Each picture is 5 lbs difference in weight. Keep in mind, I was losing weight slowly and gaining muscle at the same time.

For people who are disappointed with only a 5 lb weight loss, it really does make a difference!

Here is my blog with my pictures.

Awesome work. It looks like your entire body shape changed. Great job. So when you your were 27% how much did you weigh and how much do you weigh now? I'm curious because I had similar number 28.5% at 212 down to about 15% at 175.

The range is from 205 to 165 lbs, but I am 5'8" so that makes quite a difference as well.

Congratulations. Very inspiring stuff.

Thanks for posting Jeff.

DJ

Hey Jeff--nice job! You're right, 5 pound increments don't seem like a lot, but over time, they really add up. It reminds me to be content with my 2-pound-a-month average loss.

Your whole blog, btw is great...thanks for the link!

That's awesome. Nice job. It's cool to be able to see the difference over time too.

Thanks for the link, very inspiring. Looking good! *wink*

PS - Gooooo Cowtown =)

Awesome job, bro! I'm subscribing to your blog feed. Good stuff

One word: awesomeness

Bravo, Jeff, way to kick your own ass.

Thanks for sharing your journey here--makes me wish I would've been more consistant, (same clothes, same pose, each couple kg's like yourself), with my photographic weightloss trek. (Too late now, and I love it!)

Nice blogging too.

I have a question. I've been telling people that I didn't gain muscle while I lost weight. I used the simple calculations of body fat % and total lean body mass pounds. For example here's my before and after numbers:

Before
Weight: 212
Body Fat: 28.5%
Fat Pounds: 60.42
Lean Mass Pounds: 151.58

After
Weight: 175
Body Fat: 17.0%
Fat Pounds: 29.75
Lean Mass Pounds: 145.25

(those numbers aren't entirely accurate as they were measured in the morning when the bodyfat scale reading is artificially high because of dehydration but since they were both measured at the same time (morning),for comparison purposes, they are accurate)

As you can see, from those calculation I lost about 30 pounds of fat but also lost 6.33 pounds of lean body mass. My deduction was that I lost some muscle while losing fat. How much of that lean body mass was muscle? I'm sure I actually got stronger and added muscle while losing weight as I know I was increasing the weight I was using at the gym and getting stronger throughout the process but I don't have any hard numbers to back that up.

My point is that you said that you gained muscle while losing weight and yet your numbers:

Before
Weight: 205
Body Fat: 27.0%
Fat Pounds: 55.35
Lean Mass Pounds: 149.65

After
Weight: 165
Body Fat: 11.0%
Fat Pounds: 18.15
Lean Mass Pounds: 146.85

They show a reduction in lean mass pounds of a little more than 3 pounds. So on what do you base the statement that you gained muscled? Is it just the evidence that you are stronger now than before? Because that's what I believe.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to rain on your parade. I'm just trying to figure out what to tell people. I'm positive I'm stronger now and have more functional muscle than when I was 212 pounds and you can definitely see it in photos but I don't have any numbers to show people. In fact, the numbers say that I lost some lean mass of which some had to be muscle.

My theory is that my body needed a lot more muscle and lean body mass to carry around the 30 extra pounds of fat 24 hours a day. So when I lost the fat, I lost that lean body mass but I also gained lean body mass in other more functional area, just not as much as I lost from losing the weight.

What's your take?

I wonder if a lot of this apperant lean-loss while in fat-loss mode comes off mostly from the legs, as I imagine, they're what's bearing the load most of the time when a body's carrying lots of extra chubs... (?)

That said, then the growth would be in other areas, (core, arms, back...), the ones that never got worked before the working out?

Well, that's my theory, my back, arms, abs and chest really show signs of muscle growth but is it as much as the lean body mass that was needed to carry around 30 extra pounds of fat every day for the last several years? Lean body mass includes bones, muscles and connective tissue, all of which needs to be bigger the more you weigh. So maybe the loss was in that other stuff (not all muscle)? I dunno.

awesome jeff! nice transformation! thanks for sharing!!i appreciate it!! great job! what kind of diet and exercise routine were you on?

