Amazing Fitness Transformation for 6 months

Background: From ages 14 – 25 I was overweight, clocking in at around 240lbs max, but then at around 25 changed my diet and began exercising. Lost a bunch of weight, getting down to 160, but gained some back hovering around 180lbs – 190lbs until about 2010. My workout plan consisted of 4 miles on the treadmill daily with weights after that, alternating back/biceps and chest/triceps. I did not follow any plan and, needless to say, did not progress in strength or physique. In 2010 I moved to a rural area of the country without a nearby gym and switched to a job which was less flexible so I could not spend 2 hours a day working out. I was driving everywhere and just started to gain more and more weight, despite setting up a basement gym I didn’t use it enough or effectively. I figured this was just what happened after 40.

Transformation: In Sept 2014 I weighed 207lbs, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Then I saw some photos of me on the beach with my young son while we were on vacation….I figured I needed to change, found Fittit and started a program.

Diet: I started counting calories with MyFittnessPal, initially calculated my TDEE using IIFYM, selecting the option for ‘couch potato’ and subtracted 500 cals. I did not eat additional calories when I exercised. This lead to a pretty consistent weight loss of ~2 lbs per week. When I fell below 170 lbs I switched to eating TDEE – 250 and eating additional calories to make up for exercise, this has slowed the progression of weight loss but allowed me to gain back strength I had lost on the cut. Here is a chart of my weight loss. Here is a rough outline of what I eat:

• Breakfast: 1 scoop of ON Whey protein in water, 1 can of tuna or salmon (in water), 1 V8 fusion energy drink.
• Lunch: ½ veggie wrap with cheese, mustard as condiment
• Dinner: Protein shake (about 650cals) consisting of 12 oz skim milk, 2 scoops ON whey protein, 2 cups Welches antioxidant blend frozen berries, a bowl of frozen kale, 1 banana. I will then have peanut butter, Greek yogurt, sometimes fish if I have calories left over

Exercise: I needed to develop a workout that I could do in 1 – 1.5 hours and wanted to include both running and lifting. I had tried SL5x5 in the past but really struggled with the squats, so I restarted but dropped the squats and now do the following alternate day schedule with a day off about every 12 days:

• Day 1: Run 4 miles on the treadmill then abs. Currently my ab workout consists of:
• Hanging leg raises, 3x10
• Dragonfly Negatives, 1 leg, 3x6
• Cable Crunches, 3x10
• Weighted Hyperextensions, 3x10
• Bicycles, 3x30
• Planks, 3x45s
• Ab roller, 3x10
• Day 2: SL5x5 program, no squats, accessories added recently: chin ups (3x5), pull ups (3x8) and dips (3x10). Due to being in caloric deficit I switched some lifts to 3x5 and 3x3 when I encountered repeated stalls. Current lifts I am working on are:
• Bench 180lbs 3x5
• Rows 130lbs 3x5
• Press 125 3x3
• Deadlift 225x5

What I have learned from Fittit:
- You need to count calories if you are serious about losing weight - You can get abs even if you have never had them before - Just keep doing the routine, even if you feel tired or dragging do it anyway, sometimes the workout will change and energize you but even if it doesn’t just keep going - There’s a big difference between motivation and dedication - Stop being a whiny bitch and lift the weights

EDIT height 5'10"

EDIT 2 Thought I would answer a few of the common questions from the thread. For people are asking about my blood pressure, I took medications for 1 month but then stopped, it has come down to the normal range with the weight loss which is great.

Several people asked how has this impacted my family. First, my wife is incredible and supports/tolerates this crazy diet/exercise routine. Now that I am at a weight I am comfortable with I am going to start working on ensuring we have dinners that at least resemble some normalcy. The biggest change on my family has been my mood….not that I was depressed or anything before but I didn’t realize how much it impacted me every morning to squeeze into pants for work, having fewer and fewer pairs which I could actually do up. Looking back it was really a downer to start everyday with a reminder of how much weight I had gained. I was also having a lot of lower back pain, knee pain and just general pains….these have pretty much disappeared as I lost weight. So the biggest difference is that I am happier with myself and therefor more fun to be around for my son and wife, I guess the trade off is that they have to watch me make a smoothie every night and go to bed at 8pm to wake up early and work out!

Thanks to everyone for the great comments, this change would not have happened without Fittit so THANKS, I wish this type of information was around when I was in my 20s, it is truly great to have such straightforward facts about weight loss and health.

Finally, no, I am not going to shave my chest, but thanks for the suggestion ☺