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15 lbs down since joining MFP

joshdann
joshdann Posts: 618 Member
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since I prefer the kindred company in this group to the masses elsewhere, just though I'd post up my latest milestone. It's not much, but there it is. 317 when I joined, 302 this morning... I expect it to fluctuate up a bit but I should be under 300 by the end of this week. Hard work starting to pay off :)

Replies

  • CapnDonkey
    CapnDonkey Posts: 108 Member
    Great work! I can't wait to be under 300 for the first time in 10 years. You're almost there!

    I put another 10lbs on my deadlift today, up to 285 for reps, and I know I can still add more next week. The program I follow has you add 10 lbs a week to deadlift and squat until you plateau, and 5 lbs to bench and OHP. I guess I started low, because I have been adding weight each week for 6 months. Just to see if I could, I joined the 1000lbs club this morning with a 1 rep max out of 325 DL, 300 Bench, and a 540lb squat. And, even at 36 years old, I feel like I can only get stronger.
    Truthfully, I've plateaued a bit in weight, I'm currently stuck at 305 and have been for about 5 or 6 weeks now. But all my measurements are going down. I'm prepared for a massive "whoosh" on the scale in the next few weeks, but I added some cardio to my weight lifting just to get things moving in the right direction. Either way, I went out this weekend, and a lot of people commented on my weight loss. Made my determination spike, and so I got to the gym extra early today to bang some iron around.

    We're all gonna make it.
  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
    thats great. have you been happy with the muscle size it's adding? I've been lifting relatively light weight, under my max but to the point of failure... it's not a plan I will stick with for long, but I needed something to get my muscles used to lifting again. It's been about 12 years since I really did *any* lifting. Back in high school football and powerlifting days, I had numbers similar to what you're doing now... and I'd like to get back to them. Especially if it means adding some of that long-forgotten muscle back onto my frame.

    good progress, man. keep it up!

    edit: FYI, I've been considering one of the many variants of the 5x5 routine for my long-term strength training. basically bench, deadlift, squat, and barbell row with a few added isolation lifts like bicep curls and bench flys (both dumbells). also, my stupid weight went back up again by a pound and a half... possibly due to all the sodium I took in yesterday when I "cheated" at the fantasy football draft party :(
  • CapnDonkey
    CapnDonkey Posts: 108 Member
    I like the way I am starting to look. My chest is starting to get redefined, and my arms, especially my forearms look lean and muscled even at rest. I'm starting to fill out the arms of shirts again without stretching out the belly part of the shirt, which is good. It is becoming somewhat of an addiction, in a good way. It keeps me honest when cooking/preparing/buying meals. If it won't help my gains, I try not to put it in my body (except for whiskey once a week on the weekends). I can't say enough about how the extra muscle makes me feel. I know that I'm over 300lbs still, but I am so much stronger and in much better shape physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. I'm not a religious guy, but hitting the gym makes me feel purposeful and alive. The 'pump' after an hour long lifting session seems to last all day, and as a married man, it hasn't hurt in the bedroom. More stamina, more available positions, and most importantly, wife seems to want it more often now that I'm 65 lbs lighter (she's lost 45!). She likes the muscles. She likes big guys because she likes size and strength. Skinny, ripped guys elicit a yawn from her, but beefy muscled men she seems to prefer. I like the way I look now, but still want to be bigger, stronger, more cut. I don't want to be shredded, but I do want to lose the spare tire and gain definition in my chest, back, arms, and legs. I don't plan on stopping at my goal weight of 250, either. I plan on bulking back up to 265, just more muscular.
  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
    sex positions! alert a moderator! ;)

    sounds like you are on the path I'm trying to get on. I do want to be a bit more lean... I set my goal weight to 215, since that's what I weighed at 21 and I was mostly happy with the way I looked. I'd like that weight but with a bit less fat and a bit more muscle. Even with the small amount that has come off recently (15 lbs in the past month, 50 overall in the past year) plus the conditioning I've put myself through lately, I feel more physically capable than I have in years. I don't get winded going up 3 or 4 flights of stairs, I can walk a couple miles without even breaking a sweat, assuming it's under 90... I just don't feel as hindered by my obesity as I have. The image in the mirror doesn't match how I feel yet, so I can only imagine how active I'll be able to be once more weight drops off. It's very liberating. I just wish it was happening faster - I have a problem with wanting instant gratification. The logical part of my brain knows it takes time and I'm making progress... the rest of it wants to look good now, damnit.

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