I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything

GreatDepression

So you want to become a really big body builder?

novespecial

Hi Vismal recently found this thread and your videos. Great information. Thank you for all the great advice! I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1. I recently watched your video abouy determining your macros. When doing the math I came up with different numbers then mfp. I am assuming mfp is not as concise. The calories are about 250, less on mfp. Is this mostly due to the idea of not eating back exercise calories? Also is there a good strategy to increasing protein and fats? I am always way low in both of those areas as I am sure many are when starting out.

2. I would like to lose about 40 pounds. My activity of choice is cycling. Do you have any advice on eating enough to keep up with intense cardio so as not to tap out of energy while losing?

3. I plan to add in some weight training three days per week. Is a nautilas type of routine sufficient for someone more concerned with losing weight and cycling versus free weights?

Again thanks for all of your efforts, your videos have been immensely helpful for people looking for a realistic sustainable approach to weight loss. Also congrats you look great and are very inspirational!

hookilau

That is one of the issues I have with ketosis diets. Plenty of people have gone low/no carb and lost a ton of weight. I personally know several. I don't know (in real life, internet not included) anyone who has kept weight off long term that they lost using a ketosis diet. I believe this is because as soon as they reintroduce carbs back into their diet, they wipe away any deficit they created, and ultimately return to eating the way they did before they lost their weight. To me, any diet based on restricting types of foods, or in the case of keto, an entire macro nutrient, is going to have lots of trouble with long term success.

Guess you don't know any T2 diabetics, huh? :laugh:
Since the quality of my life depends on it, the weight I lost in the first 8 weeks of keto (25#'s) hasn't come back & in fact, I lost a total of 33#'s since starting last Spring. I *was* looking forward to losing 15 more, but have since changed my goal to a size 4 as opposed to my current size 6

jimmyn6

Great story and success. Most kudos to you! I was lurking and checking out other questions and answers.

Similarly I'm obese. I'm 290lbs at 5'9, 5'8 (depends on who is measuring) but people don't think it sometimes. I'm almost 28 now, so yeah this is obese and not good. If I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, this be different, football coaches would find a way to put me on the line.

I used to be in shape now I'm not. I was a kinesiology major before i switched and graduated with my BBA instead. I should know better. I do know better and have basic understanding of the science of it all, although my focus as a kines student was more geared towards becoming a teacher/coach.

Which then leads me to the next hard part, what should I do lose the weight? I'm currently working out twice a day via cardio, 40 in the morning, 60 in the afternoon, with a co-worker (we carpool together, so it works out) and we work at a university so the gym has everything. I'm currently trying the cardio plus eating right. My tennis coach from college uses that method and he's losing steady pounds. He also is the department chair of kinesiology of that school, publish textbook, former NCAA athlete so I trust him a lot. Other kines professor is the soccer coach, he too is a former NCAA athlete, masters in exercise science, he favors a cardio and weight program but he's never had to lose weight. But he just maintains, and is motivated cuz his father is on the extreme heavy side. But then when you go online, everyone is in favor of weights over cardio (and then the few who just do the eat under 1000 calories a day, but that isn't in my books). So which one is best? What should I tackle?

I was taught calorie in/out, 3500/lb, the target heart rate zone, just a bit harder to try and mesh it together and use on myself. I been at the 2/day routine for about 2-3 weeks now. Haven't shown the weight loss I want, and I know that's me not fixing up my diet. But I do know that when I get on the machine (i avoid running or treadmill to save my knees) that it gets easier. I can increase the resistance, crossramp, etc. So I know from an improvement perspective, I'm making strides. I just wonder if I could do better. What would help me make bigger improvements? I want to get rid of XXL and back into XL shirts by fall and hopefully fall down to L/M shirts, which I know you can appreciate.

I've lost 30lbs in 10 weeks before when I did Basic training with the Army. So I know I can lose rapid amounts. And that it's possible. They fed us 3x a day. It was cafeteria food, we didn't seconds. Was I being fed less than I need? Most likely, general rule of boot camp (marines) and basic (army) is, fat(er) people lose weight, skinner people gain weight (muscle most likely). And the thing that gets me is that our workouts weren't intense. I mean at the time I felt like I would pass out and die, but looking back, it wasn't that bad. We alternated running days with muscle endurance. Everything we did for muscle day is as you imagine, pushups, situps, jumping jacks, etc. I drank my 2L camelpak enough to refill 3x a day. We walked everywhere. And if we didn't walk, we ran (double time). 230lbs at reception, 200lbs at graduation. Went from a XL uniform to a L. But I can't replicate those results. I just wonder if there is a way i can compress the workout/activity of 18 hr work day I had then, into my two hours a day?

