My Transformation - Fat Loss [PICS]

[bosketaru]

I sent an email to transformation of the week and I would like to inspire other teens that are in the situation I once was in.

Age: 17
Height: 5' 7"
Weight before: 185-190 lbs
Weight after: 133-135 lbs
Body fat before: 24% (body fat according to an electric scale, may not be accurate)
Body fat after: 7% (same electric scale, i believe it's higher than 7, perhaps 10-11)
Pants size before: 36-40 waist
Pants size after: 30 waist
Total weight lost: 52-55 lbs

All the before pictures are 1-2 years old, the halfway.jpg was taken about 7-8 months ago, and the after ones are no older than 3 months with the most recent ones being after1.jpg and after2.jpg, less than a week ago.

Why I got started...
The very first time I began exercising and I had my mind set on losing weight was sometime in July of 2004. The reason I started back then was because I simply didn't like how I looked in the mirror. I can honestly say I only lost about 8 pounds in a month. It wasn't until October of the same year when I realized that this had to be a long time commitment and not just a month's work. After trying out for the soccer team and being cut off the team, in 10th grade, I made up my mind and started on a long journey. Being from Romania, and growing up around soccer, and I loved (still do) the sport so much that it changed my life. I realized I only had 2 more years of High School left to get a chance to play and if I didn't do anything about it I would regret it for the rest of my life. I was also tired of being made fun of and joked around because of how my "man boobs" looked. Another thing was that I wanted to be more than just a friend around girls. The only attention I got was because they liked my accent or when they needed help with school. It was never because of the way I looked.

How I started...
At first, the only thing I did was jogging. As time passed, it was getting boring to just run, so before school started, I had my schedule changed to include weight lifting. In my Weights class, I worked out only about 30 minutes each school day. Within a few weeks I started seeing much faster weight loss then jogging alone. When I got home from school, I got my friends and went out to practice soccer. I tried to get as much exercise as possible, no matter what it was, as long as I was sweating and my heart rate went up, I was happy for the day.

DIET...
I would say that your diet is the most important thing you have to dedicate yourself to if you want to lose weight. If you keep on eating McDonalds, candy, drink soda, etc, and exercise, in my opinion, stop wasting time exercising or STOP EATING JUNK FOOD! That was the first thing I did. I mainly stopped drinking soda and eating cookies, I never ate outside the house anyway, so that wasn't a problem. I was losing weight just because I stopped eating all that extra sugar alone, not including all the exercise I did. I also tried to get as much protein as possible naturally, and I watched for the fat intake. Some things I ate : Grilled (George Forman grill) chicken breast, egg whites (boiled), broccoli (boiled), rice, whole wheat bread, apples, bananas, oatmeal and cereal in the morning (I recommend *Go Lean* cereal with low fat or skim milk). I also took vitamins, Centrum, and drank as much water as possible. I didn't take any supplements to help me lose weight, I went all natural because I think that's the only healthy way to do it. I ate 5-6 times a day, small meals, whenever i was hungry, or every 2-3 hours. I would have a cheat meal every weekend (ice cream, cookies, w/e I wanted)

MOTIVATION...
I would say staying motivated is one of the most difficult tasks when losing weight. It is hard to stay motivated the first few weeks, until you actually see results. The main things that kept me motivated was the scale, the mirror, and my friends. The scale was the best out of all, because I could see the numbers drop and that made me want to keep going and going and going. The mirror, because I could see the results and my friends because they encouraged me and complimented me on my results. Setting small goals also helped me stay motivated. For example, my goal would be to lose 5 pounds in 3-4 weeks, not 40 pounds in 3-4 months, because it was easier to accomplish the small goals. If you set big goals, break it up in smaller ones. Setting a big goal and not seeing results fast will get you discouraged.

When and how long...
Like I said above, it all started in July of 2004. I wasn't serious about it until October of the same year. It took until about the end of July to lose over 50 pounds. I wanted to stop losing weight at 145 lb, but I also wanted to see a 6 pack and I kept going for 2 more months until I dropped to 135. So overall it took me about an year.

