Reactions to physical improvement

[Bling]

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[Bling]

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[Jakeg123]

Started at 5'8'' 131lbs now I'm at 5'9" 150lbs or so in the past year. Had a few set backs this year, from wisdom teeth making me lose 10lbs to having a fractured heel (currently). But adding 20 pounds of solid muscle is definitely a plus for my confidence. And althought I might now look huge, everyone claims I look extremely in shape (makes me smile everytime!). Went from "skinny jake" to JAKE. as lame as that sounds. Amazing how it changes! I was more concerned about my confidence and being able to see my gains in weight than women looking at me.

Short story- About 5 months into working out the marine corps came to my school with a pullup bar. I was friends with the sergeants so I always got **** about being skinny. I was about 147lbs at the time, watch the little "thugs" jump up and do 2 pullups and fall. I waiting until lunch when everyone was downstairs for fear of doing very few. The sergeants jaws dropped as I slammed out 27 perfect pullups, beating wrestlers, gymnasts and even the other marines. LOVED working out after that. 20 pullups got a t-shirts, I did another set to get my friend a shirt (he was a marine enlistee and couldn't do it...)

 

[Jariel]

I figure it's time for an update to this post.

As I said in my last post, I'd bounced back after letting myself go and not only have I got back to where I was, I'm now in the best shape of my life. I finally succeeded in getting the sixpack I was seeking and have managed to maintain my muscular physique.

As for the reactions, well I've had the best year ever. I've dated and had sex with solid 9s, and I'm currently dating an exotic fitness model. What's more, these women get really turned on by me and throw themselves at me. I've got fvckbuddies lining up at the moment. I've never had this kind of effect on women before. I'm also learning that many of these women see me as bold and dominant, and even some of the more confident women are submissive when they're with me.

Now, here's another great thing. I'm getting so much respect from people. I have guys looking upto me, asking me for advice on their training, adding me to Facebook and trying to get me to hang out with them (maybe they're gay . I also went for a few job interviews recently and it felt as though they were the ones trying to impress me. I got offered the jobs and am even being considered for a management position.

It's not all the result of my physical appearance obviously, but as I've said before, it comes with added confidence, boldness and an overall presence.

I always knew how much better I feel when I'm in shape and in a regular gym pattern, but when you hit a period of complacency you somehow lose sight of it all.

I'll try and post some progress pics soon. I've just looked back at some of the photos I took during my complacency period in 2009 and I'm shocked and horrified. I didn't know just how badly I'd let myself go.

 

[Jariel]

December 2009:

I'm almost too embarrassed to share these pictures, but it is a valuable lesson and shows the dangers of complacency. It started when I tore a pectoral muscle and took 6 months off the gym. I fell into lazy habits, started eating junk and just let myself go. Being in a long term relationship didn't help as both me and my girlfriend got too comfortable and stopped caring.

Pretty disgusting isn't it? But the scary thing is I couldn't see it for myself until I took these photos. I had deluded myself into thinking I was bulked up, not fat.

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/01.jpg
http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/02.jpg


March 2010:

My girlfriend left me in December and I hit rock bottom. By January I realised I needed to get back into my weight lifting routine and start eating a healthy diet.

Cutting all junk food and simple carbs from my diet was helping me drop fat while hitting the weights was starting to help me tone my muscles.

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/03.jpg


April 2010:

Although I was still carrying excess bodyfat, I noticed my muscle mass being restored very quickly. Whether it had something to do with muscle memory or whether my soft physique was largely down to flaccid muscle I can't say, but it felt good to see some progress.

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/04.jpg


July 2010:

I went through a cutting phase through May and June, lowering my carbs and continuing to avoid all junk food. In terms of exercise, I just continued a comprehensive free weight routine, with plenty of compound exercises.

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/05.jpg

October 2010:

Just more of the same. Low to moderate carb intake, no simple carbs or junk food. Steady free weight routine.

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/06.jpg


June 2011:

A more upto date picture. I did another low carb cutting phase recently to drop some excess body fat.

