Trip from 370 to 210

[nosirrahx]

A little more than a month ago I woke up one morning and decided that I was done with being fat. Long ago I was in fantastic shape but the combination of my ridiculous apatite and career (business I started about a decade ago) which chained me to a desk 7 days a week for at least 12 hours a day (18 was actually very common) left me in absolutely terrible shape and I was starting to hate things like shopping for clothes and walking even short distances. I have absolutely no excuse when it comes to knowledge either as I have done copious amounts of research on everything health related. I knew exactly what I needed to do, I just needed to do it. Since I started my weight loss I have already dropped 30 lbs but only recently found this forum and decided that I wanted to make my journey public as further motivation and to hopefully inspire others to start and/or continue their quest for a healthier life.

My goal is to reach 210 lbs and I will do this in 3 steps.

Step 1, maximum intensity cut from 370 to 290.
From here I will add calories every week until I reach maintenance (should be between 270 and 280 at this point)
Step 2, do a 6 month recomp to give my skin a chance to adjust, build some more muscle and to give my body a break from this brutal cut.
Step 3, reasonable cut down to 210

Once I reach 210 I will reevaluate my situation and make a new plan, I have not ruled out surgery if my skin cannot adjust.

I am a creature of habit so I keep things very simple. My diet does not have much variety right now and I like it that way.

Twice a day I have a shake with 1 EAS Advantage + 1 scoop of Optimum gold chocolate whey + 1 scoop of leucine.
Once a day I have 1 cup of Greek yogurt + 1 scoop of Optimum gold strawberry whey.
I eat 1 whole grapefruit every day and about 150 calories of random vegetables but avocado and tomatoes are always on the list.
I eat 150 calories of turkey breast every day.

If I am having a really bad day I add 1 more scoop of strawberry whey and double my turkey breast.

My calories total 1200-1400 a day.

I hit the weights 6 days a week and do cardio 6 days a week as well but between 1 and 3 times depending on how I feel (20 minute sessions each). 1 cardio session is always after I hit the weights.

I will be weighing myself every day and doing an average for the week, this average will be posted. Once every 4 weeks I will do new pics and post them up side by side with my initial pics.

I am not going to clutter the hell out of my updates with data that no one wants to see so if you have requests please post them up and I will get that data into my updates.

These pcis are from today of me at 340 lbs.

[cherrygarcia80]

Hey there, wanted to say congrats on the 30lbs lost so far! and wishing you all the best on your weight loss journey

[Strobe57]

It takes a lot of courage to post the fat pictures so it looks like you're on the right track Good luck bro! Do ya have any short-term goals to go along with the 210?

[crazyhassan]

hey , it is good that you are on the right track , and please keep up the good work , i am with you

[nosirrahx]

It takes a lot of courage to post the fat pictures so it looks like you're on the right track Good luck bro! Do ya have any short-term goals to go along with the 210?

Once I came to terms with reality posting who I plan to put in the rear view mirror did not seem so bad.

210 is the number I picked for now because that was the last time I could see my abs. I'd like to be able to run 5 miles again, been a while. I'd like to get back into martial arts. My mind can still do it but if my body tried to follow in its current state I bet I would totally kill my knees.

[JERWlN]

awesome, keep it up brah!

[markprivinius]

Totally in. You got this man!

[nosirrahx]

Thanks guys.

I am feeling great this week after recovering from my flight back home. I have a terrible reaction to flying, cripples my cardio for a few days and within the first hour of flying I literally cant walk 50 yards without getting completely winded. I also get terrible edema from flying including in my lungs, feels like they have their capacity cut in half after flying.

I see the doctor today (have a feeling they will say that I am fat) but my cholesterol and blood pressure will be fine. Going to mention the issues I have with flying but I do not suspect that there is anything they can do about it.

Its tough staying motivated when it comes to lifting sometimes. In the past I was eating anything I wanted and could increase my lifts more or less at will. Now I am lifting on willpower instead of glycogen and it is a real drag. Its working though as I am not dropping any strength, I just cant add any. I used to look at getting DOMS as the price you pay for gainz but now its just the price I pay to keep what I have while on this brutal cut.

I am ssssooooo looking forward to hitting goal number 1 so I can get on with my recomp. I should be there before the summer is out at my current pace with time to spare.

[oconns28]

Congrats! Great job

[nosirrahx]

Back on creatine and beta alanine + taurine as a preworkout. Its only been 2 days and I am already feeling f-ing amazing in the gym. Weights felt good tonight and I absolutely killed the treadmill......twice. Usually when I am done lifting hitting the treadmill is more of a workout of willpower than anything else but tonight I finished lifting (5 total exercises and 21 total sets) and I actually felt pretty good for a change.

