re: 3 months to beach vacation - advice on getting beach bod ready

For me it gave me self-confidence.
I felt comfortable in my own skin again. I felt so good, internally, it then propelled me into a new lifestyle I’ve now had for four years.

But being hungry all the time sucked arse. Y’all helped me get into a healthy routine where I could eat and lose weight. Lost 42 lbs total and now I’ve been gaining muscle. I eat like a monster.

Here’s what I’m doing currently:


EAT LESS -

Stop eating so often. One Meal A Day (seems extreme at first, but it reduces cravings, makes you actually savor your meals and more considerate of what you’re consuming). That means NO SNACKING. Drink protein shakes instead. Drink water. Drink black coffee. Alcohol is fine in moderation (still allowed to have a good time). People have their grievances over fasting but it is a good tool for controlling caloric intake. A caloric deficit is essential to losing weight. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning and right before bed. That number on the scale is more of a guideline. Your body’s composition is what’s more important.


MOVE MORE -

As far as exercising and weightlifting goes, choose something you can make into a routine, then stick with it. The goal isn’t to become the strongest guy in the gym. It is to make progress. Be 1% better than you were the day before. I, too, hadn’t lifted weights for about two years till recently. Was just a lazy frick. No excuses. Which was depressing because I had been lifting regularly since high school and I’m 32 now. So when I did start lifting again back in January, I had a good foundation as far as a routine in the gym goes. Not clear what your experience level is, but I recommend Starting Strength - Mark Rippetoe and Strong Lifts 5x5. Mark Rippetoe is the man when it comes to proper technique. Plenty of videos available on YouTube.


I started off the New Year weighing in at 208lbs. I’m 6’1 fwiw. Not drastically overweight, but very self conscious about the excess weight I carried in certain areas. This morning I weighed in at 187.4lbs. My before bed weigh in weight can fluctuate between 1-5lbs of my morning weight. Knowing this helps keep my mind at ease when the number on the scale doesn’t reflect my discipline and effort put in. I keep a daily log for my diet, exercise and weight. It encourages me not to lose sight of my goals.

Overall, I am quite pleased with my results so far, but understand cutting weight is only the beginning of this journey. The road ahead as far as body composition goes will be much more strenuous, and this approach might not be for you, but it’s done exactly what I needed it to. And that’s getting the ball rolling towards a healthier and happier me.

You can get in better shape in the three months. Aim for 10% reduction in body weight so 150. That’ll be about a pound per week.

Diet is the biggest factor. No liquid calories. Only water and maybe a protein shake.

Start planning meals so you are consistently eating good foods with consistent portions sizes.

You need to be in a deficit to lose weight so figure out what you normally eat during a day and reduce that by 500-1000 calories. Adjust up or down from there over the weeks if you are losing weight or not.

Try to hit a protein goal everyday. Say 100-120g of protein a day. Eat some carbs with your protein. Try to limit the amount of fats you eat because that is the most caloric macronutrient. Balance all of this with your calorie goal.

Working out will build muscle. Find a simple program online that appeals to you. Preferably something with compound movements like squat, bench, deadlift, pull-ups, rows, overhead press. I would recommend Penandpaperstengthapp Grasshopper program.

Stick with it. I would do a minimum of 3 days a week lifting. But you could do up to 5.

Increasing your daily activity will also help. Just move around more. Get on your feet and get stuff done around your house. Get a step tracker and try to hit 8-10k steps a day. This extra movement will help increase your calorie burn and increase your deficit without adding too much stress on your body.

Stick with it and good luck!

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I’m 36, 5’9 and 165lbs sitting at a disgusting 26 BF percentage.

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I’m pretty skinny fat for sure, but I was pretty schocked by the reading. It was just a shitty digital scale

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If you say need do some work to shape up, I certainly believe you, but sure you weren’t reading body mass fat (lbs) as opposed to body fat percentage? Easy to make that mistake. Looking at a on-line body fat calculator for your height and weight, I just guessed at your neck and waist size, 26 would seem to be your body fat mass in lbs and not body fat %.

I think it was 200 lbs in 2.5 months! Just have to stop giving a F!!

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(I don’t recommend this plan)

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And that’s why you’ll never carry the boats.

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The question is how you would do it if you found yourself in a situation that required it

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The situation doesn't require it though

So how much muscle mass can he build in 3 months? Starting from basically zero I imagine he could gain pretty quick at first. Just losing weight will make him look like a cancer patient. Pack on 5-10 lbs of muscle and bulk up in the right places might be more appealing than just getting skinnier.

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Starting from basically zero I imagine he could gain pretty quick at first. Just losing weight will make him look like a cancer patient. Pack on 5-10 lbs of muscle and bulk up in the right places might be more appealing than just getting skinnier.

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Right. If his stats are to be believed, I don’t know that he needs to lose any weight really. He probably could even stand to gain weight. It’s fat he needs to lose and muscle that he needs to gain.

100 percent everything you said is true. Why anyone cares about other fatasses on the beach and what they might think about you is beyond me.