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/07.jpg


August 2011:

I'm just doing more of the same now...

http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/08.jpg

And that brings me upto date. Apologies for the low quality and the size of the pictures, but I really don't like having semi-naked photos of myself floating around the net. I've also blurred out my tattoos just in case someone somewhere recognises them.

I intend to try another cutting phase in a month's time, but for now I'm just continuing eating healthy and lifting regularly.

 

[nmartinez12443]

thats inspiring stuff jariel, dates confusing, but great progress in two years.

 

[Jariel]

Thanks man. I've just fixed the dates. haha.

 

[user43770]

Extremely motivational, Jariel. Thanks for posting.

 

[EvilAgenda]

From this: http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/01.jpg
To this: http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/misc/bb/07.jpg

Wow... Jariel, freaking wow. Most guys have a short term point of view and want quick results. You my friend went the extra hundred miles. Goes to show what 2 years of dedication and perseverance can do.

 

[Jariel]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the feedback. I must admit I found it much easier getting in shape the 2nd time around as I knew exactly what I needed to do and had a good idea of the time scale too.

Like EvilAgenda said, most guys look for those short term results and lose motivation when they don't see them, but it's definitely worth sticking out. My whole life is so much better now and so is my health and my sex life.

 

[Zunder]

I had my first negative reaction to my new physique recently.

I met up with a group of old friends who I haven't seen for a year. Among them was a girl who was all over me last time she saw me, yet she clearly didn't approve of my new look. She asked if I had been hitting the gym. I was kind of expecting her to admire me for it, yet (turning to the group) she said "all that muscle and macho stuff does nothing for me. I go for pretty boys".

I didn't take it as an insult as such, more a realisation that different women have different tastes. I think there may be other girls who preferred my former slim and metrosexual look too.

Just thought I'd share that in the interest of honesty. However, I feel good about myself and I've had far more positive reactions than negative ones so I have no regrets.

Whata stupid b!tch. Ignore kunts like this.
She probably went home and flicked the bean thinking about you.

 

[cordoncordon]

Wow. Ya know if I didn't see it here, I would say those are two different guys. Very impressive.

Could you give us a rundown on what your daily exercise routine was, and your weekly diet? Would be very interesting to see.

 

[Jariel]

Sure, I'll give a basic summary of my diet and routine....

In terms of diet I took a slow and steady approach to this. I began by dropping all food that was high in refined sugar and simple carbs. So no more chips, cakes, chocolate etc. During my lapse I had also been eating upto 8 slices of wholemeal bread per day. Even though wholemeal bread is much better than white, I realised that was excessive. So I reduced it to a couple of slices per day.

My diet was still too excessive for cutting, but I didn't want to reduce my intake too drastically at first because I needed the energy to work out and build some muscle back. Also, it's much better to ease gradually into a cutting diet than to do it suddenly.

I made sure I kept my protein intake high. I bought some casein powder and used it to make protein pancakes, mixed it with oatmeal and peanut butter to make my own protein bars. These were great snacks and very filling, and also helped me sustain my muscle while cutting. In terms of meals, I'd eat chicken, tuna, steak and minced beef. I'd have this with a bit of gravy and mixed vegetables. Or I would mix up some plain yoghurt with a spoonful of curry paste to make my own curry sauce, which was great with chicken. I also followed my workouts with whey protein of course, as well as creatine.

As I eased towards more of a cutting diet I simply cut out all bread and tried to keep my carbs quite low. I had oatmeal for breakfast and then most of my carbs for the day would come from vegetables.

I tried to avoid cheat meals because I've always found that high sugar/simple carb foods are addictive and every time I have a cheat meal it leaves me craving for more. It's much easier just to cut that stuff out altogether. It's tough to give up for the first weeks, but once it's out of your system it gets much easier.

I didn't do a lot of cardio. I had learned a valuable lesson during a cutting phase some years ago. I'd done a lot of HIIT and strict dieting and ended up losing a whole lot of muscle. I'm not saying you shouldn't do cardio, but you need to find the right balance with your diet.