My chest and arm measurements were bigger at the end and I am also much stronger now.

You are right that it is very, very hard to conserve muscle while losing weight, let alone gain any muscle. (How can you do anabolic and catabolic processes at the same time?) My calorie deficit was usually only 200-300 calories per day and I worked out very hard with a lot of cardio along with weight lifting.

When I started measuring my body fat, I was using a body fat scale and the numbers were a little erratic. The 11% that I got to was an average of what my body fat scale said and a skin fold measurement that I got at the gym, so I don't know how accurate things really are.

I think that if anyone learns anything from seeing my results it would be that you need to lose weight slowly and try to keep your muscle at all costs to keep you metabolism from slowing down from dieting.

Here are 2 more pictures of myself at the exact same weight 2 years apart. In the first picture, I had lost weight quickly and didn't look so great. 2 years later, I lost weight again and I think it pretty clear after this weight loss I have more muscle.

Idunno either really, just graspin' at straws...

All I know is that for me personally, I lost a load of fat by doing just cardio. I didn't start with the resistance training until well after the fat was melted. But what I was working with at the start of that resistance work was pretty strong already, and for a chica, not too shabby in terms of mass. I reckon it's all chalk-up-able to the mez tendencies in me.

I wish I would have done some composition-testing at the start of the morphing project, as well as during and now, just to see accurately exactly what happened within me.

Again, that ship has sailed, but for anyone out there just starting out, take heed and get some readings if you're of like-mind(s), and then share it here. I for one, am quite intrigued by it all.

Indeed and NICE.

How quick was the first round of weight loss, may I ask?

Yeah, Jeff those two photos are definitive prove of increased muscle.

It sounds like I progressed in the same way although I have been lifting weights pretty steady for many years (although not as consistently as I have over hte past 6 months).

I just didn't want to lie to people and tell them I increased lean body mass while losing fat because that's not what happened. I did add muscle in some areas and I'm definitely stronger than I was 6 months ago even though my lean body mass isn't as much as it was.

I guess I could just always show them my log book showing increases in the exercises I was doing.

Thanks!

Thanks for sharing your achievemnet Jeff!! Huge Inspiration!!

I need to get a bodyfat test done...but it's embarrassing!
Lol, I'm always too scared to ask the trainers at my gym to do it for me.

Why not go for a hydrostatic test at your local Uni, Curtis? Might be 5-10 bucks, but worth it for the accuracy.

I'm looking to see what my school has now, Minu. But I might go ahead and get one done at the gym before I pack on the Xmas weight...

Wow congrats on the acheivement! I reckon now if you think that you can't do anything in life, just look at those pictures there Jeff.... you'll see that you can do anything with a little bit of discipline

Grats Jeff. I like how the position/shorts/etc stayed the same to really highlight the differences. Your face looks alot better too as the weight has come off Its amazing how much we can hold on our faces when we have excess weight and how they slim up as we slim up.

Jeff,

I'm totally inspired by this pictorial weight loss journey you've provided for us. I'm going to do the same. I think it'll help me hold myself accountable for my diet and training every other week too. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

What was your diet like while you were losing weight?

Shawn - I can't wait to get those slim face comments again. I'll be expecting one when I update my pic, lol.

Cool, Curtis, I'm keen to check out your photo-wares.

And as far as your face showing the loss, from the looks of your avatar, it's not pudgy at all and already looks good to moi--if not diagonalish...

;)

*Flattered*

Wow Jeff! Congratulations on your transformation. That site has a lot of great articles.

Jeff. I like your site and the pictures are encouraging. I am 2 months into this same process myself and it is good to see where I can be in 8 more months!

Wow you kicked some serious butt.