12 weeks to Memorial Day 2015 (Mar 2 - May 25th) Weight Loss Thread

[harmar21]

Hmm didn't lose any weight last week. In fact in the past month only went down a couple lbs however measurement wise I lost 1 inch on chest, belly, and hips. Also I have noticed massive strength improvements as well, increasing squats, bench press, overhead press, lat pulldown all by about 50%.


Started C25K today, boy is that rough. Was sort of able to complete it, did first 4 sets, had to walk on 5th set, did 3 more sets, and added 1 more set to make up skipped set. Took a lot of willpower to complete... Also need to buy running shoes.

Anyways, do you think doing c25k 3x per week and weightlifting 3x per week is too much? Should I reduce c25k to twice a week then take sat and sun off for a longer rest?

[Maverick2015]

Hmm didn't lose any weight last week. In fact in the past month only went down a couple lbs however measurement wise I lost 1 inch on chest, belly, and hips. Also I have noticed massive strength improvements as well, increasing squats, bench press, overhead press, lat pulldown all by about 50%.


Started C25K today, boy is that rough. Was sort of able to complete it, did first 4 sets, had to walk on 5th set, did 3 more sets, and added 1 more set to make up skipped set. Took a lot of willpower to complete... Also need to buy running shoes.

Anyways, do you think doing c25k 3x per week and weightlifting 3x per week is too much? Should I reduce c25k to twice a week then take sat and sun off for a longer rest?

That schedule is fine and is what I did/do. After you finish the program you can decide on 2 vs 3 times a week. For now stick with it as written. Running shoes are helpful and be sure to pace yourself. You don't need to run, just jog at a pace that lets you finish the day. FWIW, on a cut that level of cardio 3x a week is fine. On a bulk you have to look at the whole picture and decide on your cardio. Good luck with the program and stick with it. You will end up with more endurance in other parts of your life without even realizing it. If you have kids you will see what I mean.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I realize what it should be , and I'm not claiming to be a special snowflake...I just think that there are individual responses to things....whether it's my hormones or fluid or whatever....I can have a good week or 2 with a big loss and then nothing for a couple so that my average stays point 6.

I'm staying at this calorie level now and I am adjusting exercise to see if that will help.

I get that it's the go to response that it must me something I'm missing in my calculating. It's ok. You can all think that. In the end I still have to work to get to my goal weight/physique alone. It's my fight and I'll win it.

Ha I usually gain and lose weight in clumps. In a surplus I gain nothing for weeks, then 2 pounds pops on scale and stays

I try to just focus on the macros and tracking and have faith.

But I usually go mental waiting instead

[DarGwynn]

Yesterday is the best running session ever for me. Ran 15 minutes straight at 8 mph 2.0 inclined. Was supposed to only run 8 minutes, walk 3, and run another 8. But I was feeling so good I almost double the time on the second run. Would probably still be okay if I up the speed to 8.5-9 mph. Just full of energy.

However, I crashed down to Earth today with probably the most unproductive day I've had in a long time. All I basically did was just lying around. Took a nap then woke up and indulge myself at a buffet (don't even want to know how much I ate. Luckily I'm doing IF with one meal a day). I am now in one of the worst food coma I've experienced in a while. To make it worse, I skipped the gym today... And it's leg day... Jk on that... I do a full body routine. Still a bad day though.

[PunkyCindy]

Started back lifting this morning and I can definitely tell a difference in my stamina. Holy batman, it doesn't take long to lose it.

[kmac1196]

Started back lifting this morning and I can definitely tell a difference in my stamina. Holy batman, it doesn't take long to lose it.

It doesn't. But don't look backwards....you're not going that way.

[kmac1196]

Morning everyone! It's almost the weekend.


Today is cardio day....I'm going to do 1 hour LISS before work and then 1 house to clean (big). Then...not much else planned.

I'm finishing up week 3 of Strong curves....this is 12 weeks. Then I think I'll do Bill PHillips 12 weeks back to fit or whatever it's called. But I'm going to throw in some Glute Bridges and hip thrusts.



