Starting a total transformation

[hiimnotcool]

Haha, no girls yet. I don't leave the house much Now that I don't go to the bar 2-3 times a week I don't really have much of a social life lol.


Anyways, I just did like 3 sets of 10 pull ups (with chair to keep feet on). I'll do some more in a little bit. I think I'll do push ups as well. Maybe 5 sets of 15then rest for an hour and do 5 sets of 15 again. Then tonight I'm going to run 3-4 miles as well! I've got to do some ab work too. Geez, got a lot of stuff to do ha.


Anyways, here's an updated pic. I think I won't post another pic for a month or so. Even though weekly updates show results I think it'd be better to see how much things change in a months time.


Here's where I started:


Heres where I'm at:

[Omnium11]

haha me either, one of my goals is to finally get a girlfriend at the end of this transformation, I always used to want to 'fix myself' before I got a gf but I'm just gonna say screw it and go for it anyways, I will never be perfect and am running out of time I think at 22 years old with never having a gf and I'm sure I could find a girl that can tolerate my SA and other problems. Just hope I don't wake up bald one of these days!

Good job with the pullups, I will have to start using a chair to help out, I did about 2 completely proper pullups where I got my chin at / above the bar level today, almost got 3 lol! Amazing how weak I've gotten when I was a kid I could do like 20 pullups.

You are looking great man! Definitely looking a lot more defined. Any estimation of your body fat %?. I'm pretty bad at estimating but it looks like you are around 12-13% or so. Getting real close to having some very visible abs. Just a bit more fat to go. I think I'm at about 15-16% bf or so right now. I need to buy some calipers or something.

EDIT:
Weight: 176

[hiimnotcool]

I think you could get a girlfriend, just a matter of going out and putting yourself out there. I think at our age girls start to look past the superficial (okay, maybe only a little bit) and they start wanting something more meaningful. But you're only 22 and your a long ways away from 'running out of time' LOL. I wouldn't even be thinking about that at this point.


The chair helps alot. It's still reasonably difficult but nothing I can't handle at this stage. Even doing 3 pull ups is seriously good! I think the average person could probably do 1, while a large percentage not being able to do any.


I wouldn't have a clue about my current BF% I've heard you need to be under 10 for the abs to show so I'd say your estimation would probably be in the ballpark range. Maybe 12-14%. I still have alot of fat that makes itself well known when I'm sitting in a chair or laying on the bed. I'm not too worried about it at this point though since I'm doing all that I can to get rid of it.


I'm loving it!

[Cerberus]

You guys are looking great! Good job. Himnotcool, you look about as lean as I do right now -- I think so anyway. Good job! Omnium11, your face is definitely looking defined. Nice job on the weight loss.

As for myself, I've run into some mj a few days ago, so I've been indulging in munchies. I'll finish that **** off today and get back into my routine tomorrow, but I need to wait for my damn muscles to rest up. I don't want any major injuries, so these pulled muslces need to heal, which sucks because I really enjoy lifting weights and doing cardio exercises. It does wonders for my depression.

As for girls, my hair is thinning, so that's not really helping my confidence at the moment. I'm 23.

Hey, how tall are you guys?

[hiimnotcool]

Originally Posted by Cerberus

You guys are looking great! Good job. Himnotcool, you look about as lean as I do right now -- I think so anyway. Good job! Omnium11, your face is definitely looking defined. Nice job on the weight loss.

As for myself, I've run into some mj a few days ago, so I've been indulging in munchies. I'll finish that **** off today and get back into my routine tomorrow, but I need to wait for my damn muscles to rest up. I don't want any major injuries, so these pulled muslces need to heal, which sucks because I really enjoy lifting weights and doing cardio exercises. It does wonders for my depression.

As for girls, my hair is thinning, so that's not really helping my confidence at the moment. I'm 23.

Hey, how tall are you guys?

Yeah man, I felt bad about your injuries that keep stunting your progress. I remember when I used to run alot I would get hurt and would have to take a week or two off and then it felt like I had to start all over again. It's so frustrating. I hope that this time around you don't get hurt again.

Ugh, I know what you mean about thinning hair. My hairline is receding and I'm the same exact age as you. Nobody else would say that I'm balding though. Why can't we all just have good hair atleast until we were 45?!?!


