4 1/2 months = fat to firm

Well I'm feeling pretty good after maxxing out today and Silverfox has been hounding me to throw up some current flexing pics. So here goes:



Reminder of where I was at 4 1/2 months ago (shortly after starting on my journey).



















The most exciting thing to me is that I know this is just the beginning. Not much longer and I'll be putting as much hard work into bulking as I've been putting into cutting this year. Obvious areas that need to catch up are legs and lats and I'm looking forward to my arms swelling up some when I start bulking. :p

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.

good GOD.   aren't you glad you took progress pictures like i told you too??  you look great dude.  fattie matt is gone.  beast matt is here to stay.

i took some damn good pictures if i don't say so myself.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

oh my god that 1 back picture is amazing man

great work

good work, great transformation.

Wow... that's a pretty incredible transformation!.. you should post a basic outline of your diet and training routine.. as it seems you've done what many of the other members on this board are trying to achieve..

I think this certainly proves that someone can lose a bit more weight than 1lbs weekly and still manage to hang on to muscle and in your case.. possibly even add some extra muscles..

Just curious.. in your signature you have still cutting.. you appear to be right around 10-11% or so.. what is your goal weight before you begin a bulk.. ?

Great job, you look like a different person.
 
FYI... Often.. someone will post the question.. what keeps you motivated to lift? 
 
For me.. it's seeing a young person like yourself make such an incredible transformation, not sure if you realize it or not.. but what you're doing right now is going to have a postive impact on the rest of your life.. That in it's self is pretty motivating..

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing

 

NICE!

nice work man.. 180 degree transformation. keep it up, and let us know when you start bulking.
 
 
like smound said, you weren't really incredibly fat before or anything, but this will impact the rest of your life in a positive manner.

Official Sand Bagger of the Emancipation Detoxification. Protecting n00bs from floods since 2/12/08.

I love you.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

damn dude that is impressive for 4 1/2 months.  I too would like to see diet and cardio routine.
 
do you now walk around showing off your abs to fox and ask him where his are?

Jesus Christ dude, you've done three times as much in four and a half months as I've done in a year and a half.

My Journal: Jheft's Heftorium

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." -- Mark Twain

ORIGINAL: dmobley01

damn dude that is impressive for 4 1/2 months.  I too would like to see diet and cardio routine.

do you now walk around showing off your abs to fox and ask him where his are?

bahahha. yea.. he LOVES taking his shirt off at the pool like mr. baywatch while mr. fattie (me) floats around like a whale.

he looks good.  and it's only gonna get better.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

Crazy progress! :D

Keep it up, btw

Thanks for the overwhelming response guys. It's great to be a part of such a positive online community. To smoundzou and dmobley01 I'll try to get a decent outline of my diet and training routine up when I have a little more time tonight or tomorrow. Hopefully will be an encouragement for other endo's who are wanting to cut w/o doing a crash diet and losing a lot of LBM in the process.
 
Smoundzou I don't really have a target weight anymore, but I'd like to hit 8 or 9% BF this summer and then start bulking. More or less I just don't want my abs to disappear before summer is over. :) Seeing as I just got them. I do intend to start bulking before summer is over though and see where that phase of my transformation takes me. I was a pretty confident guy even when I was out of shape, but I feel like my general outlook on life and my mood is so much better than its probably been since high school. I really have to thank Silverfox for being such a great partner and the people on this site for being such a great resource. I've tried this sort of thing before and fallen short due to lack of knowledge and motivation. I just really feel like everything finally fell into place and I've made a true lifestyle change.
 
Rollingstone I love you too man, even if you are a ripped up ecto who makes the rest of us look fat in comparison. :p And yes dmobley01 the least I can do is flex my abs at Jason (Silverfox) as he stuffs his face in front of me and laughs at how quickly he will cut when its time. Tough love I tell ya!

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.

This is one of the best transformations I have seen on here for that amount of time.

GOOD GOD BRO WAY TO GO!
 
you should put up your diet and workout plans and exercises.
 
that's simply unbelievable bro. way to go

your my idol. keep it up, time for clean bulk imo

first day with no buds, 11/17, need a new job. 1 down 13 to go.

omg your an endo.........
so motivating :'(

:D

show me ur diet and **** im an endo having a tough time cutting man
i was bulking at 3000 calories
than started cutting, figured id lose weight going at maintenance calories(2400) and will preserve muscle
that happened
so i got pretty cut first couple weeks of cutting
now im down to 2000 calories and barely seeing progress of fat loss

You look leaps and bounds better for such a short amount of time.

Work on those legs!

Add me on facebook!

