Support my cutting goal Please.

[First6]

Anyone:
Is my half serving of NP in my bedtime shake helping or hurting me?

[gbrice75]

Thanks Bro!
Yeah I hear ya! I was really having a hard time on the weekends. Sometimes doing okay and sometimes not. "packing" for the day today REALLY helped me out. Give it a try.

I definitely will try that. I have always looked forward to the weekends as not as a time to go off my diet and go nuts, but to be a bit less rigid. I guess I need to get over that mentality.

[gbrice75]

Anyone:
Is my half serving of NP in my bedtime shake helping or hurting me?

Sorry bro, i'm too lazy to go back so pardon my ignorance - but what is NP? Natty PB?

[First6]

Sorry bro, i'm too lazy to go back so pardon my ignorance - but what is NP? Natty PB?

Lol sorry bout that.
Yeh natty p butter.

[gbrice75]

Drop it if it doesn't fit your caloric goal, or if you're not seeing changes. Your weight and BF went down, so leave it alone!

[Twist]

You are doing well so no changes for now.

[First6]

Update:
Been a little while since I did one!

I did not get to taking pics over the weekend. I do not go to the office on Monday's so my plan was to take the pics Mon morning (so I could get in as much progress as possible before I had to post them lol). BUT Sunday evening I got a call and ended up having to go to the office on Monday. Not only did I have to go but I was there from 6am to 7:30p. Sucked! So the pics will have to wait until this coming weekend.

Progress has been going well.
Diet:
Staying on track. I had a cheat meal planned for Sunday but last minute decided not to do it. I just allowed myself a handfull of peanut M&M's after my regular lunch. The bad thing is they were as good as I remembered! LOL
Workout:
Staying on track. Still doing lot's of cardio. Min of 1 hour a day. But 4-5 days I end up doing a second hour. Also doing the lifting on schedule.

How do I look/feel:
I never like the way I look. That being said I can def see changes in the mirror. I look more toned. Some muscle areas actually look bigger than before even though I am not growing muscle. I also notice when I soap up in the shower that my upper body feels harder/less soft. I can feel my abs (with my hand) now under there somewhere. Okay.... Go ahead.... let he feeling myself up jokes fly....

[gbrice75]

Staying on track. I had a cheat meal planned for Sunday but last minute decided not to do it. I just allowed myself a handfull of peanut M&M's after my regular lunch. The bad thing is they were as good as I remembered! LOL

How do I look/feel:
I never like the way I look. That being said I can def see changes in the mirror. I look more toned. Some muscle areas actually look bigger than before even though I am not growing muscle. I also notice when I soap up in the shower that my upper body feels harder/less soft. I can feel my abs (with my hand) now under there somewhere. Okay.... Go ahead.... let he feeling myself up jokes fly....

Great job bro! Peanut M&M's - a serious weakness for me!

Your muscles look bigger simply because of the better definition - it's an illusion, but a good one - I don't mean that in a negative way. I know EXACTLY what you mean about feeling your abs when you soap up in the shower - it's one of my 'tests' every morning lol!

Yea yea, we all know you're in there snappin' the carrot!

[First6]

Great job bro! Peanut M&M's - a serious weakness for me!

Your muscles look bigger simply because of the better definition - it's an illusion, but a good one - I don't mean that in a negative way. I know EXACTLY what you mean about feeling your abs when you soap up in the shower - it's one of my 'tests' every morning lol!

Yea yea, we all know you're in there snappin' the carrot!

LOL
Yeah. Don't get me wrong... I don't have "real" abs yet by any stretch but I least now I know they are under there! Still a little cushionon top of them. Not as much tho!

[gbrice75]

LOL
Yeah. Don't get me wrong... I don't have "real" abs yet by any stretch but I least now I know they are under there! Still a little cushionon top of them. Not as much tho!

heh, you don't have to tell me bro, I hear you!

[Damienm05]

It's always a good idea to experiment with some intense cardio and diuretics for a week. Some guys hold a lot of water and could be closer to "real" abs than they think.

[First6]

It's always a good idea to experiment with some intense cardio and diuretics for a week. Some guys hold a lot of water and could be closer to "real" abs than they think.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Damien. I'm sure mine is all fat though! LOL

Diuretics? educate me.

[First6]

Almost ready to head home for the day.
Diet is still on track. Despite the cupcakes that are in the kitchen!

