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

ldhudsonjr

Bump man, lets keep this thread going. Also, if you haven't checked it out yet, this guy has a youtube channel called feeding fitness with some good stuff on it.

luntyp

I just looked up Ice Cream 5x5. Do you really spend 1.5 hours per workout? If I did it with lighter weights, do you think I could bang it out in 50 mins?

larali1980

Will you marry me? (You said ask anything)

Oh I'm already married... never mind

JK but you look awesome, congrats.

vismal

luntyp wrote: »

I just looked up Ice Cream 5x5. Do you really spend 1.5 hours per workout? If I did it with lighter weights, do you think I could bang it out in 50 mins?

ICF does not need to take 1.5 hours, though it can. I was usually able to knock it out in around an hour. As you progress and the weights get heavier, you generally will require a longer rest period between sets of the heavy compound lifts.

optimistic1991

Great work !

how much calories did you consume per day during the first 3 months ?

ljsmith1978

first off, thanks. I started lifting and counting calories almost 2 months ago largely due to your post. so far i'm down about 10lbs (holidays set me back slightly)

did you ever change up your 5x5 program as you kept cutting?

i'm up to 225 on squats and my quads hurt constantly. the weight is getting pretty heavy but more so I just feel like its hard because i'm sore. it's really the only one of the lifts i'm having problems with so far

current weights
bench 190
squat 225
dl 235
row 160
ohp 115

i'm 6'5 259lbs and have consistently been eating ~2000 cals/day with 75g fat and 150g protein minimums. occasional cardio but nothing consistent

thanks again and love your youtube channel as well!

vismal

optimistic1991 wrote: »

Great work !

how much calories did you consume per day during the first 3 months ?

When I initially started losing weight I was not calorie counting. I probably ate very few calories most days and then ate quite a few on "cheat" days that I probably took too often. Tracking calories was the critical step in my transformation.

ljsmith1978 wrote: »

first off, thanks. I started lifting and counting calories almost 2 months ago largely due to your post. so far i'm down about 10lbs (holidays set me back slightly)

did you ever change up your 5x5 program as you kept cutting?

i'm up to 225 on squats and my quads hurt constantly. the weight is getting pretty heavy but more so I just feel like its hard because i'm sore. it's really the only one of the lifts i'm having problems with so far

current weights
bench 190
squat 225
dl 235
row 160
ohp 115

i'm 6'5 259lbs and have consistently been eating ~2000 cals/day with 75g fat and 150g protein minimums. occasional cardio but nothing consistent

thanks again and love your youtube channel as well!

Eventually you need to roll back volume while you are in a deficit. For most people this is somewhere around 6 months though some need to do it earlier and others can keep up with the volume for longer. The first thing I would change is to make the lifts 4x5 instead of 5x5 and eventually all the way down to a 3x5. When you say "my quads hurt constantly", if it's to the point that they actually hurt, vs. just feeling like they've been worked out, there may be some problems with your form. Squat is a very difficult lift to master form and requires a lot of flexibility and mobility to do properly for most people.

ellochka5

Amazing progress, congrats!!

Question for you, I am 34 female and am just unable to lose the 40lbs I gained in the last 3years after an injury and a whole bunch of failed diets (which included the HCG). I'm pretty athletic and lift heavy, but can't seem to shed the pounds. I just weighed in at 188 (I'm 5'4) and in comparison to other ppl that weigh that much, I'm much smaller and more toned. I usually do a body part a day 5 days a week at the gym + 30min cardio after weights. Do you think I should incorporate HIIT? I'm eating around 1500 calories a day tracking through MFP. Do you think what goes in matters as well? I used to be so fit, but now I'm so lost and I keep trying to grasp on to anything that make sense. Thanks in advance for your help!!

vismal

At 5'4 188, you should almost certainly be losing weight eating 1500 calories. How tight is your tracking? Are you weighing everything on a scale (not using cups and tablespoons for solid foods but using an actual food scale)? Do you do cheat days, if so how often? This guide is very useful for making sure your tracking is spot on: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101

As for workouts, a single body part a day is inefficient for natural lifters in my opinion. You should try to hit all body parts 2-3 times per week. Total body 3x a week or an upper/lower/upper/lower split is much more efficient. HIIT is okay but it's not going to make a huge difference in calories burned for the week. Diet will go much further than cardio in terms of how much fat you lose. What you eat is certainly important but even if you ate nothing but garbage, you'd still lose weight if you create a calorie deficit. You should ultimately strive to eat a diet based mostly around minimally processed whole foods and enjoy less nutritious things in moderation. I never recommend eliminating any foods from a diet, but rather I encourage the use common sense when balancing whole foods with treats.

