By: sunmedicFL

[sunmedicFL]

Here goes nothing...

I am currently about 6 weeks into my latest attempt at self improvement. I'm 33yo male, 5'11" & started @ over 260lbs (beginning of Dec). Now I'm >15lbs lighter and my size 36 pants ("snug" when I started are falling off me) & I feel lika a million bucks!

I'm living on about 1300-1800 cal/day getting about 33%c/36%p/31%f according to my data @ fitday.com I'm going to the gym M-W-F after sitting at my desk job for 12hr/day. I'm working literally 72+hrs/wk so it's not easy, but I've commited myself to being successful this time around. I figure making fitness a part of my routine is my primary goal for now, I don't need to focus on a max bench or cardio goal, (yet). I'm aiming for feb 28th as my first benchmark, that will be 3 mo and when I get there I can claim to have made fitness part of my routine, and evaluate then what a realistic goal may be.

Siince I sit at my conslole as much as I do, I'm going to be a common participant here on DF & look fwd to "getting to know" some of you.

So please, let me hear what (if anything) you have to say about my plans & by all means, ask questions. I want to participate!

[threenorns]

lol - okay, for my money, your calories are too low. get them in the 1800 - 2200 range to prevent your metabolism from dropping. one thing you might experiment with is alternating 1800 cal day with 2200 cal days. the higher calories brings your metabolism up, which increases teh effect of the low-cal days.

walk, walk, walk. six days a week, take a 45 minute walk or even 2 twenty minute walks. if you can, jog, hike, run, dance, whatever.

other than that, great start! i look forward to following your progress!

[sunmedicFL]

Thanks threenorns, I would've bet a paycheck you'd be the first to post..LOL

Since I've been using fitday for 4 days now, I've actually been doing close to what you'd said...alternating without really knowing it. I've had about 1700/1300/2100/1450 (I posted an avg) Consider that I'm as sedentary as I am, anchored to my desk I guessed a calorie deficit of 500 or so from my basal would be as good a place to start as any?

On the days I'm going to the gym after work, I try to 'carb up' B4 I leave work with some oatmeal or citrus fruit. Other than that I try to keep my carbs complex & early in the day.

I could probably work in 2 15-20 min walks outside the bldg during the day, that's a good idea, thanks! I'd been thinking I need to increase the frequency of my cardio to everyday, but hadn't thought of frequent light cardio...

[threenorns]

another idea is the stairs - take the stairs whenever you can or even just run up and down them few times every so often throughout the day. that'll have a double benefit of burning fat AND building muscle in your lower body.

[sunmedicFL]

Going back to the beginning...

I had my gall bladder removed in Nov & topped the scales at >260lbs. This set things in motion. I joined a gym the first week of Dec & took advantage of the "three free" visits with a PT. I went through the motions with his assessment, I let him show me around the weight machines & got the 'how not to kill yourself on the cardio equip' lecture.

He gave me the standard...start with this... routine, the circuit set up in a row, which I followed faithfully for four weeks, as I was told. Well, not being able to afford a personal trainer to escort me through the gym every day, I found DF, and "we" seem to do a prettty good job of encouraging, analyzing, & suggesting. I like that & unlike any other forum I've participated in, I haven't seen a lot of personal attack style posts, so I joined.

I've been kinda fumbling around, trying to fit this new activity into my schedule, I work TOO MUCH. At first I was going in the AM B4 work & I liked that, but I've been re-assigned to a 0600 start time & I can't get there B4 anymore. That was my first 'hurdle' and I'm overcoming that so far. Then I spent some time tring to figure out what I can do while I'm there. The circuit equip I was 'assigned' bored the he!! out of me, and I didn't want to jump into free weights, get sore & quit going like I've done in the past so I'm trying out the different equip & seeing what works, how much I can do & need to do to get an effective workout & make some adjustments. This Monday I began keeping a record, here it is...

