your journey, my journey, our journeys

bry_all01
bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
edited October 2024 in Chit-Chat
We are all here for a different reason, a different journey, even, but our journeys lead to the same ultimate goal - to get healthy. :heart:

My journey was to gain weight, then maintain, and now to lose those pounds I gained (also known as vanity pounds). I do things differently than quite a few others and then the same as quite a few others as well. But, overall, I do ME, what works best for me. I'm new to this whole lifestyle change and into the bodybuilding world. A bikini competition is what started me on my journey. :glasses:

Please do not allow others to derail your way of doing things. We all do what we need to do on here for a reason and our own journey. We may not know or even understand why someone is on their journey or even what journey they are on, but it is not for us to know. All we need to know is that we ARE great and ARE doing a GREAT job! Keep it up! All of us! :bigsmile:


ETA: I DO care what journey you are all on, especially my MFP friends. I only meant, lets not judge each other for whatever journey we are or are not on.... :tongue:

Replies

  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    :happy:
  • glockster972
    glockster972 Posts: 704 Member
    Well said!!:wink:
  • Iamfit4life
    Iamfit4life Posts: 3,095 Member
    I heart you!
  • alicollins74
    alicollins74 Posts: 335 Member
    Thank you. Well said :)
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I twitch everytime someone calls it a journey.
    But I love you anyway.........
    :smooched:
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    I twitch everytime someone calls it a journey.
    But I love you anyway.........
    :smooched:


    Would you rather I call it a trek, voyage, jaunt? :laugh:
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
    LMAO...taken from my profile
    If you are looking for someone to talk about their “journey”, you might want to look elsewhere. It makes me feel like I am Frodo Baggins and I have a complex about my height already.

    Not that I would disagree with anyone in a bikini.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    Love it
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Are the vanity pounds the pounds you gained or the pounds you're now losing, just out of curiosity. I only ask because I got down to my goal bf% and then decided that I wanted to put on 4 or so pounds of muscle over the next few months (the muscle I lost while eating at a deficit). I don't need the muscle, I'm not entering competitions, so . . . those are my vanity pounds in a sense.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    LMAO...taken from my profile
    If you are looking for someone to talk about their “journey”, you might want to look elsewhere. It makes me feel like I am Frodo Baggins and I have a complex about my height already.

    Not that I would disagree with anyone in a bikini.

    lol, I'm not asking that anyone talk about it, just that they respect it.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    Are the vanity pounds the pounds you gained or the pounds you're now losing, just out of curiosity. I only ask because I got down to my goal bf% and then decided that I wanted to put on 4 or so pounds of muscle over the next few months (the muscle I lost while eating at a deficit). I don't need the muscle, I'm not entering competitions, so . . . those are my vanity pounds in a sense.


    these are the 10 I put on to "beef" up, per say to put on the muscle and am now nearing the competition time, so am looking to trim back down in hopes to be lean and have the muscles stand out better.
  • jeeping_mom
    jeeping_mom Posts: 72
    I twitch everytime someone calls it a journey.
    But I love you anyway.........
    :smooched:


    Would you rather I call it a trek, voyage, jaunt? :laugh:

    Ditto on the jouney cringe. Adventure? Mine's like a roller coaster anyhoo :laugh:
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Are the vanity pounds the pounds you gained or the pounds you're now losing, just out of curiosity. I only ask because I got down to my goal bf% and then decided that I wanted to put on 4 or so pounds of muscle over the next few months (the muscle I lost while eating at a deficit). I don't need the muscle, I'm not entering competitions, so . . . those are my vanity pounds in a sense.


    these are the 10 I put on to "beef" up, per say to put on the muscle and am now nearing the competition time, so am looking to trim back down in hopes to be lean and have the muscles stand out better.

    Got it, so now that your competition is nearing you're coming out of one of the gain cycles? I've been trying to read up and understand competition modeling a little bit, and it seems that you go through a gain cycle where you increase both fat and muscle through consumption and exercise without throwing off your bf% too much, and then go through a loss cycle trying to lower the bf% without losing all of that beautiful lean mass. What I can't figure out is if (and I think you posted a question about this the other day) dehydration is a part of that.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    Are the vanity pounds the pounds you gained or the pounds you're now losing, just out of curiosity. I only ask because I got down to my goal bf% and then decided that I wanted to put on 4 or so pounds of muscle over the next few months (the muscle I lost while eating at a deficit). I don't need the muscle, I'm not entering competitions, so . . . those are my vanity pounds in a sense.


    these are the 10 I put on to "beef" up, per say to put on the muscle and am now nearing the competition time, so am looking to trim back down in hopes to be lean and have the muscles stand out better.

    Got it, so now that your competition is nearing you're coming out of one of the gain cycles? I've been trying to read up and understand competition modeling a little bit, and it seems that you go through a gain cycle where you increase both fat and muscle through consumption and exercise without throwing off your bf% too much, and then go through a loss cycle trying to lower the bf% without losing all of that beautiful lean mass. What I can't figure out is if (and I think you posted a question about this the other day) dehydration is a part of that.


    I did write a thread asking about what pulling water meant. I'm not entirely sure how it works, as this is my first show. I was told that it is similar to dehydration and is very dangerous, cn cause kidney failure, but that brings me to the question, really? Bodybuilders who are so intense on what they eat, their workouts, etc. are going to harm their bodies? I don't know that I fully buy into that, yet, but will be able to make a better judgment call on that once the time arrives.

