TR: A year to lose 34lbs. A Precision Nutrition Review

[Huck_Schmuck]

Over the last year I’ve lost 34lbs (203lbs > 168 lbs) and 21 inches of body “girth.”

If you don’t want to read my review (blog) but you are happy to help me win $25,000 click the link under and vote for Finalist # 8, please! (No sign up or email address needed)

Click here to VOTE, I'm finalist number 8!

Yes, some dudes lost more weight than me, some got more cut than me… but I didn’t get a spray tan or rub myself in baby oil.



Here’s my review of a year on Lean Eating:

In November (2013) was lying on the beach in Maui like a beached whale when it occurred to me, I really needed to do something about my weight. With some influence from the boss I signed up for Precision Nutrition’s Lean Eating.

The program costs $100 per month (if you register in advance). You get a cyber coach, mine (Zach) is freaking awesome, and available pretty much 24 / 7 via email and Skype. There’s also a large support network of other coaches, private client forums and facebook groups, if you need that kind of thing.

Here’s the sales spiel:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/mens

One factor for the great success they have is the accountability. You have a webpage that you check into everyday and you check off whether or not your behavior that day was in keeping with the daily / weekly habits. Once a week there is a weigh-in and you record your body measurements. Around once per month they ask for progress photos.

The work outs are mixed up regularly and your coach can help further tailor them to your own needs and goals if that’s what you want.

So in January it all started. I was expecting a menu plan, a workout schedule and the rest to be hard work and sweat.

I actually became a little frustrated early on – I had done some Yo-Yo dieting in the past and found I could get reasonable losses through starvation – so I was left asking: where is my meal plan??? I guess I should have read the brochure a little more carefully.

You do need to be ready to commit to five exercise sessions per week – if you can’t manage the full five then your coach will help you find solutions.

Everyday you get sent a lesson and / or assignment. Whilst there are no set meal plans there are some options you can follow but there is much more emphasis on learning to make good choices and learning new eating habits.

After almost a year I feel like I have really changed the way I eat and the way I look at food. The subtle (and not so subtle) influences from the lessons and self-exploration from the assignments make the changes very gradual and seem so much more deeply ingrained. To give one example, I used to get super HANGRY, my relationship with hunger has changed 100%, I have a whole new approach to hunger and hunger management skills.

I know there are other guys on the coaching program that have had some seriously impressive life changes as a result of the techniques PN uses. Not just weight loss, PN makes you a better ‘changer’ and some people fully adopt that mentality and apply it to all elements of their lives.

Some of the key takeaways are that you don’t have to be 100% perfect to achieve your health goals, 80% really is OK. That’s something I have totally embraced and I know I’ll be very happy in another 12 months by sticking to 80%. Striving for 100% all of the time is exhausting but being good most of the time is pretty easy.

In March my wife had our first kid, I managed to keep my shit together for a while but eventually lack of sleep and crazy work hours took their toll. By May I was ready to quit. I went for almost a whole month without minding what I ate, never logging into the website and only a handful of gym sessions. I was probably off track for over two months in the end.

With help from my coach I was able to get back on course. One of the many ‘mottos’ that the coaches use is: “it’s never too late to start over,” wiping the slate clean, forgetting yesterday and focusing on today allowed me to keep going.

There’s no voodoo magic. No calorie counting per se. No obligatory supplements and no panacea pills. Just good old fashioned ‘burn more calories than you consume.’ Mixed with some very digestible (excuse the pun) science.

The worst part of this experience? All the new clothes I had to buy because the old ones don’t fit – my waist is a full 2” smaller than it’s ever been. I’ve drunk the Cool-Aid, and boy is it delicious, your mileage may vary but if you want to change the way you look then you have to consider this.

The only negatives for me were that I sometimes found some of the lessons too wordy. IMO, some of those lessons could have been delivered in a slightly more concise way but generally it was never more than 5-10 minutes of reading per day.

The best part of the program for me is that it really does help you to change the things that you want to change. For me that was to improve the way I eat and allow me to get more out of my workouts. As you can see from the photos above, my results were super impressive and I have never been happier.

Every coaching group has prize giving at the end of the year and I’ve been selected as a finalist and a chance to win $25,000. There are some finalists that might deserve to win more than me, some have lost more weight, some are certainly more ripped but if you want to help a brother out, I’m finalist number 8 and you can vote for me here:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fi...s-men-jan-2015

You can also vote for the woman finalists here:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fi...women-jan-2015

[buttahflake]

Well done, guy.
I voted for the #9 chick.
She's gone from dumpy to smoking.

[t-the-east]

The #9 chick is smoking? C'mon...

[liv2ski]

I know I am a fat fuck....but some of those pictures were truly scary. Good job HS, I hope you can keep it off. For myself, I have gone from 205 down to 175 twice and just can not keep it off.

