Be Excellent To Each Other

this is because you weigh like 3 stone or something

He's apparently only about 10lbs lighter than me, which I find hard to believe. And also I can squat him.

Are you a donkey?

Am I wrong in thinking that you’re tall? Pull-ups is all about the principle of moments so if you’ve got long arms you’re going to find it exponentially harder to do than someone say 5’4” with consequently shorter arms.

Jem, overhead press and bent over rows or inverted rows are great for back and shoulders. OHP is great for your core too, back, shoulders and waist were the first places I got some proper degree of muscle definition.

Those exercises, and the good old bench press, will really help your upper body strength and help you build towards pull ups, if you really want to do them.

I am 5' 8", but Gaz is over 6' tall so how come he can do them when he's a weed?

(As he quite rightly just pointed out, as I've lost weight, I am also now only 4lbs heavier than him, although unless his bones are made of osmium I don't see how that's possible.)


I can OHP til the cows come home, and that's been part of my workouts for years. Only recently added bench though.

One thing I do have that Gaz doesn't is weird elbows. I can't straighten my arms fully. I have often wondered how - if at all - that impacts upon various lifts and movements.

Gaz may be a beanpole, but he will still have greater muscle mass and that muscle mass will be concentrated more in the upper body, purely because he is a bloke, and being a beanpole goes in his favour. You may be a similar weight, but he will be a much greater percentage of muscle than you are.

I know, my disbelief is not entirely serious - I regularly moan at him that he has biology in his favour. It doesn't make it any less frustrating though when I'm shifting 50, 60 kilos above my head and still can't do a pull up whereas he can barely lift a bag of cat litter and still bloody knocks them out one after the other

Have you tried doing chin-ups instead of pull-ups Jem?

I can't do any "ups". I can't get my feet off the ground except by jumping.

I bet you can do Hicc-ups.

Yes, ok, I can do them. And I'm pretty great at fuck-ups too.

I have been sat trying to think of other -ups you can do.

Fry-ups; you definitely do a good fry-up

This is all I've got

I'll take that.

I've lost a stone.



Mostly from my waist and bottom. I'm down to a 44, from a 48+ on my wedding day.

Still 3 stone to go..



But it's hard because of the meds I am on. I cut 30% of my food intake and swapped out sugar for sweetener. I've been on this diet about two months, with a lot of exercise but I feel I should have lost more. Especially with all of the riding I have been doing.

Good work. Crazy stare!

That's really good!

I think I found it though...

Well done dude.

Well done great effort

Thanks all. It is nice to be back in a XL Tshirt again, without it rolling up your stomach every time you sit down lol.

I went the other way, I was down to slim-fit shirts; I gained a bunch of weight over a year after getting a girlfriend (wtf is that about) and now have to wear regular ones; I tried one of my shirts on the other day I am at a loss how this shirt EVER fit me at all.

Semi-related however, I threw in a couple of chin-ups when I was doing my pull-ups as I was curious as to whether or not I could do these now. I could do definitely do them but still find the pull-ups MUCH easier!

I did a power test on the bike.. in 6 months gained 50 watts across all the tests.

Did a 100km bike ride yesterday, including a PB up the hill back in to my town at the end of the ride..

Feeling a bit chuffed.

Nice work mate; how long did the 100km take you?

Just under 5 hours.. took it steady on the way out, and dropped the hammer on the way back.. did 10 miles in 33 mins

Fuckin' smashed it mate; don't forget to work on your swim as well as your cycle for the next ironman!

Next stop 04:30:00 100k?

yes I am working on my swim... that 1 second hurt me

I'd be gutted; that being said I've not swam since I was about 16 so I don't even know how quick I'd be.

I was a tad disappointed... over it now..

I was a UK large when I met my ex. 13 stone ish, , maybe 13.5. Then there was a culmination of loads of things. I was put on Quetiapine (massive weight gain) and Pregabalin (massive weight gain ffs) as well as terrible water retention. Before I knew it I was up to over 18st, and in XXL Tshirts (which I swear in England means XXlong ffs). I was eating three times a day (too many, I don't do anything much) and pigging a bit. Sandwich for lunch (with like three bags of crisps) then a large dinner. Then I would go to bed, and eat a bowl of cereal and then sometimes a sandwich and three bags of crisps. Was a bit of a nightmare tbh. The pills I take (Quetiapine) firstly make you feel like you've not eaten for days, then you don't feel full so to go on this diet now (just my main meal, all sugar cut) has been very hard. Especially the bedtime bit.

That is why I was a little disappointed that I had "only" lost a stone. Cut 30-45% of my food intake (and all of the crap and 6 sugars a day I was putting in my coffee) and only lose a stone thing is, I can feel muscle everywhere now. Especially in my legs and stomach. Still got tits (apparently Quetiapine also causes that ffs) but yeah I feel much better.

