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Well... I have had to make a big mental shift from 50kgs/10months worth of calorie restrictions to actually learning to fuel my body... but I think day by day I’m getting there... This is what sitting on my but feeling sorry for myself due to my diagnosis vs weight training 6-7 times a week and football/high intensity cardio 2 times a week looks like ... Freaking out the scales are going up a tad (yes I know why but it’s still scary after focusing on numbers going down for so long). Gaining 2kgs in 2 months but losing a whole clothing size again makes me feel okay about it.... still a bit shift and something my mindset is changing into... fuelling my body instead of feeding it. But onwards and upwards. Footy is amazing also... absolutely loving it and can feel my cardio and fitness getting better every week so fast... also enjoy the game much more than I realised and happen to be half decent at it (transferable skills from basketball I think), so that helps

So this is an interesting one Stripes. I’ve been asked by a ton of people if I’d consider coaching them/giving advice/making videos etc of tips and help for people... I considered doing a Chanel of some description to help people, dispel myths, work on achievable goals etc etc and share my general experience... because losing 50kgs and changing your lifestyle and mindset is NOT the same as losing 10-15 or yo yo-ing or fad diets etc the list goes on... and more importantly... being consistent and accepting/making these habits a part of your life long term is something of the upmost importance rather than the weight loss itself IMO! Do that and the weight will go by itself. To a degree what puff is saying has merit, but also is the same as telling someone with depression to just snap out of it. obesity is a disease and has many contributing factors. How do we get fat? Being in a calorie surplus. How do we get in that calorie surplus? By eating more and moving less? Why did that happen?.... and there it is.... the answer is gonna be different for everyone and therefore the solution is going to be different for everyone!!! I don’t just mean physical reasons either, most are associated with a disorder or dysfunctional relationship around food to some capacity. Some are related to underlying health issues people aren’t aware they have (usually despite people’s eagerness to use this as an excuse it’s actually not, but more of a reason someone might feel more fatigued or be challenged by their illness to stay in a sub optimal nutrition status). Some are related to habits and environment. Some are related to emotional trauma or mental health issues which manifest as a food dysfunction/lack of motivation or ability to exercise. To be honest the advice I’d offer everyone would be different based on their own circumstances... but if I had to give you one hot tip/list of steps ... it would be this... 1. Go to the doctors (if you haven’t already, and get a FULL physical including all blood and levels, thyroid, etc.). Assuming that’s fine or you address any issues then move onto the next step. 2. Do not change a single thing but track what goes in your mouth... INCLUDING CALORIES WE DONT LIKE TO COUNT OR FORGET TO COUNT!!! I can elaborate on that one for hours!!! Being honest, real and thorough is of the upmost importance with this! 3. Work out your BMR and establish how much of a surplus you’re in currently (or maintenance etc) and work out why... is it times of day where you binge.. is it situational (work, weekends, events, etc) ... is it holistic (just all over making bad choices or eating too much volume) or random... and have a really good think about why that is. Why are you treating food in that capacity... may be as simple as an addiction to sugar (you see in tracking your diet is sugar heavy etc) or may be that you have a depression trigger which causes you to eat etc. ... either way figure out where your triggers are or what the catalyst might be. Try to address this (this one is complicated so I won’t elaborate). 4. Figure out an ACHIEVABLE deficit (500 cals say)... and eat exactly what you’re eating now, but less. Cut something easy out (usually volume or by substitution) to achieve that 500... then repeat this step every few weeks with portion control or moderation until you’re at 1000cals a day deficit (this is only achievable when you have a high bmr due to being overweight and this will need to be adjusted over time). DURING THIS PHASE DO NOT: - include any exercise routines you’re not already doing - cut out any foods you like or are addicted to, but moderate them/portion control them (the aim is not to shock your body into withdrawals but slowly change it along with your mental approach to food). - make any dramatic lifestyle changes, stay with what you’re doing, stay consistent. I did not include exercise into my routine until 4/6 months in and even then it was moderate and infrequent for the most part... and I didn’t include daily exercise until 2 months ago!!! Because I know it was too much of a change for me to sustain. I didn’t focus on diet and nutrition (eating more nutritious foods etc) until 6 months in... and even then, I make sure I moderate, not cut anything out because I know my body will just crave it more. Only now am I trying to really achieve 140-170g protein daily because it aligns with my body cravings due to the weight training... my body WANTS fuel and I’m listening to it... in fact I’m about to smash nandos as we speak and I had a massive beef burger and chips for lunch... however I burnt 3500 cals yesterday from footy and gym... so you learn to listen to your body... but you need to go through a healing phase with your body so it starts sending the right messages in the first place! This is all a process and what I’ve said above worked for me because it’s not instant, it’s not over night, it’s not a quick fix or diet, it’s a lifestyle change which is sustainable and enables us to learn lessons on the way about nutrition, fitness, calories, etc. Biggest piece of advice, throw any ideas of fad diets in the bin. Shakes, fasting, Keto, whatever other BS some cooked KARnt is peddlin... STOP IT! You’re better off waiting another 6 months to start than starting any of that crap coz I almost promise you’ll fail and put back on every kg you lose plus some. Stop worrying about exercise!! (Unless you enjoy it and it’s already part of your routine) our calories we burn in exercise make up for such a small percentage overall of our daily output!!! You DO NOT need to exercise to lose weight, period. Once you start to see results make more SMALL and achievable changes gradually at the same time as addressing your dysfunction (whatever that is) around food as well. Then you can start to incorporate exercise when you feel like you’re gonna enjoy it or it’s going to add value to your life rather than be something you’re forcing yourself to do. That’s my 2 cents... Happy to help if u need... Let me know if u need a source/ help with good BMR calculators or deficit goals etc etc. PS. counting calories is also a big area people screw up. Either from lack of understanding on how to do it, or forgetting to count every single thing they actually consume.

Night and day difference there.

So did this on the 12th, a couple of weeks ago. Pulled 210kg and also pulled my left trap muscle which is still sore. Recently managed a 180kg squat for a single, was hoping to get to 200 by the end of the year but doesn't seem likely. Bench is nothing crazy, managed 140kg for a single this year, right now can go out and do my bodyweight for 10 reps @115kg. Just like making power with the car, it is never enough in the weight room either. Here's to ever increasing gains lol

looks slow

SOS, big oversight on my end. Forgot that my current PC case only supports mATX, new mobo is ATX! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 This is the beginning to snowball. Got RAM, now I have a new CPU and mobo, now I need a case. May as well get a new CPU cooler