Marcus: The Weight Loss Chronicles
- Thread starter uyis11
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uyis11
New member
Well, well, well. After about 10 hours of studying, I took my final exam of the semester which also happens to be my last exam I will ever take for a spring semester. It was absurdly hard. Almost laughable, but I think I made the grade I needed to. I decided to go by my favorite bar to eat dinner and have a few drinks. Grabbed a bottle of wine on the way home...then took a 2 hour bath...and drank about 3/4 of the wine in a soapy, candle-lit, oddly inspiring, celebratory repose. This is the first time I've tracked calories on alcohol and it looks like I clocked in 550 calories in pure alcohol and I really [I mean, really] held back.
So, with about a month before summer school starts, I'm going back to work at the old office tomorrow morning bright and early. I also have my body composition test tomorrow after work. Very interested to see how I fare. I feel unnaturally refreshed. Maybe it's because I haven't taken a bath like that since I could count my age on one hand, but I am more optimistic [about everything] than I have been in a long time. Cheers & hopefully the feeling is contagious.
So, with about a month before summer school starts, I'm going back to work at the old office tomorrow morning bright and early. I also have my body composition test tomorrow after work. Very interested to see how I fare. I feel unnaturally refreshed. Maybe it's because I haven't taken a bath like that since I could count my age on one hand, but I am more optimistic [about everything] than I have been in a long time. Cheers & hopefully the feeling is contagious.
sammyboy24
New member
Congrats on the weight loss so far. It looks like you've worked really hard to get where you are. Sometimes I struggle with the alcohol as well... It's hard to not go out when your in your 20's and all your friends do. I've been a lot better lately than I have been in the past, and hopefully this summer I will be able to find a balance to it all...
I'm hoping to get my body fat down to 15% and go from there. Right now I would say I'm sitting pretty at about 20 or maybe 21. It seems like you are very motivated and have some great goals that would be awesome to see you reach. Good Luck
-Sam
I'm hoping to get my body fat down to 15% and go from there. Right now I would say I'm sitting pretty at about 20 or maybe 21. It seems like you are very motivated and have some great goals that would be awesome to see you reach. Good Luck
-Sam
Congratulations Marcus on finishing your exams and taking some time to celebrate your achievements!
Good luck today, and I can't wait for the report!
Good luck today, and I can't wait for the report!
uyis11
New member
So, I got back a little while ago from the body composition test and went to the gym afterwards for a vigorous workout (although I fatigued easily- probably from having to fast for 5 hours before the test).
The "official" report as of May 2, 2008:
Weight: 171.3
Body Fat Percentage: 16.4%
Fat Body weight: 28 lbs.
Lean Body Weight: 143.3
About what I expected, actually. The test was kinda weird. I had to get into a speedo and a skull cap and sit in this "pod" for about a minute while the air pressure changed and the thing vibrated. They did the test 3 times and then took the mean. I plan to re-do the test at the beginning of July (my last day to get student rates).
So now I truly have a good metric to gauge my progress. If I get down to about 160 and lose nothing but body fat, I will be around 10%, so that's basically the end goal (unless I continue to only slowly lose the gut fat).
Sam, glad to hear you've made some progress with the bottle. Like most of us in our 20s, we probably need a better hobby [or rather, a different definition of "fun"]!
The "official" report as of May 2, 2008:
Weight: 171.3
Body Fat Percentage: 16.4%
Fat Body weight: 28 lbs.
Lean Body Weight: 143.3
About what I expected, actually. The test was kinda weird. I had to get into a speedo and a skull cap and sit in this "pod" for about a minute while the air pressure changed and the thing vibrated. They did the test 3 times and then took the mean. I plan to re-do the test at the beginning of July (my last day to get student rates).
So now I truly have a good metric to gauge my progress. If I get down to about 160 and lose nothing but body fat, I will be around 10%, so that's basically the end goal (unless I continue to only slowly lose the gut fat).
Sam, glad to hear you've made some progress with the bottle. Like most of us in our 20s, we probably need a better hobby [or rather, a different definition of "fun"]!
Trops
New member
Marcus
Good to hear that you've finished exams. I certainly don't envy those days. 15% (or 16.4%) might seem like a mid point to you, but for me it's an end goal. I'd love to get to 15%. I was thinking that at that point it's not a bad idea to go on maintenance for a month or so. Let your body adapt to the new leaner you. Then when you go back to losing you'll be going from that point.