I'm 6'0-6'1. How tall are you?


**oh yeah, edit for what I did today*

I did 25 minutes of Abs. Also numerous (lost count) sets of Pull ups then probably 100 push ups or so.. Will probably stretch it out tonight with some light Yoga as well.

[Omnium11]

Originally Posted by Cerberus

You guys are looking great! Good job. Himnotcool, you look about as lean as I do right now -- I think so anyway. Good job! Omnium11, your face is definitely looking defined. Nice job on the weight loss.

As for myself, I've run into some mj a few days ago, so I've been indulging in munchies. I'll finish that **** off today and get back into my routine tomorrow, but I need to wait for my damn muscles to rest up. I don't want any major injuries, so these pulled muslces need to heal, which sucks because I really enjoy lifting weights and doing cardio exercises. It does wonders for my depression.

As for girls, my hair is thinning, so that's not really helping my confidence at the moment. I'm 23.

Hey, how tall are you guys?

Thanks cerb, haha i know what you mean, mj used to always screw with my fitness plans. I would always completely pig out when I was on it.

I feel for you guys. So far I have been very lucky. Hair is still there, my brother is a year younger than me and he started going bald at like 17! Lucked out I guess so far. Crossing my fingers that I got the genes from my grandpa on my dads side. He still has great hair at age 80 or so.

I'm 6'0 btw

EDIT:
So far ran 3.4 miles or so and really hit my biceps and back hard today. Still abs to go. Feeling great!! Physically and mentally. I will probably do another run before I go to sleep here as well. Then feel like playing some dead space

[Cerberus]

Hey, thanks for the support. I'm 5'10" or 5'11".

And, yes, hair loss should only, if ever, happen to guys in their forties or fifties, not their freaking twenties.

Oh, and dead space is freaking awesome. The atmosphere, sound effects, and soundtrack in that game are top notch.

[Omnium11]

Yeah I'm really liking dead space. I think I might actually complete it which is pretty rare for me to complete games. I'm also surprised at how well it runs on my gaming pc from 2005. Also like the fact you can just press 'b' and it tells you where to go lol (I'm lazy and have horrible sense of direction and get lost like crazy in games)

Just did another 2.5 miles of running. Too much internet today. No meditation etc. Starting to feel it mentally. Need to step away from the computer and force myself to meditate. Still got to do abs as well. Will do them now.

[Omnium11]

Alright current weight = 175.8

Just went to the gas station and saw somebody I haven't seen for a while who was more of an aquaintance than anything and had a 20 minute conversation with him. I was anxious but probably only a 4/10 on the social anxiety scale. 1 being low, 10 being high. So not too bad. Got his number so I might hang out with him. Apparently he had a falling out amongst a bunch of mutual friends who I also had a falling out from. He said he doesn't hang out with anybody anymore lol so we have that in common.

EDIT
I just made the call to see a doctor tomorrow. Apparently she's fairly good looking lol. I'm gonna try and get a benzo, I think I will just tell her the truth that I only want like a weeks supply just for job interview and first couple days of work. Not interested in anything but a benzo. Hate SSRI's and things like welbutrin etc

[hiimnotcool]

Did an hour of Kenpo today. Doesn't feel like I did enough though so I'll do something else later on.


Tomorrow is my rest day. Probably won't do much of anything. If I feel the urge too much I'll just do some light Yoga to stretch out the body and get the heart pumping. Oh and running later on in the evening.

[Cerberus]

I managed to do my back/bicep workout today without any trouble from my knee or shoulder, so that's good. My arms are looking pretty big, if I do say so myself (so I may have gained a bit of muscle; I don't know). Unfortunately, I'm back up to weighing 172 lbs. I doubt it's possible to gain 3-4 pounds of fat over the course of three days (even with the help of the munchies), so I'm guessing some of it is water weight. I wouldn't be surprised if I gained a pound or two of fat back though, given my drunken and stoned binges over the past couple of weeks. I'm pretty disappointed with myself. There will be no more drinking or getting stoned for me. I want six pack abs god damnit.

[Smitten]

Originally Posted by hiimnotcool

Haha, no girls yet. I don't leave the house much Now that I don't go to the bar 2-3 times a week I don't really have much of a social life lol.


