Please help me evaluate this

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Well....I've made a few post here and I really have to say, this forum is GREAT. Nobody has a nasty attitude and there's a general feeling of everyone supporting eachother with answers to questions and inspiration.

In particular, I feel so fortunate to have Wrangell onboard answering questions....and many others as well.

Seems like a lot of post are answered with forum members saying they need more info, so here's mine:

My name is Steve, I'm 42 and live in L.A. All my life I've been heavy, it's like a badge of shame; you feel inferior to those who are fit and it eats at your self-confidence. I've gone on diets before and occassionally lost a reasonable amount of weight, but I've never been "normal". I throw away pictures of myself and generally feel disgusted about the way I look. I'm probably one of those type-A uber-critical people...results-driven.

Not long ago I was assigned a new doctor...he wondered why my old doctor didn't get on me for my bloodwork. Apparently my tryglycerides were so high that (they explained) they couldn't really determine my cholesterol, but it probably wasn't good. My tri's were up at 470....one doctor said I was "circling the drain". My blood pressure was borderline high as well (140/90). They wanted to put me on medication. I asked if I could try diet/exercise....they said "get on the meds and then, if you lose the weight, they'll evaluate reducing your dosage".

I didn't take the meds. I figured I'd give it 3 months and see what I could do. I changed my diet, started riding my mountain bike, weight-training, 2 nights a week racquetball and even dialed in some swimming. I also started seeing a dietician/nutritionist/trainer...a really sharp guy, like Wrangell.

After a month I felt lighter, looked leaner and figured I'd have my big windfall of loss. I should say, prior to my doing this I was still eating right and excerising, I just dialed it up several notches...so I wasn't one of those obese blobs eating 8k-calories a day w/o exercise. A year upto this I was slowly losing weight and doing some exercise.

I got on the scale and I had gained about 2 pounds. I almost walked out of the office. I was devastated, felt like I was cursed. Then he pulled out his body-fat calipers and we discovered I had lost nearly 3% body-fat...he said the pinchers just sank deep. So what did this mean? I lost fat BUT added muscle? Can a person put on that much muscle that quickly? I dunno. I'm built like a truck, he called it mezomorph/endomorph....but it all sounds like the excuse that fat woman who claim their thyroid makes them retain water use. Bottom line: I'm looking to drop numbers on the scale and instead I'm gaining!

I did start losing weight slowly. Sometimes the scale went up, but the body-fat% always went down. Best of all, I went to the doctor for a blood work-up and the doctor was stunned at how effective my prescription for Zocor had lowered my tryglycerides....they were at 135....then I told the doctor I didn't take the meds. They were blown away. My cholesterol was LDL 104, HDL 42 and total was 175. They said I was one of very VERY few people who actually did lose weight and followed-through with exercise.

ANYWAYS....it's now been about 8 months and here are my numbers. I weighed about 260 when I started and I'm 5' 8"

Start weight: 260 recent weight: 232
Start bodyfat% 26.9% recent bodyfat% 13.33%
start lean muscle 189.32 recent lean muscle 201.50

So I've lost 26.5 pounds on the scale, gained 12.18 pounds of lean muscle, lost 13.57% body fat and my overall actual fat loss is about 39 pounds. And belive me: I workout soooo hard and eat very little.... I can't eat less and/or excercise more.

I look entirely different and people say I look really built....but I can't help but look at the scrawny loss of only 26 pounds and feel like it's pathetic. My unsupportive d!ckhead brother even pointed out how those blobs on Worlds Greatest Loser lose double digits each week...so if I'm really working-out all that much and eating right, how I could I have only lost that little in 8 months?

I do about 12 hours of excercise each week and eat about 1,800 calories per day. The body-fat % keeps on dropping, but that darn scale just won't give me lower numbers....each ounce is painstakingly slow. It's so discouraging!