Can't wait for tomorrow! Wednesday's are my triple threat day! 3 cardio sessions! I usually burn 1200-1300 cals on Wednesday's, Bring it!

[gbrice75]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Damien. I'm sure mine is all fat though! LOL

Diuretics? educate me.

Diuretics - such as water pills. I took them before and during my trip to Mexico (JUST came off cycle) to bring the bloat down. They can do a decent job, but you'll piss alot - especially when you're drinking corona after margarita after corona...

[Twist]

Great progress man. Its good to hear that you are noticing a difference. As for not liking how you look, most of us on this board will never like the way we look. That is what brought us here, and that is what will keep us here. Keep pushing on! And IF you absolutely have to eat an m&m pack, do it after your workout, and drink a protein shake with it. Do not eat it with food. The last thing we want to do is spike insulin and give your body plenty of calories to go with it. Separate crappy food from good meals. but don't cheat lol.

[gymbud]

This may be a tad random, but it's in reference to the comment about fruits. I learned (somewhere?) that lime/lemon juice lowers the GI of food. Useful in cases where you're wanting to chow on some fruit salad or berries or whathaveu that could work with lime/lemon (or even lemon juice over fish).

[First6]

Diuretics - such as water pills. I took them before and during my trip to Mexico (JUST came off cycle) to bring the bloat down. They can do a decent job, but you'll piss alot - especially when you're drinking corona after margarita after corona...

Got it. Thanks.

Great progress man. Its good to hear that you are noticing a difference. As for not liking how you look, most of us on this board will never like the way we look. That is what brought us here, and that is what will keep us here. Keep pushing on! And IF you absolutely have to eat an m&m pack, do it after your workout, and drink a protein shake with it. Do not eat it with food. The last thing we want to do is spike insulin and give your body plenty of calories to go with it. Separate crappy food from good meals. but don't cheat lol.

WOW I thought I was doing good by skipping the whole cheat meal and just going with some M&M's after the reg meal. Turns out I probably hurt myself more than I realized. Never knew about spiking the insulin while there are a lot of calories for it to use. Makes sense though. And it wasn't after or even near a workout either. Even worse.

This may be a tad random, but it's in reference to the comment about fruits. I learned (somewhere?) that lime/lemon juice lowers the GI of food. Useful in cases where you're wanting to chow on some fruit salad or berries or whathaveu that could work with lime/lemon (or even lemon juice over fish).

Welcome to the forum and thanks for jumping in on my thread. Can't really help you with your question/comment though. I never heard of that one.

[Twist]

it didn't hurt you that bad at all bro. Just saying if you got to do it, do it differently

[First6]

it didn't hurt you that bad at all bro. Just saying if you got to do it, do it differently

Okay I gotcha.

[First6]

Attachment 111642Attachment 111643

I had some rare spare time this evening so I decided to take the pics tonight instead of trying to find time over the weekend. I'm going to be gone half the weekend anyway.


I would appreciate a BF estimate please!

I am not happy with how I look but I do see improvments. I'm going in the right direction and that is what is most important. I think the change is decent for the short time period.

Sat Morn will be weigh in.

[First6]

Here's 2 more

Attachment 111645Attachment 111644

[First6]

I dont think I look good yet by any stretch but I am making progress. The good thing is now my BF is starting to get to a level where changes will become more and more noticable. Next pics will be in 2 weeks. I hope improvements will be more pronounced.
I def feel like I have less fat. Hey! when I lay on my side my belly doesn't fall over and rest on the bed anymore! Sounds stupid but that was a major goal for me. LOL

[Twist]

Wow dude good job. I am very pleased. You are right the first pounds of fat don't do much for definition, but in about a week you should really start seeing progress. A lot of improvement here. You need to really not let your guard down now. I have a lot of guys who start slacking cuz the progress gets to their heads and they start to think that they can afford a couple meals and after no time they are off the wagon.
What's the stats now?
How long have you been on this solid for? You started the thread on the 21 but I don't think we got anything in stone till like the 30? not sure. So how long would you say you have been on the program for?


I am very pleased with the results, let's keep them coming. Get the new stats up and give us a recap of diet and training all in one post when you get time. Make it like your first post

Old stats, date
New stats, date

diet
training schedule

I wanna see if we need to adjust anything

[gbrice75]

WOW! Very noticeable progress bro, huge difference. I'm not just giving you BS either, I don't do that because I wouldn't want people doing that to me. Boy got guns!! Keep going bro, it's working for you for sure.

