Andy's rise to the challenge

Status
Not open for further replies.
How was the hike with your sister? This weekend was perfect weather. I went for a short stroll myself on Sunday. I figured if you could take a hike, least I could do was take a short walk. :)
 
Good for you, feeling motivated. :) Hope this week is a good one for you. Three visits to the gym sounds good to me, you'll still benefit so be proud! x
 
Hey Andy. I'm telling you, least you are doing the activity side of things. That's more than what I'm doing. I wanted to let you know that I am following your diary and I'm hoping to reach where you are eventually.
 
Ashley - The pressure is ON for this weeks weigh in. So far I am thrilled with the amount of effort I put in mon and tues night. I'm holding out for an "OH YEA" moment next weigh in. Either way GO ORANGE Also with BL and 24, I am ashamed to admit that I have been watching too much TV. At least all the good shows are already over this week lol. I've been meaning to edit my pictures, because when I load them they come up HUGE. Like with scroll bars because you cant see the entire picture without moving. Yea, its kinda minor, but pictures have been a sensative issue for me for a while haha.


Anyone know a good program to resize images?



Belly - Weather was pretty nice. I really prefer the outdoor hike than compared to watching TV on a treadmill. Within the next month I need to find some trails a little closer by, so I'm motivated to get out there and mix up my routine. And dont discount your walks :p The hills in the area you live by are pretty steep, and if youre walking those thats freaking tough.



Tutti - Thanks for the encouragement :D Last week I took it really easy, too easy, and my weight barely fluctuated. Shocking right? Well, so far this week I am doing a LOT better. Had a good sweat-fest both nights, came home satisfied I did some WORK. :hurray:


Jericho - Thanks for coming by. I see you all over these forums, pointing people in the right direction with information. Its always nice to know people care that you are working towards a goal; its more motivation to skip that greasy food or pick yourself up and hit the gym. On that note, Super bowl party this Sunday. Talk about a test. :rant:



Ate great, this week I have started incorporating a lot more protein into my diet by subbing a peice of fruit out at lunch and instead having a boiled egg. Also having a whey shake after work out. Sure its an extra 300~ cals, but its also 50g more protein I think I was missing before. I'll try this for a few weeks and see if its beneficial.

USING MY STEAMER! Just squeeze a wedge on lemon over any steamed veggies, and its good :D Glad I bought it.

Gym last night consisted of legs/lowerbody. Got all my reps in, and the final set I pushed until failure. Feeling good, and I feel my body responding to the workouts. Anyways, watched Sportscenter for 2 miles on the treadmill, and got a NICE workout in. I was surprised how much it got me sweating. Felt great to go outside where it was chilly.

Tonight Im heading up with a friend after dinner to the gym. Focus is chest/ab/back. I think its gonna be a raquetball night for cardio (which I recommend highly!) and then the ol weight room. Will update tomorrow!
 
Good (free) photo-editing programs are irfanview and GIMP. Just google either. GIMP is a little more advanced in that it has more features and it closer to photoshop. irfanview is a photo viewer with a little bit of edit capabilities ... it lets you resize, crop, and convert images to different file types.
 
Here is my pic update. I committed to myself that I would do this when I finally broke through the 300 barrier. Looking at it altogether, I can see a difference mainly in my face. Sure, I suppose I can see the difference, but really I'm not that satisfied. It just makes me hungrier to get to that preverbial finish line and take plenty more nice pictures lol.

The first is my grad picture, when I think I was around my highest. I can see it in my face. Also, I really dug around my facebook and a few other albums, but it appears that I avoided the camera very well back then :p (352)

The second is within the first month of starting. (340s)

The third is a much more recent, I think I took it last month when I hit 310.

These last 2 I took last weekend, finally under my 300 cap.
 

Attachments

  • GRADv2.jpg
    GRADv2.jpg
    33.8 KB · Views: 54
  • 002v2.jpg
    002v2.jpg
    35.2 KB · Views: 54
  • 013v2.jpg
    013v2.jpg
    32.6 KB · Views: 58
  • 012v2.jpg
    012v2.jpg
    51.3 KB · Views: 49
  • 0123v2.jpg
    0123v2.jpg
    43.7 KB · Views: 58
Alriiiight! Seeing is believing. I can see the changes in your face, much slimmer, and I'm not sure if it's the distance and/or darker shirt color but I think your body looks slimmer in pic 5 than in pic 2.