I think my problem is that I'm built to replace an ox after it collapses from exhaustion in the field...I'm never going to be svelt or look like these guys in the fashion magazines. The body-fat calipers are said to measure relatively low compared to other means, but still...I'm fixated on dropping some numbers on that scale and my whoe perspective is messed-up.

Each week I ride the mountain bike on average for 2.5 hours and maintain an average heart-rate of 145, my heart-rate monitor says I'm burning about 1,700 calories. I swim 2x per week about 2 miles, it takes about 1 hour & 40 minutes and I have no idea what my heart-rate is, but the digital lap-counter says I'm burning about 950 calories. Racquetball is 2x per week for 2 hours and I usually weight-train 2x per week as well.

Chicken, fish, turkey, vege's, some fruits, protein shakes, all the nutrient supplements, no 4-legged meats, low-fat.....on average about 1,800 calories per day and I'm militant about the reality of how many calories are REALLY in foods.

I try so so so so so SOOOOO hard, but that darn scale just hardly wants to drop. The only upside is that my body fat keeps going down and my clothing keeps getting baggy on me and people keep saying I'm looking amazing......and I'm even looking pretty good in my triathlon suits!

But still....why do all my friends keep dropping pounds on the scale while I fight so hard for each ounce? Each week they keep losing 1-2 pounds and I go 3-4 weeks and barely lose 1.5 pounds, sometimes it's break-even and occassionally I gain?

Somebody throw this dog a bone!

 

[tonymcclellan]

So I've lost 26.5 pounds on the scale, gained 12.18 pounds of lean muscle, lost 13.57% body fat and my overall actual fat loss is about 39 pounds. And belive me: I workout soooo hard and eat very little.... I can't eat less and/or excercise more.

I look entirely different and people say I look really built....but I can't help but look at the scrawny loss of only 26 pounds and feel like it's pathetic. My unsupportive d!ckhead brother even pointed out how those blobs on Worlds Greatest Loser lose double digits each week...so if I'm really working-out all that much and eating right, how I could I have only lost that little in 8 months?

I do about 12 hours of excercise each week and eat about 1,800 calories per day. The body-fat % keeps on dropping, but that darn scale just won't give me lower numbers....each ounce is painstakingly slow. It's so discouraging!
but still...I'm fixated on dropping some numbers on that scale and my whoe perspective is messed-up.

I try so so so so so SOOOOO hard, but that darn scale just hardly wants to drop. The only upside is that my body fat keeps going down and my clothing keeps getting baggy on me and people keep saying I'm looking amazing......and I'm even looking pretty good in my triathlon suits!

But still....why do all my friends keep dropping pounds on the scale while I fight so hard for each ounce? Each week they keep losing 1-2 pounds and I go 3-4 weeks and barely lose 1.5 pounds, sometimes it's break-even and occassionally I gain?

Somebody throw this dog a bone!

I would rather throw something and knock you upside the head. You've made such great progress and all you do is put yourself down. You have drastically improved your life, done what most other people would hope to do and yet complain. You lost 39lbs of fat, thats alot of damn fat. Your health is better, you look better, but your upset.

Those "blobs" on biggest loser are probably being starved to produce "extravagant" results for television. When its done, most of them actually regain the weight, so do you really hope to be like them?

My advice is stop crying and try to refocus your mind on what you have acocomplished, not what you havent.

 

[Typhon]

But still....why do all my friends keep dropping pounds on the scale while I fight so hard for each ounce?

Stop comparing your progress to that of others. Maybe your friends are losing muscle and fat which is why they drop weight so fast, if that's true then in 8 months they'll still look crappy, just thinner and you'll look a little thinner but a hell of a lot stronger and healthier. I know which one I'd prefer

Losing 39 lbs of fat and gaining 12lbs of muscle is likely to have made a massive change in your appearance. Get out any old photos of yourself at your old weight and I bet you'll hardly recognise yourself

 

[Typhon]

Start weight: 260 recent weight: 232
Start bodyfat% 26.9% recent bodyfat% 13.33%
start lean muscle 189.32 recent lean muscle 201.50

Er, I've just spotted this

You mean to tell me that you're worried about losing weight when you're stood at 5'8", 232lbs, with 13% bf?!?

