Body stats: after 14 weeks

   
As promised, it's time to give a status update on my body stats to see if any change is taking place. I have been training with Freeletics for 14 weeks (5 weeks of pre-program + 9 weeks of the actual program).

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft) 

Weight: 77.5 kg (170.5 lbs) - starting point: 82.5 kg (181.8 lbs)

Waist size: 86 cm (34.6 in) - starting point: 90 cm (33.9 in)

As you know, I always take weight measures with a grain of salt. So many factors can make the body gain or lose a kilo that it's meaningless to try to interpret short-term variations. But after 14 weeks, I start to have enough perspective to make this metric meaningful. During this period I have lost around 5 kilos (~6% of my starting weight). This was very progressive. Week after week small losses added-up.

The waist measure also dropped by 4 cm. The change was subtle the first 5 weeks (1cm less), but the trend has accelerated in the last weeks. I'm now roughly losing 1 cm every 2 weeks.

These 2 indicators clearly show that my metabolism has been getting rid of some fat tissues over the past weeks. Since I didn't change my diet, it can only be the result of the intense training that I have been going through.

And now the pics:

Comparing the picture above to the photo taken after week #8, the abs continue to get more carved out.The sides are more clearly drawn and now the upper abs (just below the pectorals) are starting to stand out.

As it's harder to see depth on a fully frontal picture, have a look at the side picture below. It's a shame that I didn't think to have pictures taken from this angle previously. It would have been nice to be able to see the evolution.

Anyway, on this picture it's clear that my belly is now almost flat. The side abs carving is also more visible from this angle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you read this blog to find out if this method can work for you, one key take away is that during the first weeks no matter what, you need to push yourself mentally to absolutely stick to the program. You will be more likely to quit during the first weeks for a simple reason: at the beginning the training is an act of faith. You sweat, you suffer, but you won't see any change in the mirror.

Once you reach this  stage in the training where physical changes just keep getting more visible, it's fun and it's easy to find the motivation to continue training. If you're not there yet, keep going and it will come too!

And by the way, I have to confess that I don't have a choice: my wife as also noticed the changes and she told me that I have to continue, quitting is not allowed anymore ! :-)