getting the corect image size!


More to come, and I have a video of me that I don't know if I want to post. :o

More to come, and I have a video of me that I don't know if I want to post. :o

You know you wanna! :D

the 12MP nose image is scary, to say the least. does this cam save the images as jpeg or does it have the RAW format as well?

Andi asked me for some sample images from my new Fuji S7000 camera, so I thought I'd post them here just in case anyone else is interested.

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. You should be totally stoked. Did you take these with manual or automatic settings? The DOF on Loki's nose is excellent, I'll be very proud if you did that in manual. And the detail and saturation in all cases looks really nice and true.

More to come, and I have a video of me that I don't know if I want to post. :o

Don't tease us like that!! The radio person in me is particularly interested to hear your voice. For all we know you sound like Donald Duck! :D

the 12MP nose image is scary, to say the least. does this cam save the images as jpeg or does it have the RAW format as well?
The default is JPG, but you can save it as RAW as well! :)

Oh, I really don't wanna... but alright. I will prolly post these on the main site, too if I have the nerve.

Large version (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/welcome_to_JSF_large.wmv) (640x480/3.65 MB)
Small version (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/welcome_to_JSF_small.wmv) (320x240/1.68 MB)

Files are in Windows Media format.

Sorry that I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say!

Oh, I really don't wanna... but alright. I will prolly post these on the main site, too if I have the nerve. Sorry that I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say!

Okay, I have two things to say.

#1. I downloaded the 12MP image and was bummed to see there's no EXIF information. I guess that's cause it was renamed. Oh well.

#2. That video? OH MY GOD! You are SO cute!! :p

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. You should be totally stoked. Did you take these with manual or automatic settings? The DOF on Loki's nose is excellent, I'll be very proud if you did that in manual. And the detail and saturation in all cases looks really nice and true.
The banana was taken in Programmed Aperture mode, the Loki Snob was taken in Programmed Aperture mode, and the nose shot was taken in Super Macro mode. :) The videos I posted should be taken with a grain of salt. ;)

Okay, I have two things to say.

#1. I downloaded the 12MP image and was bummed to see there's no EXIF information. I guess that's cause it was renamed. Oh well.
I re-saved it as the highest quality JPG in Photoshop because the original was taken in RAW mode, and that was 36 MB once converted to TIFF! I can get you something with EXIF, tho.

#2. That video? OH MY GOD! You are SO cute!! :p
I think in this case "cute" is a euphemism for "goofball". :o

I think in this case "cute" is a euphemism for "goofball". :o


http://www.titoi.com/jsf/john.jpg

Pictures are awesome. Your dog has a very clean nose.
Videos are pretty sweet. How far away were you from the camera when making those? The mic on the camera seems to be pretty sensitive. Its also good to put a voice to the face.

http://www.titoi.com/jsf/john.jpg
Heh, thanks a lot, Andi. ;)

I guess that's my impression of the :p

Pictures are awesome. Your dog has a very clean nose.
Videos are pretty sweet. How far away were you from the camera when making those? The mic on the camera seems to be pretty sensitive. Its also good to put a voice to the face.
Thanks!

I was about 2 feet away from the camera. The room is pretty "dry" and has a lot of echo.

I can get you something with EXIF, tho.

That'd be cool thanks ;)

Ok Andi, I went out back after lunch and grabbed some shots of one of my lantanas. I've got some straight from the camera, and some resized in Photoshop. All have EXIF information. I took the non-macro shot in manual mode (first attempt at manual mode, pls be kind!) :tu:

Lantana (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_cc.jpg) - 640x480 (384 KB) - resized from 6MP original, taken in manual mode (check EXIF information for settings), minor color correction, re-saved in Photoshop
Lantana (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_orig.jpg) - 2848x2136 (1535 KB) - 6MP original, taken in manual mode (check EXIF information for settings), no re-touching, image straight from camera

