Tom Before
Tom After
Okay maybe he won't be black after this but it's a pretty damn accurate representation :)
Week 1 Complete: 1/8/2012 - 1/14/2012
Week 2 Mission: Workout til people mistake your puddle of sweat for the water fountain
Sunday 1/15/2012 Weigh-In: Weight: 210.6 lbs / Body Fat: 35.7% / Muscle: 31%
Well it was definitely a tough week for Tom. No more jet lag from making the trip to California but he's definitely feeling it in other ways from the ass kicking this workout is giving him. We bought a gym membership and right from the start decided to hit the gym hard. After the first day of doing a little street running we figured the elliptical was the least impact best way to really shed calories. I love running on a treadmill but its definitely not kind to your feet, unless you think it's fun having your feet swell to the size of soccer balls. Also Tom's knees give him shit when he's jogging so the Elliptical was our best bet. So from the first day.... well second, he managed to keep up with me and even though it was tough for him at first, sweaty mess no more cause he's keeping pace to the 3-4 hour daily marathon session I'm putting him through. Plus, I'm doing this with him every step of the way. So as long as he's committed, I'll be ellipticaling (is that a word?) right there beside him til he reaches his goal. So here's the 10 key points Tom and everyone needs to know when starting a weight loss program:
1. Know that 3500 calories = 1 pound. So if you go to Tacobell and eat 7 bean burritos, congratulations, you've eaten a pound. Your prize is a fat ass good for parking on the couch and watching "2 and a half men" marathons. Hooray! We'll be charting every calorie Tom eats and burns working out in order to get an accurate analysis of where he's at throughout the process.
2. Men burn around 2000 calories daily (1500 calories for women) just by sitting on your ass and watching bad reality television. Of course this can fluctuate from 1800 to 2200 depending on age, if you're active throughout the day, etc. If you're a teenager you can burn around 2500 - 3000 daily since a teenager is still growing but yeah, it's nothing to be impressed by if you decide to take the stairs instead of the elevator to your crappy cubicle because there isn't that much difference. It's hitting the gym daily that's going to be the magic key. Tom will be eating 2000 Calories or less a day and doing vigorous long workout sessions as he aims to burn at least 1800 - 2400 Calories daily
3. Read and chart the calories to everything you eat. I am religious about doing this. it was a pain in the ass at first but now with a 6-pack, if I don't do this I will have fatty banging hips again. the more weight you lose the more you'll not mind doing this. dont go over 2000 calories or whatever your limit is for your body type. (online you can find calorie burning calculators. caloriecount.com is the site I use but they're the same all around. Tom has made a caloriecount account and is charting everything to make sure he's keeping to his eating and exercising goals caloriewise
3a. if you do go over your daily calorie ceiling, don't feel bad cause I do a bit, but I make plans to exercise it off usually that same day or the following day. Treadmills & Ellipticals show how much calories you lose when you're on them and they are almost exact to the T whether you're holding on to the side bars for dear life or not. I found that out charting my treadmill numbers and calorie intake numbers for the 9 months I worked out to lose the 40, but if you don't know that setting an incline on a treadmill (or resistance on an elliptical) can double to triple calories burned, or that the MPH make a difference then you're just blindly running with no clue where you're at, and that can be very frustrating when you're looking for results not knowing if you burned 100 calories or 400 after eating a restaurant meal with the guys on the weekend. We ended up going out to eat for a friends birthday but even then Tom made sure to watch what he ate and drank. Me on the other hand, I think I'm still a little tipsy from that night :) jk.
3b. if you don't know the calories for something cause you eat at a restaurant then go to sites that will tell you that a regular cake-type donut is 200 calories and a big glazed donut is around 390. caloriecount.com does that as well. so I never feel bad if I eat 4 donuts like today cause I know it's 800 calories and I still have 1200 to go before I'm at my max. Sites like caloriecount will tell you the calorie content of the generic foods you eat as well as exercises like jumping rope and that at a moderate pace it burns 340 calories give or take. again I prefer exact numbers of an elliptical flashing it in front of you but it's good to know if you jump rope at a moderate pace, that caloriewise it's similar to doing a 10 incline on the treadmill going around 3 to 4 mph. So if you do exercises that you can't have a reading like on a treadmill then use sites like caloriecount. I'll be cooking dinner nightly for Tom & I so knowing the calorie intake will be a piece of cake, and when it's not, there's caloriecount.