Either your readings are off or you have a serious self image problem.

 

[amp89]

Yeah dude, what you have done is awesome. You really should not be speaking about yourself the way you are. A lot of people on this forum would kill to be in the position you're in right now. If you haven't met your goals thats fine, and this forum is here to help you reach them (which you have quickly begun to take advantage of), but keep a positive attitude or you wont go anywhere. Again great job on the progress so far!

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Those "blobs" on biggest loser are probably being starved to produce "extravagant" results for television.

My advice is stop crying and try to refocus your mind on what you have acocomplished, not what you havent.

My brother works at NBC, he says the general protocol for those blobticipants is 1,500 calories per day of food and about 3 hours of excercise per day as well....that's the formula they use. They lose double-digits per week....I go 3-4 weeks and maybe lose 2 pounds: how could I not be discouraged? The only excuse I have is to figure it's muscle-gain offsetting the loss of fat and to focus on my dropped body-fat%...and maybe to figure Im' much further down the line and fighting tough fat, whereas those blobs are totally obese and in a condition prone to huge initial loses. Ah crap; is this the part where someone highlights my words and says "you've answered your own question"? But seriously, my results (while granted are good) just seem oddly slow.....

Stop comparing your progress to that of others. Maybe your friends are losing muscle and fat which is why they drop weight so fast, if that's true then in 8 months they'll still look crappy, just thinner and you'll look a little thinner but a hell of a lot stronger and healthier. I know which one I'd prefer

Losing 39 lbs of fat and gaining 12lbs of muscle is likely to have made a massive change in your appearance. Get out any old photos of yourself at your old weight and I bet you'll hardly recognise yourself

Good point....valid point....many of my Atkins friends have shoulders, arms and bodies that look like they've been stranded on an island for a few months eating grass and some raw fish. MMMMM....sushi.....ughhhhhhhhhh. Anyways, it's probably true. So I've gained muscle and loss fat while they've just shrunk. M'kay....you've got a good point.

You mean to tell me that you're worried about losing weight when you're stood at 5'8", 232lbs, with 13% bf?!?

Either your readings are off or you have a serious self image problem.

Readings are accurate....but it's weird: I look heavier then guys at 16%. I think it's a percentage thing. I still see fat, just that all my muscle skews my percentage to make it seem like I'm better then I am. It may be a self-image issue, years of being heavy and despite what I've lost, all I see is what's left and my brain keeps telling me I'm a fat slob still. Being human sucks.

If you haven't met your goals thats fine, and this forum is here to help you reach them (which you have quickly begun to take advantage of), but keep a positive attitude or you wont go anywhere. Again great job on the progress so far!

The forum helps....beside the great knowledge & support, writing this also makes me reflect on my own thoughts. In some ways it may appear I put this out just to hear the positive reassurance that all you have provided. But seriously, I really do look at my results and ask myself why my body won't cooprate and why I have to work so dramatically harder then everyone else to lose the weight. Even my neighbor shed 20 pounds in a couple months and she didn't work nearly as hard/long as me....it took me 4-5 months to do what she did in a couple months. Surely you can understand my frustration.

I just keep telling myself that even if it takes one whole month to lose 1 pound....if I stick to it, I'll eventually get there!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the support and I apologize for my long-winded post. On the Ferrari forum I won the "OCD..I can't write a post of less then 1,000 words" award!

 

[tonymcclellan]

My brother works at NBC, he says the general protocol for those blobticipants is 1,500 calories per day of food and about 3 hours of excercise per day as well....that's the formula they use. They lose double-digits per week....I go 3-4 weeks and maybe lose 2 pounds: how could I not be discouraged?

Do you exercise 3 hours per day?

Ah crap; is this the part where someone highlights my words and says "you've answered your own question"? But seriously, my results (while granted are good) just seem oddly slow.....

