I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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no it's a common wrong answer though, according to the ucdavis website the image comes fromDear Vismal
Is this correct? Please help. (you said ask anything)
6'1JazzFischer1989 wrote: »How tall are you? I'm sure you've been asked this question already, but this thread has a lot of pages.
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Just because of this thread I have gotten a major education about heavy lifting. I read about it for 2 hrs today and I think I am ready to take the plunge! I must confess that I am a bit worried about doing this because I have fibro, am 53 yo and have never done anything other than light weights, a maximum of 10 lbs. But I have lost 50 lbs, have 10, (maybe 15?) left to go and I am super sick of being flabby and weak. Is it true that light weights don't do anything? Because I have been working with light weights for the last 6 weeks and I could swear I am stronger. You are doing SUCH great work, here. Thank you so much for the generous way you give back to this community.0
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It's not that light weights don't do anything, if you were doing nothing then started lifting light weights you will see some positive things happen. Eventually though, if you never increase the load, you'll stop seeing changes. You want to be increasing the weight on the bar over time. At first you can increase on lifts quite quickly. It slows down as you become more advanced. Also know that heavy is a relative term, not an absolute one.wmcmurray61 wrote: »Just because of this thread I have gotten a major education about heavy lifting. I read about it for 2 hrs today and I think I am ready to take the plunge! I must confess that I am a bit worried about doing this because I have fibro, am 53 yo and have never done anything other than light weights, a maximum of 10 lbs. But I have lost 50 lbs, have 10, (maybe 15?) left to go and I am super sick of being flabby and weak. Is it true that light weights don't do anything? Because I have been working with light weights for the last 6 weeks and I could swear I am stronger. You are doing SUCH great work, here. Thank you so much for the generous way you give back to this community.
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I'm a 55 yrs old, female, 5'5 and 229. I'm eating 1200 to 1300 cals daily and this is comfortable for me. I walk all day at my job, and hike on weekends. I do cardio at the gym and eat back 2/3 calories because I don't want to go under 1200 cals. I've been losing about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. a week.
With loss, I fear I may stagnate with my calories so low, but when I've added calories my loss completely stops. So in advance I'm trying to figure out what will work for me...any advice to keep things going?
I need to conquer this once and for all...at my age it's now or never.. the thought of hoyer lifts motivate me. LOL I don't like that idea in my future.
I think you are a super star and am very thankful at the kindness you show others in taking the time to help. (I work in a SNF as a rec therapist).0 -
It's not that light weights don't do anything, if you were doing nothing then started lifting light weights you will see some positive things happen. Eventually though, if you never increase the load, you'll stop seeing changes. You want to be increasing the weight on the bar over time. At first you can increase on lifts quite quickly. It slows down as you become more advanced. Also know that heavy is a relative term, not an absolute one.wmcmurray61 wrote: »Just because of this thread I have gotten a major education about heavy lifting. I read about it for 2 hrs today and I think I am ready to take the plunge! I must confess that I am a bit worried about doing this because I have fibro, am 53 yo and have never done anything other than light weights, a maximum of 10 lbs. But I have lost 50 lbs, have 10, (maybe 15?) left to go and I am super sick of being flabby and weak. Is it true that light weights don't do anything? Because I have been working with light weights for the last 6 weeks and I could swear I am stronger. You are doing SUCH great work, here. Thank you so much for the generous way you give back to this community.
O.K. cool. Thanks so much. I am going to keep adding. Just have to be pretty gradual about it.
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Vismal I have been following this thread same as everyone well done.
My situation I'm 5 10 226lb want to be 145lb or look good, I want maybe just a small amount of definition in my abs and biceps which weight program would you suggest.0 -
Late comer to the thread, but I will def. sit down and read thru it when I get the chance. Congrats on your achievement there brother. Great job.0
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I'm sure someones said this , but wow your skin is elastic! That much change in that amount of time and it looks like you've never been a pound over average. Great work0
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WOW! AWESOME TRANSFORMATION!0
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How did you come up with your nutritional goals (Calories, carb, fat & protein ratios). How did that change along the way and why?0
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Hey I know it's late but what toning exercises would you recommend? I'm 129lb so not looking to lose weight just tone up my body
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I recommend most people who are new to lifting do the "Ice Cream Fitness 5x5". Stronglifts 5x5 and starting strength are also both good choices.andysport1 wrote: »Vismal I have been following this thread same as everyone well done.
