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

shaddowstorm

how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach

quochus

Your road is really amazing and inspirational.

I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.

I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)

How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?

Thanks a lot.

pbri3836

How did you tdeal with the mental issues relating to weight gain after loss. Ive lost about 80kg so far, and feel like im skinny fat. I work hard to maintain weight and re-comp, but if my weight goes up i freak out. I also struggle on occasions with binge eating, which never happened before my fatloss. Did you devellop an eati Ng disorder during your transformation, how did you avoid making a negative relationship with food??

JohnBarth

Thank you for posting such detailed steps of your journey. I lost a lot of weight in 2009 but gained it back over the next several years. Recently, my wife and I have re-committed ourselves to getting healthier. We've been at it almost a month with great results, both through caloric deficits in our consumption and increased expenditure. Threads like this, with such an amazing transformation and better information, are few and far between. I've read nearly every post and will use you as a model for a long time.

Again, thank you, as your transformation is truly an inspiration for me.

IllBeBack1Day

vismal wrote: »

BelieveNurSELFIE wrote: »

How many calories would you suggest a 23 year old woman consume at 325lbs 5'11? I at leat work out 5 days a week for an hour and strength train 2-3 times week as well. Lately I've been consuming anywhere between 1200-1500. I'm wondering if that's enough or to little?

I would say that is way too low. I would do 2000 to start. This only applies if your counting is extremely accurate and you don't do cheat/free meals/days. If you aren't weighing all your food and doing a fair bit of estimating, it's likely that you are eating much more then you think. Give this thread a read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
If you are doing these things, then yes 1200 calories is way too low. If you aren't, start doing them and increase your calories a bit.

Wullie90 wrote: »

Hello I am a 24 year old male. I am 6ft2, started at 244lbs and currently 201 lbs. My question to you is.. What would you recommend to lose moobs? They are smaller now but id like them gone if thats possible.

Thanks

The only way to reduce fat in a specific area is do reduce fat overall. There is no way to spot reduce fat. If you simply have fat in your chest area, it will eventually fall off as you lose fat all over. If you have actual gynocomastia, you should speak with a physician. Usually surgery is the only method to remove it. Fortunately, most of the time it's just fat loss that is needed.

sarahjean987 wrote: »

Hello asking for my boyfriend, he is 174 pounds is diabetic and wants to get down to 150 and wants to start weight training, any recommendation weights for beginners? He wants to know what is your abs routine. Thank you and congratulations you look great.

I would have him do a beginners 5x5 program. My favorite is the ICF 5x5 (you can google that). As for an ab routine, I don't do any direct ab work. Heavy squats, deadlifts, front squats, glute-ham raises, etc all build a very strong core. It would be okay to do something like planks of cable crunches. I can't do crunches because of a back injury.

I do the same now. Back hurt. Insisting on planks. Strentgthens your core more than any crunches

vismal

shaddowstorm wrote: »

how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach

If you know there is no spot reduction, then I don't understand the question. There is no way to flatten your stomach other than to lose enough fat in your abdomen so it becomes flat. Since you cannot spot reduce the fat in your abdomen, you must lose fat all over until it is flat.

quochus wrote: »

Your road is really amazing and inspirational.

I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.

I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)

How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?

Thanks a lot.

A 500 calorie deficit seems appropriate. Macro ratios are old school. I base my macros on my weight. I explain how this is done in the video on macros I posted on page 37. Lifting 4x a week, hiit twice, with liss 6 times a week is probably too much for someone in a deficit. I would lift total body 3x a week. HIIT once, then liss once or twice. When you eat carbs is meaningless. Having protein right before or right after workouts is also meaningless. Not eating carbs at night doesn't do anything.

You are concentrating on a lot of things that won't actually help you reach your goals. They won't necessarily hinder your efforts (though the over training may if it impairs your recovery), but they are by and large unnecessary. For you dietary intake, worry about your totals for the day, not what foods you eat when.

I would not be doing a cutting diet if I was you though. You are 5'7 and 60kg. You are attempting to chisel a foundation that hasn't been built. There is not enough muscle to cut down to. Many women are lean at 5'7 60kg. So for a male, If you are not lean at that height and weight, then you are probably not going to get lean this go around. I would do a lean bulk, at least a year long. Shoot to gain about a kg a month. At that point, you should have a muscular base in which to cut down to. I also have a guide on bulking video posted on page 37. Give that a watch.

vismal

pbri3836 wrote: »

How did you tdeal with the mental issues relating to weight gain after loss. Ive lost about 80kg so far, and feel like im skinny fat. I work hard to maintain weight and re-comp, but if my weight goes up i freak out. I also struggle on occasions with binge eating, which never happened before my fatloss. Did you devellop an eati Ng disorder during your transformation, how did you avoid making a negative relationship with food??

