Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

This is roughly a 2-year difference with more off-days (sometimes even weeks) than I often like to admit. Consistency is key!! That and progress photos.. The number on the scale is not too important since it reflects many variables such as potential water retention and food intake among other things. A little about me: I used to be a junk food junkie growing up. My parents spoiled me (but they had good intentions). It wasn't until shortly after high school that I started weight-lifting and learning about proper nutrition.

One point I'd like to make is you should never have to suffer on a diet. Completely removing "junk" will result in weight loss, yes. But it isn't the only way -- not to mention, it just isn't realistic for some (including myself). There is hunger (physiological) and there is appetite (psychological). Find your balance and satisfy both. Everything in moderation. There is no "good" or "bad" food -- only bad quantities. I used to buy into the whole notion of eating strictly "clean" food because I thought that was the one and only way to get lean... I also thought I had to eat 5 meals a day, one every 3 hours. So for half a year, I dealt with the constant meal-prepping and countless Tupperware. A typical lunch would be a boiled chicken breast or some lean ground turkey with spinach.

I couldn't take it. And quite frankly, my lifestyle as a college student was making the meal-prepping more and more difficult. The good news? You don't have to eat 5 meals a day. And you can achieve your fitness goals eating whatever you want -- just not in whatever AMOUNT you want.

The majority of my diet today is from nutrient-dense foods. I still eat chicken breast as a main source of protein. Yams have become a staple carbohydrate. But a small portion of my diet is what I like to call "counter-intuitive" food (burgers, cookies, pizza, etc). Everything I eat is logged.

Your body recognizes food as energy -- not so much as "good" or "bad". Don't get me wrong, I feel a lot better powering through a workout when I fuel up on yams as opposed to Poptarts. But in terms of body composition, it really doesn't matter what you eat, provided you track your calories and are getting sufficient amounts of macro nutrients (protein/carbs/fats) and micro nutrients (vitamins/minerals/fiber).

Long-term adherence to a diet in my opinion should have variety. What it shouldn't have is food limitations/restrictions. I've restricted myself from certain types of food in the past and what often ended up happening was I would cave in and binge, thus setting me up for setback after setback.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against eating 5 meals a day or eating every 2-3 hours. Nor do I have anything against avoiding carbs before bed time. (Do I avoid them before bed? No.) What works for me may not work for you. Everyone has different preferences so find your niche and do what works best for you to ensure longevity and most importantly, happiness. I just wanted to get a point across that meal timing and (manipulating) meal frequency does NOT "boost" your metabolism or make your body more "efficient". I mentioned this in another post but: take your standard 2,000 calorie diet. If you eat 5 meals a day, each would amount to 400 calories. On the other hand, if you eat 2 meals a day, each would be worth 1,000 calories. At the end of the day, the energy your body expends to metabolize these calories will be the SAME. This is the thermic effect of food (TEF). It is the law of thermodynamics.

Sorry for the long post. Feel free to add me! I'm here to motivate and inspire anyone who has just started their fitness journey or anyone that is currently on it and is lacking motivation to keep going!!

Amazing transformation and even greater read. :drinker:

How often were you working out and what does your routine look like? Did you hit any cardio in the beginning or just started with the weights..curiousity is getting the best of me. :flowerforyou:

Thanks! I was working out anywhere from 3 to 5+ days a week.. initially I knew nothing about dieting so although I was putting on some muscle (left picture), I generally just thought the hours I was putting in the weight room justified my spontaneous eating -- whether I was bored or legitimately hungry. Cardio was always a bare minimum mainly because I was never much of an endurance type of person. I would much rather prefer HIIT (high intensity interval training; i.e. sprints).

Nowadays I still don't do cardio in the gym (aside from biking to and from classes on campus) because I stay in a calorie deficit by just eating less. My current workout routine is a three-day split that consists of back & shoulders, chest & arms, and legs!

This is roughly a 2-year difference with more off-days (sometimes even weeks) than I often like to admit. Consistency is key!! That and progress photos.. The number on the scale is not too important since it reflects many variables such as potential water retention and food intake among other things. A little about me: I used to be a junk food junkie growing up. My parents spoiled me (but they had good intentions). It wasn't until shortly after high school that I started weight-lifting and learning about proper nutrition.

One point I'd like to make is you should never have to suffer on a diet. Completely removing "junk" will result in weight loss, yes. But it isn't the only way -- not to mention, it just isn't realistic for some (including myself). There is hunger (physiological) and there is appetite (psychological). Find your balance and satisfy both. Everything in moderation. There is no "good" or "bad" food -- only bad quantities. I used to buy into the whole notion of eating strictly "clean" food because I thought that was the one and only way to get lean... I also thought I had to eat 5 meals a day, one every 3 hours. So for half a year, I dealt with the constant meal-prepping and countless Tupperware. A typical lunch would be a boiled chicken breast or some lean ground turkey with spinach.

I couldn't take it. And quite frankly, my lifestyle as a college student was making the meal-prepping more and more difficult. The good news? You don't have to eat 5 meals a day. And you can achieve your fitness goals eating whatever you want -- just not in whatever AMOUNT you want.

The majority of my diet today is from nutrient-dense foods. I still eat chicken breast as a main source of protein. Yams have become a staple carbohydrate. But a small portion of my diet is what I like to call "counter-intuitive" food (burgers, cookies, pizza, etc). Everything I eat is logged.

Your body recognizes food as energy -- not so much as "good" or "bad". Don't get me wrong, I feel a lot better powering through a workout when I fuel up on yams as opposed to Poptarts. But in terms of body composition, it really doesn't matter what you eat, provided you track your calories and are getting sufficient amounts of macro nutrients (protein/carbs/fats) and micro nutrients (vitamins/minerals/fiber).

Long-term adherence to a diet in my opinion should have variety. What it shouldn't have is food limitations/restrictions. I've restricted myself from certain types of food in the past and what often ended up happening was I would cave in and binge, thus setting me up for setback after setback.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against eating 5 meals a day or eating every 2-3 hours. Nor do I have anything against avoiding carbs before bed time. (Do I avoid them before bed? No.) What works for me may not work for you. Everyone has different preferences so find your niche and do what works best for you to ensure longevity and most importantly, happiness. I just wanted to get a point across that meal timing and (manipulating) meal frequency does NOT "boost" your metabolism or make your body more "efficient". I mentioned this in another post but: take your standard 2,000 calorie diet. If you eat 5 meals a day, each would amount to 400 calories. On the other hand, if you eat 2 meals a day, each would be worth 1,000 calories. At the end of the day, the energy your body expends to metabolize these calories will be the SAME. This is the thermic effect of food (TEF). It is the law of thermodynamics.

Sorry for the long post. Feel free to add me! I'm here to motivate and inspire anyone who has just started their fitness journey or anyone that is currently on it and is lacking motivation to keep going!!