More later

[JohnCyr]

Forgot that it was our weigh ins on Monday! Was 188.5 on Saturday but gained back a bit from that cheat meal... weighed in on Monday at 189. Down to 187 this morning though.

Initially thought I was gonna be 12% bodyfat at 185, which was my goal weight, but apparently not LOL. Oh well.

Heres a shot of me yesterday on Week 21, abs flexed, (Pornpose I know lol... ) that shows the stomach progress really well. Its getting harder to notice progress at this stage thus why I take pictures rather than focus on scale readings... Helps me stay motivated...



That was me on week 2

[kmac1196]

John.....super good progress! You should be proud.

What's your plan for maintaining? Or will you be a forever bulk/cut cycle?

[JohnCyr]

John.....super good progress! You should be proud.

What's your plan for maintaining? Or will you be a forever bulk/cut cycle?

Thank you kmac!

I don't really have a plan yet. Right now my bmr is 1900 and still cutting on 1600-1800 ish....

Still gonna hit weights 5x a week but might drop cardio to 2-3 times when I am maintaining. Surely wont want to bulk for a while and enjoy some abs as I have never once in my life been lean.

Most likely gonna maintain around 2000 cals but try and clean up the diet some more... my breakfast is still a turkey egg white sandwich, hashbrown and coffee from Tim Hortons. its around 500 calories but theres a whole lot I could eat that would be better for me lol. Its the one thing that's kept me sane through these 21 weeks and feeling like im cheating everyday haha.

I had a fitness comp in mind but I think I was way out the ball park when it came to the amount of work/dedication/restrictions when it comes to contest prep.... And I have a wedding to plan as well lol getting married August 1rst so yeah... gonna maintain until next winter I think.

[kmac1196]

Thank you kmac!

I don't really have a plan yet. Right now my bmr is 1900 and still cutting on 1600-1800 ish....

Still gonna hit weights 5x a week but might drop cardio to 2-3 times when I am maintaining. Surely wont want to bulk for a while and enjoy some abs as I have never once in my life been lean.

Most likely gonna maintain around 2000 cals but try and clean up the diet some more... my breakfast is still a turkey egg white sandwich, hashbrown and coffee from Tim Hortons. its around 500 calories but theres a whole lot I could eat that would be better for me lol. Its the one thing that's kept me sane through these 21 weeks and feeling like im cheating everyday haha.

I had a fitness comp in mind but I think I was way out the ball park when it came to the amount of work/dedication/restrictions when it comes to contest prep.... And I have a wedding to plan as well lol getting married August 1rst so yeah... gonna maintain until next winter I think.

Nice plan. You are going to look great for your bride on your wedding day!

[Earlbolus]

Damn, binged yesterday because of stressful news about a friend of mine who has trouble with substances, really wasn't feeling like anything. Next thing I know I just ate way too much, it really was some kind of unconsciously emo-eating that I think about it.

Anyway, new day and the rest of the week went good. I work a little harder today and get myself a nice weigh-in tomorrow.

[phil917]

Water weight hit me again lol. Weighed in 244.8 this morning despite being perfect on my diet. Sore as hell from crossfit the past 3 days. One more session today then I'm resting until Sunday. Maybe some light cardio on the weekend. Keep going strong everyone.

[sammynage]

Forgot that it was our weigh ins on Monday! Was 188.5 on Saturday but gained back a bit from that cheat meal... weighed in on Monday at 189. Down to 187 this morning though.

Initially thought I was gonna be 12% bodyfat at 185, which was my goal weight, but apparently not LOL. Oh well.

Heres a shot of me yesterday on Week 21, abs flexed, (Pornpose I know lol... ) that shows the stomach progress really well. Its getting harder to notice progress at this stage thus why I take pictures rather than focus on scale readings... Helps me stay motivated...

Nice job! You look like you've gotten 10yrs younger in the face!

[Kurt909]

Went a bit wild last night but not too crazy. Stress with work is hard to deal with.

Need to make sure I stay away from chocolate tonight

[Eric1485]

Good Morning Everyone!

