My journey out of obesity

The Craig said:
MT shape up comp is just a fat loss/muscle gain competition on the forums with who can improve their physique the most in ~12 weeks gets a couple prizes. Good luck on doing it. I'm considering doing it to, but if you've seen the results last time I doubt I'll win :p
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some of the results are awesome and I know theres a very slim chance in me winning but its all fun and games :D
 
If I'm doing it, I'm going to be relaxed in the first photo, and in 12 weeks tensed after a cut. The difference after a big meal would be a massive change but prob. very noticeable and I'd get called out on it.
 
Well my chicken arrived the other day and from the few bits I've had so far its dam good stuff, hardly shrinks, is nice and juicy and generally tastes better than the stuff you can pick up in the supermarket for the same price.
It worked out at £4.95/kg which is cheaper than even the Asda smart price rubbish.

Any way it feels like the nice dose of the cold/flu that I've been harboring since new years day is finally moving on so I'm hoping to get to the gym tomorrow maybe Monday if I feel I could do with an extra days rest plus were rearranging the house tomorrow.
On to my diet that I plan on using for the shape up I'm going to be going pretty low carb with just some oats in the morning and a small serving of rice in the afternoon on none training days, with extra carbs placed around my workout on training days.

Along with some multivits,fish oils when I pick some up,creatine gluconate and some warrior rage pre workout if I feel the need.
With my training I'm going to be trying much higher rep ranges that what I'm used to working in the 3-4x10-12 sort of range where as I've usually stuck to the 3x8 so its going to be a bit of a shock to the system but should give me a good all round work out.


My measurements at the moment are:
Neck - 16.25"
Chest - 46.5"
Upper arm - 15.75"
Stomach - 38.5"
Thigh - 25"
Calf - 15.5"

Weight - 16st10lbs/106kg

I'm seriously unhappy with my weight at the moment but I'd say I'm carrying a good bit of watery horribleness from the junk I've been eating recently, although my measurements arnt massively different from the beginning of the thread where I was almost 10kg lighter
 
The Craig said:
Good luck with the dieting. I've started cutting but forgot to put in for the shape-up, doubt I would've won anyways.
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cheers :) yea I doubt I've got a chance considering there 49 guys put in and some who always seem to place pretty highly but you never know, plus I've now got a holiday at the end of April to aim for as well :D
 
Well it looks like I was right I was carrying some serious bloat, even with the water retention that the creatine will have brought in I'm down to 16st dead this morning. Thats 10lbs in 3 days, gotta love that water weight.
 
Well I'm one week and a couple of workouts in and feeling good. Although pizza hut are trying to sabotage me for the first time ever they've started texting me 50% off codes :(

These are my measurements as of this morning

Neck - 16" -0.25"
chest - 44.5" -2"
stomach - 37.5" -1"
thigh - 24.5" -0.5"
calf - 16" +0.5"
upper arm - 15.75" No change

Weight - 15st13lbs -11lbs

I'm happy everythings moving in the right direction. I've just been doing my 3 day split with 10 mins of cardio at the end just to ease myself back in but I'll be looking at increasing the cardio within the next few weeks.
 
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Jesus just done my first leg workout using my new routine and I came close to death, 4x14 squats with 3x12 on both leg ext and leg curl.
I nearly rolled down the stairs on my way out of the gym and down a hill on my way home, I'm looking forward to the DOMS in a sick sorta way.

Edit: the DOMS arrived as scheduled this morning and all I can say is thank god for the handrail on the stairs
 
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Neck - 16" No change
chest - 43.5" -1"
stomach - 37.5" No change
thigh - 24.5" No change
calf - 16" No change
upper arm - 16" +0.25"

Weight - 15st8lbs -5lbs

No major changes in size this week but still down a few lbs, the strength is going up in the gym over last week and the higher rep ranges arnt making me feel like I want to die quite as much.
I ordered some new bike kit the other day so just waiting for that to turn up today hopefully and I'll be adding in a nice bit of morning cardio to my routine.
The diets going nicely don't feel hungry, haven't had alcohol in around 2 weeks which always makes me feel much fresher.
I picked up a set of digital scales the other day as I have been using an old analogue set which were a bugger to see, the new ones happen to have the fat and water % read out as well which we all know is good for a laugh apparently I'm only a touch off 50% fat. Now I know I'm a bit of a chubbster but I'm not quite in pork scratching territory yet :D
 
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Djdom56 said:
Wow, this is really impressive :). Congratulations Tom, and keep on enjoying those DOMS :p
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Cheers :) I haven't had any this week so hopefully it will continue because I don't fancy leg DOMS like last week while working on Saturday night, although me trying to wrestle someone out of a club without bending my legs would be a great watch :D
 
Ha ha, that does sound like a lot of fun. I always feel like an old man when I get leg DOMS, I feel like I should have a walking stick :).

