# For anyone looking to lose weight or get in shape



## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

A guy pm'ed me the other day with a question and for privacy purposes, I will not post his name.

"
_I've been trying for years and can't get abs. I eat healthy, I used to do about 500 crunches at a sitting (different kinds as well). Do you think it's genetic?"_


_
Here was my response to him, which can clear some things up for some people on here:_

_"No, its not. Basically what you need to know to lose weight is this:

If your caloric intake is above what you burn off, you will gain fat.

It is that simple. If you eat below maintenance(which is the amount of calories needed to neither gain mor lose weight) you will lose weight. All the talk about saturated fat, or whatever is very insignificant.

I HIGHLY recommend going to this site: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html and reading up on some exercises to do.

It really depends whether you want to lift, or just run, or whatever. Everybody has different goals. Also, go here if you are serious about getting in shape and staying commited: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

These forums have helped me keep on track. Avoid the "Misc" section at all costs b/c its worthless lol.

BTW: crunches don't do SH*T for getting abs. It's a VERY common misconception and I used to think the same thing. You can only see your abs at a certain bodyfat percentage (the amount may vary b/c everybody is different). I am not suggesting not training abs, because you should train them just like any other bodypart, but focusing on crunches is a waste of your time.

When you say you eat "healthy" you have to really understand how many calories you are taking in. People's "assumptions" are usually completely off. And yes, genetics like I said, are extremely important in getting a good body, however, for abs its practically the only thing anybody can accomplish if they want to. It just takes time and dedication and most aren't willing to wait it out.

If you want to take this further, let me know your goals and whether you plan to get a gym membership or not. If you are just about losing weight, you can do that and get abs, but I would suggest working out since you can look much better overall imo.

Anyways, just let me know if that helps and if you want more info. Really, if you are serious I'm glad to help. Like I said, I'm not a personal trainer and I don't have the greatest body either, but in two years I look MUCH better than I did two years ago. If you want send me what you look like, yes without a shirt if you feel comfortable and I can send you a pic of what I looked like two years ago. "_



_Feel free to disagree, just trying to help anyone who is interested in losing weight. It worked for me. _


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## Drewsy (Sep 23, 2010)

Wow! Great advice!!


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

First pic is of after 2 and 1/2 months of doing boxing, but this is before lifting..I looked even worse before doing boxing..at least boxing made me cut "some" weight...:



This is believe it or not, after a year or so of lifting and "bulking," which is stupid and I actually did it twice lol...so yeah I got to this fat twice, and had to diet and do cardio to get rid of it..it sucked:



And lastly..man tits!:


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Those aren't even the worst pics..I have one before I even did boxing, where I looked wayyy worse than the first pic..and also, I've been fatter than those last two...I'm pretty sure I was up to 158...and those pics I was prob in the low 150s

I'm sorry for disgusting you..but this is just proof that you can lose the weight...twice! haha


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## Johnny_Genome (Nov 11, 2003)

Good advice -- there are a lot of misconceptions about weight loss and body fat. The reality is most people eat (and drink) way more calories than they think they do. Tracking calories for a week is a real eye opener and can also lead to good habits. I had to also change my relationship with food as far as it being a tool for depression and boredom.


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## FireSoks (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks for having the guts to post those pics. It's not that bad, and certainly gives me hope!


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

http://img198.imageshack.us/i/dsc03699d.jpg/

one from a couple months ago where I actually got my whole back:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

Last pic..I'm angled weird so it looks like I'm extremely anorexic, but I'm not lol


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

RooBear said:


> Thanks for having the guts to post those pics. It's not that bad, and certainly gives me hope!


anytime..I'm glad it give you hope lol


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

Johnny_Genome said:


> Good advice -- there are a lot of misconceptions about weight loss and body fat. The reality is most people eat (and drink) way more calories than they think they do. Tracking calories for a week is a real eye opener and can also lead to good habits. I had to also change my relationship with food as far as it being a tool for depression and boredom.


Exactly right. If you asked people what they thought they consumed calorie-wise in a day, they'd probably be wayyy off.


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## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

rockguitarist89 said:


> last two...I'm pretty sure I was up to 158...and those pics I was prob in the low 150s
> 
> I'm sorry for disgusting you..but this is just proof that you can lose the weight...twice! haha


158? How tall are you? That doesn't seem that heavy.


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

wjc75225 said:


> 158? How tall are you? That doesn't seem that heavy.


Only 5' 6 1/2...and I'm only in the 130's now...I have never, and never will weigh much...trust me 158 for me is biggg


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## rockguitarist89 (Sep 22, 2010)

peachclouds said:


> yumm


om nom nom nom nom


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## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

rockguitarist89 said:


> Only 5' 6 1/2...and I'm only in the 130's now...I have never, and never will weigh much...trust me 158 for me is biggg


Ah ok because my goal right now is 170. I'm 150 right now, but I'm 5'11". I used to weigh 135, so you could imagine how happy I was to get to 150. I pretty much have the same body fat %, so it was mainly muscle.


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