I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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Hi!
I have one question I have not yet found answered here or on your youtube channel.
What do you know about cellulite? Will it go like fat goes in general or is there some kind of difficulties, tricks, to lose it?
Thank you for this amazing thread and all your advice!1 -
Fantastic! I will remember you when I go to my first Crossfit class this weekend in 2 years LOL!0
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I'm not an expert as I've never really dealt with it, but from what I understand, if you get lean enough, the cellulite should go away. Building muscle in the area can also help. There are no tricks, just tried and true weight loss and muscle building.limelightcurse wrote: »Hi!
I have one question I have not yet found answered here or on your youtube channel.
What do you know about cellulite? Will it go like fat goes in general or is there some kind of difficulties, tricks, to lose it?
Thank you for this amazing thread and all your advice!
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Will you ever completely be satisfied with your body
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Will you ever completely be satisfied with your body
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Hello again Vismal,
Here's a quick run through of my journey again.
5'10 M, 21
July' 14 - 212 lbs (Absolutely sedentary, Roughly 40% BF, little muscle - did plenty of cardio, 1400 cal diet )
Nov'14 - 168 lbs (Roughly 25% BF, lower fat, started 1500 cal diet, quit gym for two months)
Jan'15 - 160 lbs (Roughly 22% BF, quite skinny fat, started mini bulk by increasing up to 2500 cals)
Jan '15 - March'14 - 167 lbs (Mini bulk for 2.5 months, started on SL 5x5 based workout, gained 7 pounds of muscle, fat reduced slightly, gained shape and definition on chest, legs and arms)
March 15- Today - 162 lbs (Roughly 17% BF (Started cutting again, at 1800 calories, SL exercises 3x a week, HIIT 2x a week (and one session for warm-up), LISS in the form of at-least an hour of walking everyday throughout the journey.
First of all thank you very much for answering questions previously, they have been a monumental help.
Now for a few new ones on this stage of my journey, I'll be glad if you could help.
1. I have been sticking to the big 3 (squats, DLs, BPs) heavily, focusing most of my energy in going progressively heavier. I started SL in Jan and have progressed to 110 lbs benchpress, 120 in squats, 155 in deadlifts, Do you reckon this is good progress? I did very little strength training while losing weight.
2. As I was mostly skinny fat, the mini-bulk I did in a desperate attempt to get in better shape proved largely beneficial, however the growth of underlying muscle made the fat bulge out. It is literally sticking out now, isolated from the newly formed muscles underneath. I decided to to cut this off as much as possible before I bulk again. Your thoughts? Are mini-cycles pointless?
3. I still largely have uneven fat distribution throughout the body, the abdomen and upper but is high while lower chest is terribly low (I can see my ribs). I know you can't spot reduce, but will growing more muscle in these places
help the cause?
4. My thighs are BIG!. I spent an hour a day on the stationary cycle for cardio while losing weight, that coupled with the squats has left me with rather large and muscular thighs. There's still some fat there, but it looks really funny. I have thin calves, waist and big thighs in between. It makes my upper body look smaller than the lower.
Should I put brakes on leg exercises for a while? Let my cutting take away the fat from there first?
5. I am from India, and our normal diet, as well as the general food you get outside isn't really protein rich. An average man's here gets around 30-40g a day I guess, while rest of it is carbs. I have been hovering around the 100g-120g a day mark with plenty of egg whites and chicken. To make things easier I just bought some Whey and would like to know if you make dietery adjustments for it? How can I put it to best use on a cutting diet?0 -
Great job... I'm hoping to get like you soon ...congrats0
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1. Myfitnesspal of course. It wasn't until I began tracking my intake that my success really started to take offCongratulations, that's an amazing transformation. What do you think are the top 5 things that led to your success?
2. Understanding that "eating clean" is meaningless and that in order to have true life long success I had to eat foods I enjoyed (ice cream, cookies, etc) on a regular basis but in moderation
3. Lifting heavy weights
4. Not listening when people say "you lost enough already" or "you are getting too skinny"
5. Learning as much about the science behind nutrition and dieting as possible. There is more pseudoscience and myths in this field then any other on earth! So much BS to cut through to find the truth.
bump for future read...0 -
What an inspiration!!!!! 120lbs in 17 months!!! IMPRESSIVE!!! And congrats on your success!! You look FABULOUS!!!!
I am on my own trek now...Started at 305 on Jan 5, 2015 and now at 274.5 as of April 3, 2015!! My goal is 85lbs lost by Oct 14th, 2015!!! That will get me to 220lbs...I would LOVE to get to 195lbs...but will adjust when I get to my goal!!