[First6]

Wow dude good job. I am very pleased. You are right the first pounds of fat don't do much for definition, but in about a week you should really start seeing progress. A lot of improvement here. You need to really not let your guard down now. I have a lot of guys who start slacking cuz the progress gets to their heads and they start to think that they can afford a couple meals and after no time they are off the wagon.
What's the stats now?
How long have you been on this solid for? You started the thread on the 21 but I don't think we got anything in stone till like the 30? not sure. So how long would you say you have been on the program for?


I am very pleased with the results, let's keep them coming. Get the new stats up and give us a recap of diet and training all in one post when you get time. Make it like your first post

Old stats, date
New stats, date

diet
training schedule

I wanna see if we need to adjust anything

I like this idea. I will get this up. Honestly don't know If I will do it today or on Sunday. I am leaving in a few minutes to help a friend fix his car and don't know how long it will take. Tomorrow I am working ALL day. I will do it though. I am very interested to see if you are going to make any changes.
I think things are still going fine but I will know more when I weigh in tomorrow morning. I will also check the bf% to keep tabs on the downward trend. I'll post the weigh in results in the am before I go to work for sure.

WOW! Very noticeable progress bro, huge difference. I'm not just giving you BS either, I don't do that because I wouldn't want people doing that to me. Boy got guns!! Keep going bro, it's working for you for sure.

Thanks GB! Really appreciate your support and help along this journey. Let's finish this thing up strong!

You guys surprise me with your comments. I see and feel changes but thought it was rather insignificant. I am so glad to hear you see it! I am hugely encouraged from it! It bolsters my desire to move forward as strongly as possible! I am ready to complete this. I am going to be even more vigilant now! You guys have lit a fire with your comments!

[bigcwithane]

Your looking good first. Keep it up and you'll be to your goal in no time bro.

[First6]

Time to update this thing.

Things have been going good. Real Good! I've been working hard and staying on diet.

Twist - We got a skeleton of a plan together by the 22nd. I really put it into place on the 23rd but made some diet changes on the 24. So let's say the 25th was prob my first day of doing what I continue to do to this day. So we are looking at 3 Weeks and 1 day so far.

Beginning STATS:
37yrs
5'8"
167lbs
BF 18.5%
Current STATS: (after 3 weeks)
37yrs
5'8"
164lbs
BF 13.9%

Here is a pic of my BF now and it also shows what it was 25 days ago.
Attachment 111688

Diet:
I am still eating the same thing which is:
Breakfast:
2 scoops whey
.5 cup oats
430/57/33/7
Morning snack:
4oz tuna
.5 cup oats
250/27/27/5
Lunch:
6oz chicken breast
3 cups green veggies
1 cup brown rice
473/42/63/6
Afternoon snack:
6oz chicken breast OR tuna
1 cup brown rice
353/38/43/6
Dinner:
6 oz chicken breast
3 cups green veggies
285/39/20/4
Before bed:
1 scoop ON Casein
1tbsp natty pb
205/29/8/7

Approximate totals:
1995/232/193/34
P46%/C39%/F15%

Days I do only cardio I only do 1 scoop of whey in the am and skip the oats. Or half the oats depending on how i feel.
I have not had any days yet where i do nothing at all (meaning no weights or cardio).

Workout:
I am doing what you told me to do the best I can.
To be honest though I pretty often do more than I should with the workout. I am having a hard time with it mentally feeling like it is not enough. I know you know best but i am struggling with that part. I am trying.

monday: Chest and Biceps AND 1 Hour cardio
flat bench 35 lbs db as many reps as you can do for 5 sets
Dips, put weight on your lap and feet up on another chair so your legs are extended and nothing is touching the floor, 8-12 reps, 4 sets
preacher curls 4 sets of 7-10 reps
standing arm curls 3 sets of 10 reps

tuesday 2 SESSIONS of 1 hour of cardio

wednesday back and triceps AND 2 sessions of 1 hour cardio
bent over rows 6 sets of 8-12 (standing)
good mornings with great form, light weight, 20 reps 3 sets
chin ups, 1 set of 20
pull ups, 1 set of 20
overhead db tricep extension, 4 sets of 8-12
Kickbacks, 3 sets of 16 reps

thursday 2 SESSIONS of 1 hour of cardio

friday legs and shoulders AND 1 hour cardio
military press, standing, 4 sets of heavy.
lateral raise, 3 sets of 8-12
stiff legged deadlift 4 sets of 12,
Squat, put a 35lb weight on each shoulder and do 4 sets of max reps
Lunge, hold the 35lbs and lunge deep for 4 sets of 16 steps with each foot.

saturday sunday 1 hour cardio each day.

