Peter from Scadinavia is ready to lose 100 lbs - here i go.

[PeteDenmark]

Weigth today: 128,5 kg (283.3 lbs)

10-02 :130.9
14-02 :130.2
16-02 :129.5
18-02 :128.7

8 days - 2.2kg lost - I also wonder why you must be feeling hungrier than usual... :|

Grand progress - I am sure you can see why your body thinks its going to die

I see your point . I had prescribed that weight loss to mostly water, but maybe my body is in fact losing a fair bit of fat on this PSMF-keto hybrid i'm doing for now.
I won't be doing it for too much longer, since i'm beginning to feel a little too restricted. Not like i'm going to eats a ton of bread or cake, but just having the luxury of peas, oats and fruit once in a while would be nice.

[lukepeter]

Its been 5 days Peter - I require my dose of vicarious Scandinavian motivation

How are things progressing on that silly carb free diet?

[PeteDenmark]

Its been 5 days Peter - I require my dose of vicarious Scandinavian motivation

How are things progressing on that silly carb free diet?

I'm glad to see that my absence has been noticed . I have too ashamed to write, since i've had a 217000 cal binge, and i am therefore back to my original weight of 159 kg.

Actually i'm down to 128,0 kg, so weight loss is on point. I have slowly reintroduced some carbs, and i'm now eating around 90 grams a day, without it having had any serious water weight consequences. Makes finding variety in my diet much easier, and i can potentially eat at a restaurant without problems.

The reason for my absence is, that my back has acted up something fierce, and i've subsequently been prescribed a pretty high dose of morphine based painkillers, that have made me feel drowsy and sluggish. So sitting down trying to write something coherent in english seemed daunting.
I'm feeling better, and despite my somewhat impaired state both physically and cognitively, i haven't missed a workout. Still only machines, but that is fine. My muscles are more willing to take the punishment, than my joints and tendons, and i've had some annoying strains in other part of my body than the back, so the lack of heavy stabilizer muscle involvement makes it easier to recover between workouts.

It also makes my workouts more fun and varied, since i do at least 4 exercises supersetted, which improves my stamina, and also makes me able to complete a workout in 35 minutes.

The point of this weight loss was never to get swole, or be extremely strong. I wanted to keep the muscles i had, improve my mobility, and have some functional strength. I feel i'm achieving that, so i'm not stressing.

Since my back pain subsided a couple of days ago, i have been extremely productive. I built and painted 20 apple crates for my wife and made a new bed. Next day i emptied a 20 m2 room, and removed the thick layer of old chipped and yellowed varnish from the floor wooden floor with a hand scraper. Being able to do that has been a testament to my progress, so i'm actually kind of relieved. I thought i would never again be able to do that kind of intensive work again, without being bedridden for days following, but i feel pretty good. I'm sore, but who wouldn't be, spending a day on your knees (that came out wrong - i blame the morphine).

I will however skip a workout tomorrow for the first time since i started this diet. I have to sand the floor i've scraped with 3 different grits, apply 100 meters of masking tape, and paint the floor, and spending a huge amount of energy lifting steel attached to cables just seems counterproductive, if i interferes with me doing something that is actually constructive and healthy.

I do however feel in a little bit of a weight loss void. Before i had very incremental goals. Mostly 5 kg steps, but now i feel as though the next step is 115 kg, since that was my weight when i met my wife. That is still 13 kg away, which means at least 3 months. Also - the first part of my weightloss, i could really see huge differences in the mirror, but now, even though i'm losing cm's, i really can't see that much difference. My huge love handles seems unproportionally big now .
I'm not stressing too much about it though - soon the flab on the middle region will have to be my body energy source, and then maybe i will fit into my old clothes - that should be my next goal perhaps.

Thanks for checking in

[Republics]

Awesome job so far! Although I am quite a bit younger and shorter(5'10) than you, your journey has motivated me even more. I'm eating 1900-2200 calories a day trying to get from 240 to hopefully around 190, while training 6 days a week. Good luck to you and I look forward to your progress!

