DaveRVD's weight loss transformation log (pics)

[Smartlifts]

Thanks for looking in Gravy! I'm planning to do exactly that~



Heh, yeah - luckily I don't get distracted too much. But I hear ya on the 'sitting around' part when work is slow going. What do you do? Are you self-employed? One man band Web Designer here.

I'm a performance analyst but about 70% of my work is from home.

[DaveRVD]

Feeling good today, very little DOMS so far (it's still too early to expect yet - expecting it to hit tomorrow evening, especially after full body lifting again).

I will be doing 'Crunches' soon (5 sets of 20). I find them relatively easy and tend to look forward to them, tensing my abs for the contraction at the peak of each rep and straining towards the last set feels real good to me for some reason (endorphins I guess?).

Tomorrow is Weigh in Wednesday, I will be certain to post the results. A good weigh in is crucial for me (mentally), it will give me a monster edge and boost when I lift soon after.

Last weeks weigh in (Wednesday, the day before starting this log) was 24stone, 11lbs ...

I'm a performance analyst but about 70% of my work is from home.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, don't know a lot about it but it sounds like an important job!

[DaveRVD]

Just had my early evening meal ...it's a ready meal, I can't remember the last time I had one, let alone one with decent calories/macros.

So, I just had to post some foodpr0n about it ..

[Gigi999]

^

O. M. G.

Ravioli is the best pasta dish ever (maybe lasagna also). Basically anything with ricotta haha. That's a good idea to have the meal ones because they are portioned. LOVE pumpkin/butternut squash ravioli with pine nuts and sage.

[DaveRVD]

^

O. M. G.

Ravioli is the best pasta dish ever (maybe lasagna also). Basically anything with ricotta haha. That's a good idea to have the meal ones because they are portioned. LOVE pumpkin/butternut squash ravioli with pine nuts and sage.

Ha, yeah I love ravioli/lasagna also. Admittedly I've never tried ricotta on its own so I would have no idea how it tastes (I might have to try some for the lols, see if I like it). I've never tried butternut squash, never wanted to (big time fussy with fruit/veg stuff).

I also picked up a Spaghetti/Meatballs dish that has a very similar calorie count and decent macros (more protein than the ravioli).

The macros for that ravioli dish are:

Calories: 352
Protein: 25.9
Carbs: 42.4
- of which sugars: 16.2
Fat: 7.6
- saturated: 3.8

Sure, I'd like the saturated fat to be a little lower, but hey - it was four cheese!
I will be sure to post pictures when I decide to have the Spaghetti & Meatballs ...

[Gigi999]

Ha, yeah I love ravioli/lasagna also. Admittedly I've never tried ricotta on its own so I would have no idea how it tastes (I might have to try some for the lols, see if I like it). I've never tried butternut squash, never wanted to (big time fussy with fruit/veg stuff).

I also picked up a Spaghetti/Meatballs dish that has a very similar calorie count and decent macros (more protein than the ravioli).

The macros for that ravioli dish are:

Calories: 352
Protein: 25.9
Carbs: 42.4
- of which sugars: 16.2
Fat: 7.6
- saturated: 3.8

Sure, I'd like the saturated fat to be a little lower, but hey - it was four cheese!
I will be sure to post pictures when I decide to have the Spaghetti & Meatballs ...

Wow, 26g of PROTEIN!!! These are a must have.

Ricotta is one of the best cheeses. I even like it with almond extract and stevia (like a deconstructed cannoli) haha.

[DaveRVD]

Wow, 26g of PROTEIN!!! These are a must have.

Ricotta is one of the best cheeses. I even like it with almond extract and stevia (like a deconstructed cannoli) haha.

Ha, I know right! The calories had me intrigued, but when I saw the 26g's ..Game over man, my decision was sold~

[Smartlifts]

Just had my early evening meal ...it's a ready meal, I can't remember the last time I had one, let alone one with decent calories/macros.

So, I just had to post some foodpr0n about it ..

Looks good man!
Seems pretty macro friendly too!

[DaveRVD]

It's real hot here in this part of England today (I'm sure Smartlifts knows it to!). I've just finished my full body lifting and downed a protein shake.

Today was also ...

