total 1 year difference
progress timeline
Background
A little over a year ago I touched into the triple digits (kg) again, and decided I was done with being overweight. I have a lot of joint issues that were getting more annoying. Scoliosis in my back (you can my rib cage being a bit diagonal in some of the photos if you know where to look), Osgood-Schlatter in both my knees, and flat feet with shortened Achilles tendon and tendon plate. I've got medically prescribed arch supports orthotics, but it only helps so much. >45 min of standing or walking would absolutely kill my feet and my back was hurting even with simple things. I was terribly out of shape and it was time for a change.
[Edit: Since some people have asked, I'm 24 and 6'0"]
Diet
As my main goal was weight loss, diet was the most important thing for me. I started counting calories and lost some weight, but I grew sick of it really quickly as I was just constantly hungry. Eventually I found a book (translated: "The Food Hourglass") that described in great detail everything about what a 'healthy diet' was, i.e. extending your healthy lifespan. It wasn't even necessarily about weight loss. It was written by a scientist and had ~200 scientific references and I finally had the idea it was something I could trust. For the most part the advice came down to avoiding sugars & fast carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. and instead eating slower carbs like oatmeal, buckwheat, sweet potato, or whole grain variants, or carbs that were supplemented with lots of fibers like fruits and vegetables. Besides that I mostly avoided dairy (exception for cheese) and chose instead for plant-based alternatives like soy and almond milk. There's a lot of other things like replacing red meats with chicken & fish, yada yada, but that's the gist of it. Most of this stuff is common knowledge by now, but it helped a lot to have it all in one place and read the scientific explanations. I followed the advice as best I could. I didn't need to watch my intake anymore and just ate until I was no longer hungry. I was very consistent with my breakfast and lunch, and applied it to dinner as often as I could, but never sacrificed a night of eating out or drinking if it came up. The first weeks really took some getting used to, 2 times when I started I even had to down some pure sugar as I was getting faint, but once I broke through it was the easiest thing. I started feeling more full and didn't have any cravings. Weight loss was slow but comfortable. Now that I'm approaching the last bit and exercising a lot more I eat a little bit more protein with things like cottage cheese and the occasional protein shake if I'm eating vegetarian that day. I also went a little more hardcore in tracking calories and ensuring I stay at a deficit and 1.5-2.0 g/kg protein intake. Initially I didn't plan to do this, but I noticed I was plateauing. I consider it a temporary fix until I'm properly in shape.
Workout
BWF was always perfect for me. I don't like going to the gym and my back-, knee-, and feet problems would really benefit from a 'lean' build to carry as little weight as possible. As far as I can tell concerning genetics (this is just a guess based on experience), building muscle is pretty easy for me, but losing fat is incredibly difficult. I figured BWF training would be enough for me to maintain some muscle while dieting. I've dipped into it a few times during my weight loss, but never for more than 2 or 3 weeks or so before I gave up. Researching my diet and mealprepping etc. already required a lot of effort and attention, and I just couldn't find the time to work out consistently. On top of that I just didn't enjoy some of the RR exercises.
The last 2 months I've sort of whipped up my own routine that I would be able to stick with and I've been giving it more priority now that the dieting has become a routine and doesn't require as much effort anymore. I've noticed a huge difference in muscle tone in the last 2 months. Honestly I think it doesn't really show as well in the photos as what I can see in the mirror. I've really got a taste for it now and I think on average I exercise about 5 times a week (a combination of BWF, squash, and bouldering (free climbing)).
This is my customised workout and progress in the last 2 months. I don't consider myself an expert so I'm really not sure if what I cooked up covers all bases, but it's at least been something I enjoy and can stick to, and feels like I'm making progress.
Warmup:
On offdays I typically go for a game of squash of 45 minutes, and once a week I go bouldering (free climbing). I also try to do some quad & pec stretches everyday in an attempt to fix my posture (I think I still have something to work on there).
Future
Probably not the hugest change, but personally I'm very happy with my results. It's made a big difference for my aching joints and overall endurance. I don't see myself stopping BWF any time soon. Although I might try some gym & weights once I move from cutting to bulking after I lose enough fat (particularly around the lovehandles). I'll probably also keep sticking to my diet because of all the other health benefits discussed by the book, but I'll probably just eat more of it when I need to bulk.
I still consider myself a beginner to the scene, but I hope maybe the (somewhat successful) progress of a beginner could offer some perspective to other beginners here looking to start.
progress timeline
Background
A little over a year ago I touched into the triple digits (kg) again, and decided I was done with being overweight. I have a lot of joint issues that were getting more annoying. Scoliosis in my back (you can my rib cage being a bit diagonal in some of the photos if you know where to look), Osgood-Schlatter in both my knees, and flat feet with shortened Achilles tendon and tendon plate. I've got medically prescribed arch supports orthotics, but it only helps so much. >45 min of standing or walking would absolutely kill my feet and my back was hurting even with simple things. I was terribly out of shape and it was time for a change.