[lukepeter]

Glad you are still on track - those 200000kcal days can really be a stone in your path

Please post more frequently when under the effect of opiates - I imagine it will be a very entertaining time for the rest of us.

Its great that you are able to tackle the sort of projects you are getting done at home - training should always be secondary to actually living - stripping and repainting a floor is a fantastic use of energy vs repetitively raising and lowering steel plates

I have found that 100-120g of carbs is about my sweet spot - it allows me to eat most of my wife's cooking and gives me space for the odd restaurant meal (as you said), IMO its good that you returned to carb eating

I feel the same as you re: weight targets - once you hit a decimal milestone it can be disheartening to think that it will be 10 weeks until you hit the next one. I try be satisfied with a kg week on week, but its a constant battle with my impatient nature.

[anandagirl]

Great work! Glad to see you're still on track, and sanding a floor sounds like a workout to me

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today 127,7 kg

Awesome job so far! Although I am quite a bit younger and shorter(5'10) than you, your journey has motivated me even more. I'm eating 1900-2200 calories a day trying to get from 240 to hopefully around 190, while training 6 days a week. Good luck to you and I look forward to your progress!

Thanks man, i'm glad you've found some inspiration. And being that much younger than me, you have a significant advantage both regarding testosterone levels, and your ability to recover between workouts. You goal sounds very achievable, and it sound like you are going about it in the right way - good luck.

Glad you are still on track - those 200000kcal days can really be a stone in your path

Please post more frequently when under the effect of opiates - I imagine it will be a very entertaining time for the rest of us.

Its great that you are able to tackle the sort of projects you are getting done at home - training should always be secondary to actually living - stripping and repainting a floor is a fantastic use of energy vs repetitively raising and lowering steel plates

I have found that 100-120g of carbs is about my sweet spot - it allows me to eat most of my wife's cooking and gives me space for the odd restaurant meal (as you said), IMO its good that you returned to carb eating

I feel the same as you re: weight targets - once you hit a decimal milestone it can be disheartening to think that it will be 10 weeks until you hit the next one. I try be satisfied with a kg week on week, but its a constant battle with my impatient nature.

Do not worry - most of my posts these day will be written under the influence .
And yes - impatience is the word. Just like: come on already - i eat all the right food, train, and sleep with my hands above the sheets, can't i just lose 1 kg a day?

Great work! Glad to see you're still on track, and sanding a floor sounds like a workout to me

Yes - hand scraping old rubbery varnish, and subsequently sanding it with progressive grits 24, 36, 50, 80, 120, 280 was a PITA, and i'm sore in places i didn't even know i could get sore. And i have only just managed to put down the first layer (of 4) of paint. And stupid as i am, i forgot my cell phone on the window sill in that room, so now i have to wait 24 hours before the floor is dry enough for me to go get it .

[PeteDenmark]

Correction. My weight is 126,7 kg today (127,7).

So i've heard from a lot of people, that the US navy body fat estimate calculator, should actually give a result that is accurate within 2%. The link to the calculator is here:

http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculat...=Body-Fat-Navy

My result was 29% bodyfat. An acquaintance had offered me an opportunity to get an actual DEXA scan, so today i took him up on it. It gave me the same result - 29%.
Now - this might be luck, but i've now included the formula in my EXCEL spreadsheet, so i can kinda track my bodyfat percentage.

29% is lower than i expected. When i hit 15% bodyfat, i would consider myself having "normal" fat reserves, a bit of a "dad bod", but nothing too noticeable, which means that at 110 kg, i would actually consider my diet "complete".
Now that doesn't mean i will quit monitoring my macros and calories, but i does mean, that i only have 17,5 kg of "hardcore" diet to go (1000 cals under maintenance). Right now, that seems very doable. If i keep up what i'm doing, maintaining muscle, eating right and keeping active, sometime in august, i might actually be back to something in the vicinity of my former self, and could then switch to a more reasonable deficit of maybe 200 cals, or, god forbid, a lean bulk, to optimize my core strength .

I know i'm getting a bit ahead of myself, and that shedding fat will get harder, but right now, i just feel very hopeful, since i thought i was destined to accept being a bit fat and broken. But i just might actually do this within a reasonable time. AND doing it without subjecting myself to an insane amount of soul crushing and unmaintainable cardio.

