Here goes everything...Ben's Diary

Benji1

Benji1

New member
Here goes everything...Ben's Diary (now with pics!)

I feel a little bit silly doing this, but I'm the kind of guy who tends to commit to things wholeheartedly in the short term and slack off later on. Hopefully having this public will reinforce my willpower!

My name is Ben, and I live in Australia. I'm 21 years old, a little over 6 feet tall and recently hit my heaviest weight I can remember of 110kg (~240 pounds). I come from a skinny, lean, fit lot of brothers, and have always been the fat one in the family.

Recently I saw a photo of myself from three years ago, and was staggered at how different I looked back then. I looked skinny! Three years of a sedentary lifestyle and more junk food than you can imagine have taken their toll, so it's my goal to get back to that kind of weight and prove to myself that I can take control of my life.

Long term, I want to be fit and strong, at most 90kg, but muscle rather than fat. Short term, my goal is to lose 10 kilos by Christmas and drop below the 100kg mark. At over 1kg a week, I'm not sure if it's possible, but I'm sure as hell going to try. I have a loving girlfriend to support me, but a fair number of naysayers in my life as well: lets hope I can prove them wrong.

I'm redoing my diet completely. In the past, I ate three packets of instant noodles and called it breakfast: ate fast food with abandon: ate chips and meat pies and fried things and chocolate things, and barely touched vegetables and never touched fruit. Now, I'm focusing on at cereal or toast for breakfast, three pieces of fruit a day, and lean meat with a light salad or steamed vegetables for dinner, every day of the week. If I find myself in town without food, the only thing I'll consider are salad sandwiches instead of greasy chips from the tuckshop, and I'm drastically cutting down the amount of food I eat.

I'm also exercising daily. At least 30 minutes of cardio on an exercise bike or for a run/walk (once I get new shoes >.<), and strength training at home with dumbells and a pilates band. Financially it's a little hard to afford a gym membership at the moment, but if I can find the money over summer I hope to be there as often as I can.

I'm not sure if anyone will bother reading this, and my case is far less dire than some of the members I've seen on these boards, but having the opportunity to write all these plans out is actually kind of relieving. I'll keep a weekly progress report of my weight loss, and welcome any suggestions for improvement or ways to better myself. I'm really stumbling in the dark here, and would appreciate any help you guys can give me.

Thanks for reading,
Ben


Edit 16 Nov: Added some of the photos I've been taken, I'm not much to look at but if anyone can spot differences your feedback is most welcome!


CURRENT WEIGHT

101.7kg!​

WEEK 1: 25th October
Starting weight: 109.4 kg

WEEK 2: 1st November
Weight loss: 3.1kg
Running total: 106.3 kg



WEEK 3: 8th November
Weight loss: 1.8kg
Running total: 104.5 kg



WEEK 4: 15th November
Weight loss: 1.5kg
Running total: 103 kg



WEEK 5: 22nd November
Weight loss: 1.3kg
Running total: 101.7



WEEK 6: 29th November
Missed weigh in due to Dad's birthday. Ate shitloads. Bad week.
Running total: 101.7

No picture for YOU

WEEK 7: 6th December
 
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Sounds like you're on the right track, Ben! You say you commit and then slack off. I did that for years with weight loss. For me the key to finally feeling certain I'll get it done was just moderation and making small positive changes. It's great to completely overhaul your diet and exercise, just don't make the mistake I did of becoming too restrictive the other way and not ever treating yourself. Or you may go crazy and give up. :willy_nilly:

Counting calories weekly works well for me. Some get a bit obsessive about it (including me), but if I go by the week I know that means I can mess up one night and just make the difference the next day. And make sure you get some protein with every meal. It'll help keep you fuller throughout the day and help maintain mucle mass.

A kilo/wk is feasible for some, especially when starting out. But I personally like to build momentum by setting goals I know I can hit, and then building from there. Far better for my morale to beat my weight loss goal for the month by several pounds than set it high and feel defeated.

Best of luck!
 
Looks like ya have a good basic plan but i would suggest some form of protein as part of brekky as it will help you stay full for longer and therefore help you resits the cravings you will have for some foods.

A bit more info about you workout plan would be good before any sugestions can realy be made.
 
