Official March 1st - June 1st Fat Loss Competition!

[NocturnalEphex]

Alright, so as most of you know, this appears to be a monthly recurring thing. For the past few months, contests have started in January and February, so I figured I'd take the brunt of the work for March. I am willing to listen to people who would like to co-operate in the competition with me, if you're interested. However, I am only going to have one person assist me, and this is only when I cannot do the analyzing for the week in question. Unfortunately, being the poor college student that I am, I can't offer up anything of monetary or intrinsic value, but the top 5 at the end of the competition (% of weight loss) will get repped by me (I'm pretty sure others will follow suit as well in this aspect) every day until Independence Day (July 4th).

Contest Rules/Information:

1) The last day to signup for this competition is February 28th (I said 29th in the last thread but I forgot that this isn't a leap year).

2) On March 1st, everyone will post their starting weight, along with a picture, and ideally, post both on a weekly basis (although just listing your weight each week is fine). For example, on March 8th is when you post the weight you are at at that point, and I will pool all of the data and show the results on the 9th, and so on.

3) I liked drewott's idea for Dec-Mar competition he has on the first page, so I'll copy it here, with quotations as I wasn't able to get his permission

"4) If you miss a weigh in, you will be marked in yellow for the week, and not placed into the results list.

5) If you miss two weeks in a row you will be marked in red.

6) If you miss three weeks in a row you will be removed from the competition.

7) Those who know they will be unable to post on a given week can post, or pm me and they will be marked in blue.

8) There is no penalty for being marked in any color, it serves only as a reminder."

9) I will record both % of weight lost along with total weight lost in lbs (I'll try to do kg. just for your knowledge but I don't know if I'll be able to).

10) The final results will be posted on June 2nd-3rd, with the 2nd being those who finished out of the top 5 and the 3rd being posted for the top 5. If you don't like these idea, tough ****. :P But in all seriousness, if you don't like this idea, or think it wouldn't be effective, don't hesitate to tell me.

If anyone has any auxillary prizes to give up, let me know. I'll see if I can help match it, but remember I'm a college student.

Weigh-in Dates:

Mar 1 - June 1 Cut

3-1: xxx | 3-8: xxx | 3-15: xxx | 3-22: xxx | 3-29: xxx | Month Total:
4-5: xxx | 4-12: xxx | 4-19: xxx | 4-26: xxx | Month Total:
5-3: xxx | 5-10: xxx | 5-17: xxx | 5-24: xxx | Month Total:
Final Weigh-in | 6-1: xxx

Yes, I know from 5-24 to 6-1 is eight days.

Suggestions:

I will post a FB page devoted to this competition on March 1st if enough interest is garnered, but I know not everyone uses FB so it seems counter-intuitive if only four of five people express interest when fifty are in the competition.

Being a college student, I do have access to the latest fitness journals (whether those be magazine or scholarly sources) so if you would like access to a specific topic, I'll see what I can do.

If you want me to add anything to this OP or suggestions for the contest in general, let me know before the 28th and I'll see if I can manage it.

Thanks to all, and best of luck.

[Matthew210]

I'm in!

[NocturnalEphex]

Participants (as of 1:53 PST February 18th, 2011):

1) NocturnalEphex
2) dbonas84
3) adamg-golfpro
4) svespie
5) NHSport
6) lovingit
7) buckiaj
8) Shazriki
9) mrnish
10) jyd4u
11) frank112
12) TheDriver86
13) Trevor1900
14) londonPete
15) Keychain31569
16) cubsfan2
17) KenNair
18) jay2tharoc
19) Animall
20) mdc81
21) 4073
22) live4gs
23) Matthew210
24) akatruestory
25) metroins
26) Player21
27) dudestuckincrc
28) kp1005
29) pr0nstar
30) mhess92
31) natelamphier
32) TrentArena
33) Ironman70
34) iverson2k10
35) tfdaisy
36) Amir689
37) TrueQBN
38) Uber_Dad
39) normalnorm
40) tomellis921
41) justin6683

[jay2tharoc]

Sounds good man. I am in for sure. I'm gonna go ahead and say thanks in advance for the work you have/will put in. This is my first go round with this kind of thing but if you need some help or whatever I'd be happy to do what I can. But it won't stop me from burying you under heaps of lost fat

[akatruestory]

Sign me up.

