Melon's Weight Loss - Future Health

[Melon2.0]

Hey gang,

Long time, no see.

So, yeah, as Griff mentioned previously, I've lost an ass load of weight.

How much? About 155lbs.
Start Weight: 349lbs
End weight: 194lbs

Feels pretty great, not going to lie, the benefits are numerous and noticeable. Cardio does wonders.

So, let's move on to the how.
Diet and exercise. It's just that simple,

I don't hate on those who go under go surgery or use pharmaceuticals, but for me, it was not necessary. I just changed my diet to ~2100 CAL a day and walk 5-6miles a day, enough to keep my heart rate in the 110-127 BPM range. My workouts usually are 1:15 and I workout 6-days a week.
I don't have any dietary restrictions. I don't eat pasta, sugars and a lot of red meats. Sugars are pretty self-explanatory, red meat and pasta are just calorie dense.

I started cooking for myself and 99% of the time, I cook or eat at home. I've become quite the chef. I cook for my lady friend most of the time.

So, moving forward:

Muscle up time. I have a gym membership, and would like to add on some muscle. Not enough to get Sawce huge, but I'm toned as fuck, especially on my upper body, so adding on some beef would look absolutely amazing.

I have a bowflex I picked up from a co-worker, so exercising at home is preferred.

Can y'all offer some guidance and reading?
Griff mentioned maybe Sawce helping out with a training program. Would that be a possibility?

[SAWCE]

Hey gang,

Long time, no see.

So, yeah, as Griff mentioned previously, I've lost an ass load of weight.

How much? About 155lbs.
Start Weight: 349lbs
End weight: 194lbs

Feels pretty great, not going to lie, the benefits are numerous and noticeable. Cardio does wonders.

So, let's move on to the how.
Diet and exercise. It's just that simple,

I don't hate on those who go under go surgery or use pharmaceuticals, but for me, it was not necessary. I just changed my diet to ~2100 CAL a day and walk 5-6miles a day, enough to keep my heart rate in the 110-127 BPM range. My workouts usually are 1:15 and I workout 6-days a week.
I don't have any dietary restrictions. I don't eat pasta, sugars and a lot of red meats. Sugars are pretty self-explanatory, red meat and pasta are just calorie dense.

I started cooking for myself and 99% of the time, I cook or eat at home. I've become quite the chef. I cook for my lady friend most of the time.

So, moving forward:

Muscle up time. I have a gym membership, and would like to add on some muscle. Not enough to get Sawce huge, but I'm toned as fuck, especially on my upper body, so adding on some beef would look absolutely amazing.

I have a bowflex I picked up from a co-worker, so exercising at home is preferred.

Can y'all offer some guidance and reading?
Griff mentioned maybe Sawce helping out with a training program. Would that be a possibility?

I can absolutely help out. We have a nice variety of training styles in here between me, Coogs, Dan, Eric, and Brad, so as you progress along the journey you decide which direction you’d like to go.

I think my biggest recommendation would be to do starting strength ( https://startingstrength.com/get-started/programs ). If I could redo my gym experience, I would have started here and built a nice foundation of strength before transitioning to bodybuilding style workouts. Low time-commitment, builds that foundation, and you can start to see which movements fit your body and which ones you should supplement or replace with other stuff. You can also add in some direct arm work to get a more brotastic experience.

If you decide you don’t want to go that route, I can help come up with a more custom lifting program for you. You got my number, feel free to text and take it offline if desired to chat about goals and how you’d want to train and I can build a program based on that.

[D Griff]

I know based on our convo power lifting wasn't really on the agenda, but I do agree that some barbell stuff makes for an excellent foundation. https://stronglifts.com/5x5/ is another popular one, as is Wendler's 531. 531 with some accessory lifts yielded the best results for me personally.

I do think it's worth considering any of these types of programs for at least six months or so to get some strength and reassess. A lot of it will depend on how/when you'd like to train as well. IMO lifting can be pretty effective anywhere from 2-5 days/week or so. I'd think about how often and how much time you'd like to commit. I'd definitely encourage keeping up most of the cardio volume as it's worked so well to get you here and can allow for continued flexibility in the diet.

I'd also think about shooting for about 150+g/day of protein as you think about building muscle.