My situation I'm 5 10 226lb want to be 145lb or look good, I want maybe just a small amount of definition in my abs and biceps which weight program would you suggest.
I have my own way of calculating I came up with through lots of reading and trial and error. This video explains how I do it:How did you come up with your nutritional goals (Calories, carb, fat & protein ratios). How did that change along the way and why?
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Toning does not exist. You cannot "tone" a muscle. To look "toned" you must do 2 things. You must have built up a muscular base, and you must lose enough fat that the muscular base is shown. I talk about that here:proudmumaa13 wrote: »Hey I know it's late but what toning exercises would you recommend? I'm 129lb so not looking to lose weight just tone up my body x0 -
What a splendid transformation...inside and out:-) Thanks for sharing...fantastic motivation!!0
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Just another great example that IIFYM works!!! Congratulations on your amazing transformation, both with your physical and knowledge.0
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Congrats on your amazing results and thank you for all the great info!0
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You just described my situation. I'm older than you (54) but I was very similar to you. In grade school I was husky. In high school I played line (200 lb) but lost control in college. I've see-sawed between 285-310 for 30 years. My wife has lost 92 pounds by watching her food intake (no MFP) and exercising daily for over a year. My 19 year old son was approaching 250 as a high school junior and he has last 45 pounds by working out and eating right. But my 16 year old son and I have done nothing. I have been on MFP for a few years and have had success at times. However, when I get it going, I'll always find a meal that will increase my weight by 4 pounds overnight. when I've been under my daily calorie goal for a week. It totally counteracts my week of success and I give up. I've done this hundreds of times in my life.
Brother, you and the other successful people here are inspirational. God bless you and thank you for sharing this. WAY TO GO!!!!!!!
Yes. In grade school I was "husky". In highschool I was a football player but played line and had plenty of extra fat. In college I lost all the muscle I gained from football and went from "big" to "fat". After college I really let myself go.[/quote]
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Amazing. Totally adding you. Thanks for sharing. I'm ready to become a fitness freak and live without diabetes and heart disease that runs in my family.0
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Thanks for sharing the video. I didn't hear anything that I have not heard before but it's good to hear it coming from different sources. I feel more motivated to keep pressing on. Thanks again!1
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First off, congrats on your massive achievement.
Second, many thanks for your time and info, in this thread. I'm only 8 pages in, but there's been so much helpful info already. I'm down 106 myself, a few pounds from my second target, and i was starting to think about when and how to go through bulking phase. Your answer here ...
Ahh the first bulk.. It scared the hell out of me to actually set a goal of gaining weight. I had worked so hard and the simply though of ruining all that work was horrifying. Fear not though, when executed correctly you can gain quality mass while keeping fat gains minimal. 1st you must except that you will gain some fat, albeit a small amount. But that's fine because at that point you should be pretty darn good at losing fat! The key to keeping lean while bulking is to GO SLOW! ...My question is in regards to lifting....
... gave me so much hope, encouragement and confidence to face the next step. Once again, many thanks!
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You are a GREAT person.
I read through all 21 pages. I will have to come back to re-read & see your videos. You answered everyone's questions throughly.
Btw, hunky hunka to your 2014 pictures. Great job.0 -
You look fantastic, well done!0
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I've always wanted to do an AMA so I thought I'd set one up here. The basics about my story are that I went from 315lbs to 195 and have been making small gains in muscles/losses to fat ever since. Ask me anything, anything at all!
Add me as a friend on here too!
Should I sell my stock shares in ford motor company?0 -
Dear Vismal:
Was our lack of an active Atlantic hurricane season due to excessive Saharan dry air in the tropics, a weak subpolar oscillation, or persistent wind shear from a developing El Niño?0 -
Bump for later 0
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No, Ford has been improving greatly over the last decade IMOShould I sell my stock shares in ford motor company?
None of that, it's a government controlled weather machine....duh....Dear Vismal:
Was our lack of an active Atlantic hurricane season due to excessive Saharan dry air in the tropics, a weak subpolar oscillation, or persistent wind shear from a developing El Niño?