Lantana Macro (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_macro_cc.jpg) - 640x480 (292 KB) - resized from 6MP original, taken in super macro mode (check EXIF information for settings), minor color correction, re-saved in Photoshop
Lantana Macro (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_macro_orig.jpg) - 2848x2136 (1532 KB) - 6MP original, taken in super macro mode (check EXIF information for settings), no re-touching, image straight from camera

I can "smell" Florida spring weather in those photos.
The quality of light you get down there is so nice and tropical feeling!

kinda surreal to think those shots were taken a few minutes ago a thousand miles away from here.

it is getting better here in Toronto, but still murky and cool
- nice to have a virtual vacation for a second there...

thnx john... :p

The video quality is pretty darn good for a still camera. I'm really looking forward to the instructional videos!

Oh, I really don't wanna... but alright. I will prolly post these on the main site, too if I have the nerve.

Large version (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/welcome_to_JSF_large.wmv) (640x480/3.65 MB)
Small version (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/welcome_to_JSF_small.wmv) (320x240/1.68 MB)

Files are in Windows Media format.

Sorry that I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say!
this is weird... i mean, after viewing your pics month after month, reading your daily updates day after day, and even emailing back and forth, seeing you "in person" changes the way i view the site(for the better!). its kinda like "yep, real person on the other end"....

anyone have the same reaction? this is the FIRST video of Mr Stone we have seen, and Im sure not the last!

Ok Andi, I went out back after lunch and grabbed some shots of one of my lantanas. I've got some straight from the camera, and some resized in Photoshop. All have EXIF information. I took the non-macro shot in manual mode (first attempt at manual mode, pls be kind!) :tu:

Lantana (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_cc.jpg) - 640x480 (384 KB) - resized from 6MP original, taken in manual mode (check EXIF information for settings), minor color correction, re-saved in Photoshop
Lantana (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_orig.jpg) - 2848x2136 (1535 KB) - 6MP original, taken in manual mode (check EXIF information for settings), no re-touching, image straight from camera

Lantana Macro (small) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_macro_cc.jpg) - 640x480 (292 KB) - resized from 6MP original, taken in super macro mode (check EXIF information for settings), minor color correction, re-saved in Photoshop
Lantana Macro (large) (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/lantana_macro_orig.jpg) - 2848x2136 (1532 KB) - 6MP original, taken in super macro mode (check EXIF information for settings), no re-touching, image straight from camera
wow, the macro shots of those flowers are AWESOME. i coulda used that feature at the butterfly farm in Ft Lauderdale... cool stuff!

seeing you "in person" changes the way i view the site(for the better!). its kinda like "yep, real person on the other end"....
anyone have the same reaction?

Absolutely. I told John it reinforces the idea that he's not some slick talking guy trying to sell us something, he's "one of us" :)

And not Donald Duck! :D

The banana was taken in Programmed Aperture mode, the Loki Snob was taken in Programmed Aperture mode, and the nose shot was taken in Super Macro mode. :) The videos I posted should be taken with a grain of salt. ;)

Hey John cool video, i think you should keep it up on the site and do a couple of more. Those pics that you have taken were really good, i mean the color and how clear they are. Honestly the only thing i know about cameras is you push the little button to take a pic, my brother has a digital camera but im not sure if his comes out so clear like that. Do you mind if i ask how much it was?

Absolutely. I told John it reinforces the idea that he's not some slick talking guy trying to sell us something, he's "one of us" :)

And not Donald Duck! :D
i lived in Pensacola for about a year... I kinda expected him to have a more Southern accent!

Ok Andi, I went out back after lunch and grabbed some shots of one of my lantanas.

I've done a whole post about the shots in the
photo tips thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=23951#post23951) if anyone is interested.

Interesting! :tu:

Wow, cool video and photos. I can tell in less than a few weeks you're going to video everything in sight!

Thanks everyone. I was surprised that after 450 days of posting pictures myself in my underwear that I was still a little embarassed about posting the videos. Go figure. I went ahead and posted them on the main site, too.