[SAWCE]

Agreed, 6-12 months on one of these introductory programs will set him/anyone up with a nice base of strength to then move to something more goal specific.

Always down for some nutrition convos, but I assumed he was just looking for input on the lifting side of things since he did so well for himself on the nutrition when I came to losing the weight. Of course, eating for building muscle is a slightly different approach, so happy to have those convos and give my two cents if you’re interested Melon.

[wap]

As a doughy I have nothing to add to this convo but I just want to say that our juicy, slimmer is back!

[D Griff]

Agreed, 6-12 months on one of these introductory programs will set him/anyone up with a nice base of strength to then move to something more goal specific.

Always down for some nutrition convos, but I assumed he was just looking for input on the lifting side of things since he did so well for himself on the nutrition when I came to losing the weight. Of course, eating for building muscle is a slightly different approach, so happy to have those convos and give my two cents if you’re interested Melon.

Just thought the protein piece was worth a mention. Adding in a scoop of whey or something could be an easy solve for it or maybe enough is already being taken in.

I'm sure at full competitive body builder levels it makes a big diff, but I think if you hit that 1g/pound of lean body fat or so, you're generally good and fat/carbs seem to be more personal. I prefer a higher carb load myself. Outside of that I think the limited sugar and whatnot sounds like a solid plan.

[SAWCE]

Agreed, 6-12 months on one of these introductory programs will set him/anyone up with a nice base of strength to then move to something more goal specific.

Always down for some nutrition convos, but I assumed he was just looking for input on the lifting side of things since he did so well for himself on the nutrition when I came to losing the weight. Of course, eating for building muscle is a slightly different approach, so happy to have those convos and give my two cents if you’re interested Melon.

Just thought the protein piece was worth a mention. Adding in a scoop of whey or something could be an easy solve for it or maybe enough is already being taken in.

I'm sure at full competitive body builder levels it makes a big diff, but I think if you hit that 1g/pound of lean body mass or so, you're generally good and fat/carbs seem to be more personal. I prefer a higher carb load myself. Outside of that I think the limited sugar and whatnot sounds like a solid plan.

FTFY

Agreed doe. 1g per pound of lean mass, or so you aren’t trying to get super specific about how much lean mass you carry just go 1g per pound of body weight, is a good amount of protein for most people. And then carbs and fats to your personal liking, staying within whatever calorie limit you have for yourself at that time. I’m with you in preferring a higher carb load myself. I view them as more functional in general, and my body definitely prefers them for fuel over fats.

If I were building a meal plan for Melon, based on his 2100 calories and 200lbs of mass, I’d have him eat five meals a day. 40g protein per meal (roughly 5-5.5oz of a lean meat source, or a scoop and a half of brotein powder), probably 10g fat per meal, with 60g carbs each. I’m a big fan of splitting calories/macronutrients as evenly as possible between meals, that way you don’t have one big meal at one point and one tiny meal later on, you just generally feel satiated throughout the day and have a constant supply of what you need. From there we could adjust carbs/fats/calories on training vs. non-training days as desired and enjoyed to work towards whatever his goal is.

[Desertbreh]

Hey gang,

Long time, no see.

So, yeah, as Griff mentioned previously, I've lost an ass load of weight.

How much? About 155lbs.
Start Weight: 349lbs
End weight: 194lbs

Feels pretty great, not going to lie, the benefits are numerous and noticeable. Cardio does wonders.

So, let's move on to the how.
Diet and exercise. It's just that simple,

I don't hate on those who go under go surgery or use pharmaceuticals, but for me, it was not necessary. I just changed my diet to ~2100 CAL a day and walk 5-6miles a day, enough to keep my heart rate in the 110-127 BPM range. My workouts usually are 1:15 and I workout 6-days a week.
I don't have any dietary restrictions. I don't eat pasta, sugars and a lot of red meats. Sugars are pretty self-explanatory, red meat and pasta are just calorie dense.

I started cooking for myself and 99% of the time, I cook or eat at home. I've become quite the chef. I cook for my lady friend most of the time.

So, moving forward:

Muscle up time. I have a gym membership, and would like to add on some muscle. Not enough to get Sawce huge, but I'm toned as fuck, especially on my upper body, so adding on some beef would look absolutely amazing.

