Old Fat Dork

[David B.]

Here's a couple of snapshots, just to put a face to the name. Picture #1 was taken in April, 1999, when I was 42 years old. This is at my place of work, and it was taken by an extremely lovely cocktail waitress named Marlo, who unfortunately is married. I had been lifting for about two years at that time, but hadn't made much progress. I'm 5'10", and was about 200-205 lbs. in that picture. I was fatter than that picture makes me look.

To give a sense of scale, my wrists are 8" around. Of the other few visible body parts, I'm gonna guess that my biceps were 16" then, forearms probably 12". I was wearing trousers with a 36" waist.

I had just gotten those glasses -- at age 42 I went straight from no correction to bifocals.

I still have that t-shirt, but my arms pretty much fill the sleeves now. When I'm done with my present cycle at the end of May, I'm gonna have Marlo (she's still here) re-take the same photo, four years and two months later, same guy, same t-shirt, same glasses, a current issue of Guitar Player Magazine, and hopefully a better haircut. And 50-60 more pounds.


--dnb

[David B.]

This photo is from last August, taken by the wife of a friend from Florida. I've cropped the friend out. I was 46 years old (still am, 'til July...) and I had just started my first cycle (T-200/EQ/d-bol) and was pretty bloated on the d-bol. I was probably 230-235 lbs. then, and those were 38" denim shorts. Other stats of the few visible parts: chest was 48", wrists still 8", forearms 14", biceps 18.25". BF was probably 28% or so.

Compared to this photo, my waist is now fractionally smaller, my chest is now 50", forearms 15", biceps 18.5", and my shoulders are noticeably thicker. My traps are nothing special, but I wore that same white shirt yesterday and I noticed that the collar is now a lot closer to my ears, and the seams are now on top of my shoulders instead of to the side of them. I now weigh 252 lbs., BF is maybe 25%. The 38" shorts aren't quite as tight now, except around the glutes. I'm in week 11 of a 15-week enan/deca/proviron cycle, jump-started with d-bol. I've added 60 lbs. to my bench press this cycle, but none of my other lifts are up nearly that much.

I may or may not work up the courage to post some shirtless photos at the end of my present cycle, I dunno yet. I don't think anyone really wants to see my pale white gut. I'll take the photos anyway, 'cause I need a reference, since I'm gonna start cutting as soon as I'm done with post-cycle maintenance. I'm gonna pony up the $$$ for the Swolegenix/Swoledup program, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not clever enough to do it on my own.

In the past I've never really much cared that I am a fatass, and always suffered under the delusion that I could "grow into the fat," but I've had a "Road To Damascus" revelation during this present cycle. That revelation is that I was a fool to try to do one, let alone two bulking cycles when I had so much cutting that needed to be done. I've hit a brick wall at 250 lbs., I just cannot cram enough food down my gullet to gain any more. If I ever stand a chance of gaining as much lean mass as I want, I'm gonna have to make room for it by losing the fat.

My goal is not to become shredded, I think I'd be happy at 15% BF, 'cause I'm still a bigorexic at heart. I reserve the right to change my mind if the cutting goes well, though, I may actually become vain and decide to try to get pretty. If I cut down to 10%, then that'll give me room to bulk back up to 15%, put on some nice size and not totally lard out. I'm banking on the idea that bulking on the rebound after prolonged cutting often results in an explosion of mass.

Feel free to comment.

--dnb

[thickmass]

Exactly what is it you want our input for, if it's critique, then don't hide behind furniture and white shirts n jeans.

[WhackTheBid]

dude- I was an old fat guy 7 months ago
Hit the cardio 30 -45 min a day in the AM on an empty stomach
Eat lean- high protien low carb diet
hit the weights HARD
In no time people wont even recognize you and you will be much healthier.
I once thought I would never be fit again. The time flies and after about 3-4 weeks you will see results daily you will love it
Good luck

[palme]

Originally posted by thickmass
Exactly what is it you want our input for, if it's critique, then don't hide behind furniture and white shirts n jeans.

Did you read what he said in his posts? His not hidding!

