I have recently finished a 12 week project with SideSteel for weight loss. So, with his permission, I thought I would post about my experience and results. Sometimes the trip to the well can be a little long with me. With that in mind, I'll try to edit.

TL:DR: SS was great. I found him to be very knowledgeable. It seemed that, for me, goals were more successfully achieved when a holistic approach used. The interaction of exercise and intake with daily life can make simple things look complex and vice versa. Coming off a fairly lengthy stall, I found the perspective he brought on that front to be very useful. He really helped me get out of my head a bit, and he brought some info the process that I hadn't considered.

I'm happy with my results and the experience and would recommend it to anyone who's having some trouble rebooting their fat loss.

My Background:

After a long-ish period of weight loss with ups and downs, I was stalled.

About four 4 years ago, I weighed close to 260lbs. I decided to make a change. So I started watching what I ate, going to the gym, and bought some sessions with a trainer. It worked. I lost weight. By the time I had used the last session I paid for I was down to around 230. That seemed like good progress, but I moved and changed gyms, and did not seek additional aid from a trainer at the new gym.

At around that same time, my office started up a inexpensive gym of it's own, and a trainer started group classes. I joined that gym, along with my other one, and I bought some group class sessions. At the end of the that course, I was down to around 212. Eventually I got down to around 195 on my own. And then I stalled. For many months. I think it was probably close to 6 months. Then I gained. Slowly, but I did gain. Over the course of 6 months I got back to around 210lbs.

I was somewhat frustrated, and then I saw the post for the 12 week project.

My Experience:

Without going into specifics, I found the conversations we had to be very useful. The critique of my lifting form also helped, even though major changes weren't required in that area (thankfully).

Other recomp goals, etc, were discussed, but overall I think breaking the stall had to do with taking a closer look at adherence and making some adjustments to my intake that helped ensure I was actually eating at a deficit. Again, sometimes fitting that into daily life is more complicated that it sounds, and sometimes it's simpler than I think it is.

I'd also like to give a shout out to the great folks that went through the 12 weeks with me. You're all awesome.

Results:

Over the course of the 12 weeks, I went from 210 to 197 and lost a few inches off my waist. I'm at 196 now, and I'm taking a mild break. My current eventual goal is around 170-180, depending on how I feel about BF% at the time. For right now, I think a little relaxation in restriction will help energize/motivate me for another fat loss phase.

I'm pleased with the results so far. I have a Before and After below. At first, I didn't really want to show it because I felt that while I did see a difference, it's not like I have a six pack or anything. The more I thought about it, though, I think it's probably important to set real expectations about what a 13lb loss, at my weight and BF%, looks like. I think people probably get discouraged by the marketing that's out there, and that's unfortunate.

Huge progress for 12 weeks - congratulations.


However...rumor has it...SideSteel does not even lift!

His results came from his mini trampoline and shakeweight routine.



And congrats Evan! Awesome job