So its been about a week since I started this journey, and so far things have gone better than I can imagine! 3.1 kilograms gone from my body :D

I've managed to swap my diet over cold turkey, though I get tremendous cravings to indulge in my regular fare of 3 packets of mi goreng fried noodles and white bread. I now have breakfast every day (thanks for the tip on protein guys, I make sure to have at least an egg or two with toast), fruit or some almonds instead of chips to snack on, a massively lower amount of carbs, and even tried some new vegetables i never had the guts to (raw capsicum and cucumber, not all that bad). I've never been an adventurous eater, and always been more inclined to have fat/grease/salt, so its rather a big deal to be incorporating so many more veggies in my diet. I've managed to make a lean chow mein and relatively healthy bolognaise with some mince, so expanding my cooking reportoire at the same time.

I've also committed to exercising and managed to do 30 minutes of cardio on the exercise bike every day, finishing it off with 45 minutes tonight. At the start, 30 minutes killed me: tonight i just didn't want to stop. Our bike is pretty crap though, but if the odometer is accurate i did 22 km at 30kph, which is something to aim at improving.

Trusylver, you mentioned wanting to know my workout plan: truth is I didn't have one. ATM all I've got are 2x 15kg weights and my own body, so I've been doing bicep curls (15-20), lateral raises (10), chest presses (10), shoulder presses (10) and tricep extensions (10, one weight with both hands). I've also been doing pushups (can't manage 15 yet, always fall short), situps (like 5 lol) and planks (30-45 seconds). I realise there's almost no lower body stuff there at all, and all I've been able to do are like squats from my haunches: hopefully when I'm a bit fitter I'll be able to manage things like burpees. If anyone has any suggestions for other leg/lower body exercises to target my calves, hammies and quads without machines, that'd be awesome.

So yeah. At the moment I'm feeling pretty good, according to my scales I lost 3.1 kilos and I certainly feel a damn site more healthy and energetic from all the physical activity and healthy food. My arms feel bigger and stronger, I can do more repetitions and lift heavier objects, and short walks don't leave me feeling out of breath any more. It's an unusual feeling to get used to: I don't just want to lie in bed or sit on the couch when I'm at home any more, I actually want to get up and move around. I think I need to hold on to these feelings though. I slipped diet-wise today, as my parents came over to visit and we went out for lunch: since they know me as a big guy who likes junk food, they ordered chips and wedges with the expectation that I'd eat them all, and I ate more than I should have.

As soon as those greasy chips passed my lips, all I wanted to do was eat and eat and eat: it took a tremendous amount of will to not open the packet of chips I'm keeping as temptation in the cupboard.

But I got passed it, paid a sort of penance on the exercise bike, and hopefully that doesn't happen again. Here's to three more kilograms!

PS: Thanks so much for the encouragement guys, good to know I'm not the only one in this boat!
 
Benji said:
It's an unusual feeling to get used to: I don't just want to lie in bed or sit on the couch when I'm at home any more, I actually want to get up and move around. I think I need to hold on to these feelings though. I slipped diet-wise today, as my parents came over to visit and we went out for lunch: since they know me as a big guy who likes junk food, they ordered chips and wedges with the expectation that I'd eat them all, and I ate more than I should have.

As soon as those greasy chips passed my lips, all I wanted to do was eat and eat and eat: it took a tremendous amount of will to not open the packet of chips I'm keeping as temptation in the cupboard.

But I got passed it, paid a sort of penance on the exercise bike, and hopefully that doesn't happen again. Here's to three more kilograms!

PS: Thanks so much for the encouragement guys, good to know I'm not the only one in this boat!
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I know what you mean! lol .. I want to always keep moving even when I don't have to .. before this I was so lazy to even get up to go to the kitchen but now I can't sit still .. even when I'm watching tv, I would be moving my arms or my legs .. some 10 mins of weight lifting .. probably not much gain but better than nothing :D If you still want to eat bread, switch to wholemeal bread, less fat ( I think ) and more fibre. Taste probably not as good as white bread but better in a long run.