Wow... Great Transformation. The funny thing is, I now look like how you started off (I'm 15 though) although I had less flab on my obliques and I don't have major gyno. I'd totally like to do something similar to what you did and have an amazing transformation like yours (if possible like in the same time span, I have like 2-3 months till the beginning of school so I may not get a 6 pack like you did but a 4 will suffice. I've been overweight all my life and only now have I started to get into shape, I weighed 180 pounds at the beginning of the year AND I WAS 5"5, now I weigh 145 and am 5"6. So, yeah, help is appreciated and again I'll say, NICE!

4.5 months???!!!

Dear Lord, that is awesome!!!!!!!

ORIGINAL: Sai

Wow... Great Transformation. The funny thing is, I now look like how you started off (I'm 15 though) although I had less flab on my obliques and I don't have major gyno. I'd totally like to do something similar to what you did and have an amazing transformation like yours (if possible like in the same time span, I have like 2-3 months till the beginning of school so I may not get a 6 pack like you did but a 4 will suffice. I've been overweight all my life and only now have I started to get into shape, I weighed 180 pounds at the beginning of the year AND I WAS 5"5, now I weigh 145 and am 5"6. So, yeah, help is appreciated and again I'll say, NICE!

well i hate to bust your bubble, but thats not gyno, its pectorials and is the reason he looks so good after the cut (not just the pecs but the fact that he had a decent amount of muscle before he began his cut). You need some muscle underneath.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

That first picture was taken Jan. 23rd. So yeah, 4 1/2 months from that. I'd actually lost a few lbs. at that point, not much though. Well here's the basic diet I've been on (its evolved a little since I started):

Breakfast: Glass of water and multivitamin right when I wake up, then eat a serving of oatmeal and some egg whites (don't always have time for the eggs sad to say)
Lunch: About 3 or so hours after breakfast I'll have a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread
Mid-afternoon snack: About another 3 or so hours later I'll have a protein bar or lately I've been doing a casein protein shake (tastes way better and a little cheaper than the bars)
Then a few hours later I workout. I usually pop some BCAA caps before and after workout (especially cardio). Currently I'm on Nano Vapor (pre-workout supplement). It's not necessary but it really helps to get me going in the gym on lifting days.
Post-workout snack: 100% ON Whey shake time! 2 scoops w/water. I was on Muscletech's Nitrotech when I started cutting and that was good stuff, but the ON Whey tastes better and its cheaper and I've heard its good too. I like it.
Dinner: About 1 1/2 to 2 hours after my whey shake I'll have a baked chicken breast and some steamed broccoli or maybe spinich. Pop a few more BCAA's before bed and that's it.

That's pretty much it, it varries a little from time to time and occasionally I'll have a cheat meal, although the longer I stuck with it the easier it became to go w/o cheat meals.
Ok now as for the workout, I've been doing HST workouts ever since I started cutting. It's funny b/c HST is pretty much geared towards people who are bulking and wanting to pack on mass but it did the trick for me while cutting as well. Honestly I just tried it b/c my workout partner really wanted to do it (he's been bulking) and I didn't want to have to try to come up with my own routine and then still spot each other and hassle with that. I'm sure you can do a search for HST on the forum or on google and come up with a lot of good info. But here's basically what we do:
We do a 6 week session. 2 weeks at 15 reps, 2 weeks at 10 reps, 2 weeks at 6 reps and then max out and then rest for like 5 days and start again. A basic outline of our HST workout is as follows:

2 sets of squats
2 sets of deadlifts
3 sets of benchpress (flat or incline BB)
2 sets of lat. pulldowns or pullups
1 or 2 sets of bent-over BB rows or cable rows
2 sets of seated shoulder press w/BB or standing shoulders press with DB's or maybe some "Arnolds"
2 sets of Shrugs on smith machine or with DB's
2 sets of weighted Dips or skull crushers or tricep cable pulldowns
2 or 3 sets of various bicep curls (standing EZ bar curls, DB hammer or normal curls, reverse EZ bar curls, preacher curls, etc.)

HST is more of a workout principal than an exact workout. Basically you are working the full body 3 or 4 times a week focusing mainly on compound lifts and then throwing in some isolation work as desired. We lift 3 times a week with our HST routine. The other 4 days I do cardio (either run at a decent pace for 30 to 40 min. or do some sort of HIIT cardio for 20+ min., basically until I feel like my lungs are going to explode). If I feel like I have energy to spare I'll hop on the treadmill after my weight lifting is done for like 20 min. On my cardio days though I prefer to run outside and get some sun and fresh air.

