Well, today marks the end of the 6MC. I thought it went for another month, but obviously my calendar reading skills are somewhat off the mark! I enjoyed the challenge and did well, losing 25 pounds and weighing in this morning at 240 pounds. I can’t remember the last time the scale read so low for me. I am loving to be less heavy, and doing very well with my lifting (NROL), and running program (C25K). I ran for 25 minutes striahgt yesterday covering 4.5 kms. I never could have done that a few months ago.
I enjoyed the 6mc even though most others dropped out at some point. I could have been more dedicated and focuses as I slacked a bit, but the last two months as seen some good progress and I am back on track.
As of this morning, I weighed in at 245 lbs. This is the lowest I have been in many, many year years. I can’t even remember the last time I was this light. I have been eating clean (except for 2 cheats) and doing my running program and NROL breakin with good success, enjoying both. We are about a week and a half into the challenge, and I am enjoying it and working well thought it. It is nice to see the numbers reduce with the work I am putting in.
I have been suffering from a cold for the past week, so the last few days haven’t been good for working out or running, but I am going out for a quick run tonight after work, and then back to the gym tomorrow for the first Fat Loss NROL workout!
Well, here we are starting another 52DC. I hadn’t formaly participated in the last few with the 6 Month Challenge doing basically the same thing and keeping me accountable. With less interest in the 6MC however I started to waver, and I think a smaller more focused challenge is exactly what I need.
I have been clean eating all along although I am tightening it up a bit and focusing more on Clean Eats for the challenge. I also just started running, doing the Couch to 5k program, which is great. I am in Week 3 now and enjoying it very much. I look forward to running my first 5k nonstop before the end of the 52DC!!!! In addition to the running, I just started the BreakIn phase of NROL, and I plan on Fat Loss 1 when I am finished break in. Hopefully this will all help break my plateau. I was steadily losing for months and got down to 249 from a high of 287, but have been stuck for a while. Here’s hoping my new weight and running programs will kick things along again!
Well, here we are 4 months into the 6mc, and I am continuing to do well, although I have had a relapse a bit. I have been eating poorly for the last week or two, and it shows in the lack of progress. The good news is that I am maintaining my weightloss and not gaining any weight. I am still down a few pounds in the last month, and I need to focus and get back in gear for the last two months of the challenge. Not sure why I fell off the rails, as I was doing really well, I guess I just got lazy and stopped focusing.
Weight: 249 (down 16 pounds)
Height: 6′5″
BF%: ~26% (down 4%)
Neck: 16″ (down 2″)
Chest: 43.5″ (down 3.5″)
Waist: 43″ (down 3.5″)
Hips: 42.5″ (down 2″)
Right Bicep (unflexed): 13″ (down 1″)
Right Bicep (flexed): 15″ (down 1 .5″)
Right Thigh: 24″ (down 1.5″)
Wrist: 7″ (down .5″)
I made it to 250 pounds! Still very heavy and too much weight, but I started last Spring at 287, and have been making slow and steady progress. I have lost the weight with a solid clean eating and lifestyle change. My wife and I eat very well and our diets are very clean (with the occasional cheat!!). The weight has come off and the eating plan is now just part of everyday life. I don’t miss my old habits anymore and it feels great. I have also started to lift and do cardio more regularly, which also usually feels great. My definition has really started to show in arms, legs and chest, and the stomach is getting smaller all the time.
My goal for years was to get to 250, and with multiple starts and stops I have finally made it. My new goal is 220, which I hope to hit by the end of the year. I am fine with the slow progess of a pound or two every week, because it seems so much easier to keep it off when I get rid of it slowly. In the past I lost very quickly and then regained very quickly putting me back at my starting point.
I can’t wait to see some thing in the 240s next week - it will be a first for that in the last 15 years or so!
Well, here we are at the halfway point in the challenge. I had a horrible stretch over Christmas holidays where I did no CT, no RT and ate crap for about 3 weeks. Total failure. For this checkin I was just hoping to be back where I was before Christmas, and I have repaired the holiday damage - now to be more focused for the last half of the challenge:
Weight: 251 (down 14 pounds)
Height: 6′5″
BF%: ~27% (down 3%)
Neck: 16″ (down 2″)
Chest: 44″ (down 3″)
Waist: 43″ (down 3.5″)
Hips: 43″ (down 1.5″)
Right Bicep (unflexed): 13″ (down 1″)
Right Bicep (flexed): 16″ (down .5″)
Right Thigh: 24″ (down 1.5″)
Wrist: 7″ (down .5″)
Some good gains, and I am glad to not have hurt progress much by straying from the program for nearly a month in December! New lifting program -3/week TNT, and more focus on cardio should help, along with solid Clean Eats.
After Christmas I had just finished Home Grown Muscle Phase 1, and decided I wanted to try something new. I bought the New Rules of Lifting, but before I jump into that I am going back to the TNT 12 week worout plan. I did it last summer and had good success. I have put in one week of the workout, doing three workouts and I am enjoying it. It only takes about 30 mins or so, but I am wiped at the end. I feel like I got a great workout, and the exercises are paced well. After 12 weeks of this I will start NROL break in and then the Fat Loss programs.
This week I did well, with 100 perfect clean eating, and not only have I lost the holiday weight I gained in my two weeks off, but I am down a couple of extra pounds as well. Feels good to be back in the swing of things.
Here is the first post to my new 52DC blog. I have been in a number of 52 day challenges in the past, some successful, some not successful. In the Fall, I signed up for the longer 6 month challenge with the longer term goal of following the 52DC principles but for a longer timeframe to achieve my goals. In the past I would do well for 1 challenge and then fall off the rails before the next started and end up discouraged.
I am enjoying the longer term challenge and doing well, with good weight loss, significant muscle definition gains, and better cardiovascular endurance. I have learned how to live a consistently healthy lifestyle eating clean, and also learned how to lift weights properly.
I am not taking part formally in the Winter 2008 52DC, however I continue to plug away with my longer term 6 month challenge along with some other hardy Mens Health Forum members who are sticking with their committment.