You are motivating me to post my first progress pics. Think I need til the end of March for that one. Keep up the good work!!
 
Thanks bellyoff!

Had another good day yesterday. Stuck to my food plan, which is easy when you don't have anythinge else in the fridge :x Got in more water than im used to, which I suppose cant hurt.

Odd thing happened last night, I went to the gym, and while I was there I felt really drained the entire time. I'm not sure if its this head cold ive been battling this whole week, but I struggled through my cycles. Went to play a few raquetball games afterwards, and although I got a good sweat, I still felt pretty lethargic the entire time. The good news is that it hasn't happened before, so I think ill write it off as a bad night's sleep or something I ate. Now that I think about it, I went a lot earlier than I usually do, and I had just eaten my dinner 20 mins prior. Tonight ill give it a little time to digest :p

Would rank the workout at around a 6/10 in perceived effort, as opposed to the 8/10 earlier in the week.

Weighed in this morning at 294.2

This weekend I am going to stay ON the ball. Going to do my best not to cheat and eat any unhealthy food. That means no high sodium chipotle, or any beers at the bar. Considering how suppressive alcohol is on the metabolism, I may give that up for a few months anyways. In the past its been a 4 steps forward during m-f and 2 steps back sat-sun, so im going to make an effort to stay on track and have a REALLY good week!
 
Great pics!! You can really tell a big difference, and you have a great smile!

I'm glad you're rocking it out this week, being sick (and dealing with a sick little one) has really taken its toll on my workout schedule! Hoping to get back into the swing of things tomorrow and all weekend long. At least the food has been mostly on track.

I've gotta get trucking though, I have about 5lbs. to lose in 10 days! :auto:
 
Those are some excellent photos, young man.

There's some truly dramatic change there. Your face really shows it, but there's very noticeable change in the rest of your body as well.

Congratulations, and we are going to want to see the next set of photos when you hit your next goal.
 
Great work Andy, you might not be where you want to be yet but you've certainly made a big difference already!! You should be pleased with what you've acheived. :) Keep it up x
 
Thanks go out to everyone for the feedback! Doing that was something out of my comfort zone, but I think that most successful people have to jump out into the unknown occasionally. Thats one of the resolutions I made this year, and I've got big plans down the road.

Had an easy weekend. Bought ME2 and played it like ALL weekend. I did have to take breaks to be, ya know, social, and actually do get up and do something, but its been a lot of fun :D I've been batteling some crappy cold for like 2-3 weeks now. It comes and goes, and I think im over it again. The bottomline is that I didnt work out because I felt pretty meh all weekend. I weighed in sunday for the v-day challenge at 290.8, so I'm almost through that barrier. Anyways, went to a super bowl party and had a lot of fun! Held out for a while, but eventually succumbed to the pizza and beer being served. I only had a little pizza, but I drank like 3-4 beers. Weigh in this morning showed about 292.2 I think, so yea. LOTS OF WATER TODAY!

"Last chance" workout tonight before BL weigh in tomorrow. I haven't been to the gym all weekend, so I'm gonna give it a hell of an effort tonight. GO ORANGE!
 
Man, I love rainy weather. Its been overcast for the past 3 weeks, and I have enjoyed EVERY day of it. Still, in the back of my mind I know that in 2 months itll be 90 degrees again. ick. So im trying to spend as much time outside before I begin my annual tradition of promising to move out of death valley, AZ.

Anywho, went to the gym last night full of energy, and I got all my workouts done. Oddly, it seems like in all my cycles, ive been able to add weights EXCEPT bicep curls, which have been roughly the same since I can remember. As long as im working em out, I guess its all I can really do I suppose. :banghead:

Nothing really worth noting haha. I did pass the 60 pound mark which was a nice milestone, and I'm heading to get my measurements done sometime this week, to compare them to the beginning of Jan.

Been flirting with the 280s. Sometime this week ill break in. Weighed in this morning at 291.2.