[NocturnalEphex]

Sounds good man. I am in for sure. I'm gonna go ahead and say thanks in advance for the work you have/will put in. This is my first go round with this kind of thing but if you need some help or whatever I'd be happy to do what I can. But it won't stop me from burying you under heaps of lost fat

I appreciate the kind words man. Best of luck to you too.

[NocturnalEphex]

Bumpage.

[metroins]

Strong list of people who joined.

Count me in.

[NocturnalEphex]

Updated. Now at a 1/4 of a century's worth of participants.

[Player21]

I'm in on this. Been working hard to drop some pounds lately and this should help me stick with it. Started at 300, currently 265-270, ideally i'd like to be around the 230 area.

[dudestuckincrc]

I'd like to participate. I've been MIA from the gym since I got out the navy in 2008

[NocturnalEphex]

Added both of you guys. We'll be your support system.

[kp1005]

I would like to get in...I am doing a challenge at work that started Jan eleventh. Down from 258 to 236 but I will definitely want to keep going when it ends in April...

[NocturnalEphex]

No worries man. Of course you can get in, but just record your results for this contest from March 1st onward.

[pr0nstar]

In, no screwing around this next one. I've lost a total of 1lb.. don't get me wrong, I'm losing fat too. But ya, I've hit my plateau and I want to break it!

[NocturnalEphex]

Interesting new article.

Fat loss, great sex and lentils--lots of lentils. By: Magnan, Michelle, Maclean's, 00249262, 2/7/2011, Vol. 124, Issue 4

"A new diet book promises a 'superhuman' body, with just four hours at the gym

Vials, scales, a food journal. These are things you expect to see when dining with Timothy Ferriss, who for years has meticulously tracked his meals, workouts, body-fat percentage and more. Much more: Ferriss, 33, once measured his own feces to confirm that caffeine improves "gastric emptying." It was all worth it, judging by sales of his new book, The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide To Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman. But when Ferriss shows up at a waterfront restaurant in Marina del Rey, Calif., wearing a long-sleeved red T-shirt and jeans, no food-tracking devices emerge from his backpack. "When I'm not in the middle of a project," he says, "I behave surprisingly normal."

"Normal" to Ferriss is still "virtuous" to most. His strict eating habits -- and a handful of other tricks, which he divulges in the book -- helped him gain 34 lb. of muscle in 28 days, while logging a mere four hours at the gym (hence, The 4-Hour Body). Today, his lunch consists of a turkey burger (no bun), coleslaw with vinegar dressing and a side of celery with peanut butter. He also drinks unsweetened iced tea like a man who's just escaped from the desert. The meal aligns with his 4-Hour Body fat-loss principles, which go something like this: for six days, don't drink liquid calories and don't eat dairy or fruit. Carbs -- even whole grains -- are outlawed, too. What can you eat? Protein, veggies, lentils and beans. As for the seventh glorious day, go wild. No ice cream bowl is considered too big. Then, repeat the cycle, ad infinitum.

This advice may be controversial, but there's no denying it's in demand. On Jan. 2 The 4-Hour Body debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times advice and miscellaneous bestseller list -- catapulting his first mega-seller, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich, back onto the list. "Skeptics and well-known authors" had told Ferriss The 4-Hour Body would never sell -- it was too long, roughly 600 pages. But, as Ferriss points out drily, "Joy of Cooking did just fine."

The beauty is his book's range, says Ferriss, more confident than cocky; there are entry points for everyone. Want to be stronger? Or run faster? Or boost fertility? Or live forever? Yes, please. Judging by the feedback -- mostly via Twitter, where Ferriss has close to 200,000 followers -- the most popular tips relate to fat loss, sleep and sex, such as how-to's on administering a female orgasm (a "light touch" is key, he writes). And there's plenty of obscure advice, from "how to hold your breath longer than Houdini" to "how to pay for a beach vacation with one hospital visit."