[anandagirl]

Yes - hand scraping old rubbery varnish, and subsequently sanding it with progressive grits 24, 36, 50, 80, 120, 280 was a PITA, and i'm sore in places i didn't even know i could get sore. And i have only just managed to put down the first layer (of 4) of paint. And stupid as i am, i forgot my cell phone on the window sill in that room, so now i have to wait 24 hours before the floor is dry enough for me to go get it .

Seriously, that should be some sort of hardcore boot camp that they sell for lots of money

My result was 29% bodyfat. An acquaintance had offered me an opportunity to get an actual DEXA scan, so today i took him up on it. It gave me the same result - 29%.
Now - this might be luck, but i've now included the formula in my EXCEL spreadsheet, so i can kinda track my bodyfat percentage.

29% is lower than i expected. When i hit 15% bodyfat, i would consider myself having "normal" fat reserves, a bit of a "dad bod", but nothing too noticeable, which means that at 110 kg, i would actually consider my diet "complete".
Now that doesn't mean i will quit monitoring my macros and calories, but i does mean, that i only have 17,5 kg of "hardcore" diet to go (1000 cals under maintenance). Right now, that seems very doable. If i keep up what i'm doing, maintaining muscle, eating right and keeping active, sometime in august, i might actually be back to something in the vicinity of my former self, and could then switch to a more reasonable deficit of maybe 200 cals, or, god forbid, a lean bulk, to optimize my core strength .

I know i'm getting a bit ahead of myself, and that shedding fat will get harder, but right now, i just feel very hopeful, since i thought i was destined to accept being a bit fat and broken. But i just might actually do this within a reasonable time. AND doing it without subjecting myself to an insane amount of soul crushing and unmaintainable cardio.

That's awesome news!!!

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today 126,0 kg (277,7 lbs)

An unexpected side effect of my the pain meds i'm on for the moment is, that it actually takes away a fair bit of my hunger. I hate being on them, because they make me feel a bit distant and detached, so i look forward to getting rid of them again. But now that i am, the lessened hunger is a bonus.

I have now lost 33 kg (73 lbs) since my heaviest, and 7 kg in the last month. I will never understand fully how my body works. I have increased my carbs slowly everyday, and i'm now eating 140 grams, and still i'm losing weight. Maybe i'm losing gains at an alarming rate .

More likely though, is that my meds have done something to my water retention/electrolytes, and that once i'm off them, i will encounter another weight loss stall.
Funny this weight loss business. It's like money - if you win $100 you are happy for an hour, but if you drop them, it haunts you for days, and you will obsess about how and where it happened. Same with weight loss. You lose more than you expected, and it feels great for a while, but if you gain 200 grams in a week, it is a HUGE blow.
So - no matter how much i try to prepare for the next stall, and it must be coming, since i'm way ahead of my schedule, i know it will come as a surprise.

LukePeter said something about looking the gift horse in the mouth. But what can i do - i don't trust this gift, or the giver. In 17 kg i might start to .

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today: 125,7 kg (277 lbs) - another 300 grams.

Pretty good workout today, even though i was pretty tired:

3 sets of 10 of the following:

Lat pulldowns 110 kg
Smith machine shoulder press 75 kg
Row machine 80 kg
Peck deck 90 kg (don't know what that would translate to in flyers)
Triceps rope push down 60 kg
Rope face pulls 60 kg
Leg xtensions 60 kg
Leg curls 90 kg
Hyper extensions

Walked the dog for 5 kilometers, and resawed 200 meters of 120mm wide spruce boards, which is going to be built into a rustic wardrobe for my wife

Seriously, that should be some sort of hardcore boot camp that they sell for lots of money

You know - i've got at least another 2 week of renovation to go, and i'm willing to let you help, and it won't cost you a dime. I'll even throw in a chicken an broc**** dinner .

That's awesome news!!!

Thank you - glad that you are following along

[lukepeter]

Weight today: 125,7 kg (277 lbs) - another 300 grams.

