MT Member Flanders: The Transformation Interview

MT Member Flanders has made phenominal progress: formerly overweight, he went on to compete in the 2011 UKBFF MuscleTalk Championships last weekend in the classic class.  His goel was to (quote) 'not look stupid on stage'  He more than achieved this goal.
 
Take a look:

 
He's an inspiration to anyone.  So, I thought, now he's over the show, let's run another member's interview with him.
 
Please use this thread to ask him any questions about his progress, nutrition, training, etc.
 
Check out his journal

hey bud.
 
what was the reason or moment behind you deciding you wanted to change your lifestyle and get in shape?

serious kudos mate, well done!

How much weight did you lose in total between the two pics? 

Wow - fantastic transformation!

Wow x2. Super progress. As i think asked already - what are your stats before and after and how long did it take you?
 
What's the biggest/best difference in your life between then and now?
 
EDIT - answered part of my own first question by reading your journal;
 
http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.ashx?m=4494025
 
2 years 9 months between pictures. That's a hell of a transformation.

Flanders, just read the first post in your journal. Do your work colleagues still think you're too old or 'going over the top'?! What comments have you received from them during your journey?

Christ! Awesome work mate.
 
Sorry if I missed it but whats the timescale between the two pics?

Amazing....what else can be said....

Impressive, man.  You look a completely new person.
 
 

James


MT Member Flanders has made phenominal progress: formerly overweight, he went on to compete in the 2011 UKBFF MuscleTalk Championships last weekend in the classic class.  His goel was to (quote) 'not look stupid on stage'  He more than achieved this goal.
He's an inspiration to anyone.  So, I thought, now he's over the show, let's run another member's interview with him.

Please use this thread to ask him any questions about his progress, nutrition, training, etc.

Check out his journal

Thanks for the intro James.

dazc


hey bud.

what was the reason or moment behind you deciding you wanted to change your lifestyle and get in shape?

I just felt uncomfortable with the way I looked... and couldn't get my head around having to buy 40inch trousers ... and thought, i've got to do something about this.... I also started to worry about the health side of things.

westbelfastguy


serious kudos mate, well done!

Cheers buddy....

sillynarbie


How much weight did you lose in total between the two pics? 

there's around 4 and 1/2 stone there, although I had got in pretty good shape last your and was 1/2 stone lighter but have gained some lean tissue during the winter months.

Yib


Wow - fantastic transformation!

Thanks buddy.....

essex_chris


Wow x2. Super progress. As i think asked already - what are your stats before and after  and how long did it take you?

What's the biggest/best difference in your life between then and now?

EDIT - answered part of my own first question by reading your journal;

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.ashx?m=4494025

2 years 9 months between pictures. That's a hell of a transformation.

I'm around 15 and 1/2 stone in the fat pic and just under 11 stone in the other pic...
 
Feeling fit and healthy is a big difference along with self confidence.. best difference is proving the doubters wrong... there's some not nice people in the world that would rather tell you to give up as opposed to encouraging you to do well.

CheekyChappie


Flanders, just read the first post in your journal. Do your work colleagues still think you're too old or 'going over the top'?! What comments have you received from them during your journey?

Work colleagues changed alot over the time as they are now constantly asking me how to do it... but when you tell them about the food, cardio and training requirements it head fcuks them. I still get the 'obsessed' comments... and yeah still getting a little 'going over the top'... got that one more once I told folk I wanted to compete.

PAGAN


Christ! Awesome work mate.

Sorry if I missed it but whats the timescale between the two pics?

2 years 9 months

stevie bully bully


Amazing....what else can be said....

Thank you

1ManRiot


Impressive, man.  You look a completely new person.

Cheers buddy....

Back comparison:
 

 

That back comparison is amazing. You actually look leaner from the rear than you do from the front in those tanned pics. 
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but were you actually training in the original pics? How did you know you had enough mass underneath the fat to look good on stage? 

did you have any problems with saggy skin when loosing so much fat? what diet(s) did you do? low carb? ketos?...

outstanding transformation, one of the best if not the best i have seen on here.
 
What does your Mrs think of the transformation?

Loooking really good mate,
 
what actually made you decide you want to compete?
it took me a good few yearrs before i finally decided to do it, where you just seemed to flow straight into it from losing the weight!!

sillynarbie


That back comparison is amazing. You actually look leaner from the rear than you do from the front in those tanned pics. 

Don't take this the wrong way, but were you actually training in the original pics? How did you know you had enough mass underneath the fat to look good on stage? 

Yeah the front picture i'm not flexing my quads... doh!! .... luckily I remembered up on stage
 
No I wasn't training in the first picture, I started to diet in the september and said i'll join the gym in the new year... like you do, then after a month or 2 of gym work I joined this website... started a journal and everything has been documented in there since.
 
What those 2 pictures don't tell you is that I dieted down initially in under 18 months, if you go to page 5 of my journal you'll see the results from this, I did the SUC in Jan 2010. Then from this new lean base had a decent off-season and gained some lean mass where James did my bulking diet and training, then at around 16 weeks out dieted down for the show.

Boss Redd


did you have any problems with saggy skin when loosing so much fat? what diet(s) did you do? low carb? ketos?...

I was concerned about saggy skin but it seemed to tighten up nicely, although with my abs and thighs posing you can see a little extra skin... but it certainly didn't show on the day in general. Diet initially was just what I picked up off here in the nutrition section, Darin Steen and Tom Venuto's BFFM. My off-season diet and dieting down for the show was all done by James Collier.. mainly low carbs with 1 refeed meal a week... and sh!t loads of cardio!!

Aaron Hallett


outstanding transformation, one of the best if not the best i have seen on here.

What does your Mrs think of the transformation?

Hi Aaron... Hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but saw this question and thought I'd give it to you straight from the horses mouth...
 
I fell in love with him, and married him as a fatty and when he first started the whole process I was a bit sad to see the 'love handles' disappear, but as time went on I came round to the idea... Now I absolutely love the new Neil, and really can't imagine him being how he used to be... When I look back at the pictures I cant believe it's even the same person... I love being part of his new lifestyle (and even enjoy getting all his pack ups ready for work the next day!)... Needless to say, I am very happy with his transformation!