Thanks for being such a motivator!!!0 -
Amazing read - many thanks & congrats to op!0
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No. I've been happy with my body for a long time now, but satisfied, never.sabowman93 wrote: »Will you ever completely be satisfied with your body
Answers in boldabhisheksengupta wrote: »Hello again Vismal,
Here's a quick run through of my journey again.
5'10 M, 21
July' 14 - 212 lbs (Absolutely sedentary, Roughly 40% BF, little muscle - did plenty of cardio, 1400 cal diet )
Nov'14 - 168 lbs (Roughly 25% BF, lower fat, started 1500 cal diet, quit gym for two months)
Jan'15 - 160 lbs (Roughly 22% BF, quite skinny fat, started mini bulk by increasing up to 2500 cals)
Jan '15 - March'14 - 167 lbs (Mini bulk for 2.5 months, started on SL 5x5 based workout, gained 7 pounds of muscle, fat reduced slightly, gained shape and definition on chest, legs and arms)
March 15- Today - 162 lbs (Roughly 17% BF (Started cutting again, at 1800 calories, SL exercises 3x a week, HIIT 2x a week (and one session for warm-up), LISS in the form of at-least an hour of walking everyday throughout the journey.
First of all thank you very much for answering questions previously, they have been a monumental help.
Now for a few new ones on this stage of my journey, I'll be glad if you could help.
1. I have been sticking to the big 3 (squats, DLs, BPs) heavily, focusing most of my energy in going progressively heavier. I started SL in Jan and have progressed to 110 lbs benchpress, 120 in squats, 155 in deadlifts, Do you reckon this is good progress? I did very little strength training while losing weight. As long as the lifts are moving up, the progress is good! Strength is very relative so the numbers themselves mean very little. It's the numbers compared to what they used to be that matter. So if you've gone up on everything, then I'd say progress is good.
2. As I was mostly skinny fat, the mini-bulk I did in a desperate attempt to get in better shape proved largely beneficial, however the growth of underlying muscle made the fat bulge out. It is literally sticking out now, isolated from the newly formed muscles underneath. I decided to to cut this off as much as possible before I bulk again. Your thoughts? Are mini-cycles pointless?Mini cuts have there uses but I am not a fan of a mini bulk. You can jump right into a cut and if it's short enough of a cut, you can resume bulking after maybe a week or two of eating maintenance. You should not jump directly from a cut to a bulk though. You should eat maintenance for a few weeks, then slowly up calories each week until the bulking calories are established. For this reason, I never bulk less then 3 months at a time. This year it was close to 9 months.
3. I still largely have uneven fat distribution throughout the body, the abdomen and upper but is high while lower chest is terribly low (I can see my ribs). I know you can't spot reduce, but will growing more muscle in these places
help the cause?This is largely genetic and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. Over time, gaining muscle and losing fat systemically will help your overall symmetry but again, genetics will ultimately determine fat storage.
4. My thighs are BIG!. I spent an hour a day on the stationary cycle for cardio while losing weight, that coupled with the squats has left me with rather large and muscular thighs. There's still some fat there, but it looks really funny. I have thin calves, waist and big thighs in between. It makes my upper body look smaller than the lower.
Should I put brakes on leg exercises for a while? Let my cutting take away the fat from there first?Again genetics. I have giant calves and smaller arms relative to my overall body. I still lift calves on leg days but I don't put an extreme emphasis on them. I do a few extra arm exercises to try and "bring those up". As a beginner you should still just focus on doing your program. Once you enter the intermediate phase you can focus a little less on your genetic strong points, and a little more on your genetic weak points, but you never stop working all your body parts.
5. I am from India, and our normal diet, as well as the general food you get outside isn't really protein rich. An average man's here gets around 30-40g a day I guess, while rest of it is carbs. I have been hovering around the 100g-120g a day mark with plenty of egg whites and chicken. To make things easier I just bought some Whey and would like to know if you make dietery adjustments for it? How can I put it to best use on a cutting diet?Think of whey as food, not a supplement. Just work it into your diet as a way to meet your overall protein goal.0 -
Hello Vismal,
I've been following you for a while now both here and on youtube...I have a question though..
I started at 280 on Jan 22, now I am 242. I have only measured everything and done cardio the first 2 1/2 months. However, I have started stronglifts 3 weeks ago and towards the end of the second week my weight loss totally stalled..did not move up or down.....I did not change anything in my calorie intake, still eating around 1700ish doing stronglifts, and adding cardio after the lifting for about 20-25 mins max. Is it really because of the water retained by muscles since I started lifting...? I mean i don't think I hit a plateau at 242 pounds suddenly after losing very steadily.... Should I change something or just keep going like this? Thanks0 -
amazing job!!!!!!!!!! did you ever use b12 injections? and how do i really determine how many calories i should intake in order to not put my body in starvation mode 0 -
Hi Vismal!
