The Beast Lab

Dan and Jenn What are we doing in the Lab? We're looking for A Cure for Weakness. Want to support the Beast Lab? Why not buy a shirt or a wristband?

[thebeastlab]

So... It turns out that I'm a drug user.

According to Internet trolls, that's the only possible way that I could gain muscle mass and strength while on a diet to cut fat. I mean, conventional wisdom says the only way to get stronger and build muscle is to be in a caloric surplus, right? There's no other way!

Therefore, for my legs, arms, shoulders, and back to have grown like they have over the past 7 months while also dropping 20-30 pounds, the only logical, valid conclusion is that I'm on a slew of drugs.

And it sure doesn't help my case when posts from Greg Nuckols (http://www.strengtheory.com/your-drug-free-muscle-and-strength-potential-part-1/) and this article on Men's Health (http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/signs-steroid-use) pretty much say that there's no possible way that I could have the level of fat-free mass that I do without drugs. According to Harrison Pope's research and all the graphs and tables on Greg's site, for me to have an FFMI of 29.8 like I do, I *HAVE* to be on drugs. Period. End of story.

Here's the truth of the matter: I *am* taking something. I am on low-dose HRT. *gasp* the horror!

And after just over a year on HRT where I averaged about 200mg of testosterone cypionate per week, my total testosterone levels are a hair over 500 ng/dl. Want to know what age range that's considered average? 65 to 74 year olds. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, bumping my testosterone up from right around 300 ng/dl to just over 500 ng/dl has given me an unfair advantage and pretty much means that it's impossible for average mortals not on drugs to experience my same results. FYI, that 300 ng/dl is the average level for those in the 85 to 100 year range. (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/01/16/normal-testosterone-levels/)

According to a couple of articles/interviews I've seen from pro bodybuilders, the lower end of the testosterone usage for many pros is around 1200 mg/week... about 5-6 times what I take. AND they take many other supplements too: tren, dbol, var, winstrol, and lots of other shit I've never heard of. Then again, until I started writing this, I'd only ever heard of tren, dbol, and anavar because of two people I know that have take one or more of those.

[thebeastlab]

Kneequads

Sometimes bulletproofjenn will complain about her "kneequads" being sore. She says it so often, in fact, that I figured I should make a post... She means to say that her vastus medialis and vastus lateralis are sore... Just easier to say her kneequads because it's kind of accurate right? Saying that the "portions of her quadriceps muscle group near her knee are sore" is too much to type...

[dutchstore]

[thebeastlab]

How we do cardio in the Lab.

[thebeastlab]

Brute SPF Halloween Howl PL Meet

Wow, we suck at this whole updating the website thing... The previous post on this site was our March powerlifting meet. We should try to do better about that, but honestly, we prefer to be doing these things we do rather than writing about them. ;)

Anywho... On October 25th, Jenn and I participated in yet another powerlifting meet at Brute Strength Gym. And it was another hell of a meet thanks to the hardwork of Stella and her army of volunteers.

At the previous meet in March, neither of us felt particularly confident about our lifts. Jenn was struggling with her squat technique and bench press. I was just beginning the process of losing weight and did not feel good about my ability to lift heavy.

Going into this meet, again neither of us felt particularly confident, but mostly because we hadn't adequately prepared. We've been focused more on strongman, weightloss, and endurance and had not been working toward heavy singles in any of the three main lifts. On days when we did 85-95% work, it was stupid heavy and the weight really seemed to be crushing. We thought hard about actually skipping the meet yesterday.

But, the shirts are pretty slick and I wanted to be able to wear mine so we did the meet. FYI, if I sign up for a contest/race and get the shirt but then don't do the event, the shirt goes in the trash or rag bin. I will not wear a shirt for something I didn't do.