Don't try and recomp. It just isn't efficient. If you feel skinny-fat, you should do a lean bulk. Yes it means the scale will go up. But it doesn't mean you will get fat again. If you gain the weight slowly, you won't. Plus after a good 4-6 months of bulking, you can transition back into cutting mode to reduce any fat gained over the bulking period. You just have to trust in the process. Tons of people have done it before you without getting fat again. Just trust in that, and do it. The best part is, seeing as you've lost 80kg (congrats on that!) you know how to lose fat. Even if you gain a little more fat then planned on your bulk, which most of us do our first time, you have all the tools needed to cut it off. I can be scary the first time you intentionally try and gain weight, but it's simply a necessary part of the process, and the best way to deal with a skinny-fat problem.

philasaurus_rex

No questions on my end. I love seeing this kind of stuff on this site! Keep it up!

lorisavage13

I watched your YouTube video on how to calculate calories and macros and I have a question about your formula you use when determining the recommendations for calories/fat/protein. Is that amount to lose or to maintain? I am a pretty short (5'1" 52 year old) so I used the smallest numbers but I am not sure if I should subtract from that to lose.

quochus

vismal wrote: »

shaddowstorm wrote: »

how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach

If you know there is no spot reduction, then I don't understand the question. There is no way to flatten your stomach other than to lose enough fat in your abdomen so it becomes flat. Since you cannot spot reduce the fat in your abdomen, you must lose fat all over until it is flat.

quochus wrote: »

Your road is really amazing and inspirational.

I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.

I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)

How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?

Thanks a lot.

A 500 calorie deficit seems appropriate. Macro ratios are old school. I base my macros on my weight. I explain how this is done in the video on macros I posted on page 37. Lifting 4x a week, hiit twice, with liss 6 times a week is probably too much for someone in a deficit. I would lift total body 3x a week. HIIT once, then liss once or twice. When you eat carbs is meaningless. Having protein right before or right after workouts is also meaningless. Not eating carbs at night doesn't do anything.

You are concentrating on a lot of things that won't actually help you reach your goals. They won't necessarily hinder your efforts (though the over training may if it impairs your recovery), but they are by and large unnecessary. For you dietary intake, worry about your totals for the day, not what foods you eat when.

I would not be doing a cutting diet if I was you though. You are 5'7 and 60kg. You are attempting to chisel a foundation that hasn't been built. There is not enough muscle to cut down to. Many women are lean at 5'7 60kg. So for a male, If you are not lean at that height and weight, then you are probably not going to get lean this go around. I would do a lean bulk, at least a year long. Shoot to gain about a kg a month. At that point, you should have a muscular base in which to cut down to. I also have a guide on bulking video posted on page 37. Give that a watch.

Thanks a lot for your advice. It is really useful. I may train too much, but I think I will take a rest when I feel not so well. I will follow your advice and pay mainly attention to the total macros other than when for eating them.

Btw, I think you've just been confused of shaddowstorm and me. I'm not 5'7'' and 60kg. My stats are 5'9'' (175 cm) and 74.5 kg (and I'm a male). My body fat is high (about 16%). That's why I decide to cut body fat first to get lean before bulking. I've been also do bulking for four months, and but it was dirty bulking and at that time I had no idea about macros and calories (all I do was workout and eating). I gained five kg, and also a remarkable increase in my waist. Then I realized that what I did was inefficient and I'd better cut before bulk (and most of fitness pages I've read also told that having high percentage of body fat will hinder the efficiency of bulking, that I will gain more fat rather than muscles).

vismal

lorisavage13 wrote: »

I watched your YouTube video on how to calculate calories and macros and I have a question about your formula you use when determining the recommendations for calories/fat/protein. Is that amount to lose or to maintain? I am a pretty short (5'1" 52 year old) so I used the smallest numbers but I am not sure if I should subtract from that to lose.

The video specifically was for fat loss. If you used the low end of the numbers, it should be a good starting point. You may have to adjust the calories based on your own results.

quochus wrote: »

vismal wrote: »

shaddowstorm wrote: »

how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach

If you know there is no spot reduction, then I don't understand the question. There is no way to flatten your stomach other than to lose enough fat in your abdomen so it becomes flat. Since you cannot spot reduce the fat in your abdomen, you must lose fat all over until it is flat.

quochus wrote: »

Your road is really amazing and inspirational.

I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.

I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)

How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?

Thanks a lot.

A 500 calorie deficit seems appropriate. Macro ratios are old school. I base my macros on my weight. I explain how this is done in the video on macros I posted on page 37. Lifting 4x a week, hiit twice, with liss 6 times a week is probably too much for someone in a deficit. I would lift total body 3x a week. HIIT once, then liss once or twice. When you eat carbs is meaningless. Having protein right before or right after workouts is also meaningless. Not eating carbs at night doesn't do anything.

You are concentrating on a lot of things that won't actually help you reach your goals. They won't necessarily hinder your efforts (though the over training may if it impairs your recovery), but they are by and large unnecessary. For you dietary intake, worry about your totals for the day, not what foods you eat when.