    Yep, I gained, healthily 10 pounds (cleaner foods than I was used to, and more food, for that matter). Then, I maintained for a while and now I am eating even a little bit more clean than before. For me, the stricter eating is the hardest part. I'm not used to having to worry about these things, or telling myself no, I can't have such and such...
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I did write a thread asking about what pulling water meant. I'm not entirely sure how it works, as this is my first show. I was told that it is similar to dehydration and is very dangerous, cn cause kidney failure, but that brings me to the question, really? Bodybuilders who are so intense on what they eat, their workouts, etc. are going to harm their bodies? I don't know that I fully buy into that, yet, but will be able to make a better judgment call on that once the time arrives.

    Yep, I gained, healthily 10 pounds (cleaner foods than I was used to, and more food, for that matter). Then, I maintained for a while and now I am eating even a little bit more clean than before. For me, the stricter eating is the hardest part. I'm not used to having to worry about these things, or telling myself no, I can't have such and such...

    One of the other pump instructors at my club is an ex competition builder. When I ask her questions about that part of her life she always prefaces it with "now this was quite some time ago, so things may have changed since then." But she doesn’t eat until 2 and drinks coffee all day long and smokes to suppress her appetite (still, it’s an old habit from those days) because this is what was recommended to her when she would complain about being hungry. She talks about how unhealthy she was, and still is, because she lived that life for so long and it’s now all habit. It sounds like you’ve gotten better advice along the way, there’s better science now than there was 15 or 20 years ago, and people tend to be more informed. This last stage is the only one that would make me a little nervous, but as long as you’re in good hands, kwim? Good luck with your competition!
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    I did write a thread asking about what pulling water meant. I'm not entirely sure how it works, as this is my first show. I was told that it is similar to dehydration and is very dangerous, cn cause kidney failure, but that brings me to the question, really? Bodybuilders who are so intense on what they eat, their workouts, etc. are going to harm their bodies? I don't know that I fully buy into that, yet, but will be able to make a better judgment call on that once the time arrives.

    Yep, I gained, healthily 10 pounds (cleaner foods than I was used to, and more food, for that matter). Then, I maintained for a while and now I am eating even a little bit more clean than before. For me, the stricter eating is the hardest part. I'm not used to having to worry about these things, or telling myself no, I can't have such and such...

    One of the other pump instructors at my club is an ex competition builder. When I ask her questions about that part of her life she always prefaces it with "now this was quite some time ago, so things may have changed since then." But she doesn’t eat until 2 and drinks coffee all day long and smokes to suppress her appetite (still, it’s an old habit from those days) because this is what was recommended to her when she would complain about being hungry. She talks about how unhealthy she was, and still is, because she lived that life for so long and it’s now all habit. It sounds like you’ve gotten better advice along the way, there’s better science now than there was 15 or 20 years ago, and people tend to be more informed. This last stage is the only one that would make me a little nervous, but as long as you’re in good hands, kwim? Good luck with your competition!


    My friend cried, because she had to eat fish, asparagus and brown rice and drink water for all of her meals in the end, and no seasonings. My trainer and nutritionist see things differently, thankfully, but it still is very hard to stick to chicken, fish (BLECH!) and the few other items. But, worth it. Thank you for the luck!!!
  • juscallmeb
    juscallmeb Posts: 369 Member
    We are all here for a different reason, a different journey, even, but our journeys lead to the same ultimate goal - to get healthy. :heart:

    My journey was to gain weight, then maintain, and now to lose those pounds I gained (also known as vanity pounds). I do things differently than quite a few others and then the same as quite a few others as well. But, overall, I do ME, what works best for me. I'm new to this whole lifestyle change and into the bodybuilding world. A bikini competition is what started me on my journey. :glasses:

    Please do not allow others to derail your way of doing things. We all do what we need to do on here for a reason and our own journey. We may not know or even understand why someone is on their journey or even what journey they are on, but it is not for us to know. All we need to know is that we ARE great and ARE doing a GREAT job! Keep it up! All of us! :bigsmile:


    ETA: I DO care what journey you are all on, especially my MFP friends. I only meant, lets not judge each other for whatever journey we are or are not on.... :tongue:

    yea buddy! way to go. Can't wait to see how you did on your competition! I know it's 4 weeks.. 5 days away but still! i'm excited!
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member

    yea buddy! way to go. Can't wait to see how you did on your competition! I know it's 4 weeks.. 5 days away but still! i'm excited!

    pssst, 4 weeks 4 days! Agghhh! So Nervous!!! Thank you for your support, B! You are FABULOUS!
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
    What started me? Losing the button on my pants at work from it busting off. Not for that.

    I am now continuing my weight loss because when I compare where Im at to where I was, I see how much I could change, and what better shape I could be in. I know that if there is ever a time in my life to get in my peak physical shape, its now
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
    Here, here! Not only is it a journey, but for me, the destination keeps changing a little too. That's partly why I've been on here so long, cuz I'll reach a goal, then alter it to something else. I started out over 2 years ago just wanting a quick way to lose about 5 lbs. That changed to 11 or 12 pretty quickly. Then started ignoring the scale and just wanted to lose the gut entirely. Then got talked in to doing P90X and trying to get a lean look. Three rounds (and a couple injuries) later, I'm now more focused on gaining some lean mass by doing heavy lifting (with a brief intermission right now for a race I'm doing).

    It's a great journey, with all different stops along the way. And, I agree we shouldn't judge too harshly someone else's steps they're taking on their journey. I know that as I've changed my goals, the steps I need to take to get there change too (ie, sometimes I'll be trying to gain not lose, or sometimes I'm intentionally avoiding cardio exercise for a reason). To each his own.

    Great post!
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