cm_rosa

Just wanted to give you a shout out for an awesome job on taking back control of your life! I too have done this--lost 117lbs & still counting. My question is how do you stay motivated to working out?? I walk every day & take the stairs at work (4th floor). I have a dreadmill at home--oops...I mean treadmill ☺️. I have a hard time sticking to something because I get bored. Any advise to help with this??

ellochka5

Thanks Vismal!!

mfm143

Is it possible to gain muscle while in a calorie deficit? Sorry if this has already been asked.

watkins1980

Any advice for me who has to lose 150 lbs to goal and was wondering if i should immediately start working out, and if i should skip cardio and just do weights?

vismal

cm_rosa wrote: »

Just wanted to give you a shout out for an awesome job on taking back control of your life! I too have done this--lost 117lbs & still counting. My question is how do you stay motivated to working out?? I walk every day & take the stairs at work (4th floor). I have a dreadmill at home--oops...I mean treadmill ☺️. I have a hard time sticking to something because I get bored. Any advise to help with this??

It seems you aren't very fond of using the treadmill. Neither am I! Infact, I loathe walking or running on a treadmill. The key is to find some area of fitness you genuinely enjoy. I love weight lifting. I get to set strength goals and constantly progress with the weights over time. For cardio, I enjoy hiking. While I can only do that so many months out of the year in Ohio, it requires little motivation because it's an activity I enjoy. When someone says they don't enjoy any type of physical activity, to me, that person simply hasn't tried enough different activities. There's a million and one ways to stay fit, find one or two you love and motivation won't be a problem.

vismal

mfm143 wrote: »

Is it possible to gain muscle while in a calorie deficit? Sorry if this has already been asked.

This is a very simple question with a somewhat complex answer. For the majority of people, the answer is no. The body requires excess fuel in order to build muscle. If you are in a caloric deficit, the body uses stored fuel (some of which is fat) for energy. Unfortunately, the body is far too efficient to both use fuel for the creation of muscle whilst using fat for energy. If this was the case, a little weight lifting and a little cardio and everyone would look like a bodybuilder. While that sounds great, from an evolutionary perspective, it's terrible. In times of famine the body does not want to waste precious energy on building unnecessary muscle. Now this is all in regards to net creation of muscle and loss of fat. The body constantly is building up and breaking down muscles, as well as burning and storing fat, but all we really care about is net gains and losses.

Now there are some exceptions. Those going through puberty have a hormonal advantage geared towards growth. For teens, some fat loss along with simultaneous muscle gain is quite common. This is why, unless they are overweight/obese, I almost never recommend a teenager specifically do a fat loss phase. They can lose fat staying around maintenance and put on muscle as well. People who use PEDs are similar to teens. They have a hormonal advantage geared towards growth. They can certainly put on muscle and lose fat simultaneously. Those new to weightlifting can do both for a brief period of time. Depending on genetics, some can do it more efficiently than others. This lasts anywhere from about 6 months to a year, and even in this case, the muscle gains are not dramatic. There is more potential for muscle gain if the new lifter is obese as the body has quite an excess of fat stored for fuel. Finally, there are the genetic freaks of nature. They might as well be on PEDs because their bodies perform as if they are. There is no use using them as a reference point for anything because to the vast majority of people, they simply produce results we are not capable of.

This is why for almost all people, it is FAR FAR more efficient to choose one goal or another. While some people with average genetics can do a recomp diet and over the course of time lose a little bit of fat and gain a little bit of muscle, it would have been much more efficient for them to focus on a muscle gaining phase followed by a fat loss phase. The net fat loss and muscle gain would be greater.

So the TL/DR of this is no, unless they are a teen, on drugs, a new lifter, or a genetic freak.

mfm143

Thanks for such a detailed answer - I have been on my journey close to 7 mo now and I have been doing ICF at a 1800 cal /day rate - I didn't really see super gains but have lost about 13 lbs so far - I've taken a break for about 3 mo now as had some life stresses to deal with I am in the middle of moving do with no workouts I dropped my dal/cals to 1700- but plan to get back going in March, will up to 1800 again and since I am not at my calorie goal - (have about 30-40lbs to go)- should I continue with ICF x5 and light cardio x2 until I reach my calorie goal than go into maintainece and slowly up my calories and focus on more weight lifting to build muscle? TIA

Sredster

No Questions here. I just want to say HOLY CRAP! You are a true inspiration! You look fantastic! I hope I can have a transformation as amazing as yours!

