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[Deadly Cyclone]

Damn you birthday weekend! Went from 202 last week to 205 this week. I'll have to really get on it to get below that 200 mark like I want. BBQ, junk food, and beer did not help, but hey, it was a celebration.

Still battling with what foods I can eat for breakfast and lunch at work that can be planned a week in advance and bought for cheap. Muscle Milk is great for breakfast but kind of expensive and not as filling. Soup for lunch every day is good, but has a bunch of sodium and not a lot of calories.

My issue is that I like to buy the stuff for my work meals all together, and all similar stuff. Buying 5 cans of progresso soup, and a pack of muscle milk is easy, and get's my meals done early. Although expensive, and not enough nutrition.

 

[Keylime]

Damn you birthday weekend! Went from 202 last week to 205 this week. I'll have to really get on it to get below that 200 mark like I want. BBQ, junk food, and beer did not help, but hey, it was a celebration.

Still battling with what foods I can eat for breakfast and lunch at work that can be planned a week in advance and bought for cheap. Muscle Milk is great for breakfast but kind of expensive and not as filling. Soup for lunch every day is good, but has a bunch of sodium and not a lot of calories.

My issue is that I like to buy the stuff for my work meals all together, and all similar stuff. Buying 5 cans of progresso soup, and a pack of muscle milk is easy, and get's my meals done early. Although expensive, and not enough nutrition.

Depending on what kind of muscle milk you're drinking, there's possibly a good amount of unnecessary carbs in there. Something that is fast an easy for me when it came to breakfast was chicken sausage links (the big fat ones) that have 15g of protein a link and as low as 2 carbs. Higher sodium content so if you're tracking that, not so good...but you just take them out of the package, chuck them in the microwave for a minute and a half and you're eating good tasting food with minimal nonsense in it. If I had more time in the morning I'd eat them with some eggs. Those Quest Bars are a great protein supplement for breakfast, too...but those things are like nuts to me in the sense that I'll abuse the hell out of them because they're so readily accessible and tasty.

Soup I don't find all that awesome for the reasons you state...not enough stuff in it to make it a meal. For the past year+ I've been having a super salad for lunch just about daily and it's still my favorite meal of the day. Dependable. Nutrient rich. Tasty. Variety through dressing. Wonderful!

I'm just lucky enough to have a crazy salad bar in our work cafeteria that lets me make whatever salad I want, though.

 

[Revoh]

Something that is both gross and promising is standing shirtless in front of the mirror and jumping. The fat on my stomach shakes up and down as you'd expect, but it almost acts as a way to reveal my abs underneath.

I'm 70 kg and around 175 cm and still have fat in my stomach. I know your pain. I do this too in front of the mirror and I can already see the outline of my abs but I guess you should just keep doing what your doing man. It just takes time.

 

[Keylime]

Also, for folks looking for a little bit of inspiration on possible foods to eat for different meals, I just found these cool picture contest entries for Primal breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Unfortunately they don't tell you what it is, but the pictures definitely get the point across and could inspire certain meals of your own (already getting some ideas):

Breakfasts - Lunches - Dinners

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Depending on what kind of muscle milk you're drinking, there's possibly a good amount of unnecessary carbs in there. Something that is fast an easy for me when it came to breakfast was chicken sausage links (the big fat ones) that have 15g of protein a link and as low as 2 carbs. Higher sodium content so if you're tracking that, not so good...but you just take them out of the package, chuck them in the microwave for a minute and a half and you're eating good tasting food with minimal nonsense in it. If I had more time in the morning I'd eat them with some eggs. Those Quest Bars are a great protein supplement for breakfast, too...but those things are like nuts to me in the sense that I'll abuse the hell out of them because they're so readily accessible and tasty.

Soup I don't find all that awesome for the reasons you state...not enough stuff in it to make it a meal. For the past year+ I've been having a super salad for lunch just about daily and it's still my favorite meal of the day. Dependable. Nutrient rich. Tasty. Variety through dressing. Wonderful!

I'm just lucky enough to have a crazy salad bar in our work cafeteria that lets me make whatever salad I want, though.

I was doing turkey sausage/kielbasa for breakfast but that has a ton of salt. The issue with chicken sausage is that a pack of 4 links is $4.50 here, so I'd need 3 packs to last me a bit over a work week so I'm looking at $13.50, whereas my Muscle milk is about $7 a pack. Yeah, only a few dollars more, but it kills me walking out of the grocery store with 4 bags and having spent $75.

