Hard work paying off!

[Kitzy]

Guys, I'm sure you have seen me mention the gym and working out in the shout box before.  I recently shouted again.  For the last few days I've barely been able to walk or even sit down on the crapper.  I've been pushing myself extremely hard and I'm starting to see results.

A little background.  A few years back I got fed up with being a fat piece of crap.  I was hovering around 300lbs and had enough.  I'm 6'3" by the way.  I signed up to a gym with a buddy which got me started but he soon bailed on me and I kept at it.  I got down to 240lbs with a year.  I felt great.  Then multiple injuries crept up that I couldn't fight through anymore, including a severe wrist, severe elbow and bad neck injuries.  I could barely turn my head for months.  Picking up a water bottle was very painful and time consuming.  That coupled with life getting in the way for a while, I ended up taking a year off minus a few small bouts here and there.  Nothing serious though.  I gained back over 20lbs in the mean time.  This April I started hitting it hard again.  The last few months even harder than ever.  I've taken it very serious.  I'm currently in a bulking phase trying to gain mass rather than drop body fat.  For the new year, during the winter when I'm laid off I will concentrate on my diet and preparing the proper meals so I can cut.  That said, here is a picture I took today before leaving the gym.  I'm very proud of my progress and it has motivated me to continue and push even harder.



I'm going to try to finder a picture from around last winter sometime.  Some kind of before picture.  And for a better long term comparison, I'll post up a picture of two pictures, four years apart.  They're my license pictures.  I occasionally look at them for motivation.  Huge difference. 

[Kitzy]

Well I can't find anything from last winter.  Best I could do was September 2012.  And one from July 2012.  I gained a bit more weight  between these and April 2013 but you get the point. 

September 2012


July 2012

[Blown F-150]

Good for you Kitzy! It's tough to keep up the Gym Routine.

[Kitzy]

Thanks!  Its definitely hard.  Especially days like yesterday.  I work a minimum 10 hour days so I'm up at 515 each morning and at work by 630.  Finished work at 6pm yesterday.  Got ready for the gym at work and went straight to the gym.  I got home at about 915.

[Pockets]

He's a very intimidating man when you stand next to him! Even when he wasn't going to the gym! 

Great work man glad I'm on the friend side haha =p 

[Kitzy]

Thanks, Pockets!  I didn't realize how out of shape I had gotten again until I looked for those before pictures.  I think we met right before I started getting in better shape the first time.  I think I was still on the very heavy side at first.

[Rollingrock]

Looking good POP-POP .   That is a lot of weight loss and muscle gain.  You should be proud. 

Some of us struggle with 15-20 lbs (that is my yearly swing)  Winter is my nemesis. 

[Kitzy]

Thanks, Jason!

Winter is my nemesis as well.  I'm laid off and there's very little active things to do when its below freezing outside.  This winter though I plan to spend a good deal of time at the gym.  I enjoy it, it kills time and it gets/keeps me in shape. 

Here is the picture I mentioned I wanted to post.  My license photo from 2008 next to 2012.  2008 was close to my worst while the 2012 photo was during injuries and on a slow climb back up in weight but close to my best weight.

[Obsessive Detail]

Great work, Congrats! 

[Kitzy]

So I got a little too relaxed with my bulking phase.  I really wasnt eating clean enough.  That's over now.  Its a new year and I have a new goal.  My bulking phase is over for now and I'm on to my cutting phase.  It started Sunday.  I do not have a set weight in mind I plan to reach.  I'm just cutting my calories back to below 3000 per day which is low for my size and introducing cardio again in addition to switching over to strength training as apposed to training for increased mass.  I weighed myself late tonight, not the best time but I was curious, and tipped the scales at 266.4 lbs.  Down about 6 lbs which I'm assuming is because I cycled off of creatine for 3 weeks.  Back on it as of today so that number may increase before it decreases.  Also begin taking a new faT burner tomorrow. 

[Kitzy]

This is mostly for my own motivation.  Keeps me honest and on track. 

That said, I documented every calorie I consumed today be it protein shakes combined of powder and milk... calories added from both... to everything I ate and had to drink.  Total calorie count for today is right at or within a few of 2000 calories.  Protein is right around 239 grams.  I need to add a meal in there somewhere.  The calories are a little low for my size and I'd like to see my protein consumption over 300 grams.  I'm not even at body weight yet for my protein consumption. 

[Kitzy]

A little weekly check in.  I forgot to weigh in before breakfast for continuity purposes.  Weighed in after at 262.6.  Almost a full 4 lbs since a week ago. 

The fat burner I am taking is made by iForce.  There is a company rep at the gym I go to.  Directions on the bottle say take one full pill in the morning and after a week or two you can graduate up to another 4-6 hours later.  He told me take half and half as its too powerful, at least until you build a tolerance.  Well, a week into it and I woke up to late and didnt want to chance taking a half a pill too late in the day because i may have to work tomorrow (currently laid off for winter) and Ill have to be at the shop by 5am so I took a full pill this morning.  A half hour after waking up I started to be able to feel my heart beat in my head.  Could almost hear it in my head.  Got shakey.  Kind of gives you some terrible anxiety.  I'm trying to control it through deep controlled breath.  All of which the rep warned me about.  He said his stim junky body building friend had to leave the gym because of what a full dose did to him.  I believe it.  I may not be doing this again.  This just took me like 10 minutes to type because I'm shakey.  Haha.

[Kitzy]

Well, my diet has been getting harder, not easier like I thought it would.  Also, I missed the last two days of the gym due to a snow storm that had me shoveling my ass off for two days and exhausted me.  I'm used to working 20-26 hours in two days but even only 15 hours of shoveling in 0 degrees with negative wind chills is just brutally exhausting.  Anywhooo, I stepped on the scale this morning to see 260.2.  Pleasantly surprised given my lack of cardio this past week.  And its just the motivation I needed to keep going.  Staying motivated is half the battle.

[Pockets]

Wish you lived closer to me I would have a gym buddy that might actually hurt me if I don't go haha

[sscully]

  Pleasantly surprised given my lack of cardio this past week.  And its just the motivation I needed to keep going.  Staying motivated is half the battle.

Wouldn't you consider operating the business end of a shovel cardio of some kind ( especially that much )
- I would put it as a mix of aerobic and  anaerobic depending on your cadence.