[Edit: Since some people have asked, I'm 24 and 6'0"]
Diet
As my main goal was weight loss, diet was the most important thing for me. I started counting calories and lost some weight, but I grew sick of it really quickly as I was just constantly hungry. Eventually I found a book (translated: "The Food Hourglass") that described in great detail everything about what a 'healthy diet' was, i.e. extending your healthy lifespan. It wasn't even necessarily about weight loss. It was written by a scientist and had ~200 scientific references and I finally had the idea it was something I could trust. For the most part the advice came down to avoiding sugars & fast carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. and instead eating slower carbs like oatmeal, buckwheat, sweet potato, or whole grain variants, or carbs that were supplemented with lots of fibers like fruits and vegetables. Besides that I mostly avoided dairy (exception for cheese) and chose instead for plant-based alternatives like soy and almond milk. There's a lot of other things like replacing red meats with chicken & fish, yada yada, but that's the gist of it. Most of this stuff is common knowledge by now, but it helped a lot to have it all in one place and read the scientific explanations. I followed the advice as best I could. I didn't need to watch my intake anymore and just ate until I was no longer hungry. I was very consistent with my breakfast and lunch, and applied it to dinner as often as I could, but never sacrificed a night of eating out or drinking if it came up. The first weeks really took some getting used to, 2 times when I started I even had to down some pure sugar as I was getting faint, but once I broke through it was the easiest thing. I started feeling more full and didn't have any cravings. Weight loss was slow but comfortable. Now that I'm approaching the last bit and exercising a lot more I eat a little bit more protein with things like cottage cheese and the occasional protein shake if I'm eating vegetarian that day. I also went a little more hardcore in tracking calories and ensuring I stay at a deficit and 1.5-2.0 g/kg protein intake. Initially I didn't plan to do this, but I noticed I was plateauing. I consider it a temporary fix until I'm properly in shape.
Workout
BWF was always perfect for me. I don't like going to the gym and my back-, knee-, and feet problems would really benefit from a 'lean' build to carry as little weight as possible. As far as I can tell concerning genetics (this is just a guess based on experience), building muscle is pretty easy for me, but losing fat is incredibly difficult. I figured BWF training would be enough for me to maintain some muscle while dieting. I've dipped into it a few times during my weight loss, but never for more than 2 or 3 weeks or so before I gave up. Researching my diet and mealprepping etc. already required a lot of effort and attention, and I just couldn't find the time to work out consistently. On top of that I just didn't enjoy some of the RR exercises.
The last 2 months I've sort of whipped up my own routine that I would be able to stick with and I've been giving it more priority now that the dieting has become a routine and doesn't require as much effort anymore. I've noticed a huge difference in muscle tone in the last 2 months. Honestly I think it doesn't really show as well in the photos as what I can see in the mirror. I've really got a taste for it now and I think on average I exercise about 5 times a week (a combination of BWF, squash, and bouldering (free climbing)).
This is my customised workout and progress in the last 2 months. I don't consider myself an expert so I'm really not sure if what I cooked up covers all bases, but it's at least been something I enjoy and can stick to, and feels like I'm making progress.
Warmup:
- Yuri Shoulder band stretches (10 each)
- Arch Hangs (10)
- Front Leg swings (15 each)
- Side Leg swings (15 each)
- Deadbug (30 sec)
- Wrist prep (any)
- Pullups: from 5-3-3 to 8-8-6
- Pike Pushups: 8-6-6 (increasing angle every time)
- Abs: 7-minute follow-along: alternating between this and this video. Still not quite able to perform the entire thing, but getting close
- Legs: 10-minute follow-along: this video, now able to follow the entire thing fairly easily
- from Pushups 8-8-6 to Pseudo Planche 8-8-6 (increasing forward lean)
- from Rows 8-7-6 to Horizontal Rows 12-12-12
On offdays I typically go for a game of squash of 45 minutes, and once a week I go bouldering (free climbing). I also try to do some quad & pec stretches everyday in an attempt to fix my posture (I think I still have something to work on there).
Future
Probably not the hugest change, but personally I'm very happy with my results. It's made a big difference for my aching joints and overall endurance. I don't see myself stopping BWF any time soon. Although I might try some gym & weights once I move from cutting to bulking after I lose enough fat (particularly around the lovehandles). I'll probably also keep sticking to my diet because of all the other health benefits discussed by the book, but I'll probably just eat more of it when I need to bulk.
I still consider myself a beginner to the scene, but I hope maybe the (somewhat successful) progress of a beginner could offer some perspective to other beginners here looking to start.
