I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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I did several bulk/cut cycles. I don't exactly remember how long they respectively were but I feel like my first bulks were short 3-4 month ones which made my cuts quicker too at probably 2-3 months. A beginner can make decent progress eating maintenance and lifting. It's a good strategy if you have say, 20 or less lbs to lose. Other wise, a cut is probably better. I would also only do it for about 6 months. After that time, bulk/cut cycles will be more efficient.abhisheksengupta wrote: »Hey Vismal,
I noticed your skinny and fit images are both at 195 lbs. So did you cycle between bulking and cutting to get there?
If yes, how long do your cycles last?
I am curios to know what would happen if you lift at your maintenance. (For a beginner).
A video by Scooby's says you can gain muscle and shape simultaneously with losing fat at marginal cuts (say 5%) with heavy lifting and good diet. Your thoughts?
P.S. My aim is to lose belly fat, I'm 165 pounds and have a skinny fat look because of the abdomen. 3 weeks into SL and my chest, arms and thighs are doing great.
Unless you are an absolute beginner you won't make significant muscle gains in any kind of a deficit. Also, keeping to a 5% deficit is extremely hard. Calorie counting, no matter how obsessive compulsive you are at it, has a big margin of error. Even if your weighing/tracking was 100% (which nobody is), it still leaves lots of variables. The FDA allows for a fair bit of rounding, also not all foods are the same every time. For instance steak. While you can have the average calories for a top sirloin steak, each steak will have have different levels of fat. This is the kind of variance that you simply can't control. If you are in a 20% deficit, you have a huge margin of error. If you are in a 5% deficit, you have a tiny margin of error. This is always why I firmly believe successfully cutting is much easier then bulking. You have half the margin for error in a 10% surplus then a 20% deficit.
I know everyone wants to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. It's the unicorn of fitness. People go so far as to inject drugs into their bodies to accomplish it. Here's the thing though, if it was possible, and there was a method that achieved it efficiently, it would be what everyone did. But if you look at people who are lean with a decent amount of muscle mass, mostly all of them did bulk/cut cycles. The ones who didn't probably had some genetic advantages that the rest did not.
So are youaladdinaalvarado391 wrote: »You are awesome!!
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Amazing. Good job!0
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Amazing job vismal! You said AMA so what are your lifts on bench/squat/deadlift?
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Great, informative answer, thank you very much. I've shred 52 pounds and now I am striving for a sculpted mid-section (and everything else really!) like you.
I did several bulk/cut cycles. I don't exactly remember how long they respectively were but I feel like my first bulks were short 3-4 month ones which made my cuts quicker too at probably 2-3 months. A beginner can make decent progress eating maintenance and lifting. It's a good strategy if you have say, 20 or less lbs to lose. Other wise, a cut is probably better. I would also only do it for about 6 months. After that time, bulk/cut cycles will be more efficient.abhisheksengupta wrote: »Hey Vismal,
I noticed your skinny and fit images are both at 195 lbs. So did you cycle between bulking and cutting to get there?
If yes, how long do your cycles last?
I am curios to know what would happen if you lift at your maintenance. (For a beginner).
A video by Scooby's says you can gain muscle and shape simultaneously with losing fat at marginal cuts (say 5%) with heavy lifting and good diet. Your thoughts?
P.S. My aim is to lose belly fat, I'm 165 pounds and have a skinny fat look because of the abdomen. 3 weeks into SL and my chest, arms and thighs are doing great.
Unless you are an absolute beginner you won't make significant muscle gains in any kind of a deficit. Also, keeping to a 5% deficit is extremely hard. Calorie counting, no matter how obsessive compulsive you are at it, has a big margin of error. Even if your weighing/tracking was 100% (which nobody is), it still leaves lots of variables. The FDA allows for a fair bit of rounding, also not all foods are the same every time. For instance steak. While you can have the average calories for a top sirloin steak, each steak will have have different levels of fat. This is the kind of variance that you simply can't control. If you are in a 20% deficit, you have a huge margin of error. If you are in a 5% deficit, you have a tiny margin of error. This is always why I firmly believe successfully cutting is much easier then bulking. You have half the margin for error in a 10% surplus then a 20% deficit.
I know everyone wants to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. It's the unicorn of fitness. People go so far as to inject drugs into their bodies to accomplish it. Here's the thing though, if it was possible, and there was a method that achieved it efficiently, it would be what everyone did. But if you look at people who are lean with a decent amount of muscle mass, mostly all of them did bulk/cut cycles. The ones who didn't probably had some genetic advantages that the rest did not.
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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.0 -
What would you consider heavy weights? I am doing max 8 lb dumbbells. Do I need to go heavier?0
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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 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 saw in your food diary that you make homemade quest bars. Do you have a link that you make them from? They sound great.0 -
Wow! Very impressive. Gives me hope0
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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!0
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How hard was it to run at 315?1
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Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to answer questions people ask. You are a blessing. Keep up the great work.0
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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!0
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Thanks for the info.0
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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?0
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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.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.
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.What would you consider heavy weights? I am doing max 8 lb dumbbells. Do I need to go heavier?
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dunnodunno wrote: »
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 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 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
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.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!
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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.Nightfly01 wrote: »How hard was it to run at 315?
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.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?
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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.0 -
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.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.
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.0 -
Don't have any questions to ask just wanted to say well done.0
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