I'm in shape! Round is a shape !!!

[virtualadrian]

Ok so that was about the best that I could think of for a title for my journal. If I get inspired later I hope I can change it.

Anyway, here's goes, my first post. I started out at 186lbs 3 months ago, and I was 168.2 this morning, I can finally see my upper abs... kinda. Oddly enough I found John's transformation about a month after I started working out, and it has been a life saver. I get down about my progress and how quickly I am shaping out, but then I look at his month to month and realize it took him a while to get there too. Guess it's that whole instant gratification that all of society expects.

I used the cheap-o fat calipers and it said 16%, I used my scale and it said 11%... soI am going to go with 15% body fat. What really got me going today is that I ran from my house to a park ! It was 4.8 miles , and I got honked at by crazy chicks!!

If you woulda told me that I was going to be in this shape 3.5 months ago or whenever I started, I woulda said you were crazy. The ultimate goal is to get to 8 or 10 % body fat, and see my lower abs for the first time in my life ...

[aHugeBlob]

VA, It looks like you've already made good progress! And look at it this way: I'll need months to get to your STARTING POINT.

-Nate

[virtualadrian]

Originally Posted by aHugeBlob

VA, It looks like you've already made good progress! And look at it this way: I'll need months to get to your STARTING POINT.

-Nate

Yeah, I am pleasently surprised with my progress, the thing that really helped me is www.fitday.com and the two posts I read on the intro forums. I used to eat like chicken hot wings, and stuff at restaraunts and whatnot for the first month of my well ... transformation, and I lost no weight or fat. I gained strength, but that was it.

Once I started using fitday and eating clean fat started falling off. I was uber happy that I could do that 4.8 miles. I have never done anything like that... I did walk a few times during my run. It took me 46 minutes to complete that. I think the thing that really helped was setting a destination goal, cause even if I woulda turned around I still would have run as much. Luckily I had my friend pick me up at the park and drive me back

[virtualadrian]

I weighed myself this morning and I was 166lbs.:cl aphigh:

I am at roughly 14% body fat, and I am finally seeing some definition in the lower ab area... kind of. Regardless, that is 20lbs of crap that I have lost in the past 3 months ! I am hoping to lose another 6lbs. and hopefully get so see my lower abs ( my goal ), sometime before the end of this summer. Once I get there I will maintain till the end of summer, and then bulky bulk during fall and winter. I am taking in like 1800 to 2000 calories right now, so eating more should be an adventure... Cause I am seriously not hungry... most of the time, but I am losing weight. So I may hike up the intake to 2200 to 2400 and reduce cardio, and just see what happens. During my bulk I am going to try hard as I can to up my intake to 2800calories daily and still eat clean. I will have to have like 260g protein, 260g of carbs, and whatever fat.

Anyway, I am just happy I am getting somewhere. Today is my monthly picture day, so maybe I'll post my pic from 3 months ago and today's sometime this week.

[bballer143]

Originally Posted by virtualadrian

I weighed myself this morning and I was 166lbs.:cl aphigh:

I am at roughly 14% body fat, and I am finally seeing some definition in the lower ab area... kind of. Regardless, that is 20lbs of crap that I have lost in the past 3 months !

Congratulations on the weight loss VA!That's awesome! You seem like your very motivated in reaching your goals
Keep it up

[virtualadrian]

So the other day I was super hyped about being at 166, great stuff. I have been taking a thermogenic for the past 4 days and that seems to be working since yesterday I woke up at 165!!! Holy Crap! I thought to myself. I was a tad worried about that 1lb in one day?! Well fear not, I am at 165.2 today, so had to have been waterweight and fat combo... Point is our bodies are sooo stinking odd some days. I have a day full of nothing but Tilapia and broccoli ahead of me so we will see what happens tonight.

I also moved part of my cardio to the AM. I used to do 30 minutes of LISS pre-lift, and keep my heart rate up while lifting, and I did that for another hour. However this morning I ran for 20 minutes with my friend, meaning I have a 15 minute bike session pre lift this afternoon. I am loving AM cardio though, starting the day at 6 means more hours!! Even though I am going to bed at like 10:30 now. My ultimate goal is to move all 30 to 40 minutes of cardio to the morning, but thus far I've been roped into going with others and they either can't do as much, or we pick an activity which I am not very good at... running.