Weigh in Wednesday



Last weeks weigh in: 24st 11lbs (347lbs)

Todays weigh in: 24st 7lbs (343lbs)

That's a 4lbs drop for this week, that is double what I was expecting to see. It does feels good to have dropped more than I expected ...But I don't want to make a habit of losing more than 2lbs (3lbs at most) per week to ensure I'm not losing too much muscle.

[Smartlifts]

It's real hot here in this part of England today (I'm sure Smartlifts knows it to!). I've just finished my full body lifting and downed a protein shake.

Today was also ...

Weigh in Wednesday


Last weeks weigh in: 24st 11lbs (347lbs)

Todays weigh in: 24st 7lbs (343lbs)

That's a 4lbs drop for this week, that is double what I was expecting to see. It does feels good to have dropped more than I expected ...But I don't want to make a habit of losing more than 2lbs (3lbs at most) per week to ensure I'm not losing too much muscle.

I sure am feeling the heat! My house is like a sauna today! I feel like I'm on holiday already!

Congrats on the weight loss buddy!

You're in the same position as me, dropping a lot. I think it's ok for us since we are at a higher bodyfat percentage but I would prefer to cut 2lbs a week instead just to be sure.

[Smartlifts]

Also what are your thoughts on a protein shake?

All my protein comes from food at the moment. I took a look at protein powders earlier as it would make things cheaper but I have decided not to as whole foods will fill me up more than protein shake (I imagine).

Have you found different? Or just find it easier to drink shakes?

[DaveRVD]

Congrats on the weight loss buddy!

You're in the same position as me, dropping a lot. I think it's ok for us since we are at a higher bodyfat percentage but I would prefer to cut 2lbs a week instead just to be sure.

Thanks Smart - I would also prefer to cut closer to 2lbs per week just to be sure also. But I'm not sweating it too much right now (it's only one weigh in after all), I will see what next Wednesdays scale shows and take it from there - if it's another 4lbs drop then I will probably start making sure I hit my 1800 calorie allowance every night (instead of leaving some days short like I have been doing due to not being hungry enough to hit the full 1800)

Also what are your thoughts on a protein shake?

All my protein comes from food at the moment. I took a look at protein powders earlier as it would make things cheaper but I have decided not to as whole foods will fill me up more than protein shake (I imagine).

Have you found different? Or just find it easier to drink shakes?

When I started, I was having a protein shake every day, mainly because I relied on it to help hit my protein goal (180g per day). For the past few weeks I've been gradually dialling it down and haven't been relying on them so much as I like to make sure I get more from food sources. I have been having "Arla SKYR yogurts and Arla 20g protein yoghurts" (They're not technically yoghurts, they are made of quark, but I will call them yoghurts for ease). These yoghurts are high in protein, has some fast carbs, low in Saturated fat, and very reasonable in calories.

(I will include a snap at the end of this post with the supps I'm using, along with the yoghurts)

Back to protein shakes ..

I will always down a (powder based) protein shake directly after finishing my lifting (obviously, as most people would). I also have some chilled drinks which I keep in the fridge to hand, I take them occasionally (not every day) and they're good for when I'm in a rush or on days when I need help hitting my protein goal.

Powder wise, I've currently got 2 brands (3 tubs) that I'm using:
USN - Diet Fuel Ultralean (Whey based protein - Vanilla).
Maximuscle - Lean Definition (Soy based protein - 1 x tub Chocolate & 1 x tub Strawberry).

I prefer to take the USN Whey after lifting, because, as we know, whey hits your system fast which is ideal after lifting. But IIRC, I've also read that, although Soy isn't fast acting, it ultimately does the same job as whey would - don't quote me on that, but I think I remember that to be correct (if anyone want's to correct me then feel free). But I still like to stick to Whey just to be sure.

I'm also taking a Cod Liver Oil capsule every day to help with good fats, but it's not enough to rely on alone, so I throw in some dry roasted peanuts (I know that natural, unroasted/unsalted peanuts would be better, but hey, it helps keep me sane - More than likely I will jib them down the line and replace with natural).

What supps are you guys on at the moment? Show them off to me!

[kojiiko]

It's real hot here in this part of England today (I'm sure Smartlifts knows it to!). I've just finished my full body lifting and downed a protein shake.

Today was also ...