Once I had regained some muscle mass and size, I realised it was time for some more intense cutting. I was in much better shape now, but I was still quite soft and podgy. I decided to try a low carb diet for 6 weeks - no oatmeal, no vegetables, no fruit, just meat, eggs and protein powders.

Within the first week I dropped a load of water weight. Over the coming weeks I started dropping bodyfat too. I couldn't believe how quickly it was happening, and I was still maintaining my muscle. 3 weeks in and my abs were showing, I could see striations in my shoulders and people I work with were all saying how great I looked.

However, by this time I was really starting to feel the side effects. I felt so drained and tired. My sex drive plumetted, as did my boldness and confidence. I started getting emotional. It was really strange how it messed with my mind.

What's more, the lack of fibre in my diet led to me being constipated, which is very risky and can lead to all sorts of complications. So by this point I realised I needed to let up a bit. I decided to cycle my carbs. I would have one day where I'd eat moderate carbs - oatmeal and plenty of vegetables. And then the next day I would cut them out. I kept this up for another 2 weeks, by which time I was looking lean and in good shape...and I had managed to drop bodyfat without much detriment to my muscle gains.

Once I was happy I started easing back into a maintenance diet. Right now I keep my carbs moderate, with oatmeal in my homemade protein bars, vegetables with my meat and the odd slice or two of wholemeal bread throughout the week. I avoid all high sugar/simple carb foods. Although the odd lapse won't do my physique any harm, I know how addictive these foods can be and how hard it is to stop once you get started. Besides, I honestly don't miss or crave junk food any more.


Now for my workout....

Because I suffered a pectoral injury, and have previously injured my ankle, I cannot lift particularly heavy any more, so I've opted for a high volume routine, approximately 4 sets and between 8-18 reps of each exercise. I stick to free weights, with most focus on compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, (flat and incline) bench presses, push ups, dips and military presses. I also mix in some lateral raises, arnolds and bent over rows for my shoulders, shrugs for my traps, wide grip pull ups for my lats and work my abs with crunches and planks. I'll do some bicep curls and leg presses once per fortnight as these groups get worked during my compound exercises anyway.

I kept things very basic, worked out 4 days per week and never spent more than 1 hour in the gym at a time. I focused on perfect form and contracting the muscles with each rep. During my cutting phase, I lowered my sets down to 3 for most exercises and also found my rep count dropped. This was partly due to lack of energy and loss of strength (those cutting phases really hit hard!) but I didn't want to over-tax my muscles while I was at a calorie deficit.

I think that's about it really. If anyone has any more questions I'm happy to answer. Obviously every person's body is different and what works for me isn't guaranteed to work for someone else. Personally speaking, I find I gain muscle quite easily, but I gain bodyfat very easily too.

Here are a couple of Youtube channels that I highly recommend. The first shows you plenty of recipies for healthy snacks and meals. This can be very helpful when cutting. Without my protein pancakes and home made protein bars, I'd have really struggled.

http://www.youtube.com/user/leanbodylifestyle

I only discovered this next one recently, but 99% of what they say I can verify with my own experience. They give extremely good advice and are really funny guys...

http://www.youtube.com/user/twinmuscleworkout

 

[cordoncordon]

Sure, I'll give a basic summary of my diet and routine....

In terms of diet I took a slow and steady approach to this. I began by dropping all food that was high in refined sugar and simple carbs. So no more chips, cakes, chocolate etc. During my lapse I had also been eating upto 8 slices of wholemeal bread per day. Even though wholemeal bread is much better than white, I realised that was excessive. So I reduced it to a couple of slices per day.

My diet was still too excessive for cutting, but I didn't want to reduce my intake too drastically at first because I needed the energy to work out and build some muscle back. Also, it's much better to ease gradually into a cutting diet than to do it suddenly.