Overall, while our numbers weren't great, we are still happy with how we did. I had two true PRs (squat and deadlift) and one meet PR (bench). And Jenn had one meet PR (squat), did 1000x better on her squats at this meet, and, while the numbers don't show improvement, she says that the bench press felt better after working with Stella on her technique.

Dan

March:      weight: 303.3      squat: 505x/505/535      bench: 270/290x/290*      deadlift: 565/605(5)/615x

October:      weight: 300.0      squat: 505/540(5)/575x      bench: 275/290/305x      deadlift: 575/615/625x

Jenn

March:      weight: 213.8      squat: 165/175x/175      bench: 105/115x/115x      deadlift: 265/280/300x

October:      weight: 204.5      squat: 175/195*/205 (* spotter was worried that Jenn was falling forward and "caught" her too soon.)      bench: 105/115x/115x      deadlift: 275/300x/300x

[thebeastlab]

Brute SPF Shamrock PL Meet

Today, Jenn and I participated in our third powerlifting meet together. As always, the staff and volunteers at Brute Strength Gym put on an amazing event.

Going in to the meet, I wasn't feeling particularly confident. I've been trying to lean out and have lost 20 to 25 pounds over the past three months... And that usually equates to a loss of maximal strength. With that in mind, my goals for the day were just to match my maxes from my previous meet, the Brute SPF Halloween Howl back in October 2013.

I opened each lift with what should be a three rep max for me. So it was a bit of a blow to fail my squat opener of 505 lbs. But I recovered and it hit it on my second attempt and matched my previous max of 535 lbs on my third attempt. Given that I was 15 pounds lighter, I'll take it.

Hit my bench opener of 270 lbs but missed my second at 290 lbs. Tried the same weight again for my third and got it for a 5 lbs PR... But I jumped the "rack" command and it was "no lift" for the meet.

On to deadlift... My warm-up sets were heavy and I was worried, but I hit my 565 lbs opener pretty easy. Went for 605 lbs, a 5 lbs PR, on my second lift and hit it pretty easy. Missed my third attempt at 615 lbs, but still happy with my lifts.

Placed second of three in the 308 weight class with an official meet total of 1410--10 lbs less than last meet, but that's only because of my no lift third bench. If I had waited a split second for the "rack" command, I would've totaled 1430.

[thebeastlab]

Brute SPF Halloween Howl 2013

It was nice to have a friend out at Brute Strength Gym to cheer us on and watch the kids while we warmed up and lifted. Thanks, Kris!

Dan’s Goals

PR every lift.

Improve my meet total by 100 lbs.

Jenn’s Goals

Every attempt resulting in a good lift.

PR bench with at least 100 lbs.

Pull big on the deadlift.

Dan

I had planned to do this meet back in 2011 but couldn’t take part. But yesterday more than made up for missing it in 2011.

Squat

April 2013 Meet PR: 450

July 2013 Gym PR: 505

Attempt 1: 475

Attempt 2: 505

Attempt 3: 535

Bench

April 2013 Meet PR: 255

July 2013 Gym PR: 255 for 3 reps

Attempt 1: 255

Attempt 2: 270

Attempt 3: 285

Deadlift

April 2013 Meet PR: 515

August 2013 Gym PR: 535 for 3 reps

Attempt 1: 535

Attempt 2: 565

Attempt 3: 600

TOTAL: 1420 (200 lbs PR, placed 3rd of 4 in the 308 weight class)

Jenn

Squat

April 2013 Meet PR: 140

July 2013 Gym PR: 165

Attempt 1: 165 (fail)

Attempt 2: 165 (fail depth)

Attempt 3: 165

Bench

April 2013 Meet PR: 85

August 2013 Gym PR: 100

Attempt 1: 95

Attempt 2: 105

Attempt 3: 110 (fail)

Deadlift

April 2013 Meet PR: 225

September 2013 Gym PR: 255

Attempt 1: 240

Attempt 2: 255

Attempt 3: 280 (fail But the lift looked perfect! We do not know why it was red lit.)

