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Hey There Reddit. My name is Matt. After spending the last 6 weeks in 99% isolation working from home, I’ve had quite a bit to ponder about. In short, I am going to lose 40 pounds in two months, while trying to retain as much muscle as possible. This is a long read. TLDR: Skinny kid up until middle school. Genetically predisposed to visceral fat, the pounds added on quick around 6-7th grade. By high school, I made some friends who got me in the gym. Lost a ton of weight by 11th grade the WRONG way. College hits, got in the gym 24x7, used PED’s and got up to a heavy weight 227 lbs. (Pics below). Now, 10 years later, approaching 30 years old, weigh 220 pounds or so. No muscle mass. No 6 pack. Horrible eating habits. Going to make a serious change. Hopefully I can change someone else’s direction of life and offer guidance along the way. For the entire story, read below. (Circa December 2011. 21 years old) I was a skinny kid all my life up until around 10/11 years old. Never was in to sports or any sort of after school activities. It’s funny - I had signed up for football my freshman year of high school. At that time the head coach was the father of a soon to be NFL player. Insight is for clarification on how much of a hard ass this coach was. Anyway, I signed up for football. No one gets cut through practice. First practice, seared in my mind - gassers. Running to the 50 yard line and back. After all of about 20 mins, I couldn’t do it anymore. Coach came over and said come on tubby….get all that Taco Bell out and get your ass back on the field. Right then and there, I quit. Walked off the field and said never again. (Coach was right - if only I had understood this type of motivation back then). I fell into a habitual routine of going to school, coming home and eating junk food. Chips, left over pizza, etc etc. The food at home was never bad. Meals were always healthy balanced, I just chose to raid the pantry for the barbecue chips AND sour cream dip at the same time and polish off the entire bag in my room. It wasn’t like my mother came home with McDonalds and fast food every day. Full disclosure, she’s a great cook - and always cooked “healthy” foods - just a combination of way too many starchy carbs. Remember that food pyramid we learned in elementary school? It’s bullshit. Throughout the later years of middle school and beginning of high school - I fell into a routine of overeating and eating the wrong food. Yes, every now and then I’d ride my bike and play a baseball game (a talent I wished I pursued - pitchers always seemed to be a bit overweight). I was equally as active as much as I ate the wrong foods in excess. Halfway through high school, I made some new friends. Yup - friends that played football. Friends that joked about my weight but more were WAY more concerned at the fact that I should do something about it. So, January 2007, I became a newly minted member at LA Fitness. Ironically enough, the same year iPhone came out - so instead of studying in school - I spent more time on the database in my hand researching the anatomy of the human body, digestive system, working out, dieting - and most importantly how to lose weight (and quick). Here is where my now 30 year old self can admit how much of an ignorant asshole I was. At 17 I had the ability to understand reason and logic. However, that time society was pivotal in its generation of “instant gratification”. I wanted something and I wanted it now. I began to starve myself. I would eat one meal a day, a few protein shakes - go to the gym and run on the treadmill or do the stairmaster for hours on end. In addition to the gym, I began to routinely run outside. It was satisfying to watch my mile time drop from 16min/mile to a 7.5 min/mile in a matter of a few months. Fast forward to 2009. I’ve lost a ton of weight. Probably 170 pounds soaking wet. Now it was time to put some muscle on. This was hard. Full disclosure that my now 30 year old self can say about my arrogant young self. The weights started - and I did it ALL WRONG. My form was shit. My regime was wrong. The group split never changed for years. I never warmed up or cooled down. Guess what? None of that mattered, because you know - instant gratification. I don’t want to waste too much time on the next subject but it’s important. The weights were heavy. I made small progress. The introduction to anabolic steroids was made. (PED’s - not sure what kids call it these days). It was a scary prospect, but I followed through. This stuff is easier to obtain than you think. You don’t need to go do a shady drug deal (reference - anabolic steroids are illegal, not throwing shade here to anyone who uses). Remember, it was 2009. The iPhone just came out and the internet was in your pocket. Imagine a candy store where you can actually verify the authenticity of your PED’s