Probably should tell your parents that you want to cut back on those food. Maybe they will be able to help and support you. Slacking off once in a while is normal and totally ok. Try this however, it works for me. When I visualize myself eating those junk food (I'm a junkie addict too), I would imagine myself putting on more weight. Empty calories going in my mouth, not contributing anything to my body, only to my expanding waistline. Then I would think :- is it worth it? That's my way of dealing with junk craving though.

Just remember, one step backwards, three steps forward.
 
blackbamboo said:
I know what you mean! lol .. I want to always keep moving even when I don't have to .. before this I was so lazy to even get up to go to the kitchen but now I can't sit still .. even when I'm watching tv, I would be moving my arms or my legs .. some 10 mins of weight lifting .. probably not much gain but better than nothing :D If you still want to eat bread, switch to wholemeal bread, less fat ( I think ) and more fibre. Taste probably not as good as white bread but better in a long run.

Probably should tell your parents that you want to cut back on those food. Maybe they will be able to help and support you. Slacking off once in a while is normal and totally ok. Try this however, it works for me. When I visualize myself eating those junk food (I'm a junkie addict too), I would imagine myself putting on more weight. Empty calories going in my mouth, not contributing anything to my body, only to my expanding waistline. Then I would think :- is it worth it? That's my way of dealing with junk craving though.

Just remember, one step backwards, three steps forward.
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Thanks man, yeah I've swapped to multigrain/wholemeal bread, and managed to avoid temptation after spending the day in a shopping centre surrounded by food courts today.

On a less optimistic note, I tried to run today for the first time in a -very- long time. Made it halfway around the block before my legs hurt so bad I nearly tripped over. Ended up walking the rest of the way, with the small hills proving nearly insurmountable. Collapsed on the couch in agony after what felt like hours, which turned out to be only 20 minutes. Now all I want to do is drink coke, eat some chips and not move for the rest of the night. Fuck I'm unfit.
 
Well I'll be. It's amazing the difference a day can make. Went for another walk today, managed 45 minutes in a big looping circle around the neighbourhood. I stretched a little at the start, but instead of starting off trying to run, I set off at a brisk walk to loosen up a little. At three points I went for an all out sprint to try and get my heart rate up, managed 10-15 seconds each time before settling back into my walking speed. Even though my new shoes ate my socks and left gaping blisters on the backs of my heels, I actually had some fun doing it.

I just felt more in control this time: my calves/hips/glutes/ankles all still hurt like buggery, but it was the kind of manageable pain you get when trying to do that extra pushup. I never wanted to stop entirely and collapse in a puddle of exhausted sweat: that's gotta be a good sign, right?
 
Nice job! A little discomfort is pretty normal I think. Just be careful not to overdo it. And to warm up by walking and stretch afterwards. I ran too much when i started and kept getting sore and hurt. Now I do the bike a few days a week to mix it up.

Ever since I bought some nice running shoes designed for my feet, I've felt much better as well. Keep it up!
 
Man I had some problems yesterday. Tried to run and nearly fainted, crippling pain in my right foot, and nearly lapsed into old eating habits. A combination of less than 4 hrs sleep and what turned out to be -way- below my recommended calorie intake really took its toll.

I was eating around ~1500 calories when I should be closer to ~2500. Combine that with fatigue and I was exhausted all day: as soon as I tried to actually, you know, move, my body basically said 'screw you' and fell to pieces. Lesson learned. I had a big dinner, a good night's sleep, and will be sure to eat a little bit more from now on.

Other than that it's been a fairly average week. I managed to shed 1.8 kilos (around 4 pounds) putting my total weight loss percentage so far at 4.47%: a fair effort, I think, for a journey I started two weeks ago. I would have lost more, but ended up visiting the family, which invariably involves going out for dinner and eating unhealthily. I ordered the bolognaise, which turned out to be full of oil and fat, unlike the ones I make here at home: and had a big hearty serving of roast lamb the next day, which I had to eat out of politeness to my de facto mother in law. This week should be much better, with more time to exercise, less time out, and...oh yeah, the crippling stress of university exams.

ZZZ.
 
Noticed that a bunch of other diaries here keep food logs, gonna try it for a few days for the sake of saving my memory for exams...

Gonna take a different approach though, and list the food as well as my rationale/reasons for eating it. Trying to catch myself out: today, for example, I know I ate things I shouldn't have, but this was my thinking at the time...

