6'0" 17 Year Old Male; 280lbs - 150lbs = 130lbs lost

6'0" 17 Year Old Male; 280lbs - 150lbs = 130lbs lostBackground I was always fat for most of my life. I once came into acceptance that I was the fat kid of my friends and I's circle. I grew up in a household that loved food; my mom would cook the most delicious (and unhealthiest) food. I am in an italian family where food and cooking are one of the most important things when we all come together. I did play sports; two years ago I played freshman football (sucked at it) and JV baseball (got in by some miracle). I didn't make either team the year after, and that's understandable. It wasn't until a year ago today when I weighed in at 280lbs at only 16, I became fed up with my poor choices. I found motivation through people in this sub and by looking in a mirror. It has led me to great results and I hope to help some others at least a little bit through this post. I never took many progress pics when I started since I hated getting my picture taken because I, well, fat. I dont have many good before pics since, again, I hated getting my picture taken. So some pics are shitty quality, but theyre the best I could find. Pics of Before to Now Workouts So, starting in April, through mid-June, I followed a 3x a week program (I'm sorry but I can't find the link anywhere). I did this because I wanted to start out slow. Cardio was taking a nice brisk walk around the lake near my house for 15-20 mins. Once summer break started, I was around 250lbs. I saw the chance to go harder and be more dedicated to working out so I upped my routine to a 4x a week upper/lower split. Summer break came to an end and I kept going to the gym 4x a week even once school started. By this time, I was at about 220lbs. Then something magical happened. After some really good workouts, and by seeing progress, I hated rest days and wanted to up my routine. So since mid-September, I use [this](imgur.com/1Vy69i3) PPL program that is 6 workouts and 2 rotations a week. I do not follow the plan exactly as my gym is super small and doesn't have the space and every needed piece of equipment, and also because I just felt uncomfortable doing some. So changes were made: Lat Pulldown (always in use and I got tired of waiting) was changed to Straight arm pulldown. Behind the back shrugs were changed to regular shrugs. Cable row (was part of lat pulldown machine; I still had to wait) was changed to T-bar row w/ handle. This is my personal favorite change since I just enjoy everything about the T-bar row. High bar squats became low bar squats because when I fist started, the videos I watched and the articles I read just talked about low bar squats. I was not aware of the difference really at the time and I just knew I had to do squats as part of the routine. I'm going to be honest, I don't do leg press after squats that much anymore. The higher I go in squats, the more I loath leg press; leg press just feels like a chinese knockoff of squats. Standing barbell calf raise became standing dumbbell calf raise. To go on with this, my gym does not have a seated calf machine. So I replaced that with smith machine calf raises. Core-focused exercises seem to vary workout to workout. My main go-to options are Russian Twist w/ medicine ball or weight (your choice) 3 sets of 12 back and forth twists, planks 2xALAP, knee/hip raise on parellel bar 3x12-15, and dumbbell side bend 3x12 on each side. Lift Stats First things first, I use dumbbells except for Deadlifts, Squats, Skullcrushers (EZ bar), Barbell Curl (EZ bar), or any machine-specific exercises. I just prefer dumbbells because most people at my gym use up all the barbells and because dumbbells also have some benefits too. I never kept a log off all my progress (I'm truly sorry if that matters to you), but I can and will give you guys some highlights of my current stats of what can be considered the more important exercises: Lift Set x Rep PR 1RP Max PR Squat (3x5) 185lbs 205lbs Dumbbell Bench (3x5) 60lbs 70lbs Deadlift (3x5) 225lbs 255lbs Dumbbell OHP (3x10) 40lbs 55lbs Incline Dumbbell Bench (4x8-10) 50lbs Unknown EZ Barl Curl (3x10-12) 55lbs Unknown I don't know if you guys would want every single lift stat for every exercise, so I want put all of them on the chart. If you are still curious, just ask. Diet This is a huge deal to me, and it should be to you if you want to lose weight. This sub has been my savior as I have learned so much about food that I can write a book about everything this sub has taught me. Users here have said and seen this nugget of diet philosophy that simplifies how to lose weight: "calories in vs. calories out" I live by it and here is what I do: First, I got MyFitnessPal to track calories. It's quick and becomes a habit within days. Your gonna have to guess sometimes or pick some food labeled like "generic" or "homemade" if you have home cooking and don't know the recipes. Don't track exercise on MFP, I consider it a desperate move to find an excuse to eat more. Not tracking it can lead to the best results. I am currently still cutting and I limit myself to no more than 1770 calories. I eat mostly the same things everyday that don't add up to 1770 because it's like a cushion in case someone brought treats to school, I'm going out to eat, I'm going to a game, or whatever. Here's my set, everyday food: Breakfast: 0.5cps Quaker Oats Oatmeal (water, not milk) w/ one box of sunmade raisins: 240cals Lunch: Cookies and Cream Quest Bar: 190cals Crunchy PB on 100% Whole Grain Sandwich: 350cals Dinner: This is important too. I'm only 17, so I still live with my mom, who cooks dinner. When I first started, I didn't have her dinners at all and stuck to Eat Right Safeway Chicken Tenders w/ 1cp of Brown Rice (~346cals). My mom personally thought I saw her as someone holding me back from my goal and felt bad that her cooking was too unhealthy. If you are like me (under 18, mom/dad cooks for you, and want to lose weight), this is one of the best tips I can give to you: Talk to your parents now. Like right now. Why would they want to stop you from being healthy? They love you and are willing to help out in any way. I did that months after starting. I now eat my mom's cooking again; it is the only meal I look forward to any day. She wanted to help and now she makes sure every dinner has a good proportion of protein, carbs, and fats. Thanks mom! Snacks: Nuts are a good snack, but super easy to eat too much. I had trail mix for a while, and every week I could eat half of it in 2 days. So I cut down on fat-filled snacks. Now I mostly eat: Baby Carrots: 35cals Plain Greek Yogurt w/ Honey: 150cals Egg white: 17cals I don't eat all of them everyday, but they're my go-to and I highly recommend you try them. Post comments on Nutrition Thursday if you have any questions; the thread is there for a reason. Some important tips worth knowing: If you stay consistent working out, a meal outside your diet is fine. Don't worry, someone once told me "working out and being fit is a marathon, not a sprint" If you make the right food choices, you can actually eat more than you would expect. If you just want to flat out lose weight, you don't have to pay full attention to macros. Calories are the overall most important thing. I fully recommend switching out full cheat days for something like cheat meals. Yes, you can treat yourself, but a single meal can give you pleasure while still having made good decisions for other meals. Future Goals: Lift More Thanks to: - My Parents, and Vandie (friend of mine who's a personal trainer that gave me so much support) Special Note: This post was not pre-planned out fully, and I may be missing info someone would like to know. If there is anything, leave a question and I try to answer it. I'm sorry in advance for any typos or things missing. submitted by /u/AGMarasco [link] [comments]

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