A Nerd who lost a lot of weight, you can do it too!

[draggoon01]

what's the easiest way to measure your body fat% ?

 

[SilverThief]

Great job man! Keep it!

 

[JohnStoneFl]

Originally posted by: draggoon01
what's the easiest way to measure your body fat% ?

The easiest way (not to be confused with the most accurate way, however this will get you in the right ballpark) is probably taking some measurements using a soft tape, and then going to a site like this one and filling the forms out.

Or you could buy a body fat scale like this one. These scales are good for tracking relative gains/losses but are notoriously inaccurate.

Or you could get some body fat calipers like these. Used correctly, these are pretty accurate.

 

[JohnStoneFl]

Originally posted by: RealWarlock
Fantastic advices.

John, do you eat more carbo (higher than protein) in your main meal after a workout (not the post-recovery one... the one after that)?

Depends. I generally do on non-weight training days, but on weight training days I tend to eat mostly foods rich in protein for my first non-shake after workout meal. I probably should be taking in more carbs on my weight training day. Oatmeal is great for that, and most likely I will be adding that to my morning meals pretty soon.

Anyway, just finished with my website and I'm deciding on whether to show you guys it or not.

/me flipping a coin...

Don't do it until you are comfortable with it. I started by showing just my family and close friends. Posting to the whole world is pretty damn hard before you see any real gains. I think I posted to the first public message board after 1 month (I was still looking pretty bad at that point, but I was proud of my progress anyway).

 

[ParagonX]

It looks like your doing a program very similar to Body for Life. I'm planning on starting that next week. This week i've been going to the gym and using my three free personal trainer sessions to get acquanted with the equipment/layout of the gym before i start to go all out with the program.

Right now i'm 21 years old, 5'6", and sitting at about 155 pounds. Not too overweight but definitly have room for improvement.

BTW, congrats to you on your progress, your site has is really helping me get motivated to get started. I also noticed on your site your in Orlando, not too far from me ( living in Atlamonte Springs)

 

[JohnStoneFl]

ParagonX, I read BFL a couple of months after I started and learned a lot from it. It's a good book. I follow a modified version of his HIIT cardio routine. I also like pyramid sets, but I don't do the same routine as he recommends. Also my diet is quite a bit different. I think it's a great book as a starting point, very inspirational.

Altamonte huh? I'm in Altamonte all the time. I buy a lot of my DVDs at the Best Buy on 436. If you ever see me, say hello! You might not recognize me though: I can't photoshop myself in real life.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: ParagonX
It looks like your doing a program very similar to Body for Life. I'm planning on starting that next week. This week i've been going to the gym and using my three free personal trainer sessions to get acquanted with the equipment/layout of the gym before i start to go all out with the program.

Right now i'm 21 years old, 5'6", and sitting at about 155 pounds. Not too overweight but definitly have room for improvement.

BTW, congrats to you on your progress, your site has is really helping me get motivated to get started. I also noticed on your site your in Orlando, not too far from me ( living in Atlamonte Springs)

Interesting thing about BFL is that a lot of successful dieting plans seem to follow its general idea - that's because in fact IT follows the same idea as successful weight loss plans: continual (or mostly continual) vigilance of food intake combined with excercise. It's a sensible proven way to go about it. By all accounts BFL works quite well because it simply spells out plainly what a person needs to do to lose weight and gain muscle.

I've got a couple of friends who did it recently and had great success. I've only read it a little here and there but something I liked was the cheat day idea. I've been incorporating those into what I'm doing since the end of last year and it really works well. I used to be a maniac and watch everything but I've come to realize I just like beer/pizza/junk too much to be perfect day in and day out and the cheat day lets me keep it in perspective because I know that it's only several days until I can go at it again with what I love

 

[Feldenak]

Going through the downloadable Excel sheet is quite helpful as well. My fiancee are going to substitute some real meat for the meatless products (I can't get rid of red meat and she doesn't like fish) and try to get things ready to start on Monday.

 

[yobarman]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: ParagonX
It looks like your doing a program very similar to Body for Life. I'm planning on starting that next week. This week i've been going to the gym and using my three free personal trainer sessions to get acquanted with the equipment/layout of the gym before i start to go all out with the program.

Right now i'm 21 years old, 5'6", and sitting at about 155 pounds. Not too overweight but definitly have room for improvement.