Muscle milk I drink has low(er) carbs. Just doesn't seem to be enough calorie-wise.

I'd do salads like you for lunch for sure if we had a salad bar, but buying everything for a good salad each week is very expensive. Soup costs me about $2 a can ($10 a week). It only gets me about 200-250 calories though, so by time I head home I am at 650-700 calories before I eat dinner. Makes for a harder workout too.

 

[dralla]

Most supermarkets sell pre-made salads, that's what I have for lunch almost every day. 5-6 bucks for 32oz, I buy 2 of them and make 4 salads with some protein and walnuts thrown on top. Just found out Trader Joes sells full fat greek yogurt real cheap too, $2.50 for a pound. I believe it was 190 calories per serving, 110 from fat, 9g of protein. I'm gonna buy some next week and see how it is. <3 TJs

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Most supermarkets sell pre-made salads, that's what I have for lunch almost every day. 5-6 bucks for 32oz, I buy 2 of them and make 4 salads with some protein and walnuts thrown on top. Just found out Trader Joes sells full fat greek yogurt real cheap too, $2.50 for a pound. I believe it was 190 calories per serving, 110 from fat, 9g of protein. I'm gonna buy some next week and see how it is. <3 TJs

Hmm, our grocery has pre-made salads for about $5. That would be about $12.50 a week if I were to use your method. Maybe I will look into that too...

 

[Tashi]

Most supermarkets sell pre-made salads, that's what I have for lunch almost every day. 5-6 bucks for 32oz, I buy 2 of them and make 4 salads with some protein and walnuts thrown on top. Just found out Trader Joes sells full fat greek yogurt real cheap too, $2.50 for a pound. I believe it was 190 calories per serving, 110 from fat, 9g of protein. I'm gonna buy some next week and see how it is. <3 TJs

Ha! The other day at the grocery store I was trying to find just plain spinach and all I could seem to find was pre-made spinach salads. It was pretty damn frustrating but I did eventually find what I was looking for.

 

[dralla]

My waldbaums has these baller ass Greek salads, tons of feta. It's iceberg lettece but they throw in tons of other stuff, it's not a proper greek salad, but I don't really care. I also buy baby spinach from trader joes, mix that in to get darker lettuce in there. by chicken or tuna for cheap, in bulk, for protein. nuts can be expensive but they're so good, I can't resist. and EVOO for dressing.

 

[06nbarnhill]

So just decided in the last few weeks to start to seriously try to lose weight. I am 6' 5" and 325 lbs. Lost some weight by simply eating a bit less and drinking more water. Swore off candy, soda, etc and starting to slowly ramp up my exercise.

My question is about diet. I am actually home with my parents and sister for the summer (college student) so I am not shopping for myself much and I am having problems trying to find a workable diet. I hear that low carb is the new trendy way to lose weight but I am having a lot of issues finding foods that my family would have/buy that would fit. Is it enough to just eat less and cut back on carbs where I can? Or do I really need to cut them all together like the Keto diet? Just very conflicted because we eat together as a family most days so anything I get would have to be something that I could make for the whole lot of us (the family members I live with do not have any weight issues). I can make grilled chicken all day while I just skip carb rich sides but I can hardly make that every day. Is the Keto diet even advisable? I have read a lot of literature that advises you avoid it unless you are actually sick as a result of your weight (I have no health issues to speak of).

Any advice?

 

[Darklord]

Weighed in and I'm at 20kg/44 lbs lost. I should up my exercise though. Want to lose it a bit faster.

 

[Hop]

Is it enough to just eat less and cut back on carbs where I can? Or do I really need to cut them all together like the Keto diet?

Absolutely enough. I never had a single keto-level day and I dropped from 205 to 185 in three months. Depending on how much soda you drank normally, that alone can drop 100+ carbs for you and lots of calories.

Do little things when you can, big things when you can, and you'll see more improvement than you expected without ever feeling restrained.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Agreed with the above post.

I don't do Keto, I just watch my carbs. There are plenty of things your family might have that can lower carbs. Eat things like fresh veggies, chicken, tuna, basically any meats.

If you have bread with dinner skip the bread. Don't eat chips, eat almonds for snacks.

Not as hard as you'd think.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Back on my diet. I've been feeling very depressed and I eat when feeling bad. I've also been hitting the gym and gaining a lot of lost strength. I can feel muscles starting to grow...feels good man.

