16 weeks into a 24 week physical challenge w/pics

[Jihad]

I'm Navy, and in general its not that rigorous, or at least not as tough as one might assume. The CNO is trying to change our image though. I feel gross either way.

[TxRedMan]

[ QUOTE ]
So most of you guys know I used to juice, powerlift- worked as a personal trainer, etc. About six months ago I quit my current job and started my own company. It took a terrible toll on my body. Not sleeping enough, not eating right, never working out, basically just doing a 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for three months straight and eating fast food and never exercising. This pic made me do something about it, because I had never looked this terrible in the last few years

This pic made me go nuts. literally. I knew that I could regain most of what I had lost, but I didnt realize how out of it I was until I saw this pic. Three months earlier I looked much better than I did in the above picture, and it's embarrassing to post that pic. I despise it. I'm 245 pounds in that picture- about 6'1-6'2. At that point there's no telling what my bench press was, b/c I hadn't lifted in months, and I was wearing a 38" waist, which is not good. So, I setout to make a transformation.

Here's a picture from a month into my program




As you can see there had been improvement in the last six weeks, but there was much left to be desired.


I really focused on my diet at this point- and I made working out my number one priority.

Here's a picture from 8 weeks into the program




There's now been a marked improvement in weight loss, and i'm down to 233, so i've lost twelve pounds of what I would call almost all fat loss, and 12 pounds in 10 weeks is a healthy number for your body to lose in that amount of time.


I then started cycling my carbs, having down days and updays, and began really lifting heavy again. Here's a few pics from this point in the program- about 12 weeks in.


















At this point my body had found a groove again, and muscle memory had set in, and I was returning to my former self. My diet wasn't terribly strict at this point, I was just replacing three out of my five meals a day with a meal replacement protein shake called muscle milk- something you really need to check out, they're the best ever. I was focusing very much on my high carb/ low carb days, training my body to boost it's metabolism, and I was working out five times a week and lifting very heavy.

Here's a pic from last week, about 16 weeks into the program





In the above picture I am weighing 225 pounds, and my bench press had gone back to 435 pounds, I was wearing a 36" waist that fit loose, and I was feeling comfortable about the way I looked. I cannot believe I let myself get as out of shape as I did, but I knew that I could get back to where I was. I'll never bench press 500 pounds again like I did when I was juicing, b/c I have no desire to juice or to weigh 270 pounds ever again.


I've got another eight weeks to go on this particular program. Right now i'm at 225, and I plan on getting down to 215- a healthy weight for my frame. My goal is to bench 440 at 215, but I would still be very happy if I could lift 2x body weight.


I credit the meal replacement to my weight loss. I never ever skip breakfast these days, and it's always a 350 calorie low fat mid carb 35 grams of protein shake. I'll consume two more throughout the day, usually drinking a half of one twice, and drinking a half after my workout and another half right before bed time. I eat mostly what I want, but I dont eat fast food and junk, and if I do, I do it sparingly. My bench went up about 60 pounds in this process because of my knoweldge of strength training and the fact that I know my body very well and how it responds, and b/c muscle has memory, and I used to bench 500. I've spent 10 years in the gym, and I've learned quite a bit. I think that I might be benching heavier than I am now but I injured my rotator cuff early into this program, and am just now able to really push myself.


I'll post some updates in 8 weeks or so, when I'm hopefully down to about 215 and a 34" waist. Something that I should note is that 215 is an ideal number, but in regards to weight, I dont care how much I weigh assuming I look good in the mirror and I'm healthy and fit. Weight can be very deceiving- I could lose ten pounds today if I wanted to, but I wouldnt look entirely that much different.

I'm still nowhere near the size I've been, I'm in fact 50 pounds lighter today than I was at my most roided out point, but I would never want to be that big again, I could barely wipe my ass I was so muscle bound. I've been as light as 205 pounds when preparing for a body building show, during that same phase of my life, and I looked totally different, but again, I never want to have to go from 270 to 205 just so I can look good on a stage- that was hell losing that weight. Obviously I dont have the same roided out look I used to, but I dont care anymore about that. I feel good, I look good, I've still got some room for improvement, and I am stronger than just about anyone who crosses my path in at least one lift if it's not bench press. I can also military press 300 sitting- military is how you get strong in your upper body, but it also is hard on your shoulders and it's how I hurt my rotator cuff. None of these pics you saw were taken in proper lighting, so when I do the follow up I'll take them like you would if you were attempting to show definition, striations, and lines- which makes a pretty dramatic difference. I'll also try and find the pics of myself when I was 270 and when I go down to 205- they're pretty insane, especially the way I look at 205 pre-body building show. But, lol, [censored] that [censored].



Any questions, I'd be glad to answer.

[/ QUOTE ]


Alright, so it's been about two months since I did this thread. Figured it was time for a gut check and an update. I strayed from my diet a little bit in December, and have had a few break even weeks- so to say that I didn't lose any body fat, but i've been adding some muscle tissue which compensates for that.




