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

Mjanegranger

Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to answer questions people ask. You are a blessing. Keep up the great work.

dmt366

Your transformation is amazing and inspirational! Reading stories like yours helps me to KNOW that I can tackle this annoying 20 lbs I've been carrying around. Thanks for "paying it forward" and helping the rest of us and answering so many questions. I'll be following to learn more!

davidrip1

Thanks for the info.

rusty_bull

Hi congratulations you look really good. I'm just starting my journey and I hop it has as much success as yours. How did u achieve your goal just by eating healthy and training?

vismal

drof1337 wrote: »

Hi vismal,

Just wanted to echo everyone else's sentiments and say what an inspiration you are - it was definitely refreshing to see you talk at such length about dieting sensibly based on scientific principles and common sense things that have worked in your own experience.
Flexible dieting seems like a winner for me. I have always had a complicated relationship with food and it of course makes perfect sense to have a little of what you like as long as it fits into your daily goals.

I'm 32 years old, 5'6" and 187lb with a BMI of just under 31, so I'm inside the obese category but carry it well enough that people wouldn't really say that I'm overweight (although I am very clear that I am and I've struggled with it my whole life). I'm pretty healthy, having run a half marathon September last year but I am most assuredly the poster-boy for 'cardio doesn't burn fat efficiently, if at all'.

I've just started a full-body dumbbell workout (3-5kg) to do at home three times a week and this is literally my first time lifting anything. My gym has only one power cage which is always occupied and I don't want to be 'that guy' who ends up squatting the Olympic bar with no weight on it their first time out while there's a queue behind me. I fully intend to book a training session to help with my form and start on a 5x5 in a couple of months, after I have built up a bit of strength but I hope to see a little progress with the dumbbells in the meantime. Am I simply wasting my time or should i see some minor gains and fat loss with this simple routine for now?

Additionally, as of yesterday I have started to try and get 1g of Protein per lb and HOLY MACKEREL is that TOUGH (and I can see not going to be cheap either!)
With IIFYM, it's great that you can be flexible but do you find that by necessity you end up eating a lot of 'clean' food like chicken/eggs/shrimp rather than pizza and snacks for the simple reason that you just can't get enough protein intake otherwise? I had to eat three packs of lean turkey slices yesterday just to get up to 180g by the end of the day. It's not a problem because I find that I'm satisfied after I eat, but do you have any tips? Any issues with getting a sneaky extra 20g from whey? Also I've seen some info which talks about 1g protein per lb of 'lean' body mass - any thoughts on that?

Thanks in advance for any insight and thank you for being so cool with everybody on the thread - your help has been invaluable.

3-5kg dumbbells will only be appropriate for a male for a very short period of time. You will outgrow those weights very quickly if you focus on progression (which you should do). If you have reservations about using the squat rack, you can build some leg strength doing leg presses for a little while until you start doing squats. I would not do a 5x5 on leg press though, I'd do something like 4x8-12. That being said, I wouldn't feel bad at all using the squat rack just because you are a beginner and won't be lifting as much as others. You pay the same money they do, and have just as much right to the equipment as everyone else. I would also allow someone to work in with you if there is always a wait to use it. Unfortunately, even if you build impressive leg muscles through other means, you'll have to start with very low weights to master the technique of a back squat. It's a very complex movement.

mistydm76 wrote: »

What would you consider heavy weights? I am doing max 8 lb dumbbells. Do I need to go heavier?

Heavy is subjective. Heavy means that towards the last few reps of your set you couldn't do any more. If you complete all the reps for all the sets you are attempting, you either need to increase the reps, or go up in weight. For compound movements (squat, bench, deadlift, rows) you can do 5 sets with 5 reps each set. If you finish all the reps, up the weight. For isolation movements (curls, tricep extension, flys, etc) that won't always work. Sometimes you have to try for a rep range, say 8-12. Once you can do all your sets for 8, try for 9, then 10, etc. Once you do all sets for 12 reps, up the weight and go back to trying for 8's. This will allow you to progress for quite a while without stalling.

vismal

dunnodunno wrote: »

vismal wrote: »

AceCorona wrote: »

I recently discovered that if I heat up a sweet potato in a microwave oven at night and eat it, somehow it kills the cravings for something sweet that can kill my diet. Do you have any advice like this for a healthy food that can be substituted for an unhealthy food?