If this is in reference to my first response, I didnt highlight any answers. I highlighted your negative statements.

What is your goal?

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Do you exercise 3 hours per day?

Well....let's see:

Monday 45 min. weight-training followed by 30 minutes elliptical morning
2 hours +/- Men's A league Mon. night racquetball

Tuesday Mountain biking 2.5-3.25 hours (depends on trail)

Weds Swim 2 miles in the pool, about 1.25 hours
2 hours Men's A league weds. night racquetball

Thurs Mountain biking 2.5-3.25 hours (depends on trail)

Fri Swim 2-3 Miles in the pool, usually 3

Sat Weight training & elliptical

Sun Mountain biking 2.5-3.25 hours (depends on trail)

Average about 12-15 hours per week, doctor says it's "excessive". The only thing I can add is that when I first started the biking my heart-rate monitor indicated my calories burned were 2,500....months later the very same ride now only shows me burning about 1,800 calories. I'm carrying less weight, my muscles have developed and my body has adapted...I'm more efficient but I maintain about 150 HR on average and peak-out with High Intensity Intervals when I approach the top of the hills. I don't think I can squeeze more out of my rides aside from going longer then 3 hours...which everyone thinks is ridiculous...but the view at the end of the trail beckons!

I exercise a lot....not a day goes by where I'm not wearing lycra
(swimming, riding....and only during...it's kosher!!).

What is your goal?

#1 In the event of an early death...I want doctors to be able to say "he did everything right and was in amazing shape...it shouldn't have happened". In other words, I want to optimize my life expectancy & health.

#2 I want to be able to ask 25 random people if I need to lose any weight and each of them to say "Heck no, you look great!"

#3 I want to look great in a triathlon suit

#4 Lose the weight, travel back in time and bang the High School Prom Queen!

#5 Make other woman jealous of my wife

#6 Did I mention the High School Prom thing???

(You did notice the "laugh" portion of my screen name? )

 

[happysj56]

It is hard to not focus on the number on the scale, but it is just a number...

If you're clothes are too big, if your health is better, if you are feeling good about yourself and the effort you are making - maybe you should stop weighing yourself.

Also, are you replacing too big clothes with clothes in the proper size? It is harder tos ee the results if your clothes don't fit well.

I found that it took me three years before my head registered the difference in my body and that I truly 'saw' me when I looked in the mirror.

And the last thing I'lll say is that you might be eating more than you think you are - or you might not be eating enough for your activity level. Tracking your food for a month can be a really eye-opening experience. If you are truly eating only 1800 calories, maybe you need to go up a little so that your body feels nourished properly.

Best wishes,

 

[Wrangell]

Well....let's see:

Monday 45 min. weight-training followed by 30 minutes elliptical morning
2 hours +/- Men's A league Mon. night racquetball

Tuesday Mountain biking 2.5-3.25 hours (depends on trail)

Weds Swim 2 miles in the pool, about 1.25 hours
2 hours Men's A league weds. night racquetball

Thurs Mountain biking 2.5-3.25 hours (depends on trail)

Fri Swim 2-3 Miles in the pool, usually 3

Sat Weight training & elliptical

Sun Mountain biking 2.5-3.25 hours (depends on trail)

Average about 12-15 hours per week, doctor says it's "excessive".

Did your doctor also mention the term " exercise addict " by any chance ?

The only thing I can add is that when I first started the biking my heart-rate monitor indicated my calories burned were 2,500....months later the very same ride now only shows me burning about 1,800 calories. I'm carrying less weight, my muscles have developed and my body has adapted...I'm more efficient but I maintain about 150 HR on average and peak-out with High Intensity Intervals when I approach the top of the hills. I don't think I can squeeze more out of my rides aside from going longer then 3 hours...which everyone thinks is ridiculous...but the view at the end of the trail beckons!

So, you do all this exercise above, you weigh 220+ lbs, your body fat is below 15% ( i.e you're carrying a fair bit of lean muscle ).