Pretty good workout today, even though i was pretty tired:

3 sets of 10 of the following:

Lat pulldowns 110 kg
Smith machine shoulder press 75 kg
Row machine 80 kg
Peck deck 90 kg (don't know what that would translate to in flyers)
Triceps rope push down 60 kg
Rope face pulls 60 kg
Leg xtensions 60 kg
Leg curls 90 kg
Hyper extensions

Peter, your progress over the last few weeks has been phenomenal - great, consistent weight loss - and you are still lifting heavier than me You and your damned viking genes...

Seriously man, well done.

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today 125,0 kg (275.5 lbs) - another 700 grams since yesterday!? I thought the steep weight loss was supposed to be in the beginning, but i'll take it.

Peter, your progress over the last few weeks has been phenomenal - great, consistent weight loss - and you are still lifting heavier than me You and your damned viking genes...

Seriously man, well done.

Thanks man - i helps a lot to have someone take an interest.

I don't see in what way i am stronger than you . 10 pullups at 120 kg? 7x127 kg benchpress? Man - i could hardly do that when i was in shape, and i definitely couldn't do 30 push ups at my heaviest. But it would be cool if we where neighbours - as training partners i do feel we might give each other a push.
But maybe just as well. I have finally gotten rid of my ego in the gym, and my joints are thankful. If i had someone who was JUST a bit stronger than me to train with, god knows what would happen .

__________________

I haven't got the energy to concentrate on food these days, so i'm eating the same thing every day for now. This has coincided with my rapid weight drop, so even if it isn't the most healthy way to eat, it seems to work. If anyone is interested, here is what i'm consuming:

700 grams chicken breast
2 Santa Maria Tortillas
300 grams of Romaine salad
50 grams of low cal dressing
500 grams of low fat yogurt with 12% protein and no added sugar
250 grams 1.5 % milk
2 hard boiled eggs
90 grams of stevia sweetened Salty liquorice
Lots of decaffeinated coffee (caffeinated before training, or green tea)
A lot of artificially sweetened beverages

Fish oil, selenium, B6, B12, D3 and a multi vitamin

220 protein, 135 carbs, 30 grams fat 1850 cals.

I eat everything between times 17.00 to 23.00 - a 6 hour window.

There is no one main idea behind what i'm doing. But here is a few reasons
- I want 200+ grams of protein, because it's protein . I eat more than 2 grams per kg of LBM, since my belief is that you need more when eating i a deficit, to maintain muscle.
- I do intermittent fasting because it makes me feel really full at least once or twice during the day, and i put my eating window late, since i hate going to sleep hungry, and during the day, my mind is often otherwise occupied, so i don't notice my hunger.
- The vitamin supplements are taken according to what my blood tests revealed i was low in.
- The sweets are chewy and salty, so they take time to eat, and make me drink a lot, which makes me feel full.
- I love the Tortilla's since they make chicken and salad seem like a real meal.
- I eat eggs so i get at least some fat, so i don't mess my hormones up to badly. Not enough, but i figure my body has enough to spare, so it'll do for now

[JSim83]

90 grams of stevia sweetened Salty liquorice

Man, I love salty liquorice. It is the only candy I ever eat. It is one of those things that is really hard for me to stay away from. For some reason I did not think about stevia sweetened version. I don't think a little bit of stevia sweetened salty liqourice every now and then will kill me, so I have to try that. Thanks for the tip.

PS. Great progress, keep grinding!

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today 124,5 kg (274.5 lbs) - another 500 grams since yesterday. This is really weird, but great. What would make it perfect is, if my body would decide to use some of the fat stores from the belly and back, instead of everywhere else .

Training sucked today. Not that i was weaker or did less reps, but it just felt off. I attribute some of it to getting a little frustrated with the home improvement project. Nasty surprises from the previous owner keep popping up, which causes delays, and adds cost in the form of having to purchase extra materials to correct his f*** ups. Adding to the stress is the fact, that while renovating a large portion of your house, the stuff that was in the rooms under construction has to have a place elsewhere in the house, so the place is just very disorganized, which affect me negatively. I should have been finished by now, but i fear i will need an extra 10 days, which interferes with all my seed starting, for my vegetable garden. Whine whine whine - yeah - but this is log of how i deal with stuff during weight loss .

