Would love to participate in this competition as it was one of my biggest motivational factors for being in the gym and sticking to my diet for three months when it last happened. Just wondering when it’s going to be back ? If not can anyone recommend another transformation challenge ?

As the title says.

**TYPO IN TITLE: SHOULD BE 140LBS**

Comparison: start/end

Final Photos

Update 2

Update 1

Start post

**will update body with how I think challenge went soon**

I finished the twelve weeks with a week of vacation, so I didn't finish very strong. But overall, I think I did well. I don't see much a difference, but I definitely fit in my clothes better. 14 lbs in 12 weeks is a good pace.

Final: https://imgur.com/a/lcnEpKK

Before: https://imgur.com/a/sBwE8DP

Comparison: https://m.imgur.com/a/Mmx6p5U (top-left is first, bottom-right is last, and the order is left to right)

Completion: https://m.imgur.com/a/DNzAT8W

Update 2: https://m.imgur.com/a/BnOtmsk

Update 1: https://imgur.com/a/bC4DWgD

Introduction: https://imgur.com/a/BZeUiSN

Started off using Arnold’s BluePrint to Mass. Then modified it in order to be in the gym 6 days per week on a split. Didn’t think much about food, which definitely hurt me. Also consistency was sporadic. Ultimately, consistency is everything and during month 2, I never missed a day and it showed. The final month I injured my lower back and then came down with a flu which collectively put me out 15 days.

I know I can do better,but I’m happy that I achieved something. I’m going to continue sculpting my body over time, taking a picture every month, and being much more diligent in the gym.

Going forward, I’ll prioritize meal prep. Also, I was able to keep a 9-11pm gym time the most consistently so I’ll return to that. It had the added benefit that I would go to sleep happy on endorphins every night.

Looking forward to the next round. I’ll keep developing my body until then!

Congrats to all the finishers!

Completion Pics

I feel like these last few months were definitely more of a recomp than an actual cut. TDEE calculators put me around 1500-1600 calories for a cut but I wasn’t very strict with my diet so I don’t think I got that low even once (I ate 1800-2000 calories per day).

I’ve been lifting weights in my garage at night after putting my kids to bed 5-6 nights a week, doing a PPL split. I try to hop on the treadmill after my workout and do 20-30 min of walking on a steep incline or a slow jog.

My lowest weight during this challenge was 135 but I was 136 this morning. I might actually commit to the cutting calories these next few months now that I’ve created better habits and see what happens. I’ve put a lot of muscle back on and I’d like to see it.

I haven’t maxed out on the major lifts but I’m currently up to doing 5 sets of 5 with the following weights: Bench: 115 Squat: 125 Deadlift: 135

I’m still taking it easy on lower body to make sure I don’t hurt my hip again, but I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to get my squat and deadlift numbers higher soon.

Edited to add: starting weight was 140

Front:
Side:
Back:

Didn't do so hot this round. Was doing great at like 2+ lbs per week up until Dec then my step-dad passed and I lost my progress. Was hoping this round of BTFC and FitChallenge would get me back into things, I've mostly just maintained which is a definite win with my history. Still 65-ish lbs down from my first BTFC though :)

Oh dang, it's been 5 years. We'll hope for better progress next round and just keep on keepin on.

Starting weight: 134.0 lbs

First update: 131.4lbs (-2.6lbs)

Second update: 130.8lbs (-3.2lbs)

Final update: 130 lbs (-4lbs total)

Not the most successful cutting attempt in history, but not a total failure either. Hopefully built some muscles though.

Before:

Front

Back

Side

​

After:

Front

Back

Side

• Front
• Side
• Back

Well I completed. I see absolutely no difference in the pics but at least I lost a tiny bit of weight. Maybe next time I’ll stick with it better.

Completion Photos

Side by Side Comparison

• Start Weight: 189 lbs
• End Weight: 175 lbs
• Total Loss: 14 lbs

I’ve had a few ups and downs over the past 3 months, but I’m happy about my overall progress! My goals for this challenge were quite simple.

• Eat Less: My goal was to eat somewhere between 1500-1700 calories daily. I have had several days where I went over target, but most days were good for the most part.