TOTAL: 550 (100 lbs PR, 2nd of 2 in the 198+ weight class)

We’d both like to thank Marshall White for working with us and providing the awesome programming that’s helped us make these huge improvements. We look forward to seeing what else we can accomplish with his guidance. If you want to get the hook up, email Sweet Dub and get on it! [email protected]

[thebeastlab]

Progress Pics

In April 2013, we took photos before beginning our strongman training. 16 weeks later we started following Marshall's nutritional advice. Now, 3 weeks after that, we finally took another round of progress pics. Here are mine. In the left photos, I weighed 291.7 pounds. In the right photos, I weigh 314.3 pounds. So, as you look at these, keep in mind that I've gained 22.6 pounds.

Yeah, I'm a bit wider, but check out my lats and traps... They are both larger and more defined in the right photo.

[thebeastlab]

The Scale Doesn't Really Matter

Dan and I have been working with Marshall for a while now, and we decided to step up our game and add nutrition updating to the mix. So, we took progress pics yesterday. 

I'll be honest, I was not expecting good progress. I knew I was up because of my clothes, but I wasn't prepared to actually look better now than I did then. 

I haven't known what I weigh since April when we had our powerlifting meet. At that time I was 191. I was ok with it but then I started getting caught up in the number, so I had Dan track for me. Well, decided today that I was ready to know my weight. And that I didn't really care what it was. I need to know in October anyway for my weight class. 

So, results? In April, I weighed 191. Yesterday, I weighed 205. 

I've also been estimating when I asked Dan how I was doing that I weighed 195. 

Last time I weighed 195, I looked like this:

I know this is me in clothes, but it's obvious to me that I have less fat now and more muscle than I did then, at the same weight. 

[thebeastlab]

DIY Equipment: Fat Bar (Axle)

This is one of the easiest pieces of strength equipment to DIY. All you need is a 7 foot length of 1.5" schedule 80 pipe... You can even use surplus (ie, rusty) pipe.

If you have access to a welder, a 1" section of 2" schedule 80 cut into two 0.5" pieces completes the fat bar. If you don't have a welder, you can use some hose clamps instead. Just weld the 2" pipe (or tighten the hose clamps) about 15.5" from each end of the 1.5" pipe.

The completed bar ends up weighing about 25 pounds.

Only issue: spring clips and collars designed for standard Olympic sized barbells will not work on the fat bar due to a smaller diameter. You have a few options:

Buy collars that are designed to fit (eg, Rogue's Proloc or HG collars) for about $40 per pair.

Use some heavy duty spring clamps from a hardware store.

Make your own collars:

Cut 2" sections of 2" schedule 80.

Obtain an eye bolt for each collar section.

Drill an appropriate sized hole through one side of each section.

Tap (thread) each hole to match the eye bolts.

Here is our fat bar alongside our barbell. It's all rusty because it's surplus pipe and hasn't been cleaned up and painted yet.

Here's our fat bar painted black between the plate stops. The glossy red sections are our diy collars.

Our fat bar being used to move weight.

[thebeastlab]

Dan's First Strongman Meet

I had looked at but dismissed this meet back in May before going to the strongman seminar in Connecticut in June. While at the seminar, I decided that I would give the meet a go so I signed up!

Marshall programmed the month leading up to the meet to be as close as we could get to the actual implements (not very close due to limited equipment, but we tried). After the month, I was feeling good, but was still worried about some of the implements.

The week leading up to the meet, I was nervous as all get out... And I'm never nervous before a race/meet/event so it was weird for me. But I ate and slept well the days before the meet so that was awesome.

Went in after work on Friday to weigh in. The fella doing the weighing asked, "are you over 200?" I just laughed and said, "bud, I'm over 300." "You sure?" "Uh, yeah, I'm sure." Sure enough, I weighed in at 318 pounds. I chuckled to myself... am I sure? Dude, look at me!!!