Thanks.

likitisplit

That is one of the issues I have with ketosis diets. Plenty of people have gone low/no carb and lost a ton of weight. I personally know several. I don't know (in real life, internet not included) anyone who has kept weight off long term that they lost using a ketosis diet. I believe this is because as soon as they reintroduce carbs back into their diet, they wipe away any deficit they created, and ultimately return to eating the way they did before they lost their weight. To me, any diet based on restricting types of foods, or in the case of keto, an entire macro nutrient, is going to have lots of trouble with long term success.

Guess you don't know any T2 diabetics, huh? :laugh:
Since the quality of my life depends on it, the weight I lost in the first 8 weeks of keto (25#'s) hasn't come back & in fact, I lost a total of 33#'s since starting last Spring. I *was* looking forward to losing 15 more, but have since changed my goal to a size 4 as opposed to my current size 6

People with dietary issues and hormone imbalances are always a one-off. Yes, you are a different type of snowflake.

vismal

So you want to become a really big body builder?

Not really big, no. It's almost impossible to get "really big" naturally. I guess it depends what you mean by really big. Pro body builders are all on boatloads of PEDs and that's just not something I'm considering. My end goal is to be very lean at 205-210. I am currently very lean at 190-195. The 205-210 should be around about my natural genetic potential.

Hi Vismal recently found this thread and your videos. Great information. Thank you for all the great advice! I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1. I recently watched your video abouy determining your macros. When doing the math I came up with different numbers then mfp. I am assuming mfp is not as concise. The calories are about 250, less on mfp. Is this mostly due to the idea of not eating back exercise calories? Also is there a good strategy to increasing protein and fats? I am always way low in both of those areas as I am sure many are when starting out.

2. I would like to lose about 40 pounds. My activity of choice is cycling. Do you have any advice on eating enough to keep up with intense cardio so as not to tap out of energy while losing?

3. I plan to add in some weight training three days per week. Is a nautilas type of routine sufficient for someone more concerned with losing weight and cycling versus free weights?

Again thanks for all of your efforts, your videos have been immensely helpful for people looking for a realistic sustainable approach to weight loss. Also congrats you look great and are very inspirational!

Myfitnesspal uses the FDA's recommended daily allowances to determine their macro recommendations. I think this is for safety/legal reasons. My recommendations are based on the current research that shows how much protein you need to maintain muscle mass while losing weight. Calories will always be different from person to person. Trial and error will be necessary. My way is just a very simple way to find a reasonable starting point. You will have to alter calories based on your actual results.

I always feel cardio has some diminishing returns as you get into endurance levels. Eventually you are doing so much activity that you are forced to eat more to fuel said activity. You just have to find a balance to how much you need to eat to fuel your workouts but still keep you in a deficit to lose weight. Again, trial and error will be a major component here.

No matter what your goals are, any type of strength training is better then none. Machines are fine, but I prefer dumbbells as it gives you more control over your range of motion.

Guess you don't know any T2 diabetics, huh? :laugh:
Since the quality of my life depends on it, the weight I lost in the first 8 weeks of keto (25#'s) hasn't come back & in fact, I lost a total of 33#'s since starting last Spring. I *was* looking forward to losing 15 more, but have since changed my goal to a size 4 as opposed to my current size 6

I know plenty of type 2 diabetics. I still don't think there is any reason they need to be on a ketosis diet. They must be very aware of carb intake but they do not need to go so low in carb intake as to achieve ketosis. Also long term weight loss equals > 5 years. I stand by my original statement that I don't know anyone in real life who has kept weight off using a ketosis method of weight loss. Most of the type 2 diabetics I know are non compliant.

vismal

Great story and success. Most kudos to you! I was lurking and checking out other questions and answers.

Similarly I'm obese. I'm 290lbs at 5'9, 5'8 (depends on who is measuring) but people don't think it sometimes. I'm almost 28 now, so yeah this is obese and not good. If I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, this be different, football coaches would find a way to put me on the line.

