Xyggurat's Progress

[Xyggurat]

Hey, guys,

I guess I'm known around these parts for posting stories, so let me tell a brief one:

Back in late 2011, I was getting tired of feeling tired. I'm a natural night owl, but I was starting to wake up at hours like 11am, noon, 1pm, etc. regularly and then having little energy for the rest of my day. My life is largely devoid of external motivations. Back then, I worked from home half of the week and wrote (with aims at publication) in my spare time. Needless to say, my work life was suffering, and so was my writing.

And then I met a friend on this forum! Yeah, I'll embarrass him. The human being behind jman250 had recently moved to my area and was in significantly better shape than I was. He provided some encouragement that I get into the gym, and, as with most successful ventures, things started to roll into place.

I started dieting and lifting, reading bodybuilding.com, and running several times a week. There were a few times when I got frustrated with the slowness of my progress, but thankfully I have athletic friends who kept my expectations firmly in the realm of reality.

So here we are, almost eight months later. I just turned 28 two weeks ago and I feel much more energetic than I was even in high school. I've dropped a full 40 pounds, which feels amazing--195 didn't feel heavy, but everything's so much easier now at 155. In the meantime, I've gained a not insignificant amount of muscle on my chest, shoulders, arms, and back. What's more important is that I feel like I have a good foundation for growth now. Hopefully the next time I post a progress comparison, I'll be able to call myself 'muscular' and not merely 'fit.' But here you go!

http://www.shadowling.com/uploads/progress.png

-X-

[JeffXeno]

Originally Posted by Xyggurat

Hey, guys,

I guess I'm known around these parts for posting stories, so let me tell a brief one:

Back in late 2011, I was getting tired of feeling tired. I'm a natural night owl, but I was starting to wake up at hours like 11am, noon, 1pm, etc. regularly and then having little energy for the rest of my day. My life is largely devoid of external motivations. Back then, I worked from home half of the week and wrote (with aims at publication) in my spare time. Needless to say, my work life was suffering, and so was my writing.

And then I met a friend on this forum! Yeah, I'll embarrass him. The human being behind jman250 had recently moved to my area and was in significantly better shape than I was. He provided some encouragement that I get into the gym, and, as with most successful ventures, things started to roll into place.

I started dieting and lifting, reading bodybuilding.com, and running several times a week. There were a few times when I got frustrated with the slowness of my progress, but thankfully I have athletic friends who kept my expectations firmly in the realm of reality.

So here we are, almost eight months later. I just turned 28 two weeks ago and I feel much more energetic than I was even in high school. I've dropped a full 40 pounds, which feels amazing--195 didn't feel heavy, but everything's so much easier now at 155. In the meantime, I've gained a not insignificant amount of muscle on my chest, shoulders, arms, and back. What's more important is that I feel like I have a good foundation for growth now. Hopefully the next time I post a progress comparison, I'll be able to call myself 'muscular' and not merely 'fit.' But here you go!

http://www.shadowling.com/uploads/progress.png

-X-

Congratulation! You're looking look.

[dodoria21]

nice progress man, and you definitely look like you have a build that has the potential to grow muscle. Even better that you have friends in place to help keep you going. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to hearing you call yourself "muscular" one day

[Shade]

You're looking great Xyg!

[anpuZA]

You look amazing! Really! Keep on doing it...

[raven79]

Xyg, you are one of the veterans on here and it is nice to hear from you again. The transformation is jaw-dropping. Your body is entirely different now and this is since November?

JeffXeno, 'you're looking look'?

We know what you meant. I guess you were so shocked that the words couldn't come out right.

[Xyggurat]

Yeah, I'd say the bulk of my progress came within the first 5 months or so, but lately I've been definitely seeing some major gains in size. I occasionally shave my chest, mostly because I've been cursed with a very sparse coating of hair on my pecs. Suddenly, shaving's kind of hard because my chest actually has contours and things!

Unlike a lot of people on the forum, my goal isn't to get ridiculous, jaw-droppingly huge, but instead to look good and be as functionally athletic as I can. I do a lot of running and cycling in addition to a pretty rigorous lifting routine.