Horsepital

Hi Vismal, thank you for the keeping up this post, it's been very informative.

I've been working out with a trainer for the last few months. It's been very helpful in motivating me to get in to the gym, but it's not something I can continue to afford. I am planning on starting Strong Lifts next week, and I'm having trouble deciding what weight I should start with. On his site, he suggests that beginners start with the bar, but that seems too light considering I've already been working out. Today I did 3X10 sets of 95lbs bench press for instance. I think my form is pretty good on all of the exercises involved with strong lifts, thanks to my trainer.

I am a male, 5'8", 195lbs, if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance!

saralthrash

I've been wanting to lose 50 lbs. I really need to lose 90 to be in the "normal range." Anyway I've been lifting and I was wondering about how much of an impact heavy lifting would have on the way my body looks and my overall weight loss. As of now I bench about 70lbs and squat only 100lbs. I want to lift heavier but I'm nervous lol Do you feel like lifting heavy improved your losses or do you credit it mostly to diet? And when lifting heavy for weight loss do you still eat a large deficit? I'm curious because I've read that in order to build muscle you have to eat more.

vismal

mfm143 wrote: »

Thanks for such a detailed answer - I have been on my journey close to 7 mo now and I have been doing ICF at a 1800 cal /day rate - I didn't really see super gains but have lost about 13 lbs so far - I've taken a break for about 3 mo now as had some life stresses to deal with I am in the middle of moving do with no workouts I dropped my dal/cals to 1700- but plan to get back going in March, will up to 1800 again and since I am not at my calorie goal - (have about 30-40lbs to go)- should I continue with ICF x5 and light cardio x2 until I reach my calorie goal than go into maintainece and slowly up my calories and focus on more weight lifting to build muscle? TIA

There is really no need to get away from the 5x5 until you stop progressing. Once you are no longer able to lift heavier weights, you either need to increase calories, or use a less linear program. Most people can stick with a 5x5 for a year. If you've been in a deficit the whole time, when you switch to a surplus, you generally start progressing again even if you had stalled.

Sredster wrote: »

No Questions here. I just want to say HOLY CRAP! You are a true inspiration! You look fantastic! I hope I can have a transformation as amazing as yours!

Your profile makes it look like you've already made quite the transformation yourself! You look great as well!

vismal

Horsepital wrote: »

Hi Vismal, thank you for the keeping up this post, it's been very informative.

I've been working out with a trainer for the last few months. It's been very helpful in motivating me to get in to the gym, but it's not something I can continue to afford. I am planning on starting Strong Lifts next week, and I'm having trouble deciding what weight I should start with. On his site, he suggests that beginners start with the bar, but that seems too light considering I've already been working out. Today I did 3X10 sets of 95lbs bench press for instance. I think my form is pretty good on all of the exercises involved with strong lifts, thanks to my trainer.

I am a male, 5'8", 195lbs, if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance!

Starting weight isn't very important. Just pick a weight where you can complete all 5 reps of all 5 sets with good form. The first week shouldn't be "easy" but you also shouldn't have to grind to hard to get your reps in. Because the program is built around progression, you'll constantly be adding weight each week until it becomes difficult. If you are doing 95 for 3x10, you can probably do a little more for 5x5, but you could even start at 95 if you want.

saralthrash wrote: »

I've been wanting to lose 50 lbs. I really need to lose 90 to be in the "normal range." Anyway I've been lifting and I was wondering about how much of an impact heavy lifting would have on the way my body looks and my overall weight loss. As of now I bench about 70lbs and squat only 100lbs. I want to lift heavier but I'm nervous lol Do you feel like lifting heavy improved your losses or do you credit it mostly to diet? And when lifting heavy for weight loss do you still eat a large deficit? I'm curious because I've read that in order to build muscle you have to eat more.