Do you mind if i ask how much it was?Not at all. I got the "upgrade executive" package from www.buydig.com (http://www.buydig.com/):

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=E2FJFPS7000

I already had several sets of batteries and a charger, plus an xD card reader, so that saved me some cash.

Oh, I really don't wanna... but alright. I will prolly post these on the main site, too if I have the nerve.

Sorry that I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say!

I can't think what else you could have said! Maybe;

"Put that doughnut down" or "Don't worry, I am wearing shorts" :D

Seriously, how about "Hi, I'm John Stone and welcome to JSF.com. In January 2003 I looked like this (cut to a shot of fat John). This site is all about how I transformed myself to look like this (gesture toward self)." then sign off with "Thanks for visiting" or something.

Do you have any video of you pre Jan 2003? It might be good to put a few frames in if you can.

I do think it works, though. The video clip is a lot more personal than the diary or the still images.

Don't tease us like that!! The radio person in me is particularly interested to hear your voice. For all we know you sound like Donald Duck! :D

Hi Andi,

Now we've heard John, is there anywhere we can download a clip of your work? I've seen you mention voiceover work somewhere else on this site, and I'm just curious to hear what you sound like :)

John, you look even more shredded in live action. I thought I was close to reaching your physique, but only when I flex a certain way. You look ripped just standing there, relaxed. Time to hit the gym!

Hi Andi,

Now we've heard John, is there anywhere we can download a clip of your work? I've seen you mention voiceover work somewhere else on this site, and I'm just curious to hear what you sound like :)

Sure. I just put a link up here (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=24064#post24064) to avoid hijacking John's thread. Enjoy!

:tu: to the videos John, theyll give this site a whole new dimension.

It was funny hearing your accent though, I guess when your on a forum you forget your talking to people from the other side of the world.

Marcus :tucool:

I enjoyed the vid John.

It really makes you "come to life" as a real person.

You also seem very unassuming and normal!

Cool!

You know, your voice sounded deeper than I thought it would John.

Oh, and for the Mac users here (i.e. Me) you might want to see if you can make that into a quicktime movie, but I only get sound on my WMP.

Thanks! :)

Files are in Windows Media format.

THIS IS AWESOME!! I just watched the video using Winamp (apparently for some reason it's set up as the default player for WMV files on my pc at work :confused:..... and John is blue! :spaz: I tried to take a screenshot but I can't get it to work properly with the meager image tools I have at work. But he makes a great alien!! :D

I'd love to know if anyone else can get this to happen. It looks so freaking cool!!

THIS IS AWESOME!! I just watched the video using Winamp (apparently for some reason it's set up as the default player for WMV files on my pc at work :confused:..... and John is blue! :spaz: I tried to take a screenshot but I can't get it to work properly with the meager image tools I have at work. But he makes a great alien!! :D

I'd love to know if anyone else can get this to happen. It looks so freaking cool!!

Yeah, he's blue alright. The picture does not do it justice. It looks much better, but since I couldn't figure out how to capture an image from a movie I had to settle with a picture from a camera. awesome expression!

Oh and I agree, seeing you in live action, John, made the whole thing a lot more real for me. It was exactly like that, wow he is a real person. And I was suprised your voice was that deep as well. I'm not sure what that means. Oh and sorry about the pic, I couldn't resist.

It was blue for me too. John is big pimpin smurf.

I promise that I'm not smirking at you poor people freezing your asses off right now, it's just a bad picture. ;)


is there a smiley thing for "pbbbththththththh!!" ?

this is the first time in years I've been really impatient for winter to be just f*cking over so I can get out on my bike. HIIT on a machine in a gym gets really old. I wanna ride the Mississippi River trail and catch mosquitoes in my teeth! and guess what's in the forecast? more snow. ugh. at least it won't last more than a day but it's still kinda depressing.

b stupid job, be someplace less wintry s.

cool video...seeing how you're so down to earth live for the first time makes any more of what you have to say enjoyable... :cool:

Oh, and for the Mac users here (i.e. Me) you might want to see if you can make that into a quicktime movie, but I only get sound on my WMP.