4. Look at something you want and buy the low calorie choice. Fat content of foods, saturated or unsaturated, etc. mean nothing in a diet. if somethings high in fat it doesn't matter. *only calories matter* all that diet bullshit on TV is just that. bullshit. the only way you'll lose weight is the math of calories. but of course when you buy something low-fat its usually low in calories. so basically what i'm saying is pick the choice with the lowest calories and you'll be on track to lose that Pilsbury Doughboy pudge. I make burritos and nachos and just pick the least calorie sour cream (usually the fat free one) and the low fat cheese, etc. As we go through this process I always try to pick the low calorie alternatives. Splenda instead of Sugar, the sourdough bread that's 70 calories per slice instead of 150 calories per slice. Tom will be getting a crash course in calorie driven grocery shopping 101.
5. Buy an Omron Scale. I think HBF-516 is the latest model but as long as its 500 model or higher, it will do. ebay sells these for cheaper than a lot of places but you'll pay around $40 to $100 depending on if the model is new or old. reason why you want a scale like this is because it measures bodyfat. BMI is stupid so don't go by that. Keep in mind, pounds can be misleading since if you eat, take a dump, and feel more bloated than a pregnant woman after eating at a Chinese buffet, the scale can fluctuate 5 pounds lower or higher than your actual weight and you will inevitably get discouraged. Body fat % fluctuates too but it's a more accurate measure and you can base the two off eachother and use two guides instead of one to help you gauge where you're at, realizing that "yes I am making progress because my bodyfat is decreasing even if my pounds aren't at the moment is a big confidence booster. We are charting all of Tom's weight loss, including pounds and body fat % on a spreadsheet so we can measure progress throughout the entire 140 days.
6. I don't have a specific diet. I drink a spiru-tein shake in the morning and then try not to eat most of the morning cause I know I'll want to eat like a horse in the afternoon and evenings when I'm studying for my business or chinese class stressing out more than a woman in labor with her man MIA with his second girlfriend. My brother would eat as little as 500 to 1000 calories one or two days a week and hit his regular 2000 the rest of the week while putting in hours on the elliptical daily. I can't do what he did but everyone's body and eating habits are different. So as long as you do what works for you, then you'll be fine. I love to eat so I have to be really careful where my brother doesn't have the same insatiable appetite for sweets and donuts like I do. The lowest I go is 1500 calories. I can't do 1000 calories without feeling a little weak and tired. Like I said, everyone's body is different so do what works for YOU.
7. Knowing Excel and making a weight loss spreadsheet doesn't hurt either. My brother gave me an excel spreadsheet about a year and a half ago where I can input my weight, body fat % and skeletal muscle % numbers I get from the Omron scale dailly and then it calculates those numbers to show how much weight I need to lose to reach 8% body fat (the amount usually needed for a man to get 6 pack abs although it varies from 6%-10% depending on body type. Even at 12% if you do some ab exercises you can start seeing them sprout up a bit. A woman's number is 21% so ladies don't go down to 8% or you might be admitted to the hospital for trying to vie for Miss Anorexia 2012). On the spreadsheet jotting down my numbers it says I need to be at 138 lbs - 140 lbs to be at 8% body fat. For Tom it's 146 lbs to 148 lbs. So for Tom to get to 146 from where he started at 216 in only 140 days he'll need to lose a total of 70 lbs shedding a half a pound a day minimum. This is why we're doing 3 to 4 hours on an elliptical a day burning 1800 to 2400 calories every workout. Remember 3500 calories = a pound, so we have a long uphill climb at this point. This sounds dangerous but me and my brother have both done this before so we're trained professionals at being nuts so :) DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME CAUSE YOU MAY KEEL OVER, START FOAMING FROM THE MOUTH AND DIE! jk, you won't die but don't do what I've done and what Tom is in the process of doing now unless you're in the company of a trained professional or someone who knows what they're doing cause I will not be responsible when the paramedics come to your house. I've been jogging since I came out my moms womb. don't know what I was running from though :)
Here's a list of body fat percentages for men and women
Men’s Body Fat Range (age 20-39): Low = < 8% / Normal = 8% - 19.9% / High = 20.0 – 24.9 / Very High = > 25.0
Women’s Body Fat Range (age 20-39): Low = < 21% / Normal = 21% = 32.9% / High = 33% - 38.9% / Very High = > 39%
Tom was poking out at the sides on January 8th at 216.6 lbs, 37.1% body fat . So we still have a long way to go!