As for the alcohol, ask yourself which it is that you really like. Is it the booze or the effect? If it's the effect then you might be heading down that slippery slope that you crawled up not too many years ago. Now, if it's the actual booze, then that's where I'm with you, brother. What I do is go for the good stuff. You're an adult, now. You are months away from getting your masters degree. Join the real adults in drinking. Find out what wine you really like, and drink it like you were at a wine tasting. Taste every sip. Enjoy. Do the same with scotch. Find out if you like the blended on the rocks, or singles straight up? Do you enjoy the peat or smoke? Compare the 12 year with the 15 with the 18 with the 21. You might be surprised at where your tastes are. You can nurse a good scotch for a while and really enjoy it. Good porters really fill me up, and after two or three, I'm just full. Compare that with the standard Budweiser or Coors, and you really need a dozen before your stomach complains that it's had enough.
Another thing to consider is to take a weekend off every now and then. If you are drinking every Friday and Saturday, take one weekend and just don't drink. Go to the bar and order an oj on the rocks.
Good to hear that you've finished exams. I certainly don't envy those days. 15% (or 16.4%) might seem like a mid point to you, but for me it's an end goal. I'd love to get to 15%. I was thinking that at that point it's not a bad idea to go on maintenance for a month or so. Let your body adapt to the new leaner you. Then when you go back to losing you'll be going from that point.
As for the alcohol, ask yourself which it is that you really like. Is it the booze or the effect? If it's the effect then you might be heading down that slippery slope that you crawled up not too many years ago. Now, if it's the actual booze, then that's where I'm with you, brother. What I do is go for the good stuff. You're an adult, now. You are months away from getting your masters degree. Join the real adults in drinking. Find out what wine you really like, and drink it like you were at a wine tasting. Taste every sip. Enjoy. Do the same with scotch. Find out if you like the blended on the rocks, or singles straight up? Do you enjoy the peat or smoke? Compare the 12 year with the 15 with the 18 with the 21. You might be surprised at where your tastes are. You can nurse a good scotch for a while and really enjoy it. Good porters really fill me up, and after two or three, I'm just full. Compare that with the standard Budweiser or Coors, and you really need a dozen before your stomach complains that it's had enough.
Another thing to consider is to take a weekend off every now and then. If you are drinking every Friday and Saturday, take one weekend and just don't drink. Go to the bar and order an oj on the rocks.
uyis11
New member
Trops, Thanks for the tip, buddy. I think you may have helped me pinpoint one area where I went wrong with drinking habits. When I started dieting, I starting drinking light beer. I went back to drinking a few of my locally brewed favorites a few days ago and you're right; my stomach told me when to stop and it was only after a few beers. I've done a lot better with the drinking over the past week, so I am optimistic. I'll continue to make changes and will definitely consider taking a weekend fast from alcohol.
This week I've definitely made some dieting errors, but nothing unforgivable. I say that because I've eaten out a few times, but I was pretty impressed with myself in using the portion control that lean cuisine has taught me, but with real food. I've even left food on my plate a few times.
Workouts have been a bit lopsided. My resistance workouts have been a struggle this week. I seem to be getting fatigued faster even with the same weight and reps. My last resistance workout, I decided to back off a little on the weight and kind of work up to where I was last week to get out of this rut. I may even take a week off from resistance because I'm feeling a little sore from even using lower weights [maybe my body needs a break?]
Oddly enough, my cardio workouts have been great. I've had to up the resistance on the elliptical and keep up at a faster pace to get my heart rate to the same rate it was at lower resistance a week ago. Today's cardio was by far the best I've ever done. I felt like a million bucks at 39 minutes in and almost didn't want to quit because I was getting such a rush. I could literally wring out my t-shirt it was so soaked in sweat afterwards. Gross, but strangely satisfying.
Being back in the office, I've had to put on my dress clothes and now none of them fit. My pants are all huge [they used to be far too tight in the waist] and only stay on because I use a belt and then they bunch all up at the waist. My shirts look way too big, too. I know those are good things, but I'm a little bit annoyed I spent so much money on a business wardrobe over the past few years that essentially has gone to waste. [Trust me, I'm not really that annoyed]. I'm thinking about getting rid of a lot of the fat clothes from the past soon, but having nothing to replace them with yet, I may have no choice but to hold on to them for a while longer.
I'm interested to see if I've lost anything this week. Two more days to weigh in and I've honestly not stepped on the scale once. This week is a little bit different in my expectations for the scale. Like Trops said, this might be a point he would take maintenance for a while and I feel a little the same. I'm purposely not really keeping up with my diet calorie for calorie to see how well I can judge my diet in a more sustainable fashion.
