***Very Upset, -76 lbs, 8 months***

[Raw_and_vital]

Alright, thought I would post my progress and pics. Just to inform you I am very upset with everything, i'll explain in a minute though.

I'm 6'3, July of 07 I decided to make a change in my life and started to work out. I was at a whopping 330lbs.

now, March of 08 i'm at like 263.


Reason why I am upset, is because I kind of let up within the last 3 months. I stopped lifting pretty much but I still do cardio. And before I was on a strict, protein/veggie only diet. Chicken, steaks, broccoli, etc. barely any carbs. And now, my diet has changed a bit.

But I guess i'm looking for a slap in the face or a wake up call to get me back on track. I dunno. Anyways, the pictures.

The first one is the first day I started, second one is about 2 months after and the last one is current.

I till want to lose about 50-60lbs of body fat.

What do you guys think?

[secondhandloser]

dang dude...that's a huge difference- those pictures alone should be enough to help you keep moving.

[morgansd12]

Nothing to be upset about man, thats great progress. i usually have at least one hiccup per year. Just get back into it when you can!

[Raw_and_vital]

After looking at the pictures, believe me, they make me happy, but, my eating habbits and lack of lifting kind of put me in a depressed rut!

It sucks. I mean I don't eat junk, but like, eating a sandwhich or cereal or anything, I feel guilty because of the carbs and I know I'm gaining by doing so.

I need to get back on board and get strict again.

[pcx4487]

don't get discouraged, i lost a good 6 months or so of being able to do *anything* due to finally getting a rotator cuff repaired (non-lifting injury btw). You just need to find something that motivates you and just keep plugging away at it.

[Raw_and_vital]

I honestly feel like i've sold out!

Edit, okay, enough of this sap talk and feeling sorry for myself, I guess I will just have to change that and get back on track 100% and not anything half assed.

I'll keep up with the progress and keep posting monthly pictures on this thread.

[CR123]

Good progress in the pictures. You got a little lax on your diet and lifting for a little bit, consider it a vacation, now get back to work. By summer you could drop another 20-30 easy and safely plus be that much closer to your goals.

[1ManA|2my]

Man your doing great. Dont give up now. You've progressed alot.

Cheers

[Raw_and_vital]

Alright, this got me pumped up. I'm going at this 110%. I never want to go back to that first picture...!

[padrote]

You're obviously too strict with yourself, which is unnecessary, burns people out quicker. Have you looked into the Keto diet? "Cheating" is a part of it, maybe it would be good for a variation.

[phatryde]

Change your routine, do something different to keep you motivated. Download a few videos of p90x from limewire and start there program its really intense and never boring. If you like it you might decide to buy it in the long run.

[Raw_and_vital]

Thanks for the advice! I just started lifting again today. My chest feels sore. I missed that feeling...

[b.spencer]

Don't be so down on yourself. You've made some huge progress, and you should be proud of that.

Like some of the earlier posters have said, taking a break, and a regular cheat, keep you sane and keep you going. (I full bore cheated once a week on my big cut) Glad to see you are back at it, though. That good sore feeling is damned addictive after a while.

[low blow]

you're going great but remember, bodybuilding is meant to be fun too if you want to stick with it for life. Boiled chicken + broccoli will get boring eventually

[xuerebx]

That's a bloody HUGE difference! Keep it up! Well you got a bit 'lazy', well as already said, take it as a small 'vacation', now straighten your head and continue mate!

[jakerh22]

Yeah man...big difference. Just keep going at it hard and stay away from junk food and pop. Your diet that you were on wasnt a bad diet. You need carbs to fuel your body which you are getting from the fruits and vegetables. Any manufactured or processed carbs that you are tempted to eat like pastas and breads and what not, try to find the foods that are whole wheat, whole grain, and so forth. Number one drink lots of water and stay away from the pop. Good luck man. Just keep at it.

[Buddy2244]

Don't be so hard on yourself, you've made great progress so far. You obviously have a pretty good idea what you're doing since you've made it this far, now just get in the gym and finish what you started. This should be a lifestyle, not a diet, have a cheat meal once a week or so and you wont fall off the wagon as often. Best of luck.

[debrovnik]

Seriously - well done man! That is awesome!

Everything worth having in life takes time!!

[Raw_and_vital]

Thanks for the boost guys and the tips.

I don't drink regular pop, that's one thing I never touch. I do drink diet pop. Should I completely stay away from diet pop as well and only drink water?

And when I was at this full time, I strictly stayed away from all carbs. Though, I ate a nice sized cup of oats an hour before lifting along with whey protein powder for fuel. I stopped eating fruits and bread and stuff like that. Oats along with veggies were my only source of fuel and carbs and nothing else... Is it okay to continue this?

and yes, chicken and broccoli does get boring after quite a while, I started using light marinara sauce, fat free cheeses and sour creams and stuff to add some spunk to my meals.

[low blow]

Originally Posted by Raw_and_vital

Thanks for the boost guys and the tips.

I don't drink regular pop, that's one thing I never touch. I do drink diet pop. Should I completely stay away from diet pop as well and only drink water?

I don't think a few a week will make a difference but chronically drinking (ie 2-3 a day) then they may effect your health - the acidicity/caffeine in them isn't good for you. Also many people do not like the artificial sweeteners used, though a lot of studies show these are safe, again, in moderate amounts

And when I was at this full time, I strictly stayed away from all carbs. Though, I ate a nice sized cup of oats an hour before lifting along with whey protein powder for fuel. I stopped eating fruits and bread and stuff like that. Oats along with veggies were my only source of fuel and carbs and nothing else... Is it okay to continue this?

I don't like no-carb dieting at all. I and many others have been able to get down to very low body fats while eating moderate amounts of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a hit and miss thing though, some people thrive on them in large amounts (ectomorphs) while others work well on a small amount making the rest of their cals in fat/protein (endomorphs). But if you feel fine doing it then read into ketosis - excellent for fat loss. Theirs a forum here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61 on low carb fat loss...I don't like it but thats just my opinion not scientifically backed up.

and yes, chicken and broccoli does get boring after quite a while, I started using light marinara sauce, fat free cheeses and sour creams and stuff to add some spunk to my meals

you can also head to the nutrition section for a diet critique

[jba4289]

Keep going bro, that's an awesome transformation.

[utopia]

You've made badass progress.

There are people who get surgery to remove the amount of weight you did with will power. Cudos!

[mwlaxjt]

Originally Posted by Raw_and_vital

After looking at the pictures, believe me, they make me happy, but, my eating habbits and lack of lifting kind of put me in a depressed rut!

It sucks. I mean I don't eat junk, but like, eating a sandwhich or cereal or anything, I feel guilty because of the carbs and I know I'm gaining by doing so.

this is borderline ED... i was the same way. you just gotta realize that you can still lose the weight by eating them you just have to fit it into your macros. actually i just recently went through a bulking stage with a trainer and when he told me id need to eat 3500 cals or more (ended at 3800) every day i thought i was just gonna get really fat. on the contrary i ended up gaining only like maybe 1 percent bf over two months of it and i was eating carbs like crazy. it's all about when you eat them and how much of them you eat... don't let a sandwich or cereal bug you. if you're really worried about the carbs in the bread on your sandwich look into sara lee's 45 cal bread which is only 45 cals per slice and gives you the bread taste and allows you to eat healthier sandwiches.

you've worked to get where you are... why stop??

[hazard52003]

man your doing great! you've already made huge progress... it takes guts to do what you've done.. you just have to realize that this is a LONG term process...I know I want to get alot stronger than I am right now but I know thats years down the road.. just take it slow one day at a time.. and remember a few carbs here and there isnt gonna kill you.. you can do it man!

[Nice Guy Rudy]

Excellent Progress

[Raw_and_vital]

*Can you give me more deets on this diet critique? What's that all about?

*To the rest of you, thanks. I weighed myself this morning. To my surprise after not lifting for 3 months straight and eating some terrible stuff I only gained 8 lbs. But, that's just 8 lbs of body weight... But still, I can drop that in a week with intense cardio and hard lifting sessions and eating healthy. I'm back on track and I'm going to drop the rest of this razz off asap. My goal is to look great by summer. I think that's a reasonable goal.

[OverWorked]

For 8 months that's great progress!

[Chevyman95]

you've definately done very well. Don't get discouraged you have your entire life to work on it.

I entered this hobby and immediately lost 45 lbs then pretty much quit for 6 months but got back to it and everything is moving much slower now compared to before.

Don't be too hard on yourself either. It's way easier if you are happy and enjoy it rather than beat yourself up over it.

76lbs is very very good imo

[Huss!]

wow dude!!! GJDM!!

at first i thougth you weighed as much as me and lost 80lbs..

but dude be proud thats 10lbs a month and would have been more if you keep lifting..

[JTwood]

Originally Posted by Raw_and_vital

After looking at the pictures, believe me, they make me happy, but, my eating habbits and lack of lifting kind of put me in a depressed rut!

It sucks. I mean I don't eat junk, but like, eating a sandwhich or cereal or anything, I feel guilty because of the carbs and I know I'm gaining by doing so.

I need to get back on board and get strict again.

i use to / still do feel the same way. you just have to know that you NEED food to live. your body uses like 1500 calories a day for u just to LIVE. your vital organs need calories to work. just keep at it, lift heavy and keep up some cardio.