I have a bowflex I picked up from a co-worker, so exercising at home is preferred.

Can y'all offer some guidance and reading?
Griff mentioned maybe Sawce helping out with a training program. Would that be a possibility?

531 is a great start because you are doing the coupound lifts that are really the essence of 1) useful strength and 2) core strength that lays the foundation for injury free training. 531 centers around four key lifts, the overhead press, the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press.

If I were going to start lifting from scratch, I would do a lot of things different:

1. Take the appropriate steps to remain as injury free as you can. You are in your late 30's yes? That is light years away from my almost double nickel, but also light years away from the bulletproof resiliency of your early 20s. Three things:

a. Concentrate on form from the very beginning. Brandon, Coogles, and legions of lifters out there can show you how to do things RIGHT. There is no point in lifting heavier weight if you are doing it wrong and injure yourself/create bad habits.

b. Initiate a stretching routine NOW. Don't ever stop. 30 minutes of every day in my life involves drinking coffee and using a band to do Brandon's shoulder streching routine (he, Dan or I can send it to you) and stretching by hamstrings, lower back and quads. Your shoulder girdle and your lower back need constant attention and warming up before exercise to avoid injury. The whole point of lifting weights is to feel and look better. You will be doing none of these things if you are injured.

c. I have strong reservations about the classic back squat and the barbell bench press and I would replace these movements as part of the 531 program above. I would sub the front squat (it's day one anyway, might as well get started on these) ass to grass and other exercises Brando Calrissian can tell you about. I think the barbell bench press is a shoulder destroyer and is just one of those things that people do because it's been a classic measure of male strength. Machines and other exercises Brandon can tell you about build a better chest without the weird angles. The deadlift and the overhead press though.........these are exercises that will work an enormous amount of your body all at once, I heart them.

d. Get to work on your A$$ immediately. That's the foundation of so much strength. Hip thrusts baby.

[SAWCE]

Hey gang,

Long time, no see.

So, yeah, as Griff mentioned previously, I've lost an ass load of weight.

How much? About 155lbs.
Start Weight: 349lbs
End weight: 194lbs

Feels pretty great, not going to lie, the benefits are numerous and noticeable. Cardio does wonders.

So, let's move on to the how.
Diet and exercise. It's just that simple,

I don't hate on those who go under go surgery or use pharmaceuticals, but for me, it was not necessary. I just changed my diet to ~2100 CAL a day and walk 5-6miles a day, enough to keep my heart rate in the 110-127 BPM range. My workouts usually are 1:15 and I workout 6-days a week.
I don't have any dietary restrictions. I don't eat pasta, sugars and a lot of red meats. Sugars are pretty self-explanatory, red meat and pasta are just calorie dense.

I started cooking for myself and 99% of the time, I cook or eat at home. I've become quite the chef. I cook for my lady friend most of the time.

So, moving forward:

Muscle up time. I have a gym membership, and would like to add on some muscle. Not enough to get Sawce huge, but I'm toned as fuck, especially on my upper body, so adding on some beef would look absolutely amazing.

I have a bowflex I picked up from a co-worker, so exercising at home is preferred.

Can y'all offer some guidance and reading?
Griff mentioned maybe Sawce helping out with a training program. Would that be a possibility?

531 is a great start because you are doing the coupound lifts that are really the essence of 1) useful strength and 2) core strength that lays the foundation for injury free training. 531 centers around four key lifts, the overhead press, the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press.

If I were going to start lifting from scratch, I would do a lot of things different:

1. Take the appropriate steps to remain as injury free as you can. You are in your late 30's yes? That is light years away from my almost double nickel, but also light years away from the bulletproof resiliency of your early 20s. Three things:

a. Concentrate on form from the very beginning. Brandon, Coogles, and legions of lifters out there can show you how to do things RIGHT. There is no point in lifting heavier weight if you are doing it wrong and injure yourself/create bad habits.

b. Initiate a stretching routine NOW. Don't ever stop. 30 minutes of every day in my life involves drinking coffee and using a band to do Brandon's shoulder streching routine (he, Dan or I can send it to you) and stretching by hamstrings, lower back and quads. Your shoulder girdle and your lower back need constant attention and warming up before exercise to avoid injury. The whole point of lifting weights is to feel and look better. You will be doing none of these things if you are injured.

