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

Bernadette60614 · May 2014

How did you break your plateaus?

Snow3y · May 2014

Great transformation!

I wouldn't call that morbidly obese... but really good job, you should definitely be proud of yourself!

I think he qualifies. It's if you're over 100 pounds above the ideal weight for your height and he was well over that for someone who is 6'1".

That's obese, not morbidly obese

lrob79 · May 2014

OK its a pretty basic question, how do you lift and still maintain weight loss?

What I mean by that is, how do you eat enough to gain muscle while losing weight? or do you not gain muscle, rather just keep the muscle you have lean?

What are the key macros in your diet if you want to lift and still lose, I would assume protein is key, if so how much protein? I am currently 340 lbs male and 34 years old if that helps!

Final question, how old were you when you started?

Great job truly inspiring!

melnorwich · May 2014

Hi
Congratulations on what must be a life changing achievement. It always amazes me how weight loss can completely change someone's face and you've definitely made yourself into a handsome chap. Your transformation is very inspiring.

Recently I emptied out my freezer and I've re-stocked it with core things that I eat every day (e.g frozen berries for smoothies, bagels, microwaveable jam roly poly for extreme sugar cravings). I'd love to know what essentials you keep in your fridge/freezer.

Mel

BinaryPulsar · May 2014

Fantastic!

Karabobarra · May 2014

[/quote]I accepted the fact that the journey is never ending. I can always be better. When there is no end point, there's no rush to get there!
[/quote]

Love this! ^^^^^It's goin on my motivation wall ....you rock!

vismal · May 2014

But if I were to purchase it what weights etc? Is it the ones with a bar which you lift or hand lifts I literally have no idea and cant seem to find the answers online. I obviously will need a bench press but what else cheers

I think you would end up spending quite a bit of money. A full set of dumbbels from 5lb to 50 will cost hundreds, and eventually 50's won't cut it. A barbell bench press and squat rack with weights will run you in the thousands. I did the math on setting up a home gym and I wouldn't start to recover my money vs. a gym membership fee for around a decade. A gym membership just makes more sense IMO. Is that not an option for you?

Do you think that if you had been lifting from the beginning your skin may have stayed tighter???

Did you have any stretch marks at the beginning?? If so, how have they changed??

Yes, and yes. Stretch marks were horrible at first and virtually invisible now. They got better with time and a tan. (No I don't go tanning, I'm pale in the winter and tan in the summer).

You look so so so great!! Great job on your progress, you are absolutely amazing!
My jaw literally dropped when I saw this, haha

Anyway - I have ~100 more lbs to lose. I'm super scared of loose skin, and I saw you said heavy lifting helps?
The thing is, I unfortunately don't have enough money for gym membership, and I only have 2lb dumbbells at home. :P Are there other exercises that I could do at home, maybe work out using my own body weight?

Thanks in advance! Amazing job once again!

Home workouts won't really compare to using barbells and dumbbells. Do you have a YMCA around you? Many of them have a policy to never turn people away due to cost. They will work with you. My buddy was allowed to join for 5 bucks a month.

jofjltncb6 · May 2014

I hate to disagree with OP, but a sufficient home setup doesn't *have* to cost a lot of money. A decent cage can be had for $350ish (http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/92563.html) and a cheap bar and iron plates for a couple hundred. Add a flat bench for another hundred and you have a workable setup for $700 that will give you decades of use (or at least mine has...and yeah, that cage I linked is the one I bought ~20 years ago). Pick some of this up on craigslist, garage sales, or a secondhand store and it's even cheaper.

That said, there are things you can do in a gym that you can't do at home...and some people really prefer the atmosphere of a gym compared to lifting alone in their basement...so I'm not saying a gym membership is the *wrong* approach...but just saying that many may find a home setup preferable for a lot of reasons.

(Also, if you go the home route, you may find yourself buying a dozen horse stall mats and an expensive set of bumper plates and a better bar...and lighting and a better sound system and on and on. Hypothetically speaking, of course...not like I'm actually actively shopping for these things currently. =\ )

ETA: I do agree about the dumbbell comment. I wish I would have went with a pair of oly dumbbell handles and a stack of 5s and 10s instead of the fixed hex dumbbells. Sure, there are variations I can still use to make the 55s work, but some 60s would be nice (~$100)...and then some 65s (>$100)...and each jump is another not-insignificant chunk of change. With the handles, I could just add a couple of 2.5s/5s and have the next increment.

Myhaloslipped · May 2014

Damn! Very nice.

GreatDepression · May 2014

You look obese in the first picture but not morbidly obese. I don't see loose skin on you at all. I'm amazed at your progress and am quite envious. Gosh, I wish I am at your progress. Urgh.

AtticWindow · May 2014

No questioning, just ogling

rgilsenan1 · May 2014

5x5 training is a method of training that has you doing 5 sets of 5 reps for your heavy compounds like bench, squat, rows, etc. There are several programs out there. The "Ice Cream Fitness 5x5" is my favorite. Google it if you want to check it out. Stronglifts 5x5 is another.