Yet..........you only take in 1,800 calories a day ????

Doesn't this calorie level seem quite ' low ' to you given your weight, activity level and body fat ?

Plug your stats into this maintenance calorie calculator ( below ) - then cut it back by 20% for ' fat loss ' - and see how the BMR calc and maintenance level calc ( less 20% ) stacks up to your 1,800.

#1 In the event of an early death...I want doctors to be able to say "he did everything right and was in amazing shape...it shouldn't have happened". In other words, I want to optimize my life expectancy & health.

Still a matter open for debate IMO.

#2 I want to be able to ask 25 random people if I need to lose any weight and each of them to say "Heck no, you look great!"

Most guys below 15% body fat do.

#3 I want to look great in a triathlon suit

Careful.....great in your mind may not be great in others' minds.

#4 Lose the weight, travel back in time and bang the High School Prom Queen!

#5 Make other woman jealous of my wife

#6 Did I mention the High School Prom thing???

(You did notice the "laugh" portion of my screen name? )

A fair better approach to goal setting is more concrete - something you can measure. For example,

- improvements in body measurements - girth, bodyfat% / lean mass
- improvements in exercise performance indicators - i.e weight lifted, speed, distance, duration, frequency, intensity etc.
- participation goals - i.e. complete 10k, triathlon, bike race etc., 10,000 m row etc​

.

 

[Wrangell]

Readings are accurate....but it's weird: I look heavier then guys at 16%. I think it's a percentage thing. I still see fat, just that all my muscle skews my percentage to make it seem like I'm better then I am. It may be a self-image issue, years of being heavy and despite what I've lost, all I see is what's left and my brain keeps telling me I'm a fat slob still. Being human sucks.

How can it be ' skewed ' by your muscles exactly ?

Being under 15% body fat ...is being under 15% body fat.

Your lean mass is 85%.

It is what it is.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Sheesh....Wrangell....not a single smiley-face in any of your replies; you may be related to the doctor who said I was excessive

Addicted to exercise? Nahhh.....the psychological theraputic value of my extended long-haul mountain bike rides is alone worth the perspiration. I just love to get out and crank the pedals. The view is great, the music, scenary and feeling is just incredible....plus, working those leg muscles just HAS to help burn the fat and I've yet to find a diet that doesn't prescribe exercise as a means to a thinner end. I'll lighten-up when I get there, but until then....I'm on a mission!

My #1 goal is to lose weight and get healthy...I'd like to increase my chances of living a longer and healthier life. More then anything, I'd like to see how LOST resolves!

The triathlon suit....yeah, that's a trip, never saw myself riding through the hills in a one-piece lycra outfit (pause for naseau)....but the shorts roll down, the jersey's hike up and the 1-piece design is just optimal, plus I get to jump straight into the pool afterwards and get some upper-body, and then it's clean too! When it's warm/hot, you can't beat the heat-dissipation and as odd as this may sound, I like being able to see what I'm working to get off: accountibility! As for the looks, mixed reactions...seems (to no surprise) if you have the body to pull it off, the woman like it. My wife and her trainer dig it and the general consensus is: if you like it, then don't worry about what others think. And finally, for woman it's the little bikini they want to look good in, for me this is a goal: if you can look good in a tri-suit, you can pull off just about anything! In the words of REM "oh no I've said too much"

How do my muscles skew my apparent body-fat? Well...my leg muscles and back muscles are huge, so relative to proportion I can still have a reasonable amount of fat (that I hate seeing) and still have a relatively low bf%. BUT your query makes me realize what the real issue is.....why my trainer at 15% looks leaner then me at 13.25%....because he's built more svelt and smaller then me. I just have to accept my body for what it is: I was genetically designed to replace the ox in the field after it collapses from exhaustion. I'll have to accept my frame for what it is. I have dense bones, wide shoulders and (unlike the Gooch) will never be modeling material. At the same time, I should appreciate that there are hoards of scrawny/skinny guys who would love to have my "condition"...so I guess I'm good there.

