By: Doug Croft
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Before:
241 lbs |
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After:
178 lbs |
Vital Stats
Name: Doug Croft
Age: 26
Height: 5'11
Occupation: Retail Management
Before: July 1, 2006
Weight: 241 Lbs.
Body Fat: 26%
After: November 25th, 2006
Weight: 178 Lbs.
Body Fat: 4%
Total Weight Lost: 63 Lbs.
Why I Got Started
Growing up I was the kid who played whatever sport I could, competing at the national level in some sports. I never drank or partied either. When I turned 20 years old however and moved out on my own, I got into the party life style started drinking heavily, and paid no attention as to what I ate or drank or the amounts.
My workouts became non existent quickly, nights where late, and got later as I partied more. I had a job as a bartender and lived that life to its fullest. I realized after awhile that lifestyle was destroying me as I had put on a large amount of weight and that I needed to get out of the atmosphere I had gotten into, so switched careers and went into retail, where I actually fell into eating a lot of fast food, and always picking at junk food.
I went another year or so until last year I realized how bad I felt all the time, my clothes where getting bigger and bigger every month, was becoming winded doing simple things such as walking stairs. It really hit home as I once ran low 22's for 200m in Track and Field.
But this past May I went to watch my first bodybuilding show, I had kept saying to people that I was going to get in shape and lose the weight but didn't do a thing about it 'till I saw this show.
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Doug Croft.
I was Amazed at some of the people I knew in the show, and saw that their hard work looked amazing. It was a life changing moment that night, so much that I went home that night and said enough is enough, I'm doing something to change the lifestyle and habits that I have.
The Journey
That night I talked with my fiancé and told her that I was going to do a bodybuilding show on the 25th of November no matter what it took, and then maintain myself and start training for Track & Field once again. She was very supportive in my decision, and agreed that it was time for me to change a lot of things that where now a part of my lifestyle.
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I Was Going To Do A Bodybuilding Show No Matter What It Took.
The next day I talked to a few of my friends and started looking up as much nutritional and weight lifting information as I could as to the whole way I should go about all this. I set July 1st as my start date, renewed my gym membership and took the rest of May and June to prepare what I though would work best for me.
This included as mentioned: asking LOTS of questions, and doing LOTS of research on the web. So July 1st came, I took my very embarrassing day 1 photos, got my body fat tested, bought all the food I needed along with supplements, and set my weight loss goal at 3 pounds per week, and decided that I would have one cheat meal every Sunday with the rule being if I didn't drop the 3 pounds I couldn't have it! LOL
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Doug Croft.
The 21 weeks had there ups and downs... friends being upset I wouldn't go have drinks, or have a BBQ. My fiancé was very supportive in EVERY way helped cook the meals for the following day, got groceries when I didn't have time to do it, and most importantly reminded me of the goals that I had set in place for myself.
The end result was November past when I competed in my 1st bodybuilding show, and placed 3rd in the light heavyweight division. I'm very proud of what I did, and actually got half emotional when I heard my name being called as top 3, as my goal was to try and do my best and just get in shape.
In total I lost 63 pounds and plan on keeping the weight off for good! I've started back running and have never felt better in my life! It was a life changing experience so much that I am planning to become a certified personal trainer in 2007.
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Doug Croft.
Sample Day (Diet/Supplements)
6am- 1 Hour of Cardio
7:30am-Meal 1
10:30am-Meal 2
- 8oz. Chicken Breast or Lean Beef
- 1 Cup of Brown Rice
- 500ml water
1:30pm-Meal 3
- 8oz. Chicken Breast or Lean Turkey
- 1 Cup of Spinach Salad (low calorie dressing)
- 500ml water
Supplements
- 3 Omega 3's (3000mg's)
- 1 San Tight Fat Burner
4:30pm-Pre Workout Shake
5pm/5:30pm- Workout
- 6 Scoops of Xtend while working out, and 1-2L water
6:30pm
7:15pm- Meal 4
- 8oz. Steak
- 1 Large Sweet Potato
- 1 Cup of Salad
10pm- Meal 5
- 8 oz chicken breast
- 1/2 cup of brown rice or Steamed Veggies
Just Before Bed-Meal 6
Notes:
Throughout the day I tried to get at least 6L of water, especially during my workout, Cardio was always done at 6am as I found it maximized my fat burning. If I found myself hungry I always had a shake on hand, and did extra cardio if I felt I needed it. Every now and then I treated myself to Diet Sprite Zero, or Crystal Light. They act as a great treat.
Supplements
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Doug Croft.
Training
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders
Day 4: Core/Cardio
Day 5: Arms (Bi-Tri)
Day 6: Back
Day 7: Core/Cardio
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Doug Croft.
Advice For Others
Plan out you goals! Do plenty of research! Don't be afraid to ask questions, whether it's your local gym, local supplement store, or someone you know, all these people will be more then willing to help you if you just ask... the end result is that knowledge is power!
There will be times that you will be down and people will try to make you fail, but surround yourself with positive people and find that something that is important to and use it as a motivational tool. Mine was that I wanted to be the best I could be doing my first bodybuilding show, and hitting the track once more better than before.
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Doug Croft.