• Stay Active (workout 4x per week): I’ve worked out 55/93 days since I started the challenge, which I’m quite happy about! I try to get 4 strength workouts in per week, and fit in cardio here and there. There was a period I had hurt my back and had to rest for a couple weeks, but I’m feeling a lot stronger and more confident about my lifts.

• Reduce/Eliminate Binge Eating Episodes: Reduced, yes. Eliminated, no. This is still a mental struggle for me especially during high stress times.

• Sleep More: This is very dependent on how my kiddos sleep. There have been weeks where they wake up in the middle of the night and take forever to settle back to sleep. The only thing I can control is the time I go to bed. I’ve been trying to sleep earlier over the past couple of weeks. Still a work in progress.

Not expecting anything out of this, more of just a way to keep myself accountable. Don’t even know what my starting weight was! https://imgur.com/a/nsfOopB

Front

Side

Back

Comparison

Front

Side

Back

FINALLY A BTFC I COMPLETED!!!!

Overall things went well. I didn’t go into it hard like I did the others and burn out right away thinking I was in my 20’s. This time I started with a 3 day strength training. Cut back calories cut out bad foods. Did that for a month switched to a 5 day lifting program added cardio. Started counting calories not macros. Then in final month I drilled down everything meal prepped sundays for the whole week. Still did cardio and added 2 days of yoga.

Overall I feel pretty good. I still have some fat I want to get rid of to be where I want to be. But I also have lost a lot of muscle mass over the years so I may do another BTFC on a bulk so who knows.

https://imgur.com/a/Sz4IKqz The last month went really well for me, i finally gained a bit more weight and my lifts in the gym really improved. Especially my upper body lifts showed significant improvement whiich im really glad for since they were rather lagging behind. Visual improvements werent that noticable i think my back got a bit bigger but i guess i will have to continue my bulk a bit longer and cut afterwards to see some real changes. All considered the last three months were really fun and the challenge helped motivate me.

pics

Didn’t quite hit my five pound goal for the last month but still a few pounds lighter so moving in the right direction.

This BTFC has been interesting. I’m happy that I completed my second one, and I’m at my lowest documented weight in years, but honestly my mental health has taken a hit the past twelve weeks. I feel like so much life has happened. Multiple family illnesses, life stressors, started a new job, stopped breastfeeding. I still have a long journey ahead to getting my body back where I want it to be, but my goal is to try to be better at finding balance and being nice to the body I’ve got while I’m working towards the one I want.

Congratulations to all who’ve completed this round and good luck on maintaining the progress that we’ve all made! 🙂

pics

It is very exciting having my first BTFC that I’ve fully completed!! Most of the time I give up a month or so in. It was AMAZING seeing some of my old BTFC intro pics on Imgur and seeing just how much I’ve changed over the last 5-7 years. Absolutely crazy.

My biggest takeaways:

1. adhering to my time restricted feeding is the number one factor for me staying at a healthy weight

2)I need to learn how to keep my sweet tooth at bay - it was hurting me quite a bit 3 weeks ago or so where I really leveled out/gained some weight (not to mention how unhealthy it is overall)

A huge thanks to the team that put this on!!! I’m excited to be on the border of “bulking” and officially out of the fat loss/cutting sections!

I'm happy that I finished! I've definitely made physique changes that I haven't before in terms of adding muscle and seeing the muscle when flexing, which is great. I always struggle with losing fat/weight once I hit the low 150s, so the progress I've made so far has me feeling energized to tackle that next phase. Crazy what a few pounds difference can make.

Before Pics

After Pics

Comparison Pics

Week 1 Post, Week 4 Update, Week 8 Update

​

Diet/Weight:

I didn't weigh myself the last month of the challenge. I feel better when I get on the scale every few weeks versus daily or weekly, plus the body recomposition goal doesn't always lend itself to significant weight loss anyway.

Although I have to shed more fat to reveal some of the muscle I've built, I'm pleased with how my before and after photos look. Even more pleased that I did not have to track calories this time to lose weight, and am learning to listen to my body more. I think in the future I may have to track my caloric intake for a cut, but for now I'm happy with the balance I've struck.

I ate pretty much the same way the whole time. High protein + high volume foods + room for treats or takeout. I feel that if I don't eat veg, fruit, and protein, my energy levels drop and my workouts are a little lower quality. Recognizing this motivates me to try to eat nutritious food 80% of the time, and still have room for eating out or treats on the weekend or whenever I feel like.

