PH Losers 2020 - Anyone want to join me?

[Funk]

I've just trimmed the table of those who've not updated in 4 weeks. If you're in that list because you've not updated the 'Last Update' let me know and I'll get you back up the top!

[Funk]

PT session this morning was great. Switched from the seated leg press to the proper one today and just kept loading it up:



End result when we took off the weights and counted up: 395kg... NOW it feels like I'm getting somewhere! Quite proud of that achievement today.

[Funk]

Second day of being at the gym for 06:30... Much as it doesn't feel like it initially it's nice to have done my cardio for the day before I'd usually have even woken up.

New regime from my PT is certainly stepping things up a bit! Weigh in tonight for me at SW, hoping to hit 5st loss tonight (I was 2lbs away last Monday @ 22st 4lbs, I started at 27st 2lbs).

Hoping that next week I may even drop into the 21st bracket for the first time in over a decade!

[Funk]

pmanson said:

J4CKO said:

Have created a Spreadsheet

Same here. Mine has graphs too

Well worth tracking some measurements too (chest, waist, hips, thighs, arms) - I've seen a lot more progress in this area compared to the scales. Regular photos too.

Would you be willing to share? I'd be interested and at the moment I'm only really noting the waist measurement decreases.

[Funk]

2.5lbs (1.1kg) lost this week - that's the 5st mark for me! A total of 5st 0.5lbs (32kg) gone in total!

[Funk]

S100HP said:

Funk said:

2.5lbs (1.1kg) lost this week - that's the 5st mark for me! A total of 5st 0.5lbs (32kg) gone in total!

Well done

Cheers!

pmanson said:

Funk said:

Would you be willing to share? I'd be interested and at the moment I'm only really noting the waist measurement decreases.

I've uploaded it to my sharepoint so hopefully you can just download it from here if you want to use it.

Smashing, got it - cheers chap!

[Funk]

GloverMart said:

Funk said:

2.5lbs (1.1kg) lost this week - that's the 5st mark for me! A total of 5st 0.5lbs (32kg) gone in total!

Great work, Funk, you're smashing this...

Another two pounds loss for me this week, going through a steady eddie kind of period at the moment. A loss is a loss though; my eating wasn't great this week to be honest which has undone a lot of the good stuff that four successive days of 6 mile walks would have done.... . I should add though that although my loss is slowing down, I have lost in 28 out of 31 weeks and recently, I've started to really notice the difference in my clothes and also many more people are beginning to comment, which for me is the best part of all this. (speaking as someone with low self esteem!).

That said, and as I always say, I'd have settled for losing what I have (4 stone 3 pounds in 31 weeks) anyway so even small losses are celebrated wildly as every ounce I lose is an ounce closer to target. On Monday night, went out on a walk with the organiser of the charity event in August and it's really revved me up to be in the best possible shape to complete it. Helped that the other girl that walked with us that night was a stunner!!

Edited by GloverMart on Wednesday 5th February 15:30

Cheers fella! Long road but travelling steadily along it.

Don't worry about the plateaus, they're just a thing that happens - I feel like I've been stuck in the 22st range for a while but I know that I'm doing all the right things and eventually I'll get into the 21s. I'm actually not too fixated on absolute loss though as I'm absolutely on it at the gym now (5x 06:30 sessions M-F, 2x evening (Tues & Thurs) and Saturday at some stage during the morning for a couple of hours) and there's a lot of weight-work in there.

It sounds like you're also doing all the right things; it'll all pay off eventually!

[Funk]

Smitters said:

Mr Trophy said:

Hopefully I am not going to jinx myself here... I've been eating less and moving more at the fine age of 31 - is it really that simple?

I can't believe it's taken me this long - cals in v cals out. I've been walking more and bought an exercise bike for 95 quid - eating around 2,400 and my apple watch is telling me I am burning around 3,200 each day.

No crazy diet, still having chocolate and eating normally - just all in moderation now.

Was 92.8Kg, now 90Kg.

That's about it, with the caveat that what you eat should be colourful, varied and minimally processed.

Yep, "get fit in the gym, lose weight in the kitchen" is one adage I believe!

[Funk]

giblet said:

ben5575 said:

However I've added 55kg to my lat pull downs, 36kg to bent over barbell rows, 21kg to chest fly, 20kg to deadlift and 25kg to my bench press since I started, as well as progressing every session (all based on 4 x 8 reps as opposed to 1rep max).

Forgive the simple question but what are the pros and cons of going to 4 x 8 vs 1 rep max?

I'm currently doing a fairly simple routine of 9 weights exercises, 3 sets with 15 reps per set -
Reverse curls, bent over row, front raise, front squat, overhead press, standing calf raises, shrug triceps extensions and 21s

Given my distinct lack of muscles I've only been using 13.6kg of weights plus the 5kg of the bar. Planning to buy some heavier weights this week as I've not really seen any real gains after a few weeks of doing that routine twice a week.

1RM is used to determine the optimal weight for sets and reps.