Breakfast (10AM):
1 bowl of leftover pasta (home made spaghetti bolognase)
- full of protein, not too many carbs, was going to go off if I didn't eat it!

Snack (12PM):
1 apple
- out of obligation to eat a piece of fruit more than anything

Lunch (2PM):
1 bowl of leftover teriyaki beef + soba noodle
- last night's dinner, very lean meat, the teriyaki sauce had a lot of sodium so that + the pasta probably gave me more than 2400mg for the day

Dinner (10PM):
1 lamb chop with fresh rosemary, pepper and mixed herbs + a small salad (2xlettuce, rocket, carrots, red onions) with a bit of balsamic dressing
- lamb was very fatty, ended up chopping alot of it off (should have prepared it better though). Lot of olive oil too: in the pan, a bit on the meat, in the balsamic dressing (balsamic + olive oil + fresh garlic, leave for an hour). Tasted pretty good considering it didn't have any salt...what I would have given for some nice crispy roast potatoes...

Anyway that was my food for the day. I really, really need to start weighing food, especially those leftovers: my girlfriend and I live together and invariably cook way more than we need, so there's always food that needs to be eaten. If I had to guess, I'd say I was a fair way over my 2500 calorie -maximum- limit for the day, and have to stop making excuses like those above.

Tentative meal plan for tomorrow:
2xPoached eggs + grainy toast w milk for breakfast
Lamb chop + grainy roll for lunch (leftovers again!)
Pasta or noodles for dinner (will boil some veggies to go with it)

--

Also, as a complete aside, my arms are def getting stronger from the resistance training I'm doing (gonna have another session tomorrow as a study break). Also picked up some fish oil tablets yesterday, took one with each meal as per the label, mainly because fish is ridiculously expensive and not feasible in the current meal plan.
 
Went for a run today, managed a good 5 minutes at full tilt which left me panting but feeling good at the same time. Followed up with a weight session, doing 3 sets of 5 deadlifts (@ 50kg) and 3 sets of 5 lateral raises (@ 15kg). My shoulders were still fatigued from doing overhead presses a couple days ago, and the last two of the last set for each exercise nearly caused me to break form, but still felt good about it. Also did something silly and curled the bar, managed 3 reps twice: mainly for gratification more than anything.

I'm working out at home, and with these weight exercises I'm trying to follow Steve's suggestions in keeping with compound exercises. Next time I'm going to put some lighter weight on the bar and try some light squats (without a rack I'm nervous about lifting too much), as well as maybe some incline presses (no bench). I'm also doing push ups, planks, sit ups and other body weight exercises when I get a chance.

One thing I've noticed is that my body is feeling a lot stronger now than it did a couple weeks ago: my arms in particular feel quite big, with my biceps and triceps feeling much wider than I remember. I'm still maintaining a calorie deficit so the strength must just be my muscles waking up after so long in dormancy.

Diet wise:

Breakfast (10AM): 3 weet-bix + milk (around 400 calories)

Lunch (2PM): Leftover bolognase (again, no real clue: lets overestimate and say 800 calories)

Dinner (8PM): Leftover teriyaki + boiled veggies (ditto: 800 again?)

That puts me at 2000 calories max for the day: only other thing I've had is about 2 litres of water, 2 fish oil tablets, and a big bottle of diet coke (needed the caffeine to study!). I have a feeling I've overestimated substantially, but even so, I have 400 calories left to play with. Still a bit hungry too, might wait and have some fruit later on, or an eggwhite omelette if I'm feeling creative.
 
First things first: I'm an idiot. I thought my dumbbells weighed in at 15kg when the weight was balanced, but according to my scale they're both 9.4kg. Not a big deal other than bruising a little bit of ego lol.

So Steve gave me some great ideas for exercises to use at home (since I'm stranded as far as a gym membership goes) at this post. Here are some thoughts and ruminations after trying out some of the new exercises:

I started off with the Day 2 split, as I did deadlifts and overhead presses yesterday and pretty much know how they work. I know that immediately I'm breaking a cardinal rule by doing weights two days in a row, but I figured there was enough difference between the exercises and I had plenty of energy (and time, damn exams) to do it in. I did the whole set in around 15 minutes, which was probably way too quick: but this is the eagerness I have to lift and grow and be stronger and better than I was before.