 

[RoryDropkick]

Just weighed myself. Last week I was at 246, today, 243.9. This is after 2 weeks of Insanity. Week three starts with the fitness test. Here we go!

 

[dralla]

Back on my diet. I've been feeling very depressed and I eat when feeling bad. I've also been hitting the gym and gaining a lot of lost strength. I can feel muscles starting to grow...feels good man.

If you ever eat just to eat, or because you're not feeling well, eat some carrots or cherry tomatoes, celery, whatever else. They're so low calorie and actually healthy that it won't matter that you didn't really need them. That's what I do anyway. You can 'overeat' as long as what you're eating isn't shit.

 

[Blondie]

If you ever eat just to eat, or because you're not feeling well, eat some carrots or cherry tomatoes, celery, whatever else. They're so low calorie and actually healthy that it won't matter that you didn't really need them. That's what I do anyway. You can 'overeat' as long as what you're eating isn't shit.

Carrots, tomatoes, and the like have a fair amount of carbs. Depending on your insulin resistance they can make you put on fat as it does for my girl and I. For some people going below 100g of carbs a day is enough, others 50g, some others need to be less than 20g, and for people like me we need to go VLC (as close to 0 as possible) to consistently lose fat and not stall or put it back on. I find myself gaining fat if not in a constant state of nutritional ketosis. And that means regulating my protein intake as well. Too much protein and I put on fat since protein is 58% anti-ketogenic. At the end of the day I can overeat on fat and have my caloric intake be well over what I'm supposed to consume and still lose fat at a rate of 1.5-2 lbs per week as long as I strictly control my carb intake and insure my protein intake is between 50-100g a day. Eat fat, lose fat.

 

[06nbarnhill]

Agreed with the above post.

I don't do Keto, I just watch my carbs. There are plenty of things your family might have that can lower carbs. Eat things like fresh veggies, chicken, tuna, basically any meats.

If you have bread with dinner skip the bread. Don't eat chips, eat almonds for snacks.

Not as hard as you'd think.

Random question. What is the differences between the various nuts nutritionally/dietarily/etc. Would be nice to have an easy healthy snack but I am a very picky eater and despise many nuts....especially almonds lol.

 

[Piecake]

I was doing turkey sausage/kielbasa for breakfast but that has a ton of salt. The issue with chicken sausage is that a pack of 4 links is $4.50 here, so I'd need 3 packs to last me a bit over a work week so I'm looking at $13.50, whereas my Muscle milk is about $7 a pack. Yeah, only a few dollars more, but it kills me walking out of the grocery store with 4 bags and having spent $75.

Muscle milk I drink has low(er) carbs. Just doesn't seem to be enough calorie-wise.

I'd do salads like you for lunch for sure if we had a salad bar, but buying everything for a good salad each week is very expensive. Soup costs me about $2 a can ($10 a week). It only gets me about 200-250 calories though, so by time I head home I am at 650-700 calories before I eat dinner. Makes for a harder workout too.

Well, this might be a bit weird (I actually asked if anyone has any experience doing this a few pages back), but you could make your own Kefir. What makes it so insanely cheap is that you re-use the Kefir grains so all you need to add is milk (and cream if you dont want to drink it).

Personally, I have Greek yogurt for breakfast, but that, with frozen fruit gets a bit expensive.

As for lunch, i get a tupperware container and throw in chicken (or tuna), egg, spinach, onions, and red pepper. Moderately pricey, but tastes real good and you get lot of nutrients

 

[dralla]

Random question. What is the differences between the various nuts nutritionally/dietarily/etc. Would be nice to have an easy healthy snack but I am a very picky eater and despise many nuts....especially almonds lol.

Macadamia and Hazelnuts have the highest amount of monounsaturated fats
Walnuts have the most Omega-3's
Pistachios have the most micronutrients
Almonds and Pecans are good all-around nuts

People generally like Almonds because they're well rounded, versatile, and relatively cheap. I eat them all, love them all. It's really hard to pick a favorite.

 

[Keylime]

Macadamia and Hazelnuts have the highest amount of monounsaturated fats
Walnuts have the most Omega-3's
Pistachios have the most micronutrients
Almonds and Pecans are good all-around nuts

People generally like Almonds because they're well rounded, versatile, and relatively cheap. I eat them all, love them all. It's really hard to pick a favorite.

The choice is clear...Clear Eyes macadamia nuts! Best tasting, super healthy...and it breaks the bank!