I used to be in shape now I'm not. I was a kinesiology major before i switched and graduated with my BBA instead. I should know better. I do know better and have basic understanding of the science of it all, although my focus as a kines student was more geared towards becoming a teacher/coach.

Which then leads me to the next hard part, what should I do lose the weight? I'm currently working out twice a day via cardio, 40 in the morning, 60 in the afternoon, with a co-worker (we carpool together, so it works out) and we work at a university so the gym has everything. I'm currently trying the cardio plus eating right. My tennis coach from college uses that method and he's losing steady pounds. He also is the department chair of kinesiology of that school, publish textbook, former NCAA athlete so I trust him a lot. Other kines professor is the soccer coach, he too is a former NCAA athlete, masters in exercise science, he favors a cardio and weight program but he's never had to lose weight. But he just maintains, and is motivated cuz his father is on the extreme heavy side. But then when you go online, everyone is in favor of weights over cardio (and then the few who just do the eat under 1000 calories a day, but that isn't in my books). So which one is best? What should I tackle?

I was taught calorie in/out, 3500/lb, the target heart rate zone, just a bit harder to try and mesh it together and use on myself. I been at the 2/day routine for about 2-3 weeks now. Haven't shown the weight loss I want, and I know that's me not fixing up my diet. But I do know that when I get on the machine (i avoid running or treadmill to save my knees) that it gets easier. I can increase the resistance, crossramp, etc. So I know from an improvement perspective, I'm making strides. I just wonder if I could do better. What would help me make bigger improvements? I want to get rid of XXL and back into XL shirts by fall and hopefully fall down to L/M shirts, which I know you can appreciate.

I've lost 30lbs in 10 weeks before when I did Basic training with the Army. So I know I can lose rapid amounts. And that it's possible. They fed us 3x a day. It was cafeteria food, we didn't seconds. Was I being fed less than I need? Most likely, general rule of boot camp (marines) and basic (army) is, fat(er) people lose weight, skinner people gain weight (muscle most likely). And the thing that gets me is that our workouts weren't intense. I mean at the time I felt like I would pass out and die, but looking back, it wasn't that bad. We alternated running days with muscle endurance. Everything we did for muscle day is as you imagine, pushups, situps, jumping jacks, etc. I drank my 2L camelpak enough to refill 3x a day. We walked everywhere. And if we didn't walk, we ran (double time). 230lbs at reception, 200lbs at graduation. Went from a XL uniform to a L. But I can't replicate those results. I just wonder if there is a way i can compress the workout/activity of 18 hr work day I had then, into my two hours a day?

Thanks.

Weight loss is all about a caloric deficit. If you eat less then you burn in a day you will lose weight. Diet is going to be the most important factor. You can run marathons and still be overweight if your diet is poor enough. I count calories and macro nutrients. After diet I put weights as the 2nd most important factor. Lifting while losing weights maintains lean muscle mass. You want to be losing fat, not muscle, and lifting helps with that. Cardio is less important then both diet and lifting but should not be neglected. It will help add to the burn side of the energy equation. Ideally you should lift weights 3 times a week, do cardio 1-3 times a week (depending on how much time you can devote), and no matter what you do keep a tight control on your diet. That's weight loss in a nutshell.

Shaselai

I think Ketosis is a lifestyle just like low carb, paleo, vegan etc (an to an extent what Vismal is doing). Is it restrictive on the carbs? Sure it is but it also provides food availabilities that some other diets dont (high fat). I think for me at least I want to use ketosis to lose the wieght first because it is the only diet that i stuck long enough (tried numerous - nutri, ww, medifast, low fat etc.) and i am seeing progress. Do I see myself eating more than 20g carbs after i achieve my weight loss - sure. My plan for now at least is to get to my ideal weight then worry about maintaining - whether that be similar to what Vismal is doing (focus on macro/calories) or continue ketosis or something else. One thing is for sure that i wont be going back and gaining. If it is to live a keto lifestyle then it is not too bad. I think it just ends up being personal adaptability of the diet and transitioning to a lifestyle.

But i still got 60+ pounds to lose so it will be a while for me to practice what i preach eh?


Oh yeah, Vismal:
Did you have any favorite drinks during your diet or anything you didnt touch? Right now I drink mostly tea at work. I drink a bottle of Bai5(basically antioxidant drink 5 calories) for lunch, sometimes a can of monster ultra and rest water for workouts....