I think it´s a good idea that you do some cutting David. I would like to know who on this board that isnt bigorexic but dropping some bf will do good for the heart and youll look bigger I say go for the swolegenix, the man knows his shit.
Good luck bro!

[GandolfReturns]

Dude, I dont think you realize waht 10, 15 or even 25% bodyfat is. Its my guess your about 30% body fat easy, given your current weight and measurements. It is going to be a long hard road to lose the fat attaining 15%. YOu can do it but there can't be any thought of pulling out of the regime. My advice is a High protein fat diet with one carb load day a week. Look into it.

Good Luck,

God Speed

G

[Pete235]

Originally posted by GandolfReturns
Dude, I dont think you realize waht 10, 15 or even 25% bodyfat is. Its my guess your about 30% body fat easy, given your current weight and measurements.

Basing your guess on weight and measurements is pointless and very inaccurate. It's possible that he is 30% but it is just as possible that he is 25%. The only true way is the have a measurment taken...preferably the water displacement method (most accurate).

Thickmass, he didn't ask for input on the photos...read the posts again. He posted the pics simply for us to be able to put a face to a name. He asked for comments on the content of what was written.

Dave, just keep doin what your doin bro and if you're happy with the progress (size strength, etc) then that is what matters. If you want advice on any certain aspect then just ask...but I know you're already aware of that

[David B.]

Originally posted by thickmass
Exactly what is it you want our input for, if it's critique, then don't hide behind furniture and white shirts n jeans.

Valid point. These are literally the only photos of myself that I have where any flesh is visible at all, even if it is only my forearms. I've made several attempts to photograph myself, but I've always bailed because (1) I felt silly, (2) I don't know any BB poses, and (3) it's difficult to photograph yourself when your only full-length mirror is in a narrow, dimly lit hallway. I suppose I could use a tripod, shoot wide, and then crop on the computer. Ain't no way I'm gonna ask a friend or neighbor "hey, would you take a few snaps of me while I stand here half naked making silly poses?" I guess that's what girlfriends or wives are for, too bad I don't have one of those at the moment...

--dnb

[David B.]

Originally posted by GandolfReturns
Dude, I dont think you realize waht 10, 15 or even 25% bodyfat is. Its my guess your about 30% body fat easy, given your current weight and measurements.

It is very possible that I am underestimating my BF%, I just use the various online calculators/guess-u-lators. However, in my defense, I should point out that in the "great white whale" photo, Janet was using a wide angle lens and was standing lower than me on a hill, such that the height of the lens was about even with my waist, which tends to exaggerate the size of my midsection. My chest and back were, and are, larger than my gut.

--dnb

[TheMudMan]

"I still have that t-shirt, but my arms pretty much fill the sleeves now."

That's always a great feeling. Putting on clothes from a year ago on and they are tighter (in the good places).

Do you play the guitar? I've been for the past 16 years.

Good luck and I hope you achieve all your goals!

[David B.]

Originally posted by TheMudMan
"I still have that t-shirt, but my arms pretty much fill the sleeves now."

That's always a great feeling. Putting on clothes from a year ago on and they are tighter (in the good places).

Yeah, that's one of the encouraging things that keep me going.

Do you play the guitar? I've been for the past 16 years.

Yeah, I've been playing for 36 years, but I still suck. I realized the other day that I've had my beloved '66 Fender Telecaster guitar for half of my life now.

Good luck and I hope you achieve all your goals!

Thanks! It's not going to be easy.

--dnb

[David B.]

Originally posted by Pete235
Dave, just keep doin what your doin bro and if you're happy with the progress (size strength, etc) then that is what matters. If you want advice on any certain aspect then just ask...but I know you're already aware of that

But doin' what I've been doin' has led me to my present dead end. That's the reason for the sea-change in my mindset -- doing the same old thing but expecting different results is insanity. Realizing that I have to make a big change, and admitting it in public, are just the first steps, now I have to get off my ass and do it.