ICF 5x5 this guy knows what hes talking about

Will_Thrust_For_Candy · May 2014

First off.....OP absolutely fantastic work. You look phenomenal and I absolutely appreciate the fact that you have given solid advice throughout this thread, something which is often lacking in forum land here on MFP. Now I'm going to go and perv on you because.....HOT.

:flowerforyou:

Secondly.....for the life of me I can't understand why people are nitpicking if the OP was obese or morbidly obese? I mean really. :huh:

AnabolicKyle · May 2014

another question

What are your goals from here?
weight
lifting
fitness
etc

seehowyousoar · May 2014

Home workouts won't really compare to using barbells and dumbbells. Do you have a YMCA around you? Many of them have a policy to never turn people away due to cost. They will work with you. My buddy was allowed to join for 5 bucks a month.

Thanks for your reply!
Unfortunately I live in Croatia, so we have no such things here, I might be wrong but I highly doubt it...
Gym membership here is around 40$ for 3 days/week access, and sadly I can't spare that much.

But I guess it's time to start saving up!
Thank you again, I appreciate it.

Unknown · May 2014

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NadiaJalal1999 · May 2014

I'm having big issues with getting rid of my extra stomach fat. How did you get results?

jofjltncb6 · May 2014

I'm having big issues with getting rid of my extra stomach fat. How did you get results?

(I'm not OP, but I bet I know what he'll say: by losing fat from all over. Where you lose fat first and last is entirely genetics. All fat is lost in a deficit...so if you still have fat somewhere (like your stomach), then you simply need to continue at an appropriate deficit for an appropriate amount of time. Okay, now I'll stop stepping on his thread and let him say what he wants to say. [kanyeimmaletyoufinish.gif])

ETA: this is advice is for grown adults and not growing kids. Just saying in case there was any possible confusion or before my advice happens to be misused by the latter.

lavendy17 · May 2014

You are very inspiring and wise.
I have a few questions.

1. Did you eat at a caloric deficit? I want to lose 10 lbs but more than that I want to be fit and strong. I am doing The New Rules of Lifting For Women and plan to switch to 5x5 after I'm done. I am unsure my daily calorie goal is correct. I feel pretty good about it but wanted to hear from someone who managed to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.

2. How much can you lift now for squats and deadlifts? Just curious.

melaniecmajors · May 2014

I starting lifting maybe 6 months into my weight loss. Originally it was just diet and running. I wish I would have started lifting from the get go though. That would be what I consider my number 1 mistake. As for the type of lifting, I did it wrong at first by doing a typical "bro split" where you do a body part a day with high reps and low weight. I later switched to 5x5 training which is what I would have started with day 1 if I had to go back and do it again. I currently do a upper/lower 4 day a week split for intermediate lifters.

Are you doing strong lifts 5x5? that's what i just started after 6 weeks of insanity...

Ramen237 · May 2014

Wow, congratulations on your huge success!!! :drinker:

I hope to lose my last 10-15 lbs soon, but after reaching my goal weight I would like to build more muscle.

Would you recommend lifting to a female (I've always thought of it as a "guy thing")?
Is it the best way to get stronger muscles and maintain them?
I'm still recovering from what might have been tendonitis/tennis elbow/shoulder/nerve injury in one of my arms (doctors' opinions vary on what it actually is), is lifting likely to aggravate it?

Thanks! I'm sticking around to read all your other answers. They have been very informative and inspiring!

vismal · May 2014

So many great questions. I'm at work now but I'll answer them all tomorrow (I work nights). Just an FYI, my bmi at 6'1 315lb would have been 41.6. Morbid obesity is usually considered a bmi > 40, depending on what source you use.

Frogtalk · May 2014

You don't want to stay at 1200 calories.. that puts the body into starvation mode, and it will hang on to all the fat it can. Have MFP figure out what your MBR is for a day, then subtract 500 calories or so from that. That should give you a weight loss projection of a pound a week, which is very doable. If your body is used to eating 3000 calories, going to 1200 will shock it in bad ways.

Frogtalk · May 2014

Try picking up some free weights (I know WalMart carries them, I don't know if a dept store in Croatia would) and use those. You could spend maybe a months worth of gym time total, and have the weights for a much longer time.

Frogtalk · May 2014

You can lift

My fitness class has a program of 30 minutes of cardio (about 14 min "normal" pace and 16 minutes of kill yourself sprinting), plus a weight program for 15 minutes, then 10 of stretching. Obviously with that little time on weights, I can't' work every area, but I am working on shoulder /chest, back, quads, and hamstring ATM. The instructor changes up the weights every few months, so by the end of the year, I have covered most of my main areas.

I am gaining muscle and losing body fat, so the scale hasn't moved in like 20 months. BUT, I do have someone measure me every so often, and as of my last measuring from Oct 3 to Mar 19, I lost 4 inches off my body

So don't be scale obsessed if you want to gain muscle. Muscle is more dense and heavier than fat, so the scale won't budge for a while.

lorigrocks · May 2014

You look amazing wow...I'm sure I will have lots of questions to ask you later lol.

gwhizeh · May 2014

Im pretty sure I seen you on bodybulding.com. Checked out a youtube vid even. Pretty sure its you, lol. If not, either way an amazing transformation and dedication!