against a database from the pharmaceutical company. Just send the money via WU to your “uncle” in Turkey - and wait 6-8 weeks for the post office to deliver. I remember once an order of almost $1,000 was seized by customs. They send a nice letter that if you want your package you need to come down to the local sort facility to pick it up. Yea, no. I wasn’t THAT dumb. Anyway, back to the point. Anabolic steroids. Full disclosure, I am NOT a pharmacist, dietician, nutrition nor personal trainer. I did however read enough literature to be able to carry my own. Days upon days of just reading. (Just don’t want anyone coming at me that I am claiming to be certified or justified in giving advice or being able to speak on the matter. I am not, nor am I attempting to.) So back to the juice. My first cycle consisted of just Test Enanthate. 125mg twice a week. Total of a 6 week cycle first time. WOW! I must’ve gained a solid 20 pounds (majority was water retention). But the numbers....the numbers went up and went up quick. I couldn’t bench 135. By week 8 I was benching 315 pounds as if it were a feather. Here’s the misconception about steroids though. Everyone thinks by using anabolic substances you can just sit home and gain muscle. This is NOT true. I was a workhorse. Seven days a week in the gym, at least 2-3 hours a session. I had a great workout partner who pushed me day in and day out. Thanksgiving day, was in the gym. X-mas eve, was in the gym. Birthday, was in the gym. Worked a double- came home -ate and went to the gym. Late to a funeral, because I was at the gym. The numbers went up and my body transformed (insert instant gratification here). I continued on various cycles for the next two years, experimenting with trenbolone, clenbuterol and such. I always took the proper PCT (post cycle therapy) to ensure things were done “right”. (Again, I was young and dumb). I fell into a routine of just lifting heavy weights, 3 sets of low reps for chest just to get my bench up. Can’t forget the arms, lifted those in overdrive to get those biceps big. My friend and workout partner had a motto. Want to do cardio? Lift weights faster. I never lost all my fat throughout these juiced up years - always had a gut - but I looked good (in my opinion). The truth is….I never did any of this for anyone else. I did it for me. It’s funny at that age you tell yourself you don’t give a shit what people think of you, but I still was apprehensive to take my shirt off around people I didn’t know. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone with the physique or the heavy weights. It was for me. The personal gratification was mind blowing. There’s a mental addiction to steroids. You feel invincible. Not just in the gym. (No, the typical perception of roid rage isnt true). But overall - its a mental addiction. If I had missed a dose - I didn’t want to go to the gym. This stuff messes with your head. So. Weights + steroids = big muscles. Wrong. Weights + steroids + food = big muscles. It’s important to understand that everyone’s caloric needs are so different (remember this for later). I was taking in almost 3,000-3,500 calories a day. What I thought was clean food. Lots of brown rice, red meat and simple carbs. No human should eat the amount of red meat that I did. (Reference - I’am NOT a vegan). My gains were the result of two years of steroids and eating tons of calories plus lifting day in and day out for two years. After my escapade with PED’s I came off and came off for good. I lost about 20 pounds, was happy to be able to run again without getting shin splints a tenth of the mile down the road - and maintained about 60% of my strength through long grueling workout’s. I am 21. The biggest mistake of my life (no regrets though) was going out and partying EVERY Thurs-Sat night. Still being able to come home at 5AM and wake up for work at 9AM - and STILL make it to the gym at 6PM for a good workout. Now at 29, I can barely make it passed 12AM and two drinks. What a treasure it is to be young. (Reference- I said the biggest mistake of my life. Explanation - going out to a club 2x a week for 2-3 years is nothing but empty relationships and money down the drain. If I had dedicated more time to what my dreams were back then, I’d be so much further ahead in life - BUT its ok. I had fun - plus I am a big believer in causality. If there was a rewind button however- thats a different story) Life came fast and hard next. I had the opportunity to make my dream and passion a reality. Started my own business. Did that for 7 years straight. 