5 years of progress

fb47

So I am 5'9 and currently 165 lbs. Before 2013, I was a very skinny person. I thought genetically I was screwed and that the gym would be just a waste of time back in my 20's. When I hit 30 years old, I hated how I looked, the skinny arms, small frame...I would be wearing 2 tshirts at the same time in the summer in order to make me look big...which in retrospect was so stupid and silly. Finally, when I was going to celebrate my 30th birthday, I said that I had to make changes in my life. How could I say that genetically I was screwed when I never gave the gym a chance. So in March of 2013 I decided to apply at a gym and promised myself to go to the gym even on days when I didn't feel like it. I also changed my eating habits. At first, I thought eating healthy was the only way to build muscles, but over time I discovered IIFYM (If it fits your macros) and I learned in the process how to lean bulk and cut. The discovery of IIFYM was a big aha moment for me, I couldn't believe you could lose weight while eating your favorite food (I still try to maintain an overall healthy diet, but I didn't restrict any food). Another thing that helped me in the process is reading articles from Mike Matthews and the www.aworkoutroutine.com website. Infact, I still use the workouts to this day from the book I bought on that website. Mind you, there are other workouts that are just as effective as the one I bought from the aworkoutroutine.com, but I really enjoyed that booklet workout programs and the exercises. So here I am 5 years later. Can my body still improve?? Yes, but when I compare today vs what I was 5 years ago, I am much more happier now. What used to be a chore before (going to the gym and meal preparation) is now my passion. Here is the results including pictures of my last bulk and cut.

MyLovesMyLife

Great job reminds me of my husbands story he was 5’10 and 125lbs due to stomach issues. He used body for life and weight lifting and I met him at 165.

Keep it up! Kudos!

jc1961AA

Great work, same height as you but still some work to do. Very inspiring, thank you

fb47

jc1961AA wrote: »

Great work, same height as you but still some work to do. Very inspiring, thank you

It's a slow process, but very rewarding.

Styggian

great results. congratulations

djeffreys10

Great job! Did you use bulk/cut cycles or simply slow bulk/recomp over that time?

fb47

djeffreys10 wrote: »

Great job! Did you use bulk/cut cycles or simply slow bulk/recomp over that time?

I would do lean bulk and cutting cycles. Occasionally I would recomp but it's usually because I stayed too long on a caloric number and my body simply adapted to it (aka it was my new maintenance). You could say I had moments where I was unintentionally at maintenance.

mom23mangos

Fantastic transformation. It's amazing to see your body at the exact same weight with such drastic composition changes in the top two photos.

fb47

mom23mangos wrote: »

Fantastic transformation. It's amazing to see your body at the exact same weight with such drastic composition changes in the top two photos.

I know, it's night and day. But I hated being that lean.

quiksylver296

Looking freaking fantastic!

JustaJoe00

good work....i like your story.

fb47

JustaJoe00 wrote: »

good work....i like your story.

Thanks, I have the opposite problem of most people. Usually people go to mfp, because they want to lose weight, I had the opposite problem. I was undereating without knowing it and doing no resistance training didn't help either. Lucky for me, I changed things around.

mom23mangos

fb47 wrote: »

mom23mangos wrote: »

Fantastic transformation. It's amazing to see your body at the exact same weight with such drastic composition changes in the top two photos.

I know, it's night and day. But I hated being that lean.

You look good with a little padding.

fb47

mom23mangos wrote: »

fb47 wrote: »

mom23mangos wrote: »

Fantastic transformation. It's amazing to see your body at the exact same weight with such drastic composition changes in the top two photos.

I know, it's night and day. But I hated being that lean.

You look good with a little padding.

Thanks I prefer the padding...and many say the samething, I don't think I will ever go that low in bf again, the first time was more for the challenge.

doubleap77

fb47 wrote: »

JustaJoe00 wrote: »

good work....i like your story.

Thanks, I have the opposite problem of most people. Usually people go to mfp, because they want to lose weight, I had the opposite problem. I was undereating without knowing it and doing no resistance training didn't help either. Lucky for me, I changed things around.

Speaking as someone who has started from your place (30, underweight, undereating), it is nice to see this success story.

Nice work, and I hope it continues to inspire those of us who want to gain.

fb47

doubleap77 wrote: »

fb47 wrote: »

JustaJoe00 wrote: »

good work....i like your story.

Thanks, I have the opposite problem of most people. Usually people go to mfp, because they want to lose weight, I had the opposite problem. I was undereating without knowing it and doing no resistance training didn't help either. Lucky for me, I changed things around.

Speaking as someone who has started from your place (30, underweight, undereating), it is nice to see this success story.

Nice work, and I hope it continues to inspire those of us who want to gain.

Thanks, we seem to be in the minority. I see most people on mfp having the opposite problem (people who want to lose weight). Either way, both side of the spectrum is not fun.

L1zardQueen

Wow! You look great!

AmberSpamber

Well done!!! You look great!