 

[NomarTyme]

Nuts are such a easy snack on the go ,but I can overeat them easily. I cannot do that with the meat balls I make though...

 

[Piecake]

Macadamia and Hazelnuts have the highest amount of monounsaturated fats
Walnuts have the most Omega-3's
Pistachios have the most micronutrients
Almonds and Pecans are good all-around nuts

People generally like Almonds because they're well rounded, versatile, and relatively cheap. I eat them all, love them all. It's really hard to pick a favorite.

You mean the most omega-6, right?

Personally, i sprinkle almonds on my yougart everyday. Probably not the most nutritious thing to do since i doubt i get enough omega 3 in my diet, but whatevs, a few nuts wont kill me (i hope)

 

[NomarTyme]

You mean the most omega-6, right?

Personally, i sprinkle almonds on my yougart everyday. Probably not the most nutritious thing to do since i doubt i get enough omega 3 in my diet, but whatevs, a few nuts wont kill me (i hope)

Yep. Mac nuts has the best omega 3/6 ratio.

Also a can of sardines(King Oscar brand) will help with ya omega 3.

 

[dralla]

You mean the most omega-6, right?

Personally, i sprinkle almonds on my yougart everyday. Probably not the most nutritious thing to do since i doubt i get enough omega 3 in my diet, but whatevs, a few nuts wont kill me (i hope)

For walnuts? It has the most polyunsaturated in general. It does have the most omega-3's of the bunch, but yes it's also high in omega-6. If you're like me and cut out the grains and vegetable seed oils, your ratios will be fine. Not to mention all the micronutrients in nuts, they're all around great options. you can't single out their fat content

here's a really good article on walnuts specifically
http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2010/03/paleo-diet-basics-why-i-eat-walnuts.html

walnuts and a piece of extra sharp cheddar = sooo good. good alternative to cheese and crackers.

 

[FallingEdge]

That's the most frustrating part, and what confuses people to death when I tell them I'm nowhere near done yet.

I'm 6'1 and 173-175 these days and look great everywhere...except my stomach! Still have that damn stomach pouch that I'm working to get off.

My plan to get rid of it is to start a true alternate day fasting eating plan (basically skipping one meal a day, alternating breakfast and dinner to create 24 hour fasts every other day) and making sure to get some good cardio in while fasting to maximize fat loss. It's getting way too close to beach season and I swore I'd be ready this year...and I am so damn close except this stomach!

I hate that I can see my obliques and the top layer of my abs and know that I've probably got a 6 pack under this stupid fat!!!

6'1 @ 173 is pretty skinny. How much more are you looking to go? Do you lift? Is there even muscle to show when you hit your 'target' ?

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Nuts are such a easy snack on the go ,but I can overeat them easily. I cannot do that with the meat balls I make though...

Serve yourself some, never eat out of the bag!

 

[Keylime]

6'1 @ 173 is pretty skinny. How much more are you looking to go? Do you lift? Is there even muscle to show when you hit your 'target' ?

Lean muscle for sure, just not bulky. I do body weight exercises 3 times a week with cardio about 3 times a week.

I don't want to weigh that much less, I just want to lose my stomach. If I lose my stomach at 175 or 165 or 185 I'd be happy.

 

[grumble]

Lean muscle for sure, just not bulky. I do body weight exercises 3 times a week with cardio about 3 times a week.

I don't want to weigh that much less, I just want to lose my stomach. If I lose my stomach at 175 or 165 or 185 I'd be happy.

Well, if you lose more weight you might not end up looking 'lean', you might end up looking kind of scrawny, six pack or not. I'd be wary about an enthusiastic cut before you have a period where you gain muscle, but to each their own.

If I were you I'd probably get to the gym and lift something heavy; bodyweight exercises CAN be effective, but it's very tricky.

 

[Srsly]

All nuts are great for you. People need to get over the PUFA fear -- it's only the rancid vegetable oils that are the problem, especially the industrial oils used in deep fryers at restaurants.

 

[Keylime]

Well, if you lose more weight you might not end up looking 'lean', you might end up looking kind of scrawny, six pack or not. I'd be wary about an enthusiastic cut before you have a period where you gain muscle, but to each their own.

If I were you I'd probably get to the gym and lift something heavy; bodyweight exercises CAN be effective, but it's very tricky.

Not bad advice at all. I'm a bit at a cross-roads right now where I think I need to go heavy cardio to get to 165 and lose the stomach or go heavy lifting and get to 185-190 and lose the stomach.