Woke up earlier than we needed to on Saturday to pack things up and get dinner (slow cooker pot roast) prepped so it'd be ready for after the meet. Milled around the house drinking coffee and gatorade for a bit.

Once we got to Brute, I was nervous but ready to go. Ready to go pee that is... Marshall has had us drinking more water than is normal for us, so I was peeing quite often at the meet.

Rules meeting at 10:00... They just read from the contest flyer, but there were some Q&As that were helpful. Then off to warm-up... My warm-up consisted of peeing once more before the first event at 11:00.

First event, 180 lbs log press. I knew I'd get a few reps, but wasn't counting on too many. Ended up with 9 reps. I feel that if I'd had my Oly shoes on, I might've gotten another rep or three, but I'm happy with what I got.

Second event, 800 lbs 80' chain drag. I was worried about this one because my only practice had been 300 lbs prowler/sled drags on asphalt. I knew that inside on the slicker surface things would be easier, but I didn't have any idea how much easier. Two words: lots easier! Pulled that bitch the full distance in less then 30 seconds.

At this point, I am in second place and three points out of first. Third place is two points behind me.

Third event, deadlift-press medley. This was four implements for time: 450 lbs frame deadlift, 185 lbs axle press, 450 lbs truck tire deadlift, 180 lbs keg press. I was only concerned about the keg... the other implements I knew I'd have no problem with. My only issue before the keg was I forgot to use mixed grip on the truck tire... switched to mixed and it came up easy. The keg, however... I hate the keg. I had never pressed one before and I didn't have the technique for it. No lift on the keg.

Missing the keg press has me tied for third... half a point out of second. I might still get third!

Fourth event, 600 lbs 60' sitting arm-over-arm-pull. I had never done an arm-over-arm-pull either and it showed. My forearms were already sore after fighting the keg, but they were destroyed after this event. I only got the chain about 30' before losing my grip and running out of time. Not exactly happy with how I did here, but did better than I thought I'd do.

I'm firmly in fourth place at this point and 3.5 points behind third place. Ugh!

Fifth and final event, 500 lbs car frame deadlift (using a tire loaded to the front of the frame). Before the meet, I was excited for this event. After the arm-over-arm-pull, I was worried about it... my left forearm was wrecked and I had almost no grip strength left. Luckily, straps were allowed. I chalked my hands and my straps well, strapped in, and started pulling... and pulling... and pulling. I ended up pulling 20 reps. Around rep 16 or 17 I noticed that I was gorilla gripping the frame with my left hand... ie, I was holding it with just my fingertips. If I hadn't chalked the strap itself, I would not've been able to hold the grip.

See how my grip is stretched out? Yeah, I have no idea how I held that for the last few reps.

Now to await the award ceremony, Even if I won the final event, I wasn't sure if it would be enough to place. And as near as I could tell, I did win the event.

Third place, Frank Been... he was third place going into the deadlift event. Oh well, fourth is ok for a first meet.

Second place, Dan Davis... WTF? Sweet!

Overall, very happy with how this meet went and how I placed. I'll keep working with Marshall and getting stronger. Jenn and I plan to join Brute to get access to much of the equipment that we don't have already in the Beast Lab.

[thebeastlab]

Y'all need to have a Paypal donation button so folks can help get you gear.

Really? People want to donate? Well, I added a button... Worst that happens is nothing.

[thebeastlab]

Jenn's Recap of the Lift Big Eat Big Seminar

Hosted by Matt Mills of Lightning Fitness in South Windsor, CT Day 1

I was excited that we started with Deadlifts! And I lucked out that Brandon was hanging out right next to where I was working so I got my form corrected as I went. There's nothing like having a coach right by you to move you and have you shift as you need to. Instant feedback is awesome! I moved my feet in. And in. And toes out and shoulders relaxed. And my butt slightly higher. But hey, that shit works because I got a 40 pound PR to end at a 265 lb deadlift!