I suppose my real goal is to just feel good about myself and perhaps that won't come from a number, figure or percentage. Oddly enough, ugly numbers hurt while good number help a bit. As Happysj56 suggested, perhaps it'll take some time for my brain to catch up to the reality of my body. Perhaps I'll post some pics, but I'll spare ya all the tri-suit!

 

[Wrangell]

Sheesh....Wrangell....not a single smiley-face in any of your replies; you may be related to the doctor who said I was excessive

Well, I must say, based on what little I've been able to glean from your posts so far, I would tend to agree with your GP.

IMO - it appears you are a bit on the ' excessive ' side.

Addicted to exercise? Nahhh.....the psychological theraputic value of my extended long-haul mountain bike rides is alone worth the perspiration. I just love to get out and crank the pedals. The view is great, the music, scenary and feeling is just incredible....plus, working those leg muscles just HAS to help burn the fat and I've yet to find a diet that doesn't prescribe exercise as a means to a thinner end.

Correct.

' Some ' exercise ....which is quite different from ' excessive ' exercise.

My #1 goal is to lose weight and get healthy...I'd like to increase my chances of living a longer and healthier life.

You're certainly not alone.

The triathlon suit....yeah, that's a trip, never saw myself riding through the hills in a one-piece lycra outfit (pause for naseau)....but the shorts roll down, the jersey's hike up and the 1-piece design is just optimal, plus I get to jump straight into the pool afterwards and get some upper-body, and then it's clean too! When it's warm/hot, you can't beat the heat-dissipation and as odd as this may sound, I like being able to see what I'm working to get off: accountibility! As for the looks, mixed reactions...seems (to no surprise) if you have the body to pull it off, the woman like it. My wife and her trainer dig it and the general consensus is: if you like it, then don't worry about what others think.

A good rule to live - and train - by IMO.

I agree.

How do my muscles skew my apparent body-fat? Well...my leg muscles and back muscles are huge, so relative to proportion I can still have a reasonable amount of fat (that I hate seeing) and still have a relatively low bf%. BUT your query makes me realize what the real issue is.....why my trainer at 15% looks leaner then me at 13.25%....because he's built more svelt and smaller then me.

I can't comment.

I just have to accept my body for what it is: I was genetically designed to replace the ox in the field after it collapses from exhaustion. I'll have to accept my frame for what it is. I have dense bones, wide shoulders and (unlike the Gooch) will never be modeling material.

Again, you're certainly not alone......few of us are ' modeling material '.

At the same time, I should appreciate that there are hoards of scrawny/skinny guys who would love to have my "condition"...so I guess I'm good there.

I'd agree.

Everything is ' relative ' .

I suppose my real goal is to just feel good about myself and perhaps that won't come from a number, figure or percentage.

True...feeling good about yourself is as much about self-esteem and self-image as anything else ( if not more ).

But, when it comes to ' goal setting ' specifically - particularly in a health / fitness context - defining those goals in terms of numbers, figures or percentages in an important key to success IMO.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

when it comes to ' goal setting ' specifically - particularly in a health / fitness context - defining those goals in terms of numbers, figures or percentages in an important key to success IMO.

Yeah....but maybe I'm afraid to set those numbers because once I get there, I may not be happy with what I still see in the mirror. Notice the appalling lack of a joke or smiley-face here......

Thanks for the insight & info!

I will succeed...I will persevere and endevour with the tenacity of a pit bull to push ahead and burn this fat off my body. Excessive in approach as it may seem, I believe I harness my OCD as a means to focus my energy towards accomplishing my goal. I can't succeed at anything I only half-heartedly put my mind to. You ever try to bench some serious weight with an attitude of "I'll try my best"?.....doesn't work. It's about passion, determination and attitude. I may not be the person I hope and imagine I'll be at the conclusion of my efforts, but I won't look back and say I didn't give it my all.

I may stand here before this forum with many questions....but one question is not whether I'll quit or fail to get there....I'm just trying to make the best choices and max-out my approach. You've all been helpful and I appreciate that.

