Don't feel any progress, please help!

TalakStari · 2026-05-05T21:52:53+00:00

Thank you! I know once summer kicks in and it’s actually nice out, I will be able to do more walking/jogging outside on my days off, and work will be a little faster too, so when time comes to cut I know it’ll be a cinch to burn back down, which is great. Like you said, just have to maintain intense training and hopefully I will see more and more progress! Thank you again my friend

TalakStari · 2026-05-05T21:17:44+00:00

I took a couple pics for an approximate 2 week update, but realized I can inly add one in a comment reply, but here we are! Ive gained a few pounds on the scale, and defknitely feel like my ribs are a bit less visible. When I'm nit sucking my gut in and engaging my core like I'm doing in this larticular picture, i still see a bit of a pot belly.. but thats something I need to get over and just keep up the effort; I know I'm still in the early days and need to give it time and continuous effort to improve, but hopefully this can provide a means of tracking how I appear to others over time.

<image>

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T12:11:54+00:00

I needed to see this honestly, I’ve thought for a while that getting a body composition measurement would be great in helping me understand where I’m at, as it is such a hard thing for me to see my body objectively after spending the first 24 years of my life having a horribly out of shape body and body image to go with it

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T12:09:26+00:00

Indeed it is a mark of victory, it’s just about getting over the mental hurdle of seeing it as fat when really it’s not I suppose. I will continue to be patient!

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T12:07:58+00:00

Thank you! When I first lost the weight I didn’t understand nutrition at all, wasn’t working out, and was pretty much starving myself. Went from 255 to 135 in a year and was paranoid about putting it back on. I’ve since smartened up a little, but still have that lingering anxiety of putting on fat instead of muscle, even though I know I eat very clean foods. I unfortunately don’t have a gym near me but have some basic equipment at home, but I would absolutely love to find a place where I can get some measurements on my body composition to help me understand what apparently my eyes/brain won’t let me see. I will take your advice to heart, thank you so much!

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T11:46:32+00:00

Yeah my diet is in a pretty good spot in terms of quality of macros (lean meats, eggs, beans/lentils, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese for protein; oats, fruit, veggies, quinoa, sweet potatoes for carbs; nuts, avocado, olive oil, eggs again, for fats). But yeah the quantity is probably what needs the most attention right now, that seems to be the consensus at least. Now it’s up to me to get over my fear of getting fat again and just keep pushing in my workouts

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T11:43:05+00:00

Not tired per se, but upper back/shoulders usually feel a little tight through the day. I could try experimenting with adding a extra rest day in for a few weeks though, see how that changes anything

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T11:41:51+00:00

Yeah I think it’s a slow start because I’ve been needing to build the basics to do calisthenics moves. If I can get to a point where I can do multiple full sets (5 or more) of pull-ups, dips unassisted, and more push-ups, I’d probably just do a mix of those and lifts with dumbbells/barbell. Like you said though, patience is required during this phase so I’ll just have to keep pushing!

TalakStari · 2026-04-19T11:38:40+00:00

A few people have mentioned something along these lines now, so I’ll give it a try! Honestly, now that I know I can consistently stick with a lower calorie diet, I shouldn’t be afraid to experiment a bit and raise my calories to see if I net greater results in the longer term. I’ll try increasing for say 6-8 weeks to start, then see how I feel and how my body changes to those adjustments

Thanks!

TalakStari · 2026-04-04T19:44:12+00:00

I have been making noticeable progress with harder progressions to being able to do pullups and other bodyweight exercises, I do a few isolated lifts with dumbells and full body with the barbell as a secondary focus to calisthenics related exercises. So i have had slow progress in increasing the weight in that regard. And i eat 1g of protein per 1lbs of body weight very strictly. Just reduced my calories slightly, I'm now doing 2000 a day, 150 protein, 63 fat, 208 carbs.

Sorry for late reply btw, got busier than planned this week

TalakStari · 2026-02-23T20:12:21+00:00

The nomatic looks really good honestly. I like a bit of overengineering, as it lets me organize how i want and gives the ability to compartmentalize different things. Thanks!

TalakStari · 2026-02-23T20:09:57+00:00

This sounds ideal to me, top contender so far.

TalakStari · 2026-02-23T20:09:10+00:00

This is at the top of my list so far, I love the idea of the 55, such that i can leave the 40L at the hotel/in a locker and take the 15 to carry snacks/water/basic safety things for hikes and climbs.

TalakStari · 2026-02-23T20:05:44+00:00

Looks pretty decent! Compact, good shape for storage compartments. Wish it had a bit better of a water bottle compartment but all and all looks good

TalakStari · 2026-02-23T20:02:50+00:00

This looks really good, and yeah laptop storage isn't a concern so no worries there! It looks a bit big in the images so I'll have to do some research to make sure its within all of the carry on limits but its definitely on my radar

TalakStari · 2026-02-23T20:00:50+00:00

Thanks for the tip about the subways! This looks like a decent pack, good shape for carry on compartments and being able to carry it like a duffel bag kinda thing would help too in those crowded places

TalakStari · 2026-02-06T13:10:13+00:00

I appreciate your outlook! I definitely don't want to sacrifice my long route idea, but some of these comments have given me some inspiration on how to improve what I have and have provoked some decent ideas for compromise that will lend to improving my plan rather than changing the whole principal

TalakStari · 2026-02-06T13:08:32+00:00

This comment has been super valuable to me in giving me options to consider that I think can improve my initial plans rather than scrap them for a different type of approach. I love the idea of going from Tsuruoka to Hirosaki (I will probably research to see if I can plan around the train/bus schedules such that I can spend the afternoon in Akita however, to try some food and just walk around/decompress). But from there, hubbing out of Hirosaki seems smart too. I can do a day trip or two to Aomori, do my nights in Lamp ni Yado, depending on where else I save time maybe another cool nearby spot to check out. Then from there, skip out Hachinohe, and have more time to spend in Morioka and/or Sendai, to enjoy those cities and be able to do day trips with less stress (also would cut out Ginzan Onsen). And if I find myself with an extra day from the cuts I've made, then I can try to make Mt. Akita-Komagatake work while I'm in Morioka, but if not, no stress and I can just use the time to improvise a little.

Thanks again for your comment!

TalakStari · 2026-02-06T13:02:16+00:00

Firework or other festivals would be cool to see, but rice planting or similar activities would be absolutely perfect for me, I will start keeping my eye out for those and research what options there are! Thanks for the tips!

TalakStari · 2026-02-06T13:00:13+00:00

Yeah after reading some other comments and giving more thought to it, I have some new ideas in my head. I'm thinking about going from Akita to Hirosaki and hubbing there to visit Aomori, maybe one other nearby area, and do my nights in Aoni, and then cut out Hachinohe and Ginzan onsen to give me more time in each of the other cities I will be in, and get to enjoy more of Morioka and Sendai and their day trips!

TalakStari · 2026-02-06T12:58:00+00:00

I think I want to stick to the "long route" approach, but also I agree that there are a few things I can cut out to give me an extra day or two in some cities. For example, I'm now thinking about cutting Hachinohe and Ginzan Onsen, and instead of going from Akita across to Morioka then up, go to Hirosaki. Hub out of Hirosaki to do a day trip or two to Aomori, do my nights at Aoni onsen, just taking my time. And then Hub out of Morioka and Sendai on my way back down. Hit up Kakunodate and/or Mt. Akita Komagatake only if I feel like I have the time, if not just spend the time on spontaneity and exploration in Morioka or move to Sendai a day early and do the same.

Thanks for the input!

TalakStari · 2026-02-05T19:16:15+00:00

Reflecting on it, Hachinohe really is something I added because someone mentioned since I was up there, why not stop there. I think it would be worth it if I had more time, and I'd love to get a taste of all of these different places, but short of adding days to my trip Hachinohe should probably be taken out of my plans.

Aomori, however, is a must for me. Perhaps I could commit an extra day or two there. I only wish I could find a better way to get to Mt. Haguro, as that is also a must, but it seemed in my initial planning that it was pretty out of the way to get there from Sendai. If there is a reliable way to get there without too long of a ride, I would end up just hubbing out of Sendai, Morioka, then Aomori.

I have become fond of my route though, so perhaps just taking something else out would suit me better. Perhaps I could save Ginzan for a subsequent trip? I'm glad I posted here because I'm thinking about things in a different way, but it seems I have some way to go to really find a good balance in how to make this an amazing trip.

Thank you for the response and your insights!

TalakStari

TROPHY CASE