This is something I do before and/or after a session and it does help with DOMS. Better to
do it after if it is specifically for preventing DOMS.

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/self-myofascial-release.html

I use a piece of sewage pipe about 3 foot long and maybe 8" diameter. It's a lot tougher than a foam roller so it IMO works better. Just a warning though first time I did this on my legs I was in agony. Basically what it does is work out all of the tiny knots in the muscle and stretch the fascia ("sheath" around the muscle) to release pressure. Like I said agony while doing it but as soon as you stop you'll feel this difference, it's like having a sports massage, but cheaper :). I got my pipe from Wickes for about £6, I also think foam rollers are more expensive.

You might also want to look for a hand roller called a tiger tail. they cost a mint for what they are and you can make one yourself with two different diameter pipes, some bolts and a hack saw :).


Bit of a gimpy video but in essence tells you all you need to know.

My homemade one (brother currently has it in Bristol so no photos I'm afraid) is made of about 22" length drainage pipe with 1-1.5" (roughly) diameter with another piece of drainage pipe about 12" length and about 2" diameter. The bolt stop the outside pipe from coming off the ends, just get some long enough to go through the inner pipe but still block the outer one.

Hope that wasn't too much info :)
 
I've got a foam roller around so I'll look into getting some good use out of it, cheers for the info its always good to have some new methods to look at :)
Now for anyone thats reading, cheat meals do you think there best to be had on a training day i.e tomorrow after my high rep big legs workout, so have my pwo and ppwo then for dinner a pizza or something as I train in the am, or the day before a workout so you're recharged for the next session.
Or finally does it really matter
 
Done my 2nd leg workout today and I definately felt less like dying but didnt up my weight on the squat at least just to give my body a chance to adjust to being back in the gym swing.
Then picked up a pizza on my way home for dinner tonight :D not my normal the biggest asda fresh one going, went with a nice normal sized one knowing you've got a cheat meal coming at the end of the week definately makes it easier to keep it clean though the week.
 
cheers mate :). Just to give you all a lovely little mental imagine for the evening I'm now the proud new owner of some lycra cycling shorts I feel like I should pop them on and lunge round the house.
Luckly I'm also the proud new owner of the baggy outter mtb shorts to go with them :D
 
Quick tip for those who are not massive fans of their green veg, I've been looking at some different ways to get them into my diet rather than my usual just steaming them.

Knock up a quick soup:-
3 chicken oxo cubes in 1 litre of boiling water
around 1kg of broccoli, I used the mixed bag of broccoli/cauliflower from asda
lots of pepper, pinch of chilli powder
couple of cloves of garlic
splash of olive oil

1. Chop or crush your garlic and fry it off in the olive oil until translucent
2. Add your chicken stock and bring to the boil
3. Throw in your veg and cook until tender
4. Blend
5. Add in your seasoning to taste

I stuck it all in a big Tupperware pot and plan on just spooning some out and whacking it in the microwave when needed, should keep for at least 3 days in the fridge. The recipe I've given does give you a good thick soup that will fill you nicely rather than some of the watery crap some people call soup.

Also I have very mild leg DOMS compared to last weeks thank god :D
 
tom_e said:
cheers mate :). Just to give you all a lovely little mental imagine for the evening I'm now the proud new owner of some lycra cycling shorts I feel like I should pop them on and lunge round the house.
Luckly I'm also the proud new owner of the baggy outter mtb shorts to go with them :D
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Lol! Hilarious image of someone doing walking lunges around the house in lycra shorts :p. I have rugby shorts, so lycra under and stiff cotton outer, for training in. I much prefer them to regular shorts or tracksuit bottoms. Also tip with lycra: if you don't already, go commando. It's much more comfortable and no boxer gathering issues :D
 
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