Tehlith's transformation/fat loss log and accountability thread.

[tehlith]

I decided to start this as another way to hold myself accountable for my training schedule/meal plan. Sorry this is long but maybe if I achieve my goals it can help someone else.

Current stats as of this morning:

Height: 5'10" (177.8 CMs)
Weight: 210.4 LBs (95.44KGs)
Age: 25

GOAL: Achieve 164 LB target weight by my birthday, June 26th. Approximately 28 weeks by losing weight at a decent pace early on and tapering to a ~1lb/week loss.

Short term goals (all dates for the first Tuesday of the month):
January 1st, 200 LBs
February 5th, 190 LBs
March 5th, 183 LBs
April 2nd, 177 LBs
May 7th, 172 LBs
June 4th, 168 LBs
June 25th, 164 LBs

I started eating right and exercising 2 weeks ago at a weight of 221.6 LBs.

I have lost weight in the past (from 260 LBs to 200 LBs) and did not find much in the way of results until I cut calories below 2,000 a day with a good amount of cardio. This is probably due to being skinny obese as I have not performed any weight training before aside from random bicep curls/pushups and other body-weight exercises such as lunges and squats in addition to my height.

According to an online calculator at little/no exercise my maintenance is ~2300 calories a day. I work 45 hours/week in an office and 20-30 hours a week as a server at a restaurant.

I am going to be eating approximately 1600-1800 Calories/day with the additional 200 calories coming from approximately 35g of almonds if I am feeling overly hungry. My macros are 45P/30F/25C. 300 calories a day come from a protein shake with BCAAs and L-Glutamine with the rest being whole foods. I am taking Vitamin C (1.5G) & D (1g), Fish Oil (2G) and multivitamin supplements as well as an EC stack of 25g E/200G C twice a day.

I am under the impression that as a beginner I don't need to worry about splits and can work the same routine 3x a week and be ok. Since I chose the wrong gym my current routine is as follows until I find a new gym:

10 minute cardio walk/run warmup
3x8 Bench
3x8 Squat
3x8 Assisted Dips (can't do non-assisted yet)
3x8 Leg Press
3x8 Assisted Chinups (can't do non-assisted yet)
3x8 Leg Extension
10 minute cardio walk/run cooldown

3 times a week. I have been doing this routine for a week now and have seen gains each time of 5-10lbs depending on the exercise.

Not at all perfect but having just recently moved to the Boston area (West Roxbury) thus not knowing the area or gyms and not ever lifting before I made a horrible rookie mistake and joined Planet Fitness before learning how bad Smith Machines are. I am trying to find a new gym that is not far from my apartment or work (center of Boston, Back Bay) and doesn't cost $80+/month.

Will this be ok for a month or two while I find a new gym?

I will be trying to post every day. At least every workout day. Diet and workout plan subject to change during transformation.

Photos to come (ugh).

[pizzarrhea]

What is eating right? Do you have an eating regimen? I don't know of many gyms in Boston but I know there's a Planet Fitness on State St.

[tehlith]

What is eating right? Do you have an eating regimen? I don't know of many gyms in Boston but I know there's a Planet Fitness on State St.

Avoiding fast food due to impulse/control issues when ordering primarily. Eating clean whole foods with plenty of vegetables and replacing soda with water.

I have alternates for lunch/dinner that all fit within my macros and calorie goals. For example, if I have a chicken sandwich instead of tuna I don't allow any almonds since the chicken has more calories. Mayo used in the sandwiches are from packets to retain consistency (I make them at work). Lean beef/chicken dinners with a lot of vegetables. Beef/chicken is weighed prior to cooking and oil is measured as well. All of my meals are weighed on a food scale when applicable. Evening snack is cottage cheese, peanut butter or cheese depending on what I want and what I have eaten earlier in the day to maintain my macros and calorie goals. I have protein bars as a backup if for whatever reason I can't prepare food or otherwise meet my macro/caloric goals.

[tehlith]

Something I have been debating, if anyone has any input.

If my ultimate goal is ~164 LBs would it be better to aim for 2LBs a week for 24 weeks (putting me at 162LBs) and then spending a month to bulk/recomp (possibly ending higher than my goal but looking good still) as opposed to cutting the entire time and tapering down to 1LB/week to reach 164 on June 25th?

[tehlith]

Wednesday and Thursday are my 'weekend' since I work from 7am-10pm w/commute both days. Still might try to get 30min cardio in after work.

Very sore yesterday at the gym from DOMS. Went a little light aiming for ~80% for each work set. Feel a lot less sore today. Took some pictures yesterday preWO and should have them posted soon. Hoping my new target macros as well as 1g+ protein per LBM will help combat soreness.

[JessLCraig]

How fid u come up with ur diet? Like what weight of chicken or meat should I start eating.. Etc. I have just started as well and am trying to lose weight. I am just wondering where u got your information for the meals u eat.

[bigollie2006]

How fid u come up with ur diet? Like what weight of chicken or meat should I start eating.. Etc. I have just started as well and am trying to lose weight. I am just wondering where u got your information for the meals u eat.

Read the stickies yo

[tehlith]

How fid u come up with ur diet? Like what weight of chicken or meat should I start eating.. Etc. I have just started as well and am trying to lose weight. I am just wondering where u got your information for the meals u eat.

The stickies in the losing fat section contain a huge amount of information. You should definitely do a ton of reading before jumping into it. I spent awhile finding what meals I can eat on a daily basis without going insane and trying different plans for a week at a time. Cheat meals etc are something I have to stay away from because one will turn into two and then my plan falls apart.

Weighed in at 208.6 this morning.

Pretty sure I am still losing water weight since I just started. I feel pretty good today although tired since I went to the midnight showing of the Hobbit. Ready to hit the gym tonight.

[tehlith]

Read the stickies yo

Awesome transformation by the way, congrats!

[tehlith]

Good workout yesterday. Eating has been on track except for yesterday. I had 1lb Lobster 4 clams 4 mussels and a hardboiled egg for dinner as well as an order of fried calamari (bad). I am not too worried about a single cheat meal on a workout day though. I will probably be doing some light cardio tonight after work.

Weighed in at 208.6 this morning. Official weekly weigh in is tomorrow morning. Hoping for 208. My aggressive 200lb for Jan 1st goal is looking a bit out of reach but I will keep progressing regardless.

Tehlith

[tehlith]

Good 1 hour light cardio session last night at the gym. Still can't run for **** but I am hoping that will change. Weight training tonight, feel pretty good about it this morning.

I started this diet utilizing IF but dropped it for the last week. I think I am going back to it since I noticed better results/willpower with it. I am going to eat from 11am-7pm. Same meals/macros.

[tehlith]

Great workout last night, slight increase in strength with the heavy exercises (squat, bench etc) and maintained in the lighter with an extra rep/easier last set for the others.

Forgot to post my weigh in yesterday. I believe it was around 209.4. Felt bloated/full in the AM for some reason. Weighed in this morning at 207.2.

Eating is on track, making adjustments due to changes in my schedule. Hard to eat enough whole foods. Not too worried at the moment.

New meal plan is as follows:

7-8 AM: Vitamin Supplements: D, C, Multi and Fish Oil.

12PM Lunch - Break Fast: 1 Can Tuna in water, 1 TBSP Regular Mayo (measured) with 2 Scoops Optimum Plantinum Hydrowhey mixed with water.

Tuna:
100 Calories
22g Protein
1g Fat
0g Carb

Mayo
90 Calories
0g Protein
10g Fat
0g Carb

Total:
190 Calories
22g Protein
11g Fat
0g Carb

2 Scoops Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey (80g Measured)

280 Calories
60g Protein
2g Fat
4g Carb

Total Lunch Macros:
470 Calories
82g Protein
13g Fat
4g Carb


12-5PM As I am hungry, 2 Quest Bars

2 Quest Bars, Averaged of 1 High Cal (~210) and 1 Low Cal (~170) a day.

Snack Total:
380 Calories
40g Protein
8g Fat
8g Carb

~6PM While making dinner, 1 Can Tuna 1 TBSP Mayo

Pre-Dinner Snack Total (from above):
190 Calories
22g Protein
11g Fat
0g Carb

7PM Dinner:
~350g Chicken, weighed (varies slightly depending on size of breast, I try to hit this as close as possible)
2 TBSP Olive Oil

~50g Spinach/Asparagus/Broccoli - These are all very similar in Macros, a few G fat/carb/protein and minimal Calories. Noting here for full disclosure but I don't count them in my calories/macros because they are a pain.

Chicken:
385 Calories
80g Protein
~8g Fat (I try to trim visible fat off but this will obviously vary breast to breast)
0g Carb

2 TBSP Olive Oil:
240 Calories
0g Protein
28g Fat
0 Carb

Dinner Total:
625 Calories
80g Protein
36g Fat
0g Carb

Daily Totals:
1665 Calories
224g Protein
68g Fat
8g Carb

A few extra in each from veggies but not much.

Alternate Dinner:
1/2 Pound 75/25 Burger (Pan Fried, no oil):
656 Calories
35g Protein
56g Fat
0g Carb

Alternate Daily Totals:
1696 Calories
179g Protein
88g Fat
8g Carb

Again, a few extra in each from veggies but not much.

Chicken Monday/Tuesday/Friday and beef on Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday since I get it for free from my second job. Happened to land myself into a keto diet (not really on purpose) so I will try it and see what kind of effect it has on me. Little worried about the lowish fat intake on chicken days and possibly even beef days. Might try to adjust a little bit by removing a scoop of whey for a TBSP of olive oil (-20 calories -30g protein +14g fat) with dinner or another TBSP of mayo with each can of tuna (+40 calories -30g protein +20g fat).

The important part of this (for the moment at least) is that I enjoy this meal plan. I remain satiated throughout the day, I love tuna and the combination of the bars and beef patties keep my sweet tooth/beef cravings at bay. I am also very full while I am at my second job so temptations such as free french fries/onion rings/fresh bread can be overpowered. Energy has been higher than usual even with the low carbohydrates but I will keep monitoring.

Side note: I took pictures a week ago, very embarrassing but I do have them! Will probably wait to post until I have a decent before/after comparison. Also, I fit into size 38 slim-fit jeans again!

[tehlith]

Starting day 2 of my "weekend" and feeling great.

After 2 weeks of legitimate weight lifting I have already noticed a drastic improvement in my overall fitness level. I can fly up 2 flights of stairs 2 at a time and my legs do not feel horrible. Also, my latissimus dorsi doesn't hurt after working the line (lifting plates up high) at my second job.

Noted that I need to cut out the caffiene in the evening since it seems to have a profound effect on my sleep quality. Taking my EC stack at 9:00AM, 12:00PM and 3:00PM.

I don't know if its the EC stack, my fitness improvements, the vitamin supplements or something else entirely but I have been noticing that I have been thinking a lot clearer recently.

tehlith

[tehlith]

Weighed in this morning at 205.6 LBs. I am eating the same amount of calories/drinking plenty of water as my 1-2 weeks off of IF (didn't lose much). Maintaining my calorie intake at just around ~1700 (I assume some fat comes out of the burgers during cooking since they don't use oil on the grill at work). I love IF.

Plenty of energy, restful sleep again with no caffeine at all after my 3:00PM EC dose. Maintaining as close to 8 hours of sleep a night as possible. Hitting the gym tonight after work. Feeling good this morning.

Office lunch today since its our last day before Christmas leave. Going to a Mexican restaurant (my weakness...). Checked out the lunch menu and didn't see a single thing without tortillas (I always get fajitas and chow down with tons of tortillas/cheese). Iwill try my best to get a plate of carne asada with onions/peppers and some cheese. Skipping my 2 cans of tuna and protein bars to hopefully balance the lunch.

Intermittent Fasting Break @ 12:00PM -
2 Scoops Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey (80g Measured)
280 Calories
60g Protein
2g Fat
4g Carb

Dinner @ ~7:00PM -

Chicken (~350g):
385 Calories
80g Protein
~8g Fat (I try to trim visible fat off but this will obviously vary breast to breast)
0g Carb

2 TBSP Olive Oil:
240 Calories
0g Protein
28g Fat
0 Carb

Dinner Total:
625 Calories
80g Protein
36g Fat
0g Carb

Total:
905 Calories
140g protein
38g Fat
4g Carb

This leaves me with ~800 calories for my lunch with my protein requirements met regardless. A decent portion of carne asada with vegetables pan fried in oil with some cheese will probably break the 800 calorie mark but today is a gym day so I should be okay.

[tehlith]

Since I was out of work for Christmas vacation and I usually post during downtime I haven't been updating. I am back to work now and thus back to updating!

Had a struggle the past week and a half with the holidays and good food everywhere. I dropped to 203.0 LBs on the scale at my lowest and weighed in at 208.8 this morning. Since New Year's was a pretty heavy cheat day I am comfortable where I am. I should drop quite a few pounds quickly as I remove water weight and carbs from my body again.

I still managed to hit the gym albeit not on a schedule. Lifts seemed to vary a little but ultimately not much of a change which is fine. Pushups seem to be a lot easier now though and I can do many more than I could a few weeks ago.

Back onto my diet plan that I posted previously with IF and EC stack.

tehlith

[Superher0Soul]

im following buddy keep working!

[tehlith]

im following buddy keep working!

Thanks!

Forgot to mention that I went with Intek Evolution Whey Protein instead of Hydrowhey to save a few bucks. Slightly different nutrition with +20 calories in each serving but same low carbs and high protein content.

Diet was slightly different yesterday:

Fast Break @ 12:
1 Can Tuna 2 TBSP Low Fat Mayo - 190 Calories
1 Serving Intek Whey - 160 Calories

Snacks 1-4PM:
1 Vanilla Almond Crunch Quest Bar - 200 Calories
1 Apple Pie Quest Bar - 170 Calories

Dinner 7PM:

1/2 Pound 75/25 Burger Patty (Est. fat content on the high side since they are ground in house)
1oz Cheddar Cheese Slice
2 Slices Thin Bacon
Approximately 830 Calories

~1550 Calories total. This number is probably a little off due to the uncertainty in the burger. If it's +200 higher than calculated I'm still fine. If it's lower than estimated I may be eating too little. I will continue to monitor my performance at the gym and my energy levels.

Low cravings for cheat meals which is usually pretty strong after a few cheat days although this is partly due to the cheese and bacon on my burger patty. Day two of my "weekend" today. Not working my second job tonight though so I might try to do some cardio but I probably won't...

Weighed in at 205.0 this morning and I still feel a little bloated. Pretty sure I will keep shedding weight over the next few days to 202-200 and then I should slow back down to 2lbs/week.

I am still going to try and aim for my goal of 190 on February 5th even though my 200lb on January 1st goal is going to be ~1 week late.

I really want to see 199 on the scale.

[tehlith]

203.2 on the scale this morning. I woke up a little hungry, grabbed my vitamins/fish oil and a glass of water and downed them. After the glass of water my stomach felt ill. Still feels off two hours later. Might be some post nasal drip or high stomach acid overnight from an empty stomach.

Aside from feeling ill I still feel a little bloated. Not sure if its still from my heavy cheat night on new years.

Helpful observation/tip:

Pounding a glass of water immediately after waking up (~6am) and another when I get settled into work (~9am) seems to wake me up and keep me satiated until lunch (12pm).

[tehlith]

Weekends are still by far the hardest part of my weight loss.

Saturday I had 2 quest bars (~380 Calories), 1/2 pound burger with 1oz cheddar and 2 strips bacon (~800 calories) and... 3 burritos from Taco Bell (~1650 calories). Total estimated: 2830 Calories or 1100 above my goal. Luckily I am very active on Satudays and work ~10 hours as a server.

Sunday I worked another 4 hours as a server so semi-active. Cheated a bit, again, 1/2 pound burger with 1oz cheddar and 2 strips bacon (~800 calories), 2 cans tuna w/4tbsp light mayo (~400 calories)... 2 cans regular coca cola (280 calories), 2 KFC Double Downs (~1100 calories). Total estimated: 2580 calories.

I might be a little low on calories but I will continue with the plan as it is and have a cheat meal (or two) on the weekends but make sure I don't go 3000+ overboard. I will monitor progress and review after my February 5th weigh-in.

Need to figure out a better gym schedule/motivation. If I miss the gym (which I did on Friday and Sunday) I try my best to do pushups/lunges/squats until fail at least. Very hard to manage my time and get to the gym 3 times a week.

All that being said, I have noticed a great improvement in the mirror and how my clothes fit over the past month.

[tehlith]

Substituted my protein shake, 1 can of tuna w/mayo and chicken dinner for a sushi dinner (easy on the rice, lots of fish). Not sure on the calories at all but it wasn't a lot of food (notably rice) so I am confident I didn't go over.

Hit the gym very well. I attribute the energy level to the carbs in the rice prior to workout. I wasn't really trying to maintain keto so I will probably work some kind of carbs into me pre-workout meal to increase intensity. Dropped and did 22 pushups before rest. Amazing considering a month ago I could maybe pull 2-3.

Took more photos, didn't notice much of a difference. I will take another set next week after workout to compare to a month prior.

-tehlith

[tehlith]

It's been one month since I created this thread. From December 11th to January 11th. 31 Days (4.4 weeks). I weighed in at 200.2 lbs (can't wait to see 199.x, hopefully tomorrow!) this morning.

December 11th 2012: 210.4 lbs
January 11th 2013: 200.2 lbs

I lost, on average, 2.3 lbs/week. I am pleased with my results in the mirror and my improved fitness. 190 lbs by February 5th is very unrealistic at this point. I will keep on my plan and adjust my goals based on my weight on the 5th.

[tehlith]

Another semi-bad weekend. Haven't weighed myself again but I still feel like I am losing weight/leaning out.

Bit the bullet and got a gym membership near where I work. It is kind of expensive but I am able to keep motivated enough to go directly after work. The problem I was having before was that I would get home, take off my work clothes, make dinner and get too comfortable. Now I go straight to the gym after work while I am still away from home and active.

[tehlith]

200.0 lbs even on the scale this morning. It's taunting me but I will break the 200.0 barrier.

First squats/deadlifts at the new gym last night and wow are they ever different outside a smith machine. Took a lot of practice with an empty bar just to get my balance right for the squats. Going to have to take it easy until I am comfortable with the movements.

I also started running for my cardio warmup. Walked five minutes, ran one ten minute mile and then walked another five. I am rather proud of myself considering I have never done any kind of running before.

[tehlith]

I decided to stop working Wednesday/Thursday. This gives me a proper schedule Monday through Friday to workout after work at the new gym.

Still horribly sore in my quadriceps after my squats on Tuesday. My chest and arms were terribly sore until last night but they are down to being manageably sore today.

I assume the extreme soreness (to the point of it being truly painful to stand) is partially because I took a two week break from lifting and partially because I used freeweights instead of smith machines. Hoping I can get into a proper workout schedule next week.

[tehlith]

I'm still here! Had a bad 5 days due to lack of self control. Didn't really gain any weight but didn't really lose any either.

Summary so far:

12/11/12 - 210.4 lbs
6 weeks later, 11 pounds lost
01/22 - 199.4 LBs (Sub 200!)
1.83 LB/s week average.

Adjusted short-term goals:

01/29 - 197.2 lbs
02/05 - 195.0 lbs
02/12 - 193.0 lbs
02/19 - 191.0 lbs
02/26 - 189.0 lbs (Sub 190!)

Going to try and make a point to record my excercises/workouts here as best I can. This week is a little strange since Monday was a holiday and I wasn't near the gym. I am taking it slowly and only doing bench presses/squats/deadlifts one exercise each day with warmup sets and 5x5 work sets. I want to focus on the movements for each exercise each day for 2 weeks before I speed up my workout.

Tuesday 1/22/03 - 60 minutes.
I want to get better at running as a side-goal.

20 minutes cardio:
5 minute walk
10 minute mile
5 minute walk

20 minutes weightlifting:
Warm-up sets:
5x40 bar-only bench
5x90 bench
5x110 bench
Work-sets:
5x5x140 bench
Failure on set 4, 5th rep and final set, 4th + 5th rep.

20 minutes cardio:
5 minute walk
10 minute mile
5 minute walk

[tehlith]

Moved to the truly free barbell weight racks yesterday. I started out weight lifting a month and a half ago using 1 axis smith machines until two weeks ago when I switched to a 2 axis smith machine. Feels very different and I am not truly comfortable with the movements yet but I will take it slowly and make sure I don't hurt myself.

Yesterday I worked on squats. I did 5 sets of 8x145 and failed on 4-8, 5-7 and 5-8.

I notice that I feel much more of a pump/workout when I do 3x12 or 5x8 sets. Maybe I just haven't found a sweet spot for 5x5 sets to work the muscles without failing too quickly.