Right now I'm kind of doing the cardio route, but I do want to start something like StrongLifts 5x5...just don't have anywhere to put a squat rack in my house!

Edit: For what it's worth, here's an updated picture of me, currently sitting at 177 pre-bed. (ignore the comical sunburn pattern)

Hopefully not something you'd call scrawny looking...but that %#@$n stomach!

Before picture as a fun reference just about a year ago.

 

[Piecake]

Not bad advice at all. I'm a bit at a cross-roads right now where I think I need to go heavy cardio to get to 165 and lose the stomach or go heavy lifting and get to 185-190 and lose the stomach.

Right now I'm kind of doing the cardio route, but I do want to start something like StrongLifts 5x5...just don't have anywhere to put a squat rack in my house!

lifting will more more effective than cardio. Though cardio is definitely cheaper...(reason why im not doing any weight lifiting)

 

[EviLore]

What stomach?

 

[Keylime]

What stomach?

Those two humps at the bottom! And when I bend over it looks like chaos down there!!!

 

[entremet]

Those two humps at the bottom! And when I bend over it looks like chaos down there!!!

You're fine, dude. I'd start putting on some muscle personally.

Can't you join a gym instead?

 

[EviLore]

And yes, if you want to look better from here, you want to add some muscle mass. Your body fat percentage is great already. Squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, pullups, dips, etc. fitness thread etc. etc.

 

[Zoe]

Honestly that looks like skin to me.

That said, you already look pretty damn good IMO. Try not to obsess over it and fall into the body dysmorphia trap.

 

[grumble]

Those two humps at the bottom! And when I bend over it looks like chaos down there!!!

You aren't really chubby right now, and if you to slim down and lose another 5-10 pounds to get into six pack territory you might end up looking pretty thin. Your BF percentage is on the moderately low end of someone who doesn't exercise a lot.

If I were you I'd probably try to maintain or slowly increase your weight and start playing with some weights. It's fun, you'll get muscles, it makes for more effective fat loss and you'll look better.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Any good recommendations for night snacks, other than nuts or deli meat + cheese?

 

[Srsly]

Honestly that looks like skin to me.

Nah, he's probably at 13-14% BF, maybe even a touch higher. He could definitely get quite a bit more ripped. Abs start to show at around 10% BF. He could do a clean bulk and his relative percentage of BF would drop and he'd look leaner.

 

[Keylime]

I'm planning on getting another BodPod reading done to see exactly where I am BF%-wise (I was 19.8% about 4 months ago). If I had to guess right now I'd say 15-16%. Maybe I'll be delighted to see I'm closer to 13-14, but I figured my abs would start showing up somewhere in the 13-15% range.

Don't get me wrong, though...it's not like I'm 175 pounds of skin and bones. I do bodyweight routines 3 times a week and cardio 3 times a week. I'm in the best shape of my life in terms of muscle and cardio and looks right now...and I'd easily rank myself as "well above average" in terms of conditioning. Naturally I'm not cut like the guys in the fitness thread just yet, but right now I'm working more towards a tennis body vs. a 300 body. I'd gladly take either, it's just right now I'm working on the tennis body

Obviously I can't bench as much as the guys in the fitness thread (I honestly have no idea how much I can bench, actually), but I'm by no means a limp noodle. Bodyweight obviously doesn't build muscle nearly the same way as bar or dumbbell routines, but they aren't worthless either.

All that being said, I do agree that packing on some bigger muscle would definitely help fill me out a bit and I may "grow into my stomach" and create a body that has better metabolism as a result of the additional muscle.

...just not sure I want to jump over to an anabolic diet vs. my catabolic diet. I've got a good thing going and have made some crazy progress in a year...worried that I try and swing it the other way and end up just getting fatter.

Probably what I'll end up doing is keeping with this bodyweight/cardio exercise routine I've got going on for a few more months and if I don't think I'm making any noticeable progress, I'll plan to switch it up to a clean bulk/muscle building routine. I have been dropping not so subtle hints to my wife that I'm eyeing up squat racks to put up in our loft. I DO want to build those bigger muscles, I was just hoping to start when my stomach was gone. Perhaps I'll need to start sooner because my stomach won't get gone without packing on the muscle, though. Time will tell.

Appreciate the feedback though, honestly. I realized last night that I never posted an updated picture of me once I dropped into the 170's like I promised a bit ago so I'm glad I was able to get something out there. The next picture I take for GAF will be one of me with abs. It's happening!!!