c. I have strong reservations about the classic back squat and the barbell bench press and I would replace these movements as part of the 531 program above. I would sub the front squat (it's day one anyway, might as well get started on these) ass to grass and other exercises Brando Calrissian can tell you about. I think the barbell bench press is a shoulder destroyer and is just one of those things that people do because it's been a classic measure of male strength. Machines and other exercises Brandon can tell you about build a better chest without the weird angles. The deadlift and the overhead press though.........these are exercises that will work an enormous amount of your body all at once, I heart them.

d. Get to work on your A$$ immediately. That's the foundation of so much strength. Hip thrusts baby.

A lot of good stuff in here.

To your point in point 4.. I’ve been dealing with knee pain for quite some time in my right knee. I’d had chalked it up to some tightness in my right quad, and while that may be part of the issue, my glutes seem to be a major factor. Michelle’s aunt is a PT and she took a look at me and ran me through some diagnostic stuff after Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn’t lay on my side and hold my right leg up at and angle and resist more than a few pounds of pressure from her by contracting my glute like she told me to. As she pushed down on my leg, I could feel the pain in my knee. So I’ll be doing more buttstuff to try to fix that imbalance, weakness, and the pain it causes.

[Melon2.0]

So much excellent information in here.

Let me digest this all!

Form will be the primary focus. I have done weight lifting before, so I'm not coming in cold. All my previous weight exercises have all been form focused.

[Desertbreh]

531 is a great start because you are doing the coupound lifts that are really the essence of 1) useful strength and 2) core strength that lays the foundation for injury free training. 531 centers around four key lifts, the overhead press, the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press.

If I were going to start lifting from scratch, I would do a lot of things different:

1. Take the appropriate steps to remain as injury free as you can. You are in your late 30's yes? That is light years away from my almost double nickel, but also light years away from the bulletproof resiliency of your early 20s. Four things:

a. Concentrate on form from the very beginning. Brandon, Coogles, and legions of lifters out there can show you how to do things RIGHT. There is no point in lifting heavier weight if you are doing it wrong and injure yourself/create bad habits.

b. Initiate a stretching routine NOW. Don't ever stop. 30 minutes of every day in my life involves drinking coffee and using a band to do Brandon's shoulder streching routine (he, Dan or I can send it to you) and stretching my hamstrings, lower back and quads. Your shoulder girdle and your lower back need constant attention and warming up before exercise to avoid injury. The whole point of lifting weights is to feel and look better. You will be doing none of these things if you are injured.

c. I have strong reservations about the classic back squat and the barbell bench press and I would replace these movements as part of the 531 program above. I would sub the front squat (it's day one anyway, might as well get started on these) ass to grass and other exercises Brando Calrissian can tell you about. I think the barbell bench press is a shoulder destroyer and is just one of those things that people do because it's been a classic measure of male strength. Machines and other exercises Brandon can tell you about build a better chest without the weird angles. The deadlift and the overhead press though.........these are exercises that will work an enormous amount of your body all at once, I heart them.

d. Get to work on your A$$ immediately. That's the foundation of so much strength. Hip thrusts baby.

A lot of good stuff in here.

To your point in point 4.. I’ve been dealing with knee pain for quite some time in my right knee. I’d had chalked it up to some tightness in my right quad, and while that may be part of the issue, my glutes seem to be a major factor. Michelle’s aunt is a PT and she took a look at me and ran me through some diagnostic stuff after Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn’t lay on my side and hold my right leg up at and angle and resist more than a few pounds of pressure from her by contracting my glute like she told me to. As she pushed down on my leg, I could feel the pain in my knee. So I’ll be doing more buttstuff to try to fix that imbalance, weakness, and the pain it causes.

Just so much interconnection in muscular systems.

[Melon2.0]

Hey gang,

Long time, no see.

So, yeah, as Griff mentioned previously, I've lost an ass load of weight.

How much? About 155lbs.
Start Weight: 349lbs
End weight: 194lbs

Feels pretty great, not going to lie, the benefits are numerous and noticeable. Cardio does wonders.