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Vismal, I've watched a lot of your videos and read through this. What I'm wondering is how many sugar grams do you eat in a day? Do you watch that? Does it really matter if your macros are ok? I'm asking because I love coke. Full sugar, bad for your insides, coke! In the past, I've given it up for a few weeks, then go so crazy I drink a 12 pack in 2 days! I'd like to include just one a day now.0
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I am a far cry from 10% body fat in the 2012 picture. I would estimate closer to 14-15%. I doubt I'm even 10% in the most recent picture. Probably 11-12. People see abs and automatically think 10%. When I post new progress pictures (hopefully soonish) I should be around 10% body fat. Also I have a very big lower body. My legs are probably a year's worth of training ahead of my upper body. I have 17.5 inch calves. It will take me forever to have biceps bigger then my calves. Because you can't really see my legs in any of my pictures you don't get an appreciation for how much of my lean mass is carried there.
When I first started I didn't track intake. I simply did away with the 4 sodas I drank a day and I stopped eating out.. When I started tracking calories I was going way too low but having enough cheat days that it rounded out to probably a 1000 calorie a day deficit. Understand that my TDEE was probably < 4000 because I was so large.Seriously awesome work there!
What was your total calorie intake when you started losing? Did you cut your calotes further when thr weight loss
slowed down?
How much time did the last 30lbs took to lose to gett to the 2nd pic?
Do you have weeks/days where you fall off track and put on weight? If not, what part of your routine would you hold respponsible for such a great run?
To lose the last 30 lbs before picture 2 probably took 4 months. I couldn't tell you exactly.
I never fall off track. I actually cannot remember the last time I binged, at least the last time I had a binge I didn't plan on (I still go crazy on holidays and my birthday). The key to that kind of discipline is never depriving yourself of foods you enjoy. I don't need cheat days anymore because I eat what I like, within reason, on a daily basis. Look at my log, you'll see bacon and ice cream nearly every day. Most of my diet comes from minimally processed whole foods, but I leave room for the things I love.
ok one more question. You look roughly at 10 % bf in the Aug 2012 pic which puts your LBM at a strong 175.5 lbs. But you look pretty skinny there so what gives? Just curious
I've got to get some sleep now. I'll get the rest of the questions when I wake up!
I am 16.4% BF and I don't look anything like your Aug 2012 picture, my goal is to look like that in the end. I workout 6 days a week (alternate muscle groups, lift heavy, HIIT 3 times per week), weekdays eat 1500-1600 cals/day, weekends I eat too much. M, 6'1, 170. I am working to cut down on weekends to eat 1800-2000/day. I know overeating on weekends is my problem, but I still have been loosing weight despite it. Like I said your Aug picture is exactly what I am going for. I am trying to figure out a way to determine what BF % will get me to look like that, or how much more weight I have to loose.
As a side note, being a 6'1, 170 lb guy trying to loose fat, I get that "too skinny" crap all the time. Thanks for posting that. #4 couldn't fit my situation better.0 -
I do not pay attention to sugar. That being said, coke is an absolutely worthless food in my opinion. If you love it, it's fine to have in moderation, but to me, a liquid that provides zero nutritional value, zero satiation, and takes up 140 calories per can just doesn't make the cut. I'd rather use those calories and eat something that might fill me up. Even most traditional "junk foods" at least offer some nutritional value or satiation, even if its not much. Again, if you love it, having it in moderation is okay, but one a day seems like a big waste of calories per week. I could think of so many more tasty things to do with those 980 calories.Vismal, I've watched a lot of your videos and read through this. What I'm wondering is how many sugar grams do you eat in a day? Do you watch that? Does it really matter if your macros are ok? I'm asking because I love coke. Full sugar, bad for your insides, coke! In the past, I've given it up for a few weeks, then go so crazy I drink a 12 pack in 2 days! I'd like to include just one a day now.
First, I am going to assume your body fat percentage was obtained from some kind of body fat scale device. If so, the number is very very very prone to error. I'd say + or - at least 4%. You are the same height as I am and weigh 25 lbs less then me in my picture. You will not end up looking like I do by losing more weight. At 6'1 170 you are going to need to gain some mass before you look good lean. Also 1500 calories are ridiculously low. Many women could lose weight on those levels of calories. I would not continue to eat that little. There is no reason you shouldn't lose weight at 1800 or more calories a day. If you find that those calories don't cause weight loss, the likelihood is that you are miscounting and eating more then you think. I would focus on getting just lean enough to be comfortable doing a lean bulk. You are going to need to do a fairly long bulk followed by another cut to really look decent at lean levels of body fat. It's a long journey but if you stay consistent you can absolutely achieve it.