 

[Witchfinder General]

RubxQub, you look like a completely different person in the before/after pics. Such an amazing transformation. Great work.


Anyhoo, down another kilo, which makes it 8 kilos in 8 weeks. Martial arts makes losing weight (painfully) fun.

 

[Surface of Me]

Sup weight loss GAF. I'm finally getting my shit together and part of that is finally working out to.shed off some excess pounds. I'm 5' 7" and hover around 195. My goal is 160-170 for now. I lost around 45 pounds about a year ago, so I know I can do this. I was gonna go to the store tomorrow and pick up some health items and could use some help. I know I want to get Omega 3 pills, but I remember in a giant Evilore post he said to get a certain kind, anyone know/remember which are the best? I also heard about some supplements that help with blood flow, I'd like to know more about these. Any other suggestions about what I should pick up are more than welcome.

Also, congrats rubxqub! You look great.

 

[Wiktor]

Add me to the stomach pouch crew. I once saw a doctor who told me plastic surgery was my only option. That depressed me and I stopped caring and gained 15 pounds.

Why not just do the surgery?

 

[Log4Girlz]

Not bad advice at all. I'm a bit at a cross-roads right now where I think I need to go heavy cardio to get to 165 and lose the stomach or go heavy lifting and get to 185-190 and lose the stomach.

Right now I'm kind of doing the cardio route, but I do want to start something like StrongLifts 5x5...just don't have anywhere to put a squat rack in my house!

Edit: For what it's worth, here's an updated picture of me, currently sitting at 177 pre-bed. (ignore the comical sunburn pattern)

Hopefully not something you'd call scrawny looking...but that %#@$n stomach!

Before picture as a fun reference just about a year ago.

DUDE. You look like a completely different person Jesus.

 

[AdventureRacing]

DUDE. You look like a completely different person Jesus.

Exactly what i thought. Actually to me the biggest transformation is in the face, you're a really handsome dude.

 

[T.O.P]

Holy shit dude congrats, u got like 200x times hotter :O


And your face *cuteness meltdown*

 

[Log4Girlz]

Exactly what i thought. Actually to me the biggest transformation is in the face, you're a really handsome dude.

He went from what the fuck ever to a damned handsome guy. I'm envious as fuuuuu lol.

 

[big_z]

So just decided in the last few weeks to start to seriously try to lose weight. I am 6' 5" and 325 lbs. Lost some weight by simply eating a bit less and drinking more water. Swore off candy, soda, etc and starting to slowly ramp up my exercise.

My question is about diet. I am actually home with my parents and sister for the summer (college student) so I am not shopping for myself much and I am having problems trying to find a workable diet. I hear that low carb is the new trendy way to lose weight but I am having a lot of issues finding foods that my family would have/buy that would fit. Is it enough to just eat less and cut back on carbs where I can? Or do I really need to cut them all together like the Keto diet? Just very conflicted because we eat together as a family most days so anything I get would have to be something that I could make for the whole lot of us (the family members I live with do not have any weight issues). I can make grilled chicken all day while I just skip carb rich sides but I can hardly make that every day. Is the Keto diet even advisable? I have read a lot of literature that advises you avoid it unless you are actually sick as a result of your weight (I have no health issues to speak of).

Any advice?

tell your parents you're trying to de-fat and going to make your own food or if you want to eat their food eat correct portion sizes. it's easy to figure out a rough estimate of how many calories youre downing and eat accordingly. of course if your family eats like shit you must avoid their meals and substitute them with your own. you'll quickly learn proper portion sizes and not be restricted by what you eat like low carb just how much. add in an hour of hard exercise 5-6 days a week for maximum awesome.

i dont believe low carb is the way to go but to each their own.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Not bad advice at all. I'm a bit at a cross-roads right now where I think I need to go heavy cardio to get to 165 and lose the stomach or go heavy lifting and get to 185-190 and lose the stomach.

Right now I'm kind of doing the cardio route, but I do want to start something like StrongLifts 5x5...just don't have anywhere to put a squat rack in my house!

Edit: For what it's worth, here's an updated picture of me, currently sitting at 177 pre-bed. (ignore the comical sunburn pattern)

Hopefully not something you'd call scrawny looking...but that %#@$n stomach!

Before picture as a fun reference just about a year ago.

Holy fuck. That's a transformation if I've ever seen one. Congrats.

What have friends who haven't seen you for a while said? I imagine they barely recognized you. lol