Long ago when I was lifting on a surplus I took this stuff and it was hard to tell how much it was helping because lifting on a surplus feels amazing already. Now I am sure, at least when it comes to lifting on a huge deficit, this stuff actually works and works well.

[nosirrahx]

AM weight was 336.4 today so progress is still awesome. Feeling the creatine permapump in my arms but I don't seem to be retaining any extra water. I have a feeling that the water I am dropping from the fat loss went right into my muscles.

Feeling awesome today. Its my day off from lifting but I want to take advantage of how good I feel so I think I will hit the cardio 3 times today.

Really looking forward to my first month before and after pics. I have never done any photo logging before so this is going to be very interesting.

[OfficerJimLahey]

good stuff man, keep it up!

[nosirrahx]

On top of the cardio I did 3 dropsets of cable preachers....for the absolute hell of it.

I was at my dad's B-day yesterday and was able to resist the cake and ice cream completely. A lot of family was there that has not seen me in a while, they are just starting to notice that I look different.

[nosirrahx]

Weighed in @ 334.2 this AM so progress is still rocking.

The weights felt a little heavy last night, doable but heavy so I am going to take a day off from cardio and slightly up carbs today. Its been 10 consecutive days (and almost all of those were 2 a days) so its time for a break anyway.

I have a business trip at the end of next month, it should coincide with the end of my heavy cut and start of my ramp up to recomp. Its going to be tough to do that on my trip so I might just wait until I get back.

How nice it is going to be on my recomp is dominating my thoughts. Eating a lot more, lifting with actual fuel on board.....its going to feel like a vacation.

I am starting to think that I will need to up my calories for the rest of this cut. I am on pace to lose 10lbs this week and since I added in creatine that is if anything understating the loss due to me being such a strong creatine responder. When I added creatine on a surplus I added 10 lbs in a week (obviously mostly water). I am going to give + 200 calories a try, all carbs are right before workout so I can take advantage of them. What I have in mind is my favorite treat ever, cinnamon coated candied ginger. If you like hot and sweet these are heaven.

[nosirrahx]

Increased rest intervals between sets tonight and it seemed to help a lot. I felt strong from start to finish and cardio at the end was easy. It took longer obviously but I don't mind.

[nosirrahx]

Week one is in the books, I averaged 336.8 lbs. I will be going for an average of 331.8-329.8 next week. 3 more weeks until new pics

[nosirrahx]

Things are still going great in the gym but I decided to change the rep range on pulling and rowing movements. I seem to feel pulldowns and rows much better if I stay in the 4-6 rep range instead of 8-12.

[Gen1GT]

Hey dude, looks like we're on similar journeys. Our BMI were probably similar when we started because of our difference in height.

What are your macros like?

FYI, you're not going to want to recomp at 270-280. If you get enough protein and train hard, your body will improve regardless (check my BodySpace ... I'm not exactly wasting away). I'm close to 280, and I just want to get to 220 as quickly as possible, then start worrying about composition. Worrying about body composition at 280 is like worrying about how the banana peels are arranged in the garbage can.

[nosirrahx]

What are your macros like?

Only tracking protein and total calories, 160-180 for protein and 1200-1400 for total calories.

FYI, you're not going to want to recomp at 270-280. If you get enough protein and train hard, your body will improve regardless (check my BodySpace ... I'm not exactly wasting away). I'm close to 280, and I just want to get to 220 as quickly as possible, then start worrying about composition. Worrying about body composition at 280 is like worrying about how the banana peels are arranged in the garbage can.

I have 2 very specific reasons to recomp at the specific weight. First recomps don't work very well when you are lean so doing one while I am still heavy will have a much better effect. Second I need to address my inevitable loose skin issues. I am going to take that time to see how much I can tighten up. Not only that but this cut is brutal, doing 5-7 lbs a week just to get out of the 300+ danger zone ASAP, I am going to need a break. Once I am done with my recomp my 2nd cut will be much less aggressive.

[Gen1GT]

At our age, our skin is a write-off, no matter how slowly you lose it. LOL Even if the "slow weight loss = tight skin" were accurate, the time it would take for skin to normalize would be the same, regardless. Your skin doesn't know what's underneath. For the sake of argument, let's say it takes two years for skin to tighten. I'd rather drop the weight in a year and walk around with loose skin for a year, rather than just take two years to lose weight.

Luckily in Canada, when you lose more than 100 lbs, the government covers the skin-removal surgery. So for me, you can see how clear the incentive is lose weight quickly.