@JohnCyr looking great man, amazing progress! You are definitely an inspiration to a lot of people on this board.

@Kurt909 and @Earlbolus: we all have those nights, don't worry about it and get back on track today!

I was planning on running my road route this morning but it was way too cold and windy so I hit the treadmill. Motivation was low and I only planned on running about 1.5 miles, but when that sweat started to break I could not stop..ended up doing 3 miles and I feel great. I have abs and legs laid on for this evening.

Hope everyone has a great day!

[PunkyCindy]

It doesn't. But don't look backwards....you're not going that way.

Definitely not looking back. I'll get it back

[PunkyCindy]

Damn, binged yesterday because of stressful news about a friend of mine who has trouble with substances, really wasn't feeling like anything. Next thing I know I just ate way too much, it really was some kind of unconsciously emo-eating that I think about it.

Anyway, new day and the rest of the week went good. I work a little harder today and get myself a nice weigh-in tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about your friend, but you've got this.

[rimduglep]

Well, I'm up a half a pound overnight - so, it starts! It's all downhill from here!

No, honestly, I know exactly what happened - I usually do IF and I had a serving of teriyaki chicken and half a serving of orange chicken at Panda Express yesterday to finish out my calories. I was still under by quite a bit on the calories, but the sodium probably got me. Totally worth it for a fun night out with my wife, as we went straight there after work and then on to see Rear Window at the theater. Fun.

Today was my first deadlift day of 5/3/1 BBB and it was a lot of fun. Achy, achy fun. And then... The ab wheel. Ouch. My lower back is more of a problem on those than my actual abs.

Can I fast forward about three months and then nine months?

[caprica6]

Good morning, all. Good to see you, Punky.

Quick check-in from me. I'm back in New England for a while and I don't have Internet or tv here. I'll pick up DVDs from the library to keep me occupied at night. So far so good. I've been coasting on diet alone since Saturday... I don't have a way to weigh myself yet. I usually weigh myself daily b/c I don't count cals.

I've learned that I shouldn't post abt workouts before they happen b/c my days don't always go as planned, so I'll check back in, hopefully with a workout report later.




Oh eta: I measured my waist and hips and I'm in maintenance mode there. A good thing... I'm wearing pants again, (I wore shorts and skirts in Fl), and my thighs look dramatically different in them, lol. Again, a good thing, but my pants are very tight. Idk what happened. Best guess, I was ghost bulked by mom while I was doing all that squatting. So water retention plus mysterious amts of coconut oil plus salt might acct for my weight remaining higher than expected before I left. Luckily for me I was weight training/not sedentary at the time.

[cmt029]

I'm a full pound up today over Monday's weigh-in. My calories have been spot-on and I've been getting a few fairly long walks in between gym sessions so I assume it must be water weight- my sodium and carbs have been pretty high this week. Monday I weighed in at 214.8, today I'm at 215.8. I'm going to go low carb/sodium this weekend. It'll be interesting to see what the scale says come Monday morning.

[iam8bit]

It felt good to finish. I fully expected to repeat weeks but trusted in the program and pushed through it. There are two keys: first, don't look too far ahead in the program or you will psych yourself out; second, remember it is about time not speed and feel free to slow to a crawl to get through the day. Really a lot of it is learning pacing. I think that the program gave me a lot of endurance and helped me learn my pace and decide what I really wanted to do as a recreational jogger. I have some ideas about increasing speed later on, but for now I am just doing the 2 miles that I enjoyed and not pushing past that any more.

That's cool. I'll try not to get too scared about the following weeks, even if I think this program goes super fast, ha ha. And hey, at least I felt better on yesterday's second session.

How did you follow up C25K? Did you keep jogging and increased time/distance?

Heres a shot of me yesterday on Week 21, abs flexed, (Pornpose I know lol... ) that shows the stomach progress really well. Its getting harder to notice progress at this stage thus why I take pictures rather than focus on scale readings... Helps me stay motivated...

I've told you this before, but awesome transformation... Congrats John!

It really is motivating to see what people can achieve when they are consistent, in such a short amount of time.