Current goals...
Right now my main goal is to stay fit and exercise as much as possible. I'm working on my soccer skills and on my 8 pack. Tryouts are in about 2 weeks, so wish me luck.


One advice I'd like to give other people who are trying to lose weight is to remain focused. If you work hard and stay dedicated YOU WILL see results. I never thought I could do it, but look at me now. Trust me, it is worth it. every single pound.

Any questions? Find me at bradut4u@hotmail.com

I don't have a digital camera, so most of these pics were either scanned or taken with my webcam.

before.jpg
This is about 2 years ago

before1.jpg
Last year, end of July

before2.jpg
Same week as the previous one

halfway.jpg
About 7-8 months ago


The only thing that's bothering me is the loose skin and fat behind nipples. It seems like it never goes away.

[vadox6466]

please attach the pictures to your post, because your geocitites account has very limited bandwidth and I am not permitted to view the pictures

[bosketaru]

after.jpg
About 3 months ago

absafter.jpg
Abs shot, about 2 months ago

after3.jpg
Last month on my birthday

after1.jpg
No more than 2 weeks ago

after2.jpg
Same as above

[New1]

Wow. Looking freaking great. I was premature with that first post. In that bottom pic of the before, had you lost some weight? It looks that way.

[Wickedsnowflake]

thats a damn good job you did man. you look good.

[vadox6466]

wow, GREAT job

I went through the same thing, although I'm bulking at the moment so I have more fat..

The heaviest I've ever been was 180 in grade 7. I remember I had man boobs, and if I tried to run everything would jiggle... Now I'm very close to beating my highest weight, and nothing's jiggling =P

[l3ul2n]

Good job buddy!

[bosketaru]

Originally Posted by New1

Wow. Looking freaking great. I was premature with that first post. In that bottom pic of the before, had you lost some weight? It looks that way.

Yah, that was about halfway in my weight loss program, i was about 160lb.

[Camel Baron]

Thats one EXCELLENT transformation dude, great work!

[JoelsRipped]

bro that was a nasty transofrmation, best one yet for your age and stats, keep that stuff up man

[ski111777]

awesome man great job

[bosketaru]

Thanks guys. Honestly, when i look at my older pics, i cant believe that used to be me.

[E_Scapegoat]

great job! now, bulk up them abs, forearms, shoulders and traps!

[nopal_juventus]

I'm sorry if I come off as a hardass (really respect the motivation behind your hard work), but what happened to your muscles? Seems to me like the final product is an abercrombie and fitch poster boy.

[forcefedfreak]

wow man good job. You don't even look like the same person. You can see it in your abs, but one of the biggest differences is your face! Seriously. Good work man.

[Johan.Liebert]

good job on the progress, but it seems like you just concentrate on your abs, and nothing else, if I was you, ill start building up a base, abs arnt anything if you have stick arms and legs unless u want to be a ambercrombie model of some sort

[bosketaru]

Originally Posted by nopal_juventus

I'm sorry if I come off as a hardass (really respect the motivation behind your hard work), but what happened to your muscles? Seems to me like the final product is an abercrombie and fitch poster boy.

hey, we all have our goals, and if you didnt read what got me started, you're not gonna know that i play soccer. since i lost all that weight ive been focusing on soccer more than on bulking.

[Deadlifta]

Great job man. It isnt easy but it is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Big thumbs up and reps. Grats

[jim jones]

damn man, all i can say is great job, and your looking great.

[relobe]

Congradulations. Hope you get transformation of the week, you deserve it.

[nopal_juventus]

hey, we all have our goals, and if you didnt read what got me started, you're not gonna know that i play soccer. since i lost all that weight ive been focusing on soccer more than on bulking.

Guess what? I play soccer too. And let me tell you that your six pack won't get you on the team, nor will your 135 lb frame.