That's 10 hours of cardio every week!
ANYONE doing more cardio than me??? HaHa doubt it! If so - Look at my changes beginning next week. lol
I told you I would show you results and I will!

Planned changes beginning TOMORROW:
Diet:
None
Workout: I will be adding 1 hour of cardio on Tues and Thurs on top of what I am already doing. It's gonna ROCK!

[Twist]

WOW. That's all I got to say bro. You are ****ing killing it. Time to adjust a little...

Workout adjustments needed: We need to go heavier on ALL compound lifts.
1. Flat db chest press - we need this to be heavier. I want your reps to do this 20 (warmup), 4, 4, 8, 16 then dips, then biceps
2. Biceps - Do regular rotating bicep curls standing or seated, but follow this with as close to flat bar curls as you can get. This exercise should be done with grip a little wider than shoulder width, and curl like pinky is trying to touch your outer shoulder.
3. Back - I want 10 of your chinups to be behind the neck, make this the first 10 you do. Also we need deadlifts in there now. You can superset deadlifts with light goodmornings. You can do deads with your heaviest dbs, great form is a must; four sets. OMIT 10 pullups
4. You can do a little more tricep work if you want, like 2-3 sets of something.
5. Legs - try to up your weight for both squats and lunges.

Diet adjustments needed
Here we go lol. Up you carbs by 25 grams. You are clearly gaining muscle while burning fat so I am gonna go with it.

Other adjustments needed
We will soon need to implement a rest day with an intake 0f 1900 cals. not sure if we have to do it just yet, but we will need to.

[First6]

WOW. That's all I got to say bro. You are ****ing killing it. Time to adjust a little...

Workout adjustments needed: We need to go heavier on ALL compound lifts.
1. Flat db chest press - we need this to be heavier. I want your reps to do this 20 (warmup), 4, 4, 8, 16 then dips, then biceps
2. Biceps - Do regular rotating bicep curls standing or seated, but follow this with as close to flat bar curls as you can get. This exercise should be done with grip a little wider than shoulder width, and curl like pinky is trying to touch your outer shoulder.
3. Back - I want 10 of your chinups to be behind the neck, make this the first 10 you do. Also we need deadlifts in there now. You can superset deadlifts with light goodmornings. You can do deads with your heaviest dbs, great form is a must; four sets. OMIT 10 pullups
4. You can do a little more tricep work if you want, like 2-3 sets of something.
5. Legs - try to up your weight for both squats and lunges.

Diet adjustments needed
Here we go lol. Up you carbs by 25 grams. You are clearly gaining muscle while burning fat so I am gonna go with it.

Other adjustments needed
We will soon need to implement a rest day with an intake 0f 1900 cals. not sure if we have to do it just yet, but we will need to.

Thanks for the encouragement!
I'm working hard and I appreciate the support!
Gotta give the credit to you and gb though. Gb really motivated me to get this going and you have been unbelievable with your help and support.

Still have a ways to go though so hang with me for the ride!

The changes sound good. I have 2 questions right out of the box. ....
The behind the head pull ups. What grip do you want for these? Overhand (palms away) and shoulder width?
Add the 25g of carbs through the day or at one meal? What meal is best?
I think I already know the answers but I want to be sure I am doing what you want and also want to be sure you know what I am doing.

I have not done a rest day yet. I know you wanted me to. I was just hopin you wouldn't catch me. LOL not looking forward to that. It makes it tough to get back on track the next day. (for me)

[Twist]

I won't hassle you about the rest day. But make 25g carbs as much pwo as you can. On days when you don't do heavy lifting, don't do the 25g increase. But on days you do you can either spread it out or do pwo. Either way is cool With me. If it were me I would up my carbs in the morning by 5g for two meals that fall before workout, say breakfast and lunch, then add 15g pwo or in the ppwo meal (best option). Then night meals remain the same. Don't add 25g of simple carbs though! And if it is a cardio only day or a rest day, don't up the carbs

[First6]

I won't hassle you about the rest day. When it comes time - If I have to do it tell me. I don't want to sacrifice what is best for me just because "I don't wanna do something". I want to do what is best. If I run into something that def just does not work for me I will let you know. But make 25g carbs as much pwo as you can. On days when you don't do heavy lifting, don't do the 25g increase. But on days you do you can either spread it out or do pwo. Either way is cool With me. If it were me I would up my carbs in the morning by 5g for two meals that fall before workout, say breakfast and lunch, then add 15g pwo or in the ppwo meal (best option). Then night meals remain the same. Don't add 25g of simple carbs though! And if it is a cardio only day or a rest day, don't up the carbs

Okay. This is what I thought. Glad I checked though. I wanted to be sure.

