A little over four years ago my transformation began. I was a 6’2”, 230 lb. 26 year old leading an unhealthy lifestyle. It was at this point I decided to change my life. My wife and I joined gyms which eventually lead to hiring a personal trainer and for the first time in years, I had started to feel healthy. That came crashing down when I tore my Patellar Tendon in my knee. This injury left me unable to squat, lunge, sprint, kneel, or even walk properly.
Two and a half years and two surgeries later, I discovered Craig and TT while reading the Men’s Health blogs online. What attracted me to TT was the fact that I didn’t have to do the long, boring cardio. This was mainly because I wasn’t quite able to run yet. I started out by doing upper body/core supersets with minimal legs due to my knee problem.
In 2012, my knee continued to progress and I started buying different TT programs. I enjoy the TT workouts because I’m not in the gym for hours at a time and can still get a tremendous workout. I was able to get my weight down to 192 early last summers but my eating habits declined this fall and l began to fall off by the winter. By the time this Contest started I had found my way back to 200. That’s when I decided to give it a try to strip this fat off by spring.
Diet:
During the last 4 years, I have tried different diets that work at first but were not sustainable or enjoyable. I do believe everyone is different so this is what worked for me. The main points I followed were to eat lean protein, stay away from fried food, try to stay away from man-made carbs, and cut my diet coke intake. I also logged every single thing I ate. There aren’t too many people who like to eat out and eat junk more than me so I had my “cheat meals” during the weekends. The key is to limit your cheat meal so you aren’t using the whole next week making up for the damage you caused yourself. For instance, if I had unhealthy entrée, my side dish would be green beans or something else that wouldn’t compound bad with bad. At least I tried to do that most the time. There are still many things I can improve upon. The Diet is more important than most people realize. If you can control your diet and give TT an honest effort, the fat will come off. I promise.
Programs used:
TT2K4
TT for Reformed Meatheads
TT for Jacked and Lean Meatheads – did one week and my knee isn’t quite ready for the amount of reps required.
TT Meatheads 9: Spring Training
All programs were great . I enjoy the meathead style workouts because I can lose the weight and still get stronger. That’s what happened during these 12 weeks. With my diet under control and these TT programs, I was able to lose 12 lbs. and make strength gains all over my body. I was unable to measure my body fat % accurately so I didn’t put a number on it. I would bet most of my 12 lbs. lost was fat due to the fact that I didn’t lose any strength and gained in most areas.
Before Measurements:
Weight: 200lbs
Chest: 42.5”
Bi’s: 15”
Bi’s Flexed: 16”
Waist: 37”
After Measurements:
Weight: 188lbs
Chest: 41”
Bi’s: 14.5”
Bi’s Flexed: 15.5”
Waist: 34”
Difference:
Weight: -12 lbs.
Chest: -1.5”
Bi’s: -.5”
Bi’s Flexed: -.5”
Waist: -3”
Thanks Craig for opening my eyes to TT and what I feel is the most effective way to burn fat.
