Over the course of nearly two years I went from being obese at 270lbs at 29.3% body fat and 37.1% lean body mass to 161lbs at 12.5% body fat and about 26% lean body mass with lots of vascularity and a good six pack. People would ask me if I was a body builder. That was pretty cool. It’s been about a year and a half since then – and between working to regain some of my lost muscle mass (a lot) and partying (drinking) due to the fact that I love being out nowadays – I’ve put back on 30 pounds – 20 of which are fat. Not so good.

I’ve tried many diets over the years and I’m always learning. I’ve learned that a low carb diet like Atkins won’t work forever unless you stick with it. You can cheat from time to time but you can’t completely go off for a few months and then think it’ll be as effective as the first time. Your body learns what you’re doing. The Atkins diet works so great the first time because you’re shocking your body and it doesn’t know what to do. It’s really great. And I may give it another shot one day. It’s been long enough that I think it can work for me again.

You can’t eat healthy, sit down all day but work out like a maniac and expect that to keep working either. Eventually homeostasis comes into play and it gets more and more difficult to stay in shape. Not impossible – but very difficult. So you can’t relax too much for too long if you’re destined to be overweight. I love eating. I’m constantly thinking about food. But my real downfall is sitting all day to make a living. That is a F’ing killer. Even if I work out twice each day and eat healthy – it’s still a constant battle to stay in shape.

So now I’m trying a diet that I’ve never done before. I’m throwing something different into the mix. THIS diet should allow me to drop a bunch of fat without losing a lot of muscle. And so far – its working. I’ve lost 10.6 pounds in 6 days dropping 2% of my total body fat. This diet DOES work – but it’s VERY strict. And I’ll NEVER recommend it to anyone. It’s a very, very low calorie diet. No fat. I can’t even use LOTION with oil in it. I get to eat a 200 grams of fatless meat, two pieces of fruit, two servings of vegetables and two pieces of Melba toast – PER DAY. The diet is absolute misery. But it works…

This lasts for 21-42 days. I should drop 10 pounds per week. And before you say it – I already know all about the pitfalls of losing weight too quickly. However, there’s a lot of “science” to this diet – and I’ll be fine doing it this way. Anyway, I hate this diet. I really hope I can drop 20 pounds of fat by the 21st day. I really can’t continue on like this – but I F’ing will. Being in shape feels too good.

As soon as I’m done with this diet, I’m having a massive feed day. I’ll gain back 5 pounds on that day – but I’ll lose it throughout the week that follows once I get back to training again. Oh yeah – I forgot to mention. There’s VERY little working out on this diet. There’s just not enough calories. I’m lifting lightly four times per week and walking for an hour in the evening. My body is appreciating the break. But once this diet is over I’ll get back into serious weight training and cardio – which should allow me to keep the weight off. There’s supposed to be a three week phase where I still don’t eat any sugar or bread – but I’m confident that with my training I’ll be okay. I just have to take it easy on the partying – which brought me to where I am today – on this hellish diet.

So why haven’t I mentioned the NAME of this diet? Because it sucks. You don’t want to do it. And I don’t want you to do it…

After a summer full of partying several times per week – eating less strictly, drinking a LOT of alcohol – and ultimately STOPPING all training for a full 30 days while I built a home gym – I was up to about 184 pounds at 17.5% body fat. Not good. So over the course of the summer, I gained 23 pounds of fat by not being careful. Yes, I’m a “fat guy” to say the least. It’s in my genes. So it’s going to be a constant battle to keep the weight off. A challenge I am most certainly up to.

So with three weeks left before going on a week-long cruise – where I was destined to put on more weight – I ramped up my training and reduced my calories – once again eating healthy. By the day of the cruise, I was down to 173 pounds at 16% body fat. I continued to train on the cruise and didn’t go off my diet TOO bad – and gained back 4 pounds at 177.

A few days back from my cruise, I’m back down to 175 and I’m losing about a half pound per day. When I was in my 20s, I could lose a full pound each day. I guess I’m getting old..

So I’ve got two and a half weeks before my next week-long cruise (I saved my cruises for the end of the year (I think)) – and I plan on being 165 pounds by the day I leave. If I AM down to 165 – and anywhere near 12-13% body fat, I’ll have no trouble training hard and sticking to my diet on the cruise.

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas and two cruises, this isn’t going to be easy – but I’m going to do it. By Christmas Day, I will be back down to my 161 pounds at 12% body fat or so.

The Wii (yes, the Wii) tells me my ideal body weight is 140 pounds. I’m starting to believe it. Though my next goal will mainly be to get down to 10% body fat without sacrificing any more muscle.

None of this is easy – but it’s fun being an old guy in good shape. Staying in shape is a lot easier when you’re young. It’s nice to see kids in good shape, but I have a lot more respect for older people who manage to stay healthy. Between work, kids, the responsibilities of having a family, a home, full-time work that you cannot just leave because more than just yourself depends on the income – blah, blah, blah – it’s a miracle that any of us can stay in shape and be healthy.

Anyway.. If you’re planning on dieting, you’re not alone… Just get to it – before it’s too late…

Obviously I’d set very long-term goals back in January. 2009 was/is an entire year dedicated to losing fat. I’ve gone from 243.4 pounds (not my heaviest, actually) at 26.8% body fat and 39.0% lean mass to 174.6 pounds at 15.7% body fat and 28.0% lean mass in nine months. I’ve lost 11.1% body fat and 11.0% lean mass. That’s about half the fat I had on my body – as well as half the muscle I had. I’ll get the muscle back next year.

All is took was persistence and dedication. I wake up first thing every morning and get on a tread mill at 3.4-4.0 miles per hour for 40 minutes – which usually comes to 2.5 miles. I weight train on Monday (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps), Tuesday (Back, Biceps, Traps), Wednesday (Legs and Forearms) and Friday (Full Body) and get an additional 20 minutes (1.25 miles) of treadmill cardio directly afterwards. On Thursday I do an additional 40 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and on Saturday and Sunday I do my morning session and then move around throughout the day since I’m not at my desk.

If you’re looking to start something like this – you certainly don’t have to begin the way I’m ending off. I only go crazy as much as I do because I’ve become very comfortable with it. At time during the middle of the day, I’ll just start jumping rope. Why? Because I have a goal and I know I’m going to get there. When you first start, just start off with 20 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning before you eat anything. You don’t even have to change your diet at this point. Do it for a month – yeah – bite the bullet and suffer for a month – and you’ll be so surprised at how much you accomplish in that time, that you’ll add more workout sessions and change your diet like I did. When you SEE something working, nothing will stand in your way. I’ll post good before and after pictures before I start my bulk-up in January.

I mainly eat the same stuff every day. Protein shake, fat free (THICK) Greek yogurt, high fiber granola bar with peanut butter on top (all before lunch), lettuce with grilled chicken or fish with full-fat ranch dressing as a wrap or salad for lunch, and either another salad or something healthy that my Wife cooks for dinner. Snacking in between or after dinner is healthy as well. Frozen yogurt or some type of healthy crunchy snack (chips, pretzels) does the trick.

Weight (where listed) / Fat % / Body Mass Index %
29.3 / 37.1
27.1 / 37.7
26.8 / 38
26.5 / 38.4
242.2 / 26.9 / 38.8
243.4 / 26.8 / 39.0
239.8 / 26.0 / 38.4
232.8 / 25.6 / 37.3
232.4 / 25.7 / 37.2
229.8 / 24.9 / 36.8 (the first time under 230 in years – first goal achieved)
217.2 / 23.2 / 34.7
215.0 / 23.0 / 34.4
213.8 / 23.0 / 34.3
211.6 / 22.7 / 33.9
211.2 / 22.9 / 33.8
210.2 / 22.8 / 33.6 (210 – second goal achieved)
209.2 / 22.5 / 33.5
210.4 / 22.6 / 33.7
208.2 / 22.2 / 33.3
208.2 / 22.1 / 33.3
206.4 / 22.2 / 33.1
204.4 / 22.0 / 32.8
203.2 / 21.7 / 32.5
204.8 / 21.5 / 32.8
202.4 / 21.4 / 32.4
202.0 / 21.4 / 32.3
203.0 / 21.3 / 32.5
200.2 / 21.1 / 32.0
200.6 / 21.0 / 32.1
199.4 / 21.1 / 32.0 (under 200 – third goal achieved)
199.4 / 20.7 / 32.0
198.4 / 20.5 / 31.8
194.8 / 20.5 / 31.2
196.8 / 20.2 / 31.6
197.2 / 20.1 / 31.6
194.8 / 20.1 / 31.6
194.8 / 20.1 / 30.9
191.4 / 19.8 / 30.7
190.4 / 19.1 / 30.5
190.6 / 19.0 / 30.5
188.8 / 19.1 / 30.3
188.2 / 18.6 / 30.1
191.2 / 18.4 / 30.6
188.6 / 19.0 / 30.3
189.2 / 18.3 / 30.3
—————- Since last update
188.8 / 18.6 / 30.3
188.2 / 18.6 / 30.1
187.6 / 18.7 / 30.0
187.6 / 18.5 / 30.0
185.4 / 18.2 / 29.7
184.6 / 18.0 / 29.5
184.8 / 17.8 / 29.6
184.0 / 18.3 / 29.5
182.4 / 18.1 / 29.2
181.4 / 18.2 / 29.1
180.8 / 18.1 / 29.0
181.8 / 18.1 / 29.2
181.0 / 17.5 / 28.8
179.2 / 17.7 / 28.7 (under 180 – fourth goal achieved)
178.8 / 17.3 / 28.7
180.0 / 17.5 / 28.8
178.8 / 17.2 / 28.7
177.8
175.0 / 17.2 / 28.0
176.2 / 17.0 / 28.2
—————- Went to Disney and ate like a normal human being
179.0 / 17.0 / 28.7 (as you can see here – after eating normally – my lean mass increased quite a bit – a good sign)
178.2 / 16.6 / 28.5
177.0 / 15.7 / 28.3
176.4 / 16.3 / 28.3
174.6 / 15.7 / 28.0