I made sure I kept my protein intake high. I bought some casein powder and used it to make protein pancakes, mixed it with oatmeal and peanut butter to make my own protein bars. These were great snacks and very filling, and also helped me sustain my muscle while cutting. In terms of meals, I'd eat chicken, tuna, steak and minced beef. I'd have this with a bit of gravy and mixed vegetables. Or I would mix up some plain yoghurt with a spoonful of curry paste to make my own curry sauce, which was great with chicken. I also followed my workouts with whey protein of course, as well as creatine.

As I eased towards more of a cutting diet I simply cut out all bread and tried to keep my carbs quite low. I had oatmeal for breakfast and then most of my carbs for the day would come from vegetables.

I tried to avoid cheat meals because I've always found that high sugar/simple carb foods are addictive and every time I have a cheat meal it leaves me craving for more. It's much easier just to cut that stuff out altogether. It's tough to give up for the first weeks, but once it's out of your system it gets much easier.

I didn't do a lot of cardio. I had learned a valuable lesson during a cutting phase some years ago. I'd done a lot of HIIT and strict dieting and ended up losing a whole lot of muscle. I'm not saying you shouldn't do cardio, but you need to find the right balance with your diet.

Once I had regained some muscle mass and size, I realised it was time for some more intense cutting. I was in much better shape now, but I was still quite soft and podgy. I decided to try a low carb diet for 6 weeks - no oatmeal, no vegetables, no fruit, just meat, eggs and protein powders.

Within the first week I dropped a load of water weight. Over the coming weeks I started dropping bodyfat too. I couldn't believe how quickly it was happening, and I was still maintaining my muscle. 3 weeks in and my abs were showing, I could see striations in my shoulders and people I work with were all saying how great I looked.

However, by this time I was really starting to feel the side effects. I felt so drained and tired. My sex drive plumetted, as did my boldness and confidence. I started getting emotional. It was really strange how it messed with my mind.

What's more, the lack of fibre in my diet led to me being constipated, which is very risky and can lead to all sorts of complications. So by this point I realised I needed to let up a bit. I decided to cycle my carbs. I would have one day where I'd eat moderate carbs - oatmeal and plenty of vegetables. And then the next day I would cut them out. I kept this up for another 2 weeks, by which time I was looking lean and in good shape...and I had managed to drop bodyfat without much detriment to my muscle gains.

Once I was happy I started easing back into a maintenance diet. Right now I keep my carbs moderate, with oatmeal in my homemade protein bars, vegetables with my meat and the odd slide or two of wholemeal bread throughout the week. I avoid all high sugar/simple carb foods. Although the odd lapse won't do my physique any harm, I know how addictive these foods can be and how hard it is to stop once you get started. Besides, I honestly don't miss or crave junk food any more.


Now for my workout....

Because I suffered a pectoral injury, and have previously injured my ankle, I cannot lift particularly heavy any more, so I've opted for a high volume routine, approximately 4 sets and between 8-18 reps of each exercise. I stick to free weights, with most focus on compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, (flat and incline) bench presses, push ups, dips and military presses. I also mix in some lateral raises, arnolds and bent over rows for my shoulders, shrugs for my traps, wide grip pull ups for my lats and work my abs with crunches and planks. I'll do some bicep curles and leg presses once per week as these groups get worked during my compound exercises anyway.

I kept things very basic, worked out 4 days per week and never spent more than 1 hour in the gym at a time. I focused on perfect form and contracting the muscles with each rep. During my cutting phase, I lowered my sets down to 3 for most exercises and also found my rep count dropped. This was partly due to lack of energy and loss of strength (those cutting phases really hit hard!) but I didn't want to over-tax my muscles while I was at a calorie deficit.

I think that's about it really. If anyone has any more questions I'm happy to answer. Obviously every person's body is different and what works for me isn't guaranteed to work for someone else. Personally speaking, I find I gain muscle quite easily, but I gain bodyfat very easily too.

