3 Months, 3 Stone: Balls to the wall!

EmmaMurray2016

JJayoo wrote: »

Those pics are crazy, the difference is amazing

Well done. That's fantastic results

WhatsGoingOn2

Week 11 Finished this week.

Down a subtle 1.5lbs, to bring me in at an overall weight of 15st 6.5lbs. A weight that I am only too happy to see on a scale.


I have two weeks before my holiday. I don't think, with all the will in the world, that I'll get 14st 13lbs on the scale by then, but I'll keep exercising and watching the diet anyway and just see what happens. Hopefully it'll all fall in line.

WhatsGoingOn2 wrote: »

Impressive.
How much did the equipment cost?

It's hard to give an exact figure, but i think it's something like (all rough/approximates):

Cable Crossover: €400 (if you have the space, this is the best €400 you'll ever, ever spend on gym gear!)
Blue bench (a decent bench, incline, decline, sturdy): €100
150kg Olympic weights, olympic bar, slamball, kettlebells: €600
100kg Cast Iron weights: €150
York bench w/ lat pulldown: €120
pair of 5kg and pair of 10kg hex dumbbells: €80
Weight trees/storage: €110 for both
Squat rack: €100
Ab wheel and push up bars/grips (in boxes on top shelf): €10
Exercise bike (not pictured): €190
Rubber floor mats: €100
Shelving unit: €25
EZ curl and 6ft standard bars: €45
'Bodypump' colured barbell/weights: €50

Which brings a rough total of about €2,000.

Which, in all fairness, is really, really good when you think about it.

obviously there are other expenses in setting the place up (the lights on the roof were about €50 each, the fan was €30, the shed itself cost €2,600, getting it plastered was a little pricy, but was part of an overall garden project so hard to put a price on it, paying an electrician, sticking a TV in it, a heater, soundbar, etc. etc. you get the idea).

But if you could wander into the Credit Union in the morning, and you had the space for it, you could belt out something like what I have for €5k (shed and all, albeit not plastered etc. obviously).

Which isn't bad at all, considering a lot of people pay the guts of €500 for a year in a gym, where they have to share, queue, etc. (although that said, I will still join a gym properly if i lose a bit more weight, to make use of a swimming pool).

But im a bit self conscious, so for me, having my own private space, that I can use at 3pm or 3am, make as much noise as I want, listen to my own music or play my own tv shows etc. i'm very happy with it and I definitely consider it money well spent.



In relation to weight again, I'm gonna see can I belt out 2.5lbs for next week. Bring me down to 15st 4lbs (otherwise known to me as my 4 stone 'award' in Slimming World).


Was confident i'd gain this week as I wasn't great with the eating, but with just 2 weeks left to go, I am gonna make an honest effort.

SmallTeapot

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It's hard to give an exact figure, but i think it's something like (all rough/approximates):

Cable Crossover: €400 (if you have the space, this is the best €400 you'll ever, ever spend on gym gear!)
Blue bench (a decent bench, incline, decline, sturdy): €100
150kg Olympic weights, olympic bar, slamball, kettlebells: €600
100kg Cast Iron weights: €150
York bench w/ lat pulldown: €120
pair of 5kg and pair of 10kg hex dumbbells: €80
Weight trees/storage: €110 for both
Squat rack: €100
Ab wheel and push up bars/grips (in boxes on top shelf): €10
Exercise bike (not pictured): €190
Rubber floor mats: €100
Shelving unit: €25
EZ curl and 6ft standard bars: €45
'Bodypump' colured barbell/weights: €50

Which brings a rough total of about €2,000.

Which, in all fairness, is really, really good when you think about it.

obviously there are other expenses in setting the place up (the lights on the roof were about €50 each, the fan was €30, the shed itself cost €2,600, getting it plastered was a little pricy, but was part of an overall garden project so hard to put a price on it, paying an electrician, sticking a TV in it, a heater, soundbar, etc. etc. you get the idea).

Definitely worth it. Think about all the freedom you'll have. Also, considering that it's set up to your specifications - I.e. it contains all the equipment you'll actually use (instead of some gear which you'll never go near in a normal gym - you'll get great use out of it. I bet you can't wait to get into the routine of using it and putting a plan together.