[stompinlines]

#9...really?
Have you been stuck on a battleship for the last yr?

[gonzo_lives]

you should get a prize for posting your before here

[XXX-er]

edit:Good job ! You kinda looked like the average overweight north american

but unless you changed your diet/lifestyle for good i don't see how this will last ... come and see us in 3 yrs

[timnormandin]

Finalist #4 is only 65 years old. Holy shit, he looks 80.

[Tippster]

Voted for OP in the men's and #16 in the women - she turned MILFtastic.

[Beaver]

Good for you. I'm sure everything is easier without the weight. But $100/ month? $1200/yr seems a bit out there. I lost about 18 pounds in 6 months just by reducing portions. Over the next 2 years lost another 15 by playing (bike, touring...)

[timnormandin]

Voted for Huck and woman #2

[UncleScam]

My weight chart from 2/24 to today. Officially 37lbs today in less than 10 months! And I finally did it healthily. Best shape of my life now.

Congrats OP!!!! Keep it up.

PS... not on that shitty pay-to-learn-how-to-eat plan. Do some research and you could have saved yourself $1200.

[stompinlines]

1,200 bucks for accountability and the chance to win a shit load of cash seems like an easy sell to me

[Mazderati]

Nice work. Voted.

[spook]

congratulations. I've dropped a lot of weight 3 or 4 times and it's hard as hell. when I get down again this time, it has to be the last. I don't think I can do it again.

[Harry]

I voted for the OP in the men's division and #15 in the women's.

[mtngirl79]

Please retain from negative comments on a site like that. Looks like most have done amazing things for their health even if it wasn't enough for TGR to consider them fuck able.

TYVM

[SKIORFORGETIT]

didn't read, but saw your before & after pic- great job!

nothing better then getting a hold of your health & working your ass off.

I would love to just eat like shit & not workout.

[XXX-er]

Good for you. I'm sure everything is easier without the weight. But $100/ month? $1200/yr seems a bit out there. I lost about 18 pounds in 6 months just by reducing portions. Over the next 2 years lost another 15 by playing (bike, touring...)

I did pretty much the same thing 18-20 lbs on portion control of normal foods/cut carbs/ cut sugar which put me at current all up weight

Instead of a meal plan I spent all the money on beer, dope and skis

[Kinnikinnick]

voted for your chance to get the $25K

What were the most important things in terms of diet and exercise towards losing that weight?

[powpig]

Voted for OP in the men's and #16 in the women - she turned MILFtastic.

x2

[Huck_Schmuck]

Thanks for the votes! I'm not sure I stand a great chance at the full $25,000, I think the vote only partially influences the final winner. There are other prizes though, so every vote is a great help!

$100 / month didn't break the bank, for me personally to spend $1,200 to feel the way I do? Cheap. My old gym membership was around that and now I'm working out at a local community gym which is $20 / month. So I'm pretty happy with the $. It helped keep me somewhat motivated, with some "skin in the game" it meant I felt a little more obligated to follow the program.

PS... not on that shitty pay-to-learn-how-to-eat plan. Do some research and you could have saved yourself $1200.

Good for you man. The key was re-learning and Precision Nutrition makes it all easy, I don't have time between being a first time dad and self-employed.

Good for you. I'm sure everything is easier without the weight. But $100/ month? $1200/yr seems a bit out there. I lost about 18 pounds in 6 months just by reducing portions. Over the next 2 years lost another 15 by playing (bike, touring...)

I'll post some stuff up about how I got fat another time, it will make more sense to you then.

I know there are plenty of other dentists on here that would have no problem with the $$$ and to them I'd really recommend looking into this program. It's run twice a year and they do run out of spots.

[shirk]

Good work Gav.

I was going to ask if it the workout was aimed at the gym or home type, sounds like gym.

[Coño Frío]

Please retain from negative comments on a site like that. Looks like most have done amazing things for their health even if it wasn't enough for TGR to consider them fuck able.

TYVM

+1

It takes serious effort and dedication to get off the couch, burn some lipids, and not then stuff your face full of crap food. I have nothing but respect for those that do it.

I must, however, respectfully disagree with you in one regard, that being TGR not considering them "fuck able", I surmise that there is a least 1 Mag for every lady on that site, if they were being honest and they didn't think anyone would find out. I personally counted 25 out of the 61 that I'd tap if the stars (and beers) aligned.

[UncleScam]

Good for you man. The key was re-learning and Precision Nutrition makes it all easy, I don't have time between being a first time dad and self-employed.

To be perfectly honest, it was probably smart you went that route. I spun my wheels and yo-yo'd a ton until I "got it right." Probably should have just paid like you did and I would have got there a couple years ago.

You sound like a busy guy, which is even more impressive!

What's your routine like? I've been doing All-Pro's but plan on switching up to a bro split soon I think.

Was reading up on this routine today and might give it a whirl. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/buil...aining02122214