Just remember your goal and keep at it.:-)
I'm having trouble with my water intake lately. I like water, but it's hard for me to get in 8 glasses a day. I don't drink tea or soda much, but it seems like my intake is about four glasses of water a day.
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Well today was my check in day and I have to say I am pretty damn happy.

4 weeks ago I decided to get serious about the mass gain portion of my journey to better fitness, after a little chat from my sponsor. The whole idea is to put on some muscle so that I have a higher BMR and can enjoy life a little more without having to be tied to a ridiculously low level of caloric input. Simply put bigger engine burns more fuel.

So the first step was to drop the fat.......check did that 77lbs of fat lost (some muscle too but can't be helped)

Then was recovery.

Now I started before I went back to my fitness guy but I wasn't eating nearly enough so I only know the 2 points of reference. Total muscle gain and the last for weeks.

So at my last check in I was 228lbs and 18% body fat......representing about 187 lbs of lean mass

Fast forward to today 4 weeks later and I am 243.4lbs and 19.1% body fat.....representing about 197 lbs of lean mass.

I put on 10lbs of muscle and 5.4lbs of fat in 4 weeks, almost a 2 to 1 ratio which is AWESOME Image I am stoked, I surpassed my own goals and the expectations of my trainer.

The intent now will be to go in 10 and 10's. So now I need to loose 10 lbs of fat while maintaining my lean mass. This is where things get a little slower as I am used to just burning off fit by having a huge caloric deficit with aerobic activity. The problem with that however is that I would lose some of the mass I have gained so it has to be a more structured approach than I am used to (or that my obsessive personality likes to accept)

The end goal is 240 lbs and 12% body fat. Which means putting on 14lbs more muscle and dropping 17 more pounds of fat. The intent is to get this done over the course of the next 4 to 6 months........as things progress goals may change as my trainer says this is a fairly aggressive goal.......but I am gonna giver.
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Andy, I keep a squirt water bottle with me all the time. It just becomes habit to drink constantly. It took me a long time to develop the habit, and I really fought it. I look for my water bottle all the time now. As soon as I hit submit I'm going to get one. The only reason I don't have a bottle by me now is because I left it in the car. :-)
I seldom buy bottled water, I reuse the bottles I like. I just drink tap water. Saves money.
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Seems the way I've been lately... not drinking nearly enough.
I re-use a Gatorade 32 oz bottle, as that 'covers' 4 - 8 oz glasses. I should be having two of thse a day, plus the add of my 30 oz coffee that I drink all morning, giving me more than enough fluids.

I really need to start pushing the fluids again!


I know this sounds lame, but I was in too much pain to weigh in last week. I almost killed me bend over to pick up something I dropped! (I lifted and moved our 1983 27" TV into a newer entertainment center)

I am looking forward to this week's weigh in, and am afraid of it eqally.
Maybe I can flush out the icky stuff with more water, throughout the day. :-)
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Does this mean you have to see-saw constantly every few weeks in eating habits and exercise regimens?
Keep up the good work, Shawn. You're putting most of us to shame!:-)
I just buy a big bottle of el cheapo water a day on my way to work. 4 servings right at around $1. I know I could be saving money, but a dollar a day doesn't feel like much until I start adding it up.
Hope you're feeling better, Dan.
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No change this week, still at 253. Not bad considering I drank liquor 4 days in a row this week and over ate every day. I'll start making some better progress this week. Only three more pounds to reach my short term goal.
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Not really the changes are more subtle. Given that I was supplementing almost 700kcal a day in protein the change in diet is more subtle than that. I basically cut out 2/3 of my supplement and drop my intake 500 kcal (not as much as you would think given how high my intake was)

The key is to do this more slowly to avoid any cannibalization of the muscle that I have built up so rather than the meteoric weight loss I did to get down to my phase one completion this is a slower drop to ensure the lean mass stays on.

The only changes to exercise is to reintroduce between 10 and 15 minutes of high intensity cardio at the beginning of my weight training which accomplishes two things. First is instant calorie burn so burning of an additional 150 or so Kcal per work out but more importantly it increases the level and duration of EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption) so that my metabolic rate is increased more than previously.

It has been an interesting ride and I have learned an enormous amount about how the human metabolism works with regards to weight management........I actually believe for the first time in my life that I will be fit and healthy for the rest of my life.
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Evening all and greetings from Costa Maya, Mexico.

Down to 255 and 5 pounds from the short term goal.

These trips are killer for the weight...

I really feed off ya'lls posts. Thanks for sharing and good luck to all.
Posted via Mobile Device
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it is really difficult to eat healthy on the road, going on the road 20+ times a year is quite tuff
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:-)
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Still at 253 this week. Another week gone bad. I thought that I would definitely have gained this week after all the meals and celebrations this week, but I was lucky to stay the same.

My goal for next week is to hit the 250 mark. No ifs, ands, or buts.
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You can do it!


I hear ya there too.
I was a little worried, as I've been edging up for a month now. Ended up down 2+ pounds! I'm back in the right direction again!!! :-)



Also, as we have a Wii, I picked up the EA Sports Active from ebay.
I get to open it tomorrow. I'll have to see how I can fit this in, and start exercising. The idea of getting up even earlier Image just seems beyond my capabilities; I'm a night person.
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Wii Fit Plus is pretty fun and gets you some exercise as well.
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I'm still hanging around 1/8 of a ton.
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Well the loss phase seems to be working..........its flipping slow to what I am used to though. I am down about 6lbs in two weeks. Heres hoping that it is all fat and no muscle or glycogen loss.

Still hammering the iron 5 days a week, this is the part that is new territory for me, I have lost weight before but putting on the mass so that I can have a higher metabolism is the part that I never got too. No freaking wonder, its bloody hard work.

So far so good though my motivation is still there.
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Motivation is always my issue, Shawn. What do you do to stay motivated? I am always motivated at the beginning of the week, but stress gets me down between work and family, then I always say F**** it and wind up drinking. If I didn't drink, I'd be down to about 230 by now.
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down to 252 today. One more pound gone. It's official, 25 lbs. gone.
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Had 5 Mrs fields cookies after lunch today. :-)

But I did do 110 push ups this morning.

236 here.
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An equal trade, Dave.:-)
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I'm far too big for the Fit board.

Down another pound-and-a-half this week!

That puts me at 5% loss.
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