[porscheguy]

I started losing weight at the end of July. I started working out in the middle of August. I've lost close to 50lbs overall this year. Almost 40 of that since July. I'm over 40. I smoked for 25 years. What's your excuse?

[LINUX]

Congrats on your hard work and determination.

[Pytonga]

Can you tell us more about your training routine and diet?

How many times per week and what kind of workout? Weights plus cardio?

[Richard Turpin]

That's great progress, much more dramatic and authentic-looking than the average transformation photos you normally see. I too, would be interested in your workout, as I'm a similar age.

[maharajj]

Congrats! Also, you must have lost a lot of face fat as well.

[Horus]

WNB, but you look great man! To go from fat bastard to chiseled hunk in only 4 months is really inspiring. +1 from me.

I would also like to hear about some details.

Edit :Just realised I already repped you. Updated.

[ed pluribus unum]

Good for you bud, well done.

I'm curious; did you take the 'before' picture before or after you decided to lose the weight? To put it another way, was this the picture that made you start down the path?

Would also be interested in some details on how you did it.

[PolymathGuru]

+1 rep from me.

[porscheguy]

For diet you can look at my other thread called Porscheguy’s Progress. The point of this thread was to show what you can achieve in just 4 months if you stick to it.

I go to the gym 4-5 days/week. Ideally I do 3 days of weights and 2 cardio. If I’m doing cardio, I’m at it for one hour. Weightlifting days are usually 60-90 minutes.

I’m also structuring my workouts around a career change. To get into the new career, I need to become a runner which is something I’ve never been.

For most of the past 4 months my weightlifting routine has been 2-3 days of complete upper body (chest, arms, abs, back, and shoulders) per week. I still mostly use the machines rather than free weights, but I am transitioning. My reason for using the machines is quite simple and I suggest it to anyone just starting out. The machines offer a greater measure of safety and protection from injury. Once you get some strength going you can switch to the free weights. The free weights require you to balance the weight in addition to moving it.

The heaviest I can go on anything is 12 reps on back extension at 305lbs.

I’ve never maxed out on bench press. I’d rather bench 180lbs for 25 reps than 300lbs for 2 or 3 reps. Years of working in commercial construction taught me that I’m much better lifting a lighter weight, dozens of times, versus burning myself up lifting a really heavy weight once or twice. In addition I’m in a race against no one but myself. I could probably max out my bench press at 200-225 at this point. I’m fine with that.

I don’t do squats or heavy leg work at this time. I save my legs for cardio days because there’s a lot meat on those bones to suck up calories. My cardio has been fucked for a few weeks since Thanksgiving when I overdid it big time and inflamed the shit out of my knees. I think they’ve finally settled down enough to get back into doing some serious cardio. For that I mainly use the treadmill. Walk at 3.6mph with the incline at 6 for one hour and you’ll burn through 500-600 calories. As you get better, you can add in some running. 2 minute walk, 1 minute run. And repeat. Over time you shorten the walking intervals and lengthen the running. When you run, you can double or triple the amount of calories you burn.

As for facial fat, yes I’ve lost most of that. But I also decided to grow a beard two months ago. So I’m not really sure of how I’ll look under it.

The only real downside, and I don’t view it as a downside, it’s more just something I may or may not decide to address is that I’ve got some extra skin hidden behind my hands in the current photo. That’s not going to go away on its own. If I want a truly flat stomach, I’ll have to go see a plastic surgeon. I’ll make that choice down the road though.

[porscheguy]

The before pic is actually a few years old. I took it in 2015. Earlier this year, I was a bit fatter than my before pic. I don’t have any pics from when I started because I didn’t want to see a pic of myself with no shirt. I use that pic from 2015 because It’s about as close as I could get, and the weight was a bit less than what I really started at, so I’m not being dishonest.

Speaking of dishonesty, that’s something that means a great deal to me. It’s similar to Roosh’s 100 approaches concept where you do 100 approaches first and foremost to get over your fear of rejection. In my case, it’s more like 100 weigh ins. Basically I have to be 100% honest with myself first and foremost. I then must be 100% honest (I’ll settle for 90% because even I carefully place my hands in my pics and I like the iphones “dramatic warm” light filter) when I update progress here or Facebook. Once I start lying to others, it’ll be easier to lie to myself. The purpose being honest with yourself and 100 weigh ins, is to emotionally disconnect from failures and cheat days. So many people sabotage themselves with despair and self doubt after breaking their diet for some pizza one night or because they gained when they think they should have lost. This morning I weighed myself as I do most mornings. I didn’t want to, because I had a heavy hardcore cheat weekend. I just came off a 10lb reduction in two weeks, of course I’m gonna cheat. But I weighed in anyway. “Fuck, 3lbs up.” And yes that sucks. But now I rationally ask myself “why are you 3lbs up?” Well, because Saturday night I ate beef stroganoff, and last night I destroyed 1/3 of a Costco chicken pot pie. It will take a few days to recover from this cheat, and much of that recovery will come from a giant shit. And by shedding all the extra water I had to drink for those carbs. If I can do the next two weeks like the previous, I’ll hit my target weight by Xmas. But the important lesson is that I know what happens when I cheat, it sucks, but I suck it up. And then I go back to making progress. I don’t get caught up in the spiral of negativity. I don’t beat myself up because I don’t have to. It’s not a failure, just a delay of progress.

[Horus]

Just goes to show that what works for one man doesn't work for every man. Many guys will swear that cardio and machines are ineffective for losing weight, and that the only effective exercises for weight loss are heavy compound movements using free weights. And yet here you are, with incredible results using methods many guys here would reject. The key words are in the first paragraph of the last post - "if you stick to it." We'll done for your persistence.

[kiwi12]

(12-10-2018 12:42 PM)porscheguy Wrote:  

The only real downside, and I don’t view it as a downside, it’s more just something I may or may not decide to address is that I’ve got some extra skin hidden behind my hands in the current photo. That’s not going to go away on its own. If I want a truly flat stomach, I’ll have to go see a plastic surgeon. I’ll make that choice down the road though.

I remember listening to Tim Ferris podcast with Charles Poliquin (my favorite TF podcast episode, I recommend for every one to have a listen). He mentioned Gotu Kola for lose skin problem.
I havent used it cause I never been overweight (so you have to research it for your self), but thought maybe it will be helpful for your journey.

[porscheguy]

I think there’s a stigma associated with weight machines and cardio, that it’s feminine. I don’t have time for bullshit and insecurities. I wasted too many good years being fat and out of shape.

A similar thing you hear is “it’s gonna take 6-12 months to start seeing results.” If you’re not seeing changes in 4 weeks, you’re doing something wrong. I was buying smaller clothes in 5 weeks. I’ve gone from a 38” waist in august, to needing a belt to keep my 34s” from sliding down.

[Irn Bru Protein]

Great work

Consistency trumps all

However your after pic is taken in a bathroom with dim lighting.

Low lit bathroom pics are deceiving

Your after pic should have been taken in the same room as the before pic, same lighting and all.

Don’t mean to be harsh mate. Your work is to be commended!

[Richard Turpin]

(12-10-2018 01:21 PM)Horus Wrote:  

Just goes to show that what works for one man doesn't work for every man. Many guys will swear that cardio and machines are ineffective for losing weight, and that the only effective exercises for weight loss are heavy compound movements using free weights. And yet here you are, with incredible results using methods many guys here would reject. The key words are in the first paragraph of the last post - "if you stick to it." We'll done for your persistence.

I was just thinking the same thing.

One thing about having lifted for over 30 years, you get to see a lot of dogma come and go. I get that there's been some wacky, ineffective, nonsense workouts and equipment over the years, but things have gone so far the other way that you can't say a thing nowadays against free weights and functional fitness without being accused of heresy.

Porscheguy has proved that you get results from 'what works for you' combined with 'consistency'.

If you don't like Deadlifts and Squats, then you aren't going to do them and bang goes the consistency and bang go the gains.

People say Upright Rows kill you and you have no business doing them. I reckon that yeah they'll completely fuck some peoples shoulders up. But myself? I've done them and loved them since day 1, have no issues and they blow my shoulders and traps up like nothing else.

Squats? I do sets of bodyweight squats every single day, but the minute I add weight to them, my ass grows too big and I look fat in clothes.

Deadlifts? Awesome for brute strength, but not for (showy) size and muscle gains. Also they are risky (for me and my back!). Others do them fine and good for them, please continue (see 'Upright Rows' above).

Cardio is too old-school some say? How about you try for yourself as it works great for many.

You have to find your own way, once you've trained for a while.

Hell, I started with a Bullworker and isometrics but it worked 'cos I was consistent.
Then, it was a bench and weights, which I still made progress on.
Then a Smith machine (which people just hate), but I made it work for me.
Then a rack and free weights which I continue to use now.
If I ever end up in prison, I'll be fucking ripped 'cos if nothing else, I'll have time to be consistent.

[porscheguy]

I can’t use the same room for my after pics that I used for my before pics because that room is a 1000 miles away and not very convenient.

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

Thanks for posting. I'm mid-30s and started getting serious about getting back into shape in June/July same as you, my before pic is actually pretty similar to yours (I'm 6'0 and was around 240). I'm down about 12 lbs between 2 days a week of lifting (doing 5-3-1 for MMA), 3-4 BJJ and one kickboxing, clearly still have a way to go although some of that is muscle growth. My goal is to be under 220 for a friend's bachelor party in Florida in February and then under 210 for a BJJ tournament in May.

If you don't mind, how tall are you/what was your starting weight?

Great job both on the weight loss and for sharing with us.

[porscheguy]

6’0 tall, starting weight was 235 or 240 back in late July. My all time high was around 245 last winter. I’m down to 200 now.

[heavy]

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

(12-11-2018 03:55 PM)porscheguy Wrote:  

6’0 tall, starting weight was 235 or 240 back in late July. My all time high was around 245 last winter. I’m down to 200 now.

Dude, that is awesome--you started in almost exactly the same place I did, within a month of when I started, and if you'd photoshopped tattoos and a different body hair pattern into your before pic you probably could've convinced me it was my own. You're fucking kicking my ass on the progress though and pretty much convinced me to go the personal trainer route to supplement BJJ. Can't tell you how much I appreciate this thread.

[Uprising]

Congrats OP, great progress!

I know you said you're comfortable on the machines now, but if I may suggest something - Have you ever thought about switching to dumbbells?

Dumbbells are very safe. For example, you don't need a spotter to max out on dumbbell bench press. You can go as heavy as you need to go and if you can't do another rep, simply drop the weights.

Bench press, incline bench press, curls, overhead tricep extensions, shrugs, bulgarian split squats, overhead press, and many more can all be safely done with dumbbells that are on some exercises, in my opinion, safer than barbells if you don't have a spotter (like bench press).

Also, do not underestimate the power of free weight exercises. Chin ups/Pull ups, push ups, ext. ext. are all great exercises that shouldn't be overlooked.

I saw a lot more progress when I stopped using the machines and went to dumbbells/free weight exercises. But, to each their own. Your routine is obviously working great for you. Keep up the good work!

[Richard Turpin]

We should start a thread for Before/After progress transformations. Not that I think I'll have the guts to do it myself (the accountability scares me)......

....... or would that fear of failure/accountability spur me on?......hmmm.

[Montrose]

OP lost 40 pounds in 17 weeks, which is probably the optimal rate of weight loss. While it’s highly commendable in terms of discipline and willpower, I don’t think you can jump to conclusions regarding training programs. There is no evidence that any of the lost weight is due to working out. Most of the fat loss is likely attributable to diet.

If you do the math: 40 pounds of fat is around 140,000 calories. Assuming two cardio sessions of 500 calories a week, cardio accounts for only 12% of the lost calories, and while increased metabolism from strength training certainly helps, most of the 88% remaining is due to diet.

[porscheguy]

Uprising- I am beginning to make the transition into using more free weights as they will provide better results.

Richard Turpin- not a bad idea. When I started posting pics on Facebook it wasn’t about showing off. In a way, it was about making myself accountable to others, but mostly, in being accountable to others, it forces me to be accountable to myself. I own all of my successes and failures. I was a bit nervous about posting my fat pic, but what really made me nervous was the first time I posted a progress pic on Facebook.

Montrose- I don’t think anyone is jumping to conclusions regarding training programs. I post my data, and say what I’ve done. Let me give you a little timeline here.
7/20: I’m in the drive thru at Wendy’s and reading the calories on food items. This is when I have my “moment of clarity” and realize that a large baconator value meal and a frosty are at the caloric limit for someone a bit younger and far more active than me. I make the decision right there to begin reducing my daily caloric intake.
7/24: I begin to move to a new house, a process that will take two weeks. I begin to weigh in daily and continue to monitor/reduce caloric intake.
8/07: I am pretty much finished moving and my activity level has dropped off. I’ve lost 10lbs in the process. I continue to weigh in daily.
8/15: my weight didn’t budge over the previous week but daily caloric intake was still restricted. Conclusion: physical activity must be increased or caloric intake must be reduced further. I go to the gym and sign up.
9/01: I lost a few pounds, working out 4-5 days/week. Progress seems slower than it should be. Conclusion: low carb diet.
9/27: I’ve lost 12lbs or so during September. I have my first kidney stone. At this point I weigh 210lbs. My weight will not go down again until Thanksgiving week. I missed 1 week at the gym during the kidney stone.
11/19: I’m down to 205lbs. By the following seeking I’m up to 209lbs.
12/3: back down to 205lbs.
12/7: 201lbs. Then I went on a cheating spree.
12/14: 207lbs. Find out some info regarding some personal things. No more time for BS. Time to go back into full weight loss mode.
12/17: 204lbs. I expect to be back to 201 or below by the end of this week.

How much can be attributed to working out? I don’t know. How much is diet? I don’t know. Does it matter? No. Do I look better than I have in 15+ years? Yes. Am I stronger now? Yes. Do people in general react differently to me now? Yes. Women? Their reaction is mind blowing. I’m getting “OMG Hot!” from girls in their early 20s. Girls I went to high school with are now like “where was this version of you 25 years ago?” The gazes of soccer moms at the grocery store used to go right through me. Now they stop and linger. A month ago I went to buy a new jacket. The clerk who was pretty built himself commented “you’ve got a serious set of shoulders on you.” Next thing I know, the two women in the store shopping are watching me. One has a soyish BF she’s trying to ignore. The other is unattached at the moment and quite frank. She’s telling me “go for the fitted one in large because you really need to show yourself off.” This is a pricey store in downtown Annapolis. These women are high 7s/low 8s. Am I suggesting they wanted to fuck me in the back room? This isn’t penthouse letters. What I am saying is that if either woman got fucked that night, there’s a good chance that I crossed their minds while they took the dick.

I’m not here to proselytize about what’s best or not. I’m here to tell you where I was, Where I am, and how I got here. In 4 months I went from an average guy who was largely invisible, to someone that gets noticed.

[Montrose]

I didn’t mean to criticize, your journey is impressive. We all want to be as successful as you, that’s why I think it’s worth analyzing what you did.