Operation: Ninja stud
For about 14 years now I've had a major fight with my weight, and until this year it's been a losing battle. Here and there I've been able to drop small amounts in short periods, but it keeps coming back, often with reinforcements.
I've been participating in a karate class with coworkers for almost 2.5 years now, and despite some intense workouts the weight wasn't coming off, nor was any appreciable muscle mass being gained. I've been trying to prepare for my brown belt test (a 3-4 hour test of strength, skill, and endurance) and wasn't at all confident I'd make it to the end of the test in my (then) current shape.
Then in early March I talked to a nutritionist friend who looked at what I was eating, and with a slight adjustment of calories per day, swapping out one protein supplement for another, and a higher meal frequency I went from this (Disneyland in October of last year (220+ lbs)):
To this (same clothes, two weeks ago (208 lbs)):
Once I started the current eating plan, my energy levels skyrocketed, the weight started coming off, and I started gaining muscle. It's been quite surprising how quickly things have worked. Karate is no problem now, and I should be testing for brown belt at month's end without fear of exhaustion.
For extra incentive 28 days ago, I joined in on @MomOfRose's dietbet challenge plus two other games and actually hit my goal weight late in the second week.
If the weight loss continues at its current pace, I'm on track to be around 200lbs at Expo.
I've been participating in a karate class with coworkers for almost 2.5 years now, and despite some intense workouts the weight wasn't coming off, nor was any appreciable muscle mass being gained. I've been trying to prepare for my brown belt test (a 3-4 hour test of strength, skill, and endurance) and wasn't at all confident I'd make it to the end of the test in my (then) current shape.
Then in early March I talked to a nutritionist friend who looked at what I was eating, and with a slight adjustment of calories per day, swapping out one protein supplement for another, and a higher meal frequency I went from this (Disneyland in October of last year (220+ lbs)):
To this (same clothes, two weeks ago (208 lbs)):
Once I started the current eating plan, my energy levels skyrocketed, the weight started coming off, and I started gaining muscle. It's been quite surprising how quickly things have worked. Karate is no problem now, and I should be testing for brown belt at month's end without fear of exhaustion.
For extra incentive 28 days ago, I joined in on @MomOfRose's dietbet challenge plus two other games and actually hit my goal weight late in the second week.
If the weight loss continues at its current pace, I'm on track to be around 200lbs at Expo.
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Comments
Seriously, that's awesome progress, man! WOOOO! Glad to hear it and good luck on your upcoming brown belt test!
Don't mess with me on thermo bro.
I'm curious about your caloric adjustment - more or less calories than what you were eating before? Are you doing 5 meals a day?
Keep it up dude, that is excellent.
My target is 1720 calories per day, with a breakdown of about 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats. I try to avoid as much gluten as possible.
5:00am Protein shake w/12 oz milk: 285 cal
7:00am Apple + yogurt: 217 cal
9:00am Protein bar (Quest Nutrition if anyone is interested...these things are awesome): 170 cal
11:30am Banana plus leftovers from the previous night
3:00pm Protein shake w/water: 90 cal
Dinner: some sort of meat & vegetable plus whatever is needed to make the calorie target
One meal per week I have a cheat meal and eat/drink something I otherwise wouldn't.
My belt test got delayed due to the Moore, OK and El Reno/Yukon, OK tornadoes. Unless something else happens I'll test June 12. I'm well prepared for it and ready for the whole new level of awkward that comes with a new belt.
Regarding the beard: The last time I shaved was at ICSP. When I started losing weight I didn't want to use my face as the determination whether things were working - that has contributed to failure in the past...I'd stop seeing progress there and on the scale and quit. The beard obscures that progress. It's weird, but it's helped. @PurpleMonkeyGirl hates it, so it'll probably go away soon.
DietBet seems to be a pretty good motivator for me. The first round was profitable, so I jumped in for a second round of games using the winnings from the first round. The last game of that round ends the day before I leave for Expo. Protip: I did some analysis on bet size vs final winnings on around 50 games, and games with higher stakes ($50+ bets) don't pay out as well for the winners. I guess in the lower stakes games ($35 max) people aren't as concerned about losing their money. That's not to say they aren't giving it an honest effort - there just isn't quite as much urgency as the top bet amounts (who the hell bets $500 on weight loss anyway?).
Passed my brown belt test on Wednesday. Since I was the only one testing, we managed to cram the whole thing into a 90 minute session. I'm pretty banged up and my nose is pretty sore after failing to block one of many punches... About 2/3 of the way through the test I had my first free sparring session with one of our black belts. Of course by that time we were all exhausted and my mind and body were no longer on speaking terms, so the best I could do was flail a bit and try to stay out of the way of whatever came at me. Fortunately nothing was broken.
Now that the test is behind me I'm actually kind of glad I got sick last year and broke my hand. I was in no condition to do this test in September even without those two setbacks.
And now that I think about it, I took about six weeks off from karate due to Expo and IRL stuff. Started back two weeks ago, so I guess the water retention makes sense.
The protein supplements is to increase my protein intake (for muscle maintenance) while reducing my calorie intake (for weight loss). The supplement I'm using (Visalus) is the best combination of protein (25g with milk) and flavor (omg awesome).
The most easily I can describe the progress is in my clothing sizes. In the original before/after pictures, I was wearing an XL shirt and 38" shorts. Right now I can wear a large t-shirt (my under-gi shirts are a medium) and my 36" pants (and belt) are too big. I'm very close to comfortably wearing 34" pants.
As for the previously mentioned pullups, I'm up to five in a set. Our latest office "manly challenge" has added in sets of pushups using the "Perfect Pushup". A set involves five each of regular, wide, close, and decline (feet on a chair) pushups.
Starting sizes vs right now:
Jeans then: 38 loose fit (still a bit tight)
Jeans now: 36 slim fit (almost a 34)
Shirts then: XL, relaxed fit
Shirts now: L, classic or slim fit. Possibly medium.
After six months off due to a torn rotator cuff and subsequent surgery, I'm sitting around 178 lbs. Started back to karate in June just going through the motions, and then back to full intensity last week. My first set of pullups last week was encouraging - I got 3.75. The toughest part was the mental factor...it took a couple minutes before I could get myself to attempt the first one. Today I managed 5.75 in the first set and 3 in the second. That's pretty much where I was at the end of last year. Not bad.
Six months later I weigh 185lbs, and I've been 'stuck' here for months. It's a bit discouraging because I've been unable to make any significant progress. Still, there are some facts that make it a bit better: First, that 185lbs isn't any higher. Second, that weight is fully hydrated and maintaining my exercise schedule (more on that in a moment). Third, I'm wearing 34" jeans and medium shirts now. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, my strength has increased significantly. I'm able to do eight pullups in a single set, followed by smaller sets in the biweekly office group. Decline pushups are now with feet on desk for added insanity.
Karate just hasn't been cutting it for a workout anymore. I've tried increasing intensity and speed, but I seem to have reached a plateau. There's a CrossFit place that opened up near my house a few months ago. A few e-mails back and forth with the owner, and I have a couple of intro classes to see if it's right for me. My first session was today. One hour of intense exercise has never gone by so quickly. The most surprising thing was pushing past my 'limits' and how quickly I cooled down afterwards. I may be hooked. The owners and customers are pretty cool - no dudebros asking if I even lift, the staff are more concerned about form than repetitions, and everyone was encouraging each other. In my mind it's like what an IC fitness center would be.
In other news, I'm in the final prep stages for my next belt test (delayed significantly due to surgery and being sick a lot last year). This time I'll try not to block punches with my face.