Neither was on my list of New Year's resolutions, so I opted to try Ferriss's fat-loss plan two weeks prior to our lunch date. Week one was smooth; at every meal, I happily filled my plate with protein, vegetables and lentils. (I'm lean! I'm mean! Nearly superhuman!) I don't know if my waist got smaller -- a major faux pas, Ferriss advises taking measurements -- but I did develop a big head. At a diner one morning, I watched people at the next table, thinking, "Toast with eggs? Big mistake."

Things went awry on day nine. During an intense running workout, my gas tank hit zero. In need of carbs -- please, just one grain! -- I scoured my cupboards for fuel. In half an hour, I'd devoured a peanut butter and jam sandwich, a handful of chocolates and half a bag of cereal. Superhuman, I was not. When I tell Ferriss about my disaster, he says that hitting the wall, otherwise known as "bonking," is common when runners begin his plan. "It takes a few weeks to adapt, because you're moving from using carbs as fuel to fat as fuel." He suggests taking a carbohydrate supplement after long training sessions to help replenish glycogen in my muscles. Plus, he adds, rather gnomically, "Stay the course."

As for his own course, in February, Ferriss will leave his home in San Francisco to hit places like Colombia and the Middle East. He might try digging ditches, woodworking classes, learning Arabic. "I've done too much sitting in front of a computer," he explains. So, should you shoot him a tweet, don't take it personally if he doesn't respond. He says not even Oprah will get through: "She'll have to wait till Mar. 1.""

Sure it's crazy talk, but still an amusing read.

[jyd4u]

What kind of a picture are we talking here? DO you want everyone to have the same type of pic? Facing forward not flexed type of pic or what would you prefer?

Also- very new to all of this so what does rep someone mean for the prize?

[adamg-golfpro]

Thanks for putting this all together champ!
I'm taking this pretty serious look out lol.

[NocturnalEphex]

What kind of a picture are we talking here? DO you want everyone to have the same type of pic? Facing forward not flexed type of pic or what would you prefer?

Also- very new to all of this so what does rep someone mean for the prize?

I think we should all come to a consensus. If at all possibility, I think an unflexed/flexed side, front, and back picture would be optimal (six pictures in all per week), but I'm open to ideas.

Basically, the little green squares you see under people's usernames are rep power. It's not for anything other than bragging rights, and to show that you did a good job in 'deserving' (sometimes people give away reps like it's going out of style) such a thing.

[mhess92]

count me in!

[natelamphier]

Count me in as well.

This is my first time with this type of thing on here so I'll be looking forward to it! Anything decided on with the FB page?

[TrentArena]

Im in

[buckiaj]

I am very excited to get this competition started. I am hoping it will be the added extra motivation for me to get over this damn plateau.

Good Luck everyone!

[TheDriver86]

officially in! and i love the ******** idea

[Ironman70]

I'm in...if you'll accept me...if not, i'm still doing it...lol

[jyd4u]

I think we should all come to a consensus. If at all possibility, I think an unflexed/flexed side, front, and back picture would be optimal (six pictures in all per week), but I'm open to ideas.

Basically, the little green squares you see under people's usernames are rep power. It's not for anything other than bragging rights, and to show that you did a good job in 'deserving' (sometimes people give away reps like it's going out of style) such a thing.

K sounds good I think i have to get to 30 posts between now and then. Not real sure I want everyone to see my fat ass body but hey maybe it will really motivate me to get better pics up!

[iverson2k10]

im in

[tfdaisy]

I'm In

[KenNair]

Number 17 on your list officially checking in.

[Shazriki]

Excited as hell for this. Got another good 10 lbs of fat to lose to a) gain the summer body I want and b) be lean enough to really start with leanGAINS and not need to worry about cutting again (until I build enough muscle to be comfortable with descending into the single digits).

Little refeed coming up after my front squats tomorrow, so leptin levels can suck it