NorahCait

Thanks so much for doing this. I've learned a lot reading these threads! I apologize if you've already addressed something a lot like this and I just forgot about it since I read it (if you have, just ignore it and I'll find it again).

First off, I'm 5'7", ~219 lbs, down from 244. I sit at a desk all day, walk about 45-60 minutes 7x/week (moderate pace, usually walking home from work), C25K 3x/week, and machine weights 3x/week. I've been doing the weights for about 3 weeks.

I want to transition from machine weights to free weights (SL5x5 interests me a lot). The problem is I can barely do 3x10 with the lowest setting on machine weights for a few of the exercises I do. If I'm making any progress at all, it's very, very, very slow. I don't like that, and I don't like that I don't have full control like I would with free weights.

Should I *try* doing the SL5x5 workouts and see how they go, or should I do something else? Can I start with something lighter than the empty bar if that proves to be too much?

I don't want to give up on C25K because improving my cardiovascular health is important to me right now. Am I trying to do too much by adding in the weights?

V0lver

in for awesomeness

vismal

I think Ketosis is a lifestyle just like low carb, paleo, vegan etc (an to an extent what Vismal is doing). Is it restrictive on the carbs? Sure it is but it also provides food availabilities that some other diets dont (high fat). I think for me at least I want to use ketosis to lose the wieght first because it is the only diet that i stuck long enough (tried numerous - nutri, ww, medifast, low fat etc.) and i am seeing progress. Do I see myself eating more than 20g carbs after i achieve my weight loss - sure. My plan for now at least is to get to my ideal weight then worry about maintaining - whether that be similar to what Vismal is doing (focus on macro/calories) or continue ketosis or something else. One thing is for sure that i wont be going back and gaining. If it is to live a keto lifestyle then it is not too bad. I think it just ends up being personal adaptability of the diet and transitioning to a lifestyle.

But i still got 60+ pounds to lose so it will be a while for me to practice what i preach eh?


Oh yeah, Vismal:
Did you have any favorite drinks during your diet or anything you didnt touch? Right now I drink mostly tea at work. I drink a bottle of Bai5(basically antioxidant drink 5 calories) for lunch, sometimes a can of monster ultra and rest water for workouts....

I don't really think ketosis is a lifestyle. I don't know of anyone who plans to eat keto for life. It's a temporary diet change used to lose weight. Most people reintroduce carbs once the weight is lost. Paleo could be a lifestyle change but again, I know many who have attempted paleo, had success at first, eventually quit due to the super restrictive nature of the diet, and regained everything back. Vegan I feel is much more of a lifestyle change, especially if you are doing it for moral reasons. Not that I agree with those reasons, but doing something out of a sense of morality has a much better chance of sticking then doing something purely to lose weight.

I just don't understand why people would want to lose weight one way and maintain it a different way. Once you hit maintenance you have a steep learning curve on figuring out an entirely new way to eat. If you can lose weight doing something you can also maintain on, once maintenance arrives, the transition is seamless.

To answer your questions I rarely drink liquids with calories. Almost never when dieting. It's a waste to me. They do nothing to keep me full. When bulking I will occasionally have a beer or a shake. Every now and then I'll get a coffee drink with calories but again, it's rare. I LOVE zero calorie drinks. I like the flavored fizzy waters, diet soda, monster/rockstar energy drinks, tea, and of course delicious black coffee! I drink loads of coffee at work.

Thanks so much for doing this. I've learned a lot reading these threads! I apologize if you've already addressed something a lot like this and I just forgot about it since I read it (if you have, just ignore it and I'll find it again).

First off, I'm 5'7", ~219 lbs, down from 244. I sit at a desk all day, walk about 45-60 minutes 7x/week (moderate pace, usually walking home from work), C25K 3x/week, and machine weights 3x/week. I've been doing the weights for about 3 weeks.

I want to transition from machine weights to free weights (SL5x5 interests me a lot). The problem is I can barely do 3x10 with the lowest setting on machine weights for a few of the exercises I do. If I'm making any progress at all, it's very, very, very slow. I don't like that, and I don't like that I don't have full control like I would with free weights.

Should I *try* doing the SL5x5 workouts and see how they go, or should I do something else? Can I start with something lighter than the empty bar if that proves to be too much?

I don't want to give up on C25K because improving my cardiovascular health is important to me right now. Am I trying to do too much by adding in the weights?

