120kg ---> 79.8kg in 18 months but that wasn't nearly the biggest change I made

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sclmPaSubIY
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Before (eg from 15/7/14 I started to change) 120.7kg

http://i.imgur.com/3tyO7Qh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HFPlkfn.jpg
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After 15/12/15 79.8kg

http://i.imgur.com/WSLstWS.jpg
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Height 171cm
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Body Fat Before ~50% according to bodyfat scales After – 15.8%


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Diet - I kept it simple, 500 below maintenance using whole unprocessed foods.

A typical day would look like this

Meal 1 - Home made protein bar

Meal 2 - Tuna Protein Roll

Meal 3 - Fruit/salad smoothie with a scoop of protein

Meal 4 - Cous cous with tuna

Meal 5 - Beef curry with stir fried veg

http://i.imgur.com/4cdDieA.jpg


On other days when I haven't done 1000 calories worth of exercise like I had that day it would be more like

http://i.imgur.com/DklLbxs.jpg

Meal 1 - Home made protein bar

Meal 2 - Tuna protein roll

Meal 3 - Chilli con carne, stir fried veg and 6 eggs

I make a few meals up in advance, all can be done in a slow cooker, all super simple. Chilli, bolognese type sauce, curry, savoury mince etc. I then portion them up and freeze. That way when I come home after a hard day all i have to do is basically put my own version of a microwave meal in the microwave and prepare my fresh veggies to go with. On days when I can afford the extra calories I will sling a load of eggs in as well.

Its nothing out of the norm, just good, minimally processed whole foods to make everything and then conveniently portioned up.

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Exercise - Varied over the 18 months, started out with 5x5 and a bunch of walking now I destroy myself on the stairmill and lift upper lower split.

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Specifics around routine.

First 6 months was the traditional 5x5 model

StrongLifts 5x5
Week 1
Monday - Squat 5x5, Bench 5x5, Barbell row 5x5
Wednesday - Squat 5x5, OHP 5x5, Deadlift 1x5
Friday - Squat 5x5, Bench 5x5, Barbell row 5x5

Week 2
Monday - Squat 5x5, OHP 5x5, Deadlift 1x5
Wednesday - Squat 5x5, Bench 5x5, Barbell row 5x5
Friday - Squat 5x5, OHP 5x5, Deadlift 1x5

I would also do 15 minutes of HIIT cardio after every lifting session and more often than not I would swim on the off days Tuesday and Thursday. However it was very gentle swimming more for stretching and recovery than additional cardio as such.


After the first 6 months I ran the same above but I adapted it a little and added in some accessories, curls and ab work mostly as they were the parts that seemed to be lacking.


Now I run something of my own design that I've slowly developed and tweaked over the last 4 months or so. Its a heavy workload but I've found it works for me so far, strength and mass is up and bodyfat has remained around the same. I've called it Strypertrophy LUCLU because its both strength and hypertrophy based on following the upper/lower protocol different days. I use my Wednesday for stretching and intense cardio. You'll notice the lack of deadlifts, I do do them on my second lower day fairly often, however I squat more so...

http://i.imgur.com/7qbQXti.jpg

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As for me and my story the video is obviously above but further to that....

Crikey, where to start. In July 2014 I landed up in hospital with severe abdominal pains after vomiting some blood. My body, ravaged from alcoholism and drug addiction that got progressively worse over a 15 year period decided to push back. When I got into hospital my resting hr was rarely below 100, I weighed 120kg + and my cholesterol was measured at 21, yes 21, it should be less than 5. I would get out of breath just walking across the room. Hell I basically didn't leave my bed there in those last few weeks to do anything but visit the toilet and that was literally a huge challenge everyday. I was drinking upwards of 6000 calories a day and as many as 60-80 units and the weight and misery kept piling on.


I was broken, physically, mentally and spiritually broken. Lying in that hospital that night I realised that I didn't want to die, that no matter how bad a person I thought I was or how bad a person I thought I had been, nobody deserved to die on their knees. It was 2 days later after a rough couple of days detox before I could even face food but when I did I entered it into a popular fitness app for the first time. I had made the decision whilst lying there in fear of death for some time that I had to change and the best way I know to change is to get up and do something about it there and then, not next month, not next week, right now.


