I started working out April 2016, below is my progress comparison and I will share with you what worked for me.
April 2016
Weight: 210 pounds
Bench press: 135 pounds, 10 reps x 3 sets
Pull-ups: 10 reps x 3 sets at 75 pound assist
Tread Mill: 1 mile at 4:5 speed, the max
Dead Lifts: 135, 10 reps x 3 sets
December 2016
Weight: Varies between 188-190 pounds
Bench press: 185 pounds 5 reps x 3 sets, then 135 pounds 10 reps x 2 sets
Pull-ups: 10 reps x 3 sets, 6 reps without assist, then 10 reps x 3 sets at 15 pound assist
Tread Mill: 2 miles at 7 speed on average
Dead Lifts: 205 pounds at 10 reps, then 185 at 10 reps, 135 at 10 reps
These are just some stats of major exercises
I pretty much look the same as I did back in April, the difference though, is my shoulders, chest, back, biceps, and triceps look way better, and I look better in my clothes, and I also look thinner in the face and slightly thinner all around and have a smaller waist line. I just look like someone whose been working out completely organically because I don't use supplements: I believe the gains are temporary with supplements, and lead to weight gain if you stop using and cause problems like excess farting, bloating, etc. and it is also expensive.
I also eat clean for the most part but also eat junk food occasionally just as a cheat meal. I would avoid soda as much as possible. Below are my 10 steps to losing 30 pounds in a year. I started in April 2016, lost 20 pounds and have 10 more pounds to lose by April 2017.
Also, with these 10 steps/tips, you don't need to go out and purchase expensive books or the latest exercise diet fad - this is 3 years of research condensed into a simple 10 step program on GaG MyTake - of course, with everything, please consult your physician first
1. Cut out crap food as much as possible and eat clean as much as possible but allow one cheat day every week to indulge a little bit with junk food
Crap foods to cut out
- Soda: by far the worst culprit of all
- Instead, drink seltzer water or Club soda with a squeeze of lime
- Candy and other sugary shit like alcohol: because your body burns sugar first, or stores it as fat if your body reserves are full of energy from "sugar" over time, wear and tear on how your body regulates sugar can lead to increased insulin tolerence which can lead to diabetes. Your body also converts alcohol into sugar which is why alcohol leads to weight gain, actually, alcohol leads to more eating which also leads to more weight gain
- Instead, eat cough drops and fruits like organic blueberries and strawberries with ground cinnamon or pure honey
- Chips, Instant Oatmeal, Muffins, Microwavable dinners like Lean Cuisine, Popcorn in a bag, Most Cereals, Most Granola Bars, Chocolate that isn't dark chocolate, pastries, white bread and other products made with enriched wheat, hydrogenated soybean oil, and high fructose corn syrup
- Instead, eat nuts like almonds, peanuts, real oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, 100 percent whole wheat bread, quinoa, and organic healthy granola bars and cereals after reading the back of the boxes
If you want to be as fat as this bear, keep drinking soda
2. Get plenty of sleep
Sleeping will help you lose weight effortlessly. If you sleep at least 8 hours every day, you'll wake up feeling "empty" of food, with a slim waist line and the reduced stress while help to balance your hormones and regulate metabolism better
- What not to do: stay up late watching TV, working on projects, work, etc.
