12 Weeks Are Done!!!!

[dankelt]

Wow, I can't believe it's over! Now the hard part... Keeping it up!

Well, here are the first few sets of "after" pics. The lighting is a bit off, but I'm not a professional photographer. We finally had a hot day up here in MN and I forgot to turn the AC on so I'm a little sweaty in a few of the pics!

Anyway, I'll stop rambling... I guess I do that when I'm nervous. Call me crazy but I hate showing pictures of myself in my undies!

Here they are: BFL_After pictures by dkeltgen - Photobucket

[Dbtblades]

Holy crap dude!! You had an amazing transformation!!! Great JOB!!

[Lupat]

All I have to say is... wow! That's an amazing transformation. I'm definitely impressed. You're a source of inspiration to everyone. Awesome job~!

One quick question. Previously you mentioned that you kind of plateaued at week 8. Did you notice a big difference from your week 8 to week 12?

Also, what % body fat are you at? Looks like you are negative body fat from your photos

[Alleecat]

Ya look like a hollywood star!

[dankelt]

Originally Posted by Lupat

One quick question. Previously you mentioned that you kind of plateaued at week 8. Did you notice a big difference from your week 8 to week 12?

Also, what % body fat are you at? Looks like you are negative body fat from your photos

At week 10 I changed up my diet and exercise a bit and that seemed to help. As far as exercise went I just mixed up some different positions/movements when lifting. I also added a couple lower intensity 1-hour cardio sessions on the elliptical. As for the diet I reduced my carbs to mostly just veggies and a few starches and pulled my total daily calories down to around 1700-1800. I then pigged out on carbs on my free day!

I used two different methods to measure body-fat (both using calipers) and one method said around 8% and the other said 6%... So I'll split the difference and say 7%.

I'm still having a hard time believing that is me in the pictures. I don't think I've stopped smiling for two days now

-Dan

[TheExtraMile]

Dan...no words, you look incredible! The smile in the pictures tells half the story, the hunk in the photo can tell us the other half..lol. What an amazing achievement, well done well done well done!! : )

[teechah]

Oh my gosh! You look awesome. You looked great before, but, man--you got great results. Fantastic!

No need for you to be embarrassed AT ALL about being in your underwear...you could be an underwear MODEL with that body.

Nice.

[VeteranMom]

You worked hard and it's evident!

[imsore]

That is awesome... I can only hope I come that close!

[Barbiegetsfit]

Holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I second the undies model!! You should be very proud of yourself.. WOW!!!!!

[jayme]

Great Job!!!!! All I have to say is INCREDIBLE!!!! I would be smiling for weeks!!!!

[BennyB]

Wow, what awesome results! Keep up the good work man! You are an inspiration to everyone!!

[jamesgarcia]

Wow that is one hot transformation.

Could you give us a sample of your meal plan and any supplements you may have taken?

[anewleaf]

Congratulaitons on your achievment!!! I am sure you will have no trouble keeping it up. Great pics by the way.

I have read many of your posts and find them informative. I am just going into week 9 of the program and have placed myself in the catergory of "Lean and toned".

I am feeling stronger on the inside and my weights have been increasing little by little however, I am seeing smaller than expected results on the outside. Some of the info I have read states that either week 8 or week 9 is the miracle week for the majority of women....am I being too impatient?

I am following the workout and eating parts of the program almost 100%....some days I am just not hungry!!! This past weekend we were away and I cheated a little....okay....cheated a lot and felt pretty crappy for doing it.

On my weight days I do creatine pre workout and then creatine and protein post workout. I also do a shake prior to going to bed. On cardio days I do my cardio first thing in the morning....never thought I would be up at 6am running on the treadmill. I do creatine and protein post cardio. I manage to eat at least 5 times a day (I find 6 a day too much sometimes) and only substitute with a Myoplex Carb Control bar if I find myself running around and not able to make it home for food.

I am 40, 5' 10.5" tall and weigh 160lbs, body fat estimated at 28.7%.

Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated.

A New Leaf.

PS. Does alcohol have negative effects on training?

[dankelt]

Originally Posted by jamesgarcia

Wow that is one hot transformation.

Could you give us a sample of your meal plan and any supplements you may have taken?

You can download a spreadsheet of everything I ate here: http://www.ipwookiee.com/BFL_Diet.xls

All of the cheeses I ate were "fat-free" and all of the breads where whole grain. Typically when making a sandwich I would use only a single slice of bread. The exception were the 45 calorie Sara Lee slices I found. I only ever had egg-whites, never the yokes. Actually I just used "egg beaters" which are very handy. When frying the eggs I put one drop of olive oil on the pan, spread it by hand and then lightly wiped the pan with a paper towel (yeah, maybe a little overboard, but it's the little things that will get you!)
Any time I ate out I always asked how the food was prepared. I always asked for flame grilled/broiled or baked meats. Same goes with veggies, just steamed with nothing added. Restaurants are HORRIBLE with adding all kinds of fats and sugars to make everything taste "good". If you have any other questions about my diet let me know.

As for supplements I used the following:

Pre-weightlifting (30-40 minutes before workout):

• L-Glutamine (5g)
• BCAA (5g)
• Kre-Alkalyn (.75g)

Post-weightlifting (within 20 minutes of workout):

• L-Glutamine (5g)
• Whey Protein Isolate (30-40g)
• Kre-Alkalyn (.75g)

Pre-cardio (15-30 minutes before workout):

• BCAA (5g)
• Did cardio first thing in the AM on empty stomach

Post-cardio (15-30 minutes after workout):

• BCAA (5g)
• Didn't eat for at least 1 hour after workout

Daily with meal(s):

• Fish Oil (3-5g)
• Beta-Alanine (3.2g)
• Multi-vitamin

The Kre-Alkalyn and Beta-Alanine should be used in 4-week cycles. So, 4 weeks of using them, 4 weeks off and then 4 weeks of using them.


HTH
-Dan

[dankelt]

Originally Posted by anewleaf

Congratulaitons on your achievment!!! I am sure you will have no trouble keeping it up. Great pics by the way.

I have read many of your posts and find them informative. I am just going into week 9 of the program and have placed myself in the catergory of "Lean and toned".

I am feeling stronger on the inside and my weights have been increasing little by little however, I am seeing smaller than expected results on the outside. Some of the info I have read states that either week 8 or week 9 is the miracle week for the majority of women....am I being too impatient?

I am following the workout and eating parts of the program almost 100%....some days I am just not hungry!!! This past weekend we were away and I cheated a little....okay....cheated a lot and felt pretty crappy for doing it.

On my weight days I do creatine pre workout and then creatine and protein post workout. I also do a shake prior to going to bed. On cardio days I do my cardio first thing in the morning....never thought I would be up at 6am running on the treadmill. I do creatine and protein post cardio. I manage to eat at least 5 times a day (I find 6 a day too much sometimes) and only substitute with a Myoplex Carb Control bar if I find myself running around and not able to make it home for food.

I am 40, 5' 10.5" tall and weigh 160lbs, body fat estimated at 28.7%.

Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated.

A New Leaf.

PS. Does alcohol have negative effects on training?

I appreciate the kind words, thank you!

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know squat when it comes to women (in so many ways )
What works for me may or may not work for you or anyone else, but I really think the biggest deal killer is the diet. The smallest cheats or mistakes can really add up, so that's the first place I would take a closer look. As far as your protein shakes go I would suggest something else before bed. Perhaps some cottage cheese and/or a small portion of lean meat. These proteins digest slower and will stay with you all night. I would also not bother with the creatine and protein after your cardio. As you may have noticed in my previous post I only do 5 grams of BCAA before and 5 grams after my cardio. I'll warn you, the BCAAs are pretty nasty tasting. There are some flavored drinks out there, but I'm guessing they have sugars and other stuff in them. I use just 100% BCAA. I take a heaping teaspoon dump it in my mouth and wash it down with a glass of water. It really sucks the first few times but you get used to it.