Then was tire flipping time. I've flipped a small tire before, about 3 years ago at crossfit, but never in the way the guys wanted us to do. I'm not very comfortable with new stuff, so it took a few tries and stepping away and a LOT of cheering and encouragement from the other attendees to move that tire! It also didn't help that the smallest (350lb I think?) was VERY low to the ground and we had to use our shoulders. Not easy with long legs. But I got one in and I was happy! 

After lunch, was log clean and press. Another new thing that threw me for a loop. I'm not a good low ass to grass squatter, so having to lap something and hang out in the bottom of a squat was not my favorite. In fact, I super struggled and even lost it a little. I had a moment, but it passed and I finally got up 85 lbs.

Then we got to do continental cleans! With an axle. I love cleans, so I was excited for these. I knocked the air out of my chest cleaning 105 lbs, but I racked it AND got it overhead! First time with 100 overhead!! 

Ended with front carries. I did the 150 lb keg and that was pretty fun. Learned I should actually be using a 200 lb sandbag in training because I was chatting and strolling with the 100 lb bag. (oops)

Day 2

Set some PRs like Dan, because of movements we haven't done before. 

Yoke was the first up! Was pretty excited about this. First go, I did 180 lbs. Then I struggled getting it the next time with 50 lbs added (230 lb) so I took a break and Marshall noticed the bar was too low. So we raised it and I surprised myself with 270 lbs!

Farmer's walk for 50 yards with 115 pounds in each hand. Need better grip!

And, lastly, Atlas Stones... Not a fan. Yet. Just got to have to comfortable hanging out in the bottom of a squat. I did the 95 lb stone twice. Second time was after a long wait. Looked better than the first time, but I just wasn't ready to try any heavier. I did learn that tacky is made of pine resin. Because I'm allergic to pine. And I got hives after. 

Super excited to get new equipment and really get into the programming! This seminar was just so wonderful. 

[thebeastlab]

New prowler sled! Doing sled pulls today and the kids can get a free ride!

[thebeastlab]

This was my first time snatching... ever. Ignore my belly flopping around. I know my form sucks, but feel free to comment on it anyway.

[thebeastlab]

Deadlifts using DIY Farmer's Carry Handles.

I meant to post this back when we did this, but just now remembered. We've been following a Lift Big Eat Big program for almost a month now. It has been amazing and we're really looking forward to the next four week plan.

[thebeastlab]

Jenn's Journey

Posted on PaleoDudes on May 31, 2011

I wrapped up a Paleo challenge today at my gym. It was my third 100% Paleo challenge. And today, for the first time ever I weigh what I did when I graduated high school almost 12 years ago.  I reached my goal weight in a year. But if you had told me a year and a month ago that this would have happened, I would have laughed in your face.

It’s been a year since I had the light bulb go off. The one that “clicked” in my head that I had to do something about my life and my body. I looked in the mirror one night while drying my daughter after her bath and didn’t recognize myself. How had I gotten this bad? Well, I know how, but still. I didn’t know that person. I was done. DONE. Done being fat. Done feeling like an embarrassment. Done telling myself that I’d lose weight some day. Done waiting for that day to come. Done being weak.

Then everything fell into place. I saw my reflection and click. I started weight watchers. I lost some weight. I started running on the treadmill. My friend Sara, a trainer, moved to town.  I finally “gave in” and tried Crossfit with her. I couldn’t do a single sit up or run more than 200 m, but I did it. I started Paleo. I joined a Crossfit gym. I never looked back. I got stronger. I got more confident. I got more savage.

Turns out Paleo worked really well for me because back in college I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant. I went to the doctor complaining about stomach issues and I had a battery of tests run, including a colonoscopy at age 21. I complained about being overweight and bloated and that the weight never fell off. Even after my diagnosis, I was told to “avoid greasy food”. I was never told to avoid gluten. If I had only known. I gained more than 40 pounds after that. I did not change my diet. I didn’t know to.