- Instead: buy a new mattress and pillows if you need them, an hour before, listen to relaxation music and drink chamomile tea, do some light Yoga for sleep, lay in bed till your body gets the hint and you fall asleep and then make that your routine every day
3. Drink plenty of water with a special brew every morning
When you wake up, before breakfast, down 2 glasses of room temperature water and then in boiling water squeeze lemon, and real apple cider vinegar (the stuff where everything settles on the bottom and you think it's gone bad when it hasn't) with organic real honey and watch your stomach make rumbling sounds before you have to shit out shit. I recommend waking up a little early to do this so you don't have to take a crap while driving to work or going to school
4. Work out at least 3 non-consecutive days a week with emphasis on strength training with compound exercises and high intensity interval training as opposed to cardio
You'll burn more fat if you do 3 sets of burpees at 20 reps per set than if you did a 5 mile cardio session on the tread mill. Compound exercises are exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups in a single exercise, therefore, your body is required to lift more, leading to slabs of muscle all over that requires fat burning for muscle sustenance. Examples of compound exercises are dead lifts and squats, burpees and pull-ups. Dead lifts work out your calves, quads, lower back, upper back, biceps, shoulders, core, gluts, and forearms in a single repetition, which makes it the ideal exercise for fat loss and serious muscle gain - make sure in the beginning you focus on developing form over lifting a lot as this is the one exercises a lot of people perform poorly and poor form will lead to injury.
5. Don't ate after 6 pm
Don't eat late in the evening. Eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner every day but avoid eating late in the evening as your body won't be able to metabolize it throughout the day. This will add to your waist line very fast. By avoiding eating in the evening, you give your body time to digest food and get ready for sleep. But you work out in the evening and need food post workout you say? A banana or milkshake after a work out is fine, but not a 5 course meal.
6. Maintain a good balance of protein, carbs, and fats per meal
When grocery shopping, make sure you purchase foods with high counts of protein, complex carbs and good fats. Examples are avocados, nuts, organic eggs, lean chicken, vegetables, and lots of fruits. I usually follow something like:
Morning: One cup green tea with honey, one bowl of high quality oatmeal, one cup of almond milk
Brunch: One organic egg made made in real butter and ground pepper and sea salt, with real cheese, on whole wheat bread, with mayo, lettuce, green pepper and onions, oregano and parsley
Lunch: A salad made with romaine lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, green pepper, red onions, black olives, green olives, banana peppers, jalapenos, pickles, cucumbers, green peas, corn, carrots, cilantro, celery, oregano, parsley, crushed red pepper, lean chicken, real olive oil, red wine vinegar, Chipotle sauce, walnuts, shredded cheese, and chopped cherries and strawberries
Dinner: Sweet potato, and then a shake made with a banana, apple, Greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, milk, vanilla ice cream, and a pear.
7. Focus on flexibility before working out
Warming up and doing some light Yoga or stretching prior to lifting weights will prevent injury, and reduce DOMS, and lead to better muscle recovery
8. Consider hiring a personal trainer for the first month to screen your body and develop an exercise and eating regime, and find other ways of staying active
I would hire a personal trainer to show you exercises with correct form, analyze your body and what will work for you, and give you a routine to follow that's ideal for you. I would also consider staying active in other ways, like a walk after work through the forest preserve, or taking up Yoga, Karate, or Spin class, or tennis as a way of keeping your heart rate and metabolism up.
9. Incorporate exercise and deep breathing in everything you do - also, avoid muscle stagnation by switching your exercises every week
At the grocery store, park all the way in the back so you can get more of a walk, at work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, during your work lunch, do some quick jumping jacks and squats - at least 10 minutes everyday, reduce stress and detoxifying by simply deep breathing, visualizing good results, and meditating. To prevent "muscle memory" from stopping your gains, switch your routines up to challenge your muscles. New exercises cause different types of muscle tears which leads to muscle fiber creation so your body can adapt to the strain. For instance, if you always do lateral pull downs for bicep growth, then one week, do bicep curls with free weights on press incline bench and watch your biceps get sore again after being unable to get sore from doing the same bicep exercises every week
10. Develop a positive attitude and make reasonable goals and expectations
Think yourself thin. By being of the right mindset, you'll lose weight mindlessly. By setting realistic goals and expectations, you'll avoid becoming disillusioned, and stay motivated to lose weight. You can lose 30 pounds in a year, but not 5 pounds in a week, so don't set that expectation because if you fail, you'll be considering giving up, take everything one step at a time!
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