Weigh in Wednesday



Last weeks weigh in: 24st 11lbs (347lbs)

Todays weigh in: 24st 7lbs (343lbs)

That's a 4lbs drop for this week, that is double what I was expecting to see. It does feels good to have dropped more than I expected ...But I don't want to make a habit of losing more than 2lbs (3lbs at most) per week to ensure I'm not losing too much muscle.

Great work bud, keep it up

The last photo to the right, I know u might need them, and u think u might need them but really I would just ate chicken or something, Chicken is dirt cheap, unless ur mega rich and like spending ya money

[Smartlifts]

I'm cutting on 2200 calories at the moment and still dropping weight fast.
I'm not even really working out much and I'm definitely not lifting so may have to up the calories.

If you're on 1800 I imagine you may have to as well!

[Smartlifts]

Also the only supplement I'm on at the moment is a multivitamin and some fish oil caps.

Not on whey protein or creatine or anything like that at the moment.

[DaveRVD]

Great work bud, keep it up

The last photo to the right, I know u might need them, and u think u might need them but really I would just ate chicken or something, Chicken is dirt cheap, unless ur mega rich and like spending ya money

Thanks Kojiiko, no argument here about chicken being better - the drinks I've snapped are cheaper than usual drinks would be, they've never been a daily thing. But ultimately, I'm not looking to rely on them long term, I don't see it as being too bad at the moment as I'm only taking 2, maybe 3 at the most per week. It's more for my sanity I guess, to help me stay on track rather than growing tired of chicken/turkey.

Annoyingly, all the frozen chicken breasts I've seen in supermarkets are full of sodium, so I have only used frozen once so far and now stay away from them (on some days I am already getting more sodium than I would like). I stick to fresh now, but I'm not eating as much fresh chicken as I could at the moment - a minor problem is the price, but the bigger issue is mentally being prepared to tolerate eating chicken more often without growing sick of it to the point were it's wasted product.

I'm cutting on 2200 calories at the moment and still dropping weight fast.
I'm not even really working out much and I'm definitely not lifting so may have to up the calories.

If you're on 1800 I imagine you may have to as well!

Yeah, the next Wednesday weigh in will be my deciding factor. If I lose 4lbs (or more) again, then I will be upping calories a touch. There's always a chance that yesterdays 4lbs was partly attributed to water loss etc.

Also the only supplement I'm on at the moment is a multivitamin and some fish oil caps.

Not on whey protein or creatine or anything like that at the moment.

I need to get a multivitamin, that's one urgency that I need to get sorted asap. I used to take Centrum but it's pretty expensive. What brand do you use? Is it affordable/cheaper than Centrum? Ideally I'd like a more affordable brand than Centrum ...But if it is worth the extra coin then I will grab it. But I'd hazard a guess and say that all multivitamin tablets are similar once the branding/packaging is removed.

[cherrygarcia80]

Hi Dave, thanks for passing by my log

Wow congrats on the 4lb loss! Seems you're doing great!

To answer your question on what supplements everyone is on....personally I take:-
- a potassium/magnesium tablet daily x2 (needed as I'm on a keto diet),
- a probiotic capsule
- high strength fish oil capsule (i take two a day),
- vitamin c 1500mg tablet.

Finally I also use whey protein, at the moment ON Gold standard whey....whey costs alot but i use a scoop a day in the morning to make protein pancakes (helps keep me sane as it feels like a treat). So with the current tub should last about 2months or so but the benefit is that it really helps me hit my protein count much easier....otherwise i'd be eating meat for breakfast lunch and dinner sigh lol!

But all the supplements together are really expensive! If i was good at eating veges i probably wouldn't have to take so many but since i don't i feel i need to take the extra. Which reminds me I also take psyllium husk to increase my daily fiber intake.

last month i was taking a centrum multi a day but those run out and i agree with you they are really expensive....so will probably buy some cheaper version next time.

[kojiiko]

How about buying a whole fresh chicken and then breaking it down yourself. I would think that would be cheaper . Go to ya local butchers and ask if him if u can do a deal with him that u buy bulk off him for a cheaper price. The only problem I found with butchers in the UK they tend to be more expensive than the big supermarkets.

I also take ON Gold Standard Whey.

Look on the supplements forums on here, some go for buy one get one free. I took that offer last year and went with Orange Triad multivitamin tablets and fish oil.