I blame this:



if i wanted to tape them at 20" i could, but they're a straight around legit 19.25"





A couple of forearm pics, b/c i consider my forearm training to be sick:





a couple of blurry pics just b/c they're in the photobucket:





Right now i'm still weighing 220. I'd say i've probably lost about 3-4 pounds of fat in the last two months and put on about 3-4 pounds of muscle.

It's been six months since I started working out again, and I can say that I'm happy w/ the progress I've made. I mean, [censored], just look at the pic in the top of this thread.

I can't believe I let myself do that. Months and months living off of fast food, working 70+ hour weeks, not working out, and not resting enough. I hope I never have to do that again.

I'm going to get lean for summer time. Right now I'm pretty happy w/ things.

I do miss the days of benching 405 five times and squatting 500 for reps, and having bigger arms, but I feel better at this weight/strength combo than I did back then. I also miss weighing 205 and having a six pack, but I think I'll be back to that point in about three more months. I got burned out on the diet. I started having cravings. WTF. So right now I'm eating clean for the most part, and really busting ass in the gym to make up for any excess calorie intake.

I'll update this thread when I have something to show for it.

-Tex

Edit: I want to clarify something. It's possible to put on 15 LBS of muscle in five months- but it's not possible for just about anybody to put on only 15 pounds of muscle in five months. I assumed this is what we were talking about in previous threads, and I just wanted to clarify that I assumed we meant gaining exactly 15 LBS of 100% muscle. It's still hard to do, but if you're able to eat as much as possible and not worry about what kind of weight you're gaining, it's possible.

Also, a tip for those of you out there dieting: if you want to go get a burger and fries, try this: get a double meat burger, no cheese, and half way through the burger pull the meat out and only eat the remaining meat, discard the rest of the bread. Mustard, no mayo, and throw away half the fried before you even eat one of them, and grab a diet soda. This shaves several hundred [censored] calories off the meal and you're still able to enjoy something most people eat everyday, minus some of the [censored].


-Tex

TxRed

Don't let the homophobes drag you down, Sounds like 99% of the responders have never been into bodybuidling, or else they would know that there is nothing gay about any of this. There is a strong supportive comraderie amongst bodybuilders, and I think those who have not worked out maybe just don't get it.

Little things like someone you hardly know helping spot you, or someone noticing your triceps and asking how you work them. Or someone offering advice on a faulty technique - it's just guys supporting each other. I can't think of anyone I ever worked out with who would ever think twice about your poses and pics, other than just seeing them ascandid pics of a guy trying to improve himself - to get back where he was...without the juice.

For one, I wish you best of luck. Get support from the guys in your gym. Don't let anyone drag you down.

PS. I lol at anyone who feels the need to use the "gay" word as a preamble to their response. Are you all that insecure that you need a caveat with your posts?

[heater]

[ QUOTE ]
I got burned out on the diet. I started having cravings. WTF.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know you know this but I want to say it anyway. Lifting is the easy part. Eating clean sucks. I need to eat a big plate of greasy garbage once in awhile just to maintain my sanity. These pics are looking much better. Keep up the good work.

[Scape]

If you're still using muscle milk you might want to check out this article:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...3&pageNo=0

[TxRedMan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I got burned out on the diet. I started having cravings. WTF.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know you know this but I want to say it anyway. Lifting is the easy part. Eating clean sucks. I need to eat a big plate of greasy garbage once in awhile just to maintain my sanity. These pics are looking much better. Keep up the good work.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know the feeling. Tonight I killed biceps and triceps along with some calves for an hour and a half +.....so i wound up having three steak chalupa supremes from taco bell for dinner, along with a muscle milk and a diet pepsi.

If I could just lift my way to a perfect body I would have had one years ago.

Eating clean for prolonged periods of time is very hard. The first few weeks aren't bad, but after a few months you start to deteriorate mentally.

[Shadowrun]

Do you ever plan on being cut, or do you just want to stay big, also i dont think ive ever met a man with arms as big as your with lats that are so small.

personally i think you should also work your chest, abs, lats

P.S. i applaud you for the effort your giving and the fact you posted all these pics.

[Packard]

[ QUOTE ]
If you're still using muscle milk you might want to check out this article:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...3&pageNo=0

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been reading T-Nation for years. It is a great site for training and dieting articles. However, they are known to unjustly rip some supplements that they don't sell themselves. They also rip No-Xplode when it is a solid product. Ask anyone who has used it.

Fish oil is a great supplement for fat loss/health. Check out the "Velocity Diet" with Chris Shugart and Dan John. It is great.

Great progress to the original poster of these pics. I think a lot of people who were bashing you are just fat gluten consuming nerds who are jealous. A bodybuilding forum would be ideal for your next progress updates.

[1C5]

sick forearm workout? can you tell us it.

also how many times a week do you do it?

[Jihad]

TX,

I'm not hating on you, over that, just have a real question that'll probably come off as hate. When you're in a gym, and you are done with your workout, you whip out your camera and take off your shirt, what kind of looks/comments do you get? I would be taken aback to say the least.

Jihad