I updated my RealJock profile with some more pics: www.realjock.com/tiren

-X-

[wbjason]

Xyg, it is great to see someone on here make such amazing progress! And to be realistic about their goals... I've had a very similar journey since October of last year and it's nice to know it can be done! I've lost 30 lbs and am starting feel like I'm looking good for the first time in a while! So good on you and thanks for the inspiring update!

[a_lost_prophet]

You've done brilliantly in that year and looking good!

[grywlf]

great job , keep up the good work

[Lover_Boy]

Oh my god! Xyg, you are so damn cute! Man do i love it when a cute guy has nice muscles to go with it! And you certainly fit the bill, Xygg!

[Xyggurat]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I was really hoping to get to six-pack territory before starting to bulk up, but I've decided to bulk after summer regardless.

-X-

[Stoneman]

Only just slimmed down, and you've still got bigger arms than me after training for 3 years. Great job.

Hey, here's an idea. Instead of bulking after the summer, you should just find somebody to steal muscle from....

[raven79]

Yeah, I don't think Xyg realizes how much potential he has to be a ripped god.

In a year or two, you could be looking mighty fine!

[skumbum]

Has anyone heard from jman250 recently? Why do I get the feeling that he may have given more than 'encouragement'? Xyg, we need to talk.

[a_lost_prophet]

Adding to hot list, one to watch out for

[Xyggurat]

Originally Posted by skumbum

Has anyone heard from jman250 recently? Why do I get the feeling that he may have given more than 'encouragement'? Xyg, we need to talk.

Hah! I assure you, he is alive and well.

-X-

[Rarity]

Lookin' good. It's nice to see some buff story writers around.

[Xyggurat]

Originally Posted by ★whim★

Lookin' good. It's nice to see some buff story writers around.

I'm not sure I can manage "buff" yet!

-X-

[jcnutt]

I think buff and growing works. Looking great Xygg!!

[Otaru_grower]

I think you're really fucking cute.

[DavidAllen]

Hey, you really got a good physique, looking super cool. The best way to have a fat loss is water exercise with swim fins.

[beastmode]

Xygg, I am truly impressed by the before and after shots. Looks like pics of two different people. Congrats on the hard work day in and day out. Yes there will be many times of frustration but it's awesome you have encouragement from friends. Here's to a bigger and leaner you in the next month!

[Xyggurat]

We'll see how much I can lean down from here. My biggest weakness is one heck of a sweet tooth, but I eat very healthy when I'm not going out with friends.

You guys have been awesome with your kind words!

-X-

[monstermusclebe]

Keep it up. Your body is now primed for some real growth, having gotten itself into your current decent shape.

As for your sweet tooth, this is like any addiction, albeit one less addictive than crack or nicotine. Given your commitment to your body, you should break it, so you have control over it and not the other way around.

Method 1 is to cure it:
You can cure it by going cold turkey on ALL sweets for about 60 days. Some people only need 30, a few need more than 60. Most people need sixty days or less. If you do that, you will lose the craving for it.

That said, Method 2 is to simply use alternatives:

1) Homemade Stevia Lemonade and/or Berry-ade
... which you can freeze to make popsicles. I often have a lemonade after my dinner, as a way of handling my own sweet tooth.

Start with water, cold for lemonade, warm for berry-ade (for easier mixing of the powder). I then add fresh lemon juice (or you could get it from a bottle. Fresh tastes better, though) or the Fruits of the Earth berry powder (which is full of berry flavor, intensely high in anti-oxidants, but very low calorie). If you are going to add ice, do so now. THEN add stevia (no-cal natural sweetener) to taste. I get my stevia in liquid form from whole foods, as the Whole Foods brand has no after taste and mixes easily. You add the stevia after the ice because stevia changes its sweetness based upon temerature. The colder, the sweeter it gets. The hotter, the less sweet.

2) Other sweets made with stevia
You might think of other sweets you might make using stevia. You can make your own chocolate bars using raw cacao, raw coconut oil, and stevia. Here's one for Raw Chocolate. You can of course search for other recipes to make other sweets with Stevia.