But hey - a least the renovation is burning calories, and the more f*** ups i find, the more fat i shed .

Man, I love salty liquorice. It is the only candy I ever eat. It is one of those things that is really hard for me to stay away from. For some reason I did not think about stevia sweetened version. I don't think a little bit of stevia sweetened salty liqourice every now and then will kill me, so I have to try that. Thanks for the tip.

PS. Great progress, keep grinding!

Thanks man. I tell you. Those "Nellies Dellies" liquorice from TOMS is 50% of the reason i have been able to stick to my diet, without slipping. So i highly recommend it.

[RDW101]

Hey Peter

Your log is pure inspiration man!!

The progress so far is phenomonal. It is quite refreshing seeing everyday "normal" folks struggles being overcome... It gives us hope

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today 125,0 kg - so the rapid loss has levelled out. I'm ok with it - can't expect to lose 0,5 kg a day forever .

So i finally got around to some progress pics, so here we go (Aaaand.... including a douchebag pitiful "more muscular" pose):










Body measurements:

Week 1:

Weight 148,5 kg (323 lbs)
Waist 135 cm (53.1") (only measurement i took)


Week 10:

Weight 134,4 kg (297 lbs)
Waist bellybutton 124 cm (48.8")
Waist upper ab 115 cm (45.2")
Hips 121 cm (47.6")
Chest 132,5 cm (52.2")
Bicep relaxed 40 cm (15.7")
Bicep flex 45 cm (17.7")
Thigh middle 74 cm (29.1")
Neck 44 cm (17.3")


Week 16:

Weight 125,0 kg (275.5 lbs)
Waist bellybutton 116 cm (45.7")
Waist upper ab 105 cm (41.3")
Hips 117 cm (46")
Chest 127 cm (50")
Bicep relaxed 39 cm (15.3")
Bicep flex 44 cm (17.3")
Thigh middle 74 cm (29.1")
Neck 44 cm (17.3")

Hey Peter

Your log is pure inspiration man!!

The progress so far is phenomonal. It is quite refreshing seeing everyday "normal" folks struggles being overcome... It gives us hope

Thanks man - i really appreciate it. Yes - if a 43 year old man with back issues, that doesn't do cardio can do it, i guess most people can do it . Do you have a log? If so, you should include the URL in your signature.

[RDW101]

No prob man.

No log as yet, but I intend to start one once I am in the swing of things.

[lukepeter]

Holy **** Pete.

Those progress pics... Awesome progress, just fantastic.

[Imp81318]

Great progress, man!

[Denfete]

Amazing!

[lukepeter]

as an aside - if you think you are getting away with that front double bi unscathed - think again

[jhf]

Amazing job!

[JSim83]

Yeah, that's pretty awesome transformation.

[PeteDenmark]

No prob man.

No log as yet, but I intend to start one once I am in the swing of things.

Look forward to it - and good luck .

Great progress, man!

Amazing!

Amazing job!

Yeah, that's pretty awesome transformation.

Thank you guys - glad to have somebody check in, since my immediate surroundings see me to often no notice the change, and i myself, is getting blind to the progress, since i only see what i still need to address.

Holy **** Pete.

Those progress pics... Awesome progress, just fantastic...

as an aside - if you think you are getting away with that front double bi unscathed - think again

Appreciate it Luke .

But dude - i am a hungry, balding man (except for the back, nose and ear hair - that is growing just fine) in his mid 40's, who had just woken up, standing in an unheated room, that because of renovations, is the only place with room enough to take a full body picture, and i'm in my underwear, with a belly button, that looks more like a frowny face, than and actual "button", who struck a pose, since it was the best way to lift up my man-boobs for the picture.
Maybe you can consider this enough of a humiliation, and let my little (BB) gun show slide ?