Quicktime would be cool, but the clip plays OK here in Win Media Player 9 on OS X so maybe you need an update on that or something. watch out because the OS X version of WMP9 is an enormous resource pig; everything else pretty much slows to a crawl while it's playing something.

I don't think converting WMV to QT is possible, or at least it's not trivial. I don't know of a basic (e.g. not something expensive like Adobe Premier) video app on Windows that supports QT unless Apple went and did iMovie for Windows and didn't tell anyone ;)

Digicam video...always good times. :)

Yeah, I probably need an update on it, but at the moment, I don't have enough room on my computer to do that. :(

What's "cardigo"? ;)

Courtesy of Schteevie, here is the video in Quicktime for those who can't play the Windows Media files:


Video welcome - Large (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/welcome_to_JSF_large.mov) (640x480; Quicktime format; 6,084 KB)
Video welcome - Small (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/welcome_to_JSF_small.mov) (320x240; Quicktime format; 1,338 KB)

Hey!. Exellent quality. You actually sound just as I´ve imagined.
May I ask whats gonna happen with the old cam now that you´ve got a new one?. Selling it ? :D

You appear more like 25 than 35 to me, in a good way that is. It´s amazing what fitness can do to one.

May I ask whats gonna happen with the old cam now that you´ve got a new one?. Selling it ? :D We're going to keep it for use in "hostile" environments, like the beach. :)

You appear more like 25 than 35 to me, in a good way that is. It´s amazing what fitness can do to one.Hey, thanks - that's always great to hear!

We're going to keep it for use in "hostile" environments, like the beach.
whats the closest beach to orlando? isnt that city land-locked? about a year ago i drove from New Smyrna Beach to the Magic Kingdom... didnt take but maybe 2 hours.

whats the closest beach to orlando? isnt that city land-locked? about a year ago i drove from New Smyrna Beach to the Magic Kingdom... didnt take but maybe 2 hours.
I can get to Cocoa beach in less than an hour - 45 minutes if traffic is really light. All bets are off when/if I get my Mustang. ;)

You appear more like 25 than 35 to me, in a good way that is. It´s amazing what fitness can do to one. In another thread about age (before the age field showed up) somebody was asking how old everybody was. John wrote "35, feel 18 :jumping:".

I thought "bah, wishful thinking" -- boy was I wrong!

Then again maybe the new toy syndrome had some contribution ;)

This is my first attempt at very simple video editing. My dogs went nutz outside, and I managed to catch it on video. I put some music to it and then edited it down so the music fit better.

Please forgive the condition of the backyard. We have not done any planting or mulching yet this year (that's next weekend!)

Also, you'll notice that many of the boards in the fence have been replaced with temporary boards. This is because Turtle and the German Shepard behind us like to fence fight and Turtle keeps breaking boards with her face. :p I'm going to replace the whole damn thing this year.

You can actually see Turtle get distracted at one point as she spots Zina behind the fence and tries to go at it with her and Loki at the same time.

These are kinda big, so pls be patient as they download...

VIDEO - Loki and Turtle Playing (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/the_game_large.wmv) (640x480; Windows Media Format; 8.1 MB)

VIDEO - Loki and Turtle Playing (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/the_game_small.wmv) (320x240; Windows Media Format; 2.9 MB)

damn good video quality, that camera rocks! these videos are going to add a new dimension to your bandwidth usage john!

your dogs may have been acting crazy, but imagine if you instead had these for pets :: (yes, they are hyeenas, with crazy strong jaws)

http://www.clubs.nl/ClubsData/198620/incoming/nigerians2.jpg

That vid cracked me; you definitly made your dogs look like some hardcore thugs. Kinda reminded me of that scene in 'office space' when the three main guys are destroying the printer with a baseball bat with gansta rap in the background.

This is my first attempt at very simple video editing. My dogs went nutz outside, and I managed to catch it on video. I put some music to it and then edited it down so the music fit better.