Also best of luck with you next goal before your holiday

moonshadow

Very impressive thread KKV , I too also had a defining moment in January last , joined slimming world and started a training boot camp. By June id dropped from 17-11 to 13-7 I was astounded by how well things went but it took time and persistence.
So well done on your effort. Btw I also went on holliers....put on 8llb and dumped it within two weeks of return, go enjoy yourself and have a ball you deserve it.

Nonoperational

Man, there is an absolutely massive difference in those pics. I don't honestly think I'd recognise you if I saw you 4 months apart. Keep it up. No reason for any social anxiety at all with those results.

Cheers for the kind words guys.

Hoping this week will be a 2.5lbs loss so need to get the finger out. Have done nothing but eat today. Gonna go for a quick 5k walk now and get my act together for tomorrow onwards. 14 days and I'll be on the holiday. Need to keep the head down.


Thanks for the kind words, all. Much appreciated. I still don't really see a big difference in the photos, but maybe it's just cos they're photos of me that I just can't look at them without a bias or something. Not sure.

Alf Veedersane

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thanks for the kind words, all. Much appreciated. I still don't really see a big difference in the photos, but maybe it's just cos they're photos of me that I just can't look at them without a bias or something. Not sure.

I was the last one to notice changes in myself - you will eventually

And there draws a close to week 12.

The weights I post here are the weights I get when I weigh in slimming world using their (presumably regularly calibrated) scales.

I weigh in every Tuesday, but this week I couldn't make the Tuesday class so went tonight instead (ie Wednesday instead of Tuesday). So effectively this week was 8 days instead of 7.

Anyway, I weighed in this week with a maintain. In other words, I didn't gain or lose anything.

The weekend gone I ate some pretty bad foods. However from Monday onwards I've been very very active and doing a lot. So it all balances out I suppose.

So the long and short is that I'm still 2.5lbs away from a slimming world 4 stone award. I'm leaving on holiday on Tuesday, meaning I'll be weighing in on Monday, so have 5 days.

I don't want to lose the 2.5lbs before then, but I would like to lose about 1.5lbs If I can (id like to stay reasonably close to the 4 stone award so when I come back it will give me something to push for, and when im away, even though I'll be relaxing the diet etc. it'll hopefully give me a bit of self awareness and I won't binge all day everyday for the sake of it).


So that's where I'm at at the moment. my goal is to get to 14st, and I'm 15st 6.5lbs at the moment. So I'll assume I'm gonna be at least 16st when I come back, which means, all going well, I should hopefully get to my target weight around Christmas time.

I've also booked in to do 3 personal (1 to 1) jiu jitsu lessons when I come back with a personal trainer. I've never had any interest in jiu jitsu, and probably never will, but I figure it'll be something new and physical and because I'm going into it straight after my holiday, it'll help keep me on the straight and narrow... again, that's all going well :-)

Yesterday I jogged 5.25km in 32 minutes exactly. Which is a new personal best in both distance and overall amount of time spent jogging. (I did a SOSAD 5k 2 or 3 weeks ago in 28:56, so I must have been moving a fair bit slower this time, but im still very happy with that as a a personal best).

So that's pretty much me til Monday then really. I'll hope that I can be good for the next 4 days and then I'll give up my dream of having a body like brock lesnar for a week to enjoy my holiday, and then return to it as soon as I'm back hopefully.

The home gym is starting to see some more regular usage now too. I've been in it a fair bit this week. Still loving the cable machine.

Still can't believe I got a cable machine for less than €400. It's so bizarre. it seems argos can't give them away! yet they're a spectacular piece of equipment. Suppose it must be something to do with the amount of space it takes up or something? I can't figure it out. I fecking love it!

But anyway, enough rambling. Maintaining this week so okay with me as all I want to do is avoid a weight gain before the holiday. if I can get 13 weeks without a gain I'll be a happy man! :-)

Deleted User

And week 13 is finito.

Week 13 is now the end of my little weight loss efforts, or at least what I'll consider 'chapter 1' of it anyway (god, this is getting cheesy! But I can't think of a better way to phrase it )


Today I weighed in with a 6lb gain, to give me a weight of 15st 12.5lbs.

To quote my opening post in this thread:

Deleted User wrote: »

Motivation

There's a rollercoaster where I'm heading (Port Aventura) that hates fat people. I carry a lot of my weight in my ass/thighs. This particular rollercoaster has a seat restraint that closes onto your lap, and if your thighs are too big it's the ever-embarrassing walk of shame as you're told to waddle away.

Deadline

So, my flight leaves on the 4th of October. Today is the 4th of July. Bang on 3 months. At 19st I reckon 16st will be a tough, but achievable target.

So I didn't weigh on the Monday before I left like I had planned to. I didn't get the chance so I just wrote it off and let it be.

The good news is the rollercoast fit me just fine. No embarrassing efforts to try and close the seat restraint, no ride operators giving it a good hard push and nothing but pure joy for the minute or two that the rollercoaster lasted (repeatedly, of course).

I ate a fry every morning I was there, had dinners out, desserts, ice creams galore and spent about 2 of the days on the drink. I genuinely anticipated a gain of about a stone this week, so to only be up 6lbs (which, don't get me wrong, I appreciate is still a lot to gain in a week) is very much welcome by me. I have no grievance with being up 6lbs at all.


So the plan for the moment, is to simply return my weight to where it was pre-holiday (ie; lose 6lbs), and then lose another 2.5lbs to get the 4st award within Slimming World.

I reckon, with a bit of a decent effort, I should do that in 3 weeks. I reckon next week will be a big loss, because it's a return to normality for me. All going well, anyway.


So I'm hoping the next week will be good to me. I'm fresh back from the holiday which means my enthusiasm and motivation should be high for the next week anyway. After that I'll just play it by ear.


As weird as it may sound, I actually think posting here each week is actually one of the things helping me along with keeping the head down and getting stuck in. I know I don't know any of the members here personally or anything like that, but I feel that, because I know I am gonna post here each week, I feel a bit more accountable (kinda why I'm in Slimming World, too, I suppose).

Makes me realise the genuine goodness of these kinda forums (that and, of course, the never-ending amount of advice, help and insight that comes with it).

A big thank you to everyone who's been so friendly on here over the last few months. It's been greatly appreciated

Tell me how

Well done. You've done very well.

Alf Veedersane

[Deleted User] wrote: »

As weird as it may sound, I actually think posting here each week is actually one of the things helping me along with keeping the head down and getting stuck in. I know I don't know any of the members here personally or anything like that, but I feel that, because I know I am gonna post here each week, I feel a bit more accountable (kinda why I'm in Slimming World, too, I suppose).

Makes me realise the genuine goodness of these kinda forums (that and, of course, the never-ending amount of advice, help and insight that comes with it).

A big thank you to everyone who's been so friendly on here over the last few months. It's been greatly appreciated

I know what you mean. It's helped me immensely. I've learned a lot and just felt a degree of good will that's translated as support in my time. It's genuinely helped me turn a lot around.

Here's hoping you continue on the right track like you plan to

moonshadow

Speed , ommletes, with beans , and speed soup...go for it !

jennyhayes123

Your inspirational. I love reading your posts. Keep up the good work

happycoach

Great stuff. Keep it up!

Howdy folks.

This week I've not yet weighed in (i do it on tuesdays, so tomorrow evening I'll post up my weight for this week). I'm predicting I'll be up a pound or two as I've ate a fair bit of bad foods this week, but it's been a bit of a messy week. I think I'm still adjusting to normal life after holiday.


But anyway, I have been working on my next short term goal and I reckon it's okay to start incorporating some decent weight-lifting efforts around now. So, I was wondering if anyone here wanted to throw their eyes over this 'programme' i've invented for myself.

The idea is to just get fitter in general. I've no specific goals. Weight loss is still the primary element to my general efforts, but I'm hoping that by incorporating a bit of weight lifting it'll help long-term.