This week I've definitely made some dieting errors, but nothing unforgivable. I say that because I've eaten out a few times, but I was pretty impressed with myself in using the portion control that lean cuisine has taught me, but with real food. I've even left food on my plate a few times.
Workouts have been a bit lopsided. My resistance workouts have been a struggle this week. I seem to be getting fatigued faster even with the same weight and reps. My last resistance workout, I decided to back off a little on the weight and kind of work up to where I was last week to get out of this rut. I may even take a week off from resistance because I'm feeling a little sore from even using lower weights [maybe my body needs a break?]
Oddly enough, my cardio workouts have been great. I've had to up the resistance on the elliptical and keep up at a faster pace to get my heart rate to the same rate it was at lower resistance a week ago. Today's cardio was by far the best I've ever done. I felt like a million bucks at 39 minutes in and almost didn't want to quit because I was getting such a rush. I could literally wring out my t-shirt it was so soaked in sweat afterwards. Gross, but strangely satisfying.
Being back in the office, I've had to put on my dress clothes and now none of them fit. My pants are all huge [they used to be far too tight in the waist] and only stay on because I use a belt and then they bunch all up at the waist. My shirts look way too big, too. I know those are good things, but I'm a little bit annoyed I spent so much money on a business wardrobe over the past few years that essentially has gone to waste. [Trust me, I'm not really that annoyed]. I'm thinking about getting rid of a lot of the fat clothes from the past soon, but having nothing to replace them with yet, I may have no choice but to hold on to them for a while longer.
I'm interested to see if I've lost anything this week. Two more days to weigh in and I've honestly not stepped on the scale once. This week is a little bit different in my expectations for the scale. Like Trops said, this might be a point he would take maintenance for a while and I feel a little the same. I'm purposely not really keeping up with my diet calorie for calorie to see how well I can judge my diet in a more sustainable fashion.
Here's to good beer!
sammyboy24
New member
I wring out my T-shirts full of sweat all the time too, lol. I know the feeling you mean about feeling so great during a workout that you just don't want to end it.
It's so exciting when clothes that used to be tight don't even fit you anymore. I actually squoze myself into a pair of size 32 skinny jeans the other night. They were a little tight and I still have just a few pounds to go but considering I used to be a 38, it was a great feeling
Good luck on the rest of your workouts this week
-Sam
It's so exciting when clothes that used to be tight don't even fit you anymore. I actually squoze myself into a pair of size 32 skinny jeans the other night. They were a little tight and I still have just a few pounds to go but considering I used to be a 38, it was a great feeling
Good luck on the rest of your workouts this week
-Sam
thedarwinfish
New member
Have you tried zig-zagging your calories? I've not tried it yet but I've read several success stories from people who do it.
uyis11
New member
I haven't tried that yet. It just seems like such a pain in the ass. I mean, dieting in general is annoying, but keeping track of calories to that kind of degree and then regulating them on something not based on hunger seems like a daunting task. I'm going to give it a few more weeks to see if my body will catch up on its own.
thedarwinfish
New member
I hear you. I like eating when I'm hungry. I don't know that I would do well on such a routine for that reason. I could handle the annoyance of counting/tracking the calories, but I would just be WAY too hungry on the low days and I'm pretty sure I'd be reaching for some shitty food that I have no business touching if that were the case.
uyis11
New member
Not a bad week at all so far. I'm not sure what the scale will say tomorrow for weekly weigh in, but I know I've kept up nicely on the diet and exercise. I've gotten frustrated a few times this week and made a post about plateaus yesterday and someone responded with some good points. I've got to get my mind into more of a "I can lose 1lb over the next two weeks" type attitude rather than "I can lose 2.5 lbs a week." This is not the beginning where I had 40 extra pounds of blubbery shit to sweat off. I am thinner than I have ever been in my life right now and losing these 7-15 additional pounds could take quite a while if I want to remain healthy while doing it.
I bought a pair of 32 pants the other day in semi-rejoice that I've come this far. Admittedly, they are a tad tight; but nevertheless, very flattering. I got a few shirts on sale that fit pretty slim and I'm really proud of myself for how far I've come. I've seen a couple of people that I haven't run into since I starting getting in shape and they both made comments like "wow, have you been working out?" It really feels good that people actually notice this change.