That's basically it. Nothing fancy, just some hard work and dedication. It really is more mental than anything. The small frequent meals help keep you from thinking you aren't getting enough food though and I admit I have been drinking my share of low-carb energy drinks to keep my going (hoping to get off those when I'm done cutting and on a normal diet). I'm probably taking in 1600 or so calories on average. I'll be interested to see what my true maintenace is when I'm done cutting. It's definately not going to take much to bulk (the one good thing about being an endo). Thanks again for all the kind words and I hope this post will serve as motivation or possibly a reference for others (especially endos) who are looking to cut.

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.

ORIGINAL: RollingStone

ORIGINAL: Sai

Wow... Great Transformation. The funny thing is, I now look like how you started off (I'm 15 though) although I had less flab on my obliques and I don't have major gyno. I'd totally like to do something similar to what you did and have an amazing transformation like yours (if possible like in the same time span, I have like 2-3 months till the beginning of school so I may not get a 6 pack like you did but a 4 will suffice. I've been overweight all my life and only now have I started to get into shape, I weighed 180 pounds at the beginning of the year AND I WAS 5"5, now I weigh 145 and am 5"6. So, yeah, help is appreciated and again I'll say, NICE!

well i hate to bust your bubble, but thats not gyno, its pectorials and is the reason he looks so good after the cut (not just the pecs but the fact that he had a decent amount of muscle before he began his cut). You need some muscle underneath.

Exactly, he was obviously lifting before he began his cut. You can't start out fat and magically be ripped when you lose some pounds. It takes time.

Nice work MDClifter. Silver, maybe if you ate like your partner you would still have your abs! :P

Ice cream eating in your pics, I HATE YOU! lol

5'7" - 20 - 195lbs

ORIGINAL: RollingStone

ORIGINAL: Sai

Wow... Great Transformation. The funny thing is, I now look like how you started off (I'm 15 though) although I had less flab on my obliques and I don't have major gyno. I'd totally like to do something similar to what you did and have an amazing transformation like yours (if possible like in the same time span, I have like 2-3 months till the beginning of school so I may not get a 6 pack like you did but a 4 will suffice. I've been overweight all my life and only now have I started to get into shape, I weighed 180 pounds at the beginning of the year AND I WAS 5"5, now I weigh 145 and am 5"6. So, yeah, help is appreciated and again I'll say, NICE!

well i hate to bust your bubble, but thats not gyno, its pectorials and is the reason he looks so good after the cut (not just the pecs but the fact that he had a decent amount of muscle before he began his cut). You need some muscle underneath.

Lol.. ya I was wondering what the major gyno comment was all about. That's just how pecs look when you have a bunch of fat over the top of them. :p But grats to Sai, that's a ton of weight loss as well man. Especially for someone your height. I'm sure you feel worlds better already (I know I do). Just keep at it. 145 really isn't that much weight, even for 5"6. I posted my diet/workout routine, so hopefully you can get some ideas from that. Obviously you've already been doing well to have lost that much weight. Keep it up man.

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.

did you do cardio?

ORIGINAL: boomersooner1331

did you do cardio?

boomer, it's in post #22, second paragraph from the bottom.

i copied and pasted it for you here though.

"HST is more of a workout principal than an exact workout. Basically you are working the full body 3 or 4 times a week focusing mainly on compound lifts and then throwing in some isolation work as desired. We lift 3 times a week with our HST routine. The other 4 days I do cardio (either run at a decent pace for 30 to 40 min. or do some sort of HIIT cardio for 20+ min., basically until I feel like my lungs are going to explode). If I feel like I have energy to spare I'll hop on the treadmill after my weight lifting is done for like 20 min. On my cardio days though I prefer to run outside and get some sun and fresh air. "

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

ORIGINAL: MDClifter

That first picture was taken Jan. 23rd. So yeah, 4 1/2 months from that. I'd actually lost a few lbs. at that point, not much though. Well here's the basic diet I've been on (its evolved a little since I started):

Breakfast: Glass of water and multivitamin right when I wake up, then eat a serving of oatmeal and some egg whites (don't always have time for the eggs sad to say)
Lunch: About 3 or so hours after breakfast I'll have a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread
Mid-afternoon snack: About another 3 or so hours later I'll have a protein bar or lately I've been doing a casein protein shake (tastes way better and a little cheaper than the bars)
Then a few hours later I workout. I usually pop some BCAA caps before and after workout (especially cardio). Currently I'm on Nano Vapor (pre-workout supplement). It's not necessary but it really helps to get me going in the gym on lifting days.
Post-workout snack: 100% ON Whey shake time! 2 scoops w/water. I was on Muscletech's Nitrotech when I started cutting and that was good stuff, but the ON Whey tastes better and its cheaper and I've heard its good too. I like it.
Dinner: About 1 1/2 to 2 hours after my whey shake I'll have a baked chicken breast and some steamed broccoli or maybe spinich. Pop a few more BCAA's before bed and that's it.

