Updated diet progression pics!!

[RockyX]

Hey guys, here they are from before to week 3...I have cheated so much this week it is unbelievable....because it was my graduation week and everyone wanted to go out and eat and yada yada..back on strict diet asap, but here they are, this is before my diet

[RockyX]

week 1

[RockyX]

week 2 (around 15 lbs. lighter than b4 pic)

[RockyX]

This is week 3...I've lost maybe 2 lbs. since last week...I was 3 lbs. lighter than this before I started cheating...chocolate covered marshmellows and pasta and stuff (have an Italian family so hard to stay away from carbs when they are all down).

[RockyX]

another week 3 pic

[FinaZurp]

Good job buddy. You can definetely see a differencein your lower abdomen. What does your diet look like and what supps are you taking and so on.. Did you measure your bf% before you started your diet?Keep up the good work.

[TheMudMan]

Originally posted by teenpowerlift
This is week 3...I've lost maybe 2 lbs. since last week...I was 3 lbs. lighter than this before I started cheating...chocolate covered marshmellows and pasta and stuff (have an Italian family so hard to stay away from carbs when they are all down).

That's why I had to move out and buy my own place. I come from a Italian family too. EAT EAT EAT!

Looking good bro.... chest has more shape to it.

Keep it up!

[RockyX]

Well I've just been doing a REALLY low carb thing...normally under 40 g a day, and just taking in as much protein as heavenly possible. Also a dose of Xenadrine in the morning and mid-day.

And Mud...I guess that's what I'm gonna hafta do now that I'm graduated hehe.....all this damn Italian food is WAAAAAAAY too tempting.

[nynsb]

Looking good but you are definitely going to struggle with the love handles and lower abs.
Chocolate covered marshmallows and pasta will only give the girls more to grab and less for you to flex.
your choice.

[RockyX]

Yeah I know bro...I see my upper abs getting more and more defined and my lower abs and love handles don't want to co-operate.....am I doing enough abs?? I realize that this next question should probably be in the workout forum but I am doing around 5 sets of 15 weighted inclined sit-ups ( I hold a 25 on my chest)....is this working mainly upper abs? I can feel it in the lower abdominals so I figured it was working down there as well but I could be wrong....if someone could hook me up with a good ab workout I'd appreciate it alot, and I'd owe you one....also are abs like any other muscle??? You should avoid working them out again while they are sore to avoid over training???? I can't do abs every other day yet, because my abs get sore about every training session.

[hellapimpin]

definite improvement..good job dude

[temperoath]

yes, you should definately do lower ab exersises. Do something like weighted leg lifts, flutter kicks, or throw downs. Do these first when you work your abs, then do upper. When you do lower abs, it calls on your uppers also, so if you do upper first you may be too tired to do lower.

[Domestic]

good job bro but you need to concentrate more on cutting up. try doing 15mins a day - 4 days a week.. on your abs alone. drop your carbs & eat alot of meat. Turkey & Chicken... cardio 4 - 5days a week.

[nynsb]

You have a double whammy of bad genetics, slow metabolism and a weak spot for carbs.
I'm Italian and I can relate.
You need to work on your diet to uncover your abs.

[RockyX]

How can you tell just from looking at my pics that I have bad genetics, and a slow metabolism?? Just wondering.

[Needtobeswoledup]

He can't he was just guessing cuz ur italian i guess...

Oh and I can def. see an improvment in 3 weeks which is awesome... hang in there man!

[RockyX]

Thanks for all the positive feed back guys....I finally got ahold of myself and put my diet back in check, but now I don't have access to near as many weights as before.....and I'm not gonna pay $120 a month for the only gym in town....bowflex here I come hehe

[TheMudMan]

Originally posted by nynsb
You have a double whammy of bad genetics, slow metabolism and a weak spot for carbs.
I'm Italian and I can relate.

I don't see the logic here. I don't see bad genetics.

[nynsb]

Originally posted by teenpowerlift
How can you tell just from looking at my pics that I have bad genetics, and a slow metabolism?? Just wondering.

25 years of gym experience and talking to lot's of people but mostly you can tell by looking at your body shape, fat distribution and descriptions you have given.

[RockyX]

I guess it depends on what kind of genetics we're talking about here...fat burning...probably...but I can build muscle like nothing most of the time and have crazy natty strength (squatted 515 as a sophomore in highschool)...but as far as fat distribution and such goes, yeah I'm probably lacking there...but I have lost around 17 lbs. in 3 weeks, so it's coming off...abs may not be present but my stomach went from 36" around to just under 33".

[TheMudMan]

Bro you're doing great don't sweat it.

[abc 1]

great job with the dedication, but a warning, 17 pounds lost in 3 weeks is not good at all. i have been where you are and must advice you to be aware of catabolism. you sound like you may be rushing things alittle.

my assumption is you want to drop bf and save muscle mass? if i'm right your dieting all wrong and you will lose muscle fast. from a ton of experience i would suggest you take into account that you are still growing and your body will not spend all of it's calories on muscle preservation. because you haven't matured yet your body still needs to fuel bone, organ, and skin growth, then fuel the body for the day, and finally use any excess calories to hold muscle mass. for us older guys, that is not the case, so caloric restrictions are much more rigid and defined. if i were you i would rethink what i'm doing and avoid the vicious cycle that is dieting wrong, losing muscle, bulking and getting fat, then repeat the whole process. i've been there and i hope you do not make the same mistake.
good luck and keep learning.