 

[Wrangell]

Yeah....but maybe I'm afraid to set those numbers because once I get there, I may not be happy with what I still see in the mirror.

Well, if you meet you goals and still aren't happy - simply set new goals - set new challenges.

however, if your goals were realistic and exceeding them further doesn't make sense for whatever reason - and you're still not happy - then perhaps you have a ' self-image ' issue to contend with.

I will succeed...I will persevere and endevour with the tenacity of a pit bull to push ahead and burn this fat off my body.

You ARE succeeding and you ARE burning fat of your body...you slashed your body fat % from 27% to an above average 13%.

Excessive in approach as it may seem, I believe I harness my OCD as a means to focus my energy towards accomplishing my goal.

It's your choice....but others can and have easily met ( and exceeded ) goals similar to yours without having to be controlled by an OCD approach to training IMO.

But, if an OCD approach works for you....then by all means .......go for it.

I can't succeed at anything I only half-heartedly put my mind to.

Careful...........not allowing oneself to succumb to an OCD approach when it comes to training is not synonymous with doing something ' half-heartedly '.

In my view, the best approach in trying to optimize results is not to train longer ......but to train ' smarter '.

Getting maximum results in the least amount of time is a ' smart ' way to train ....and you don't need to rely on a OCD approach to achieve that IMO.

You ever try to bench some serious weight with an attitude of "I'll try my best"?.....doesn't work. It's about passion, determination and attitude.

It's simply called ' training hard ' and ' training smart ' ...quite a different issue from a OCD approach to training IMO.

I may not be the person I hope and imagine I'll be at the conclusion of my efforts, but I won't look back and say I didn't give it my all.

Just don't confuse commitment, discipline and goal setting with an OCD approach to training IMO.

I may stand here before this forum with many questions....but one question is not whether I'll quit or fail to get there....I'm just trying to make the best choices and max-out my approach. You've all been helpful and I appreciate that.

A good attitude, passion, commitment,& discipline are key in trying to reach your goal ...but it isn't necessary to have those within a OCD approach to training IMO.

 

[amp89]

I just keep telling myself that even if it takes one whole month to lose 1 pound....if I stick to it, I'll eventually get there!!!!!!!

Honestly if you keep this attitude you will get there. You have enough dedication as far as I know to reach any goal you want. So what if your friends lose weight faster. Good for them. The fact of the matter is you have seen results, and will continue to see them, regardless of what other people have done.

 

[tonymcclellan]

#1 In the event of an early death...I want doctors to be able to say "he did everything right and was in amazing shape...it shouldn't have happened". In other words, I want to optimize my life expectancy & health.

#2 I want to be able to ask 25 random people if I need to lose any weight and each of them to say "Heck no, you look great!"

#3 I want to look great in a triathlon suit

#4 Lose the weight, travel back in time and bang the High School Prom Queen!

#5 Make other woman jealous of my wife

#6 Did I mention the High School Prom thing???

(You did notice the "laugh" portion of my screen name? )

Nowhere in there was a mention about a number on the scale.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Nowhere in there was a mention about a number on the scale.

Good point and valid observation.

That darn scale has brought me nothing but aggrevation, discouragement and utter frustration. Several times I'd workout like mad, eat light and go in to get evaluated only to find my weight went UP....yet my bodyfat went down. The scale doesn't delineate between fat, muscle, water, bone-density, etc. By the advice of others, I've relegated the scale out of my immediate goal criteria.

I was shooting for under 200, but given that I'm now 232 and my bodyfat% is 12.8%....I'm really not sure 200 is a practical number. At this point there's some fat on my chin, a bit on the chest and some scarce trace of love-handles around my waist...I'm working towards getting that off. When I exercise (in the privacy of my own home gym) I often wear a wrestling singlet, it's pretty much skin-tight and shows everything...when I'm totally happy with what I see in the mirror, then I'm "there". :jump1: