AFF Weight Gain/Loss Program

[StAndArdAU]

Heya everyone. was just reading this forum and have decided that seeing all the different results managed by so many people in here, it is the inspiration i need to start losing my fat, toning up and getting fit. Here's my short story:

i'll go back to the primary school days, was the Junior boys sports champion yrs 1-3, intermediate champion yrs 4-5, senior champion yrs 6-7. Got into high school and started a very unactive lifestyle where footy was my only sport, which lasted for just over 20 weeks of each year. Started to drink regularly when i reached yr11 (16) and have done since. i am now 22.

at my last medical i weighed 105kg and am about 172cm tall. Over the last 3 years or so my fitness has taken a battering with constant hamstring injuries from footy, and this has made me feel very lethargic, especially when it comes to running as im afraid i might pull another hammy! I'm not overly fat, but have a gut and fat chest. and i have a large ***.

my plan is not to lose too much weight as i am happy with being 100ish kg, but certainly want to turn all my fat and flab into muscle, while gaining some fitness along the way. I have decided i will drink the recommended 2L water a day, walk/run to the gym at least 3 days a week and i have lots of stairs i am going to climb every work shift i have, to help strengthen my leg muscles.
I will continue to eat healthy, and try to at least 5 times a day. I am committed to drinking Low Carb beers only also.

Also after doing some investigating, last month i ordered a bottle of tablets called Testoroid. These are NOT steroids but rather a testosterone based supplement. they are designed to help strengthen muscles to beat weight lifting plateau's, and also reduce skin fold thickness (among other things). i have found that after taking these for the past 3 weeks the skin fold thickness of my biceps has certainly decreased giving them a more defined appearance (veins visible etc.) and also my sex drive has gone through the roof!! <--- i like this the most hehe! Anyways, i will try to repost when progress occurs and share my success/failures.

Cheers,
Stevo

[XR6_661]

Haven't read all the thread, but I'm definatly in for some weight gain.

Any tips at all on what I should do? I'm 20 and weight roughly 58kg I think. So some weight is definatly in order.

I've been reading up and it says I should be eating up to 6 meals a day, with 3 hours in between. What foods should I be eating, high calorie foods? Should I be taking a weight gain supplement and doing some kind of weights, etc.

How fast do results usually appear?

I know my problem with weight gain is a fast metabolism and high testosterone levels (so the doctor told me). I put on weight, maybe a kg here and there, but it disappears just as fast as I gained it.

So if someone could post me up some hints and tips or anything, let me know. I don't want to get to body builder spec or anything, I just want to get to a weight where I look good, and feel comfortable with how I look. Because it is at the stage now, where as lame as it sounds, I'm pretty much ashamed of the way I look, etc etc. Not to mention all my mates hang shite on me.

[galaxy xr8]

Its quite simple you need to eat and eat lot's, eat a lot of fat, (if you have a high metabolism like you say) but when I say fat I mean good fats, not sat fats, eat alot of nut's, non fat milk, yogart, and meats but watch this area, only have very lean meats, people like you can eat a lot of fat and get away with it, actually anyone can eat a lot of fat and get away with it aslong as it is good fats and they are active, I would also eat a lot of low Gi high complex carbs throughout the day to fuel yourself, but your fat intake will do this aswell, and eat good protien, lot's of chicken(no skin) and Turkey I prefer turkey, and eggs with more of the eggwhites as a focus, and freash fruit and vegs is a must, but the key is to eat, anyone can do it, you just need to eat and do it consistantly, your appetite will grow and you will find your body craves food if you do not eat it , but you have to do it day in and day out, if you skip a meal because you are to busy or cant be bothered then forget everything I have said, because it will be a waist of time, you need to eat everyday, every week, I went from 68odd kgs to a stagering 100kg, but now I am down to a much healthier 95kg, although I train alot and I am more focused on muscle than fat, it will still happen for you if YOU EAT LOTS AND GOOD FOOD.

[GS608]

hey everyone just read through the whole thread front to back and its really given me the motivation to do something..im only 17 and about 175cms but weigh 100kgs, ive been building up my biceps through weights and doing situps/pushups everynight so im not overly fat or anything just have a pretty big *** and a gut and it sort of does get you down a bit sometimes.

i know the places i need to work on and that'd be exercise and drinking enough water/cutting down on the size of meals, anyone know any tricks to getting your body used to eating smaller meals?

i looked at the tony ferguson stuff but its way too expensive..i'd be happy get rid of the overhang and tone up, would it be better to lose the weight or try turn it into muscle?

cheers

[StAndArdAU]

it depends on if you're comfortable with the number that is representing your weight. Jsut remember that doing weights is going to turn the fat into muscle so your not going to lose alot of weight, and in fact you may gain weight (muscle weighs more than fat), but in turning into muscle you should be able to tone your body. Have a search for weight lifting excercises that are designed to tone rather than build. find some stairs to walk up & down to tone your buttocks. and add some long walks or runs to your regime say, once a week at least. and remember that to lose weight you need to use more energy than you are putting into your body (calories). so if you're going to eat 1500 calories a day, you'll want to use ~1700 calories a day or else you'll never see a difference.

[King Nothing]

Ok, well I'll give an update. I managed to lose about 4kg over the course of about a month, I started getting compliments from family about how I was looking better. I admit I got lazy and complacent, and the exercise I was doing gradually dropped away to next to nothing. I'm not quite as big as I was before, but not a lot less. Last night I had a work dinner on, and I've never felt so uncomfortable. I wore my suit which I haven't worn in about 18 months. It was a bit tight when I bought it, but last night I had a lot more trouble trying to get into it. It's uncomfortable for me to admit that, but I can't keep avoiding it.

The biggest problem I have is the difficulty to integrate exercise into my daily routine. I can't ride to work, as it's a 1 hour, 70km trip. When I get to work, I sit at a desk all day. I was a bit of a tubby kid in early high school, when I started to swim. I was good at it, but didn't enjoy it so I dropped it after a couple of years (you try getting a 13 year old to look at a black line for an hour!). But looking back it got me fit pretty quick and after I left I've never been as fit.

I used to finish work at 5, now I finish at 4 and I've discovered a pool facility that is on my way home. Given I beat my fiancee home by about 45 mins and watch tv, I may as well start going there on the way home. My fiancee like to cycle, so I've researched some cycle ways in the area so we can go for a ride on the weekends.

I eat fairly healthy now (although is lebanese bread any better than white bread?). Breakfast was one of those breakfast bars, now I eat fruit and yoghurt. Lunch is either a turkey or chicken wrap with salads (no more cheese!), and I snack on more fruit late arvo. I try to drink a lot of water, normally about 1.5L/day but I'm going to drink that extra 600mL. I think dinner is where I fall down, my finacee likes rice, pasta, etc and I like meat, particularly roasts with gravy (maybe one a week or less).

Anyway, the clock is ticking towards our wedding and I haven't made any improvements. Time to get my rear end in gear.

Wow, sorry for the long post, I guess I had a bit to get off of my chest.

[InfernoSR]

Well i started going to the pool in the mornings for about a week now... and i'm already feeling the difference to the body... my muscles are feeling used and great! my confidence is already improving... i feel better in the morning... and there is a nice young lady there who i have my eye on hehe ;)

I'll see about getting measured up soon i think... gives me a start mark and easier to track...

[Fev]

oh i wish i had your will power guys.. but i just like video games and movies so much more then moving.. lol.. I do alright, i dont lose any weight, but the best part is i dont gain any weight. for the last year ive been a steady 115kgs, maybe up or down 1kg max (probly depending if i dropped one off before i hit the scales). I was in hospital for a week and i lost 4kgs. since i couldnt walk it wasnt the exercise! it was purely because i ate barely anything, the meals consisted of enough food to tide me over for the day of doing nothing at all.. i guess that means i should eat less although i gained those kg's back the weekend i got out(i was so sick of eating barely anything)

[Panda]

Originally Posted by BLUEPRINT

...and there is a nice young lady there who i have my eye on hehe...

Another reason why a home gym should be avoided. Much better to get out of the house!

Panda

[Yaw]

Well, I have been 4 weeks on optifast and salad diet, On tuesday 14.10.2008 I am having lapband surgery, My wife had hers on 6.10.2008 and is currently on a liqud diet for a week or two.

[Windsor220]

Has anyone used those machines that calculate your fat percentage? The ones where you stand bare foot on the scales and enter height, weight etc.

Does anyone know exactly how they work and are they accurate?

[escapin]

wow this thread is eye opening, im just a regular sorta guy not big or small but been slowly getting bigger but my best mate has been dropping off the kgs for abou tthe last 7 months, he has lost 23kgs, mostly with a different diet and he uses a Wii, more i guess for inspiration i think but hey its workign for him which is good.

i reckon that all of u that are trying to drop some kgs are doign great as i can and do see how hard it is for people,

on the lapbanders, hows it going and side affects or positives?

[ten[A]cio[U]s]

Originally Posted by Creampuff

I got back on "Tony Ferguson" meal replacement shakes recently.
I have lost 12 kilos in 4 weeks. I want to lose 10 more.....I will keep you informed.

How does that work mate?

Thats a great effort!

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by 97liberty

on the lapbanders, hows it going and side affects or positives?

Mine was done on October 14 2008. I had a 4 week preperation diet, Salad and Optifast. So on my first weigh in prior to the prep diet I was 143 kg, I wieghed myself today November 16 and I am 117 kgs, So yeah its going well so far.

As for side affects, I was in hospital for 5 days in total as I was swollen and unable to keep anything down, So I was on a drip and anti inflamitories, However my wife had hers done a week before me and was only in hospital overnight, another friend of mine had it 2 weeks ago and he was also only overnight. It's still worthwhile having done though. I have noticed if I do not chew properly I end up throwing up, but its not all acidic like a normal throw up as the stuff never makes it to the stomach.

[schnoods]

Just out of curiosity, Is the lap banding procedure a expensive one?

I have been contemplating one for a while now, im 24 and I am starting to spiral a bit too much for my liking. Im a very solid built bloke, 192cm tall but im now over a ton and a half (150ish kg) and for my line of work it is not a good thing.

Its hard in a physical trade to keep things to a minimum, it can be done, i have tried meal replacement supplements and although they work wonders (lost about 5 kg's in a week) I do see them as a elastic band. Go on it for a while and the band moves further away, the one time you give in it all comes back.

Was also wondering how much is actually eaten before becoming full, i like my food but if i could halve what I eat (even 2/3rds) I'd be happy. I know its adjustable but i would like some feedback on what actually goes on.

Jason.

[Fordfan4u]

Originally Posted by schnoods

Just out of curiosity, Is the lap banding procedure a expensive one?

I have been contemplating one for a while now, im 24 and I am starting to spiral a bit too much for my liking. Im a very solid built bloke, 192cm tall but im now over a ton and a half (150ish kg) and for my line of work it is not a good thing.

Its hard in a physical trade to keep things to a minimum, it can be done, i have tried meal replacement supplements and although they work wonders (lost about 5 kg's in a week) I do see them as a elastic band. Go on it for a while and the band moves further away, the one time you give in it all comes back.

Was also wondering how much is actually eaten before becoming full, i like my food but if i could halve what I eat (even 2/3rds) I'd be happy. I know its adjustable but i would like some feedback on what actually goes on.

Jason.

My dad has diabetes and this lap banding procedure is a supposed cure, so he looked into it, looking between $13-14k from memory.
I guess it would vary between different people how much less they actually eat before getting full.

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by schnoods

Just out of curiosity, Is the lap banding procedure a expensive one?

I have been contemplating one for a while now, im 24 and I am starting to spiral a bit too much for my liking. Im a very solid built bloke, 192cm tall but im now over a ton and a half (150ish kg) and for my line of work it is not a good thing.

Its hard in a physical trade to keep things to a minimum, it can be done, i have tried meal replacement supplements and although they work wonders (lost about 5 kg's in a week) I do see them as a elastic band. Go on it for a while and the band moves further away, the one time you give in it all comes back.

Was also wondering how much is actually eaten before becoming full, i like my food but if i could halve what I eat (even 2/3rds) I'd be happy. I know its adjustable but i would like some feedback on what actually goes on.

Jason.

Although it is with hospital cover about $5000-$6000 out of pocket, without the hospital cover would be 10-12000. You can get the doctor to give you a letter that would allow you to claim it through your superanuation, we have just found this out and are applying for reimbursement, then we will put it into one of Kevin Rudds Home saver plans for 12 months, by 12 months house prices I expect will drop.
As for how much you can eat, at the moment, 2 weet bix and milk is my breakfast, the doctor said eventually with band adjustments you are supposed to get to the point that 1 scrambled egg will fill you up

[Scott]

Just noticed this thread and thought I'd post up my short story for the past few weeks...

Earlier this year I gave up smoking and shot up from a pretty usual 102kg to 106kg over a 2-3 month period which is the first time I have ever heard the scales whinge so much. One thing led to another, GT shat itself etc etc and I started smoking again and the weight dropped back off to the usual 102kg.

Living in QLD & wanting to make the most of the beaches up here, 3 weeks ago I acted on a chat I was having with a mate of mine (after a huge Thai & Beer feed) and he suggested I have a crack at the Atkins Diet.

I was sceptical because as far as I knew he died a chubby old man but I did a heap of reading and with the suggested quick results, I thought "why not"?

Anywho - 3 weeks ago I weighed 101.8kg, today I weigh 93.1kg. I'm pretty happy with nearly 9kg in 3 weeks, I have been doing about 20mins of cardio every day and going for a decent walk of about 3km daily too.

So, I've got about another 5kg to move at which stage I will be increasing carb intake again but doing this has really opened my eyes to what I used to stick in my mouth.

I was the bloke who would eat a whole pizza.... and a garlic bread by myself and go hunting for a little ice cream to wash it down. Not anymore guys, whilst I plan to indulge every now and again, my carb gorging days are well and truly behind me.

Feel free to ask any questions about my experience on the diet.

[Daymoe]

How can a 17 year old lose some weight? Before cup carnival at work I lost 2Kg and I'm down to 101Kg and I have school holidays coming up starting from tommorow for about 2 months, hopefully can lose 5Kg.

Any ideas? I've pretty much cut out most of the junk food I used to eat but thats not enough.

[XR6_661]

Well, latest update for me.

I’ve put on probably 3-4kg.

Been thinking, I’ve been taking protein powder…But I beginning to think I should be taking a carb powder 3 times a day with meals instead.

[EFFII]

Herbal Life!
I have bad skin so i started it for that reason but i also lost weight, 4kg in a week, no running or walking either, Healthy food and meal replacement shake.
My whole family is on it.

[JerseyVics]

this thread is awesome!

I started gym in February of this year, changed my diet, started to actually eat more!

Within two months I shed 40lbs... but ever since then have been platoed on the same weight basically going up and down by as much as 10lbs within one day... somedays...

although I have noticed that I'm using new holes on my belt so thats good. Still have about 50lbs more to go to be happy.

--Russ

[Stav]

Maybe my experiences can help you guys too.. Got on some scales which measure bodyfat ad holy smoke I was 36% bodyfat!! To look at me you would never believe it. My waist was 44 inches at the belly and I was shocked!! I have chosen a training program used by the actors in the movie 300 spartans. My diet I have refined to definately include carbs as my experience has been that without them your heading for health problems. In saying that I have carbs at breakfast and before 12 midday.After midday it had been clean meat and veges. Doing this has allowed me to maintain my energy for longer.
In the morning on an empty stomach I aim to travel 4 to 5 killometres .I walk to the park then jog for 1.5 kms using my gps phone as a guide..Once those 1.5 kays are done I am am interval sprint training and walking jogging then sprinting..this goes on for 10 minutes.By the end of this I am puffed and my heart rate is up..from there I walk home another 1.5 kms and jump in the shower. Breakfast is 6 egg whites and 1 banana.

5 nights a week I do a extreme intesity high rep weights workout.I am breaking the rules and training each body part every night.The result after the workout is that my bicep,triceps and muscles are popping up like a balloon. Despite the majority of advice telling me I am overtraining I am quietly confidently rebutting their theory. I never had these results in body shape change when I followed their routines years ago.
Before I train I take a vitamin b supplement and black coffee. Going into the gym I visualise that I am going into the battle of my life(which in many ways it is). Every time I lift a weight throughout my work out I feel as though I must unleash my anger passion and whole being into each and every rep. The result is total exhaustion at the end of the workout and me not being able to get off the ground for a few minutes from the feeling in my body.

I know that I can lose more weight from cutting all carbs but that is dangerous and will strip lean muscle tissue ,heart tissue and brain tissue faster than flesh eating bacteria!! I dont want a weak heart..I dont want to feel tired.I want to peak in all areas.
Anyway..thats what I ahve been up to for the past 40 odd days.

The results.. was 44 inch waist...now 41 inches. Was 36 % bodyfat and now 33 .4 % I weighed 87kgs now I 85 to 84 kgs.. I have dropped 2.6 % bodyfat and hopefully not reduced my muscle mass in say a month. I suppose for me this is the reality of losing weight in a healthy way.

I was a little dissapointed in the progress as I expected to lose more and faster but at least now I have a good idea on how to do this in the right way.I now expect around 2.6% reduction in bodyfat per month judging from my progress to date.In one more month I should be 31% . In 2 months I should be 28.5% 3 months 25%,6 months 17.8%..It will take 9 months at this rate to reach 10% goal provided progress stays constant.

I know that if I am to reach my goal of 10% fat I need to have a 30 inch waist or have increased my muscle mass considerably. Anyway..I hope you guys keep it up...I am extremely motivated and passionate about doing this...my life does depend on it..

[Dazza TT]

We're going to start a Biggest Loser competition at work. We've got 5 blokes that all want to lose a few Kg's, so we're going to setup a weekly weigh-in & display the results so we can keep an eye on how we're all going.
Should be a big help, as we're all keen & we all need to do something.

It worked when I gave up smoking, 3 other colleagues gave up with me. We all bounced off each other when times got tough, and to this day we are all still non-smokers!

[blueoval]

I have a new years resolution in 09.

Im looking to lose body fat about 5-10kg, while still increasing muscle mass, strength and muscle tone. A bit like the Brad Pitt routine he had when he did the movie Troy.

How many of you guys do research on exercise techniques, dieting, supplements and the like?

I have a goal of trying to achieve all this in 12-24 months. Is it possible?

Any other things I need to consider to get started?

[falconboy]

Ok - weight loss, this is something I've experienced recently.

4 months ago I was 116kg and it was about time I lost weight. The misses works late hours so dinner was often takeaway, plenty of potato chips, ice cream, soft drink and juice (which is full of sugar).

I decided to go the easy route and give 'Lite N Easy' a go. Well, how fantastic. I lost 15kg in 15 weeks and now sit at a steady 101 (still need to loose another 15kg).

The good thing is, with all the food delivered and prepared its easy, the food is suprisingly tasty, albeit not huge servings of course. You need to be prepared to try a few different things, I actually eat small amounts of mushrooms now and ate Chick Pea and Lentil salad. Yuk you say, well so did I, but it was really enjoyable. I will add, the food is pretty 'normal', not much chick pea and lentils overall so don't worry.

The good thing is I lost the 15kg WITHOUT exercise. Yes, WITHOUT exercise.

I have NOT cut down coffee, but use artificial sweetner (tip, Equal and most of the others are crap, so use 'Sugarless' - NOT sugarine, SUGARLESS). I drink tonnes of Coke - Coke ZERO that is (tonnes better than Diet Coke by the way). All this and still loosing 15kg is fantastic.

I am at the stage now where I need to exercise to start loosing the rest.

On a slightly personal note I now can find jeans that fit me in a normal shop, have gone down an undies size, a lot of my XXXXL shirts are now too big, I've needed to get a smaller belt AND put closer holes in that one. I was wearing 117cm jeans, now I can just fit 102's (and I bought 2x 97 pairs to aim for). I need to loose my gut but with the smaller clothes on I can't believe I look close to 'normal' again. I love it.

Before the diet I went looking for clothes in a mens clothing store at my local shopping centre to be greeted with 'I don't think we have much to fit you, maybe these bigger sizes over here'. I may have been big but I felt very, very small indeed. :(

Don't aim to be perfect too quickly, be happy with ANY weight loss.

Oh, I can't believe how much easier mowing the lawn is without carrying that extra 15kg. I can do it without feeling like I need to call an ambulance.

I just wish quitting smoking was this easy....

Good luck all!

[Scott]

Originally Posted by falconboy

I just wish quitting smoking was this easy....

I've been doing quite a bit of running and have started to find that my muscle fitness is now catching up to the capacity of my lungs. I am now coming to the realisation that in order to continue my physical transformation, I will need to ease up on the smokes and will surely find that in time I will give them away completely.

The difference at the gym between having a smoke before you go and not having one for 1/2 hr before you go is quite significant.

Your own fitness will tell you when it's time to cutback or stop and it's a much less over-bearing feeling that way too.

Good work so far!

[Scott]

Hey, thought I might update my post from the 18/11 where I had been on Atkins/ish for 3 weeks and dropped from 101.8kg to ~93kg.

Another 6 weeks has passed and things are still cookin along.... by the end of November I got down to 89.8kg and early in December I decided to up the protein and mix in a little more carbs.

I have been hitting the gym (weights moreso now) and weightloss has slowed down. I am ~88.5kg pretty steady but my pants are getting looser so I guess I'm still losing fat but gaining a little muscle too.

One of those stupid things that makes sense when you say it out loud is that with the extra fat off, you really see every scrap of muscle development every time you hit the gym. Nothing shocking but a great little pick-me-up when you can see results happening.

My plan is to punish myself through to Australia Day and try to pull in another inch on the belt or drop another 3kgs. My plan all along was to drop fat then work on muscle and I have to say that this diet has been a piece of cake.

I expected a blow out at Christmas and found that I ate what I wanted, when I wanted.... and my weight stayed the same at worst, perhaps still dropped a smidge.

Update again in a couple of weeks.

[cuz]

Well done fellas, keep up the good work.

I myself am going to drop some kgs in the next few months.
Just a little bit more exercise and a cut down on the carbs.

I'll keep you posted

[galaxy xr8]

I thought this thread would be booming around this time of yr, with everybody's new yr's resolution's....