So, let's move on to the how.
Diet and exercise. It's just that simple,

I don't hate on those who go under go surgery or use pharmaceuticals, but for me, it was not necessary. I just changed my diet to ~2100 CAL a day and walk 5-6miles a day, enough to keep my heart rate in the 110-127 BPM range. My workouts usually are 1:15 and I workout 6-days a week.
I don't have any dietary restrictions. I don't eat pasta, sugars and a lot of red meats. Sugars are pretty self-explanatory, red meat and pasta are just calorie dense.

I started cooking for myself and 99% of the time, I cook or eat at home. I've become quite the chef. I cook for my lady friend most of the time.

So, moving forward:

Muscle up time. I have a gym membership, and would like to add on some muscle. Not enough to get Sawce huge, but I'm toned as fuck, especially on my upper body, so adding on some beef would look absolutely amazing.

I have a bowflex I picked up from a co-worker, so exercising at home is preferred.

Can y'all offer some guidance and reading?
Griff mentioned maybe Sawce helping out with a training program. Would that be a possibility?

531 is a great start because you are doing the coupound lifts that are really the essence of 1) useful strength and 2) core strength that lays the foundation for injury free training. 531 centers around four key lifts, the overhead press, the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press.

If I were going to start lifting from scratch, I would do a lot of things different:

1. Take the appropriate steps to remain as injury free as you can. You are in your late 30's yes? That is light years away from my almost double nickel, but also light years away from the bulletproof resiliency of your early 20s. Three things:

a. Concentrate on form from the very beginning. Brandon, Coogles, and legions of lifters out there can show you how to do things RIGHT. There is no point in lifting heavier weight if you are doing it wrong and injure yourself/create bad habits.

b. Initiate a stretching routine NOW. Don't ever stop. 30 minutes of every day in my life involves drinking coffee and using a band to do Brandon's shoulder streching routine (he, Dan or I can send it to you) and stretching by hamstrings, lower back and quads. Your shoulder girdle and your lower back need constant attention and warming up before exercise to avoid injury. The whole point of lifting weights is to feel and look better. You will be doing none of these things if you are injured.

c. I have strong reservations about the classic back squat and the barbell bench press and I would replace these movements as part of the 531 program above. I would sub the front squat (it's day one anyway, might as well get started on these) ass to grass and other exercises Brando Calrissian can tell you about. I think the barbell bench press is a shoulder destroyer and is just one of those things that people do because it's been a classic measure of male strength. Machines and other exercises Brandon can tell you about build a better chest without the weird angles. The deadlift and the overhead press though.........these are exercises that will work an enormous amount of your body all at once, I heart them.

d. Get to work on your A$$ immediately. That's the foundation of so much strength. Hip thrusts baby.

Yeah, I'm 38, and although I'm a lot healthier, I do have to be careful when it comes to muscle/soft tissue pains.
Walking/running as much as I do, you can imagine repetitive use injuries are quite common, and they don't just go away like they used to.

[Melon2.0]

Fat

[Melon2.0]

Thin

[J-Ho-Fo-Show69]

Thin

Damn dude. Are you the same guy I met in New Orleans for dans Bach party? Holy shit

[Melon2.0]

Thin

Damn dude. Are you the same guy I met in New Orleans for dans Bach party? Holy shit

Yup!

[wap]

Thin

[D Griff]

Thin

I’m all in on a lot of Breh’s comments as well. I too would front squat over back. I like dumbbell incline bench if you want a benchy thing.

[Johnny_P]

That’s really impressive dude.

[coogles]

That’s really impressive dude.

Amazing work!

[MexicanYarisTK]

Whalecum back

I saw it on socials, it was weight loss. Now im starting to shed again and i don't seem to enjoy junk/fast food when i do that now. Home cook, high protein/fiber meals are key. I started becoming more for eating out now. If i want a burger, ill get one from the hotel restaurant with my employee discount probably once or twice a week for $12 (costs $25), so its

[Melon2.0]

Sawce, can you send me the stretching routine information Desertbreh mentioned?

[Melon2.0]

Whalecum back

I saw it on socials, it was weight loss.

Thanks man! It's been a journey.

[SAWCE]

Sawce, can you send me the stretching routine information Desertbreh mentioned?

Coming right up!