BL TONIGHT!
 
Another day. :troll:

Last night I felt really sluggish when I got home. I knew I needed to go to the gym, but I felt glued to the couch. Realized I'd be more dissapointed if I skipped out, so I moped my way there. Again (shocking right) as soon as I got there I was happy I went, and I turned it into a really nice workout. Started with my legs circuits and finished up with some cardio last night.

You know whats really annoying? When you're at the end of your cardio run, and your ipod/mp3 starts playing really slow music when you need an upbeat pace. So you skip the song. and the next. and the next. Start wondering why you have all this annoying slow music, and promise to SIT DOWN and make a playlist later. Yea, well, literally 15 songs later I find my toon, and finish my run. Phew!

Lately, ive been really pushing myself with the weights. I read somewhere on here that to get the maximum benefit of weights, you need to do the sets somewhere between 80%-100% of your capabilities. So, I've been constantly adjusting the weights so as I finish my last set, I know I can't go much longer. If I can go a little more, my last set ill continue on until I fail. I've also changed from 3x12 to 4x10 (with the last set continuing till failure).

Ohh, a little tangent. This morning I noticed some gnarly bruises on my shoulders. I think they are from the calf machine I use. To get to where I need to be, its set at around 215-230 pounds, but its bruising me. I'm not too worried about it, in fact I think if I continue then my shoulders will adapt and they will eventually go away.

Didn't really feel like cardio, but as I walked by the treadmills I noticed the end of the Duke/UNC game was on, so I jumped on and committed to it while it was on TV. Its amazing how much quicker the time goes by when youre actually engaged in something on TV. Its why doing stuff outside it more fun for me than the treadmill, but the treadmill is just too damn convenient.

Everything is going well! This morning shows a weigh in of 289.8!
 
Last edited:
:chillpill:

FRIDAY FINALLY! :hurray:

Have had some really low energy lately during my lifting sessions. I'm hoping that its just because its the end of the day, and I am naturally winding down. It also could be that (AGAIN) I stayed up one or two nights a little past my bedtime and ive been a little sleepy all week because of it :p

With some muscle groups, it seems like im hardly progressing. Its still a struggle to maintain the same weights I did previously. In two instances, I actually had to do less just to finish the set. I'm really REALLY hoping its not because I am losing a large portion of lean mass, because I have made it a point to work my muscles in my workout regiment. I give at least 72 hours of recovery before I work the same area again, and I repeat those sets often. I've also been consuming a MUCH larger portion of my diet in proteins (some with every meal, and a whey shake afterwards), though ive been skimping on carbs (only through veggies/fruit). I may try and experiment tonight with some carbs to see if that helps my energy level. I'm not sure if its enough, but I may start eating a bit more to make sure im not shooting myself in the foot.

So yea, its likely just in my head (MINDFREAK), and if I gave it a few days i'm sure I could see some strength gains. :willy_nilly:


Weigh in shows 290.4. Gonna have a big LONG weekend! Monday is a day off (cause the fed is closed :D :D) Have a nice weekend everyone! :cheers2:
 
Another day. :troll:

Lately, ive been really pushing myself with the weights. I read somewhere on here that to get the maximum benefit of weights, you need to do the sets somewhere between 80%-100% of your capabilities.

the weight range used realy depends on the goal

so estimated %1rm for an
advanced strength trainer 85-95% 2-6 reps and 1-6 sets
beginner strength 70-80% 8-12 reps and 2-3 sets
Power 80-90% 4-8 reps and 3-6 sets
Lean mass 60-80% 6-15 reps for 1-5 set
Endurance 50-70% 15-30 reps 2-3 sets

then it gets all mixed up with advanced training methods but thats the basic guide

well done with thel losses :)
 
Nice relaxing weekend. Was pretty sedentary during the time, which was a change lol. Nothing exceptional to report. Weigh in shows 289.0 this morning. Not as much as I would like, but I didnt work as hard as I usually do, and a loss is a loss is a loss, sooooooo I'm ok with it :p

At least its the beginning of the work week, so I can get into a routine for the next 4 nights and do SOME WORK! BL is on tonight. Should be some priiime TV watchin.