That was great. Slowing it down and speeding it up to the music was awesome. Was it hard to do? I could imagine having a lot of fun with that. I'll have to add a camera to our wedding registry.

I'm glad you guys dig it! I'm still learning, but editing is fun. Kind of like programming, in an artistic way.


That was great. Slowing it down and speeding it up to the music was awesome. Was it hard to do? I could imagine having a lot of fun with that. I'll have to add a camera to our wedding registry.Actually the only part of the video that was time-altered was the very beginning (I slowed them down so that Turtle nudges Loki just as the music says "come on!". I stopped overcranking as soon as the music kicks in and I didn't speed them up at all! Those little pups can run! :)

lol funny video john, I love watching dogs play fight. :p

Its funny how theres that little hole in the fence with another dog on the other side. My dogs have a similar situation, it keeps them busy for ages, barking, scratching and sniffing at this other dog. Its a Great Dane and they are Jackies so they are lucky hes on the other side of a fecnce :)

Marcus :tucool:

What song is that...? It seems familiar but I cant figure it out...
Great vid! Cool dogs!

Actually the only part of the video that was time-altered was the very beginning (I slowed them down so that Turtle nudges Loki just as the music says "come on!". I stopped overcranking as soon as the music kicks in and I didn't speed them up at all! Those little pups can run! :)

That kind of thing is so cool. I love it when video and music merge together really well.

That kind of thing is so cool. I love it when video and music merge together really well.
Me too. Have you checked out The Wizard Of Oz juxtaposed with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Start the CD just after the 3rd MGM lion roar and prepare to be amazed.

Me too. Have you checked out The Wizard Of Oz juxtaposed with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Start the CD just after the 3rd MGM lion roar and prepare to be amazed.

I've done that! It really works! The best is right when the witch comes flying in the song with all the clocks going crazy starts playing. It's really creepy

heh I enjoyed your crazy dog video editing tho. Good musical selection for sure

That kind of thing is so cool. I love it when video and music merge together really well.

It is great when it is used in movies. A good example is the Tears for Fears, "head over heals" song being played over a continuous slow motion shot in Donnie Darko. Such an awesome scene.

Also, pulp fiction. When Macerllus gets "chosen" by Zed and they take him in the back room and the music kicks in and the scene is all choppy until the door slams shut which is regular speed.

The classic reservoir dogs "walking" scene. Swingers does a tribute to it.

And the office space scene is a good example too. I just love these. Makes me want to rip all onto a DVD and watch'm in a row.

Me too. Have you checked out The Wizard Of Oz juxtaposed with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Start the CD just after the 3rd MGM lion roar and prepare to be amazed.

Oh, I've heard of this but never did it. That is some crazy sh*t for them to pull that off.

If I'm ever going to have professional shots done, it will be in a fasted state!


You should get professional shots done, it would be interesting to see the diff. Thats what I like about your pics, Ive rarely seen you manipulate light etc.

And by the way, trim that underarm hair will you :rolleyes: :)

Marcus :tucool:

Hey John, I downloaded the Wizard of Oz/PF Darkside of the Moon video recently. I can hook you up on my ftp server if you are interested.

Hey John, I downloaded the Wizard of Oz/PF Darkside of the Moon video recently. I can hook you up on my ftp server if you are interested.Thanks, but I own the DVD and the CD.

And by the way, trim that underarm hair will you :rolleyes: :)

Marcus :tucool:
Ok, just for you, sweetheart. :)

ahhah cool dog video. :D

John,
I just watched the video with your dogs again and DAMN that thing gets me pumped up. Definitely make more, you might have had a filmamaker tucked away in your previously fat body that is now coming out. I know you love movies from all your dvds, I'm the same way, I have to see at least 2-3 per month in the theater. and while I can't afford all the dvds, I get full use of my netflix account. Movie fans make good movie makers. Keep'm coming!