Mon - 1/9/06 ................WT REPS Remarks
Flat Bench Press............ 90 x 10 Ha! Call it a Warm-up?
Goal - 180x6 = 2/28/06..... 160 x 8
............................160 x 8
............................160 x 4 Failed @ 4 - work to 8x3
Incline DB Flye..............30 x 10 Increase wt
.............................35 x 10 Increase wt
.............................40 x 8 feels good - start here
Incline DB Press.............50 x 6
.............................55 x 8 feels good
.............................55 x 6 failed @ 6
Lateral raise (nautilus).... 40 x 10 light
.............................50 x 10 still felt light
.............................60 x 10 felt good - stay here
DIPS (elbows in.................. 4 ouch! my ego hurts
Goal = 10 reps....................4 failure
Tricep pull down.............35 x 12 light
...........................42.5 x 8 feels good
...........................42.5 x 5 bad form @ end
Crunches..........................25
Roman chair (i think).............20

Cardio = 20 min on Precor? machine

WED 01/11/06.................WT REP REMARKS
Seated row(close-grip).......80 x 10 increase wt
............................100 x 10 increase wt
............................110 x 10 still felt light
Lat pull down................90 x 8
.............................90 x 8
.............................90 x 8 bad form - stay stricter
Standing EZ bar curl.........65 x 10
.............................70 x 10
.............................70 x 10 Start @ 75 next time
Preacher curl (machine)......50 x 8 good form & slow
.............................50 x 8 losing form
.............................50 x 8 @ failure
bent over DB flye........... 20 x 10
.............................20 x 10
.............................20 x 10 stop bouncing!!

Cardio = 30 min on Precor? machine

[threenorns]

looks like you're off to a solid start - i agree with the circuit thing: "snoooooooooooooooooooooooze".

[Eric_B]

Looking forward to watching your progress. You're off to a great start. Keep it up :

[sunmedicFL]

Friday 1/13
Squats...............Wt...Reps...Remarks
.....................185 x 8 .... Hey! That's a new feeling!
.....................185 x 6 .... Ouch, That's gonna hurt 2morO
.....................135 x 6 .... Better to finish light
Calf raises...........95 x 12 ... Go heavier.
.....................115 x 10 ... OK
.....................115 x 10 ... OK
Leg Press.............90 x 12 ... felt light
.....................115 x 12 ... Feels good, stay here for now.
Military Press .................. *I skipped it & did cardio
Cardio ...................30min Treadmill - Running/ Walking

Not a great day, I was off from work & my whole daily routine is off. I was at the gym earlier than I usually am & spent to much time yapping. I'm not so sure I should be doing Military presses on leg day either,(I'm not sure I need to have "days" yet for that matter) but I think the BIG deltoids will help my overall appearance so I of course will overwork them if I'm not careful.
I didn't eat very well today either. When I got home from the gym I updated FITDAY & I was around 1000cal/49%p/36%carbs today.(edit: Just took fam out, ate chicken wings(buffalo style..."naked"=skinless & 8oz frozen yogurt) I'm probably pretty good now. (Total calories - fats are up!!!)

I haven't seen anyone at the gym doing Deads, can anyone offer an explanation? I'd feel better about starting them if I had a decent image of good form.( I really believe that if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right)

Well for me...It's been a day.

[sunmedicFL]

I overdid it. I hurt, I've been waddling around the office for the past two days, only this morning am I able to walk somewhat normally. Back at it tonight, chest & tri's. Feeling very fat. Bloated may be a better word for it. I'm probably going to turn my fitday acct public this week, (done = http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...ner=sunmedicFL )now that there is something to look at (1 week worth) & get more feedback from there.
No "weight loss" for more than a week, but there is def a body transformation in progress. The lovehandles are shrinking, the fatty bulges are loose, not tight & full of water. I have some (beginning) photos I'll post, any recommendations on the best way to post 'em? Should I just email them to a mod?

Also, I was at about 33%bf in late Nov...is 25%bf a realistic goal for June 01, '06?

[tim_mcf]

25% Is very realistic and attainable. Gotta do the cardio. Going from 33 to 25 is a whole lot easier than from 25 to 15, and from 15 to 10 is damn tough, in my experience (I'm not there yet).

Comments from your earlier posts: 4 bodyweight dips when you're just starting is nothing to be ashamed of. I started out at bw-90 or so and took MONTHS to work up to bw.

Nobody does deads in my gym either. Then again, only a minority of about 15% do squats - people just don't know what they're doing. You should go ahead and keep doing them, even if people look at you wierd. There are videos posted on DF - check the powerlifting section.

Keep going, you're doing great.

[sunmedicFL]

Originally Posted by tim_mcf

Keep going, you're doing great.

Thanks for the positive words. I'm grumpy now, mi esposa is cutting into my gym plans tonight, I gotta watch the youngling. If she's home early enough I can go late, or I can go early tomorrow.