I totally feel myself getting more comfortable in my skin. Its AWESOME. I love it. I feel more confident in public places. I've come far. I feel like a lot of that urgency I felt in my 300+ is lower. Thing is, I know in the back of my mind I'm not even HALFWAY DONE! So, I'll keep on going, because I know I'm gonna like what I see more and more.

Have a strong healthy week everyone!
 
Last edited:
Got my first gym visit in last night in the past.....4-5 days? haha whatever, it felt nice to actually get down there and sweat. Did my full arms/shoulders sets and then hopped on the treadmill for some cardio. Afterwards, I went back to the weights and did one more set of each just to see if I could do it after wearing myself out. I was worried about diminished muscles before....I think I was just tired. I was lifting with relative ease last night, so thats a positive. It could also be I gave myself a lot more veggies with dinner for the carbs, but whatever works lol


Been changing up my diet lately. Took kara's advice, and actually had an omelette for dinner when I wasn't feeling like chicken. It was SO good. I love how you can mix in a ton of stuff and keep improving it too! That and snacking on little cans of Tuna in water with a lemon wedge. It can be a little dry, but it tastes good too :D

Weigh in this morning shows 286.2, which is a 2.8 pound loss from yesterday. I laughed, realized I must have pleased the finicky scale gods. Also realize its mostly water from last night.

I changed my final goal from 220 to 200 after some thought. I still hear about a lot of 220ish people that would like to drop a few more pounds, but I think at 6'3 200 will have me pretty lean. I'll evaluate it the closer I get, but thats months down the road :p

Anyways, keeping it up this time! Stay healthy!
 
Hey all, hope everything is going well!

**NON WEIGHT RANT**

Had a day off yesterday, and was actually semi-productive with it! Due to this bleh economy, I've recently debated about going back to school. Well, today I spoke to an academic advisor in the accountancy masters program at my university, and apparently I would need to take 4 more upper division acc classes to get my acc degree because I'm missing a lot of the pre-reqs. My first degree was in management, and I thought I'd be able to write my own ticket out of college.

LOL

So now i'm faced with spending a year getting an additional accounting degree JUST TO APPLY to the masters program. I'm sure the B.S. would be its own merit, but I don't know if its worth the effort. Need to talk that one over with my parents, especially because they help me fund college :p

**RANT OVER**

Anyways, met up with a buddy and my sister on campus, and we all ate at Panda Express. Haven't been there in months, but I'll use it as my cheat this week. It was really good, but man, I could tell it was chauk FULL of sodium. Oh well, gonna retain for a few days. Accounted for it the rest of the day, and had a light omelette with ham and a light yogurt for dinner. After workout, I also had a whey shake. Seems light, but I wasn't hungry all day, soo just listening to my body :p

Got the the gym a little later than usual, so I busted through my sets as quick as I could (still quality sets, just less downtime between) and closed the place on the treadmill. Did my legs, and i'm glad I made it there instead of calling an off night. Easy day!

Stay thirsty my friends
 
Very up and down week. Ate out a lot more than I usually do, but overall I honestly feel like I evened out my calories. I went to my aunt's last night because we had family in town, and I received a lot of compliments from my weight loss. It felt nice, and people were curious which "system" I used to get there. I referenced the eat less crap, go to the gym more diet plan.

I started off feb really strong, but ive been slowing down towards the end. I want to have a good weigh in for tomorrow's club challenge, but more importantly I want to end feb on a HIGH note with some momentum into march. I've done the math a hundred times. I should be where I want to be in 5-6 months. I'm in a place where I love how much more confidence I have now, and I can't really imagine how AWESOME it will be get down to a 20% body fat. I could take my shirt off in PUBLIC! WHAHAHHAHAHAAA? Yea, that will be a pretty big day. Until then, its all about making the t-shirts im wearing fit better :p

Had a wonderful weekend, but still succumbed to my weakness for beer :x. More than usual this weekend. Don't really want to add up how many empty cals I fed myself, but I'm sure it wasn't pretty. Oh well, its monday now, and im working on water. Gonna put in some quality time to kick feb's butt.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top