I left hospital a few days later practically detoxed from alcohol, I was still suffering some sweats and shakes occasionally but for all intents and purposes just being mindful over my food choices in those early days, in a hospital setting, had me feeling better.


It was strange really, I had come to a place in my life many times where I resolved to quit, I made grand promises and I really believed them. One more try though was always rapidly followed by one more failure. This time though something just felt different and I think it was because I really believed myself when I told myself I wanted to change. You see I would lie to myself all the time and everyone else for that matter. I was dishonest, cowardly, manipulative, malicious and vile on a daily basis and it was all for the stupidest of reasons, because I thought that was who I was supposed to be.


It’s been more than just the weight loss for me as you can probably tell. I have fundamentally changed as a person, I’ve found help from a local addiction service, a fellowship community and my self awareness has been dialled in. I try to treat everybody the best I can, not judge, be honest and remember where I came from everyday now and life is infinitely easier. Anxiety is down, self confidence is up.


So I was out of hospital, all set with my goal in mind of getting to 15% bodyfat and itching to go running or any number of things. However I had strict instructions from the doctors when leaving the hospital to take it slowly, I was told no more than 1 mile a day walking for at least a month to start with such was the physical trauma I’d put my body through it would have been ill advised to run before I could walk so to speak. So that’s what I did, I started out walking ramping it up week on week, towards the end of the month I was doing about 5 miles a day and hiked up a local landmark without pause something I couldn’t have done for at least 5 years prior when I attempted to get sober. 2 months in I did a 21 mile walk for meningitis.


After about 6 weeks I was down about 10kilos already. I joined a gym and started out using 5x5 on my phone, I had dipped in and out of weight rooms at times but never taken it seriously at all so I dropped all of my ego about the place and started with a beginner strength program. I felt getting the basics right before anything else was the way for me to go. I ran that for about 6 months in which time I got myself below 100 kilos for the first time in a little over ten years. The next 6 months I ran a variation of 5x5, just a few lifts added into the mix for all intents and purposes rather than anything radical. During these 6 months my weight began to fall off a lot slower, it seemed my body was pretty sweet with being around 97 kilos, even more so around 80kg when I hit that. I guess that change in pace was a hurdle for me. I was so used to seeing the weight come off in greater increments it shook me for a while, I started to doubt myself and my choices became sloppy again. Nevertheless I kept up my training throughout and when I haven’t lost weight I’ve seemed to gain muscle, sometimes I just stay the same and then one week it all seems to come at once.


These days I don’t monitor the scale so closely, I use it as a rough guide but the mirror and photos tell me more now. However I am aboute to strip right down to 10% or less and see just how bad my loose skin situation is going to be. Ultimately I am not finished, not by a long shot, I feel I will always seek to gradually improve every aspect of my being, this is who I am now, its who I always was deep down.

My life now is infinitely improved, my resting heart rate is in the mid 40's, my cholesterol was 2 point something on the last check, my cardio health has improved dramatically, I'm stronger, faster than I have ever been and all my bloods have returned to safe ranges. The mental shift has probably been the bigger one though, I can hand on heart say I am trying every day to be a better man and I am eternally grateful to all those who helped me and ever more pleased to be able to give something back. I have a debt I owe for where I am today and I intend to repay it in full.


I guess to summarise its been more than the weight loss, I have fundamentally changed as a person and I no longer despise myself. The weight room has been a reminder for me that the more I put into anything the more I get out and that’s how I start my day. In the weight room pushing myself to the absolute limit because I tend to find whatever comes at me later in the day, after a hard workout its somehow more manageable.


If this video reaches even 1 other person trapped as I was then it will have served its primary purpose.

Obviously I'm a further 7 months on now and mostly that's facilitated a recomp, I've hovered between 75 and 80kgs throughout. My conditioning is better, I'm stronger, I'm more muscular and I continue to be diligent about my health and fitness.

713 days logged with MFP.