Thankfully, I found Paleo. I was hestitant of course, I didn’t want to give up bread or cheese. But I was despirate and miserable.  I was told that anyone can do anything for 30 days. So I did. I went all-out cold turkey. I lost 10 pounds that month and felt better than I remembered ever feeling. When the 30 days was done, I tried adding things back in and learned what my body could and could not process. Today I am content to maintain and eat 80/20.  I have lost 60 pounds. I have had non-weight related results as well. My skin cleared up and my contact prescription improved for the first time ever.

I didn’t ever take my measurements when I started, I was too ashamed of what they were. I still have the pictures though. I don’t even know who this person in the beginning pictures is any more. She’s gone, thankfully. I wouldn’t trade the experiences that got me here for anything but man, if I had Crossfit and Paleo 10 years ago, I can’t even image where I’d be! I am more confident about myself than I have ever been in my entire life thanks to the changes I made.

But I have so much more I want to accomplish.  Integrate more weightlifting into my workouts. Get an unassisted pull up. Do full push ups every time. Run further and more consistently! Eat less sneaky sugar. Have more muscle definition. String together 20 double unders (my max is 16). Have an over 200 lb deadlift (max is 185 right now). Go overhead, any way, with more than 100 lbs (max is 95). Maintain my weight.

But most of all I just want results.

Pictures don’t lie.

November 11, 2009

May 29, 2011

Updated on May 3, 2013

I'm updating my story in honor of my 3 year anniversary of lifting! I used to call this my "crossfitiversary", but since I don't crossfit anymore...well, I've decided to celebrate instead the first time I touched a barbell. I feel I have come a very long way here, and am incredibly grateful for having been introduced to both crossfit and paleo. However, they were just the stepping stones that got me to where I am today. 

Over the last year, I became more and more disillusioned with paleo and found myself getting further and further away from it. More "cheats", more "we will make up for it next week...back on the wagon!" The more I trained with Dan, the more I wanted to get stronger, and the more he showed me that the way I was eating was just not enough to support the strength I wanted. Now, don't get me wrong I am happy about parts of paleo, and that with it discovered celiacs in my family, helped friends discover the same and of course, super grateful that I met Dan (he was THE paleodan you know).

But, in the last year, I really went off the deep end of paleo. It made me neurotic...I was basically living off coffee, chicken breasts and sweet potatoes for most of late 2011/2012. I actually felt guilt for eating an apple. AN APPLE people. I ate less, so I was less hungry, so I ate less (repeat cycle). But in my head, I had worked so hard to get to 145 (the weight mentioned above) and feared ballooning up to the 225 (in that before pic above)...how could I possibly eat more and still stay happy?

Well, turns out you just eat. You just eat the food. For us, that means real food and no gluten. And you know what? You don't instantly go back to the beginning. You don't go straight to jail. You get to pass Go. Then you pick up heavier weights. And you RAWR about it!!! 

We had our first powerlifting meet last month. I was definitely the weakest lifter there. But I had a blast! And I weighed in at...181 GASP. I still wear the same size clothes as I did at 165 (except for my squat booty and thighs) and I'm likely even up more than that now. And I'm ok with that. Because I'm finally getting stronger. FINALLY. All this time I thought my lifts were suffering because of my form, when in fact, it was because I wasn't eating enough. 

I am over the moon excited to be training under Lift Big Eat Big. Hands down the best one month wedding anniversary gift I've ever gotten! We (yes Dan and I train together...it's so much fun) just finished our third week and I love every minute of it (except for the parts that I'm convinced Brandon is trying to kill us)!! 

So here's to progress and to the journey! Make sure you bring your rage face.

April 27, 2013

May 2, 2013 

[thebeastlab]

About Dan and Progress Images

These are two posts from back when I used to update my "Paleo Dan" blog. 