I would not be doing a cutting diet if I was you though. You are 5'7 and 60kg. You are attempting to chisel a foundation that hasn't been built. There is not enough muscle to cut down to. Many women are lean at 5'7 60kg. So for a male, If you are not lean at that height and weight, then you are probably not going to get lean this go around. I would do a lean bulk, at least a year long. Shoot to gain about a kg a month. At that point, you should have a muscular base in which to cut down to. I also have a guide on bulking video posted on page 37. Give that a watch.

Thanks a lot for your advice. It is really useful. I may train too much, but I think I will take a rest when I feel not so well. I will follow your advice and pay mainly attention to the total macros other than when for eating them.

Btw, I think you've just been confused of shaddowstorm and me. I'm not 5'7'' and 60kg. My stats are 5'9'' (175 cm) and 74.5 kg (and I'm a male). My body fat is high (about 16%). That's why I decide to cut body fat first to get lean before bulking. I've been also do bulking for four months, and but it was dirty bulking and at that time I had no idea about macros and calories (all I do was workout and eating). I gained five kg, and also a remarkable increase in my waist. Then I realized that what I did was inefficient and I'd better cut before bulk (and most of fitness pages I've read also told that having high percentage of body fat will hinder the efficiency of bulking, that I will gain more fat rather than muscles).

Looks like I got you two mixed up. At 5'9 74.5 you could probably lose a bit more if you want. Again, you may not be able to get abs lean the first time. I couldn't, and neither could most people I know who have attempted. I would say most people need at least one proper cut/bulk/cut cycle to do it.

laurielou04

thanks for sharing all your knowledge! I have felt like I have learned a ton just from reading a few responses. I'll def check back for more updates and if I have any questions.

saarhanina1

First of all congrats!! That's really fun to see that your hard work and dedication paid off:)

I read in one of your comments that you feel bad about eating some types of food and I feel the same way so I'd like to know if you had cheat meals during the process or even now? and if so how often and how much calories?

Thank you!

megganjeninngs69

Im on my 3 week of 5x5 i really like is it normal for the scale not to move in the begining im just now gettin my cals under control so im aware i cant expect miracles but im gettin it together

Dianaa31015

Great job! I wish that I have the same motivation as you do to get to my goal. Congratulations on your weight loss success!

vismal

saarhanina1 wrote: »

First of all congrats!! That's really fun to see that your hard work and dedication paid off:)

I read in one of your comments that you feel bad about eating some types of food and I feel the same way so I'd like to know if you had cheat meals during the process or even now? and if so how often and how much calories?

Thank you!

Because I never ban foods from my day to day diet regardless of my goals, cheat days aren't needed often. I never know how many calories I have on a cheat day because that's the part of the day I consider cheating. Since I can eat donuts and ice cream any day I want, simply eating certain foods does not constitute a cheat day to me. A cheat day is when I eat whatever I want, in whatever amount I want. I do this probably less then 10 times a year. It's usually on vacation, or on a holiday. There are also days I don't track but I mentally keep calories "in check". Probably another 10-15 days a year. These days typically happen on vacation as well, or on days I do far above my normal level of activity. For instance, if I hike for 6-8 hours in a day, I might not count calories that day but as long as I don't go HAM I'll be hard pressed to go much over maintenance. The key here is that it's 20-25 days per YEAR that I don't know exactly what I'm eating. That's only around 5% of the time.

megganjeninngs69 wrote: »

Im on my 3 week of 5x5 i really like is it normal for the scale not to move in the begining im just now gettin my cals under control so im aware i cant expect miracles but im gettin it together

When you first start heavy lifting you can retain some water. That combined with just starting to get your calories under control is why you haven't seen consistent results. If you track diligently and keep up with the exercise, you should start to see some losses. If after a few weeks you do not, you probably need to reduce calories.

vismal

Dianaa31015 wrote: »

Great job! I wish that I have the same motivation as you do to get to my goal. Congratulations on your weight loss success!

Don't wish for it, do it. Motivation is internal. You can be as motivated as you want to be.

Oldbitcollector

I'm getting the double fitness wammy.

First vismal's mom's encouragement to get started in fitness at the gym she works at, then vismal's story which starts at 315 pounds like I was in October. The scale has been very good to me after I started tracking my food with this site. (Just passed 306 yesterday) -- Heading for goal of being well under 300 pounds by the end of the month.

I'm still craving junk foods, but I'm treating myself here and there, but I refuse to go back to where I was in October. I'm already feeling better, blood pressure heading in a positive direction. I'm no longer winded by simple walking. Can't wait to meet the new me this next year. My spouse and daughter have also taken my lead so I've got company on my journey.

Thanks @vismal for being an encouragement with your email, posts, and videos.

mmut22

vismal wrote: »

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!

Just a heads up - Vitafiber products now available thru Amazon. Looking forward to trying them and the Quest recipes Nick has posted at Feeding Fitness.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/node/index.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A1SSYPLMIMVDU1&merchant=A1SSYPLMIMVDU1&redirect=true

ashleigharmour

well done on your amazing weight loss you look amazing!
i was wondering whats the best exercise routine to help burn fat?