I am 16.4% BF and I don't look anything like your Aug 2012 picture, my goal is to look like that in the end. I workout 6 days a week (alternate muscle groups, lift heavy, HIIT 3 times per week), weekdays eat 1500-1600 cals/day, weekends I eat too much. M, 6'1, 170. I am working to cut down on weekends to eat 1800-2000/day. I know overeating on weekends is my problem, but I still have been loosing weight despite it. Like I said your Aug picture is exactly what I am going for. I am trying to figure out a way to determine what BF % will get me to look like that, or how much more weight I have to loose.
As a side note, being a 6'1, 170 lb guy trying to loose fat, I get that "too skinny" crap all the time. Thanks for posting that. #4 couldn't fit my situation better.
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I do not pay attention to sugar. That being said, coke is an absolutely worthless food in my opinion. If you love it, it's fine to have in moderation, but to me, a liquid that provides zero nutritional value, zero satiation, and takes up 140 calories per can just doesn't make the cut. I'd rather use those calories and eat something that might fill me up. Even most traditional "junk foods" at least offer some nutritional value or satiation, even if its not much. Again, if you love it, having it in moderation is okay, but one a day seems like a big waste of calories per week. I could think of so many more tasty things to do with those 980 calories.Vismal, I've watched a lot of your videos and read through this. What I'm wondering is how many sugar grams do you eat in a day? Do you watch that? Does it really matter if your macros are ok? I'm asking because I love coke. Full sugar, bad for your insides, coke! In the past, I've given it up for a few weeks, then go so crazy I drink a 12 pack in 2 days! I'd like to include just one a day now.
First, I am going to assume your body fat percentage was obtained from some kind of body fat scale device. If so, the number is very very very prone to error. I'd say + or - at least 4%. You are the same height as I am and weigh 25 lbs less then me in my picture. You will not end up looking like I do by losing more weight. At 6'1 170 you are going to need to gain some mass before you look good lean. Also 1500 calories are ridiculously low. Many women could lose weight on those levels of calories. I would not continue to eat that little. There is no reason you shouldn't lose weight at 1800 or more calories a day. If you find that those calories don't cause weight loss, the likelihood is that you are miscounting and eating more then you think. I would focus on getting just lean enough to be comfortable doing a lean bulk. You are going to need to do a fairly long bulk followed by another cut to really look decent at lean levels of body fat. It's a long journey but if you stay consistent you can absolutely achieve it.
I am 16.4% BF and I don't look anything like your Aug 2012 picture, my goal is to look like that in the end. I workout 6 days a week (alternate muscle groups, lift heavy, HIIT 3 times per week), weekdays eat 1500-1600 cals/day, weekends I eat too much. M, 6'1, 170. I am working to cut down on weekends to eat 1800-2000/day. I know overeating on weekends is my problem, but I still have been loosing weight despite it. Like I said your Aug picture is exactly what I am going for. I am trying to figure out a way to determine what BF % will get me to look like that, or how much more weight I have to loose.
As a side note, being a 6'1, 170 lb guy trying to loose fat, I get that "too skinny" crap all the time. Thanks for posting that. #4 couldn't fit my situation better.
Firstly, thank you for the advice. I got my BF measured at my gym, they used a device that you hold in your hands. I have been thinking about upping my calories, but as I said in my post on weekends I tend to overeat so that's why I keep it low. Also, 1500 is what MFP said to loose 1.5/week. I am at a 34-36 waist now, my lowest point I was 150 with a 32 waist. I wanted to get back to that point then maybe do a bulk. My first goal is to get to that waist size again. That is do able for me because I was at that point before...the bulking part will be harder for me.
That being said, I might change my goals to 1 lbs per week. Then I just have to learn control myself on weekends. I think that will bring me around 1700-1800.
I have bought a food scale and now I have started measuring, so I hope that helps my accuracy.
Does this goal seem in line with what you are saying--"getting lean enough to be comfortable to do a lean bulk"?0
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