July 4th is coming soon, ppl will be putting things on sale. Keep ya eyes peeled. I'll post here if I see something.

[DaveRVD]

Hi Dave, thanks for passing by my log

Wow congrats on the 4lb loss! Seems you're doing great!

To answer your question on what supplements everyone is on....personally I take:-
- a potassium/magnesium tablet daily x2 (needed as I'm on a keto diet),
- a probiotic capsule
- high strength fish oil capsule (i take two a day),
- vitamin c 1500mg tablet.

Finally I also use whey protein, at the moment ON Gold standard whey....whey costs alot but i use a scoop a day in the morning to make protein pancakes (helps keep me sane as it feels like a treat). So with the current tub should last about 2months or so but the benefit is that it really helps me hit my protein count much easier....otherwise i'd be eating meat for breakfast lunch and dinner sigh lol!

But all the supplements together are really expensive! If i was good at eating veges i probably wouldn't have to take so many but since i don't i feel i need to take the extra. Which reminds me I also take psyllium husk to increase my daily fiber intake.

last month i was taking a centrum multi a day but those run out and i agree with you they are really expensive....so will probably buy some cheaper version next time.

Thanks Cherry! I'm also a hater of vegetables (and fruits/fish), so a multivitamin is a priority when I next hit the shops.

Hearing a lot about ON Gold Standard Whey on these boards, seems to be a favourite. Digging the pancakes idea! I assume you just mix the whey with less water than used in a normal shake, pour in to the frying pan and away you go? I'm going to have to try this for sure ...

How about buying a whole fresh chicken and then breaking it down yourself. I would think that would be cheaper . Go to ya local butchers and ask if him if u can do a deal with him that u buy bulk off him for a cheaper price. The only problem I found with butchers in the UK they tend to be more expensive than the big supermarkets.

I also take ON Gold Standard Whey.

Look on the supplements forums on here, some go for buy one get one free. I took that offer last year and went with Orange Triad multivitamin tablets and fish oil.

July 4th is coming soon, ppl will be putting things on sale. Keep ya eyes peeled. I'll post here if I see something.

There's that ON Gold Standard again. I'm beginning to feel like I'm missing a trick by not using it ...

Some weeks ago, I did buy a whole chicken - but it didn't work for me if I'm honest, I don't like keeping cooked stuff around for too long in the fridge. But I'll find a way when I want to shake things up and bring in better substitutes for some of my current not-so-whole-foods

It's not 'so much' the price of fresh chicken, but I'm naturally a deal/bargain hunter so I tend to think a lot of things are inflated beyond what they should be. It's more to do with my sanity, I just can't mentally stomach chicken too much during the week ...5% lean ground Mince Beef on the other hand, I will make a bolognese out of that and have it 3+ times a week easily (in fact it's tonight's dinner - one of the rare nights of the week that me and the girlfriend will eat the same meal).

I will post a snap of the bolognese later when serving ...I usually have it with "Fusilli Protein Pasta", but tonight I'm feeling some Farfalle (been a while). I'll still hit dat protein goal for the day though, all while staying within 1800 and not going hungry, no sweat.

[kojiiko]

I'm chicken mad!! I can eat plain chicken everyday and don't get bored. Add a bit of garlic. Add abit of soy sauce, sugar and vinegar pan fry chicken when cooked and the soy, sugar, vinegar or u could use sake. Of course will come to a different flavor.

With the whole chicken, either cut it up, then freeze erm. Cook the whole chicken, stuff with lemon and thyme, rub the lemon juice under the skin with thyme and lemon slice add butter if u want. Then allow to cool before portioning it up and prepare a few tubware boxes for a few lunches. Or freeze.

So many ways, to bring a chicken breast to life. I just normally cook off about 10 chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Then cut up so its gives me 30g of protein (96g of chicken). I stopped eating white bread at the weekdays now. But at the weekend I'll have a chicken sandwich with cranberry sauce Yummy.

Back in the day, when I lived in Birmimgham I always bought a Brie, turkey and cranberry baguette. Shame u can't buy turkey here, or Brie. Well, actually u can buy Brie but it's well overpriced and I ain't paying for that.