You should certainly give barbell/dumbbell training a try. I love it myself! The empty bar should not prove a problem for squats. If it is too heavy for bench or military press, see if they have a lighter bar. A typical Olympic bar weighs 45 lbs, but my gym also has a 25lb bar and a 15lb bar. If yours doesn't then you can use a pair of dumbbells until your strength improves enough to use the empty bar. As for whether or not 3 days lifting and 3 days running is too much, you will have to try and see how you feel.

JSE150

I found your initial post a couple of weeks ago and then watched several of your YouTube videos. My husband and I have made some changes, such as weighing our food (that video was an eye opener) and tracking all of our food. I feel like I may have always failed because I would try to cut out certain food groups or particular foods in general. I love me some ice cream! We have calculated our macros and have been tracking our intake for a couple of weeks. I'm happy to say, I am making positive progress! I just wanted to say thank you for getting us on the right track!

mr_mitch

Hi again vismal.

I wonder if you would mind having a brief look at my pictures in the thread I recently started...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1319993-a-few-more-questions-little-pot-belly

I have already got tonnes of great advice there.... Some people say go to maintenance, some say a 10% defecit...

...but I hope you don't mind me asking you for an extra opinion....

I know you originally told me to gradually go up to 2200 / 2400... But now seeing my pictures & tdee thing, do you still stand by that? Or what would you do in my position?

Thank you.

vismal

Sorry, didn't see that I missed a couple!

I found your initial post a couple of weeks ago and then watched several of your YouTube videos. My husband and I have made some changes, such as weighing our food (that video was an eye opener) and tracking all of our food. I feel like I may have always failed because I would try to cut out certain food groups or particular foods in general. I love me some ice cream! We have calculated our macros and have been tracking our intake for a couple of weeks. I'm happy to say, I am making positive progress! I just wanted to say thank you for getting us on the right track!

Congratulations. It's messages like this that make the time I spend making those videos totally worth while! Keep up the good work.

Hi again vismal.

I wonder if you would mind having a brief look at my pictures in the thread I recently started...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1319993-a-few-more-questions-little-pot-belly

I have already got tonnes of great advice there.... Some people say go to maintenance, some say a 10% defecit...

...but I hope you don't mind me asking you for an extra opinion....

I know you originally told me to gradually go up to 2200 / 2400... But now seeing my pictures & tdee thing, do you still stand by that? Or what would you do in my position?

Thank you.

Looking at your pictures, my advice would be to focus on building lean muscle mass. I know you said in your post you don't want to be "ripped" but you do want to have some musculature. I would focus on slowly gaining weight over the course of 6 months. Shoot for about 2 lbs a month. Along with this weight gain you need to be getting in adequate protein (around 140 grams for your weight), and you must do some form of progressive strength training. I would highly recommend a barbell/dumbbell beginners program vs doing bodyweight stuff that you mention in the thread. Your results will be much better on a proper beginners routine. After the 6 months go by you can reevaluate your physique and decide if you desire to continue building muscle, or switch back to a fat loss phase and try and remove the fat you have left. To continue to try and lose fat now will be difficult for you. I know you have lower stomach fat but that is the last spot most men carry fat. Many, myself included, found it much easier to hit that problem area after some period of time was spent building lean muscle mass.

mr_mitch

Looking at your pictures, my advice would be to focus on building lean muscle mass. I know you said in your post you don't want to be "ripped" but you do want to have some musculature. I would focus on slowly gaining weight over the course of 6 months. Shoot for about 2 lbs a month. Along with this weight gain you need to be getting in adequate protein (around 140 grams for your weight), and you must do some form of progressive strength training. I would highly recommend a barbell/dumbbell beginners program vs doing bodyweight stuff that you mention in the thread. Your results will be much better on a proper beginners routine. After the 6 months go by you can reevaluate your physique and decide if you desire to continue building muscle, or switch back to a fat loss phase and try and remove the fat you have left. To continue to try and lose fat now will be difficult for you. I know you have lower stomach fat but that is the last spot most men carry fat. Many, myself included, found it much easier to hit that problem area after some period of time was spent building lean muscle mass.

Thank you vismal for that, its really kind of you to help out other people like you are

So you think I should go on a bulk up for 6 months, lift weights to get muscle. And after that try to lose the fat afterwards.

That seems to make good sense to me. The only concern I would have is putting on extra fat during the bulking phase, would go straight to my stomach! But I guess that's just the nature of the game! Lol

AdreaC

Hey Vismal!

