I have struggled through most of my adult life being overweight. Not obese, not hugely overweight, well that is not entirely true, when I was a freshman in college, I got pretty fat on beer and pizza! :) But I have always liked to eat and genetically I am very inclined to big hips and big butt syndrome!
My first diet was in grade school. I remember not eating my lunch and having one of the teachers ask me why I wasnt eating. My earliest memory of being big was when I had to get a physical in 8th grade to participate in track. I weighed 148# and I remember my mom asking the doctor if I was too heavy. He put up his thumb and closed one eye and said, no, she is alright. High school had me hanging out around 165-170#. College was up to almost 200#, that was not a good look for me and then I settled back down to the 168ish and stayed there until I found ephedrine when I was in my early 30′s.
Ephedrine got me down to 150# but my shape was still the same and that is what I hated, the big ol saddle bags hanging out the sides of my butt and thighs. Nothing like burning off all of ones muscle but keeping the fat. Pregnancy took me over 210# for each one and a settling down to about 175-180# and that is where I pretty much stayed for 8 years!
I started back in the gym in 2009 post ACL replacement as an attempt to rehab my knee on my own. I started getting involved in the bodybuilding/weightlifting forums and social media sites and my long lost love of weight lifting was rekindled. (I had lifted all through high school and college) I read all the threads and asked all the questions and took all the fat burners and the weight fluctuated back and forth about 5#. The biggest change was a drop in bodyfat that came with lifting and lifting heavy but after about a year and a half that stabilized and everything just kind of stayed the same. I finally got smart and left the forums and started trying to figure things out on my own by reading articles and more articles and more articles!!
I had the opportunity to fly out to New Jersey to take a puppy to Henri Skiba of Skiba’s Gym. He is an awesome person and I have greatly enjoyed our friendship. He is always trying to do favors for people and since I live across the country from him he tries to hook me up with knowledgeable people who can help me in my lifting and such. Few people care the way Henri does. Anyway several months ago he told me to accept a friend request from Nick Shaw because he was a really good diet guy who had stopped by the gym and Henri figured he could help me out since my diet was TERRIBLE! (Hence the reason I was stuck at 175# forever.)
Nick was johnny on the spot and sent me a friendship request and so I decided I would check out his facebook page, Renaissance Periodization and website Renaissance Periodization. I pondered a bit and figured what the heck, what do I have to lose but a few pounds! So I sent Nick a message and he got right back to me and I purchased a 3 month nutrition package. (They offer programing as well.)
I received an extensive questionnaire about my current diet and life and poof, a nutrition plan was sent with all the info I needed. I am sure for Nick it wasnt so much poof :) Right off the bat I liked it because there were NO counting calories! I despise counting calories and I fail at it! The plan was simple and something that fit into my very busy life! I started the the first of November and fell off the wagon big time at christmas and then have kind of sort of followed it through the months of January.
Nick has been incredibly patient with me the whole time. He made adjustments as needed throughout the scheduled program and answered all my stupid questions. For the first month and a half I was very diligent to send him my weight every other day. Post falling off the wagon, not even close!!! I am a terrible horrible bad client and direction follower! 
I started at 171.5# of something like that and I have been as low as 161.2#. This past month I have tried to find out where I could keep myself by not being super strict but still following the guidelines of the diet prepared. I have settled around 163#. It seems like my weight goes up and down a pound from there and I can maintain that pretty well. I am good with that for right now as I am heading into the Rillito Park Horse Racing season and life is going to get busy busy busy for me and I am just hoping to make it out alive
So you want the dreadful evidence? It is horribly embarrassing for me, even after dropping the weight, I still need to lose more but that will come in a few months. Before I post my evidence though you must also know that I was just starting my second cycle of the cube when I started the nutrition plan and therefore ended it about the same time. My lowest weight was reached during my max effort week so I was down pretty much 10# from where I started and I lift in the morning so it wasnt like I weighed and then pigged out all day and went and worked out full of calories, it was no food from 6 pm the night before and then a 160 calorie protein shake at 4 am!
My weight was down 10#, my squat went up 5# to 220#, my bench at a pitiful 155# and deads at 355# stayed the same. I am happy with that as I would rather be down 10# and stay the same max than have 5# more on my max and weigh the same or more.
Ok, ok, I have procrastinated enough-
Before front-
Oh I look horrible!!!!
After front- taken today thanks to Zac
The horriblest ever behind picture, so ashamed and embarrassed 
And the after behind picture, still bad but better-
I hate those shots but they are the obligatory relaxed front and back pose so here are a few from bench day and arm day of the beginning and ending weeks!
Beginning week
ending week
Beginning week
ending week
I recommend you contact Nick and his crew if you are interested in a nutrition plan that will fit your lifestyle and will get you where you want to be! All my failings in this were my fault as I didnt do a very good job sticking to the program. But what the heck, it obviously worked well even with my cheating ways 