I'll tell ya' what really put me over the edge though -- lately I've had several female co-workers and friends approach me and ask "Hey, Dave, have you been working out?" Now, I don't talk about lifting with any of the people around me, it's just something that "civilians" aren't interested in. And being a shoe-gazing introvert, I don't take compliments well, I always try to laugh them off or change the subject. Well, these ladies have stopped accepting my modesty, and they pressed the issue when I tried to laugh it off. At first I thought my ego was about to explode, thinking that all my hard work and dedication had finally paid off, and I was no longer invisible to women. Then it hit me -- I've been lifting for six fucking years, and am almost through with my second cycle, and people are only just now noticing? I've just been spinning my wheels, I'm the lamest thing on two legs! This has to change!

Interesting that you and Whackthebid, two guys whose posts have had a lot of influence on my recent mindset, have both responded to my thread...

--dnb

[David B.]

Originally posted by WhackTheBid
dude- I was an old fat guy 7 months ago

Whack:

Your posts and progress have had a lot of influence on my present feelings about what I need to do next.

Is that Mrs. Whack in your avatar? Sweet!

--dnb

[withoutd0ubt]

dnb, good luck on your dieting down, work hard and all will go well, nothing is gonna come easy but when it comes and you look back on all the hard work you put in you'll feel really really good about yourself

ps don't be so hard on yourself

[daem]

off topic, but how much would you sell your tele to me for?

[David B.]

Originally posted by daem
off topic, but how much would you sell your tele to me for?

I'd sooner sell my mom's body to medical science. I've had that guitar for half my life. It's original, but not mint by any means, it has lots of playing wear in all the right places.

--dnb

[David B.]

Originally posted by withoutd0ubt

ps don't be so hard on yourself

That's how I motivate myself. When I'm lifting, and I need to squeeze out that one last rep, I dont say to myself "Doin' good, Dave, keep it up," instead I think "Do it, you fucking pussy!" Also, I tend to wallow in self-deprecating humor. I guess that annoys some people. If I get complacent, I'll never accomplish anything.

--dnb

[FCECC2]

at 15% bf, imo, would make you a lot more confident about your self. theres no dead end in this "way of life" (training)... for me the only true motivation appear to be my self. for sure the progress is hard to notice by ourself but everytime you look at u in a mirror and flex your muscle just after some hard training it make you proud of yourself. dont be so hard with yourself.

keep up the good work, it would pay off soon

[David B.]

Today for lunch I had some Chinese take-out -- pork fried rice. Here's what I found in the fortune cookie: "No one knows what he can do until he tries."

--dnb

[David B.]

Originally posted by GandolfReturns
Dude, I dont think you realize waht 10, 15 or even 25% bodyfat is. Its my guess your about 30% body fat easy, given your current weight and measurements. It is going to be a long hard road to lose the fat attaining 15%. YOu can do it but there can't be any thought of pulling out of the regime.

According to today's measurements, plugged into several different online BF guess-u-lators, I'm in the 23.x% range. I think that's a bit low. My waist measurement at the navel was 2" less than what I was expecting to find. I've somehow managed to dump some fat during this cycle.

--dnb

[Rampage Jackson]

I dont wanna start anything, but Dexa is the most accurate bf estimater...not hydrostatic weighing.

[Pete235]

Originally posted by Rampage Jackson
I dont wanna start anything, but Dexa is the most accurate bf estimater...not hydrostatic weighing.

I thought dexa was only used to measure bone mass and density. I wasn't aware that it could also be used to measure bf%...that's interesting...I guess we do learn something new every day. However, it's main use is to diagnose osteoporosis is it not?

[David B.]

Originally posted by Pete235


I thought dexa was only used to measure bone mass and density.

Dexa? Q'est-ce c'est, sil vous plais?

--dnb

[Pete235]

Originally posted by David B.
Dexa? Q'est-ce c'est, sil vous plais?
--dnb

Dave, DEXA stands for Dual - Energy - X-ray - Absorptiometer. I know very little about it except for it's main use.

[JuiceSlut]

Dave it sounds like you really want to attract the opposite sex so let me fill you in on something. 95% of hot women, especially the ones in shape love a man with a lean body and face...they are not overly attracted to the fat bloated look(not saying that you are) So use this as motivation for your 60 minute cardio sessions first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or when you feel like chinese but instead settle for a couple boiled chicken breasts and broccoli. I will gaurantee you will feel a million times better about yourself plus you will look and feel younger, also stay on some test (about 500mg) to preserve some of that muscle you have packed on over the years.