Tbh someone recommend me the Gold standard whey, I bought cake batter flavor, with just water is was good. With milk and a banana it's fooking heaven.
I also tried Banana cream which I'm on now and it's alright but I won't buy that flavor again reminds me of candy bananas. The next flavor I will try will be Double Milk chocolate.

I've tried other like PES snickledoodle it was good but too sweet I really had to water it down. 3 days ago I order cellucor cinnamon swirl, peanut butter & marshmallow flavor and from Truetin Lemon Meringue Pie flavor. On the forums everyone's seems to be digging them favors so I thought I take the advantage and buy one get the next for 50% off.

[Smartlifts]

I buy natures aid multivitamin of amazon for £3.99. That gives me a 3 month supply.

If I don't happen to need anything off amazon about the time I need vitamins I will just grab any supermarket own brand for example Tesco Multivitamins are £1.50 for a 3 month supply. Combine that with the fact they normally do a buy one get one free or 3 for 2 offer on their supplements it's super cheap.

I normally get in anywhere between 5-10 different fruit and veg a day and at least 80% of my diet is "clean" whole foods so I'm not too worried about sufficient nutrients at this stage. It's literally just for a top up.

Once I start training harder I may bump up the vitamin C, glucosamine and chondroitin.
Once the winter kicks in I may bump up the vitamin D.

[cherrygarcia80]

Thanks Cherry! I'm also a hater of vegetables (and fruits/fish), so a multivitamin is a priority when I next hit the shops.

Hearing a lot about ON Gold Standard Whey on these boards, seems to be a favourite. Digging the pancakes idea! I assume you just mix the whey with less water than used in a normal shake, pour in to the frying pan and away you go? I'm going to have to try this for sure ...
.

For protein pancakes (there's loads of recipes on youtube just search "simple protein pancakes" or something like that)....so for mine I use 2 eggs, 1 or 1.5 scoops of whichever whey powder is on hand, and abit of liquid (i use milk or cream helps make them abit more rich/moist). And voila you have protein pancakes lol! There's also i think what is called protein sludge...you mix like 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (or some greek yoghurt) and a scoop of whey, and abit of liquid to help mix and put in the freezer for 10mins or so and it's a real treat...of course all the above is if you've totalled them into your daily calories. There's loads of other recipes i haven't tried yet...I wanted to try and make protein bars (as quest bars are ridiculously expensive), and loads of other recipes.

I could go on and on lol, will stop there.

The one piece of advice i'd give for whey is to stick with the safest options ie chocolate or vanilla, the fruit flavours can sometimes be quite iffy, I recently had USN strawberry yoghurt flavour and didn't like it at all.

Currently I have double rich chocolate it's okay but not very sweet. If my pocket allows next tub I'll buy is the ON cake batter as tried and tested by Kojiiko and which has great reviews here on bb too. If at the time I'm bordering on broke will buy a more affordable brand as I just need it to serve the purpose of filling in my daily protein count.

[DaveRVD]

Tbh someone recommend me the Gold standard whey, I bought cake batter flavor, with just water is was good. With milk and a banana it's fooking heaven.
I also tried Banana cream which I'm on now and it's alright but I won't buy that flavor again reminds me of candy bananas. The next flavor I will try will be Double Milk chocolate.

I've tried other like PES snickledoodle it was good but too sweet I really had to water it down. 3 days ago I order cellucor cinnamon swirl, peanut butter & marshmallow flavor and from Truetin Lemon Meringue Pie flavor. On the forums everyone's seems to be digging them favors so I thought I take the advantage and buy one get the next for 50% off.

Wow, those flavours though! I gotta try me some of them when my current powders run low.
Mainly PB & Marshmallow flavour , Lemon Merignue Pie flavour ...ah screw it, ALL THE FLAVOURSSSZZ!!!111

I buy natures aid multivitamin of amazon for £3.99. That gives me a 3 month supply.

If I don't happen to need anything off amazon about the time I need vitamins I will just grab any supermarket own brand for example Tesco Multivitamins are £1.50 for a 3 month supply. Combine that with the fact they normally do a buy one get one free or 3 for 2 offer on their supplements it's super cheap.

Awesome~ I learnt to day that Poundland sell multivitamins (70 in a bottle). I'm definitely going to be looking in to that, I'm not expecting it to be the full package but if it has the essentials I need then hey!

