What is *your* verdict?

[Java Cafe]

Early this year (in January), I had a medium-sized, prominent belly. At that time, it had only been a month that I had gotten back into SL 5x5 after a year-long hiatus. One evening, as a kind of bet with a friend (over a few drinks), I said that I could get myself "visible abs" by the end of the year, possibly before six months were over. It was likely foolish of me to do so (I am 57 years old, 5' 6", and weighed 166 lbs. at that time), but I did it any way.

Last night I took a casual selfie and put it beside a photo of mine from February. I don't have any from January, when I had that bet. But, I didn't look a whole lot different from what I do in the "before shot" from February.

Now, this friend of mine is argumentative; he will not concede easily. And, I guess I can never be completely objective either. So, I thought I'd ask a group of knowledgeable people . . . can I say that I now have "visible abs"? (That was the exact terminology used.) Even if my friend does not concede, I'd like to know what it looks like to others.

Thank you for your attention. Here is the image. And, as a matter of clarification, I am not flexing in either of the photos. And, I am 23 lbs. lighter in the after photo.

~ JC ~

 

[mechBgon]

I think you got it. You can keep refining them but they're certainly visible.

 

[Blackjack200]

No question about it. I find it hard to believe the second pic is not flexed, but either way, that's a stomach to be proud of. Good job.

 

[Koing]

Visible abs, good job mate!

Koing

 

[Java Cafe]

Thanks, guys!

No flex. But, admittedly, the light source (in the after shot) cannot be made any more favorable than what I have there.

 

[conorvansmack]

Visible abs, you win.

Nice job dude!

 

[highland145]

Spray on abs are visible.


Kidding. Good job. Any rewards in the bet or just "I can, you jelly?"

 

[Murloc]

I can see it so it's definitely visible.
Good job gramp

 

[Blackjack200]

Thanks, guys!

No flex. But, admittedly, the light source (in the after shot) cannot be made any more favorable than what I have there.

Fair enough, I believe you. :thumbsup:

I know what you mean about getting just the right angle on the light so the bumps throw shadows.

 

[Java Cafe]

Thanks, everyone!

 

[tedrodai]

I suppose it's possible to be in a situation where you could argue whether you have visible abs or not, but you're not in that situation. You definitely have visible abs.

 

[Chaotic42]

Nice job. What exactly did you do? I'm 31 and I'm in about the shape you were.

 

[RossMAN]

Nice job. What exactly did you do? I'm 31 and I'm in about the shape you were.

Agreed and I'd also like to know how he did it.

Was it more diet or exercise?

How did you change your existing eating habits, work outs, etc.?

 

[Java Cafe]

Sorry for the late reply. The obvious answer is both diet and strength training (SL 5X5). I did not do any cardio to reach this point. However, I have now added cardio to my routine only a few days ago.

I have done SL 5X5 for the last several years, usually in stretches of four to six months, until an injury put me in a hiatus of several weeks or months. Never really managed to do any better than bodyweight in squats (5 x 5). In fact, that is exactly what I was doing in February (when the "before" shot was taken) and that is what I have climbed back to now. (In between there was about a month and a half when I was traveling and was on hiatus from working out.)

Anyhow, this time around, I have to say that *diet* was key. Even in my "before" shot, I am pretty sure I had those abs hidden under layers of fat. I was just as strong then as I am now. It was really the fat loss that resulted in the difference in appearance. At my age and height, my BMR is pretty low -- about 1450 cal. So, in order to aid my caloric deficit, I started practicing Intermittent Fasting. In other words, I started eating only within an 8-hour window. And now, I have narrowed that window down to 4 hours. It was difficult in the beginning. But now, like any other habit, it is a part of life.

So, these are what I have done (and am doing):

Stronglifts 5 x 5 (plus a few additional routines, such as pull-ups and planks)
Intermittent Fasting
Caloric deficit

My interest in Intermittent fasting grew from the documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer and from the wisdom of Martin Berkhan on Leangains.com. (I highly recommend the documentary, though.)

That, and persistence. And patience.

If you have any questions for me, I will be happy to answer them.

 

[Blackjack200]

Anyhow, this time around, I have to say that *diet* was key. Even in my "before" shot, I am pretty sure I had those abs hidden under layers of fat. I was just as strong then as I am now. It was really the fat loss that resulted in the difference in appearance. At my age and height, my BMR is pretty low -- about 1450 cal. So, in order to aid my caloric deficit, I started practicing Intermittent Fasting. In other words, I started eating only within an 8-hour window. And now, I have narrowed that window down to 4 hours. It was difficult in the beginning. But now, like any other habit, it is a part of life.

So, do you just eat whatever you want in that 4 hour window? I'm worried that if I tried something like that I would just binge in the 4 hours and see no benefit.

 

[Java Cafe]

So, do you just eat whatever you want in that 4 hour window? I'm worried that if I tried something like that I would just binge in the 4 hours and see no benefit.

No, no! I do not eat like there is no tomorrow. But, honestly, it is almost impossible for me to overeat within a span of four hours. In fact, the challenge is quite opposite -- getting all the macros in, especially when I know I am feeling full. (I think the beauty of the IM schedule is that there is an upper limit to how much one can eat in one meal or within a certain time.)

Over the four months, there have been weeks when I even drank a wine (or three) in two out of the seven days of the week. But, I don't drink soda, or consume any kind of refined carbs. I have tried to get in as much protein as I could, and leafy veggies. But, I did not count calories or macro ratios.

In the very first week, I lost 6.5 lbs.! Water weight, I presume. Indeed, it gets progressively more difficult to lose weight as the body fat percentage begins to shrink. Now, I am at the point, where I have to log my food consumption (total Kcal and macros) on MyFitnessPal.com. And, have just about begun running. (In reality, it is jogging, not running. My stamina isn't all that great.)

A couple of times I did have the impulse to binge on my eating. But, I learned how I could diffuse that. My trick was to drink a glass or two of water, with a couple of spoons of soluble fiber in it, before the biggest meal. And, I would try to eat the meal really slowly.

Give it a shot. It is really hard in the beginning. But, people who stuck by it have not regretted it. I cannot imagine myself giving up this "lifestyle" in the foreseeable future.

By the way, my wife -- unlike me -- likes to eat almost whatever she wants within her eight hour window (as opposed to my 4-hour window). Also, she drinks a vodka or two almost every other evening. I hardly ever drink now. In the last four months, while I lost 25 lbs., she lost about 12. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[tedrodai]

In my experience, I also found IF to be a great way to watch what I eat. It is not a real efficient way to get performance gains from your exercise, but for dropping weight, it can possibly be a very good tool.

Back when I needed to get control of my eating habbits, I tried to implement IF a couple times each week on this schedule (though there's many ways to do IF):

Day 1: eat breakfast, eat lunch, skip dinner
Day 2: skip breakfast, skip lunch, eat dinner
Day 3: regular meals

Basically a 24hr fast, but you theoretically still eat the same # calories both days. However, in my case, I found it difficult to eat the full planned 2k+ (with exercise) calories planned in such a small amount of time (as Java Cafe mentioned). If I missed some calories, I'd just make sure I made up for it with a tad extra the next day. My calorie plan was a small caloric deficit--even if I was a little above or a little under each particular day, the average calories were right on target.