The weights listed are weights that I have a hard time lifting (not completely dead after the sets, but wouldn't be able for much more) so it is a challenging effort for me. It's not a 'take it handy' workout, but at the same time, it's not a 'go til I'm dead' workout either. (however, I did this on saturday evening, and even today, on monday, my legs are still aching).


My long term aim is hypertrophy (ie; bigger muscles. Vain as it may seem, I would for once in my life like to actually look good. If I'm not able to beat Conor Mcgregor in a fist fight, I'll be okay with that, so long as I look good taking my beating :P ).

(Exercise: Weight - SetsxReps)
Bench Press: 40kg - 5x5
Bicep Curl: 10kg* - 5x5 (*dumbbells, so 10kg per arm)
Squat: 95kg - 5x5
Deadlift: 95kg - 5x5
Seated Overhead Press: 10kg* - 5x5 (*dumbbells, so 10kg per arm)
Bent Over Barbell Rows 45kg - 5x5
Cable Machine Rows: 50kg - 5x8
Shrugs (Cable Machine): 70kg - 5x8
Tricep Pushdown (Cable Machine): 40kg - 5x5
Cable Crossover: 20kg - 5x8

(not necessarily done in that order)


The cable machine makes the weights a bit odd. For example, I can do a bench press with 40kg, but a cable crossover with 20kg is just as hard. So it seems to add resistance a bit.

I reckon I'm doing a bit of everything there. I have ordered a set of 15kg hex dumbbells to use for the bicep curl and overhead press, but it'll be tomorrow before I get them.

The rough aim is to do the above programme 3 times per week, for 4 weeks and then see how I'm feeling from there. I know the general aim of weight loss is to have a calorie deficit, and as far as I am lead to believe, you need to have a calorie surplus to build muscle mass, so I'm not sure what way this will work out for me long term.

And that's week 14 finished, or what I will refer to as week 1 now again as I'm approaching with a fresh head.

I weighed in this week with a fairly substantial gain of 5.5lbs (to bring me in at a weight of 16st 4lbs). I knew I was gonna gain this week, but didn't think it'd be so high. I anticipated about 3lbs or so.

I think some of it is a slight hangover from the holiday, but my eating this week has been very poor.


However, I am giving myself 4 weeks (from now) to get a stone off. getting a stone off brings me to 15st 4lbs, which is the 4st award with Slimming World. I was aiming for this before I left for the holiday, but didn't necessarily want it, as I wanted something to aim for on my return, so that's what I'm doing now.


So, tomorrow I have a Jiu Jitsu lesson booked. I actually did one on Monday and it was interesting, albeit, not very tough physically. A bit of learning to roll around and a basic takedown shown to me. Very interesting stuff, but nothing that'll melt away the calories. So this week it's back to the drawing board with a renewed 'balls to the wall' approach :P

For the next month I'm gonna get back jogging, doing crossfit and pretty much eating as best I can, but this time, with the addition of heavy weight lifting.

I'm 16st 4lbs, and I want to get to 15st 4lbs in a month (and from there, I'll want to get to 14st as a 'final resting place' of sorts).


Wish me luck!


Or, in 'rasslin' terms: ( )

Today I had a wedding, so unfortunately I didn't get to attend Slimming World (where i weigh each week, to use the same scales to get an accurate idea of where i stand).

I have the option of attending tomorrow night instead, or leaving it until next week, so I think I'm gonna leave it til next week. See how i get on if it's 2 weeks apart. Wonder will i have more enhtusiasm or less enthusiasm as the second week rolls by.


As it stands, my week so far has been alright. I reckon, had I weighed in, I'd have been down about a pound or so, but probably not a lot. I'm working out a lot in my home gym doing weights, and I've been taking 1-2-1 jiu jitsu sessions, too.

Although jiu jitsu is very ground based and such, im finding it very interesting. The takedowns and such that I've learned in such a small amount of time are incredible. If someone threw a punch at me before I'd just kinda presume I'd run at them and try knock them over or land on them or such.

Having done only a few hours jiu jitsu i now have a base knowledge of how I could knock someone to the ground and such. It's amazing the things you learn in such a short amount of time.


That said, knoweldge aside, i find the jiu jitsu, although it doesnt have me overly killed from exhaustion, there's a lot of gripping, pulling and pushing going on, so my biceps, forearms (arms in general) are in agony after it for a day or two.