Anyways, I just did like 3 sets of 10 pull ups (with chair to keep feet on). I'll do some more in a little bit. I think I'll do push ups as well. Maybe 5 sets of 15then rest for an hour and do 5 sets of 15 again. Then tonight I'm going to run 3-4 miles as well! I've got to do some ab work too. Geez, got a lot of stuff to do ha.


Anyways, here's an updated pic. I think I won't post another pic for a month or so. Even though weekly updates show results I think it'd be better to see how much things change in a months time.


Here's where I started:


Heres where I'm at:

hot =)

[Omnium11]

Hopefully just loads of water weight cerb. Sometimes the fluctuations are pretty brutal. Today has been ok for me. I ate more than I would have wanted. Partly because I went to the trouble of cooking up spaghetti and meatballs / salad / cheesy bread for my family. My cooking isn't very healthy at all but damn it tastes good. I can tell I'm retaining more water than usual. Expect scale to be up a couple pounds tomorrow. Also I did chest / tri / shoulders today. Maybe I'll do some cardio here too my legs are pretty sore though and need some rest I think.

Got to find a way to get to sleep early today.

[Cerberus]

Originally Posted by Omnium11

Hopefully just loads of water weight cerb. Sometimes the fluctuations are pretty brutal. Today has been ok for me. I ate more than I would have wanted. Partly because I went to the trouble of cooking up spaghetti and meatballs / salad / cheesy bread for my family. My cooking isn't very healthy at all but damn it tastes good. I can tell I'm retaining more water than usual. Expect scale to be up a couple pounds tomorrow. Also I did chest / tri / shoulders today. Maybe I'll do some cardio here too my legs are pretty sore though and need some rest I think.

Got to find a way to get to sleep early today.

What do you eat for healthy food? I figured you'd be cooking some pretty good healthy meals. Or, are you stuck eating tuna sandwiches, eggs, oatmeal, chicken breasts, pork chops, protein shakes, and so on, like I am? My health food is pretty bland. I should go pick up a recipe book or something.

[Omnium11]

I usually try to eat very healthy stuff like oatmeal, eggs, chicken etc. I absolutely love oatmeal and eat it loads. Lately I've had a lot of instances where I eat normal stuff but just in smaller quantities, partly because I want to cook stuff that tastes really good for the family lol. Definitely not ideal for health and nutrition but as long as I run a fairly large calorie deficit the weight still seems to fly right off. Also supplement with vitamins

My diet is what most would call 'extreme' though, especially the first 9 days of this transformation. I used to diet strictly by the book (been member of bodybuilding.com since 2003, was really into it at age of 16-17 and on and off since then) and always used to criticize people who would do the stuff that I'm doing now and would always repeat the classic bodybuilding dogma etc, but I really lose weight a hell of a lot faster doing it this way. Also the muscle loss isn't nearly as bad as some claim, sometimes I'm pretty sure I gain muscle despite the fact I'm running fairly significant calorie deficits. (I know most claim its impossible) Other times when the calories are even lower I do lose muscle but not very much as long as I really hit the muscles hard. Also I have some really exceptional muscle memory and it doesn't take long to put it back on for me. I got tired of losing only 1 pound a week etc. Also I know longer am going for a really buff / big look and am satisfied with just looking tone / a bit muscular.

[mia jane]

WOW. I've just read this thread and must say you guys are amazing. I want to get fit although I am already quite tiny, just needing to have a bit more stamina. Your bodies are looking great and to quote Smitten "hot"
Keep up the great work.

[STKinTHEmud]

Yeah, looking good guys, keep it up. I'm trying to lose the belly fat myself so I can go to the beach. You guys look pretty trim (by comparison to myself). Doing anything special in your diets?

[Omnium11]

Thanks mia! :-D

Hi STK and thanks.
I would recommend sticking with a traditional 300 calorie deficit with lots of cardio. You can start out by running as far as you can then walking, then when you get some energy back run again, then walk etc. This is how I built up to running longer distances when I did my last transformation.