Lifting will greatly impact how you look once the weight is lost. You will not really lose weight any faster from lifting as it doesn't burn all that many calories, nor will you gain much muscle while in a deficit, but lifting does help your body preserve lean tissue while you lose weight. For this reason alone it is extremely impactful on how you look in the end. Diet will still be the main factor with regards to fat loss, but lifting IMO is still extremely important.

swtroughear

i can only hope my cut this year is as successful as yours! brilliant progress man

BhangraPrince

vismal wrote: »

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.

Why do you think 5x5 was better for you than the "bro-Split"?

vismal

BhangraPrince wrote: »

vismal wrote: »

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.

Why do you think 5x5 was better for you than the "bro-Split"?

Training a muscle increases protein synthesis in that muscle. This lasts in natural athletes for up to 48 hours. Therefor, training each body part 2-3 times a week is most effective. "Bro-splits" came about at around the same time PEDs became synonymous with bodybuilding. Drug enhanced athletes have a much longer period of increased protein synthesis, additionally their recovery is such that they can train a muscle much harder before achieving fatigue. This allows for a single body part a day to be trained with great results. As is with many aspects of bodybuilding be it training, nutrition, supplements, etc it is often portrayed as what is appropriate for enhanced athletes is also appropriate for natural athletes. This is NOT true. Professional bodybuilders are typically not good sources of information for those training naturally.

michellenella7

Wow you look amazing X

Scamd83

@vismal Hi, was directed here by someone after I posted about being frustrated/bored with weight lifting. In 2012 I did a crazy amount of cardio, about 2-3 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ate very little, did minimal weight lifting after cardio and with all of that I got down from over 15 stone in January to below 10 stone in November. In 2013 I got more into weights and drastically cut back the cardio, put on a little bit of muscle later that year and got to about 10 stone 7 lbs. But since then I've sort of stalled, diet adherence has been hit or miss where I've done a lot of compensating for over eating just to remain below 11 stone. Strength gains have been minimal, I'm a horribly weak on upper body movements. Right now I am (I think) about 17-20% bodyfat which I've been led to believe is not great for going on a bulk. But I'm completely bored and frustrated with cutting and stalling with lifts but still feeling like I need to cut. I guess I was wondering what you would do in my position?

solocash

You sound like you are doing great to me

vismal

Scamd83 wrote: »

@vismal Hi, was directed here by someone after I posted about being frustrated/bored with weight lifting. In 2012 I did a crazy amount of cardio, about 2-3 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ate very little, did minimal weight lifting after cardio and with all of that I got down from over 15 stone in January to below 10 stone in November. In 2013 I got more into weights and drastically cut back the cardio, put on a little bit of muscle later that year and got to about 10 stone 7 lbs. But since then I've sort of stalled, diet adherence has been hit or miss where I've done a lot of compensating for over eating just to remain below 11 stone. Strength gains have been minimal, I'm a horribly weak on upper body movements. Right now I am (I think) about 17-20% bodyfat which I've been led to believe is not great for going on a bulk. But I'm completely bored and frustrated with cutting and stalling with lifts but still feeling like I need to cut. I guess I was wondering what you would do in my position?

My entire answer would be contingent on what your goals are. I'm happy to give you my opinion if you can fill me in on your ultimate goals.

justinelouise10

Did you follow macros or just nutrition on this app? Confused and want to loose water and fat and tone up and strengthen muscles.any tips on all ?

Scamd83

vismal wrote: »

Scamd83 wrote: »

@vismal Hi, was directed here by someone after I posted about being frustrated/bored with weight lifting. In 2012 I did a crazy amount of cardio, about 2-3 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ate very little, did minimal weight lifting after cardio and with all of that I got down from over 15 stone in January to below 10 stone in November. In 2013 I got more into weights and drastically cut back the cardio, put on a little bit of muscle later that year and got to about 10 stone 7 lbs. But since then I've sort of stalled, diet adherence has been hit or miss where I've done a lot of compensating for over eating just to remain below 11 stone. Strength gains have been minimal, I'm a horribly weak on upper body movements. Right now I am (I think) about 17-20% bodyfat which I've been led to believe is not great for going on a bulk. But I'm completely bored and frustrated with cutting and stalling with lifts but still feeling like I need to cut. I guess I was wondering what you would do in my position?

My entire answer would be contingent on what your goals are. I'm happy to give you my opinion if you can fill me in on your ultimate goals.

@vismal My goal is to lose fat. After that I want to put on muscle, strength and improve performance.