And Another option:
3) Have your sugar-based sweets right before or after your workout. Sugar is pretty much fine to have right before or after a workout, as your body needs quick carbohydrates right then (especially after). So just replace your other carbohydrates with the sweets "of your choice."

HOWEVER, be clear: "of your choice" does not mean sweets containing hydrogenated oils! These are TERRIBLE for you, and will spike your bad cholesterol over time. In fact, no sweets containing fats. Fat + Sugar = Fat-Gainer Pill... even before a workout.

What type of sugar are ok in your sweets? Well, any real sugar (non-artificial). Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is a manufactured sugar. I prefer non-processed sugars (i.e. "evaporated cane juice") as being better than processed, and raw honey is better than that: raw honey actually contains vitamins and nutrients and enzymes that are very good for you.

Hope this helps.

[Ogun]

Your success encourages me Xyg.

[Xyggurat]

Originally Posted by monstermusclebe

Keep it up. Your body is now primed for some real growth, having gotten itself into your current decent shape.

As for your sweet tooth, this is like any addiction, albeit one less addictive than crack or nicotine. Given your commitment to your body, you should break it, so you have control over it and not the other way around.

Method 1 is to cure it:
You can cure it by going cold turkey on ALL sweets for about 60 days. Some people only need 30, a few need more than 60. Most people need sixty days or less. If you do that, you will lose the craving for it.

That said, Method 2 is to simply use alternatives:

1) Homemade Stevia Lemonade and/or Berry-ade
... which you can freeze to make popsicles. I often have a lemonade after my dinner, as a way of handling my own sweet tooth.

Start with water, cold for lemonade, warm for berry-ade (for easier mixing of the powder). I then add fresh lemon juice (or you could get it from a bottle. Fresh tastes better, though) or the Fruits of the Earth berry powder (which is full of berry flavor, intensely high in anti-oxidants, but very low calorie). If you are going to add ice, do so now. THEN add stevia (no-cal natural sweetener) to taste. I get my stevia in liquid form from whole foods, as the Whole Foods brand has no after taste and mixes easily. You add the stevia after the ice because stevia changes its sweetness based upon temerature. The colder, the sweeter it gets. The hotter, the less sweet.

2) Other sweets made with stevia
You might think of other sweets you might make using stevia. You can make your own chocolate bars using raw cacao, raw coconut oil, and stevia. Here's one for Raw Chocolate. You can of course search for other recipes to make other sweets with Stevia.

And Another option:
3) Have your sugar-based sweets right before or after your workout. Sugar is pretty much fine to have right before or after a workout, as your body needs quick carbohydrates right then (especially after). So just replace your other carbohydrates with the sweets "of your choice."

HOWEVER, be clear: "of your choice" does not mean sweets containing hydrogenated oils! These are TERRIBLE for you, and will spike your bad cholesterol over time. In fact, no sweets containing fats. Fat + Sugar = Fat-Gainer Pill... even before a workout.

What type of sugar are ok in your sweets? Well, any real sugar (non-artificial). Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is a manufactured sugar. I prefer non-processed sugars (i.e. "evaporated cane juice") as being better than processed, and raw honey is better than that: raw honey actually contains vitamins and nutrients and enzymes that are very good for you.

Hope this helps.

Thankfully I don't have that bad of a sweet tooth, where I need to eat sweets on a daily basis. I put a little bit of unsweetened chocolate into my Greek yogurt in the morning, and will generally get dessert when I go out with friends.

Otherwise, I've just been having a lot of fruit lately. I'll look in to Stevia.

-X-

[Basement Jacked]

Any updates anytime soon??

[Xyggurat]

Originally Posted by Basement Jacked

Any updates anytime soon??

Sorry, but no. I've bulked up a little but haven't liked the accompanying added difficulty in cardio, so I'm switching up my workouts a lot. Doing weights, swimming, running, and a little Crossfit. I'll post some pics when I look noticeably different from the last ones, which will probably around six-pack territory again.

-X-