That's pretty much it, it varries a little from time to time and occasionally I'll have a cheat meal, although the longer I stuck with it the easier it became to go w/o cheat meals.
Ok now as for the workout, I've been doing HST workouts ever since I started cutting. It's funny b/c HST is pretty much geared towards people who are bulking and wanting to pack on mass but it did the trick for me while cutting as well. Honestly I just tried it b/c my workout partner really wanted to do it (he's been bulking) and I didn't want to have to try to come up with my own routine and then still spot each other and hassle with that. I'm sure you can do a search for HST on the forum or on google and come up with a lot of good info. But here's basically what we do:
We do a 6 week session. 2 weeks at 15 reps, 2 weeks at 10 reps, 2 weeks at 6 reps and then max out and then rest for like 5 days and start again. A basic outline of our HST workout is as follows:

2 sets of squats
2 sets of deadlifts
3 sets of benchpress (flat or incline BB)
2 sets of lat. pulldowns or pullups
1 or 2 sets of bent-over BB rows or cable rows
2 sets of seated shoulder press w/BB or standing shoulders press with DB's or maybe some "Arnolds"
2 sets of Shrugs on smith machine or with DB's
2 sets of weighted Dips or skull crushers or tricep cable pulldowns
2 or 3 sets of various bicep curls (standing EZ bar curls, DB hammer or normal curls, reverse EZ bar curls, preacher curls, etc.)

HST is more of a workout principal than an exact workout. Basically you are working the full body 3 or 4 times a week focusing mainly on compound lifts and then throwing in some isolation work as desired. We lift 3 times a week with our HST routine. The other 4 days I do cardio (either run at a decent pace for 30 to 40 min. or do some sort of HIIT cardio for 20+ min., basically until I feel like my lungs are going to explode). If I feel like I have energy to spare I'll hop on the treadmill after my weight lifting is done for like 20 min. On my cardio days though I prefer to run outside and get some sun and fresh air.

That's basically it. Nothing fancy, just some hard work and dedication. It really is more mental than anything. The small frequent meals help keep you from thinking you aren't getting enough food though and I admit I have been drinking my share of low-carb energy drinks to keep my going (hoping to get off those when I'm done cutting and on a normal diet). I'm probably taking in 1600 or so calories on average. I'll be interested to see what my true maintenace is when I'm done cutting. It's definately not going to take much to bulk (the one good thing about being an endo). Thanks again for all the kind words and I hope this post will serve as motivation or possibly a reference for others (especially endos) who are looking to cut.

 
No fats in your diet bro?? JW i mean obivously it worked i just didn't know if you had fat in the diet but didn't include it. btw bada$$ progress, lots of props to ya

It is not the years in your life, but the life in your years.

GREAT WORK!!!!

You all got me wrong, haha. I meant *I* don't have major gyno, I have a tad, I think. Never did I focus my comment on MCD, but I guess since I was talking about his obliques and then suddenly went on about gyno it seemed like I was talking about him. Haha, but thanks for the routine and stuff, honestly, I don't know how to "cut" lol, the only reason I lost so much weight was because I stopped eating basically, I skipped breakfast, lunch and only had dinner and maybe grab something small to eat after school and I'd play basketball like almost everyday. I incoporated no lifting whatsoever into my habit, but I've recently gotten into lifting (like a month on and off though) and I've seen major improvements in muscle, but I've remained the same weight (which is good, I guess! I actually lost around 3 pounds too though) but I want to gain a bit more muscle and lose some weight. Right now, I know I'm not overweight and I'm at around 25 BMI but I don't want to look fat, It's so hard picking out the right clothes too, or maybe I'm just too self concious, shouldn't I be happy that I'm actually not overweight for the first time in 5 years?? Bleh.

Well, thanks! I'll try and get a routine going and a decent diet as well. Ok, I know what I did was wrong before (not eating at all almost) but it helped me lose the weight. Could anyone inform me about the *exact* negativities of doing that? It doesn't seem like it did me any bad. My stamina improved tons and I lost weight.

E: Went and had a look at your beginning picture once again, and my body looks almost exactly like you! You probably had a bit more muscle than me but like, I look exactly the same almost except I'm younger and my obliques are a tad bit different, but the resemblence is remarkable. I guess if I follow whatever you did I may be able to have a good turn out as well (possible in 3-4 months too :D!) since I have been lifting on and off for a month and I do have muscle now.