[RockyX]

so do you think I should drop this whole diet?? I haven't really noticed any significant muscle loss....arms and chest are about the same size....legs have lost a little mass...do you recommend that I lay off dieting til another time???? Just wondering what everyone else thinks as well.

[abc 1]

i don't think quitting now is the route to take. a safer bet, in my opinion, would be to find your maintenance calories before you start cutting. you really don't know for sure what your maintenance calories are because you haven't dieted long enough. if you find out where this level is, you will then be able to cut and bulk with precision. now i think your not yet at that catabolic point because it's only been 3 weeks or so. but in a few weeks i feel things might start to get harder. you've lost almost as much weight as i have and i'm in my 18th month of straight maintenance and cutting. i've gone from 25+%bf to nearing 10% while going from 220ish to 195. i'm 5'5" by the way. the key to dieting is knowing your body. if you just piss in the wind on other people's advice your probably going to miss a few key ingredients to YOUR dieting. this was a pitfall i've run into, now i never have situations like that.
good luck.

[nynsb]

Teenpowerlift,
the point is not weight loss or inches it's about changing your body shape.
You are slowly becoming a skinny fat dude.
In other words the compliments you get are "loosing some weight buddy??", "You're getting skinny".
I don't think that's what you are looking for.

[RockyX]

Isn't fat measured in inches and pounds??? That's what I've been losing. And many people have told me they think I look better...I'm not getting defensive, just questioning...and how can one become a skinny fat guy....those are two contradicting words.....does all of a sudden, going down in waist size mean you are not losing fat??? It's if I was losing weight and keeping the same waist size that I would be worried.

[TheMudMan]

One way is to have your body fat tested. Then you know for sure if you're losing muscle, fat, both, or nothing.

[nynsb]

I agree.
Get your bodyfat tested so you can see what you are losing and or gaining.
I just want you to be productive in your quest to better your body.
Not trying to flame just wanting to help.

[withoutd0ubt]

don't do 5 weighted sets for upper abs, you said you did 25 lb for 5 incline sit ups.... do a 35 for 2 full out high intense sets then do leg lifts for those lower abs...

btw... you don't have bad genetics at all with those kind of lifts... you are just and endomorph which makes losing fat harder but doesn't mean it is bad

i'll bet 100 bucks that you lift more than nynsb with your 'bad genetics' and his '25 years experience'

[mammoth]

Originally posted by nynsb

25 years of gym experience and talking to lot's of people but mostly you can tell by looking at your body shape, fat distribution and descriptions you have given.

25 years of gym experience?? You must be one huge, ripped mofo. Let's see your pics.

Nobody could possibly be able to determine someones genetic makeup by just looking at some pictures.

[RockyX]

Thanks guys, so where can you buy something to test your body fat??? And thanks alot withoutd0ubt, I'll give that a try w/ my abs.

[TheMudMan]

You can buy skin fold calipers, there are weight scales that measure body fat, there are also device you hold that measure body fat, or you can go and pay someone to do it. I don’t know how accurate the scales are. I never used them before.

There are a few options to choose from. The calipers will be the cheapest for you. Just look on the net at any of the supplement sites most of them carry the calipers.

[RockyX]

Just wanted to show you guys where I am now...2 more weeks on this diet...then the beach!! Okay just as a reminder here's what I started out with

[RockyX]

And this is me now...2 weeks left....sorry about the pic quality...I know it seems to get worse and worse, but I got a new digital camera and it doesn't seem to want to work in doors

[RockyX]

I'm right around 176 lbs. now...my maxes have dropped a little...my new maxes are: 305 bench, 500 squat, 445 dead (weak dead I know).

[nynsb]

You are definitely making some progress but you have some time before you have some more work to do before you are ready to act like it's time to be strutting your stuff on the beach.

[Domestic]

LOL, don't listen to that dude... bad genetics have nothing to do with losing weight. anyone can do it.. just takes determination & descipline.. or however you spell it.

anyways, keep your carbs around 10g per day. if not, no more then 30g per day. and if you must have carbs, make sure they're complex and come from good, heathly foods. also, try working on just your abs for about 15mins 4 days a week. doing normal crunchs, crunchs with legs elevated, seated crunchs with 20 - 30 - 40lbs of resistance, dumbbell Side bends - or, you could do what i did and purchase Smart Abs machine for $100.00 it works wonders on the ab area but the resistance band doesn't last long.

eat alot of foods that are high in Proteins & Fats.

goodluck & train hard.

[gundam675]

uhm u definetly need more htna 30 grams of carbs ed. if u are so obessed with gettin cut, why not get some ECA stack and take 3 tabs ed and do some cardio in morening. fat will cake off. plus u dont look bad. u look fine.. keep going !

2. anyone can go to the beach, u dont need to be 7% bf

lol, just work on abs, work them hard, 3x a week. and get an ECA stack and do 45 mins of medium crdio 9jogging) in morning after drinking 500 ml of water. ull be ripped, this is what my friend did and in 2 months he was more vascula than ever....... good luck ! keep it going !