Routine:

I can't recommend GZCL enough. It's the only lifting program I've stuck with over time, and I think the consistency with my routine is what helped me finally put on the upper body muscle I've been struggling to add for a while. I'm going to keep going, and eventually reset and do another cycle of it when I'm done with this training block.

I tried my best to get 10k steps per day, but that didn't always happen. I'm hoping to increase that step count further with the warmer weather and more daylight this summer, and cutting back my hours at work. My lifting and running routine M-F has been relatively easy to stick with, so I think I'll keep it that way moving forward. Thanks for reading and congrats everyone for finishing!!

Pretty content with the outcome of this challenge. I think I was really "slacking" during my time building up to my max week. I was just shy of my deadlift and bench goal, though I think I could've hit my bench goal had I mustered up the courage to ask someone to spot me. I was just way too nervous to go any higher lol. After my max week, my program changed and really challenged me. I'm almost finished with my current program and it's been a good ride. Ready for my first cut come May!!!!

after photos

slightly disappointing comparison since lighting is different lol

Here's some before and after comparisons for weight/inches/lift maxes.

Starting Metrics

• Weight: 159.2 lbs
• Waist: 30.5"
• Hips: 42.5"
• Mid thigh (L/R): 20.75"
• Bicep (L/R): 11.5"

Ending Metrics

• Weight: 169.2 lbs (+10 lbs) ON THE DOT!!!!
• Waist: 32" (+1.5")
• Hips: 44" (+1.5")
• Mid thigh (L/R): 22.25" (+1.5")
• Bicep (L/R): 12.5" (+1")

Compound Lift Max

• Deadlift: 245lbs -- goal was 250 lbs
• Bench: 105lbs -- goal was 110 lbs
• Squat: 210lbs -- goal was 185 lbs

Here we are, three months into working on some gym goals. Overall I've enjoyed the return to relative fitness that I slowly lost during my last job working from home, and while I'm not exactly where I want to be I made some major gains in terms of strength, muscle weight, and general cardio and fitness.

Before Photos

After Photos

I've especially liked the feeling of having pecs and lats again, pull up bar and chest exercises have started to feel pretty great at this point. I'm proficient at most normal lifts and probably have the strongest legs that I've ever had due to leaning into barbell squats. So now that I've spent this season working out, once it gets warm enough to swim I'll enjoy being slightly less lanky for the summer.

Even after these 3 months though I still haven't quite gotten the hang of deadlifting, and actually removed it from my regimen in favor of other exercises. My shoulder also got strained early on and even after I stopped barbell rows and healed I still don't enjoy the motion. Pull ups are also a work in progress, I can do several more cleanly than I could at the beginning of the year but it's nowhere close to the reps and numbers I was first envisioning, perhaps my expectations were a bit off and hanging from a pull up bar has been a warm up that I'll continue going forward, might buy some gym rings to do so at home!

Looking forward I still want to do more bodyweight exercises to make me less reliant on the gym and able to take advantage of the warm weather to work out. It might also be time to cut soon, although I'm not sure if I'll be able to maintain that level of diet control for multiple months so who knows.

Weight/workout # graph

From tracking my workouts I also can determine that I've spent exactly $4 per visit to the gym, which isn't amazing but given the workspace and other amenities at the university has been very worth it.

As a general practice I've only been keeping approximate lift weights as to focus on progression as opposed to numbers, but here are my general end point lifts. Most of these have been done for 5x5, but some are 3x8 to focus more on endurance for specific muscle groups than lifting heavy.

Starting weight: 157.6 lbs -> 168.4 lbs

Pull ups: bleh -> passable

Bench(5x5): 115 lbs

Deep Squat(5x5): 145 lbs

Overhead Press(5x5): 65 lbs

Row(5x5): 95 lbs

Close Grip Bench(3x8): 95 lbs

Barbell Shrugs(3x8): 105 lbs

Barbell Curl(3x8): 55 lbs

Pec Deck(5x5): 125 lbs

Ok. Let’s get these pictures up! Not sure if there’s a visible difference for y’all but I’m certainly feeling better. And I’m absolutely not done yet.