To tell the truth the first 9 days of this transformation I was doing a water fast. I didn't want to tell anyone because fasting and 'starvation diets' are pretty controversial. More for mental aspects because fasting completely relaxes me and makes meditation really easy. Its like a gateway into a nice meditative state. I lost a bit of muscle doing that but I don't regret it. 17 pounds in 23 days or so can't really complain ;-) Also I felt great during the entire fast. I did gain lots of water weight afterwards though but lost it just as fast. Went from feeling like 2.5 or 4 to about a 6.5-7 average. Oh and I wouldn't feel comfortable if people did a fast or a very low cal diet taking my advice lol. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! I have done fasts many times before and done lots of research. I would def recommend doing lots and lots of research before any fasts are attempted.

Immediately ollowing the fast I ate 500 - 1000 calorie diet, pretty careful of foods I ate especially first couple days. A week ago or so I was eating up around 1500 calories. Right now I have very little appetite and my metabolism has slowed I bet. (helps you age slower) Mice having a 60% of their regular diets lived about 40-50% longer if I remember correctly. I get a feeling of fullness at around 600 calorie meals, like the spaghetti / salad / cheesy bread I had yesterday. (I had small portions) I used to be able to pack away 3000 calories sometimes if I was really binging before I really felt full. My appetite has definitely gone. I average about 1000 calories right now I think. will probably cycle back up to 1500 here in a bit though. I use my body and mind as a guage for how much cardio I should do before it becomes risky. When I was fasting I did very little cardio after the 2nd day because I was so low on energy and didn't want to risk anything. Right now though I have loads of energy so I do much more cardio. I definitely do not recommend this in any way shape or form. Its pushing the limits imho but I am quite confident I know what I'm doing and have lots of experience with this sort of thing. I would not feel good though if anyone saw this and thought they would try it. Would really hate for something bad to happen.

[hiimnotcool]

Thanks girls! Those words will definitely make us stick with it


STKinTHEmud-
Well, I was already pretty thin. I was like 145 pounds (at 6 foot) until I was 20 years old. Once I started drinking beer every night and not working out I got up to 170. So alot of the trimming down I've done is probably the alcohol not being so present. I just drink 2 or 3 beers a couple nights a week now. Other than that I eat every few hours and usually 2,000 calories a day. Sometimes up to 2,500 sometimes like 1,800. I stick with the tried and true methods-chicken, turkey, oatmeal, cottage cheese, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, brown rice, beans, protein shakes, low fat milk, etc. Add all that to drinking a ton of water everyday (like 120-200 ounces daily) and that's really all it has took.

I've seen your posts in the other workout thread and it looks like you know what you're doing and how to get muscle already so my advice would just be to incorporate some high intensity interval training 3 times a week and the fat should start coming off.

[STKinTHEmud]

Thanks for the info, Omnium. I've done quite a bit of research myself, and I agree. Low cal diets and fasting, imo, are not good for healthy weight loss. And your 1000 and 1500 cal diet sounds pretty dangerous to me. I'm trying to lose as little muscle as possible. I'm on a 2100 cal diet, which is something like a 600 cal deficit at my weight, with 35% protein, 45% carbs, and 20% fats and 5 meals a day and LOTS of water. I haven't lost anything in the past week or so, but I'm thinking that's because I was sick all last week and couldn't work out. I figure that now that I'm able to work out again, I'll go for a week, and if I still don't lose as much as I want (going for 2 lbs loss per week), I'll cut down the calories.

Do you use any of those crazy supplements that are out there? I try to keep things simple (only vitamins and whey protein shakes for me - creatine makes my kidneys ache), but if there's anything else you recommend for weight loss (while keeping muscle), I might give it a shot.

Lately, I've been afraid that my sodium intake is far too high, which is causing me to retain water and look soft. I hear you can offset this by eating more potassium and acidic foods (or citrus fruits like lemon juice). Any opinions on this? (Just realized the 50 cans of tuna I bought recently have added salt. Besides, I like my chicken salty!)

I'm also looking for another source of protein from food that is easy to prepare (I never cook a meal that takes more than 10 mins to prepare, and yes, it was hard to find easy to make healthy foods to construct my diet) so that I can kick up my protein intake to 40%. Any ideas for anything that might go well with oats (or not, anything will do) that isn't tuna, cottage cheese, chicken, or protein shakes?