This is what it boils down to!

The bottom line for losing weight is that you must eat less calories than you burn. The huge obstacle to overcome is that it is far easier to eat more calories than we are able to burn off with exercise.

Running on a tredmill will burn you an average of 300 calories an hour (really rough estimate). You can totally ruin all that work by eating 1 chocolate bar!

You need to cut out any snacks between meals- they are the bane of losing weight. I don't care if they are "healthy snacks"- they are still extra calories you don't need and will have to burn off later.

NEVER eat when you are bored or upset! Go punch a boxing bag instead!

Get a calorie counter book and start counting calories! It sucks and is more work than most people want to do, but it is the first step to controlling your intake. If you find you haven't lost a pound after a month you need to dial your calories back (200 at a time would be safe in my opinion).

You shouldn't try to lose more than 1 or 2 pounds per week. Any more and you might be sacrificing muscle tissue, not fat. Muscle tissue is GOLD! It is what keeps your metabolism going! The less muscle tissue you have, the slower your metabolism gets, and the more tired you feel. Everyone (yes even the ladies) could benefit from some added muscle mass with a spot of weight training. (For the women) this doesn't mean you have to be She-Hulk though.

Diets fail because they are either too strict causing the dieter to fall off the wagon and gain back all the weight they struggled to lose, or they aren't strict enough making the dieter think they've done everything for nothing.



Dude, shut the hell up! I'm going to be 40 in May!

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Cardio is something I can make a start on. At least I can make the effort to get out walking more (weather and children permitting ) until my scar is healed enough to start doing more strenuous exercise.

I've never really snacked between meals. I think my biggest problem is that I have a tendency to skip meals, especially breakfast. And when I do have sweets or chocolate I tend to overdo it. This time of year is killer as well with all the chocolates and biscuits around. Maybe the first step is to work on my self control and say no to the sweet stuff now and again.

Muscle is something that I definitely want to work on later. I did start to see some results with the routine that Kevin was so kind to write out for me last year until I lost interest and then found out I was pregnant. I intend to start up with that again and eventually move onto P90 as it's the sort of thing I can do whilst the baby is having a nap.




I'm not 40 for another 8 years....

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"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

Well with the new year I hit a milestone...


I have now been weight lifting for 20 YEARS!


A little more than half my life!

And I really hadn't found the "key" to what works and what doesn't for me until the last two years.


Over the holidays my son-in-law was mentioning "Crossfit". How he has a friend who does it. Crazy workout. Things normally done in a 1 1/2 hour workout being done in 1/2 an hour. Seemingly impossible exercises.

Impressive? Yes.

But will his friend still be doing those same killer workouts 5 years from now? 10 years? 20 years?

I doubt it.

"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long."

I most certainly do not do the same workouts I did when I was in my early 20s. I simply can't.

It's about the long haul. Think tortoise and hare.

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

20 years! That's very impressive. Well done, Kevin!

Crossfit does look like it could be fun for the occasional workout, just to mix things up, but I couldn't imagine doing it all the time.

I've also just found out that it's not advisable for me to be dieting yet as I'm breastfeeding and need to keep up my calorie intake so I can keep producing milk. On the upside just breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories a day. So right now I'm going to concentrate on eating 'good' food and remove 'wasted' calories, like those from sodas or sweets/chocolate.

I now also feel like I'm healed enough to start swimming again so that'll be the start of my cardio. Small steps....

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"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

Good stuff Vicky! Lucky about the breastfeeding calories.

Wish I could burn an extra 500 calories just sitting and... uh... you know.


Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Cograts Kev! You're a badass and it shows brother.

Since "300" came out I had a goal to get into really good shape. That was three years ago. First Dcon I wore the cape was alright. Thinner than I'd been since High School but not ripped. A year later, my diet still not under control, I overheard a lady taking a picture of us all saying (in reference to my very fit friend standing next to the rest of us) "Is he the only one with a 6 pack then? " It humbled me and I knew what my downfall had been. Food.

Enter thedailyplate.com. That was the game changer. It's a free online calorie counter. I at long last could easily track calories, protein, carbs and the like. I was amazed at how much shit I was really eating. Using that site and mustering up some discipline got me to 170 this year for Dragon. At 6 feet tall I was indeed ripped and had a 6 pack of my own for the first time ever at 35 years old. Granted I always gain some back after Dragon but I maintain between 185 and 195 throughout the year now. A far cry from the 265 I weighed 5 or 6 years ago.

Food aside I do a lot of different workouts including crossfit and gymjones.com type stuff along with traditional "weight lifting". More on that later but I've rambled too much for now already

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http://www.tentaclechris.com

Crossfit is something soldiers, firefighters and police do. A balance of cardio, muscular strength, agility and flexibility. Our troops here in Edmonton are heavy into it.

Mike

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There is nothing more impressive than a bloody big Alien wiggling on the end of a sharp stick!

