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Yay me
After just over 2 years maintaining my 140lb loss, I made the decision just before the new year to try and get down in to what the NHS says is "normal bmi". After losing some as a consequence of the flu over christmas, I had 10lb to lose come Jan 1st. At yesterday's weigh in I was 6.5lb down this year to make a total…
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1 year recomp+1 year bulk and cut
I don't really see it under normal circumstances, but finally did a back comparison. Theres 2 years between the 2 photos, top photo was when I first hit my goal weight. (The skin is my battle scar so to speak, I've lost 140lb and will not be having surgery). I was fairly happy with where I was, but did want to reduce fat…
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Never give up
So for the last year I've wanted to do box jumps. But it's something i have never managed to master, it was never actually beyond my ability, so much as a full on mind block. My PT had me trying to get past the block. I started by jumping on a step, then squat jumping up a flight of stairs. Slowly increasing the height of…
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Advice please
So I've worked really hard the first 6 months of the year, bulking up my upper body while eating at a slight surplus as I've been marathon training. I like where I am now, nothing is going to remove the loose skin, but my shoulders, chest and arms are visibly more muscular than at the start of the year. (I have had…
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4 months progress
Spent the first half of the year in a sort of bulk while marathon training (have put on weight but lost inches) and this is the result. I was spending around 4hours a week on upper body, got my bench 1rpm up from 45 to 56kg and my shoulder press up from 32 to 35kg. Mastered unassisted dips and am at the very lowest amount…
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But what if I did, a marathon story
This is not a humble brag, this is an all out brag, but hopefully it will help inspire someone who is where I was 3.5 years ago. Marathons aren't for everyone, but there is always something that is challenging that we want to do but are scared of trying. So the story of my Brighton Marathon 2019. I guess it started in…
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Bricking it
Well here we go, I'm currently carb loading ready for tomorrow. I can't believe I'm actually crazy enough to be doing this. Who in their right mind runs one marathon, let alone a second just 2 weeks later? Well me it seems....still not sure why I'm doing this, except that because I now can.
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Advice please
I have a routine that I do regularly, including tricep extentions. After my most recent weight increase in this particular exercise it became very noticeable that my left arm is significantly weaker than my right. As in I was getting to 8 reps before needing to push through with right but only 4-5 with left. As of today it…
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First full year of maintenance/recomping
Each year since I started losing weight I've done a side by side photo so I can see my progress, but this is my first full year of maintenance. Well when I say maintenance I did put on a little during marathon training at the start of the year, about 8lb which i lost very quickly after the race. I then kept at the same…
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One year on
Just over a year ago I hit my goal weight of 150lb, yes technically still around 10lb overweight, 140lb down in my starting weight. To celebrate hitting my goal weight I ran my first chipped half marathon at Clacton, I wasn't fast but I got over the finish line in 2:43, quite the achievement for someone that 2 years…
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A work in progress..
So I started this journey back in November weighing in at 289.5lb, refusing to allow anyone to photograph me at that point. At that point I could hardly walk, (I have hypermobility syndrome), was on painkillers 4x a day, couldn't get out of the bath on my own, couldn't sit at tables with fixed chairs and could barely…
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The adventure that is maintenance...
It's only been just under 2 years, but it feels like I've been losing weight forever. I know that I'm technically still overweight at 5'2" and 148lb, but having lost 141lb I've decided to take a break from actually losing weight and attempt maintenance (with maybe a tiny bit of recomping) for the rest of the year and then…
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Where do I go from here?
Ok I'm now at a bit of a loss. 150lb has been my target for so long that I don't know where to go from here. I could say to go for half my body weight, but that's less than 5lb away. Maybe I should aim for "normal" bmi, but I'm not sure whether bmi takes my obvious muscle mass in to account (and is only 12lb away). Or…
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Celebratory Tatt
I want to get a tattoo on my thigh to celebrate losing half my bodyweight (not quite there yet but very close). Thought about a Komodo Dragon (solely because I think they are wonderful, strong creatures), but need help thinking that maybe that wouldn't quite express what it would mean. Any ideas???
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A mile a day for July.
So going to set my self a challenge for July, to run at least 1 mile a day, even on days when I have three classes and PT. In fact the full challenge is 1 mile a day and 50 miles for the month. It'll be interesting to see if my speed for the mile improves and if so by how much. Anyone want to join me?
