Hello, everyone! I'm a new visitor to this forum, but not new to John's incredible site. Let me give a little background.

Back in October of 2000, on my 21st birthday, I weighed 290 lbs. Over the next two years I kinda sorta started eating right (but wasn't very successful at it). Come May-June of 2002, I discover the Body For Life Program. I was 274 lbs. at the time, and began seriously eating right and exercising. I didn't begin a serious Body For Life session until August of 2002.

From May, 2002 - April of 2003 I ended up going from 274 lbs. and getting down to an all-time low of 194 lbs. I tried several dietary variations and advanced workouts, none of which have given me very many results. Anyway, August of 2003 comes and I end up being without a car for a few months (which makes a trip to the gym pretty much impossible). So, I took a few months' break. Finally, in October of 2003 I get a brand-new used car (still far better than the previous car I had). The holidays wreak havoc on my weight, putting about fifteen lbs. on me.

But, I'm done with the holidays and I'm back on my program. I'm going to go full out and by May I expect to look like John does (hopefully!)

Anyway, here are my photos. The one on the left was taken in May of 2002, and the one on the right was taken a couple weeks ago when I began the final transformation phase.

I'll be putting up a web site shortly to detail all the aspects of my final phase; of course, I'll post the link when I finally get it up. ;)

Whoa, huge change! Keep up the good work!

Razor- Thanks! My goal is to be at 165 - 170 at 10% bodyfat by June of this year. And then, I plan on keeping it that way for awhile while I adjust to my transformation. Then I plan on bulking up to 190. My ultimate goal is to reach 190 lbs. at 10% bodyfat (the Bill Phillips/Shawn Phillips/Men's Health look).

G'day Brian

Excellent work so far. As you get closer to your goal it will become more difficult but keep it up :tu:

Make sure you keep us updated.

Marcus

Damn man, that's a huge change. Nice work, and keep it up ;)

Wow! Thanks for the great comments, guys. You guys are getting me more motivated than ever to work out even harder in the gym. It's been a long, difficult road but if I can lose 80 lbs. then the final 40 should be a breeze. I'm still scared to death that I'll gain everything back, though. I can't wait to see what I look like at my ideal weight of 165. It's been over 10 years since I weighed that low. My weight gain began in my sophomore year of high school and has been building up since then.

But, no matter. Time to focus on what's important now: my nutrition and workout programs. This will be the first time in my life that I've reached such a high level of fitness.

I'll need all the help I can get! :db:

HUGE difference, keep it up bro.

Hello, everyone! I'm a new visitor to this forum, but not new to John's incredible site. Let me give a little background.

Back in October of 2000, on my 21st birthday, I weighed 290 lbs. Over the next two years I kinda sorta started eating right (but wasn't very successful at it). Come May-June of 2002, I discover the Body For Life Program. I was 274 lbs. at the time, and began seriously eating right and exercising. I didn't begin a serious Body For Life session until August of 2002.


Hey Brian. Your story sounds kinda like mine. I used to be 300 lbs in January 2001. I have since changed all my eating habits, started excersising on the regular basis and now, 2 years later I stand at 184 lbs. Here are my pictures if you are interested:
http://www.body-for-life-tracker.com/showphotos.cfm?id=4234
I do have a goal of being 150 to 160 lbs (but better to be 155 or so). It is true that the closer you are to your goal the harder it is. But I still manage to lose 2 lbs a week. Although it is much harder work then it used to be.
But remember to visit John's site and forums for motivation and you'll be there. At least it works for me.
Take care, and keep us updated.

Dude, Brian, you look like a completely different person! You're the kind of guy who got motivated and did what he had to do to become a healthy and fit person. AMAZING RESULTS! Good luck with the rest of your program and keep us up to date with your changes - you're sure to progress in no time :tucool:

Hi Brian, wonderful to see you here! You are still doing great - don't let your minor setback get you down. It's time to grit your teeth and put it in overdrive - summer is coming! :)

:gl:

I agree, keep it up! We all have setbacks, but the fit people are the ones who get past them and move on. :gl:

Whoo-hoo! Damn, what a workout this morning. I'm really making sure to hit all of my high points in the BFL program this time, and man I'm getting a great pump in every workout so far! Literally, I feel the difference. I think a big change is that I bought the BFL Journal and I'm logging EVERYthing...which is helping a lot.

David- Thanks! I'm hoping to have an even bigger difference by the time I'm done with this transformation. By then I should be rrrreeeeally ripped (that's the goal, anyhow).

d_samuylin- Wow! What an awesome change! Very impressive. Did you send in your photos to the BFL judges? That's true, though that it is much harder work. Do you find that you have to be INCREDIBLY strict (I mean only one or two cheat meal a week -- even a cheat day can set me back a whole week) compared to how you used to eat in your initial program?

nibrudt- You're the one hundredth person that has said that to me! Congratulations! You win $5,000! Kidding! ;) I'm glad that I achieved my initial goal -- everyone at work was amazed when they saw my before/after photos. I even managed to get some of my co-workers to lose weight. Now I can't wait to see what I look like at the end of my final phase. I'd like to see what they do when I look like a Men's Health model! :tucool:

John- Damn! You just reminded me how much more strict with my nutrition I have to be now. ;)

I should not have had that cheat meal from Carl's Jr. yesterday. Argh!! Thanks for the motivation, John. I also can't thank you enough for what you've done with your site. Every time I see it it makes me want to work harder towards my goal. Why the heck aren't you on the cover of Men's Health or Muscle Media yet?!?!