Yes, alcohol does have an effect. It can lower your metabolism which will obviously slow fat loss. I believe it can also slow down protein synthesis, which will affect muscle growth, but don't quote me, I'm not 100% sure on that. Alcohol is also a macro-nutrient just like carbohydrates, proteins and fats which means it contains calories. Those calories will (like most calories) turn to fat if you don't burn them.

-Dan

[yetiamchosen]

Bravo, Dan.

[anewleaf]

Originally Posted by dankelt

I appreciate the kind words, thank you!

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know squat when it comes to women (in so many ways )
What works for me may or may not work for you or anyone else, but I really think the biggest deal killer is the diet. The smallest cheats or mistakes can really add up, so that's the first place I would take a closer look. As far as your protein shakes go I would suggest something else before bed. Perhaps some cottage cheese and/or a small portion of lean meat. These proteins digest slower and will stay with you all night. I would also not bother with the creatine and protein after your cardio. As you may have noticed in my previous post I only do 5 grams of BCAA before and 5 grams after my cardio. I'll warn you, the BCAAs are pretty nasty tasting. There are some flavored drinks out there, but I'm guessing they have sugars and other stuff in them. I use just 100% BCAA. I take a heaping teaspoon dump it in my mouth and wash it down with a glass of water. It really sucks the first few times but you get used to it.

Yes, alcohol does have an effect. It can lower your metabolism which will obviously slow fat loss. I believe it can also slow down protein synthesis, which will affect muscle growth, but don't quote me, I'm not 100% sure on that. Alcohol is also a macro-nutrient just like carbohydrates, proteins and fats which means it contains calories. Those calories will (like most calories) turn to fat if you don't burn them.

-Dan

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the info and sorry about the delay in reposonding I was away on holiday.

Not only was it tough on the workout part of the programme but turned out to be quite the challenge "Diet" wise!! Having said that I did manage to make up a few workouts that I missed and jumped right back into making sure I ate properly and on time. At week 11 I am noticing more changes....clothes are a little looser and muscle definition is really starting to show. I was already a healthy person so perhaps that is why it has taken a little longer for the results to show.

Can you recommend a good tanning cream for my after photo's as I really don't want to do the fake and bake thing.

Cheers, Julia.

[dankelt]

Originally Posted by anewleaf

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the info and sorry about the delay in reposonding I was away on holiday.

Not only was it tough on the workout part of the programme but turned out to be quite the challenge "Diet" wise!! Having said that I did manage to make up a few workouts that I missed and jumped right back into making sure I ate properly and on time. At week 11 I am noticing more changes....clothes are a little looser and muscle definition is really starting to show. I was already a healthy person so perhaps that is why it has taken a little longer for the results to show.

Can you recommend a good tanning cream for my after photo's as I really don't want to do the fake and bake thing.

Cheers, Julia.

No worries! Hope you had a good vacation! Glad to hear things are taking shape! I've never used a cream, I just got my tan from being outside over the summer. If I were to use a tanning cream I would use protan. It seems to be what almost all the fitness competition and bodybuilders use out there. Here is their website: Pro Tan Competition Tanning Products - Sunless tanning Instant tan pro tan lotion instant fitness figure bodybuilding

-Dan

[anewleaf]

Originally Posted by dankelt

No worries! Hope you had a good vacation! Glad to hear things are taking shape! I've never used a cream, I just got my tan from being outside over the summer. If I were to use a tanning cream I would use protan. It seems to be what almost all the fitness competition and bodybuilders use out there. Here is their website: Pro Tan Competition Tanning Products - Sunless tanning Instant tan pro tan lotion instant fitness figure bodybuilding

-Dan

Again, thank you for the info. Yes we had a great vacation, now it's back to the daily grind....but it is what you make it.

Cheers, Julia.