7 years of highs and lows. Life happened. Long days at work meant I couldn’t make it to the gym. What was once 7 days a week became 6, then 5 and so on. I met the love of my life in 2015. Due to be married this June on the beaches of Punta Cana but now postponed until next year (thanks Coronavirus). Work became my life. 6AM to 9PM at night - 7 days a week. I became addicted to caffeine. My diet was 5 coffee’s a day. No food until later in the day around 4-5PM. I was so hungry that I’d over eat. Try a McDouble meal from McDonalds AND half of a pizza pie. Wouldn’t even breathe between bites. I’d become so full after - I wouldn’t eat for another 18-24 hours after. Yes, this is bad. I was caught up in this rat race of trying to be the best version of me. I told myself at 20, that I wanted to be at point A by the time I was 25. At 25, I said I need to be at point B by the time I turn 30. Guess what. I turn 30 in two months and 2 days and I’am just now getting passed point A. I cared way too much about material fucking things and playing the part society had mapped out that I let my health slip away AND time slip away. Everyone tells you your dream body or lifestyle starts in the kitchen. Then the gym. Thats a LIE. It starts in your own damn head. Here is what I look like on April 23rd, 2020. Yes, it took a lot of me to post these pictures. I used to hate being in pictures, let alone posted publicly, let alone with no shirt on. I went to my first physical in years this passed January and thankfully all is well asides from elevated cholesterol. So what changed? Why now? Well, in a wild turn of events, life took a crazy turn about 5 months ago. I transformed my business into a new segment while walking away from what I did on a daily basis for the last 8 years. If I hadn’t had made that change 5 months ago, with what happened in the world this year- that business would’ve gone under in 30 days had I still been doing it. I’d be in a really bad spot right now. But- thats not even it. This Coronavirus has incinirated into me at 30 years old to SLOW the fuck down. Enjoy life. Enjoy those around me. Enjoy and cherish the ones you love and hold them close. Because guess what. It could all be gone in an instant. We don’t take anything with us when we leave this earth. Business has slowed down considerably (although its a blessing that allows me to allocate resources back into building the business - I know that sounds crazy - its a weird industry I work in). If I utilize my time correctly now, I can really get some work done now to get the backend of my business way ahead compared to if this lockdown never happened. With the slowdown and being locked in (with my fiancé day in and day out for the last 6 weeks) - I’ve realized that I owe it to myself and my future wife to change my lifestyle. Yes, I can get hit by a truck tomorrow while going for a jog. I can’t control that. YES - healthy people die young of heart attacks all the time. BUT - being this overweight isn’t healthy. I need to shock my life. I CAN control that. The one’s closest to me are the ones who say “you look fine Matt”. “Stop worrying about the scale”. The thing is I love these people that tell me I look great. I know they love me. The problem is - it’s time to REALLY start practicing what I preach. Stop giving a shit what anyone else thinks. Stop living in fear of being different. Stop running this race to beat the person next to you. Be the BEST version of you. It’s ok to fail. I have. Numerous times. The thing is, I didn’t smile en route to the next failure. Life is too precious. Set a goal and start it. Accomplish it. I’d rather know I tried my hardest and failed than not trying at all. Over the next 8 weeks, I will be running a modified keto diet with a IIFYM based on a 16 hour intermittent fasting. I stop eating at 8PM and do not eat again until 12PM the next day. No supplements aside from Vitamin C, Vitamin D, BCAA’s, Glutamine and some protein. Going to try and intake as much protein as possible from food. I know this diet works for me. It may not for you. Gym’s closed - and thats the blessing. I have no equipment at home besides a treadmill. This literally forces me to kick it old school. Crunches, pushups, all body weight exercises and LOTS of jogging/cardio. I know a ton of muscle mass will be wasted. The key here is to drop as much fat as possible. Also - sustainability. Fall into a diet plan that can become a daily routine one day and slowly reintroduce the carbs. Most importantly, a lifestyle change. I know I didn’t to in depth in regards to what specific workouts and what foods I’ll be using/eating. I’ll highlight this in the next post. Trying to find the right sub for this. Please advise me of where else this can be posted as I am new to Reddit. Also, no hate please. If you disagree with a diet - keep it moving. I am not preaching that what works for me should or will work for you. I am hoping I can motivate others and find some support as well as go through this journey. I know every now and then I need someone to reach out to and hear a feel good plan. Feel free to ask away! Positive vibes only. [link] [comments] |
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