I don't really view foods as healthy or unhealthy. I prefer to look at foods for their macro and micronutrient content. I do understand what you are getting at though. There are a lot of substitutions I make to save on calories. 1 thing I do is in recipes I replace some if not all of the butter called for with no added sugar apple sauce. Rather then using sour cream I use Greek Yogurt. Salsa or sriracha instead of ketchup. Rice cakes over chips. There are a million of these substitutions!

I saw in your food diary that you make homemade quest bars. Do you have a link that you make them from? They sound great.

http://youtu.be/l97-KJJcUMA

lemontreeq wrote: »

Wow! Your success story is truly inspirational. I have 6kg to loose but most importantly I would like to change my lifestyle. Recently, I did a body pump class and I loved it. I would like to get into weight lifting! I would love to read up about it before I start though as I am a complete novice. Can you recommend any good source? Thank you in advance! Have a LOVEly day today!

I would get the book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. It's a great beginners guide to lifting. It's probably available at your library.

vismal

Nightfly01 wrote: »

How hard was it to run at 315?

It was mostly walking with some jogging spaced in between. That's how couch to 5k works. It adds the running so gradually that you tend to be okay progressing each week. However if you cannot tolerate running, any other form of cardio is basically just as good.

rusty_bull wrote: »

Hi congratulations you look really good. I'm just starting my journey and I hop it has as much success as yours. How did u achieve your goal just by eating healthy and training?

Proper diet and exercise is literally all you need. Of things you can control, I would say those 2 things account for about 99% of your results.

zaxx1953

Good job on getting healthier, but when you look at your pic from before do you actually see a MORBIDLY OBESE person?

I gotta admit, I prefer guys a bit on the fuller side, but in no way, shape or form do I think you looked MORBIDLY OBESE there. Overweight or Obese sure....

Second question,

Do you wish you had retained a bit more muscle in the process and ended up like 220lbs and lean?


I think, FOR MYSELF, I wouldn't want to go that small/depleted looking....but then again, visible abs aren't really something I ever want/wanted and I was happy with a winter body fat in the teens back in the day.


Also, can we stop using BMI for anything please....I am 6' and was bod podded in a performance lab in college at like 267lbs and 17 percent bodyfat....i'd of been BMI "obese" at a ripped 245lbs. It's just nonsense.

vismal

zaxx1953 wrote: »

Good job on getting healthier, but when you look at your pic from before do you actually see a MORBIDLY OBESE person?

I gotta admit, I prefer guys a bit on the fuller side, but in no way, shape or form do I think you looked MORBIDLY OBESE there. Overweight or Obese sure....

Second question,

Do you wish you had retained a bit more muscle in the process and ended up like 220lbs and lean?


I think, FOR MYSELF, I wouldn't want to go that small/depleted looking....but then again, visible abs aren't really something I ever want/wanted and I was happy with a winter body fat in the teens back in the day.


Also, can we stop using BMI for anything please....I am 6' and was bod podded in a performance lab in college at like 267lbs and 17 percent bodyfat....i'd of been BMI "obese" at a ripped 245lbs. It's just nonsense.

Morbidly obese is NOT a perceived thing. It's a medical definition. Think of it this way, if you have cancer, but don't look sick, does it make you cancer any less dangerous? The same is true for me. I agree I carried my weight better than most morbidly obese folks, but the fact remains that I was indeed morbidly obese and I had all the associated health risks with being so. So it really makes no difference whether others perceived me as such. In my opinion this is one reason so many people get obese and morbidly obese. You can be 100 lbs overweight but there's always someone bigger then you are. Being overweight or obese is quickly becoming the majority in developed countries so people sometimes think their weight isn't as bad as the next guys and that somehow changes the health risks associated with it.

220 and lean at my height and weight (and by lean I mean visible abdominal muscles) would not have been realistic for an initial cut down. In fact, 6'1 220 and lean might be beyond the natural limits of what a weight lifter/bodybuilder can achieve in a lifetime. Modern day bodybuilders do it all the time but do it with the use of PEDs. If you look at guys who did bodybuilding before the advent of steroids, you simply don't see 6'1 lean dudes weighing more then 215. Steve Reeves is often thought of as the best example of what can be achieved naturally. He was 6'1 215 and only used PEDs at the very end of his career as they hadn't been invented/popularized. This is what he looks like:


He's often looked at as what a taller male can obtain naturally. You must also consider he did this over an entire career of lifting and eating right. To hope to simply come from obesity and end up looking like this just by dieting is absolutely impossible. I actually feel like I was able to retain more mass than most people do. It sure would be nice if you could just do 1 round of weight loss to uncover your maximum muscle potential, unfortunately you just can't and you should expect to or have that as a goal. I'm all for ambitious goals, but I feel like impossible goals are counterproductive.

fiona_414

Don't have any questions to ask just wanted to say well done.

marlenea2015

Strokingdiction wrote: »

Did you lift during your entire weigh loss? If so, what type of lifting did you do?