BTW, congrats to you on your progress, your site has is really helping me get motivated to get started. I also noticed on your site your in Orlando, not too far from me ( living in Atlamonte Springs)

Interesting thing about BFL is that a lot of successful dieting plans seem to follow its general idea - that's because in fact IT follows the same idea as successful weight loss plans: continual (or mostly continual) vigilance of food intake combined with excercise. It's a sensible proven way to go about it. By all accounts BFL works quite well because it simply spells out plainly what a person needs to do to lose weight and gain muscle.

I've got a couple of friends who did it recently and had great success. I've only read it a little here and there but something I liked was the cheat day idea. I've been incorporating those into what I'm doing since the end of last year and it really works well. I used to be a maniac and watch everything but I've come to realize I just like beer/pizza/junk too much to be perfect day in and day out and the cheat day lets me keep it in perspective because I know that it's only several days until I can go at it again with what I love

Body For Life is a beginners book. When me and my friends first started working out we read the book and it was quite inpirational. The thing is, it is for the average person. It does work, but we eventually moved on to bigger and better things like t-mag....all proper programs for weighttraining follow the same basic outline: Weightraining, Cardio and Diet. The key to get anyone of them to work right is to keep track of what you do, so you realize if you're going to reach your goals. Especially with diet. Any gains whatsoever from weightraining are 70% diet. With BFL you're only going to get so big doing the same sets of excercises for months. Thats why you need to expand your knowledge of weightraining to make a lot more progress.

Johnstone1, i showed your site to a friend of mine who knows an enourmous amount about weightraining, and he said "he's shrinking away and going to dissapear" haha.. sure you're cut, but can you beat anyone up? haha, just kidding, but im just curious what kind of workout regime you're doing now?

 

[Feldenak]

I'm trying to work on a grocery & menu list/plan what are some good resources to figure out portion sizes and such? I am totally clueless on how to plan a menu. Should I go buy this Body For Life book or is the information readily available online?

Edit: I just quit smoking about a month ago (school got me down and I caved) and am worried about hacking up a lung on the bike/stair climber. Anyone else have experience with exercising and quitting smoking?

 

[yobarman]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
I'm trying to work on a grocery & menu list/plan what are some good resources to figure out portion sizes and such? I am totally clueless on how to plan a menu. Should I go buy this Body For Life book or is the information readily available online?

Edit: I just quit smoking about a month ago (school got me down and I caved) and am worried about hacking up a lung on the bike/stair climber. Anyone else have experience with exercising and quitting smoking?

try fitday.com to keep track of what you eat. it's very important in a diet to know what you're eating. here's a very good diet! The T-dawg diet never fails if you keep with it

If you've quit smoking for a month... you should be ok to do some cardio. So, you gotta start somewhere and eventually your body will heal itself and you'll be able to make progress. You just gotta keep working at it.

 

[Feldenak]

Thanks yobarman. I'll check out both those links, should be easy to stick with my diet & exercise change this time....my fiancee is coming along for the ride. Support & partnership = good.


Yeah, I caved heading into finals...lesson being, never, ever try to make a life changed heading into finals.

 

[RobCur]

I can? but i'm lazy

 

[Rob9874]

Looks like 'roids to me. Any time I see thinning hair on big guys, that throws up a red flag. His hair looks much thinner in the after pics.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
Looks like 'roids to me. Any time I see thinning hair on big guys, that throws up a red flag. His hair looks much thinner in the after pics.

If it's drugs he got fairly low quality ones. He did a good job but it seems within the realm of possibility - whereas drugs will put you in another league altogether. He'd be bigger!

 

[JohnStoneFl]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
Looks like 'roids to me. Any time I see thinning hair on big guys, that throws up a red flag. His hair looks much thinner in the after pics.

Oh man, today has just been too funny. On one hand a bunch of meathead steroid users are saying I'm pathetic, skinny, a waif and a prune, and on the other hand Rob here thinks I'm "a big guy" on 'roids because I bleached my hair and got a shorter cut. Rob, maybe you and the gear-heads should get together and discuss this glaring dichotomy? Wow, I feel so controversial.

 

[MattCo]

Originally posted by: JohnStoneFl

Originally posted by: Rob9874 Looks like 'roids to me. Any time I see thinning hair on big guys, that throws up a red flag. His hair looks much thinner in the after pics.

Oh man, today has just been too funny. On one hand a bunch of meathead steroid users are saying I'm pathetic, skinny, a waif and a prune, and on the other hand Rob here thinks I'm "a big guy" on 'roids because I bleached my hair and got a shorter cut. Rob, maybe you and the gear-heads should get together and discuss this glaring dichotomy? Wow, I feel so controversial.