[David B.]

The scale is moving again, woohoo!

I've been stuck at 250 lbs. pretty much since I recovered from my stomach virus (http://www.anabolicreview.com/vbulle...=sick+on+cycle), but this morning I stepped on the scale and hit 255. I added winny to my stack last week (Perutech caps, 50mg/day), so I guess that's the reason. My original goal for this cycle was to hit 260, I just might make it after all.

--dave

[David B.]

Post-cycle, pre-cutting picture, taken 6-22-2003. I tried to duplicate the old bar picture from four years ago. Same guy, same shirt, same glasses, same bar, worse haircut, four years and fifty pounds later.

Unfortunately, you can't see any more here than in the other shots, and I sat on a stool that was too low.

[stillsmall]

dude, no offense but where the hell are the pictures with your shirt off?! the only thing i see is the face and a huge xxx shirt on you... I can barely see the forearms for god sakes!

[thetank]

it is hard 2 see, hah but its pretty cool that you duplicated the first shot...i see subtle changes, but you are clothed sitting behind a bar, so it does make it a little difficult 2 critique.
for what its worth, your neck looks alot thicker, and your arm sure does fill that shirt alot more..
peace
tank

[David B.]

Yeah, since I wasn't the one looking through the viewfinder, I couldn't tell how useless the photo was gonna turn out.

I wasted pretty much a whole roll of film trying to take some self-portraits in the mirror, for "before cutting" pics, with dismal results. Here's the one that was the least useless:

[David B.]

This probably doesn't help much either, but here's a closer cropping of the bar pic:

[David B.]

Originally posted by stillsmall
dude, no offense but where the hell are the pictures with your shirt off?! the only thing i see is the face and a huge xxx shirt on you... I can barely see the forearms for god sakes!

The shirt's only an XL.

[Warrior]

Is that a Nikon 6006? If so, doesn't it have a timer option next to the shutter release? Most of my pics I took using a shutter timer with my Nikon F100... such as the pic in my avatar. It's been awhile since I shot with a 6006 - but I am almost certain it has the timer option... you just hit the shutter release and it will take the photo a few seconds later... just prop the camera body up on something. I find it easier to prefocus and use the timer then explain to someone else how to use the camera

[David B.]

Originally posted by Warrior
Is that a Nikon 6006? If so, doesn't it have a timer option next to the shutter release? Most of my pics I took using a shutter timer with my Nikon F100... such as the pic in my avatar. It's been awhile since I shot with a 6006 - but I am almost certain it has the timer option... you just hit the shutter release and it will take the photo a few seconds later... just prop the camera body up on something. I find it easier to prefocus and use the timer then explain to someone else how to use the camera

It's an old N2000, and if I recall correctly, a timer is one of the functions they left off. I suppose I could pull out the F3HP for that...

--dave

[ripsid]

Big man! But more importantly what kind of gear do you use???? No not juice man Gee-Tars? I see you have the new Gtar Player mag.... Anyways you have some size there bro!

[David B.]

Originally posted by ripsid
Big man! But more importantly what kind of gear do you use???? No not juice man Gee-Tars? I see you have the new Gtar Player mag.... Anyways you have some size there bro!

''66 Telecaster, '90s Ric 12, '63 Fender Deluxe-Amp.

[ripsid]

are you playing for real at that bar or do you own it and play at it!
That tele sounds sweet! I'm Strat/Ovation Celb Delux AC/El/Taylor 12 T355 guy...with a shitty little amp! But when I get can play I love it even though I suck!

SID

[David B.]

Originally posted by ripsid
are you playing for real at that bar or do you own it and play at it!
That tele sounds sweet! I'm Strat/Ovation Celb Delux AC/El/Taylor 12 T355 guy...with a shitty little amp! But when I get can play I love it even though I suck!

Nah, I play only for my own amusement. I'm the sound tech guy for the bar's live music program.

I've had that Telecaster for 23 years, or half my life. I'd sooner sell my mom's body to medical science than part with it, I didn't know it was possible to form a bond with an inanimate object.

--dave