Extremely impressive physique change, btw!

knutsk

Bump

nashvillenellie

Morbidly obese looks totally different one someone who is tall verses someone who is my height. I am 5ft 2. When I started and had my first body composition done at my doctor's office, lets just say I shed a lot of tears. It was a wake up call for me. Just what I needed!

You look tough by the way. The hard work sure looks good on you. Keep it up!

vismal

marlenea2015 wrote: »

Strokingdiction wrote: »

Did you lift during your entire weigh loss? If so, what type of lifting did you do?

Extremely impressive physique change, btw!

That's answered very early on in the thread. The short answer to the 2 questions are no, and heavy. Read back a bit for details.

vismal

zaxx1953 wrote: »

Also, can we stop using BMI for anything please....I am 6' and was bod podded in a performance lab in college at like 267lbs and 17 percent bodyfat....i'd of been BMI "obese" at a ripped 245lbs. It's just nonsense.

BMI is useful for what it was intended for. Making generalizations about populations. Sure it doesn't translate well to athletes or people who train with weights, but for the average Joe or Jane, it can make some accurate predictions about certain health conditions.

As far as bodpod is concerned, I do not trust their accuracy. There is no way on god's green earth you were 267, 17% body fat and 6 foot tall. That would make you 245lbs at 10% which equates to 220 lbs of lean mass. That is not naturally obtainable by a 6'0 tall male, and would require not only the use of, but the massive abuse of PEDs. This article can explain why that is so: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html/
I mean even Arnold was 235 on stage and roughly 250-260 off season where he was around 10%. And he was 2 inches taller. AND HE WAS ARNOLD! lol

iwillsucceed0444

Okay I was hoping you could give me some advice. I feel VERY self-concious in the gym, especially in the free weight section. I don't want this to prevent me from lifting, because I really think it will help me achieve my goal body, but it seriously makes me nervous and not even want to go to the gym. I know this is an excuse, but I can't help my feelings and I do want to change this. Any advice/suggestions?

msoley2007

U look great high 5 I hope to have half your success

vismal

iwillsucceed0444 wrote: »

Okay I was hoping you could give me some advice. I feel VERY self-concious in the gym, especially in the free weight section. I don't want this to prevent me from lifting, because I really think it will help me achieve my goal body, but it seriously makes me nervous and not even want to go to the gym. I know this is an excuse, but I can't help my feelings and I do want to change this. Any advice/suggestions?

Here's the thing, people really don't care what you look like at the gym. They are far more interested in looking at themselves. Just get in and do your work. Overtime you'll become more comfortable and it won't be an issue.

marybrid19

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BJAdW

on a completely random note: The VitaFiber is sold out in the 5kg jugs. FYI, they are switching over their products to ship through Amazon! Should make it a lot easier (maybe even cheaper for shipping) to get my hands on some! Thanks for sharing your Quest-style protein bar recipe.

vismal

BJAdW wrote: »

on a completely random note: The VitaFiber is sold out in the 5kg jugs. FYI, they are switching over their products to ship through Amazon! Should make it a lot easier (maybe even cheaper for shipping) to get my hands on some! Thanks for sharing your Quest-style protein bar recipe.

That would be awesome if it's a Prime item. Free shipping would cut the cost per bar down nicely!

miss_rye_

I know that you just add all of your food for the day as one meal, do you find that easier to chart? I am thinking about going to more a charting like that.

ellahbellah7

Very lost 143lbs since may 2 2014. But am at a stand still. Very frustrating. Starting a kettle bell work out hoping that helps.
2015. Congratulations to you.

tjsingh91

Hey man, It was good reading your story. I am a 5'11" male. I started my journey at 274 lbs and now Im roughly 30 -31 lbs down to 243. My ideal goal is to get under 200 lbs and maintain while looking lean and keeping muscle. Are there any quick tips that you can suggest or any other exercised that really help reducing the gut quicker? Ive read everywhere that spot reducing doesnt work but any tips at all would be appreciated. My routine workout entails 30 minutes of cardio (elliptical or treadmill) and the the rest lifting towards a specific body area. My last question is, have you ever dealt with any plateaus and how did you overcome them?