E2: And my bad about the gyno comment, which wasn't like thrown towards you, but if those are pecs with only a bit of fat on them, then I have pecs, wow. Heh. Also, please be aware that I'm probably younger than most of the majority at DBB forums, so excuse whatever bad terminology or lack of information I may have, I'm doing my best!

ORIGINAL: IwillMakeIt

ORIGINAL: MDClifter

That first picture was taken Jan. 23rd. So yeah, 4 1/2 months from that. I'd actually lost a few lbs. at that point, not much though. Well here's the basic diet I've been on (its evolved a little since I started):

Breakfast: Glass of water and multivitamin right when I wake up, then eat a serving of oatmeal and some egg whites (don't always have time for the eggs sad to say)
Lunch: About 3 or so hours after breakfast I'll have a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread
Mid-afternoon snack: About another 3 or so hours later I'll have a protein bar or lately I've been doing a casein protein shake (tastes way better and a little cheaper than the bars)
Then a few hours later I workout. I usually pop some BCAA caps before and after workout (especially cardio). Currently I'm on Nano Vapor (pre-workout supplement). It's not necessary but it really helps to get me going in the gym on lifting days.
Post-workout snack: 100% ON Whey shake time! 2 scoops w/water. I was on Muscletech's Nitrotech when I started cutting and that was good stuff, but the ON Whey tastes better and its cheaper and I've heard its good too. I like it.
Dinner: About 1 1/2 to 2 hours after my whey shake I'll have a baked chicken breast and some steamed broccoli or maybe spinich. Pop a few more BCAA's before bed and that's it.

That's pretty much it, it varries a little from time to time and occasionally I'll have a cheat meal, although the longer I stuck with it the easier it became to go w/o cheat meals.
Ok now as for the workout, I've been doing HST workouts ever since I started cutting. It's funny b/c HST is pretty much geared towards people who are bulking and wanting to pack on mass but it did the trick for me while cutting as well. Honestly I just tried it b/c my workout partner really wanted to do it (he's been bulking) and I didn't want to have to try to come up with my own routine and then still spot each other and hassle with that. I'm sure you can do a search for HST on the forum or on google and come up with a lot of good info. But here's basically what we do:
We do a 6 week session. 2 weeks at 15 reps, 2 weeks at 10 reps, 2 weeks at 6 reps and then max out and then rest for like 5 days and start again. A basic outline of our HST workout is as follows:

2 sets of squats
2 sets of deadlifts
3 sets of benchpress (flat or incline BB)
2 sets of lat. pulldowns or pullups
1 or 2 sets of bent-over BB rows or cable rows
2 sets of seated shoulder press w/BB or standing shoulders press with DB's or maybe some "Arnolds"
2 sets of Shrugs on smith machine or with DB's
2 sets of weighted Dips or skull crushers or tricep cable pulldowns
2 or 3 sets of various bicep curls (standing EZ bar curls, DB hammer or normal curls, reverse EZ bar curls, preacher curls, etc.)

HST is more of a workout principal than an exact workout. Basically you are working the full body 3 or 4 times a week focusing mainly on compound lifts and then throwing in some isolation work as desired. We lift 3 times a week with our HST routine. The other 4 days I do cardio (either run at a decent pace for 30 to 40 min. or do some sort of HIIT cardio for 20+ min., basically until I feel like my lungs are going to explode). If I feel like I have energy to spare I'll hop on the treadmill after my weight lifting is done for like 20 min. On my cardio days though I prefer to run outside and get some sun and fresh air.

That's basically it. Nothing fancy, just some hard work and dedication. It really is more mental than anything. The small frequent meals help keep you from thinking you aren't getting enough food though and I admit I have been drinking my share of low-carb energy drinks to keep my going (hoping to get off those when I'm done cutting and on a normal diet). I'm probably taking in 1600 or so calories on average. I'll be interested to see what my true maintenace is when I'm done cutting. It's definately not going to take much to bulk (the one good thing about being an endo). Thanks again for all the kind words and I hope this post will serve as motivation or possibly a reference for others (especially endos) who are looking to cut.

No fats in your diet bro?? JW i mean obivously it worked i just didn't know if you had fat in the diet but didn't include it. btw bada$$ progress, lots of props to ya

Well obviously I get a little bit of fat from the stuff listed, but I forgot to mention that I snack on some almonds as well or maybe a little peanut butter to get some good fats in me. With as low as my calorie intake is I'm mainly concerned with getting enough protein to feed my muscles.

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.