Gohan- That's true. If I'd let every setback determine what I do I'd be back to my former weight. I'll be damned if I let myself get that heavy again (unless it's muscle). I hated being that fat. :(

Whoo-hoo! I'm down three lbs. this week. I thought I'd never be losing that much again. If I keep up this rate of weight loss I'll end up at 174 lbs. on May 1st. And that'll be 165 by the end of June. Man, I am so excited at how great I'm gonna look.

I'm on my way to the goal, now! Time to grit my teeth and put forth incredibly high intensity in my workouts. I'm going to attain my goal no matter what it takes.

I want to see myself at 165 lbs., damnit! :db:

Brian...you are SO SO smart! I didn't start getting fit, and taking exercising seriously till last year and now...well, I'm an old broad of 37! Wish I would have done this years ago...like maybe when 'I' was 21 like you! Good for you. You are making AMAZING progress. Keep it up and keep us posted!

Cheerio!
Danielle :claplow:

Thanks, Danielle! I just wish I discovered the Body For Life program back in High School. Maybe by now I'd have reached my weight loss goals and received all the benefits of such a transformation. Oh, well...at least I'm not 320 lbs. today! :tu:

d_samuylin- Wow! What an awesome change! Very impressive. Did you send in your photos to the BFL judges? That's true, though that it is much harder work. Do you find that you have to be INCREDIBLY strict (I mean only one or two cheat meal a week -- even a cheat day can set me back a whole week) compared to how you used to eat in your initial program?


Thanks Brian. You too are doing a great job. No I did not send any pictures to anywhere. My co-workers told me that I should go to Oprah or Dr. Phil. But I am not going there. I am not that kind of person.
In terms of set-backs, I do have them once in a while. I just workout harder the next day. As to cheat meals: I buy fat free/sugar free ice cream (chocolate or vanilla-strawberry), which I include into my protein shake, and I take it whenever I have a craving for sweets. I especially like chocolate, becuase you can't really feel the differenc in the taste. Only one serving (90 cal, 0 fat, 14 grams carbs (only 8 grams sugar)and 4 grams protein), and craving is gone. That was my solution.
Other then that, keep up the good work. It is true that the closer to the goal you are the harder it'll be (I think I already said that). But there is nothing impossible. Workout smart, and you'll be there.
I do have one more question though for you: Do you have stretch marks on youe belly and arms? I have a lot of them. And I read that nothing can be done: it will be a reminder not to get fat again. Plus, I have lots of extra skin. Do you have this problem?

I do have one more question though for you: Do you have stretch marks on youe belly and arms? I have a lot of them. And I read that nothing can be done: it will be a reminder not to get fat again. Plus, I have lots of extra skin. Do you have this problem?

Thanks for the comments! I'll also have to try out your suggestion on my cheat days. That sounds like it'll work -- not too much food and just enough to keep my cravings satisfied.

Anyway, in answer to your question:

I have stretch marks going vertically on my hips/stomach. They're not that visible though unless they're shown at the right angle. Once the right light angle hits them, though, whoah baby! Stretch marks will go away -- it helps that I'm still rather young and supple :D . The younger you are, the easier it is to get rid of them. However, it can be a bitch to get them to go away. I've also read that getting a tan tends to conceal them quite a bit.

Oh, and my HIIT cardio workout this morning was very intense, BTW. I'm glad I got the Body For Life journal! It's showed me what I've been doing wrong in the past few months. I've only been coasting. I hadn't been hitting my high points (highest points of effort where you can't lift that weight or perform cardio any longer) and that's what was holding me back. For the next 11 weeks I'm going all out and not letting up. I'm finally going to reach my goal this year. I'm going to look awesome (and I can't wait to see the reaction of my co-workers at work once I finally reach the goal).

hey brian
whats your update?
no more cheat meals?
you seen very silent

Hey Bolo!

I'm currently still at 210, and not making much progress weight-loss wise, but I can tell that I've gained some decent muscle mass and strength. My maximum lower body lifts have all gone up, as well as my upper body lifts (not progressing as fast as my lower body lifts, but I'm happy with the progress). I'm probably gaining muscle mass as well as losing the fat, as my clothes are getting looser but I'm not losing that much weight on the scale (I've lost an inch off my belt, though!). Examples:

Below are all of my current maximum lifts:

Standing calf raise: from 275 to 295 (no big deal...I could probably add another 50 lbs. to this so I may be way off as far as maximum lifts go for my calves)
Leg Press: from 135 to 155 (could probably also add another 50 lbs. to this one)
Bench Press: from 125 to 135 (pecs need serious work)
Ez Bar Curl: from 65 to 75 (my bi's also need some serious work)

Hopefully this will keep happening. I'll post an update w/photos on Saturday.

Well, as promised, here are my photo updates for week 3. I really don't see that much of a difference between week 1 and 3 in the side photos but I do see a big change in the front photos. I wonder why? Anyway, here they are:

good job