Ok so its been just over a year that the wife and i started working out together , at present we do three days of treadmill ,and three days of weights , my weight has leveled at about 190 , , first pick is of me now, the other is of me a year ago . as you can see from my non sixpack , diet is still the main issue , anyway here are some pics

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"I am the ULTIMATE BADASS , state of the badass art"
Alpha squad. Burton's Bandits

Man, This thread reminds me i really need to get into shape. I've got the frame, and i used to play alot of rugby/football, but I just don't have any muscle or definition.

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Sgt. Jake Tucker - 13th Regt. 1st Batt. Freebooters.

Time for another update I think...

As you may or may not know it was my 32nd birthday yesterday so I'm using that as an incentive to really make an proper effort to loose weight and tone up. I no longer have the excuse of breastfeeding or waiting for my c-section scar to heal so this morning I dug out my Power90 DVD and got stuck in!

I was surprised at how easy I found it considering I've not exercised in well over a year. I wasn't going whole hog but I didn't slack either. This workout was Sculpt, which is basically press ups, squats and some light weights (I ended up using tins of soup as I couldn't find my dumbbells). I still need to work on my press ups but I figure that as I get stronger they'll get better.

I've also been improving my diet, eating lots of fruit and veg and drinking more water. Though I haven't seen much of a change on the scales, people have commented that I look thinner (without them knowing I'm dieting) and I've noticed that I've had to tighten my belt a few notches.

Now I'm just hoping I can keep myself motivated and not fall off the wagon again.

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"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

Well getting off my butt now. Started walking with the New Girlfriend (I hit 42 this yr she is 36) when we get the chance. She is 400 mile away at school we did 6 miles over the weekend. I also have a treadmill at the apartment complex so I dusted of the old Airborne cadence CDs and ripped them onto my mp3 player.

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SFC
Michael Larson
Minnesota-USA

A03/TQ1.0.92141E1

I've been meaning to post an update for a while now. Finally got around to this today!


My shoulder injury in April of 2009 (tearing my left AC joint) really set me back both physically and mentally. There was a time that I believed I would never be able to work out again, or at least be in the same shape I once was.

I was allowed to return to the gym in August the same year- however it felt as if I was starting all over again. I had become a shadow of my former self:

At Polaris in 2008-


And how I looked last year at Dragon Con after not being able to workout for 4 months:

September 2009



But now after a year of going to the gym, working around my injury, and overcoming any setbacks, I now consider myself back in the shape I once was!

September 2010:



I still have to watch myself to this day and can't do certain exercises because they aggravate my shoulder- however I still go three times a week, train hard in the gym, and feel I've made the same gains/progress as when I was going 4 times a week a couple of years ago... and 6 times a week 20 years ago!


Stay Frosty Marines!


Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Looking sharp Marine.

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Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Well... hello there, Marine! What kind of workout are you doing now? Any changes to diet?

In my own little corner I've been dieting and going to the gym three times a week. Gym has been concentrating on cardio though on my last visit I plucked up the courage to use the weight machines. Weight wise I've lost 17lbs in 13 weeks which is a nice steady loss. I'm currently on a bit of a plateau but I've not been following the diet as well as I could be. I'm aiming for around 130lbs so got a bit left to go before I get there. Shame I don't have any before and after pictures...

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"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

i've recently started losing the weight i put on from laziness,
my main factors are cycling everywhere, i've redused the amount i eat, plenty of fluids and i have stop drinking alcohol
already been getting compliments on the weight loss and i've had to adjust the belt on my uniform for the first time in 6 months

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I'm the one they warned you about

Why hi there Vicky!

Thanks! (And you too Steve )



My diet has literally stayed the same for nearly 4 years now! If anything I've allowed myself a little more junkfood than I have in the past- and it has actually helped a wee bit. One thing I found is that it IS possible to go too far with a strict diet and sacrifice muscle in the process.

There was a time (before my injury) that I had lost too much weight from too strict a diet and had people in the gym asking me if I had become sick or something!

So now I allow myself to indulge a bit more often. My waistline might not be as crisp as it has been in the past- but I guess it is the price I have to pay. Sour ju-jubes are my weak spot.

I'm still around 155lbs. I know that if I go over 160 I need to dial my calorie intake back.

As far as training goes- I used to do the same bodypart roughly two times a week (really it was three times in two weeks). Now I've adjusted this to one body part per week, spread out over three workouts.

So this translates into:

Monday- Chest and arms (longest workout of the week)

Wednesday- Back

Friday- Shoulders

Weekend- off

Why the change? Well I found that doing two bodyparts in the same workout (such as doing back and shoulders the same day) was just too taxing on me- I would be totally exhausted and feel that if I did back first, I would be too tired to do a proper shoulder workout (or back workout if I did shoulders first).

Another reason is something I've suspected for a long while---

I have always had a slow metabolism. Although an increase in muscle mass has improved my ability to burn calories... I figure if my body is slow at burning calories... is it also slow at building muscle?

If it is- then my body needs more time between workouts to properly rebuild itself and grow. This is why I have dialed my training from approx working out a particular body part as much as twice a week, to once a week, and (with the exception of my arms) one bodypart per workout itself.

So far it has been working! The only setback is that if I miss a workout (because of my job or being ill), I've basically missed working a particular bodypart for an entire week. That can add up quickly if the same thing happens the following week.