For protein pancakes (there's loads of recipes on youtube just search "simple protein pancakes" or something like that)....so for mine I use 2 eggs, 1 or 1.5 scoops of whichever whey powder is on hand, and abit of liquid (i use milk or cream helps make them abit more rich/moist). And voila you have protein pancakes lol! There's also i think what is called protein sludge...you mix like 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (or some greek yoghurt) and a scoop of whey, and abit of liquid to help mix and put in the freezer for 10mins or so and it's a real treat...of course all the above is if you've totalled them into your daily calories. There's loads of other recipes i haven't tried yet...I wanted to try and make protein bars (as quest bars are ridiculously expensive), and loads of other recipes.

I could go on and on lol, will stop there.

The one piece of advice i'd give for whey is to stick with the safest options ie chocolate or vanilla, the fruit flavours can sometimes be quite iffy, I recently had USN strawberry yoghurt flavour and didn't like it at all.

Currently I have double rich chocolate it's okay but not very sweet. If my pocket allows next tub I'll buy is the ON cake batter as tried and tested by Kojiiko and which has great reviews here on bb too. If at the time I'm bordering on broke will buy a more affordable brand as I just need it to serve the purpose of filling in my daily protein count.

Thanks for the pancake recipe, the protein sludge idea sounds like something I could enjoy as well!
I was going to make my own protein bars, I bought natural peanut butter etc. but no matter how I tried, the calories-to-protein ratio wasn't great. I'll definitely make them next year when I bulk though!

Between what you and Kojiiko say, it seems Cake Batter will be my first flavour to try from the ON range. Thanks for the heads up on avoiding USN Strawberry Yoghurt (I was looking at a huge tub of that in a store the other day).

---

A snap of my dinner, as promised:
...This is your Bro FoodPr0n warning

5% lean mince beef (250g)
Dolmio Smooth Sauce (250g)
Farfalle Pasta (90g)
(Seasoned with salt & black cracked pepper)

Calories: 743
Protein: 68g
Carbs: 84g
- of which sugars: 2g
Fat: 13g
- of which saturates: 5g

[Smartlifts]

I'm having the exact same dinner for the next 4 days.
Love Italian food!

[DaveRVD]

Just finished my lifting, tweaked my neck during Side Lateral Raises (first exercise) and now I can't look sideways, I am PISSED.

Going to down a shake and rest.

[DaveRVD]

8 hours later ....

My neck's feeling better, despite being annoyed about it, I'm more glad that I pushed through and completed the full workout (body, take note: it's going to take more than that to stop me).

Just got home from the shops ...and I found myself the holy grail of whey (thanks for recommending guys), along with some other new and useful goodies (I feel like a 7 year old who just got home from the Lego store).

I was considering getting a 1kg tub of ON Gold Standard, but I wanted to try the flavour first before making a bigger commitment, so I stuck to the 450g bag.

ON Gold Standard Whey (Double Rich Chocolate, 450g)
Branched Chain Amino Acids (Precision Engineering, powder)
Whey Protein Strawberry (Precision Engineering, trial pack)
USN Ananolic Nitro-x (3 x trial, Pre-workout)
Multivitamins & Iron (£1 for 90 tabs, from Asda)

[Smartlifts]

sucks about the injury man.
How did you manage that? Was you straining or something?

[DaveRVD]

sucks about the injury man.
How did you manage that? Was you straining or something?

No idea, I felt like I warmed up/rolled my neck well before starting ..

Some of the tension is still there today, but it feels like it has eased - if it's still off by Monday then I'll be gutted.

Just took a snap of my (already started) lunch for today, Chicken Breasts (in Nandos marinade) with Crushed New Potatoes

[Gigi999]

No idea, I felt like I warmed up/rolled my neck well before starting ..

Some of the tension is still there today, but it feels like it has eased - if it's still off by Monday then I'll be gutted.

Just took a snap of my (already started) lunch for today, Chicken Breasts (in Nandos marinade) with Crushed New Potatoes

I hope you feel better Dave

Those meals all look delicious, especially the pasta from that previous post

[DaveRVD]

I hope you feel better Dave

Those meals all look delicious, especially the pasta from that previous post

Thanks Gigi! Feeling pretty good today, neck feels 99% better!