[Rich1143]

Went to the doc today. Looks like my brain fog might be allergy related. My sinuses were definitely inflamed the doc said. Doc was impressed with my weight loss and was interested in my regimen. I was 200 lbs last time I went in to see the doctor. That was probably in 2014. I originally went into the doctor because I was tired and depressed. One thing that amazes me is how much diet can alleviate so many ills we as people get, yes doctors only seem to mention diet when someone is on the cusp of severe health problems. At any rate, I hope to be feeling better soon so I can get back on my plan. Maybe hit that illusive 160 lbs mark.

[lolruxlol]

I've had a good week, a good mindset. I think I figured out how I can make those weeks as pleasant as possible but I can't really name what that 'thing' is.

[Rich1143]

I've had a good week, a good mindset. I think I figured out how I can make those weeks as pleasant as possible but I can't really name what that 'thing' is.

Keep it up, man. Success is an aggregate of consistency. Results aren't seen on a daily basis but they compound over time. If you have a good day, try to replicate it over and over. Then before you know it, you will be at your desired weight.

[Maverick2015]

Yesterday is the best running session ever for me. Ran 15 minutes straight at 8 mph 2.0 inclined. Was supposed to only run 8 minutes, walk 3, and run another 8. But I was feeling so good I almost double the time on the second run. Would probably still be okay if I up the speed to 8.5-9 mph. Just full of energy.

Wow, 2 miles in 15 minutes is great! I like 2 miles as a distance. For some reason my brain wants to stop after that distance (I run outside). But I have yet to come close to that speed even for 1 mile.

As a side note, I seem to remember someone asking about cardio for basic training and by the end you are supposed to run 1.5 miles in under 12:15. I have no idea how people do that with 6 weeks of training. Your speed beats that time by a minute. How long have you been running?

[Maverick2015]

Started back lifting this morning and I can definitely tell a difference in my stamina. Holy batman, it doesn't take long to lose it.

It is also amazing how fast you gain it back. Muscle memory is a great thing.

[Maverick2015]

Forgot that it was our weigh ins on Monday! Was 188.5 on Saturday but gained back a bit from that cheat meal... weighed in on Monday at 189. Down to 187 this morning though.

Initially thought I was gonna be 12% bodyfat at 185, which was my goal weight, but apparently not LOL. Oh well.

So what would you estimate your BF% to be when you get to 185?

[Maverick2015]

That's cool. I'll try not to get too scared about the following weeks, even if I think this program goes super fast, ha ha. And hey, at least I felt better on yesterday's second session.

How did you follow up C25K? Did you keep jogging and increased time/distance?

Okay, I should have multi-quoted... sorry.

For follow up with C25K I currently am just jogging 3 times a week still but have chosen 2 miles as my limit for now. I figure this will get faster over time. I might work on speed later, but for now I am just trying to keep the recreational jogging mindset. It is easy when there is a plan to follow but I needed a break from the constant progression. Some people move on to the 10K program, but I think speed is the next logical step unless you are already doing a full 5K by the end of the program (last week is a 30 minute run). The other day I did a one mile to see what faster speed feels like. I figure I might do that once a week to mix things up. Really a day each of 1 mile, 2 mile, and 30 minute jogging might be the next step for me. But really my brain wants me to stop at 2 miles. I guess that should be a sign that I need to push myself more and do the full 30 minutes, but I feel like I get enough out of just doing 2 miles (plus the walk before and after).

I did have a thought of starting the program over but either changing it from a walk/jog to a walk/run program or making it a jog/run program instead. The jog/run seems like a better choice, but there is something to be said for a walking recovery. When you look up adding speed the three things mentioned are 1) Hill sprints 2) Intervals 3) Added distance. But for recreational runners/joggers there is an emphasis on remembering to do a nicely paced jog at least once a week.

I'll have to let you know what I liked best once you are finished. Enjoy the program and remember to pace yourself.

[Rich1143]

So what would you estimate your BF% to be when you get to 185?

I am curious how the fat loss affects your tattoos. For serious.