I have another question...

You talked earlier about fasting and on days that I know I'm going to go over or the day after I "fudged" I would like to fast to make up for the over intake of calories for the weekly average to be where it should be.

My question is that I have been doing the ice cream fitness 5x5 and ensuring I meet my macros based on your Youtube instructional videos, but I'm concerned on WHEN to fast. Should I fast on days that I am not doing the 5x5 so that I make sure I get the protein intake for the days I am doing the exercises or do you feel it actually matters?

Thanks in advance!

kcessna88

Hey Vismal,

Im curious your opinion on where i should go with my diet now. I dropped 65pounds between January 2013 and April 2014 and i have been stuck at 137 since then. I exercise a lot including lifting and i cant seem to get my calories right. I was eating 1500 calories and not eating back any exercise calories and I was extremely hungry. I am familiar with TDEE and mine says for someone of my activity level i should be eating over 1700 and losing. What would you do if you were in my situation? Im 5 foot 4 and 137 and was trying to get down to 120 to 125 before starting a bulk. Thanks!

sjaplo

"Bump" 'cause I'm learning an awful lot from this thread.

slimbettie

Hi Vismal,

First, congrats on your transformation. You are amazing.

Sorry if you answered a similar question already, but here goes. I am 240lbs female and am contempating the TRX suspension bands and possibly lifting. Any suggestions? Thanks!

vismal

Hey Vismal!

I have another question...

You talked earlier about fasting and on days that I know I'm going to go over or the day after I "fudged" I would like to fast to make up for the over intake of calories for the weekly average to be where it should be.

My question is that I have been doing the ice cream fitness 5x5 and ensuring I meet my macros based on your Youtube instructional videos, but I'm concerned on WHEN to fast. Should I fast on days that I am not doing the 5x5 so that I make sure I get the protein intake for the days I am doing the exercises or do you feel it actually matters?

Thanks in advance!

I didn't mean to fast an entire day. I don't care for full day fasting, it leaves me tired and negatively affects my training. What I do is if I am going to a have a big meal where I know I won't be able to stick to calorie goals, I make it the only meal of the day. Say my calorie goal is 2500 and I am going to have a meal that will total around 3500. I make sure that's all I eat for the day. I can also eat 2000 calories the day before the meal and the day after. If I do that, I have effectively stayed within my goals. Remember eating 2500 for 3 days is the same as eating 2000 for 2 and 3500 for 1 is the same as eating 1500 for 2 and 4500 for 1. I would also advise that you don't do this often. For the most part I eat the same calories every day. I feel the consistency helps regulate appetite. If you find that the weekends are always where you go over, then you could set up something like this: Again pretend my calorie goal is 2500. That's 17500 calories for the week. If I have 2200 calories for 5 days of the week I can have 3250 for the remaining 2 days. This method works well for some. As far as training goes, I prefer to train the day after I have a higher calorie meal.

Hey Vismal,

Im curious your opinion on where i should go with my diet now. I dropped 65pounds between January 2013 and April 2014 and i have been stuck at 137 since then. I exercise a lot including lifting and i cant seem to get my calories right. I was eating 1500 calories and not eating back any exercise calories and I was extremely hungry. I am familiar with TDEE and mine says for someone of my activity level i should be eating over 1700 and losing. What would you do if you were in my situation? Im 5 foot 4 and 137 and was trying to get down to 120 to 125 before starting a bulk. Thanks!

I would take a 2 week to 1 month maintenance break. You have lost a lot of weight and have been dieting for a prolonged period of time. Raise your calories to what you think you TDEE is and eat that for at least 2 weeks, if not a month. Scale weight will go up a little due to water retention and glycogen storage but you shouldn't gain fat. Concentrate on your strength for this period of time. After the 2 weeks to a month has passed, start reducing calories again and see how you do.

Hi Vismal,

First, congrats on your transformation. You are amazing.

Sorry if you answered a similar question already, but here goes. I am 240lbs female and am contempating the TRX suspension bands and possibly lifting. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I don't like TRX bands. Too gimmicky for me. I prefer tried and true strength training. I'd do a proven 5x5 beginners lifting program (Ice cream fitness 5x5 is my favorite) along with a caloric deficit to achieve the most optimal results. TRX bands are okay but I feel they are not as optimal as barbell/dumbbell training.