From doing the weight training and the jiu jitsu over the past week or so i genuinely feel like my biceps and shoulders have hardened up a bit. Nothing extreme, of course, but enough that i notice it (or have convinced myself, anyway!) :P

Weighed in this week, with another gain.

In the last fortnight, I'm up 2.5lbs (current weight is 16st 6.5lbs now).

My diet hasn't been great, and exercise been patchy, though I've still been making an effort. Bit bemused by that, to be honest. I kinda thought I'd lose 1lb or 2lbs or such. Knew i hadn't lost much, but didn't anticipate a gain.


Hopefully it was just a glitch in the matrix and next week I'll be down a stone or something. haha.



.. cos that's what I'm aiming for now!!

adam88

Keep your eye on the ball. I've been where you are and when my reason for loosing weight was over thing crept slowly up. Keep things going. Draw a line under the sand and hit the ground running Xmas is coming. Have that as a target to be able to dress well

adam88

adam88 wrote: »

Keep your eye on the ball. I've been where you are and when my reason for loosing weight was over thing crept slowly up. Keep things going. Draw a line under the sand and hit the ground running Xmas is coming. Have that as a target to be able to dress well

Yeah I'm getting that. To be honest i've been flip flopping on the thoughts of booking a short spanish holiday in January to just have something new on the calendar to work towards, but I'm not sure.

It is easy to sleepwalk right back into old habits if you've nothing to aim for or, as you say, the reason for losing weight is over.


In relation to your post, though, I am aware that I don't really have any 'casual' clothes at all. I'm constantly in tracksuits or 'work' cargo pants. That said, I have a nice black suit that I got a couple of weeks back. I was beat into it at the time, (and have gained weight since then), but being able to comfortably wear it would be a nice goal.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Weighed in this week, with another gain.

Thankfully I've brought an end to the cycle of gaining.

I weighed in tonight and I had a loss of 4lbs, bringing me to a weight of 16st 2.5lbs.

I'm happy to be back on track again (or at least a bit, anyway). Still have too many sweets and general junk food hovering around the diet, though. So really need to get cracking on cleaning that up.

Other than that, all is relatively well. Keeping with the Jiu Jitsu (doing proper classes now, with other people, instead of the 1-2-1 sessions I was doing before. Even have my own gi now! Yay! Not getting a lend of the gyms one anymore).


This is one of those things that's gonna sound silly, will have possibly anyone 'in the know' rolling their eyes, and most sighing to themselves, but I'm considering starting a cycle of creatine to try and boost my general gym efforts.

Creatine is mostly there to help muscle growth, but as far as I understand it, if you go mad overboard with the food whilst on it, because the workings of creatine are so heavily water based, it can make you look very bloated if you over-eat. So, although a potentially questionable reason to be using it, it has been in my head.

(I'm not a 'supplement' person though. Think the general idea of people taking supplements is a tad silly, but after doing a lot of mooching around online about this it seems like it could potentially benefit me).

The bigger issue seems to be that starting with such a supplement is gonna cause weight gain initially (although i'd still be hoping to work to a calorie deficit in general, so not sure how that'd affect me, should i venture down that road).

This week I'm working practically non-stop, so I weighed in last night, but was knackered so didn't post here.

This week I'm in with 5.5lbs off, to bring my weight to 15st 11lbs. I'm very happy with that.


I haven't touched creatine, nor have I exercised much this week. My workload has been pretty hefty so I haven't really had a chance to do anything other than work, sleep, work, sleep, etc. but thankfully that cycle should be ending tomorrow or friday and I can get back into doing fitness-related tasks.

I've signed up for a 5k in Ardee in Louth called the Wild Goose Chase. It's on the 3rd of December. So I'm hoping that coming in soon will motivate me to get out and about and try and get back jogging again (I haven't jogged for 5k straight in about 5-6 weeks, I think). So that'll hopefully get me back on track there again.


Gonna aim high for next week. If i can drop 4.5lbs, I'll weigh 15st 6.5lbs, which is the lowest I've gotten to since starting this thread. So that's my (admittedly optimistic) goal.