Hi john, im from Chile South America :D

i really love ur website, now im trainning very hard since i read about ur transformation, that inspire me a lot!!.

sorry but my english its not so good, i try to do my best :tu:

I really like you to put some videos of you making some
exercises, maybe some lessons....u know something like that.

Here in Chile u got a lot of fans trying to do the best to stay in good
shape.

Here u can see my Transformation in One Month, I have just started
Chile (www.nutraline.cl/foro/viewtopic.php?t=247)

Well...Thanks u very much cya! :cool:

OMG what a scarey picture! I couldnt imagine walking past those people! Is that in Africa?damn good video quality, that camera rocks! these videos are going to add a new dimension to your bandwidth usage john!

your dogs may have been acting crazy, but imagine if you instead had these for pets :: (yes, they are hyeenas, with crazy strong jaws)

http://www.clubs.nl/ClubsData/198620/incoming/nigerians2.jpg

Hi john, im from Chile South America


You are doing great! Keep up the good work :)

Hi john, im from Chile South America :D

i really love ur website, now im trainning very hard since i read about ur transformation, that inspire me a lot!!.

sorry but my english its not so good, i try to do my best :tu:

I really like you to put some videos of you making some
exercises, maybe some lessons....u know something like that.

Here in Chile u got a lot of fans trying to do the best to stay in good
shape.

Here u can see my Transformation in One Month, I have just started
Chile (http://www.nutraline.cl/foro/viewtopic.php?t=247)

Well...Thanks u very much cya! :cool:
Thanks, and great job so far!

I plan to do some more videos once the new site goes live and my shoulder is healed.

they are from Nigeria. apparently they are "money collectors"

they are from Nigeria. apparently they are "money collectors"
If a guy with a hyena on a leash wanted money from me, I'd be more than happy to oblidge. Bet those pets make their jobs a lot easier.

EDIT: fixed my spelling

If a guy with a hyena on a lease wanted money from me, I'd be more than happy to oblidge. Bet those pets make their jobs a lot easier.
I've heard something like hyenas got the strongest jaws of all animals.

hehe.. maybe this conversation is going off topic :p

John, how about a pic or two of you with clothes? I'm kind of curious what you look like dressed up now that you have lost all the weight.

Thanks again for the site. There is a lot of great info and motivation to be found here.

john I just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration
Dan

If a guy with a hyena on a leash wanted money from me, I'd be more than happy to oblidge. Bet those pets make their jobs a lot easier.

well, how about the baboons those dudes in the background have? yeesh. not sure which would be worse.

hey, I bet those are the guys who send out those "I am the representing of former deposed King of Botsuwanadanabananaland, I entrust you with $40 million to wash money" spams.

John, how about a pic or two of you with clothes? I'm kind of curious what you look like dressed up now that you have lost all the weight.

Thanks again for the site. There is a lot of great info and motivation to be found here.
Next time I'm wearing something other than shorts I'll take a picture. :)

Quads - 04.11.2004

Your legs are coming along nicely!

When you recover from your shoulder injury and start upper body workouts you're gonna grow like crazy. You'll have the response of a total beginner.

:tu:

Nothing to do with fitness....

Follow the links if you want to see the large versions:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/fly_1_large.jpg
http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/fly_2_large.jpg

Nothing to do with fitness....

Follow the links if you want to see the large versions:


Hey, that was cool. Normally don't get to see them up so close. You should sell those pics to a science textbook company. :)

Just when you thought my pictures couldn't get any more boring! :D

X-rays:

MRI - first 3 - follow the links if you want to see the HUGE versions...

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/mri_1_big.jpg
http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/mri_2_big.jpg
http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/mri_3_big.jpg

looks like pictures of an alien to me! :P

what am i looking for here? someone know and can draw arrows or something??

MRI - last 3 - follow the links if you want to see the HUGE versions...

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/mri_4_big.jpg
http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/mri_5_big.jpg
http://www.johnstonefitness.com/images/mri_6_big.jpg

looks like pictures of an alien to me! :P

what am i looking for here? someone know and can draw arrows or something??
I have no idea, either. Maybe Andrew or another doctor can comment? I'm going to see the ortho tomorrow...

