Hello all,
I'm a new member. My name is Dan, and look forward to talking to you all. I'd like to share my story in case it might help anyone out there. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them.
I started caring about my body around 3 years ago. I was the "fat kid" for my entire public school existence: elementary, middle, high, and college. I was bummed out because of it--I was embarrassed by my lack of athleticism (I couldn't even do a single technically correct push-up or chin-up when I started)--and speaking to women terrified me, due to a lack of confidence.
On my graduation date, I looked at myself in the mirror, and snapped. I was really successful in all things education/work/etc... but looking at myself, I thought, "at what cost to my body and health?!" That day, I vowed I would lose my weight and never gain it back.
It's been incredibly difficult. At first, I had a tough time losing weight, and finally pulled that off. Then I tried to gain muscle, and had an equally difficult time with that. I got frustrated and almost quit several times, but discovered the importance of tracking my progress. I weighed in weekly and did a progress shot monthly. If a program wasn't producing results, and I followed the diet or workout as instructed for 2 months: I would change variables, go another month or 2, and again measure effectiveness. In doing this, I've discovered my body and strength responds best to intermittent fasting (LeanGains inspired plan) and specialization training with one "Big Lift" maintenance day per week. If I do the Big Lifts 2 or 3 times a week, my progress is slow, no matter how much I eat--but if I do them once a week, I'm able to add much more weight to the bar with each workout. Of course, the opposite may be true for some of you as all of our bodies are different, so that's why progress tracking is so important. I don't believe there is a "one size fits all" diet or workout plan. We're all different creatures who respond differently to different things.
Anyway, I'll stop rambling, and share the photos. The first picture is what I looked like on my graduation date when I snapped. The second was at the end of the weight-loss phase. I stayed at that point for almost a year before I figured out the importance of progress tracking (seriously, do it). The final picture was taken yesterday afternoon.
I'm not going to let myself get content. I want to become a Monster, and I look forward to achieving this. Please, never let yourself get discouraged and quit. It's not easy, but getting in shape will change your life. I'm more confident in my body, I'm happier, and I feel much better about myself. The difference is HUGE!
I'm a new member. My name is Dan, and look forward to talking to you all. I'd like to share my story in case it might help anyone out there. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them.
I started caring about my body around 3 years ago. I was the "fat kid" for my entire public school existence: elementary, middle, high, and college. I was bummed out because of it--I was embarrassed by my lack of athleticism (I couldn't even do a single technically correct push-up or chin-up when I started)--and speaking to women terrified me, due to a lack of confidence.
On my graduation date, I looked at myself in the mirror, and snapped. I was really successful in all things education/work/etc... but looking at myself, I thought, "at what cost to my body and health?!" That day, I vowed I would lose my weight and never gain it back.
It's been incredibly difficult. At first, I had a tough time losing weight, and finally pulled that off. Then I tried to gain muscle, and had an equally difficult time with that. I got frustrated and almost quit several times, but discovered the importance of tracking my progress. I weighed in weekly and did a progress shot monthly. If a program wasn't producing results, and I followed the diet or workout as instructed for 2 months: I would change variables, go another month or 2, and again measure effectiveness. In doing this, I've discovered my body and strength responds best to intermittent fasting (LeanGains inspired plan) and specialization training with one "Big Lift" maintenance day per week. If I do the Big Lifts 2 or 3 times a week, my progress is slow, no matter how much I eat--but if I do them once a week, I'm able to add much more weight to the bar with each workout. Of course, the opposite may be true for some of you as all of our bodies are different, so that's why progress tracking is so important. I don't believe there is a "one size fits all" diet or workout plan. We're all different creatures who respond differently to different things.
Anyway, I'll stop rambling, and share the photos. The first picture is what I looked like on my graduation date when I snapped. The second was at the end of the weight-loss phase. I stayed at that point for almost a year before I figured out the importance of progress tracking (seriously, do it). The final picture was taken yesterday afternoon.
I'm not going to let myself get content. I want to become a Monster, and I look forward to achieving this. Please, never let yourself get discouraged and quit. It's not easy, but getting in shape will change your life. I'm more confident in my body, I'm happier, and I feel much better about myself. The difference is HUGE!