Take it from me, I went through a similar experience a year ago. I'm mexican, and I moved back to the U.S. a year ago. I'd lived near San Francisco (in Santa Cruz, a soccer hot spot) for 2 years during elementary school, and I'd been on a div. 1 team (soccer has always been a huge part of me). When I went back to Mexico though, I stopped playing for a couple of years, and when I started up again, it was on a mediocre indoor team (lasted 9 months). After that, I never really played again on a team (not my choice). Even so, I still managed to stay pretty good, and when I came to the U.S. I thought I might make the team. The thing was though, that all that lack of activity had made me chubby (never really fat, just around 10-15 lbs overweight) and my conditioning was terrible. So when I had to sign up for summer school P.E. (to have enough credits to get into school), I was probably the only one that did everything the coach said for 3 weeks, 5 hours a day. I'd already been "lifting" (not really) for 6 months, so it was more the increased activity that led me to look like you look right now. Since we sometimes played soccer in PE, and since some of the guys that I played with were on the team, I figured that I'd be a shoe-in.

Tryouts come around, and I nearly pass out towards the end. Yes, 5 other kids also had to stop, and yes it was 115 degrees, and yes I had woken up at 3 am to come from Mexico and was playing on an empty stomache, but I still had zero conditioning (not to mention my foot skills had fallen). Even so, I thought I might still make the team (no chance).

This made me realize that having a big bench and a six pack has absolutely nothing to do with soccer. I joined an open league outside of school, and stepped up my lifting (though it was still a pitiful chest/back/shoulders/arms/legs 5 day split, with hiit on off days), and diet (again, still like most diets on here). I enjoyed newfound speed and acceleration (mostly from deadlifts), but my endurance wasn't yet up to par.
It wasn't until a fateful day this past spring when I found out about testosterone nation. I quickly absorbed everything I could find relating to sports, and slowly but surely, I finally started to truly lift, eat, and sleep for soccer (my learning curve was a couple of months, due to some setbacks).

My latest milestone was about a month and a half ago, when I adopted CD's methods. Guess what? I'm now the fastest, strongest, biggest guy on the team. Not only that, my footwork, agility, ball control skills, and flexibility are all dramatically better. And guess what the biggest news about all this is... I don't have a six pack.

Now, from what I can see, you've been concerned with losing the most weight possible and getting as skinny as possible without any damage to your health (again, admirable). I can however, also see lack of muscle, no leg pictures (you play soccer!!!), no mention of conditioning, no mention of agility work, no mention of stretching, no mention of endurance work, and no mention of real strength work. I can also hypothesize that you use your playing soccer as an excuse for your lack of size, and as an excuse to maintain your abs. I won't keep going, because I might be totally wrong, and I know, more than most people on here, that looks are total bull for an athelete. Please correct me if I'm wrong, before I make a bigger ass of myself.

[K_muscle]

Originally Posted by E_Scapegoat

great job! now, bulk up them abs, forearms, shoulders and traps!

lol....the abs look fine...everything else needs to be bigger. How did you forget to mention legs and back...?

btw awesome transformation

[Huge Bastard]

what the ****, thats unbelievable, great job!

[Nero6]

Originally Posted by nopal_juventus

I'm sorry if I come off as a hardass (really respect the motivation behind your hard work), but what happened to your muscles? Seems to me like the final product is an abercrombie and fitch poster boy.

Poor.

[Abyss]

Congrats man, ur an big inspiration to me, right now I am trying to lose weight to I am at 20% bodyfat trying to get down to 10-12, man u make me motivated. Just keep up what ever your're doing because its working.

[bell559]

Very good job m8 ...
You must be reaping the benefits

[RoWdY_RuFf_BoY]

Very nice, I applaude you for doing such a great job. Keep it up.

[Big B]

Way to go on the transformation bro. Keep it up.

[k1ngcro]

Excellent job IMHO u should get transformation of the week.

[ddude241]

lookin good, I did much the same thing 2 years ago. Just start hittin those weights. you definitely look better than you did, but in all honesty you just look skinny.

hit the weights, add some mass, and keep on going. you've definitely come a long way already