All Greek to me I'm afraid. I have never had any orthopaedic training. However, scan the written report, and I'll be able to tell anybody anything/everything that is printed.


Andrew.

I decided that I needed to take a miscellaneous vanity shot this morning. :D


:drool:

If I'm ever going to have professional shots done, it will be in a fasted state!

Damn, I wish I was pro :p

BTW, someone asked about the song in the Loki and Turtle vid. I'm pretty sure it's a new version of "It's All About the Game", theme song of WWE wrestler HHH (one of his many nicknames is The Game). The original song was by Motorhead (I think?), and rocks pretty hard. Great for getting your mind in gear for lifting.

See more picture by clicking here... (http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/)


http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1120.jpg http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1128.jpg
http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1141.jpg http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1165.jpg
http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1193.jpg http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1207.jpg

looking damn sharp John! I cant wait to buy new suits when my transformation is complete! right now Im buying a pair of slacks here, a new shirt there, but Im holding off on a huge re-do of the wardrobe because Im not yet at my goal...

so I gotta ask... you have all these nice new suits. what is your daily work attire? since you work from home, does it range between boxers and shorts? ;-)

also, when you hit the office, are you required to wear a suit?

did you try on any 4 button suit coats? You look like MIB here ::

http://www.twowiresthin.com/money/images/DSCF1143.jpg


Agent Stone, John Stone... :tucool:

Yeah, boxers and nothing else all day long when I'm working at home. :p

When I have to go into the office I just wear slacks and a shirt, no tie or jacket needed for meetings unless "outsiders" will be there.

These clothes are for hitting the town! :tu:

I'm pissed because I goofed on the tie in a couple of those shots and tied it a little too short. The MiB shot would be better if I had adjusted the tie correctly (and put some shades on). :D

I'm still looking seriously at the new Mustang convertible. The minivan just ain't cuttin' it. ;)

I'm still looking seriously at the new Mustang convertible. The minivan just ain't cuttin' it. ;)


surely you are mistaken... please reference the following sites ::

http://www.turbovan.net/van.html

http://www.gusmahon.org/html/Mini.htm

http://www.turbominivan.com (http://www.turbominivan.com/)

Notice the Camaro getting dusted by the turbo-van?
http://www.turbovan.net/z28race2.jpg

corbint do you frequent vwvortex.com at all?
They always talk about the famed turbo minivan over there. :D

are we talking about my buddies 600Hp vw westfalia? (70ish RSR porsche engine) :D :D ;)

http://www.needforspeed.ca/stevefeature.asp

ever seen a 4000lbs toaster do a wheelie?

i got vids of him killing NOSstangs, M3's, new gen vette etc..

i havent updated my site in ages :(

are we talking about my buddies 600Hp vw westfalia? (70ish RSR porsche engine) :D :D ;)

http://www.needforspeed.ca/stevefeature.asp

ever seen a 4000lbs toaster do a wheelie?

i got vids of him killing NOSstangs, M3's, new gen vette etc..

i havent updated my site in ages :(
No that's cool. But I'm talking about Matt Train's turbo minivan. You can google him and get his website. It kills muscle cars lft and right all the time. No one expects a crappy FWD van to dust them at the drag strip...
lol

My new S2000 (pictures taken at Lisa's parents' house): http://twowiresthin.com/S2000/

My new S2000: http://twowiresthin.com/S2000/

I hope when i get out on my own someday that ill be able to afford something like that, but the way things are going right now ill be lucky to have a job in the field im in! :spaz:

Work hard and you'll almost always get what you want. 15 years ago when I was 20 years old I had just moved to Florida and was making $4.65 an hour. I could barely afford to eat, let alone buy a car. I didn't like living like that, so I changed things. I worked my ass off over the last 15 years to get to where I am today.


I hope when i get out on my own someday that ill be able to afford something like that, but the way things are going right now ill be lucky to have a job in the field im in! :spaz: