Oct 1 - Dec 31 (Q4 2013) Weight Loss Motivational/Competition Thread

[cpprogress]

1 hr 15 minute weight lifting workout today, goal is to see 235 by Sunday.

[strongerani]

Makes me actually relieved not to have Halloween around here. But I have the same concerns around other festivities related to birthdays coming up next month. How do you guys manage to stay on track during holidays? I am curious, what strategies work for you to avoid/resist temptation? Temptation as in to stick to your exercise program and not skip workouts, or to stick to your eating plan or how not to go overboard when cheating/indulging?

usually on family events and holidays like christmas I just continue my workouts normally, don't eat any dessert or sweets and prepare my meals ahead and eat out tupperwares so I don't even get tempted to eat anything else... gotta admit that last christmas I wasn't as strict with the food so we will see how it happens this year. guess it depends. if I hit my goal weight before that I might enjoy some cheat meals

[madhessian]

usually on family events and holidays like christmas I just continue my workouts normally, don't eat any dessert or sweets and prepare my meals ahead and eat out tupperwares so I don't even get tempted to eat anything else... gotta admit that last christmas I wasn't as strict with the food so we will see how it happens this year. guess it depends. if I hit my goal weight before that I might enjoy some cheat meals

If I know I,m going to a big event dinner, I fast for the previous 24 hours to mitigate the damage. YMMV but it works for me.

[xenotick]

I took the average of two different body fat measurements. Calipers and Omron Monitor. TO be honest, I think I'm more likely at 18-20% but still, not too far off. I'm thinking maybe low 170s and I will probably be around 12-14%bf. I have a decent lean base but I hold a lot of fat around my waist. Manboobs are getting smaller and more leaner. Forearms and biceps have nice vascularity.

Ah cool, maybe I'm overestimating, it's hard to tell. I guess just have to get down to the weight, evaluate where you are and see if you need to go further (and actually do it, if you do end up a bit further off). I consciously try to set goals further than I think I need to go these days, since I find it's almost always a fair bit further to get as cut as I'm looking for. I've never managed to get truly lean, tend to bottom out somewhere in the 15-20% range. Determined for that not to be the case this time!

[Vicque]

usually on family events and holidays like christmas I just continue my workouts normally, don't eat any dessert or sweets and prepare my meals ahead and eat out tupperwares so I don't even get tempted to eat anything else... gotta admit that last christmas I wasn't as strict with the food so we will see how it happens this year. guess it depends. if I hit my goal weight before that I might enjoy some cheat meals

If its a family event or a holiday, I just eat as I please and make up for it with an extra workout or something. I rarely get that good home cooking anymore since I live a good distance away and I'm not gonna pass it up!

[Kelekin]

Sorry on the delay - Canadian holiday here. I will get the sheet up tonight

[Gilly28]

I'll be winning this weight gain comp. this week. /Thanksgiving

[chevy72blu]

If its a family event or a holiday, I just eat as I please and make up for it with an extra workout or something. I rarely get that good home cooking anymore since I live a good distance away and I'm not gonna pass it up!

This! A day or two of feasting wont ruin your cut. Absolutely bump up the cardio in the aftermath, but dont forget to enjoy the holidays with your family. You dont get them back

[born2drum]

Ah cool, maybe I'm overestimating, it's hard to tell. I guess just have to get down to the weight, evaluate where you are and see if you need to go further (and actually do it, if you do end up a bit further off). I consciously try to set goals further than I think I need to go these days, since I find it's almost always a fair bit further to get as cut as I'm looking for. I've never managed to get truly lean, tend to bottom out somewhere in the 15-20% range. Determined for that not to be the case this time!

Speaking of setting goal further than you need to. I've given my self a shorter goal, (lucky for me this competition came out around the same time I decided to do this) but I'm going on 90-days cut then two weeks of (deloading with one week of no working out) then continue my cut in the New Year. I'm hoping to get to 180 by the end of the year, though. That would be really nice.

New PRs.
Deads: 305lbs x3
Bench: 235x2
Squat: 275x4

Hoping to inchease each by 20lbs by the end of my cut but I don't think I will be able to without eating more than 2100cals per day.

This is the first time I've stuck to this and I'm pretty much focused on leaning out. Don't want to be ripped or anything just a heck of a lot leaner.

[cpprogress]

50 min. of cardio today - I can't wait to see 235 on Sunday.

[strongerani]

hey guuuys! hope everyone is still motivated and working towards their goals!

I've been sick for the last two days and decided to take the whole week off training. I'll get back to it on saturday but I will focus on my diet for now because that has been my struggle lately. I have been feeling depressed and ate way too much. So I'll give myself a little break and rest

we have to listen to our bodies and our minds sometimes

everyone else: work your ass off though

[Kelekin]

Alright here we go. As a group we lost just short of 100 pounds.

Top 3 in Weight Loss %:
1) ChewYourFood - 2.68%
2) Slender111 - 2.62%
3) Kelekin - 2.56%

Top 3 in Weight Loss Amount:

1) Kelekin - 9 lbs
2) ChewYourFood - 8 lbs
3) BUFFAL0BILLS - 6.5 lbs

If your name is in gold, it means you didn't send a weigh-in. If any of these people miss this next week's weigh-in they will be dropped.

[Slender111]

Most people are doing great! Keep going!!!

[MsFat2Fit]

hey guuuys! hope everyone is still motivated and working towards their goals!

I've been sick for the last two days and decided to take the whole week off training. I'll get back to it on saturday but I will focus on my diet for now because that has been my struggle lately. I have been feeling depressed and ate way too much. So I'll give myself a little break and rest

we have to listen to our bodies and our minds sometimes

everyone else: work your ass off though

Keep at it. You've been doing great so far. Sometimes after a short break I feel like it boosts my overall motivation/and I avoid burn out. I personally don't feel like I'm training hard enough. I'm going to up my cardio this week and see how it goes.

[chevy72blu]

Alright here we go. As a group we lost just short of 100 pounds.

Top 3 in Weight Loss %:
1) ChewYourFood - 2.68%
2) Slender111 - 2.62%
3) Kelekin - 2.56%

Top 3 in Weight Loss Amount:

1) Kelekin - 9 lbs
2) ChewYourFood - 8 lbs
3) BUFFAL0BILLS - 6.5 lbs

If your name is in gold, it means you didn't send a weigh-in. If any of these people miss this next week's weigh-in they will be dropped.

Thanks for putting that together! I know it must take some time.

I'm on day 3 of sleeping less than 5 hours a night. Insomnia rears its head for me like this once every few months. Hopefully in another day or two it will be gone.

Luckily my workouts dont seem to have suffered much, but I'm dead today. I'm already seeing some significant strength gains on All pro's just a few weeks into the first cycle. All this cardio is definitely hampering my squats though... I need to slow it down but I find it motivating to be in the gym every day.

[NeverTilt]

Great job everybody!! Let's keep at it, 100lbs almost! That's amazing, again, great job!!

[rocketman766]

Eliminated the first gym off the list, still looking for a new place to work out. Grilling up some more chicken and then off to another gym...

Good job to everyone still plugging away, lots of time left in this to see great results. I'm not letting my gain slow me down....

[born2drum]

Alright here we go. As a group we lost just short of 100 pounds.

Top 3 in Weight Loss %:
1) ChewYourFood - 2.68%
2) Slender111 - 2.62%
3) Kelekin - 2.56%

Top 3 in Weight Loss Amount:

1) Kelekin - 9 lbs
2) ChewYourFood - 8 lbs
3) BUFFAL0BILLS - 6.5 lbs

If your name is in gold, it means you didn't send a weigh-in. If any of these people miss this next week's weigh-in they will be dropped.

Thank you for the spread, good sir. Let's get it in people. Make that fat CRY!

[webgodess]

Nice to see some familiar names on the list even though they don't usually post, it's good to see how people never really give up. They may drop back from time to time but still get back on that horse.


It's been a decent week, had saved/earned enough cals Monday so as to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and dessert. Funny how I can hardly finish a moderate plate of food like that, just got full real fast. I can remember finishing plates of food and going back for seconds cuz that turkey, potatos n gravy is soo good. NO way I can do that now. The scale bumped up a bit but it would be the salt and simple carbs, no doubt it will be gone by Sunday, back to the same weight or if I'm lucky, a loss. Most days left this week have workouts scheduled.


100 lbs down as a group, amazing!

[chevy72blu]

Eliminated the first gym off the list, still looking for a new place to work out. Grilling up some more chicken and then off to another gym...

Good job to everyone still plugging away, lots of time left in this to see great results. I'm not letting my gain slow me down....

Biggest regret I have in my place was not being adamant about having a power/squat rack (smith machine only). I also prefer trap bars for dead lifts. But, I had to make some concessions as my wife is still intimidated by large gyms and we work out together; its worth it to keep us both motivated. The one I joined is also less than 5 mins from my house so there is no excuse not to go.

[rocketman766]

The first gym didn't have a squat rack. Also very few free weights and no space to really do anything on my own... they did have one open area but it was reserved for classes. I miss my old gym.... I want one close to home or even on the way to work but I will settle for any that have what I'm looking for that don't cost an arm and a leg...

[Iren1cuss]

I've been cutting for a while now(1 and a half months). So far I've lost some pounds and look better, my question is regarding a little bit of strenght loss. Before I started to cut I was going up in all my lifts. Since I began cutting my lifts have stayed the same, but it's getting harder and harder to reach my total reps(I'm really strugling on the last couple of reps). Should I be worried? I know this is normal but this is the first time I've experienced some strenght loss while cutting.

[Ecooke21]

just a heads up to everyone in the competition, i'm going to win...

btw, i will rep the top three people (under me of course) at the end of the contest..

I just recently finished the july to october challenge, and got the highest % lost, which makes me feel great. Lost a total of 31lbs..

I attended a wedding this past saturday. I have to see its been YEARS since i felt that confident in my looks... For once, i was'nt feeling like the fattest guy there..

Good luck to all, your gonna need it!!!!

[Ecooke21]

I've been cutting for a while now(1 and a half months). So far I've lost some pounds and look better, my question is regarding a little bit of strenght loss. Before I started to cut I was going up in all my lifts. Since I began cutting my lifts have stayed the same, but it's getting harder and harder to reach my total reps(I'm really strugling on the last couple of reps). Should I be worried? I know this is normal but this is the first time I've experienced some strenght loss while cutting.

strength loss is common... i wouldn't be to concerned.. as long as your not finishing due to pain.. you should be fine..

[chevy72blu]

just a heads up to everyone in the competition, i'm going to win...

btw, i will rep the top three people (under me of course) at the end of the contest..

I just recently finished the july to october challenge, and got the highest % lost, which makes me feel great. Lost a total of 31lbs..

I attended a wedding this past saturday. I have to see its been YEARS since i felt that confident in my looks... For once, i was'nt feeling like the fattest guy there..

Good luck to all, your gonna need it!!!!

Lol'd at your sig. Similar story.

I'm not trying to win the comp, but stick to ~2lb/week. The downside to these is that people are encouraged to lose weight faster than what may be healthy or ideal for them if they are super competitive. Brb cutting on 1000 cals and doing an hour of cardio a day

I will add my reps to the pot, doe

[rocketman766]

Previously I had posted that I was going to buy a food scale so I could get my portions right and stop guessing.... so I could accurately count my calories. I mentioned it to my wife and she opened one of the cabinets, pointed to a box and ..... what do you know, we already had one!!!!! Still in its original packaging and all! Anyway I was way off on my earlier assumptions of how much the chicken breast weighed. The good news, if I now eat the amount of chicken I THOUGHT I was eating, my food bill will be cut in half!

[HandoverFist]

Previously I had posted that I was going to buy a food scale so I could get my portions right and stop guessing.... so I could accurately count my calories. I mentioned it to my wife and she opened one of the cabinets, pointed to a box and ..... what do you know, we already had one!!!!! Still in its original packaging and all! Anyway I was way off on my earlier assumptions of how much the chicken breast weighed. The good news, if I now eat the amount of chicken I THOUGHT I was eating, my food bill will be cut in half!

Lol you just never know what's in those cabinets. Glad you can get on track. I recently bought a food scale as well and it's a real shocker what stuff weighs and normal portion sizes.

[n4pst3rCOD]

Alright here we go. As a group we lost just short of 100 pounds.

Top 3 in Weight Loss %:
1) ChewYourFood - 2.68%
2) Slender111 - 2.62%
3) Kelekin - 2.56%

Top 3 in Weight Loss Amount:

1) Kelekin - 9 lbs
2) ChewYourFood - 8 lbs
3) BUFFAL0BILLS - 6.5 lbs

If your name is in gold, it means you didn't send a weigh-in. If any of these people miss this next week's weigh-in they will be dropped.

Finally!! Cheers for the top 3. BTW Kelekin can you upload the spreadsheet to google drive?? I becomes easy to check out the sheet without looking for it thoughout the thread. Just a suggestion. Thnks for investing your time in this.

[webgodess]

Hey guys, I just wanted to poll the thread on something that is stumping me.

It's tough enough to fit in workouts with a full time job, part time business and full responsibility of a house and two kids, but some days when the kids have something after school I need to be at or a sport, it's literally impossible to fit in a regular, full workout without ending up taking away from sleep time. Now most might say just cut back on sleep but this comes back to bite me in the ass with increased cortisol levels and makes the next day really rough. I used to make sleep the last important thing on my list until I realized how important it is to getting into shape.


So, my question is if you run out of day time but don't want to miss a workout or mess up your schedule, would you....


a) Increase weight but do less reps/sets
b) Do the usual lift just drop the rest periods to next to nothing
b) Other (explain)

[chevy72blu]

Hey guys, I just wanted to poll the thread on something that is stumping me.

It's tough enough to fit in workouts with a full time job, part time business and full responsibility of a house and two kids, but some days when the kids have something after school I need to be at or a sport, it's literally impossible to fit in a regular, full workout without ending up taking away from sleep time. Now most might say just cut back on sleep but this comes back to bite me in the ass with increased cortisol levels and makes the next day really rough. I used to make sleep the last important thing on my list until I realized how important it is to getting into shape.


So, my question is if you run out of day time but don't want to miss a workout or mess up your schedule, would you....


a) Increase weight but do less reps/sets
b) Do the usual lift just drop the rest periods to next to nothing
b) Other (explain)

c) swap all isolation exercises for heavy compounds on a full body routine.

I'm currently on All Pro's due to time constraints. The best thing about it is the simplicity and ability to bang out a hard workout in 30-40 minutes, 3 times a week. Resting times are intentionally minimized to keep the intensity up (no more than 90 seconds between work sets). Bench, squat, bent over row, overhead press, straight leg dead lift, curls, and calf raises. You can work in cardio/abs on non training day if you like. What else do you need?