My 8% is at around 138 lbs to 140 lbs. Toms 8% is around 146 lbs to 148 lbs. granted we're both 5'7" and 5'8" so compared to the giants with bulging biceps the size of your head that we see at the gym, our 8% number is going to be lower. If you're 6'6" tall your number will be different (meaning a lot freakin higher) and if you're a female, then your target number isn't 8% but 21% as women are built differently to accommodate things like pumping out 8 kids and getting a reality tv show because of it. Oh Octomom, you one hit wonder you. Obviously body type, height, and all that make a difference, but the Omron scale will tell you what your bodyfat % is, so buy it. I wouldn't be rocking the 6-pack without it.
8. All abs look like 6-packs but when they're covered in fat, you'd never know. Whatever your goal is, just know that if it is a washboard stomach, ab exercises will not get you it no matter how hard you try. the only thing is getting to around 8% body fat. you may show at 10% or even 12% depending on your body type but by 8% pretty much any *male* WILL have a 6-pack and its considered the magic number. Some people have gone as low as 6% to really define their abs but anything under that is dangerous to your health and should not be attempted unless you're trying to off yourself using another way besides cutting or dying from boredom waiting at the DMV. After you get to 8% the fat that was around your mid section covering your abs will be gone and your natural ab muscles will show. as the title of this section says, all abs look like 6 packs but when they're covered in fat, you'd never know. so just exercise that fat away and you'll eventually see the 6-pack. Then just do 20 to 50 crunches for two weeks and you'll define the abs even more. I use a pull up bar in between my door jam and do leg lifts but even when I wasn't once I got down to around 10%, my abs were showing anyway. so it's cardio, and burning calories, not weight lifting or ab rollers that will get you a 6-pack. I lift weights once or twice a week and that keeps my body with enough muscles to not look like I have chicken arms, but it's the cardio that's the most important thing to rock a 6-pack. Tom is doing exactly that, so he's well on his way to getting there.
9. Exercise ALOT. I would be on the treadmill for 30 minutes some days, 2 hours some days to as much as 6 hours. I've jumped rope for up to 8 hours in one day because I was hungry for results. problem is doing all that leaves you not as inclined the next day to repeat the feat. The key is to make exercise a habit. Doesn't have to be 8 hours a day like the crackhead who's writing this but even a half an hour a day consistently will sooner or later show results so get your butt over to the gym, even if like me you are not a fan of seeing 6 foot tall sterioded out meat heats, when you're 5'7" and look like the leader of the midget zombie apocalypse. Like Jack Lalanne once said "I hate working out. Hate it. But I like the results." If you focus on your goal whether it's a million dollar acquisition for your company or a rocking 6-pack or both, you can do it if you stop focusing on the difficulty and start focusing on your goal.