I was eating for a gym day today.

In my earlier post, I mentioned I was yapping alot on Fri...the guy I was yapping with is a co-worker of mine, that I just found out used to be a trainer at the same gym we go to. He's a young guy, prob 21-23, but I'm sure I can get him to teach me deads.

[sunmedicFL]

Tues 1/17 wt rep remarks
Flat Bench Press.....160 x 8
.....................160 x 8
.....................160 x 8 SOLID! Hmm, What if I try...
.....................180 x 6 Hammer Strength (no spotter)
Incline db flye.......40 x 8
......................40 x 8
......................40 x 8 Solid. Increase wt next week
Incline db press......50 x 6
......................50 x 6
......................50 x 6 Solid. Increase wt next week
db Lateral raise......20 x 8
......................20 x 8 solid
......................20 x 8 got it, broke form
Dips..................bw x 7
......................bw x 5
tricep pull downs...42.5 x 8
....................42.5 x 8
....................42.5 x 7 failure @ 7
Overhead extensions...30 x 8
......................30 x 8
Crunches..................20
..........................15
Roman Chair ..............20
Cardio................Treadmill x 20 min..walk/run
Rotating stairs.........5 min (yuk)

I was in a zone today! I was at the gym early, around 8:30am, I dunno what happened with the bench press, I just felt it. The 160 noted in my earlier post was hammerstrength, today I was on a barbell. Is it that big a difference? I nailed the 180, I went at it with the thought I would do three, & I hit 6! YEAH ME!
My diet is the part I really feel like I'm struggling with, my calorie intake is short, I recognize this but don't know how to change it...YET!
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...ner=sunmedicFL

[sunmedicFL]

Wed 1/18/06........wt..reps...remarks
Close grip .......120 x 8 ..
seated row .......120 x 8 ..
..................120 x 8 .. solid, good form/full sets
lat pull downs.....90 x 8 .. light?
..................100 x 8 .. better
..................100 x 8 .. increase next week
B.O.R..............90 x 8 ..
...................90 x 8 .. good burn in forearms too
...................90 x 8 .. broke form @ end
45* db flye........20 x 8 ..
...................20 x 8 ..
...................20 x 8 ..
stndng EZ bar curl.60 x 8 ..
...................60 x 8 ..
...................70 x 8 .. Awesome!! good form
concentration curl.25 x 8 .. not so good
...................25 x 8 .. I think I'm pooped.
ABS
Crunches...........20/20
roman chair........20/20

CARDIO
treadmill..........3mph=5min/5mph=10min/3mph/5min
legs cramping, I hate running.

Overall a good day. I'm feeling stronger & seeing some gains, either in form, strength, or weight. Some clothes are fitting better, I'm almost into smaller pants!
How do these splits look to you guys? I think I need to do some bicep endurance work, I fell short of my expectations today. Probably a good idea to increase cardio frequency for a while & burn a little more fat.
I feel like I ate pretty well today, except I indulged in a KitKat bar after lunch. beyond that it's pretty good.
See it here: http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...ner=sunmedicFL

On the social side of things, Is there something I should or should not do to increase traffic here & get more feedback? <sheepishly> was it something I said?
Also, I have 'before' pics taken in mid/late Dec, but I do not have any photo editing software(I have a disk from Walgreens), how can I go about adding a photo for critique, and would it be (mentally) better to wait a few weeks & put up B4 & after for comparison. I know I'm fat, so I'm not so self conscious that I don't want to post, but if I can prevent discouraging myself...duh. Thanks!

[threenorns]

lol - hey - if you need photos edited, i can do that for you. as for whether or not it's better to post now or later, that's up to you. me, i waited until i had results, lol.

i'm not surprised you were pooped out by the time you got to concentration curls - your biceps really took a hammering, since all back exercises pretty work biceps as well.

good work!

[Lady C]

I love your energy - just don't burn out.

I looked at your diet and see you could make some improvements for fat loss. Eat more!!!! 2200 cals on most days - don't drop below 1800 cals.

I would only have one or two meals with starchy carbs before and/or after the workout. No more the rest of the day [starchy carbs = potatos, pasta, breads, crackers, cakes, rice.] It is tough for the first week or so but will get you great results. Add in veggies in place of the starchy carbs. Do this for 4 weeks before deciding if it is working or not. Trust me you will see results.