HUGE Milestone Today

kevymetal_

After years of yo-yoing and jumping on and off the Keto train and having an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, I decided enough was enough and I was going to lose the fat and get into shape once and for all. In April, I stepped on a scale for the first time in months to see I was over 255lbs, the heaviest I've ever been and was sitting somewhere around 30% body fat. I struggled to fit into an XL shirt, 36 waist jeans were snug, I had elevated blood pressure, low energy and even lower self confidence. I hated how I looked and felt.

After a couple months of some very slow progress, I decided to hire a coach to help me build a fitness and nutrition program. He helped put together a meal plan which consisted of foods I liked, no restricted macros and a calorie deficit that didn't leave me feeling starved. He got me to stop running aimlessly on a treadmill, and instead focus on zone 2 cardio 3-4 times a week and he built a work-out protocol that was specific to me, my needs and my limitations. And to be honest, I was scared sh*tless to get started in the gym. I had no idea what I was doing, and I just felt like a lost fat guy with horrible form and no strength. Which, to be honest, I was, and that's totally okay, because everybody has to start somewhere. But after a month or so of settling into my training plan, I started to notice little physical changes, I had more energy and going to the gym wasn't so hard anymore. My mindset had changed from this being a diet, to this being a lifestyle overhaul.

Well, this morning, 6 months after hiring my coach, I stepped on the scale to see I have lost 50lbs!!! I have more muscle than I've ever had (but still lots to build lol) and my blood pressure is down to 110/68! If you asked me back in April if I thought I could lose 50lbs, I would have said I'd be happy to lose 20. Above all else, my confidence and mental health are at an all time high. I feel good in my clothes, and can't help but to feel proud every time I catch a glimpse of my reflection. I still have probably another 10-15lbs of body fat I want to lose, and a lot more muscle I want to gain, but I wanted to share this progress milestone, especially to anyone who is feeling unmotivated, frustrated or stuck. If I can lose 50lbs, anyone can. I'm not overly athletic, I don't have great genetics that allow me to just burn fat like a furnace. I'm closer to 40 than I am to 30. All it takes are realistic expectations, patience and consistency.

MaggieGirl135

That is a huge milestone; very impressive!

elisa123gal

You should feel empowered by what you've accomplished. Congratulations. I have a question for you. When your trainer started you back at the gym, how did you handle the soreness and simply put; pain of pushing yourself to work out again.
I am finding getting over that initial hump of being uncomfortable and not injuring myself ... keeps setting me back after each attempt to get back to the gym. I'm losing strength...and fast. No one realizes how that happens with age.

The food part I can do and have done many times.. I also used to workout all the time when I was younger.. but the Covid lockdown... that is what led to a halt to the gym..and I've been getting weaker ever since..and can't seem to get back to my baseline.

kevymetal_

elisa123gal wrote: »

You should feel empowered by what you've accomplished. Congratulations. I have a question for you. When your trainer started you back at the gym, how did you handle the soreness and simply put; pain of pushing yourself to work out again.
I am finding getting over that initial hump of being uncomfortable and not injuring myself ... keeps setting me back after each attempt to get back to the gym. I'm losing strength...and fast. No one realizes how that happens with age.

The food part I can do and have done many times.. I also used to workout all the time when I was younger.. but the Covid lockdown... that is what led to a halt to the gym..and I've been getting weaker ever since..and can't seem to get back to my baseline.

Thank you so much! Yes it feels amazing to be at the shape I was back in my early 20's!

So, as far as the typical delayed onset muscle soreness, I would just work through that. In fact, days I didn't, I found the soreness lasted way longer. I did a PPL protocol with different muscle groups each day, so I did have a good amount of time to recover before training that muscle group again. I also found some stretching before and after working out helped. I also eased myself into working out, and I focused more on learning the movements before focusing on progressive overload for the first few weeks to month. Over the 6 months I did get a couple of injuries. I have a reoccurring shoulder spasm that flared up a couple of times. When it was really bad, I just wouldn't lift. I would do some light cardio if I was able to and work on mobility and stretching. I also developed a case of golfers elbow (again, something I've had before) which I've just had to train around. Changing to neutral grips, lowering weight when the movement was causing pain and just not doing certain movements that were causing too much soreness where the only things I could do for that really. My coach was awesome in that I could give him feedback about what was causing pain and he would modify the protocol to help me work around it.

elisa123gal

Thank you.. all that information helps a lot. good to know .. that twinges and a few aches is part of the deal and to keep pushing on. I'll lighten the weights to work around my latest knee twinge. I got over confident lifting as much as I used too...and bam.. the knee flared up again. again.. thanks for sharing your success and tips.

kevymetal_

elisa123gal wrote: »

Thank you.. all that information helps a lot. good to know .. that twinges and a few aches is part of the deal and to keep pushing on. I'll lighten the weights to work around my latest knee twinge. I got over confident lifting as much as I used too...and bam.. the knee flared up again. again.. thanks for sharing your success and tips.

No problem! Yes, the twinges and aches are all part of the deal, especially as we get older! Some mornings I've been laying in bed trying to convince myself that despite some soreness, going to the gym will make me feel great. But, you know, every time I do, I end up finishing my work-out and leaving the gym feeling awesome! All that being said, popping, tearing, ripping or any other extreme pain is not normal, and if you are experiencing anything severe, you should definitely dial things back or take a break and seek out the advice of a professional.