[lukepeter]

There will be absolutely no mercy, this is the internet after all

The criteria for acceptability of front double bicep pose:
1)you are on stage in an event where you are competing with other scantily clad men w.r.t. bicep size, shape, and presentation
2)you have checked all around you, are at home, and are certain you are alone
3)you wish to lat flare and flex a lesser male into submission


None of the above were met

Also - if my eyes don't deceive me - your last posted bicep measurement was 44cm flexed, if you go around calling those things bb guns you will worsen the inferiority complexes of 90% of the misc'ers on bb.com False modesty doesn't fit your cannons well.

[anandagirl]

INCREDIBLE Progress! Kicking ass and taking names!

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today 124,3 kg

INCREDIBLE Progress! Kicking ass and taking names!

Thank you, and you too by the way .

There will be absolutely no mercy, this is the internet after all

The criteria for acceptability of front double bicep pose:
1)you are on stage in an event where you are competing with other scantily clad men w.r.t. bicep size, shape, and presentation
2)you have checked all around you, are at home, and are certain you are alone
3)you wish to lat flare and flex a lesser male into submission


None of the above were met

Also - if my eyes don't deceive me - your last posted bicep measurement was 44cm flexed, if you go around calling those things bb guns you will worsen the inferiority complexes of 90% of the misc'ers on bb.com False modesty doesn't fit your cannons well.

Thanks Luke - that actually made me laugh .
And you're right - we wouldn't want the misc'ers feelings - they are such a sweet, articulate, humble and caring bunch.

__________


I've been hungry for the last week or so, so maybe it's time to up my calories for a while, so i don't crash. It's affecting me, and after i read LukePeters post, where he described his short fuse, i can actually recognize this in myself.
It's not like a bad mood, but i feel more sensitive to "disturbances" than usual, and i'm usually pretty sensitive, so this is not a desirable state of mind. Continuing feeling like this both physically and mentally will wear me down pretty quickly, and i definitely won't be able to "buckle down" until i reach my goal weight, so i've got to come up with a plan that i can sustain.

Maybe i'm blaming the lack of food for too much. It's been a long winter, and i have been under some pressure lately, so maybe it's also a matter of getting sunshine, and doing something where, not just the goal, but also the process, is actually enjoyable.

There is also the chance, that since i've recently stopped the course of pain management pills i had been prescribed, i may be having some withdrawal symptoms. I hate eating morphine based pain meds, but just because i'm not feeling a psychological enjoyment from them, and therefore feel no urge to keep taking them, doesn't mean that my body won't have a slight physical dependency, that leads to my "discomfort". In that case it will pass i a few days, and THAT i can just push through.

This is not a terribly interesting post for others to read, but writing down what is going on is therapeutic.

[PeteDenmark]

Weight today: 123,6 kg - still making progress.

I finished my house renovations project yesterday, so i celebrated by allowing myself a cheat day. I had planned to not even track calories, but just eat until i felt satisfied.
I ate 250 grams of Ben and Jerry's, but then ended up eating my regular food. Ended up calculation my calories anyway, and the cheat day was 2600 cals, so still under maintenance. But feared the 200 grams of carbs would add a lot of water weight, but nothing happened. That was actually a relief - not getting hella bloated from just one "bad" meal.

Oh - and i actually put on my "i hope i will fit these again" pants today, and they where not even tight. That was pretty great. Another 8-10 kg, and i can use the entirety of my old wardrobe again.

[lukepeter]

Lol at 2600kcal cheat day - that's a cheat meal there buddy, not a cheat day

Its a great step forward - fitting into the "one day when I am leaner again" pants, an affirmation of hard work and discipline that can literally be worn and paraded about surreptitiously.

At your current rate of loss you are going to be done with the cut in no time - I am envious of how soon you will be able to return to maintenance/lean bulking.

How has your mood been? I know 250g of icecream (as paltry an amount as that is) can be therapeutic enough to help out occasionally, but I would have though more food would have been required...

Congrats on completing the renovations, its hard physical work, but the satisfaction of getting something like that done is monumental. Do you think you would have been able to handle the jobs (from the point of view of your injury) prior to losing the weight and getting your strength back? I imagine it was significantly easier than it would have been...