Be safe, stretch before and after work outs, buy new sneakers as well as Sof Sole Athlete Performance Insoles or a similar arch support product when doing a strenuous workout program. Take vitamins from companies like NOW vitamins as well as Spiru-tein shakes daily to help replenish the nutrients you’ll lose from these sweat inducing death cardio sessions. Use products like Optimum Nutrition Whey Gold Meal shakes to help build muscle after trying to avoid getting knocked unconscious with the dumbbell you use for your weight training sessions. Most importantly, choose the exercise that right for you. I tend towards burning the most amount of calories the quickest which is why treadmills on a 10 incline, and jumping rope make the top of my list, but if you want your feet not to end up becoming souvenirs you put on your trophy wall after they fall off then you may want to go less impact high calorie burning exercises like the elliptical set to the highest resistance. If you have any back problems or other issues where you can't be on your feet for long periods of time then maybe an exercise bike is more your route. It will take longer, but everyone should do what works for them. I didn't enjoy working out 2 or 4 hours of it but seeing myself in the mirror and wanting to be a ladies magnet at least from the neck down (can't do much about above the neck *sigh* curse you Calvin Klein models) is what kept me motivated. now I get looks from a lot of girls which after only being like this for a couple months, is really weird because I still feel like the geeky kid I was in high school even though it's been years since then. I walk through the San Francisco Bay Area where I live and when I'm going to the cafe, I'll notice girls look at my well dressed newly slim self and when I look their way, they turn their heads like they weren't looking out of embarrassment. It's pretty cool. I think it's because in most of America, all they see is fat, so when you're the 1 guy out of 10 who looks like he's able to see his toes when he looks down, girls naturally (like guys when they see triple Ds) will notice. it's animal attraction at its basic core and just being human. They've even done studies on what the human brain naturally finds attractive when it comes to body type, and deep down whether it's muscles and a 6-pack or 36D's and a firm enough butt to make guys crash their cars into poles, we all are like this because physical attraction is primal to the core of who we are no matter how many knots you try to tie your brain into saying otherwise. Believe me, it's an awesome feeling to be the guy stared at instead of the guy not noticed which as a former nerd until maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I dealt with constantly. Anyway, put the effort in, don't give up and slowly but surely you'll get there. Good luck, and remember, this is just advice, and I'm not a doctor so don't sue me 
do what's right for you and ease into everything you do. You will binge somedays and eat a pound worth of food cause you're starved after pushing yourself so hard. You will have a week or two where finals stress you so much that you don't even get to work out at all. you will want to give up sometimes and say screw this, I wanna eat a whole cow, where's my hunting riffle. but if you hang in there and keep your goal at the forefront of your mind at all times (my goal was 6-pack and stares from ladies, yours can be whatever the hell you want. I'm an attention whore at heart so hell, getting stares from being beefcake is the only motivation I needed) then you will inevitably get to your goal.
10. Final Note: Take your time! Tom is undergoing an extreme workout that I would not recommend for most people. He's 27, has a strong constitution and I know what he's capable of. I've known him since we we're teenagers. Most people would not be able to handle this type of workout program and the older you get the less you should be opting to do a marathon vomit inducing session like this. Me and my younger brother have done it successfully. Tom is doing a good job of keeping up as well, but there's no need to rush cause as long as you're determined, and stick to it, the weight will come off eventually. If you plan to exercise and lose 500 calories a day, for 7 days a week then congratulations you've lost a pound. Even if the scale doesn't show it or shows up higher you must always remember in the back of your head, mathematically/scientifically, that pound is gone and it will show over time regardless of fluctuation in pounds and bodyfat % on the scale so keep going my friend. There's no top secret workout or P90X style program doing a hundred exercises at once, that need to be done. You can hop on one leg in place for two years and you will still burn calories doing that. So just remember, it's all Calorie Math. Burn more calories than you take in and no matter what, you will lose weight. Good luck. it took me years to finally do this after the words I want a 6-pack came out my mouth, so even if it's a couple months or a couple years, before you get started don't stress about it. The most important thing is that you have the information and know what really works instead of the dieting BS reports they try to sell you on TV with weight loss pills, ab-exercisers, special workout videos and all that other crap. Marketing is marketing but what I'm telling you is the real science behind weight loss that anyone can do as long as they know that 1+1=2. So now that you have the information, whenever you decide to lose it, you'll be able to know how to do it right, reach your goal and hopefully have fun along the way. Good luck everyone