I've been reading this thread since I started 30 days ago and I wanted to thank you for the great information and encouragement found on here.
Now to my question. I've lost 28 pounds in my first 30 days and I've had a ton of people in my life screaming that it's too fast and I must be doing a fad diet. I tell them over and over again that I just reduced my calorie count and started walking more. Hell, I've even had Sea Salt Caramel Gelato during the 30 days with no ill effects. Not to mention that, being over 400 pounds, I have quite a ways to go and SHOULD lose faster anyway. Did you have anyone question the rate of your weight loss and what did you tell them to make them shut up about it.
Again, thanks for this awesome thread.
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In your opinion/experience does it make a difference if each meal has the same macro ratio as the whole day. To clarify, if my macro breakdown is 30% carbs/40% protein/30% fat, should each meal be broken down that way?0
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At your weight you should be easily losing at 1700 calories. I mean EASILY. Water retention is a thing but after 3 weeks, it is likely not the cause. I'd reexamine how closely you are counting your calories. I'd venture a bet you are eating quite a bit more then you think. Normally Someone 242 lbs should be able to lose weight eating 2000+ calories a day. You have to take everything into consideration. Cheat days, forgetting to log, inaccurate entries in the MFP database, eating out or eating food you did not prepare/weigh yourself. weighing something cooked and using nutritional information for it in the raw form. All these things can have you actually eating quite a bit more then you think,giannigreco83 wrote: »Hello Vismal,
I've been following you for a while now both here and on youtube...I have a question though..
I started at 280 on Jan 22, now I am 242. I have only measured everything and done cardio the first 2 1/2 months. However, I have started stronglifts 3 weeks ago and towards the end of the second week my weight loss totally stalled..did not move up or down.....I did not change anything in my calorie intake, still eating around 1700ish doing stronglifts, and adding cardio after the lifting for about 20-25 mins max. Is it really because of the water retained by muscles since I started lifting...? I mean i don't think I hit a plateau at 242 pounds suddenly after losing very steadily.... Should I change something or just keep going like this? Thanks
Yes, people questioned my weight loss all the time. 28 lbs is a lot in 30 days but they are failing to take many things into consideration. First, you have to look at it in relationship to your total size. Someone 400 lbs losing 28 is about the same as someone 200 lbs losing 14 lbs in a month. Still fast but doesn't sound as dramatic. Second you must consider water weight losses. Whenever you first begin eating in a deficit you will lose water weight rapidly. Again, if you are a bigger person, you will have more of a water weight drop. I wouldn't see anything wrong with losing at the rate you are for just starting out. It will slow down over time so be prepared but I'd just politely tell people you appreciate their concern and will "take it into consideration"SiegfriedXXL wrote: »Hi Vismal!
I've been reading this thread since I started 30 days ago and I wanted to thank you for the great information and encouragement found on here.
Now to my question. I've lost 28 pounds in my first 30 days and I've had a ton of people in my life screaming that it's too fast and I must be doing a fad diet. I tell them over and over again that I just reduced my calorie count and started walking more. Hell, I've even had Sea Salt Caramel Gelato during the 30 days with no ill effects. Not to mention that, being over 400 pounds, I have quite a ways to go and SHOULD lose faster anyway. Did you have anyone question the rate of your weight loss and what did you tell them to make them shut up about it.
Again, thanks for this awesome thread.
No b12 injections as I am not deficient in b12. Starvation mode is mostly a myth. You can starve if you eat to little, and you will die from it, but you will not stop losing weight. People who starve to death aren't fat. There does not exist a magic calorie cutoff point where your body stops using stored fuel for energy. If it did that, it wouldn't have any fuel to run on at all. The whole notion of starvation mode makes no sense when you think about it. If the body stops using fat for energy, what will it use?dawnsandusky1 wrote: » amazing job!!!!!!!!!! did you ever use b12 injections? and how do i really determine how many calories i should intake in order to not put my body in starvation mode0 -
Meal timing and composition is of very little importance for most people. Focus on hitting your totals for the day. That is far, far more important then timing or composition of the individual meals.BuccaneersFan wrote: »In your opinion/experience does it make a difference if each meal has the same macro ratio as the whole day. To clarify, if my macro breakdown is 30% carbs/40% protein/30% fat, should each meal be broken down that way?
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Congrats to you!0
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I have a question iv read nd read trying to decide .iv been doing 5x5 iv finally lost some pounds and iv lost inches. I can really see the difference .But when i read other womens post they are not taking off days and doing tons of cardio . I thout that was exactly what you werent supposed to do! I might walk at my sons baseball practice or ride my bike after i lift somtimes but thats it these people are like i eat rabbit food and yogurt and lift 3x a.week and do cardio 7x a week ???? Are they right ?or are they kinda wasting there time??0
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Hi i messed somthing up on my account had to make new one but still same as megganjennings if u get to my question0
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Can I just say:
- What an amazing transformation! That's textbook dedication right there.