Thanks!

Brittanynicole1992

Hey, I was wondering if you could give me some advice? I'm trying to lose about 40lbs. I weigh 207 right now. I'm in good shape I work out about 6 times a week. However I can't seem to lose weight. The more I lift the bulkier I get. about 7 years ago I lost 40 lbs on a no carb diet and running 4 miles a day, but I gained it Back over the last 3 years. And I don't want to do that again because I heard it's really unhealthy. I don't really what I should eat or how much to eat. Do you have and advice?

vismal

miss_rye_ wrote: »

I know that you just add all of your food for the day as one meal, do you find that easier to chart? I am thinking about going to more a charting like that.

It's easier in that it stores my recent foods all under the same meal. It just makes it easier to add foods and because meal timing or composition really makes no difference, I see no reason to complicate the process by logging individual foods into arbitrary meals.

ellahbellah7 wrote: »

Very lost 143lbs since may 2 2014. But am at a stand still. Very frustrating. Starting a kettle bell work out hoping that helps.
2015. Congratulations to you.

A long term stall like that can only be caused from not eating in a deficit. I would consider reducing calories, increasing activity, or both.

vismal

tjsingh91 wrote: »

Hey man, It was good reading your story. I am a 5'11" male. I started my journey at 274 lbs and now Im roughly 30 -31 lbs down to 243. My ideal goal is to get under 200 lbs and maintain while looking lean and keeping muscle. Are there any quick tips that you can suggest or any other exercised that really help reducing the gut quicker? Ive read everywhere that spot reducing doesnt work but any tips at all would be appreciated. My routine workout entails 30 minutes of cardio (elliptical or treadmill) and the the rest lifting towards a specific body area. My last question is, have you ever dealt with any plateaus and how did you overcome them?

Thanks!

Unfortunately what you've read is completely true. There is absolutely no way to spot reduce fat. No exercise will target belly fat. I wish one existed. You must simply lose fat in general and it will eventually come off of everywhere. I would not focus on one body part a day for lifting. This is inefficient. You should hit each body part 2-3 times a week for maximum efficiency. Either a 3x a week total body workout, or and upper lower split would be a much better idea then 1 body part a day.

As to plateaus, I never really got into a long term stall. If you are stalling for more then a few weeks it's because you are eating too much. You must either reduce calories or increase activity (or both). If you have been in a deficit for a long time, sometimes taking a maintenance break for 2 weeks can help.

Brittanynicole1992 wrote: »

Hey, I was wondering if you could give me some advice? I'm trying to lose about 40lbs. I weigh 207 right now. I'm in good shape I work out about 6 times a week. However I can't seem to lose weight. The more I lift the bulkier I get. about 7 years ago I lost 40 lbs on a no carb diet and running 4 miles a day, but I gained it Back over the last 3 years. And I don't want to do that again because I heard it's really unhealthy. I don't really what I should eat or how much to eat. Do you have and advice?

The only reason you are not losing weight is that you are not in a caloric deficit. You need to eat less per day than you burn to lose weight. Track your calories diligently on MFP for a few weeks. If you lose weight, continue to eat at the level of calories you currently are. If you do not lose weight, reduce the calories some. Continue this process until you start losing weight.

princesstomasita

How do you get "the last 10lbs" off? I am struggling badly, need advice please!

vismal

tomasitahodges wrote: »

How do you get "the last 10lbs" off? I am struggling badly, need advice please!

The same way I got the first 105. You just have to eat in a caloric deficit. Sometimes, after prolonged dieting, the calories per day you burn are less. Also, I've found after long stents of dieting, it's easier to get relaxed with the process. You cannot do this. Your weighing and tracking of foods is even more critical at the end. If you have been stuck not losing weight for more then 3 weeks or so, you probably need to reduce the calories you are consuming or reevaluate how strictly you are counting and tracking them. Another option is a diet break. After 8-12 weeks of dieting I usually eat maintenance calories for 2 weeks. This give a much needed psychological break as well as allowing for some of the physiological things that happen during dieting to reverse.

christos2

Hi Vismal, thank so much for your post's... I think i have learnt more from reading this thread than any other website i have gone to (all 36 pages). The journey you have been on is an inspiration for us all. I have lost around 15kg myself and am looking to lose another 10 or so, the only question i have is the feeling i have when i run my hand over my stomach feel like lumps of cottage cheese under my skin, is this normal for the fat to feel like that?