I can run for a good 1.5 miles, after that my legs go straight to hell, which is why I choose to bike most days, or I only run for 10 minutes prebike and then hit the bike for 20 to 30. My friend I ran with today though was in track all 4 years of highschool, he is 6 foot and weighs like 145lbs. Lean and runner. So while I kind of kept up with him I was only good for 20 minutes, after that ... eek ! So anyway... I'm still excited, and hope to be done with the last 5.2lbs of the cut soon...

PS: I will post a pick tomorrow, my friend is bringing his actual camera, so I dont have to use the camera on my Mac Book.

[Gordo]

Nothing to add except your journal title made me laugh.... thanks and good luck

[Chameleon]

it sounds like your doing great!! I'd bet that if you keep trying to run with your friend, that you'll build up to being able to do as much as he can

[fitnessdave]

Keep up the superb work! Your journal is very motivating.

[virtualadrian]

You guys are so great!! and encouraging to boot! I think a lot of people have a misconception about folks that are fit. For example, there are a few folks at the gym that are around the 250+ mark and I see them paying for overpriced trainers that do nothing more than provide a pseudo aerobic workout for them. I bet not one of them has thought about coming up to anyone at the gym and asking for advice. I have been hanging around the gym 1.5hrs a day 5 days a week for over 3 months now. Much to my surprise some of the guys that I would have considered muscle headed jerks in the past are super friendly, offer advice and some that ive never even spoken with knew that I had just gotten married and asked about that and so on.

On the other hand it would be uber odd for me to just walk up to someone and offer up exercise/diet advice. I have a particular case in mind, so it is kind of hard to explain. One of the trainers that I see regularly just walks around the track with people... frustrates the shit out of me to know what she is charging. When I first started I had weak legs, the exercise bike and I did not get along at all, but that is the definition of training, progess through repeated workouts. And walking around with someone to make them feel better is not doing jack, other than filling yer own pocket! GRRRR !!!

Anyway, vent session over. I guess the point to that rant was that I love the community here, and wish that there was some easy way to break the ice with people. I would be extatic if someone came up to me at the gym and said "Hey! I need help!"

[virtualadrian]

So I weighed myself this morning prior to my cardio/shower/other bathroom activities, and I weighed in at 165.6... Needless to say I was pissed, that meant I gained .6 lbs. Which was really effing confusing because my abs looked great this morning. After I was done doing all the stuff I did, I weighed myself again and I was at 164.5. I figure the cardio and stuff took out some water weight. Damn scale! I hate it!

I'll have to get my BF % measured again today, see what I am at. Or maybe I'll beep bop by the doctors office and see what their craptastic equipment says.

[fitnessdave]

Do you weigh yourself daily? I try and just do it once a week (although I find myself sneaking in a weigh-in here and there) because there is so much fluctuation during the day (water weight) that you don't get a very accurate representation of the overall picture. I believe it is much more encouraging to do your weigh-in's weekly, that way there is more anticipation and more reward!

Nevertheless, keep up the good work though!

[virtualadrian]

Yes I weigh myself daily, I don't get too upset about fluctuations, but I get curious

And now enter the Mac Book and it's 1 megapixel camera in all its glory... really blurs out some of the definition! So maybe some day, when my buddy actually brings his camera I'll get a decent pic.

Son of a ... gotta reboot to windows... hold please....

Ok then ...




and then 3 months later ...

[virtualadrian]

Wish I would have taken a profile before shot. I am now 21lbs lighter, my gut was somewhat huge compared to now. My arms also grew a bit and so on. Funny thing about my weight loss... I lost weight in my arms, legs, ass, face... everywhere but my midsection... I am finally to a point where the gut is dwindling! Can't wait for the end of this month, maybe by then I'll have cut abs... LOL ... hey a guy can dream

[virtualadrian]

I just ate a chocolate chip cookie, kinda... it had M&Ms in it... it tasted like feet ! God that was disgusting! Salty and starchy as fudge... I am trying to not go to the all or nothing mentality and it sure looked good in that box sitting there looking at me lol, but damn it was gross... It was 67cal 3fat, 9carb, 1protein ... acording to fitday. I logged it as a large but its more of a medium / large.

Now.. I am not saying I've ever tasted feet, but you know when you smell something so nasty you swear you're tasting it? Yea that, cept in cookie form... Oh well lol

[Justitia]

You are doing great!!! both your transformation and your facial expression are greatly improved.... Thanks for posting the progress photos.... those are always very motivating.