Quick summary…

In 9 months at bootcamp Steve went from this to this:

Now, Steve’s results are so amazing that I asked him some questions in hopes that others could do what he did.

Here’s the info you need to know so you can get your best results at The Bootcamp Effect:

A summary from Steve…

1st weigh-in was Jan 1st at 270lbs, didn’t start work on this graph till next weigh-in which was Jan 9th so the first drop is out of proportion.

I added carbs per your instructions around May 1st. See how it evens out the plateau in the graph below. Once I did this, the weight comes off faster and goes back to the original steady slope. I owe Ian a big thank you for mentioning my plateau to you.

Couple of bumps in July. I hit a big goal early July and partied. It was my birthday on the 14th another party. Both caused peaks but the gains dropped off suddenly to resume the same steady line down.

I thought this was fascinating so I thought I would share this graph:

Josh here again, I remember Steve on his first day getting knackered from some bodyweight squats, by his last session with us Steve was sprinting full speed and doing heavy weighted squats as low as anyone in the gym.

I went on to ask Steve some questions so you could get an idea of what propelled him to such success (other than his tenacious work ethic in the gym)….

Here is Steve’s Q and A:

Q – How much weight have you lost and in what timeframe?

A – I re-joined The Bootcamp Effect mid December 2013 after being relocated for work and was feeling very disappointed with myself as I had regained 20lbs of the weight I had lost in 2012 with you.

On Jan 1st 2014 I set myself a target to get down to 200lbs by November 20th, I weighed 270lbs on my first weigh in. I also set myself monthly targets to lose 8lbs.
I reached my 200lb goal on September 3rd 2014. On the day I left bootcamp (September 9th), I weighed 198lb a loss of 72lbs in a little over 8 months.

Q – You had lost an initial weight of 30lbs or so. What was the turning point for you when you started to lose even more weight?

A – I am diabetic and have been lectured by several dieticians over the last 15 years regarding carb intake. So initially my diet was very low carb as I knew, potatoes, pasta rice, beans etc etc all spiked my blood sugars.

My meals were initially:
Breakfast: 3 boiled eggs (210 kcals)
Morning Snack: An apple or banana at around 10am (90 kcals)
Lunch: A large bowl of salad with 200g of meat, a tablespoon of crushed almonds or seeds with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. (600-700 kcals)
Afternoon Snack: Usually fruit again or an ounce of almonds (90 or 170 kcals)
Dinner: 200g of meat usually with a huge portion of green vegetables (500-600 kcals)

Total intake was around 1800 kcals max

I was also exercising 5 times a week burning on average around 800 kcals / exercise

My weight dropped rapidly for the first 3 months then stopped dead in April.
However I had a goal and persevered. After all, I was only taking in 1000 kcals net most days I logically had to lose weight.

My plateau continued for 6 weeks. I mentioned my frustrations to Ian at Bootcamp who was having similar issues. (I wasn’t aware at the time that Ian was a friend of family Saunders)

Within a few days you (Josh) came up to me as you had heard I was struggling.
Starvation mode was explained to me and the need to consume complex carbs. I also received a lecture about not asking for advise (my bad).

I started by adding a cup of quinoa, brown rice or lentils to my lunch and dinner.
This increased my daily calorie intake to 2200 kcals.
I lost 16lbs during the following month!!! I still don’t get the science of it but it worked a treat.

I also had more energy in the gym and started to push myself a little harder each week.
After the initial steep drop in weight my weight loss resumed its steady 8-10lb a month decline.

Q – What is your typical day for nutrition look like?

A – Currently it’s usually similar to this.
Breakfast: Protein Shake with a cup of almond milk and a cup of frozen berries. (2 scoops protein powder – 50g protein)
Morning Snack: An apple
Lunch: 150-200g Cajun chicken breast, a cup of quinoa and 3 cups of mainly green vegetables.
Afternoon Snack: Fruit or an ounce of almonds.
Dinner: 150-200g of beef or fish, a cup of brown rice, 3 cups of mainly green vegetables.
Evening Snack: Low Fat Greek Yogurt or fruit or almonds.

I am not the greatest cook and tend to eat out at least once a day.
I would typically eat lunch at Rustys Pub the above lunch was known as the ‘$13 special’. Cooked with no oil and with a little chicken stock for the quinoa. Every day the chef would change the vegetables, spices etc to make the meal interesting, tasty and healthy.

Q – How many cheat meals per week and what?

A – I wouldn’t normally ‘cheat’ on a weekly basis.

If I felt I was in need of comfort food I would typically go for Okios 2% plain greek yogurt with a tablespoon of Foleys unsweetened dark chocolate chips and a tablespoon of dried sour cherries (Save-on food bins).

My go to cheat food at every 10lb loss became a slice of baked cheesecake (No base, no ice cream).

I also set myself intermediate targets of 20lbs, 50lbs and 70lbs. At these targets I had a meal out and drank alcohol. I also celebrated on my birthday….the compulsory annual celebration.

A note from Josh…

As you can see, Steve set out a long term plan with a deadline. Within this long term goal, he had realistic and attainable short term goals with deadlines. He adjusted his nutrition when he hit a plateau, and was able to increase his intensity in the gym.

The one thing to look at with Steve’s example, is you do not get results without consistency. I advised Steve to add rice or quinoa to lunch and dinner. He was concerned about doing this, as he had a history of diabetes, but he trusted me, and followed the instructions. He did not just keep doing the same damn thing and expect different results. (Definition of insanity).

When he ate out at a restaurant, he was able to eat healthy by asking for modifications and substitutes. ** I love this!!!

If you look at when Steve began to plateau, he was taking in 1800 calories per day. This was way too low for him. Steve didn’t tell me how many calories he was eating. I just focussed on the fact that he wasn’t having any complex carbs to refuel his body after our intense bootcamp workouts. His body clearly needed it. The human body has negative feedback systems. Deprive it of too many nutrients while exercising hard and you will get stopped in your tracks. If you do too much activity and do not adjust your caloric count and carb count your body shuts down your “T4 to T3″ inactive to active thyroid conversion which leads to “starvation mode”.

Does this sound like you?

You have the power to change it.

So Change It.

Committed to your success,
Josh Saunders
The Bootcamp Effect
Langley’s #1 Health and Fitness Club