The Elevated split leg squat is perfect for my weight and fitness level: regular squats with 20kg of dumbell just weren't cutting it, and I wasn't brave enough to clear 40kg from ground to over my head, onto my shoulders, and back off again (not to mention didn't know the right form to do it). I tried a few of the ESS without weights to get the balancing and form right: on my left leg in particular I had a propensity to lean back and propel myself with my balancing foot, which hurt as well as ruined the point of the exercise. Ended up doing 3 clean sets of 5 with the 20kg on my right leg, but my left suffered: 1 set of 5 @ 20kg, then 2 sets with 10kg instead. Now that I've got a baseline I'll stick with 10 each leg until my left one gets stronger through that + deadlifts etc.

Pushups were pushups: I managed 2 sets of 10 and one set of 5 in short order, the 5 bringing me to a complete fail. Not bad since I could barely do 10 pushups a couple weeks ago. My dream idea of being 'fit' would be to be able to do ~50 pushups in a row, something I've never been able to do and have always been envious of in other people.

The DB rows were surprisingly easy: the full 10kg on each arm without a hitch. Managed 3 sets of 5, and threw in a few more after the last set just to see, making the total rep count around 19-20 each arm. The hardest part was lowering the weight slowly: next time I'm going to up the weight to ~12.5kg and see how I go.

To finish off my little weight session, feeling rather ballsy, I loaded up my bar with 30kg (making it 40kg total) and tried to bicep curl it. Managed 3 good, clean reps before failing on the fourth and letting it go. It had nothing to do with my fitness goals or muscle maintenance objective: it was purely a vanity exercise to see if I could do it, and I could. In a similar vanity exercise I tried a good ol' fashion clean and jerk, managing to lift 50kg from the ground to over my head in good form. It's a great feeling to have some of my old strength come back, and I don't feel like I was pushing the boundaries -too- far by playing around a little bit.

A few questions I have for any knowledgeable people who might be lurking around this little diary:

1) How long should I 'rest' between sets? At the moment I'm letting the weight rest, moving around a little bit, stretching the muscle, maybe having a drink of water, but all up the rest is nearly always less than a minute. Should it be longer? If I have the energy to keep going does that mean the weight isn't challenging enough?

2) Is 3 sets of 5 reps sufficient for these exercises? Should I up my rep count according to how my body responds to the weight?

3) Is there any danger of reaching early plateaus by starting off with a reasonable amount of weight on the bar/dumbbell? As long as I get the form of the exercise down ok, should I just go with what works? A classic example is with the ESS: I managed 3 sets of 5 without any trouble on my right leg @ 20kg, but on my left I had to drop down to 10kg for the second two sets, simply because my left leg was weaker. Should I have started with very light weights and done more reps to get the stability and uniformity required for that exercise? Next week I'm planning on using 10kg for both legs until I can get some balance between the legs, should I have done that from the start?

Only other thing worth mentioning is a teensy bit of tightness in my lower back, probably from inadequate stretching before and after the weights. I really need to fix that.

Signing off,

Benji
 
Been lax with the posts, a few days since the last, so here's a quick breakdown of what's been happening:

Thursday: Had my first exam, probably failed it. Didn't feel too good that day, made up for it a bit buy buying some multivitamins and whey protein to help supplement a little bit. Ate ok.

Friday: Fail day. My first 'cheat' day: I've been craving instant noodles for a while, and told myself that the Friday after my exam I'd have two packets. They used to taste so good and so fulfilling, but now it was like trying to choke down cardboard: my body didn't want it, my mind did. I ended up eating them but wasn't very happy.
This was compounded by that evening, when my better half decided she wanted a particular kind of burger we used to partake in all the time. I absolutely scoffed it down, eating more like an animal than a human being: it was one of those pseudo-healthy burgers that tries to convince you that it's healthy compared to fast food offerings, when in reality it is way way too big and covered in salt, sugar and fat. I felt utterly horrible afterwards, bloated, gassy, disgusting in general.
One small highpoint of the day occured late at night, when I decided to force myself to try and run: I guess I was on some kind of sugar high coz I ended up running farther than ever before! Afterwards, even with my belly still full of burger, did my Day 3 split of weights, didn't push too hard but it was good to get some strain going. Ate terribly.