17lbs in 13 weeks is a good, steady amount of loss (just over a pound a week). I would keep that up! You know where you fall off your diet, so just have to be a little more strict with yourself.




It feels great doesn't it!


Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Well, this thread need a boost. So here I am, lol.

6'2''
252 ibs
21% bodyfat
Waist 39"
Neck 18"
Chest 52"
Arms 19"
Quads 31"
Calf 18"

Here's a bad picture. Meh.



My ultimate goal is to get on stage and compete in regionals in maybe 3 years.

For now, I need to slim down and get to 10% bodyfat. That's my immediate goal.

I'll be doing this through gentle cardio, 45 mins twice a day. Once pre breakfast on an empty stomach (glycogen reserves depleted so just burning fat) and the other after doing weights.

Weights will be 5 days a week.

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Arms
Friday: Legs

Legs on friday so that I've got the weekend to not walk!

Chest: 4 sets of 8 reps.

Flat dbell bench press
Incline dbell bench press
Decline bbell bench press
Dbell flyes

Back: 4 sets of 8 reps

Wide grip lat pulldown
Seated pulley row
Bent over row
Deadlifts
Reverse dbell flyes/rear delt machine
Back hyper extensions

Shoulders: 4 sets of 8 reps

Seated dbell press
Dbell front raises
Dbell side raises
Shrugs
Bbell upright rows

Arms: 4 sets of 8 reps

Standing EZ bar curls
Seated incline dbell curls
Seated hammer curls
EZ bar skullcrushers
Close grip bbell bench
Cable push/pulldowns (rope then straight bar)

Legs: 4 sets of 8 reps

Squats
Leg press
Leg extensions
Ham curls
Seated calf raises

Sat and Sun : REST!

Food: 6 meals a day.

Breakfast

2 poached eggs, 2 slices of wholmeal toast, half a tin of baked beans.

Mid morning

Protein shake, sweet potato.

Lunch

Poached chicken breast, wholemeal pasta and pasta sauce (tomato based)

Afternoon

Protein shake, sweet potato.

Dinner

Steak/chicken/fish sweet potato's and LOTS of veg.

Pre-bedtime

Tub of cottage cheese.


Supplements.

Animal Pak multivit/mineral/bcaa's
Flaxseed oil
L-glutamine
Whey protein powder.

My lean body mass is 199ibs. I want to get to 10% bodyfat so my goal weight is 218ibs.

On the way, I'll monitor bodyfat and weight once a month.

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Damn! Check out those guns! I think Kevin has some competition for Mr LV-246.

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"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

Nah, Kev's the man. He's shredded!

I can do the truffle shuffle!

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Heh! Thanks- but 19 inch arms are HUGE!

To put this into perspective, my arms in my picture are 15 inches!

Most I've ever had them up to was 16 1/2 inches (around 1992)... and back then I weighed over 180lbs!

I'm glad you're aboard here Gareth- good to have another person who's been at it for a long while now to offer advice.


Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

The pleasures mine, Sarge. I'm happy to have found the AL forum! Perhaps we can motivate each other and the rest of the Marines!

I want to be as shredded as you!

I'd be happy with 19" arms at 10% or less bf! I'm guessing mine will end up around 17" by the time I get there.

Eventually 22" arms would be great, shredded.

here's the guy that owns my gym. Friendly guy.

http://menmedia.co.uk/rochdaleobserver/ ... _for_crown

And this video was taken in my gym.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER4raQvfK3s

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That guy is gigantic! And only 5' 4"!

And that was an excellent video! He really does a great job of explaining what it means to train and compete.

Totally agree that food (and rest) are where most people go wrong. You do the hard work in the gym, but your body responds (by recovering and growing/improving) outside the gym. You need to back that up with proper nutrition and rest.


Okay... something like that has gotten me a bit excited again.

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

It's yours for the taking! You can do it, mate!

_________________

Listen up, Marines!

If you want to fight Xeno's you gotta be mean, lean and...... other things that rhyme with lean and mean!

This little baby right here I like to call the 20/20 workout.

You WILL on waking, and before you eat ANYTHING not hesitate to drop and give me 20 press ups, followed by 20 sit ups then 20 squats.

You WILL then immediately start again with pressups, but this time 19 press ups, 19 sit ups and 19 squats.

You will proceed to do this as fast as YOU possibly can, with as little rest as you can physically manage between sets, until you reach zero. Ideally you will be able (eventually) to complete it without any pauses.

To recap 20 pressups, as fast as you can, 20 situps as fast as you can, 20 squats as fast as you can, then straight back to pressups, but 19... you get the idea.

The show aint over.

You will now proceed to go outside and walk briskly for 20 mins. You will be sweating by now.

Now return to base and grab some chow!

This will jump start your metabolism, increase strength and endurance.

Any Marine can complete this drill! You'll get faster and fitter over time.

Every morning. Duration: 30-40 mins.

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are you insane? :p
the way i destroyed my body at dragoncon this year, i can barely walk up the stairs, let alone do all them pushups lol.
Desperatly need to get back into shape now

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M/SGT Rich Hyatt-Dowling (Retd)

UKCM Black ops