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

LoneWolf_70

well done dude. You're an inspiration.

bestlife42

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.
[/quote]


Hi Vismal,

Thanks for all the great info. Is there a particular resource that you like best for learning about the Ice cream fitness 5x5 lifting program?

vismal

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.

Hi Vismal,

Thanks for all the great info. Is there a particular resource that you like best for learning about the Ice cream fitness 5x5 lifting program?
[/quote]The official hosting site for the program is here, there's an attached video: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout

FatJockSing

Bump for future reference

AND to vismal - ABS olutely awesome transformation.

marricurt

Tagging to follow..

AmberLeannnn

So awesome of you to give this great advice to people!
I am addicted to reading your threads Thanks!

Lemongrab13

Congratulations, guy! You look incredibubble :bigsmile:
Just wondering if Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 has a different starting weight compared to SL5x5??
On SL5x5 the starting weight is 20kg/44lbs.

coccodrillo72

In for Vismal's great achievement and the very interesting Q&A.

Acidique

Thank you so much for this thread. I have read through the original and have really enjoyed it. I feel I got some great information and support, and I really appreciate it.

Congrats Vismal! You are truly an inspiration and you did it in a realistic way.

Shaselai

Vismal,
I have a question about belly fat/skin. I am 205 now and can see my skin a bit sagging especially around the belly region. Ideally i need to get to ~170ish given my heigh/age so theres still a way to go. I guess my question is will the remaining 30 odd pounds be from the belly part or "nobody knows"? i still have the flab of skin below the belly too to support it and i am hoping that goes away once the belly gets reduced even further... just kind of curious if you had similar experience too...

vismal

Thanks for all the love everyone! Yall are great!

Vismal,
I have a question about belly fat/skin. I am 205 now and can see my skin a bit sagging especially around the belly region. Ideally i need to get to ~170ish given my heigh/age so theres still a way to go. I guess my question is will the remaining 30 odd pounds be from the belly part or "nobody knows"? i still have the flab of skin below the belly too to support it and i am hoping that goes away once the belly gets reduced even further... just kind of curious if you had similar experience too...

As far as loose skin is concerned, you are either going to have it or your not. Best thing you can do is just get lean and see. There is really very little you can do to treat/correct loose skin besides giving it time to recover (and sometimes it never does) or having surgery. Getting as lean as possible helps because often times people confuse loose skin for subcutaneous fat.

As far as where you will lose fat from, that is largely genetic. For most people, the lower abdominal region is one of the last places to get lean. Some people need to get to an extremely low body fat percentage to get lean in that area. For me to be totally lean in my lower abs and lower back I'd have to reach near competition bodybuilding levels of body fat. This task would be so physically and mentally demanding that it would not be worth it to me. I'd rather feel good and have decent abs then bust my *kitten*, feel like crap, lose strength, become moody, and have a decreased sex drive just to be completely shredded. After all, what good is looking good naked when you've dieted away your sex drive!

Shaselai

Thanks for all the love everyone! Yall are great!

Vismal,
I have a question about belly fat/skin. I am 205 now and can see my skin a bit sagging especially around the belly region. Ideally i need to get to ~170ish given my heigh/age so theres still a way to go. I guess my question is will the remaining 30 odd pounds be from the belly part or "nobody knows"? i still have the flab of skin below the belly too to support it and i am hoping that goes away once the belly gets reduced even further... just kind of curious if you had similar experience too...

As far as loose skin is concerned, you are either going to have it or your not. Best thing you can do is just get lean and see. There is really very little you can do to treat/correct loose skin besides giving it time to recover (and sometimes it never does) or having surgery. Getting as lean as possible helps because often times people confuse loose skin for subcutaneous fat.

As far as where you will lose fat from, that is largely genetic. For most people, the lower abdominal region is one of the last places to get lean. Some people need to get to an extremely low body fat percentage to get lean in that area. For me to be totally lean in my lower abs and lower back I'd have to reach near competition bodybuilding levels of body fat. This task would be so physically and mentally demanding that it would not be worth it to me. I'd rather feel good and have decent abs then bust my *kitten*, feel like crap, lose strength, become moody, and have a decreased sex drive just to be completely shredded. After all, what good is looking good naked when you've dieted away your sex drive!

But from your pic you look great already! What is the body fat% of that photo?

vismal

But from your pic you look great already! What is the body fat% of that photo?

I've never had a proper, accurate, body fat test done. Calipers and BIA scales have too great of a margin of error. I'd need to get a dexascan and those cost over 100 bucks. Not worth it to know a number that won't really change anything besides fulfilling my own curiosity. Based on what I've seen of others who have had dexascans done, I am probably 12% in the picture give or take a few. I feel like most people underestimate their body fat. As soon as they start seeing abs they assume they are 10% (if male, 15% if female) but in reality they are probably much higher.

yankeedownsouth

Tagging because this thread is awesome!

Shaselai

vismal, how old were you when you lost it all the weight? i am 32 and i am curious how much age will impact the skin etc...

Snip8241

bump so I can re read this....on my way to the Y to join....

vismal

vismal, how old were you when you lost it all the weight? i am 32 and i am curious how much age will impact the skin etc...

I started at 26. Age plays a factor but so do genetics. The way your weight is distributed makes a huge difference. I carried fat all over from my neck to my feet (I dropped a shoe size). Someone who carries most of their weight in their abdomen will likely have a worse case of loose skin then someone who has more evenly distributed fat storage.

SKEEdun

Hey! First I just wanted to congratulate you on your transformation!

I just started counting calories/eating right and exercising regularly the past few weeks and its going ok. I'm male, 5'6 280lbs, so I have a lot to lose. I've been doing cardio and lifting so far but I was I wondering if I should just focus on cardio first? If not, I was looking into the ICF 5x5 regimen and was wondering how to incorporate cardio into this regimen. Thanks!

vismal

Hey! First I just wanted to congratulate you on your transformation!

I just started counting calories/eating right and exercising regularly the past few weeks and its going ok. I'm male, 5'6 280lbs, so I have a lot to lose. I've been doing cardio and lifting so far but I was I wondering if I should just focus on cardio first? If not, I was looking into the ICF 5x5 regimen and was wondering how to incorporate cardio into this regimen. Thanks!

My hierarchy of fat loss looks like this

Nutrition is more important than lifting which is more important than cardio which is more important then supplements. Lifting is key in preservation of lean mass. Someone who loses 100 lbs while lifting is going to look sooooo much better than someone who loses the same weight and does only cardio. Cardio adds to your calories burned for the day but if diet isn't in check, no amount of cardio will make up for that. The ICF 5x5 is my favorite beginners lifting routine. I highly recommend it!

Shaselai

vismal, how old were you when you lost it all the weight? i am 32 and i am curious how much age will impact the skin etc...

I started at 26. Age plays a factor but so do genetics. The way your weight is distributed makes a huge difference. I carried fat all over from my neck to my feet (I dropped a shoe size). Someone who carries most of their weight in their abdomen will likely have a worse case of loose skin then someone who has more evenly distributed fat storage.

i see... my abdomen probbaly has most fat but i think i did have fat "all over" too as my wrist has shrunk a bit. I have a fitbit and i was about 3 "notches" before the end before dieting now i am using the last notch...