With recomping, there are only two periods us morbidly obese will be receptive to huge gains in muscle. For you, it's right now. An overfat beginner is the closest thing to a natural anabolic condition you can get. When you lose 50-60 lbs over the coming months, you will no longer be able to pack on mass efficiently, which is what I'm discovering now. I went from 135 lbs on the bench last May, to 240 lbs within three months, and now I'm back down to 190 lbs (this was partially due to injury). I'm finding that being on an 11 month deficit, the last thing my body wants to do is put on muscle, so it's more difficult now, and I loose my strength quickly if I take a couple weeks off weights.

The only other condition you can put on appreciable muscle after an extended deficit is in a caloric surplus. I'm going to try bulking next winter, if I'm at the weight I want to be. But as I said in my first post, I'm doing pretty good at maintaining lean body mass, so as long as I can keep what I have until I can bulk, I'll be very happy.

Anyway, this is my story and advice, which you can do with as you choose. The important thing is that you're doing it!

[nosirrahx]

My plan is tailored to my body specifically, I wont have any problem at all packing on mass on a recome in a few months. As it is I am increasing some of my accessory movements on 1200 calories a day, when I reestablish maintenance after this cut its going to be easy, always has been for me. About a year and a half ago I moved my incline bench from a plate and a quarter for 10 to 2 plates and a 35 in just 6 months without gaining any weight.

There is also no way in hell that I can handle a cut from 370 to 210 in one go without a break and what better way to take a break is there than to maintain for a bit while you smash the weights.

We will see about the skin, its very individual and there are other factors like where you held weight, how long you were heavy......we will just have to see how this goes. I have seen some people snap back in ways where it just did not like possible. I will be going to a bench of 315 for 10 or better while on recomp so that should help my chest at least and my lats grow really well on top of that. I worry about my stomach as there is no good way to compensate with gainz there.

[markprivinius]

Still kickin it I see. Keep it up man!

[nosirrahx]

I was feeling a bit off so I reevaluated my diet and concluded that my fat intake was too low. After readjusting for this I felt better right away and have now for the last 48 hours. Here are my new calories and macros:

Total calories : 1450
Total fat : 33
Total protein : 176
not tracking carbs

I am still tinkering with things but at this point things feel right. Weight is coming off, workouts feel good and outside of the gym mood and energy is good.

The protein numbers and calories might be a bit higher depending how I count 2 scoops of leucine, 1 heaping spoon of BCAAs and one level spoon of taurine.

I am going to run this for a few weeks and see how things play out but so far so good.

Water weight is making daily weights completely unpredictable but the average is moving down so I am happy even on days where it looks like I gained 2 lbs (like today).

EDIT TO ADD :

In case anyone is wondering my fat intake is primarily from the following sources:

high EPA/DHA omega-3 fish oil
coconut oil
olive oil
sunflower lecithin

My essential fatty acids should be well covered.

[Gen1GT]

I was feeling a bit off so I reevaluated my diet and concluded that my fat intake was too low. After readjusting for this I felt better right away and have now for the last 48 hours. Here are my new calories and macros:

Total calories : 1450
Total fat : 33
Total protein : 176
not tracking carbs

I am still tinkering with things but at this point things feel right. Weight is coming off, workouts feel good and outside of the gym mood and energy is good.

The protein numbers and calories might be a bit higher depending how I count 2 scoops of leucine, 1 heaping spoon of BCAAs and one level spoon of taurine.

I am going to run this for a few weeks and see how things play out but so far so good.

Water weight is making daily weights completely unpredictable but the average is moving down so I am happy even on days where it looks like I gained 2 lbs (like today).

EDIT TO ADD :

In case anyone is wondering my fat intake is primarily from the following sources:

high EPA/DHA omega-3 fish oil
coconut oil
olive oil
sunflower lecithin

My essential fatty acids should be well covered.

Don't worry about your supplemental amino acids. There's evidence their pathway is thermogenic above and beyond their caloric value. i.e., it take more energy to process them than the their own value in calories.

[nosirrahx]

Week 2 is in the books, 2 weeks to go for new pics, getting more excited all the time for the before and after.

Week 1 Avg. = 336.8
Week 2 Avg. = 332.1

My average weight dropped 4.7 lbs, totally happy with that. Next goal is 326.1 - 328.1.

[OfficerJimLahey]

nice work man, keep at it! great things will come.

[cherrygarcia80]

Week 2 is in the books, 2 weeks to go for new pics, getting more excited all the time for the before and after.

Week 1 Avg. = 336.8
Week 2 Avg. = 332.1

My average weight dropped 4.7 lbs, totally happy with that. Next goal is 326.1 - 328.1.

Wow that's really great progress in a short time period...all the best as you continue on your journey

[nosirrahx]

Thanks everyone, I really feel in the grove now.

[Gen1GT]

Keep it up, you got this! It's always exciting when your results reflect your hard work.

[JonSupps]

Thanks everyone, I really feel in the grove now.

Well done, hard work is paying off.