What about the pull up hand position? Shoulder width with palms away (overhand)?

[Twist]

little wider than shoulder width, yeah palms facing away. Idk how to do a behind the neck with palms facing toward, that's super awkward. Keep up the good work.

[First6]

little wider than shoulder width, yeah palms facing away. Idk how to do a behind the neck with palms facing toward, that's super awkward. Keep up the good work.

LOL Guess I didn't give that to much thought before I asked. lol

[Twist]

following, keep it coming.

[Choppers]

Fantastic thread.

Serious kudos to the OP for dedication and persistence. Results are REALLY showing bro. Keep it up.

Out of interest how much longer would it take for the OP to get to 10%?

[gbrice75]

Fantastic thread.

Serious kudos to the OP for dedication and persistence. Results are REALLY showing bro. Keep it up.

Out of interest how much longer would it take for the OP to get to 10%?

That all depends on his genetics... it's individual. Nobody can really say it'll take X amount of days, or you'll lose X amount of bodyfat per week, etc.

[First6]

That all depends on his genetics... it's individual. Nobody can really say it'll take X amount of days, or you'll lose X amount of bodyfat per week, etc.

Yeah as much as I would love to have an idea of how long I have to go GB is right. It is also tough because the lower your bf is the harder is can be to keep losing it. So I can't even say" well it took me X weeks to go from 18 to 14 so it should take the same time to go from 14 to 10. Just doesn't work that way.

Choppers - Just to point out - My official "on the books" goal is 12% I MIGHT continue on to try to achieve 10 but I have not made that decision yet. I will make that decision with the advise of Twist and GB when the time comes. But thanks for trying to sneak in the extra motivation. LOL Thought you would get in my head with that 10% didn't you! LOL well guess what - It worked. Now you got me thinkin about it again.
Oh and thanks for your comment on my thread! I hope to see you around.

[First6]

UPDATE:

Not a whole lot to report right now.
Yesterday I did 3 1 hour sessions of cardio.
Today I have done 2 1 hour sessions of cardio and will be doing weights tonight.
Diet is on track. Just eating what I am supposed to. No more no less. EXCEPT this morning as I was making my shake after my cardio I saw a container of home made choc chip cookies that my wife made. I was chewing the last bite of one before I even knew what I was doing. WTF? Seriously my mind was so preoccupied with stuff today that I ate that cookie without even knowing I was doing it. Just goes to show what my old life was like. No wonder my body looked the way it did. Stupid.

Hey I ordered a set of BF calipers yesterday. I'm anxious to get a reading with them. I just have to learn how to use them lol. My wife says she knows how - and they come with "instructions for a 9 point test" so between the 2 I should be able to do it.

That's it for now. Looking forward to seeing some progress at weigh in on Sat since I up'd my carbs and up'd my cardio.

[Twist]

Keep it coming 6. Let's see what your Saturday stats are. I can't wait. You and gb weigh in on the same day! You might be going a little too hard lol. after this week I want a rest day. My clients lose on average 3lbs per week and I have never put anyone on a program as intense as yours.

[First6]

Keep it coming 6. Let's see what your Saturday stats are. I can't wait. You and gb weigh in on the same day! You might be going a little too hard lol. Dyer this week I want a rest day. My clients lose on average albs per week and I have never put anyone on a program as intense as yours.

Thanks Bro! Yeah I'm constantly thinking about Saturday now. I can't wait for it. One more Saturday toward my goal! I hope I am not over doing it. There is nothing worse than working to hard. You put out all that work and get nothing back. Feels like sh!t. I think I am okay though. It takes my body more than average (I think) to respond. That is why I am insiting on doing more than average. So far my body is responding well to what we are putting it through. I'm anxious and nervous to see what it does with the changes we just threw at it. As of right now I def look like I have less fat then in my most recent pics posted. Good stuff!

Tonights workout went really well. I was anxious to try the behind the neck pullups so I did some. They are tough. I like them though!

Twist - I have a few questions for you. I will pm.