Husky no more

BJ · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 10:43 PM

OK... I promised myself that I would start a journal this at the beginning of May... so here it goes.

Brief Background:
I have always been a little on the chubby side... wore the husky jeans as a kid.

Wasn't too bad when I graduated high school at 145#, but no real muscle and a slight beer belly then too.

College was a different story! Put on 45 lbs or so my first year.

Fast forward 11 years and I was at the heaviest point ever... ~205.

Decided to start lifting weights at work during lunch sometime around Sept 2008 (it was actually July after some research). We had a weight room there and it was the only way to keep myself from either working or surfing the web while I ate my lunch (I've usually packed because I'm a tight wad). I didn't really consult much in putting a weight plan together... just started doing it.

Somewhere around March of this year I started thinking to myself that I have been fiddling around in the weight room for quite a while and should probably have more results than I do.

My internet searching led me here to JSF... what a blessing!

BJ · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 10:53 PM

So... sometime near the beginning of March I decided to start eating more frequently as everyone recommends, but I still wasn't watching what I ate exactly. I thought I was doing good, but wasn't.

I had previously "been on a diet" which consisted of me basically starving myself... I had no idea of the concept of macros. Even though I had been doing this relatively consistently since the beginning of the year, I couldn't get my weight to drop under 190. I generally hovered around 195... sometimes up to 200... sometimes down to 192 at the lowest.

At the recommendations of everyone on the forum, I started tracking my intake at www.fitday.com. WOW! I had no idea how far off I was.

Over the past two weeks I have figured out how to eat right... I started with 2000 calories and a 40/40/20 macro split. Just yesterday I dropped to 1800 calories. I plan to try to drop another 200 calories in a week or two.

I weighed in at 189 yesterday! My goal is to get down to 175 or lower in the month of May. I know that's pushing it a little, but trust me... I have plenty of gut to go around!

Rogozhin · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJ

OK... I promised myself that I would start a journal this at the beginning of May... so here it goes.

Brief Background:
I have always been a little on the chubby side... wore the husky jeans as a kid.

Wasn't too bad when I graduated high school at 145#, but no real muscle and a slight beer belly then too.

College was a different story! Put on 45 lbs or so my first year.

Fast forward 11 years and I was at the heaviest point ever... ~205.

Decided to start lifting weights at work during lunch sometime around Sept 2008. We had a weight room there and it was the only way to keep myself from either working or surfing the web while I ate my lunch (I've usually packed because I'm a tight wad). I didn't really consult much in putting a weight plan together... just started doing it.

Somewhere around March of this year I started thinking to myself that I have been fiddling around in the weight room for quite a while and should probably have more results than I do.

My internet searching led me here to JSF... what a blessing!

Welcome aboard, BJ.

Do you have a fitness and nutritional outline planned? Do you think you'll post some pictures of your progress?

Rogo

BJ · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 11:06 PM

I have transferred jobs since I started my fitness journey. The new place only has one universal machine. But... when life gives you lemons...

So, I threw together a bunch of exercises and started going at them...

I'll spare the details because I have written them all out once before...
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ad.php?t=47319

I am going to change this next week though... I will post it once I finalize it.

I am also looking for an olympic bar and some bigger plates so I can do deadlifts and squats here at home (since everyone raves so much about it). I am scouring Craigslist... I know I'll find it soon for a price I can afford.

BJ · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 11:14 PM

Well... I can tell you this much... I feel a ton better after getting my diet right. I am also feeling results in my lifting and starting to see muscle buildup that I've never had before.

I did take measurements and pictures at the end of last month and again today. Not seeing a drastic change yet, but I just got my diet better within the past week and a half.

Here are the measurements...

Gut (right around my belly button)
41.5" --> 41"

Waist (right where my pants hang)
38" --> 37.75"

Chest (unflexed)
41.47 --> no change

Chest (flexed)
44.5" --> 45"

Shoulders
48.75" --> 49.5"

Right arm (bicep flexed)
14.25" --> 14.5"

Left arm (bicep flexed)
14.5" --> no change

There are minor differences, but nothing outside of what could be normal measurement error in my opinion.

BJ · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 11:20 PM

Well... here it is... like I said, the pictures show no major improvements. I can see and feel it though as I move around throughout the day.

The ones on the left are before... the ones on the right are as of today

(I really wish that I had some pictures from before I started lifting back in the fall... would be nice to see the comparison from then)

BJ · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 11:24 PM

Well, the plan is not to make this many posts every day... the plan is to post once per week with progress updates. Maybe in between then with anything else that comes up.

Measurements and pictures again at the end of next month... Can't wait!

Continue the 40/40/20 split on the diet at 1800 calories then drop to 1600 in a week or two... get rid of this gut I've been carrying around for far too long!

Continue lifting 3x per week at work.

Start getting up early on my non lifting days to do fasted LISS in the morning

This is going to be the hardest one... I hate mornings!

Rogozhin · Thu, April 30th, 2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJ

Well... here it is... like I said, the pictures show no major improvements. I can see and feel it though as I move around throughout the day.

The ones on the left are before... the ones on the right are as of today

(I really wish that I had some pictures from before I started lifting back in the fall... would be nice to see the comparison from then)

That's good progress.

BJ · Tue, May 5th, 2009, 06:19 AM

Good...
I actually got up this morning and did cardio for the first time in ages!

Bad...
It was only 10 minutes on the elliptical (I didn't wake up early enough). I hate getting out of bed in the morning.

Good...
I lost another 1.4 lbs last week, taking me down to 188.6... the lightest I've been in 10 or more years

Bad...
My goal was to lose 3 lbs / week

Time for an adjustment on the old PDCA cycle

tbuck · Tue, May 5th, 2009, 09:07 AM

But just to add a bit of clarity...
Your waist measurement is the one around your belly button. Where your pants hang is usually your hip measurement...unless you're into "high-waters".

Your belly is probably going to be one of the last places you'll lose any remaining fat...it's just how we're designed.

I know, I struggle with the same issue.

Hang in there...you're damn near there!

BJ · Thu, May 7th, 2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbuck

But just to add a bit of clarity...
Your waist measurement is the one around your belly button. Where your pants hang is usually your hip measurement...unless you're into "high-waters".

Thanks for the clarification! Waist = belly button... hips = pant line... got it!

BJ · Thu, May 7th, 2009, 01:12 PM

So... I managed to drag my sleepy butt out of bed again this morning to do some cardio

I got up early enough to do 20 minutes today!

Walked around my driveway from 5:40 AM to 6:00 AM. Too dark and foggy to risk walking up and down a hilly country road today.

Maybe Saturday I can actually go out when it gets daylight.

By the way... I weighed myself again this morning... 187.8... on my way to 185 next week baby!

BJ · Fri, May 8th, 2009, 04:23 PM

So here's a funny one... I have come across some of my old log sheets from when I first started lifting... seems that it was mid-July of 2008 (man I wish that I had all the time I wasted piddling around back so I could do it right!)

Anyway... when I first started I was doing 2 sets of 10 reps... I was only benching 40 lbs! (on a smith machine, so I don't know what the bar weighed... around 20 maybe) How pathetic!

Here are some more examples (all neglecting the unknown bar weight)

Military - 20 lbs
Squat - 50 lbs
Pull downs - 80 lbs

Guess it just goes to show that you have to start somewhere!

dave82 · Fri, May 8th, 2009, 05:24 PM

Dude...good luck man! Keep at it. I'm really needing to keep track of my food intake like you. Good on you for starting the journal and taking pictures.

You can do it!

BJ · Sat, May 9th, 2009, 09:56 AM

I dropped my calories to 1600 a couple of days ago (from 1800)... still maintaining the 40/40/20 macros. Doing OK with it... not really hungry Don't think that I will go under 1600 though.

I did get up at 7AM today and go for a 45 minute walk

BJ · Sat, May 9th, 2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave82

Dude...good luck man! Keep at it. I'm really needing to keep track of my food intake like you. Good on you for starting the journal and taking pictures.

You can do it!

Thanks Dave... keeping track of the food intake is VERY important (not that I am some fitness guru, but it sure has proven beneficial to me so far)

BJ · Tue, May 12th, 2009, 06:07 AM

Woo hooo.... 185.8 at the weigh in this morning (Tuesday mornings are official weigh day)... that's 2.8 lbs lost last week

And I hauled my butt out of bed at 5:20 this morning so I could get some walking in... did 35 minutes.

It's happening!!!

Akira-Kai · Tue, May 12th, 2009, 08:41 AM

Hi BJ

Great to see you've started a Journal and that you're now beginning to see some real results!

Can I ask why you dropped from 1800 calories to 1600? You don't want to loose too much weight too quickly else you could well be loosing more muscle than you need to whilst completing your cut and you may end up with some loose skin to contend with when you've finished.

Do try and stick to 1800 which should be perfect for you and aim to loose between 1 - 2 lbs a week - NO MORE! If you're not loosing that on 1800 with a consitant training routine in place then you could consider dropping, but only but small incremental amounts of say 50 calories.

Anyway you're doing REALLY WELL! Keep at it!

BJ · Tue, May 12th, 2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira-Kai

Hi BJ

Great to see you've started a Journal and that you're now beginning to see some real results!

Anyway you're doing REALLY WELL! Keep at it!

Thanks for the positive input!

Quote:

Can I ask why you dropped from 1800 calories to 1600? You don't want to loose too much weight too quickly else you could well be loosing more muscle than you need to whilst completing your cut and you may end up with some loose skin to contend with when you've finished.

Do try and stick to 1800 which should be perfect for you and aim to loose between 1 - 2 lbs a week - NO MORE! If you're not loosing that on 1800 with a consitant training routine in place then you could consider dropping, but only but small incremental amounts of say 50 calories.

I dropped calories based upon other advice here... from rtestes. I questioned him regarding your suggestions and this was his response....

You are not going to lose muscle because of calories, you will lose muscle if you don't provide the muscle the proper resistance in your training - weights.

Look at Cason's (first transformation of the month) old cut Journal lost nearly 50 lbs with low calories and no cardio. Look at Glance's journal. They gaine muscle and strength, not lose it.

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ad.php?t=44303

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ad.php?t=47124

Old wives tales can get into even JSF.

Just keep calories above 1200 for men and 1000 for women if they are under 250lbs, if above add 300 calories.

Akira-Kai · Tue, May 12th, 2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJ

Thanks for the positive input!

I dropped calories based upon other advice here... from rtestes. I questioned him regarding your suggestions and this was his response....

You are not going to lose muscle because of calories, you will lose muscle if you don't provide the muscle the proper resistance in your training - weights.

Look at Cason's (first transformation of the month) old cut Journal lost nearly 50 lbs with low calories and no cardio. Look at Glance's journal. They gaine muscle and strength, not lose it.

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ad.php?t=44303

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ad.php?t=47124

Old wives tales can get into even JSF.

Just keep calories above 1200 for men and 1000 for women if they are under 250lbs, if above add 300 calories.

Wow!

Of course I've heard of rtestes and he clearly is a very informed source but I have never heard anything like that before.

Has anyone else? Do please let me know - I feel like I've just missed something huge!

I've always gone by the rule of 10 x "Your Body Weight". Is that theory now out-dated / wrong / all of the above?

But thinking about it there must be some difference between the healthy calorific needs of a man's body that weighs say 249lbs compared to another man's that weighs 120lbs!?! Should they / could they sensibly both eat the same 1210 calories a day?

That aside, for my last cut and for this present cut I ate under 10 x "My Body Weight" - but only just and I to did / have made very good gains in strength, certainly at the beginning of both cuts. However I am 40 years old now and my metabolism doesn't seem to be quite as fast as it used to be.

Anyway your're doing great and excuse my butting in... and for writing so much now - I was just a little shoked to read that.