COMPLETION: Back:

https://i.imgur.com/rLk9TpL.jpg

Front:

https://i.imgur.com/TuzIKEc.jpg

Side:

https://i.imgur.com/W8hgznR.jpg

COMPARISONS:

https://imgur.com/a/yebVEMk

Pictures

Comparison

FLEX!!!

Looking at the photos... dang I managed to pull together a good transformation.

As anticipated, this was a true recomposition. I weighed in a bit lighter this morning but really the scale hovered around 200lbs the whole time. I had lofty plans of sciencing the shit out of my transformation but the demands of home life quashed that. I stuck to what I knew, ate clean, lifted heavy, grudgingly did some cardio, and finally in the last 3 weeks began tracking macronutrients. Also in that time I was finally able to ween myself off alcohol. Those two things allowed a bit more fat loss.

I’m not as lean as I was when I won the first time... still holding a bit too much fat in the legs so I’d like to continue this cut into the spring. Perhaps the coming of spring will encourage a bit more cardio.

I’m proud to say I can row 2k in 7minutes; I’d like to see if I can bring that down into 6 minute territory.

Introduction post. Start date: 4 January 2022. End date: 4 April 2022.

Updates: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6 - with halfway comparison pics!, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12.

Completion Photos:

Front, back, side.

Comparison Photos:

Front: introduction - halfway - completion.

Back: introduction - halfway - completion.

Side: introduction - halfway - completion.

Woman, 30 years old, 175 cm/5'9

STATS

Weight:

• Start: 71.6 kg/158lbs
• Weekly lowest: 72.6 kg/160 lbs - Tuesday (6 days ago)
• Most recent: 74.2 kg/164 lbs - today
• Goal: 65 kg/143 lbs

Measurements:

• Neck:

Start: 35 cm (13.8"). End: 34 cm (13.4'')

• Upper arm: Start: 29 cm (11.4"). End: 29 cm (11.4")

• Bust: Start: 94 cm (37"). End: 95 cm (37.4'')

• Below bust: Start: 82 cm (32.3"). End: 84 cm (33.1'')

• Waist: Start: 86 cm (33.9"). End: 84 cm (33.1"). Goal: <80 cm/31.5"

• Hips: Start: 95 cm (37.4"). End: 93 cm (36.6'')

• Bottom: Start: 101 cm (39.8"). End: 102 cm (40.2'')

• Thighs: Start: 59 cm (23.2"). End: 59 cm (23.2")

• Calves: Start: 39 cm (15.4"). End: 39 cm (15.4")

CARDIO:

Rowing 2K time:

• Start: 09:29
• Best effort: 08:40

Rowing 5K time:

• Start: 24:46
• Best effort: 23:06

Running 5K time:

• Start: 39:39
• Best effort: 32:26

Running 10K time:

• Best effort: 01:13:33

LIFTING:

Deadlift:

• Start: 35 kg/77 lbs
• Current: 60 kg/132 lbs

Bench:

• Start: 25 kg/55 lbs
• Current: 27.5 kg/61 lbs

Squat:

• Start: 35 kg/77 lbs
• Current: 40 kg/88 lbs

Exercise:

I did all my strength training, but not much cardio this week. When I spend a day snacking I become much more lazy and don't want to exercise, so I had more rest days than I had planned. I did go on walks on those days though, but some were walks to the grocery store.

Diet:

I had just a few days where I fasted and didn't snack. My diet has definitely fallen back into old habits, this is something I will have to work on going forwards. Once I start eating I'm having a hard time stopping. In April I will be traveling a lot and I wont be able to fast, and I don't want to either (when work pays for my food, I eat, haha). We'll see how it goes.

In conclusion:

I started off strong in this competition, but I have kind of run out of steam. I am not as focused on my diet as I was, and that impacts my exercise. For much of the last week my only goal for the day was to get to the gym and get ready for bed at 22:00, I did not limit my eating at all.

I am very happy I have kept up my strength training, though! I've gone three times a week since I started my program! I feel stronger, but since I've let go of my diet I've been feeling a bit puffy. I felt much leaner/thinner at the beginning of the competition when I didn't have so much daily sugar.