Sarah1916

I have just read through your full thread and you have done great, congratulations! Make sure and keep it up! Christmas is only around the corner so that could be your next goal

This week I weighed in with a gain of 7.5lbs.


Now, i will attribute some of that to having had a fairly hefty meal just before I weighed in (rarely a sensible thing) but it wouldn't account for a full 7.5lbs!

In saying that, my diet hasn't been as terribly bad as I'd expect for such a gain. I haven't been out exercising but a gain of 7.5 is a bit high for my liking. A month of that and I may aswell have not even bothered starting.


So today I've decided that drastic action must be taken. I've a 'checkbox' style list of things to do each and I aim to get them all done (jog 3k, walk 8k, do a crossfit class, eat clean, etc.) so i find that usually helps.

I'll be working all day saturday, so that'll keep me occupied. I'll try to keep some good foods nearby or in the car if hunger strikes.

So I'm hoping to lose what I gained next week. Hopefully a bit more (sounds like a lot, but if i can gain that in a week, i can lose it. and I still think it's artificially inflated by about 2lbs cos of having food still sitting in my belly at the time of weighing in).

It'll be an active week ahead

Weighed in this week with 4lbs off.

Didn't get to weigh in last week, so that's over two weeks.

I'm not sure how the Christmas period will affect me (if at all) so that'll be interesting. Need to try and add some structure or organisation to my working out. Haven't used the home gym in a few days and the diet is still not great. Need a kick in the ass!

Alf Veedersane

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Weighed in this week with 4lbs off.

Didn't get to weigh in last week, so that's over two weeks.

I'm not sure how the Christmas period will affect me (if at all) so that'll be interesting. Need to try and add some structure or organisation to my working out. Haven't used the home gym in a few days and the diet is still not great. Need a kick in the ass!

Put it in writing. Write out a plan and stick to it. Sometimes it's a little tweak that helps.

Like just try and do a Monday-Wednesday-Friday set up at least and leave the other days to freestyle so if you feel like doing a bit, so be it but stick to those days. Even have a plan for those days. Having an actual physical plan in writing helps

JJayoo

What do your workouts look like in your home gym

@15kg

They look alright to me, but then I do consider myself unbearably handsome. :P


More seriously, this is the workout I've been at, but i fell away from it. It was taking me approx 2 hours to do, and it was tough going, so I think it's a case of trying to do too much too soon. I think I'm too much of a beginner to bother with a 3-day split type of routine, but I might try and break it into two separate workouts and aim for 4 days a week. At least that way it'll not take as long to complete and won't (hopefully) have me as worn out.


Move - SetsxReps @ Weight (equipment)

Chest Press - 4x8 @ 75kg (barbell)
Squat - 4x8 @ 75kg (barbell)
Bicep Curl - 4x8 @ 15kg (per arm, dumbbells)
Tricep Pushdown - 4x8 @ 40kg (cable machine)
(Bent Over) Barbell Row - 4x8 @ 45kg (barbell)
Seated Overhead Press - 4x8 @15kg (per arm, dumbbells)
Deadlift - 4x8 @ 95kg (barbell)
Cable Crossover - 5x10 @20kg (cable machine)
Shrugs - 5x10 @ 70kg (cable machine)

(Bolded every second one, just to make it easier to read)


Then I'd generally try and belt out about 50 free squats (ie; no weight), 2 or 3 20second planks, a few lunges and call it a day.


Currently working on writing up a new workout plan of attack. In a perfect world I'd get to 15st 4 before the new year (or close, anyway) but can't seem to muster up the same motivation i had at the start. Diet is still proving problematic.

lanciadub

Fair play lad , just read through your thread and it is inspiring .
Glad to hear you found jiu jitsu , possibly the best fun you can have while losing weight and getting stronger. Keep it up .

jayjay1189

As already said by many others, fair play! I started recently at 200lbs (14 st 4 lbs) [may not sound like much but i'm 5'2"] and in less than a week I've gone down 6lbs already, so definitely when you have some weight to shift and you suddenly start treating your body right, it disappears a lot faster!