Yeah, you should definitely take those comments as congratulatory(sp) remarks. Good job on doing what most ppl dream of.

-MC

 

[RealWarlock]

You're right, JohnStoneFl... I am not ready to post it just yet.

Question: When you take a protein shake in the evening before bed do you add fat like Udo's oil, Flax or you just drink pure protein?

Anyway, I have already started the program by using 50% 40% 10% (protein, carbs and fat) and I'm using designer protein, which I have been using for the last few years.

Just created a meal tracking plan using excel and if anyone wants one... please PM me. It contains all the formulas and ready for any calculation you throw at.

So far, I have more energy and I don't need as much nap.

My sister and I get up around 7:30am and do 5 - 10 minutes of HIIT on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday is general brisk walk and finishing off with a tummy crunch. On the HIIT, we mostly do pretty fast walk for like 3 - 4 minutes and then do 10 seconds sprint. After a few weeks, we will work up to 30 seconds jog and then 30 seconds sprint.

That's all for now.

 

[MaxDepth]

In the last 12 months I went from 208 to 178.

Being unemployed can do that to you...

 

[FuZoR]

is that thing for real... damn!

Must eat right and work out! the sad thing is im not even that fat, just not ripped up

 

[JohnStoneFl]

Originally posted by: RealWarlock

Question: When you take a protein shake in the evening before bed do you add fat like Udo's oil, Flax or you just drink pure protein?

I don't think fat or carbs right before bedtime are a good idea when you are cutting. I do add 5g of glutamine powder to my pre-bedtime shake, but that's it.

 

[sxr7171]

Good job! Your site has inspired me to finally do this the right way.

I have a pretty odd question. I see that you are taking 3 metamucil tablets a day, and I think I know what they are for. I have what they call a "stretched stomach" and I really get a bulge right after eating and it reduces noticeably after a trip to the porcelain throne. I have thought about using something like metamucil in the morning to "take care of business" better and thus have a more flat belly when start my day. Is my theory on why you use metamucil correct? Thanks!

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: sxr7171
Good job! Your site has inspired me to finally do this the right way.

I have a pretty odd question. I see that you are taking 3 metamucil tablets a day, and I think I know what they are for. I have what they call a "stretched stomach" and I really get a bulge right after eating and it reduces noticeably after a trip to the porcelain throne. I have thought about using something like metamucil in the morning to "take care of business" better and thus have a more flat belly when start my day. Is my theory on why you use metamucil correct? Thanks!

hmm that's odd. When you take a dump you're emptying your colon, but your stomach.

 

[JohnStoneFl]

Originally posted by: sxr7171
Good job! Your site has inspired me to finally do this the right way.

I have a pretty odd question. I see that you are taking 3 metamucil tablets a day, and I think I know what they are for. I have what they call a "stretched stomach" and I really get a bulge right after eating and it reduces noticeably after a trip to the porcelain throne. I have thought about using something like metamucil in the morning to "take care of business" better and thus have a more flat belly when start my day. Is my theory on why you use metamucil correct? Thanks!

Thanks very much.

I don't take metamucil for laxative purposes. Thankfully I'm regular as clockwork, even without it. I go one time a day first thing in the morning (too much information? Heh). I only take it to make sure I get enough fiber. I aim for 35g a day (the RDA) but sometimes it's hard to get that much, so I supplement.

 

[Beeblebrox42]

This is a great thread, I had exactly the same stats (5'11, 215) at the start of 2003.... I got myself down to a more comfortable state (It was cheaper to get the fat off and than to buy more fat clothes), but lost the motivation for a while. This week I went back into motivated mode...

Some tips that have helped me even when I wasn't at all motivated:
Reduce calories that aren't worth it..
No mayo, use mustard
No cheese on sandwiches (More mustard)
A decent vinegar CAN be used to flavor just about anything you can think of
Dill Pickles are crunchy water
Drink diet soda's not 150 Cal soda's (Free pop is hard to stop, don't kill all your vices at once)
When you go out drinking (I go out 3+ nights a week), have a drink or two, then drink diet coke with no ice, no straw, if your friends drink as much as mine they will think you are drinking beer.
Eating 5 smaller meals a day makes this all easier. (Try starting tomorrow with a can of tuna when you wake up)

Oh and just to add some more motivation, a good free book, some great graphs and a palm program etc:
The hackers diet