My measurements have some differences, the ones that are bigger I am hoping are indicating muscle growth. I for sure have bigger thighs than I did at the start! I did lower my waist measurement, I am very happy with that, though I did not reach my goal. I have been measuring at my navel, so not at the thinnest part.

I will thinking about what is best diet wise for me and my body going forwards, but I absolutely want to continue with the strength training and also do some cardio every week. We'll see if I'll be back for the next BTFC, this competition is great to hold myself accountable!

Template, will write up details and take photos a little bit later on today.

Edit: [Link to Introduction post]https://old.reddit.com/r/BTFC/comments/rv40a7/introduction_bulkingmale33510178lbs/)

Photos - Starting - Front. Back. Side. Album

Current - Front. Back. Side. Flex Album

Starting weight - 178lb final weight 183lb + 5lb.

Lifts

Bench - 80 kilos x 1 Current - 95 kilos x 1

Squat - 80 kilos x 3 Current - 110 kilos x 1

Deadlift - 110 kilos x 2 Current - 150 kilos x 1

OHP - 45 kilos x 3 Current - 57.5 kilos x 1

BB Row - 60 kilos x 3 Current - 87.5 kilos x 1

Symmetric strength scored me a 50 at the beginning, currently it's 61.

Total Knee hanging raises to date 6800 average 73 a day

Diet is definitely not consistent. Haven't been tracking calories or macro, but I will start soon

No running, fencing has been great, gotten stronger and have more endurance than I had before.

Future plan - Keep lifting, keep fencing, work on building work capacity / size

I’ve checked the stickied rules post, and can’t seem to find what my end date is. All I can see is a range of dates that this round ends. I thought it might be included as a comment in my original post but I’m not seeing it. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Completing early as I'll be travelling through the first week of April (a ski holiday in France!)

I picked up a fairly aggressive fasting obsession in May 2021 and had been maintaining ADF through to ~ December last year, so I figured I would comfortably be able to pick it back up again and keep pushing weight down that way.

As it turns out, that is not what happened - it seems like the obsession early this year has been around strength training. I've been lifting consistently again for the first time since before the pandemic, which I'm very pleased about. In exchange, I've swapped out fasting and a "serious" caloric deficit in exchange for macro tracking (c/o MacroFactor) and mostly maintenance eating - so while my scale progress isn't moving as much I'm very pleased about overall fitness and strength gains, and certainly feel much better than through the peaks and valleys of ADF.

• Front: Completion - Start
• Back: Completion - Start
• Side: Completion - Start

Album: https://imgur.com/a/WSucdiM

Good luck to everyone in their final weeks of the challenge - let's finish strong!

Introduction post. Start date: 4 January 2022.

Updates: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6 - with halfway comparison pics!, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11.

Woman, 30 years old, 175 cm/5'9

STATS

Weight:

• Start: 71.6 kg/158lbs
• Weekly lowest: 71.2 kg/157 lbs - Friday (3 days ago)
• Most recent: 72.8 kg/161 lbs - today
• Goal: 65 kg/143 lbs

Waist Measurement:

• Start: 86 cm/33.9"
• Most recent: 83 cm/32.7" - week 9
• Goal: <80 cm/31.5"

CARDIO:

Rowing 2K time:

• Start: 09:29
• Best effort: 08:40

Rowing 5K time:

• Start: 24:46
• Best effort: 23:06

Running 5K time:

• Start: 39:39
• Best effort: 32:26

Running 10K time:

• Start: 01:13:33

LIFTING:

Deadlift:

• Start: 35 kg/77 lbs
• Current: 55 kg/121 lbs

Bench:

• Start: 25 kg/55 lbs
• Current: 25 kg/55 lbs

Squat:

• Start: 35 kg/77 lbs
• Current: 42.5 kg/94 lbs

Exercise:

This week:

Running 10K time: 01:14:38

~

Ran the 10K race last Saturday, I didn't improve my time but the route was hilly at times so I'm not surprised. I did my strength training even though I was not feeling 100% energized in the beginning of the week because I had been eating a lot the night before, so that was good.

I won the 500m rowing "competition" for women at my gym last Wednesday, my time was 01:53 mins, but I don't think there were a lot of competitors (may have only been 3 people). But whatever, I beat my goal time!