Mate fat man legs are the best (I am guilty of these too) when you lose weight you keep your huge muscular legs.

How long was the 'only a stone' lost in? 'Cause at the end of the day you can't lose all that weight instantly it'd be unhealthy and cause you more problems.

It's been about two months now. Having said that I didn't weigh myself before I started, so I may well have been heavier than I thought as I hadn't weighed myself in two months but had been stuffing my face.

I've always had those thighs man. I got them from living in London for 27 years and always riding a BMX because cabs were ridiculous and buses and trains packed, unreliable and expensive. Cars were a a joke (£2k third party only in 1997 insurance) so I just rode.

I started out my GT on 42/16. It was stupid. I could step through it in about two cycles. So I increased it to 48/18, then found myself pushing past that too easy so now I run 48/16. Thing is that bike is ultra light and the tyres are 110PSI so there is absolutely bugger all rolling resistance lol.

When I first got the orange PK Ripper it was so light it scared me (19 odd pounds for a big bike like that) but thankfully the mags put some weight onto that. Anything under 30lbs is fine. If a bike is too light I find it unnerving for some reason. I still have the spoke wheels, so if the mags piss me off I can switch them back. It just feels nicer with them on. More grounded. As I learned with my GT race bike the lighter and stiffer you go the more crap your wrists and hands need to take.

Mate that's not bad; as long as you make the change and stick to it you'll be set.

(I say this and eat basically whatever I like and try to offset that by going to the gym frequently)

2lbs a week seems to be the target for a sustainable weight loss, so 1st in two months seems right to me, especially as you are exercising at the same time and should be building a bit of muscle.

Yeah. It is very visible tbh. This is JC & Co at my uncle's 70th. That's my fat ass on the right hand end. See how I am sticking out my leg, 'cause I was so fat I was getting pins and needles.



I definitely look a bloody good sight slimmer than that ! mind you that was at the worst time. My other uncle had died from cancer shortly before that and there was a lot of sadness about So we had a nice family bash to cheer us all up. I almost smiled

John, you're doing really well. Like Kris & Trooper said, that loss is at a good pace. Too much too soon and it'll bounce straight back on again.

If you're feeling hungry after meals, up your protein intake.

Judging by the earlier picture you're looking good mate; keep at it and before long you'll be even slimmer than you were before!

It wouldn't be so bad but my frame simply isn't made to carry that sort of weight. I was tiny as a child (Run Forrest ! run !)



And remained under 14 stone throughout my entire adulthood. This was taken about a month after I moved in with my ex wife.



This was taken in 2001



2010



So yeah, dealing with this sorta weight has been really difficult. I also packed up smoking shortly after the pic with me there smoking (switched to vape, not smoked since) so I know that has taken its toll too. Add in a new girlfriend back then (so stuff your face) and the pills and etc? yeah, was like the perfect storm of weight gaining crap lol.

Well, a lot of the time, realising there is an issue is the first and hardest step.

Guess we'll see what you look like in a couple of months!

I got a letter from the doc about two months back. It said what I already knew, that I was pre diabetic. They wanted me to go in for a test (6 months after the last) as it was getting quite bad. I decided to hold it off for about 6 weeks to see what I could do about it first.

Had the blood test on the 12th. Then did not hear anything (which with bloods is usually good news). Turns out my suspicions were correct, I am not longer pre diabetic and my BSL are completely normal.

God, that's a weight off. Especially when you are terrified of needles !

That is bloody great news...

Yeah for sure. Like, lottery winning news.

I'm so stoked. Sometimes when my legs hurt from riding and my bum is sore I think "Ugh, why am I doing this?" and then I get days like today.

I would have died. It would have killed me, no doubt. There is no way I would have ever stuck a needle in myself knowingly (when I get blood taken I have to look away, get my arms held down so I don't jump, and then be told exactly when it is going in). So it would have killed me.

I was fine with needles until I was 7. Then I got ran over, and they came and stuck me three times a day for about 5 weeks. That was where my phobia began. Now? god if I saw it going in I would faint.

I said that, trust me you get used to the needles pretty fast. I can now watch them draw blood.

Took a shameless "suns out guns out" selfie for instagram on Saturday and on a whim put it side by side with a shot from the end of April to compare arm/shoulder growth (which I've been putting more effort into this year) and was pleasantly surprised:



Not just arm/shoulder gains but you can see the weight loss around my middle so that's nice.

Aiming for 140lbs now in the hope it'll bring out more definition, whilst also working constantly towards those pull-ups

Also need more sleep because I look knackered

fantastic

No stepladder?

It's in the downstairs loo now, and that's where the cat trays are. Nobody wants to see cat shit in their feed.

Much appreciated. Cracking guns, btw!