What weight loss has done for me

[snugs]

I told myself that I would really lean out before deciding to go with surgery, just to make sure I couldn't solve this problem on my own.

I went from around 220lbs to my current 175. I'm 5'11" tall. I'm 19 years old in the before picture, 20 in the afters.

I know i lost quite a bit of fat off of my chest. Before the weight loss i could not feel any hard glandular lumps. Now it feels like i have a bag of marbles underneath and around my nipples.







When i began really focusing on weight loss, losing my man breasts was my primary goal. Once that happened i would re-evaluate where i stood and decide what to do.

Frankly, my gyne has barely improved. That does dissapoint me - when i began i thought my problem was purely bodyfat. Now it's pretty clear that it isn't. But I try not to let that overshadow the fact that losing 45lbs is probably the best thing I have ever done for myself. I get at least one comment a week on how good I'm looking. It's the best feeling ever.

[abaz]

congrats, but i think in the 2nd picture you should've stayed that weight and hit the weights more heavier and harder and you woul've came a monster.

[snugs]

Dude, congratulations on the weight loss!!!  Granted you look like you have true glandular gynecomastia, you still look way better.  A surgeon should have a better idea and easier time to excise that gland out would be my opinion.

Thanks

I have an evaluation scheduled with one of the few surgeons in my area that does gland excision (most only do lipo), but the earliest he can see me is April.

Yea really congratulations!  ;Dthose pics show major improvement in weight, but yes I still do see the gyne.  

PS what did you do to lose the weight?

Diet and exercise.

I've been a gym rat for quite a few years now, but i never had the dedication to my diet that I needed. One day I decided to really get my shit straight and just do it.

I ate 2000 calories/day, getting ~180 grams of protein per day. I hit the weights three times a week for an hour each time, really busting my arse for that hour. No cardio work at all.

congrats, but i think in the 2nd picture you should've stayed that weight and hit the weights more heavier and harder and you woul've came a monster.

The second picture was taken on the same day as the third Poses and lighting help a lot

I always hit the weights hard and heavy, it's the only way to hit them.

I'm just dying to put on some muscle mass now. I was WAY more fat than I originally thought, I wasn't expecting to be losing weight for this long. I will continue to lean out until at least the end of February - I'm going to Florida for spring break. After that I will decide to either keep going for another month or two (I lose about a pound of fat per week, and if my estimations are correct I will be as thin as i want after at most two months) and see what happens with my chest, or just start eating like a madman to put on some good lean mass.

[tonysoprano]

so youve aCTUALLY lost all that weight by lifting weights and eating well , and NOT through any cardio at all??

wow...

[Worrier]

Well  done on the weight loss  you look so much better overall.And to me I do think your gyno has improved although I can see what you are talking about.As it hasn't completely gone.

Wish you luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Grandpa Bambu]

snugs....

Congrats on your weight loss dude! It's amazing how different we look after losing 45 pounds and building a bit of muscle.

I go to the gym also, but don't go as much as I should :-/. What do you do to keep motivated? It's kinda tough for me though as I work 12 hour continental shifts. Days 7:30am - 7:30pm and Nights 7:30pm - 7:30am. It would be nice to be able to go to the gym at the same time each day. Get into some sort of routine. With my crazy work schedule, I'm constantly tired. Getting older (42) doesn't help either. I just don't have the energy anymore.  :-/

Do you work out alone or with a buddy?

I have lost weight in the past, but now it seems to be more of a challenge....

Any suggestions?

John.

[snugs]

so youve aCTUALLY lost all that weight by lifting weights and eating well , and NOT through any cardio at all??

wow...

Correct! I rode my mountain bike maybe once a week during the summer, but that was more because i just enjoy doing it. I haven't done any cardio work in months.

Cardio isn't necessary to lose weight. It doesn't hurt, but it's your diet that matters. Eat less than your body needs for energy and you lose weight, guranteed. Lifting weights helps make sure that weight lost is fat and not muscle, plus it helps burn extra calories.

In fact, it's entirely possible that an intense 1 hour weightlifting session will burn more calories than an hour of cardio.  After lifting weights your body burns an increased number of calories for up to 48 hours after you stop exercising. Cardio doesn't give you this boost.

snugs....

Congrats on your weight loss dude! It's amazing how different we look after losing 45 pounds and building a bit of muscle.

I go to the gym also, but don't go as much as I should :-/. What do you do to keep motivated? It's kinda tough for me though as I work 12 hour continental shifts. Days 7:30am - 7:30pm and Nights 7:30pm - 7:30am. It would be nice to be able to go to the gym at the same time each day. Get into some sort of routine. With my crazy work schedule, I'm constantly tired. Getting older (42) doesn't help either. I just don't have the energy anymore.  :-/

Do you work out alone or with a buddy?

I have lost weight in the past, but now it seems to be more of a challenge....

Any suggestions?

John.

Motivation isn't a problem anymore. I love the way i feel after going to the gym, and i hate the way i feel if i skip a day. The same goes for controlling my diet. Every day that i stick to it 100% is a small victory for me, and it's not a problem to stick to it anymore.

That said, it wasn't so easy in the beginning. Everyone has to find their own motivation, and it can be different for everyone. A lot of people that know me assume I started doing this because my father diet of a heart attack when i was 16. That's not the case. Being healthier is great, and i'm very happy for that.  But thinking about dying when I'm in my 40s or 50s isn't what got me to turn down pizza in favor of grilled chicken. I'm honestly fueled by a mixture of vanity and self-loathing. I want to look good, and I hate (or hated) the way that i look(ed).

