Before: https://imgur.com/a/cI8Cu
After: https://imgur.com/a/iVE5d
Hey everyone, I want to share my Crohn's disease story. In my final year of high school, I was diagnosed with the disease, and went from a healthy teen to a sickly, and gaunt looking one, weighing 98 lbs. I worked hard throughout the entire ordeal to improve my health and lifestyle. Though many times it felt futile I tried to do my best to stay positive.
After 2 years of basically just existing, but not really improving, I started to take training more seriously, and was placed on a medicine that actually helped. I started to gain weight, and have a life (to a certain degree, as I suffered quite greatly with body image issues).
Fast forward another 2 years I had made substantial gains in the realm of fitness, nutrition, and IBD health. I took part in my first "cut" but was not satisfied with the strength loss, or end result, which led me to take part in a longer duration "bulk" (to 208 lbs). Which was substantial as shit for me, as 4 years prior I was basically skin and bone, with tiny muscles for movement.
After a year of bulking, I decided to take my time on a long term "lean out" phase. Maintaining (and improving) my strength in many lifts. After close to 10 months, I was back down to 166 lbs (where I was near the end of the first "cut"), but was larger, faster and stronger than before, by a long shot. I am much more confident now about where I am with my health, fitness goals and lifestyle.
Crohn's disease no longer controls my life and dictates what I do. I control it. I owe a great deal of my success to the health, wellness and fitness lifestyle I have adopted.
I have used MyFitnessPal for basically the greater portion of 3 years (only really taking time off during holidays, because I under eat if I don't track). Cycling carbs on workout days, and having high fat and about 10% carbs on off days (and reduced calories). I didn't really follow a diet per say, but laid out specific macronutrient goals for myself based on how I know my body responds to carbs (via crohn's related sides): I can't really have much more than 45% of my diet being carbs a day, or I feel really, really bloated (cutting or bulking).
I didn't do a ton of cardio, basically 10 minutes to warm up, and about 10 minutes to finish my workout, with the occasional 30 minute walk (once a week). I followed Wendler's 5-3-1 to gauge my strength loss/gains (all the lifts maintained, except deadlift, it decreased at first and then went up to before cutting levels, and squat that just kept increasing each cycle). The accessory work was stuff I came up with based on my kinesiology background.
I started with a 4 day split of basically upper and lower body, then moved to a traditional push, pull, legs (with 2 leg days) and then a push-pull combined day.
Here's a link to my video to see everything more in-depth:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgnCu5FNXeI
After: https://imgur.com/a/iVE5d
Hey everyone, I want to share my Crohn's disease story. In my final year of high school, I was diagnosed with the disease, and went from a healthy teen to a sickly, and gaunt looking one, weighing 98 lbs. I worked hard throughout the entire ordeal to improve my health and lifestyle. Though many times it felt futile I tried to do my best to stay positive.
After 2 years of basically just existing, but not really improving, I started to take training more seriously, and was placed on a medicine that actually helped. I started to gain weight, and have a life (to a certain degree, as I suffered quite greatly with body image issues).
Fast forward another 2 years I had made substantial gains in the realm of fitness, nutrition, and IBD health. I took part in my first "cut" but was not satisfied with the strength loss, or end result, which led me to take part in a longer duration "bulk" (to 208 lbs). Which was substantial as shit for me, as 4 years prior I was basically skin and bone, with tiny muscles for movement.
After a year of bulking, I decided to take my time on a long term "lean out" phase. Maintaining (and improving) my strength in many lifts. After close to 10 months, I was back down to 166 lbs (where I was near the end of the first "cut"), but was larger, faster and stronger than before, by a long shot. I am much more confident now about where I am with my health, fitness goals and lifestyle.
Crohn's disease no longer controls my life and dictates what I do. I control it. I owe a great deal of my success to the health, wellness and fitness lifestyle I have adopted.
I have used MyFitnessPal for basically the greater portion of 3 years (only really taking time off during holidays, because I under eat if I don't track). Cycling carbs on workout days, and having high fat and about 10% carbs on off days (and reduced calories). I didn't really follow a diet per say, but laid out specific macronutrient goals for myself based on how I know my body responds to carbs (via crohn's related sides): I can't really have much more than 45% of my diet being carbs a day, or I feel really, really bloated (cutting or bulking).
I didn't do a ton of cardio, basically 10 minutes to warm up, and about 10 minutes to finish my workout, with the occasional 30 minute walk (once a week). I followed Wendler's 5-3-1 to gauge my strength loss/gains (all the lifts maintained, except deadlift, it decreased at first and then went up to before cutting levels, and squat that just kept increasing each cycle). The accessory work was stuff I came up with based on my kinesiology background.
I started with a 4 day split of basically upper and lower body, then moved to a traditional push, pull, legs (with 2 leg days) and then a push-pull combined day.
Here's a link to my video to see everything more in-depth:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgnCu5FNXeI