Posted: January 30, 2006 at 5:47 pm

I've been around since sometime in ’77, around July, I think. I joined up with a family that knew how to eat. Especially breads and desserts! Oh, yeah! We could pack ‘em away. I’m talking about a family size Duncan Hines brownie mix being polished off between two of us… and still putting away a plate or two of cookies.

I graduated high school at around 220 pounds… about the time that my metabolism decided to take a break. In my four or five years at college, thanks to my high paying part-time jobs and semester long full-time co-ops, I swelled to at least 285.

Upon graduation, and with my [first] wedding less than 3 months away, I began Atkins-ing with my soon-to-be-wife. I dropped quite a bit of weight before the wedding, coming in under 245 pounds prior to The Day. Unfortunately, week long stays at all inclusive resort hotels in the British Virgin Islands are not conducive to the proper implementation of the Atkins’ method. Needless to say, but I quickly fell off the wagon and got left in its dust.

Many months after being left on the side of the road by the Atkins’ Wagon, I was able to sneak up on it… quite an accomplishment considering that I was at least 300 pounds by this point! I was able to climb aboard for another few months of what I thought was proper eating. From January of whatever year that was until July of that same year, I was able to cut a fair amount of weight and probably got down to around 260. One small problem though. There are three birthday’s in July within 2 weeks of each other. That makes for one hell of a celebration. And, do you remember what I said above about my family? Well, we did it again. And the wagon left me behind for good this time.

Oh sure, a few times I thought that I had caught up. But, it was just toying with me. Slowing down just enough to get my hopes up only to speed away again. In November 2004, I was over 320 pounds… probably close to 330 but my scale wasn’t having any luck telling me for sure. This time was my last stab at Atkins. It went pretty well for a couple months (holidays are not the time to try Atkins). I was able to get down to around 280 before I threw in the towel.

Then, on July 1st of 2005, at about 305 pounds, I decided to give the paleo diet a try. I had read Ray Audette’s NeanderThin and parts of Loren Cordain’s The Paleo Diet at some point along the way and had tried to follow it… for about a week. (The manliness of diet – eating what I could eat in the wild with nothing but a knife – was appealing, but, ultimately, too hard to stick with.) This time would be different.

At first, it was no different than Atkins, but less strict with the fruits and vegetables. But then, as the weight started coming off, I started to go more and more strict. At first I cut way back on the salt. Then the sodas. Then dairy and most processed meats (a stick of pepperoni being a remaining vice).

From July 1st through August 1st, I lost 30 pounds. By September 1st, I was down almost 50 pounds! On September 26th, at 243 pounds, I had a fasting blood test. My HDL cholesterol was 43 and my LDL was 109. That’s a total cholesterol to HDL ratio of 3.8. And, my triglycerides were at 51. Pretty good, from what I understood of western medicine.

On January 1st, 2006, six months after beginning a version of the paleo diet, I was down 85 pounds to 220!

The weight continues to come off, albeit, much more slowly these days. Today, January 30th, 2006, I am weighing at 212 pounds. I am down from a size 48 to size 36 pant. And XL shirts fit me just fine.

Posted: January 16, 2010 at 9:20 am

Jan 16, 2010 @ 247.8 lbs

Nov 18, 2009 @ 260.4 lbs

Sep 21, 2009 @ 273.2 lbs

Aug 18, 2009 @ 287.5 lbs

Oct 11, 2004 @ ~315 lbs

Posted: April 30, 2013 at 3:55 pm

On March 23rd, as I was prepping for my first powerlifting meet, I got down to 277.0 pounds.

I started "Eating the Food" on April 5th at 288.5 pounds.

Today I weighed in at 290.5 pounds... I'm down 8.3 pounds from a short-term high weight due to some Chinese food this past weekend...

Through all the ups and downs, my pants and shirts continue to fit well enough. Oddly, though, my shirts seem to fit better than they did when I was 277... Body comp for the win!