Even once i knew why i wanted to do it, it wasn't always easy to stick with it. Bad food tastes great. One specific thing that I remember helping is this:  just before i started to eat right I was browsing myspace for people in my area. I saw this girl in my area that was an absolute KNOCKOUT, seriously a 10/10. I then realized that there was no way I would have a chance with this chick looking the way I did. When I started my weightloss I downloaded this girl's picture and put it on my cell phone. Anytime I got the urge to cheat on my diet I just looked at her and I was back in line.

Being tired is no excuse. You can't let it be one. I work full time and go to college full time. I'm out of the house around 8:30 AM and not back until 9:30 or 10:00 PM almost every weekday. If I didn't go to the gym just because I was tired I'd never set foot in the door. Most days the very last thing I want to do after a hectic 8 hour workday and three hours of Calculus lectures is go to the gym. But I do it anyways. What I want to do doesn't matter. In the end I'm always glad that I worked out instead of going straight home.

I work out alone. It helps me concentrate. I've yet to meet someone who would push me further than I would on my own - nobody that I know is anywhere near as dedicated as me.

Well  done on the weight loss  you look so much better overall.And to me I do think your gyno has improved although I can see what you are talking about.As it hasn't completely gone.

Wish you luck with whatever you decide to do.

It has gotten some better, I know i've lost a good deal of fat off of my chest. Like i said, before the weight loss I coudln't feel any gland and now i most definitely can.

Thank you

[orrible]

incredible transformation mate congratulations

[bignipCT]

good job man, yea it sucks its more gland then fat you can really see how they droop its not just like havin puffy nips but its still not even bad in my opinion. some incline benchin could help bring up the chest more maybe.

by the way, Frankly your gyne hasnt improved  get outta here with that nonsense

[snugs]

good job man, yea it sucks its more gland then fat you can really see how they droop its not just like havin puffy nips but its still not even bad in my opinion. some incline benchin could help bring up the chest more maybe.

by the way, Frankly your gyne hasnt improved  get outta here with that nonsense

The incline bench is always a part of my chest workouts. I can feel where my pec ends and the fat/gland begins, it does sort of hang off the bottom of the muscle.

You're right, i wasn't entirely accurate with that statement. It hasn't improved to my satisfaction.

[Bakajin]

The incline bench is always a part of my chest workouts. I can feel where my pec ends and the fat/gland begins, it does sort of hang off the bottom of the muscle.

You're right, i wasn't entirely accurate with that statement. It hasn't improved to my satisfaction.

theres a good chance that you have a small amount of loose/excess skin that is causing your chest to sag a bit.  Its common for people who drop lots of weight.  For people with gland and little fat there is usually isn't any sag or droopiness.  even if there is excess skin its only a minor case in comparison with the gland itself.  Also at age 20 and with only a minor case the skin may recover by itself once the gland is removed.

[Bakajin]

good job man, yea it sucks its more gland then fat you can really see how they droop its not just like havin puffy nips but its still not even bad in my opinion. some incline benchin could help bring up the chest more maybe.

its a long standing myth that varying between decline, incline and regular bench press can change the shape of your pecs.  This is based from another myth that the pectoralis major is made up of seperate mucles (usually called the upper and lower pecs) where as in reality it is just a single muscle that has two insertion heads (sternocostal and clavicular).  It's these heads that often make the muscle look 'split' while someone is flexing.

Its not physically possible to contract one part of a muscle in exclusion of the rest which therefore prevents you from developing individual areas in the same muscle.  This can be seen easily by flexing your pecs, its only possible to flex the whole muscle and not just upper or lower sections.    Thats not to say that everyones pecs develop the same way but the differences in shape are due to genetics and not due to which bench press style they use.

[ruffpatch]

That's a significant weight loss and majore decrease. Infact, i could live with that entirely-good for u man

[IlluminaZero]

Thanks for sharing your story dude, it's really an inspiration. I truly sympathise as well: In High School I went from 230 - 170 (I was 6 feet tall then), and a big part of my motivation was this one chick who was way out of my league.  

I feel like I lossed my fire, that passion I had just a few years ago. Reading your story reminded me of my past success and drive... Next time I hit the gym I'll have your story in mind, if nothing else I will use some of your motivational strategies... (The Myspace one, though my pics will not come from Myspace.  

I love how honest you were with your motivation, for what motivated me as well was (and is in many ways) my self loathing and pride/vanity. Much of the reason I hate Gynecomastia so much is that it is a condition that I am seemingly powerless to alter through my own exertions.

Perhaps it is not so shameful a thing after all to openly work out for such supposed selfish reasons.

Thanks for sharing your story once again. It really made me reevaluate my present situation, and I am thankful for that.

[unisys]

Even once i knew why i wanted to do it, it wasn't always easy to stick with it. Bad food tastes great. One specific thing that I remember helping is this:  just before i started to eat right I was browsing myspace for people in my area. I saw this girl in my area that was an absolute KNOCKOUT, seriously a 10/10. I then realized that there was no way I would have a chance with this chick looking the way I did. When I started my weightloss I downloaded this girl's picture and put it on my cell phone. Anytime I got the urge to cheat on my diet I just looked at her and I was back in line.

I too lost about 40 pounds ~2.5 years ago, and this is the best way to motivate onself to loose weight and exercise.  There really is no better inspiration than your example.