Diet:

Had anxiety in the beginning of the week and snacked a lot, but then snapped out of it and didn't snack for three days. Then the weekend came around and I had lots to eat again. I didn't fast before the 10K running race, and after I had dinner that night I started snacking. I stayed up late and felt really heavy and lazy. I do prefer how I feel when I don't snack, but sometimes I will do it even if I'm not hungry at all. I guess I just want to feel something.

Next time that happens I will try to remember to busy myself with something else, since the thing I am doing is obviously boring me. And then once the day is already "sabotaged" it's hard to stop eating, it becomes like a mini-binge. I would classify a full binge as me eating absolutely everything and even going to the store to get more/something specific.

In conclusion:

I will try to keep in mind that I prefer how I feel, both physically and mentally, when I keep to my diet plan and don't snack. April will be really busy for me with a lot of travel, so it would be really good if I don't go overboard with the eating. I would like to stay energized.

The upcoming week is the last week of BTFC! I'm happy that I joined this competition, it has kept me accountable. I hope to have some visible results in my measurements and photos next week for the completion post.

https://imgur.com/a/nN7UHl7

https://imgur.com/a/lLivizT

March has been a rough month, but I got to my goal only 5 days later than I wanted, so not that bad. I have to look back at my last several months and remind myself that I'm still on track and doing what I should, even if it's not as fast as I want it to be.

I've been doing the same routine (watching my portions, skipping dessert, and doing yoga 3x a week), except at the beginning of March I tried to add in a short jog. And it felt great, so I did a little longer jog a couple days later. And it also felt great, but I felt my back tightening up and waking up stiff in the mornings. I pushed a little too hard with a third jog in the same week, and I was practically useless with how much my back hurt. Back pain is what has caused me to regress so much in the past, so I've gone back to the basics and my back is only ok now. I think I will focus on my diet and light exercise until summer, and then I can try out doing more intense cardio. And hopefully I'll be able to build up some strength and take things slowly so my back doesn't crap out on me again.

Introduction post. Start date: 4 January 2022.

Updates: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6 - with halfway comparison pics!, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10.

Woman, 30 years old, 175 cm/5'9

STATS

Weight:

• Start: 71.6 kg/158lbs
• Weekly lowest: 71.7 kg/158 lbs - Sunday (yesterday)
• Most recent: 72.4 kg/160 lbs - today
• Goal: 65 kg/143 lbs

Waist Measurement:

• Start: 86 cm/33.9"
• Most recent: 83 cm/32.7" - week 8
• Goal: <80 cm/31.5"

CARDIO:

Rowing 2K time:

• Start: 09:29
• Best effort: 08:40

Rowing 5K time:

• Start: 24:46
• Best effort: 23:06

Running 5K time:

• Start: 39:39
• Best effort: 32:26

Running 10K time:

• Start: 01:13:33

LIFTING:

Deadlift:

• Start: 35 kg/77 lbs
• Current: 55 kg/121 lbs

Bench:

• Start: 25 kg/55 lbs
• Current: 25 kg/55 lbs

Squat:

• Start: 35 kg/77 lbs
• Current: 42.5 kg/94 lbs

Exercise:

This week:

Running 5K times: 34:40 & 32:51

~

Did all my lifting and ran 5K two times, didn't improve my time but it's all good. Finally spring is in the air!

This upcoming week my gym is having an event where there will be a 500m rowing competition, hoping to get a good time on that! Aiming for anything under 2:00, hopefully 1:55. I go to the gym during lunch hour and none of the people I've seen use the rowing machines have had good form (sorry not sorry), but of course there may be rowing champs that go to the gym earlier or later in the day. We'll see how I rank!

Next weekend I have the 10K running race, I'm hoping to improve my current time (01:13:33) but mainly I'll just aim to have fun.

Diet:

I had two days this week where I didn't snack, the rest of the days were very indulgent. I fasted all days except one though, so that was good. I've kinda mentally checked out regarding the diet, and falling back into old habits, for sure.

In conclusion:

I will have to think about how I can get back into a better mental state regarding food, so I don't let it effect my training or the rest of my life. When I eat too much I get tired and lazy and don't take care of myself or my surroundings. There's just a few weeks left of this competition, I would like to finish strong!