Here are a couple of Youtube channels that I highly recommend. The first shows you plenty of recipies for healthy snacks and meals. This can be very helpful when cutting. Without my protein pancakes and home made protein bars, I'd have really struggled.

http://www.youtube.com/user/leanbodylifestyle

I only discovered this next one recently, but 99% of what they say I can verify with my own experience. They give extremely good advice and are really funny guys...

http://www.youtube.com/user/twinmuscleworkout

Very interesting thanks. I just finished my first 13 week cycle of P 90 X and a lot of what you do is what p 90 talks about. In p 90 though we a little more cardio (basically the two days that you take off each week) and one day of yoga. I am now doing a mixture of p 90 and heavy weights (benches, deadlifts, squats, presses for two days a week) for a couple months before I start another P 90 round, and I gotta tell ya, doing the free weight lifting is SO easy compared to p 90. Not even close. Your diet is very similar to what p 90 talks about as well, though yours was a little more extreme.

I lost 25 pounds from 215 to 190 in the 3 months of p 90 I did, and I won't lie, I'm ripped. I highly rec it if you want to change things up for a while.

 

[EvilAgenda]

she said "all that muscle and macho stuff does nothing for me. I go for pretty boys"

There you go, all that hard work and the woman just disregards it by saying she goes for pretty boys. What a test, haha, she is DEFINITELY more into you than she was before, testing to see if it'll affect you and how you'll reply.

And thank you for posting your diet, Jariel. It's educational to me.

 

[In2theGame]

Nice work from many of you. My situation was pretty much the same as some of you, especially Jariel. My girlfriend left me (she called me a fat azz before she left) anyway, I was always an athletic body type but as i got into the relationship, slowly but surely i let myself go from i'd say 165lbs to 270lbs as i got so comfortable. I ate Pizza, McDonalds, Dominoes, cookies, soda etc. whatever will cause you to be obese i was eating or drinking it. As a result my energy and health levels were getting very bad. i didnt feel like going anywhere as i was always tired and lazy plus my heart started skipping beats and my kidney was hurting from so much soda i was drinking (2 liters by myself). My skin was so dry and i really looked unhealthy, even my hair started to fall out. I was a total mess and then my GF left for another guy. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise? i dunno but soon after one of my friends in the military was inviting me to work out at the local base. I bought some fat loss pills to assist with the process and began drinking a load of water and nothing else. no more junk food. In about 7 months i was down from a max high of 270lbs to 180lbs. i went from a size 40" waist to 29" and today i have my abs back but a much more muscular lean look. I get girls turning their heads and checking me out ALOT now. Another good thing is my close friends are inspired by my dramatic change and they all ask me how they can do the same. i try and help them out to better themselves not just for looks but for health reasons. When i look at old pictures, i was indeed a fat ass with a big gut wondering "how the F*ck did i let myself get like that". now that im very healthy and ripped, my health conditions improved dramatically as well. Im energized, my hair is growing back, my skin doesnt look like im 30 years older than what i actually am and my heart issues are gone. Sometimes i wonder... maybe God saved me from having a heart attack because i probably was damn close to it. Unfortunately, If it wasnt for my GF leaving i would of probably stood the same or reached 300lbs.

 

[Fuglydude]

I'm gonna bump this because I love reading the stories people post on here! Jariel, fantastic progress my man, keep it up!

 

[BPW]

I know this thread's old, but just wanna say...MASSIVE motivation here.


I've been stuck in a rut in my life for the past few months - been working out for the past 9 months on and off (bulked up by about 20 lbs but covered in fat) - now doing Insanity by Shaun T to get cut then I'm gonna start P90x.

Not just that, but I run my own copywriting business (freelance) and instead of working hard on the most important aspects (i.e my business and my body + ignoring my girlfriend) I've been playing f**king computer games.

I've not been hered since about 2009-2010 on another account, but this thread's made me come back, for sure.

Even though I have a girlfriend now, it's this kinda stuff that challenges me - I see people taking control of their life and it challenges me to do the same and stop being a loser!


Basically guys, thanks!

 

[49au]

Read this thread with great interest.

Jariel, you still around? The image links aren't working. I think a lot of guys could benefit from you reposting the pictures.

 

[Doc Kas]

Bump! Any takers?