A big part of this lifestyle change is the mental acceptance of the real changes that occur. In my mind's eye, I still see myself as the fat-me from last year and it's taking some odd energy to realize that I look different. I've had manboobs since I was 13, and now that they are gone, I almost don't know what to do. I can't imagine the strange and joyful feelings some of the people around this forum must feel that have lost 100+ lbs. Just in my transformation [that has not been nearly as dramatic as some], I've experienced a lot of changes in self-confidence and baseline happiness levels.
Started using fitday again this week to track calories more closely. I slacked off last week, but still kept my diet about the same. Fitday can play tricks on you. I had input all my foods at about 5pm today and realized I only had 200 calories left and started feeling shitty because I was hungry. After I added another food onto it, I realized I had left "1 cup" of honey mustard as an item...
I am going to abstain from alcohol this weekend for more reasons that just losing weight, I've actually got a lot of work to do. I imagine I should see a pound lost because of that over the next week. My liver could undoubtedly use the break as well. It will definitely be a lonely weekend.
The last couple of cardio sessions I tried to do 1 or 2 intervals to see what it was like. Oh my god, it was intense. I did a 30 second interval (maybe less) about 15 minutes into the workout and damn near puked after I slowed down. I don't want to be remembered as "that guy that puked in the gym" so I'm going to tone it down a notch and see if I can work myself up to a few intervals slowly without vomiting all over myself and the elliptical.
Well, that was more rambling than I intended to do, but I suppose its always good to get these type things off one's chest.
I bought a pair of 32 pants the other day in semi-rejoice that I've come this far. Admittedly, they are a tad tight; but nevertheless, very flattering. I got a few shirts on sale that fit pretty slim and I'm really proud of myself for how far I've come. I've seen a couple of people that I haven't run into since I starting getting in shape and they both made comments like "wow, have you been working out?" It really feels good that people actually notice this change.
A big part of this lifestyle change is the mental acceptance of the real changes that occur. In my mind's eye, I still see myself as the fat-me from last year and it's taking some odd energy to realize that I look different. I've had manboobs since I was 13, and now that they are gone, I almost don't know what to do. I can't imagine the strange and joyful feelings some of the people around this forum must feel that have lost 100+ lbs. Just in my transformation [that has not been nearly as dramatic as some], I've experienced a lot of changes in self-confidence and baseline happiness levels.
Started using fitday again this week to track calories more closely. I slacked off last week, but still kept my diet about the same. Fitday can play tricks on you. I had input all my foods at about 5pm today and realized I only had 200 calories left and started feeling shitty because I was hungry. After I added another food onto it, I realized I had left "1 cup" of honey mustard as an item...
I am going to abstain from alcohol this weekend for more reasons that just losing weight, I've actually got a lot of work to do. I imagine I should see a pound lost because of that over the next week. My liver could undoubtedly use the break as well. It will definitely be a lonely weekend.
The last couple of cardio sessions I tried to do 1 or 2 intervals to see what it was like. Oh my god, it was intense. I did a 30 second interval (maybe less) about 15 minutes into the workout and damn near puked after I slowed down. I don't want to be remembered as "that guy that puked in the gym" so I'm going to tone it down a notch and see if I can work myself up to a few intervals slowly without vomiting all over myself and the elliptical.
Well, that was more rambling than I intended to do, but I suppose its always good to get these type things off one's chest.
sammyboy24
New member
Hey, congrats on the 32's... I'm still trying to work my way into a pair of those. Congrats on losing the man boobs too, or moobs as I so lovingly refer to them, jk... I've struggled with those since I was about 13 as well... Mine aren't completely gone yet but they are well on their way
I am feeling much better, thank you for stopping by my diary awhile back.
Good luck on the weigh in,
Sam
I am feeling much better, thank you for stopping by my diary awhile back.
Good luck on the weigh in,
Sam
Trops
New member
Marcus
I was going to say good luck with the weigh in tomorrow, but you are going for maintenance, so hopefully it's the same. (lower would be a nice surprise, though.) I think that focusing on the workouts and not the weight is a real good way to go. Those 32s will be there. Don't worry about that.
And, yes, don't be the guy who pukes at the gym.
I was going to say good luck with the weigh in tomorrow, but you are going for maintenance, so hopefully it's the same. (lower would be a nice surprise, though.) I think that focusing on the workouts and not the weight is a real good way to go. Those 32s will be there. Don't worry about that.
And, yes, don't be the guy who pukes at the gym.