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Pre-workout question
After seeing the effects of caffeine energy gels during longer runs (wow that was a nice boost), I'm wondering if it's worth adding a pre-workout before my heavier lifting sessions. The guy I work with at the gym has suggested that they may help (I struggled big style and ending up failing the lift I was attempting this…
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Advice from lifters please
I've been following (and thoroughly enjoying) 5/3/1 over a two day split for around six months now, making consistent progress on all four lifts. But with the school holidays approaching I'm not going to be able to realistically, reliably commit to my usual 3 days in the gym (2 lifting heavy for me, 1 circuit/intervals).…
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Loose Skin
So I've lost 128lb over 20 months, so yes some loose skin is to be expected. But will it improve? While I'm quite self conscious about my apron, I can near enough hide that with shorts etc. It's my upper arms that are depressing me the most, I've been working hard at trying to build a little muscle (the very little a older…
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Where do I go from here?
So when I started this lark I was 289.5lb with a bmi of 56. 20 months on and I'm now 162lb and have just moved in to the overweight category with a bmi of 29.5. I'm well aware that I'm still overweight, I've got another 20lb to lose to get to "healthy", but I'm also aware that I'm going to have to change my mindset around…
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Is this a record?
Completed my first half marathon yesterday (go me yes that is a brag), plus the witch decided to make an appearance and this morning I woke up to a 7lb weight gain!!! I'm used to being up a couple of lb at the end of a lifting cycle but 7lb in one night, that's just mad.
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Tell me they get easier (single leg squats)
My PT has started teaching me single leg squats and OMG they are hard. We were using the TRX yesterday and my "homework" is to practice, practice, practice holding on to something for balance. I love to squat and if I say so myself am pretty good at them, but wow single leg are hard. I can barely do more than bob down a…
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Ladies who deadlift...
....please tell me I'm not the only one who has an oopsie moment once the weights get challenging. I always make sure I pee before I start the heavier sets but still have a little leak. It's got to the point where I wear a pad just in case, well not even just in case because it's gonna happen nine times out of ten.
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Deload week accessories yes/no
I'm running 5/3/1 on a 2 day split with various accessory lifts on each day (very simple stuff such as front squats, invert rows, assisted pull-ups/dips, bi/hammer curl, lat pull down) plus a further day where I take one of the four lifts in rotation for lower weight higher volume work (to help with form mainly). I also…
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PTs - Is this a thing?
A self-employed personal trainer at the gym was instructing an older female client and I couldn't help but notice how hands on he was and how he was trying to get her to touch him. For example when they got to the leg extension, he got her to feel his thighs as he "performed" the exercise and then he got her to feel his…
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Sumo deadlifts - butt
Being on a deload week, I had a lot left in the tank after yesterday's deadlift session, so decided to give sumo deadlifts a try using those lighter weights. Was nice and warmed up and found it quite easy to get a nice low starting position and the lighter weights were easy enough to lift. But then I got on the treadmill…
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Time for a change?
It's been a couple of months since I was given the all clear to get back to lifting after a hernia repair and I've made pretty good progress in the 5 lifts in 5x5. I didn't even use the bar for the first week, using a wooden pole instead just practising form and feeling out how well I was recovering. I then moved on to a…
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Firef1y does 2017
So 2016 has been the year when I've finally got round to doing something about my weight and health, dropping 87lb so far this year (108.7lb altogether), made exercise and activity regular parts of my life and dropped ten dress sizes from a UK 26 to UK 16. With the year drawing to a close it's time to set myself some…
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A question
I've found I've got a real love of training (specifically with weights) in the gym and am seriously considering and looking in to training as a PT. The thing is I'm not exactly what most people would think of as a trainer, I'm still considerably overweight. But I have lost over 100lb and "only" have around another 40 to…
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Changing focus
So I'm 105lb down in a year, still got 40-50lb to go, but am seriously considering changing focus from weight loss to strength gains for the next couple of months at least. Want to make sure I'm going about this the right way, to make the most of the time I have. 1. I'm eating at or about maintenance, sometimes a little…
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326 Days and 100lb down
Way back in November I finally plucked up the courage to step on the scales to discover my weight was approaching 300lb. At 289.5lb and 5'1", I had a bmi of 55, could barely walk and was heading for an early grave. It was more than time to do something about it and try to get my whole life back on track. With a total loss…