- I'm so glad you're doing this AMA.
- I'm dumbfounded and amazed that you are still answering questions nearly a full year later.
- I'm sorry that I don't have an actual question. I know what to do, I just...have to do it and not lose hope.
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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!
Hi I went from 352lbs with the help (medical and personal training) all the medical showed me was portion control. The gym is showing me my body's sensitivities like I should mainly only stick to water. I wanted to know does it get easier or harder to reach your goal? I am now 239lbs. Im looking to get to a solid 190lbs give or take for function & form purposes. Whatever the answer... Do you know what I should do now?
P.S. I'm supposedly 66lbs bad weight so according to certain people I should lose 35- 40 lbs0 -
How do you stay away from junk food you are craving?0
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Weights 3x a week and cardio 7x a week is excessive for almost anyone. Unless you are training for something very specialized you shouldn't need to do that. It also depends on the intensity and duration of the cardio. In the summer I probably take walks/hike 5-6 days a week, but it's only the long, hilly, hikes that are really taxing. I don't really count walking around the neighborhood for an hour as cardio. It's so low intensity that it doesn't really interfere with my recovery. Basically you should do as much cardio as you care to do so long as it's not messing with recovery. Depending on the individual, this can be very little, or quite a bit.megganjeninngs69 wrote: »I have a question iv read nd read trying to decide .iv been doing 5x5 iv finally lost some pounds and iv lost inches. I can really see the difference .But when i read other womens post they are not taking off days and doing tons of cardio . I thout that was exactly what you werent supposed to do! I might walk at my sons baseball practice or ride my bike after i lift somtimes but thats it these people are like i eat rabbit food and yogurt and lift 3x a.week and do cardio 7x a week ???? Are they right ?or are they kinda wasting there time??
Answered in the PM you sent mejustbtwnus23 wrote: »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!
Hi I went from 352lbs with the help (medical and personal training) all the medical showed me was portion control. The gym is showing me my body's sensitivities like I should mainly only stick to water. I wanted to know does it get easier or harder to reach your goal? I am now 239lbs. Im looking to get to a solid 190lbs give or take for function & form purposes. Whatever the answer... Do you know what I should do now?
P.S. I'm supposedly 66lbs bad weight so according to certain people I should lose 35- 40 lbs
I don't stay away from any certain foods. I work them into my everyday diet in moderation thus defeating the craving while still achieving my goals.AngryBirdies1 wrote: »How do you stay away from junk food you are craving?
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Wow! What a long thread.
Sorry I did start reading from the first couple of pages, then started missing some pages and skipped through to the end/at the moment it's this page. I did watch the clip about working out cals, protein, fat and carbs - a few pages back - though. Will give that a go. I did C25k too and from that experience I love running/walking/doing anything cardio more than strength training. Yep I know, weights is important so I haven't neglected that part at all. I get bored with it though. I've tried to mix it up with increasing the weights (barbell) after each set, using hand weights, body weight, weight machine at the gym - like a leg press machine - instead of squats with a barbell, just to add some variety over the week when I'm doing my strength training. You recommend 5x5. I've looked at the You Tube clips for that. I will give that a go though, but have you ever gotten bored with your workout routine and what did you do to get yourself back on track or what did you change?
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Vismal,
I'm male, 40 years old, 6'1", and 250 lbs. I estimate I'm at 27% body fat. I've been lifting for a month and I began getting my food squared away about 2 months ago. My goal is body transformation, I want to get to 10% BF and be strong doing it. I'm making progress and frankly I'm pretty happy with how it's going. But, I got hurt while lifting and I'm nervous.
I've been following an ICF 5x5 program. I hurt my back with bad lifting form while doing stiff legged deadlifts. I visited my doctor and followed his recovery and I'm feeling better. I've spoken with a few trusted friends that lift and they're suggesting I stick with a lower weight/high rep routine to focus on learning form.
As I said, I trust these folks. I'd like your opinion on focusing on lower weight/high rep during my fat loss cut. I feel that while less efficient in terms of muscle gains, it may be smarter as a beginner to be dealing with weights that I can handle with best form.
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hey man amazing progress. Trying to lean bulk now and hopefully will look the same as you do in your last picture after a year of lean bulking. I am eating 2800 cals a day at the moment.0
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I LOVE before and after success stories, thanks for sharing. You look great:)0
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I have such a hard time with fiber, I want to eat it but am having trouble finding things I will actually eat DAILY. I'm not a fan of mixing it up in a glass and drinking it either. What do you do for consistant daily consumption that would be sustainable?0
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Thanks for sharing, very inspiring. How do you find the energy to train after a crazy busy day?0
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