Saturday: Work in the morning, vague attempt at study in the afternoon. Had poached eggs for breakfast, fruit for lunch, a delightful little filet mignon for dinner: a little high in fat, but very small portion size: and a small salad. Ate kind of poorly.

Today's post coming soon!
 
Sunday, and again failure in the eating department. Breakfast was ok: a weet bic(?), milk, and a banana: but spent the afternoon with my family, graduating from one restaurant to the next in an orgy of antipasto, snacks, and nibbly bits. I tried to hold back, I really did, but in the interest of politeness I had to eat a bit, and probably exceeded my calories for the day.

On the brighter side, I went for a run, did my day 1 split of weights (deadlifts @ 60kg, overhead press @ 10kg, barbell row @ 30kg) and managed to shed 1.5 kilograms for the week. That, even with the awful food day I had on Friday! Fairly proud.

I've been keeping a weekly photo log to try and track my progress, and even though no one stops by this diary I might upload them for shits and giggles. I've noticed a little change in my body, it'd be nice to get some feedback from you guys to make sure I'm not imagining it!
 
Don't worry, people are following you! Congrats on losing 1.5kg. :cheers2: It is hard to keep the calories in check when you try to be socially polite. That's always been my problem.

As for the weight lifting questions. I usually wait about a minute between sets. The ONLY reason I do that is because that's what Men's Health recommended for their 12 week weight lifting program they had in their magazine like 5 years ago. Maybe there's a better way? I also do three sets, but I usually start off with a set up 10, then 8, then six, upping the weight a little for each set. I used to do 5 sets, going 12, 10, 8, 6, 12. Upping the weight each round and returning to the lightest for the last 12, again because it was the program the magazine had and the one my buff neighbor used, but I downgraded to 3 sets recently based on something I read by Steve ... I got the impression that program was more designed for building muscle and since I'm in a calorie deficit I thought I could cut down to 3 sets like Steve said.

I'm no expert though. You may try posting those questions in the exercise forum. That way all the experts will see the thread whereas less people will see them tucked away in here. I'm kinda curious how the weights for stronger/weaker side of the body should be adressed.

Keep it up!
 
Testin' mah signature.

Also, shameless bump to let anyone who cares know that I have some pics up. Is photobucket ok or should I put them on an album on this site?

Extra also, I lost 3 cm off of my waist this week. That's good, right?
 
So four weeks down eh. Haven't been posting much due to exams, but here's a little update.

This week was utterly shocking. Started off with a typically family outing: three restaraunts, 500$, six hours of eating and eating. Even being polite I couldn't resist certain choice foods, and had an amazing beef curry that I surely regretted later.

As my exam approached, the stress mounted, and I stopped exercising, stopped eating well, and pursued my old haunts of instant noodles and chips. I'm sad to say I had an entire half-roast chicken and chips for dinner one night, some obscene amount of calories.

Today (Sunday) marks the fifth day since I did any kind of exercise sans walking around a bit, so it's time for me to change that.

Ultimately, despite having an atrocious week diet and exercise-wise, I dropped 1.7 kilograms. I'm putting that down to having simply not eaten enough: I was so mortified with my eating habits that I cut down alot of my meals. So it's not a healthy weight loss, and I need to jump right back on the bandwagon now.

The trouble is, I have one more exam this coming Friday, and I'm not sure what I can do to get there without collapsing again. Anyone have any tips for handling stress/zero time to exercise in the mad frantic study period?
 
GG. Had KFC for lunch today. Entirely my fault, despite trying to get healthier food for lunch w the family. My resolve was weak, and I'll now pay the price.
 
I find as I'm losing motivation/tempted to eat crap, having a peek at the scales is doing wonders for keeping me in control. Like today, having spent a good 4 hours studying, ALLL I wanted were the light and tangy chips in the cupboard. I stopped by the scale instead.

100.9kg! SO CLOSE TO THE NINETIES!

Yeah yeah, it's normal day to day fluctuation, but w/e, its what I needed. I had a banana, went for a run, and did some mean weights instead. Just the pickmeup I needed!
 
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