My 1RM on the leg press is 395kg - I'd have no chance of doing 5 sets of 5 reps at that weight however! The loading chart shows that for that I should be pushing approx. 300kg, 5x5. Once you start building that up you'd do a new 1RM down the line which will show your strength progress and also set the new 5x5 target.

AIUI, some exercises (such as chest press etc) are designed to progressively fatigue bigger muscles so you'd do 12 reps, then 10, then 8, then 6 and push the weight up slightly each set. Other exercises are designed for smaller muscles that fatigue more easily (eg. triceps) so they're 10 reps x 2 sets.

My 1RMs show that on the bench press I went up 30% in 8 weeks (from 39kg to 51) on shoulder press I only went from 41kg to 43 (5%), plank went from 43 to 70 sec (63% improvement) and the leg press isn't really valid as I switched machines from 141kg on the horizontal machine to the 395kg on the 45-degree machine. For some reason I found it much easier to do bigger weights on the latter, so it'll be interesting to see what I can push that to; my PT says I should be aiming to get to 500kg over the next 8 weeks...

My PT's also put together a shoulder-specific programme for me which is great as it's my weakest area and the one I need to work on.

Edited by Funk on Monday 10th February 17:33

[Funk]

Great post Ben, from my limited and beginners' knowledge it looks spot on.

[Funk]

Another 1.5lbs (0.7kg) off for me this week. Takes me under 140kgs for the first time in as long as I can remember! Now at 139.9kg (22st 0.5lbs), 5kg lost since the beginning of the year and 32.7kg lost in total!

[Funk]

Thanks to all for the positive words.

Good post by Jacko; one thing I'd add about the long game - track it over time, it really helps me to see that even though there have been a few weeks where I maintained and a couple where I had small gains, the long term trend on the graph over the last 6 months is evident - even if it didn't always feel like it.

Seeing it visually like that is very motivating for me.

[Funk]

I'm not quite confident enough to have my full visage on PH but I'll share these with some l33t editing. The first was taken Nov '18, around 4 months before I started the gym and 9 months before I started Slimming World. To be honest, I think I'd already lost some between this and the point I weighed in at Slimming World for the first time in August '19 (which was 172.6kg/27st 2.5lbs), I don't even know what I weighed in this pic but I'm pretty sure it's more than 27st:



This one was taken roughly a fortnight ago and I'm holding a power bag equal to the weight I'd lost at that point (30kg) and still around 142.4kg/22st 6lbs:



Roughly 44kg still to go, I've also lost the beard now it's not hiding a multitude of chins...

Edited by Funk on Wednesday 12th February 15:41

[Funk]

Thanks Phil, can see the difference in your pics too (although you looked pretty good in the first one!).

It's certainly been a major lifestyle and mindset change. As Jacko said further up the thread, I do agree it's a process you have to go through and the progress IS more important than the food. This lunchtime was a classic example of that; I really had a hankering for one of the Wild Bean hog roasts from the M&S/BP over the road - not had one since the middle of last year and I definitely deserve it as a 'reward' for all the work but even as I walked past the counter with the tantalising aromas I veered into the chiller aisle and picked up some packs of turkey breast and fruit to go with what I've brought in for lunch today.

Three hours later do I feel short-changed for not having had it? Nope. I made a healthier choice and in the long term it's going to get me where I want to be faster.

[Funk]

tr7v8 said:

Funk that is bloody amazing, well done fella! And there is me complaining I've only lost a kilo & a bit this week.

I agree with the mental thing, the overweight bit drags you down, literally as well as physically, as does the horrible weather etc.
I travel a lot for work & before Xmas was mad. That plus catching bronchitis whilst in the USA & needing steroids & antibiotics which increased the lethargy is a big bit. I also tore a calf muscle & achilles in September which has even made walking difficult.

Looking to get back onto the Keto(ish) wagon now & walking a bit every day.

Cheers Jim! I'm sure you'll get back in the groove with it all.

Huntsman said:

Funk said:

I definitely deserve it as a 'reward'

Funk, you'll have to run round in the shower to get wet soon!

I have tried to get my head around that something like a takeaway, cake, ice cream etc is not a treat or a reward, those things are actually the backwards steps.

Someone made that point about rewards (hence my putting it in quote marks) - it's viewing bad food as a reward or thinking I 'deserved it' that got me into that mess in the first place. I really do genuinely now see food as a means to achieving an end, especially with all the hypertrophy work I'm doing at the gym. To draw a PH-worthy analogy it's now like putting Shell V-Power in the tank rather than any old supermarket 95-ron stuff.

pmanson said:

Funk said:

It's certainly been a major lifestyle and mindset change. As Jacko said further up the thread, I do agree it's a process you have to go through and the progress IS more important than the food.

Agreed, I took redundancy last summer (and was happy to do so), I have still not quite found the right mental balance (it's easy to work late into the evening) but regular trips to the gym have really helped my mental health.

Dec 19 was a turning point for me - more social drinking, rich food and not many trips to the gym led me back down the back hole and 27th Dec I was at the Doc's having a had a bit of a mental shutdown. Frustratingly, the inches I had lost piled back on very quickly during this period.

Jan was the turning point for me, the gym were doing a 30 day challenge where people were posting (and still are) to a closed FB group, I had a few PT sessions, knocked the booze on the head (last Friday was the first time i'd had a drink all year) and the big change has been my diet. I didn't think I ate badly but with three kids my wife is always baking cookies etc and there is always choc in the house!

This group is also helping keep me on the straight and narrow!

It's great that not only is it helping you with physical fitness the gym is also helping your frame of mind too. I'd always heard people saying that going to the gym (or doing any form of intensive exercise) made you feel amazing and I always thought they were tts. However, I get it now, I really do. Much as it doesn't feel like it swinging my legs out of bed at 6am in the dark to go the gym, by the time I've done an hour and am heading home to get breakfast it's all worth it.

If you'd have told me a year ago you'd have heard me say that I'd have thought you had a screw loose!

Edited by Funk on Wednesday 12th February 16:39

[Funk]

AJB88 said:

Well done Funk and Pmanson above, I'll share a few of my shots


2014 - not sure how heavy I was in the picture put I peaked at 113kg



2018 - probably around 77kg

[url]

I lost all of my weight the wrong way, literally starved myself on 1200-1400 calories a day, was going for a 30 minute run when on night shifts, 30 minutes swimming every day, Jiu Jitsu sometimes twice a day. Basically lost any strength I actually had!

I got down to 69kg at my lowest, I looked in the mirror and was just bones and skin. Its taken me ages to "bulk" nicely, I'm only just starting to get the shape of somebody who lifts weights most days.

I have since been sitting around 80kg for the last year, I had my first Christmas off work in 10 years so decided to have a "few" drinks, weighed myself on 2nd Jan, 87kg!!! gotta be around 74kg in April for a Jiu Jitsu competition.

PT who is a physique athlete is confident we can get it off slowly without loosing muscle so i'll trust him!

That's an incredible difference; even though you admit it wasn't done in quite the right way it sounds like you're doing things properly now. Well done fella!

S100HP said:

ben5575 said:

Just to echo the comments above, that is a tremendous effort there Funk. Well done sir!



And as also above, next time I start bhin, I'll use you as an inspiration.

This

Thanks again for all the kind words; it's pretty awful that I even let myself get to that stage in the first place to be honest though.

Last night my PT put me back on the FitQuest Body Comp machine and it's showing things going the right way (though I'm still not entirely convinced how accurate it is - even when it's in my favour!).

Last reading was Jan 2nd:



Last night:



If the machine's right then in the last 6 weeks I've dropped 8.3kg of fat and put on 4.3kg of muscle with a net weight loss of 4.4kg which pretty much tallies with the weight loss I've been tracking at Slimming World (5kg) since the beginning of the year (for some reason the FitQuest always reads higher than the SW scales by about 2kg though, no idea why).

Still keeping up the cardio; did 9.75km on the rower this morning in 45 mins - aiming to crack the 10k mark soon, only another 250m needed!

Edited by Funk on Friday 14th February 11:52

[Funk]

ben5575 said:

I see you've lost 8 years as well. Sounds like a fantastic diet to me...!

Yeah, I'm not too sure how it calculates that and again it's probably something to be taken with a pinch...especially as I'm 41 in a few weeks' time...!

[Funk]

J4CKO said:

16.1 this morning, lightest I have been in a couple of years, was 17 at the start of the year once I plucked up the courage to get on the scales.

Setting it as a long term goal is helping me, took a while to put it on, will take a while to come off, will then maintain to a weight rather than let it creep back up.

Going away with my mates in Sept, me and another lad (Dirky Dirk on here) are both getting "Beach Body Ready" So nobody starts dousing us with water and tows us back into the sea.

Robmarriott said:

82.1kg today, which after last week’s gain is a surprise. Must have just been that I weighed on the wrong day or something had bloated me maybe.

Great results for both of you guys, nicely done!

Rob - even a hormonal change could see you retain water for example, are you tracking/graphing the loss long term? As per my previous posts I've found it far more motivating to look at the longer-term trend than the short term result.

[Funk]

Huntsman said:

As of this morning I have lost 1 stone this year.

I feel hugely better and struggle to comprehend how I'll feel when I have lost another 3 stone, it'll be incredible!

Fantastic work mate!

I weighed in last night as usual; seems the switch to morning gym sessions is having an effect - down 4lbs (1.8kg) this week.

Now down to 21st 10.5lbs (138.1kg) taking total loss to 5st 6lbs (34.5kg).

[Funk]

Rob, keep the long-term in mind - short term it'll vary and I've had weeks with no loss and even small gains. I've often found that gym output often doesn't seem to correlate with weight for some reason. You're doing great and your long-term trend is fantastic.

I'm going to need to be careful this week as I'm really feeling it in my knees and lower back this week, as well as still getting twinges in both elbows which seem to be susceptible to tendinitis. I did push things quite a bit at the gym this week so perhaps its my body's way of telling me to calm down a bit...