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

nahnalockhart

Any suggestions for me. My last and current weight it 219. My first goal is to get out of the 200s. My long term goal is to reach my goal weight of 150. I'm eating 3 times a day pulse a snack or two in between, and I'm currently doing Shawn Tsvangirai hip hop bad, started last week and on top of that I'm doing the Squat, ab and butt 30day challenge I'm on day 3 of that. I do my first weigh in tomorrow. Any advice for me? I'm doing 1000 to 1300 calories a day.

jkquinn13

summerlucky76 wrote: »

I am ready for a book, with all of this info in one place. I have read this entire thread and watched some of your videos. It's on point and I love reading your replies to questions here. Congratulations on all of your success!

Agree. Write a book and I'd buy it

beargirl69

I'm going to start the 5X5 training --I'm a beginner mid-aged female very heavy now 25 BMI-- did lift seriously in my early 20s and was fitter than ever at that time so I know lifting is the way to go but when i was young we did 5 sets of 10 alternating larger muscle groups daily. Questions 1. I must use all free weights? Can I use machines or will that alter the effectiveness? Also what weight difficulty should I start at -- i.e. easy to do five reps, moderately hard to do five reps or Can only just manage five reps without difficulty?

Thanks

holybell

siuvai wrote: »

Question.. As a women starting my weight loss journey. I want to get toned I'm 244 lbs would it be wise for a women to do the 5X5 PROGRAM? I do not want to bulk up from lifting weight but also do not want hangy skin..

I personally think you would be fine doing that program, but know your limits. On the topic of bulking up and loose skin, two things.

1. Women do not have the necessary amount of hormones needed to "bulk up." By lifting, you will get that fit look that most people want.
2. Lifting will somewhat help with the prevention of loose skin in my opinion, but it also depends on your body.

So all in all, try the 5x5 and see if that what fits for you. And don't worry about loose skin, getting healthy is the main goal.

Hope this helps.

antwanettey

Congratulations that's awesome one day I hope to be a success story !!! I'm just starting any advice ?

cmlivsey

vismal 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!

cmlivsey

Hey u look great! Congrats. How did u do it?

laurajune72

Hello there. I have read I think most of your posts. And I saw one I think that says you read a bunch on the science of nutrition and dieting. I am a reader and believe knowledge is power. Recommended reading? I am female looking to lose a bunch of weight currently doing strength training and cardio and eating "clean". But in my 40's so it is slow going and frustrating. Yup... Weighing and measuring.

Oldbitcollector

@vismal -- Checking in! Down 21lbs today thanks in part to your inspiration and some really great food ideas!

Thanks man! See you at the next 20..

MoonPie75

Wow. Great Job! Congrats on your engagement! Thanks so much for sharing your incredible journey on MFP. You truly are an inspiration!

Pipergirl7

Truely amazing and inspirational. I lost 55lbs on weight watchers... Then got married had two kids and sad to say I'm heavier then ever before. But finally I'm mentally ready to lose the weight again and my husband is being more supportive. I have a long journey ahead and seeing posts like yours are great and keep me going. A side note... When I lost all that weight last time saggy skin wasn't a problem but I used nivea skin firming lotion every day. I went from 183 down to 127. I think it depends on your skin and how much weight you lose and weight lifting too. I did the body for life weight lifting program and it was amazing. I was working out 5-6 days week even before i lost the weight so I don't know if that made a difference with my skin. Thanks for sharing your story and pics they are amazing!

vismal

Mophead72 wrote: »

Looking amazing I've been using MFP for 8 months lost four stone , gained 7 pounds back as got fed up of staying the same
Wow your weight loss not only that more to your fitness levels I want to start running training because I now think it's so much more to keep fit

How do you keep motivated and Amy tips on diet please

Motivation is all about achieving the goals I've set for myself. It becomes a choice as to which is more important, food, or achieving my goals. While I love food, my goals always win out.

summerlucky76 wrote: »

I am ready for a book, with all of this info in one place. I have read this entire thread and watched some of your videos. It's on point and I love reading your replies to questions here. Congratulations on all of your success!

This thread and my YouTube channel is probably as close as I'll ever come to amassing all my knowledge into one place. I prefer something I can constantly add to and change. Once a book is out, it's kind of set in stone, where as here and through YouTube I can update, change, add to as often as I feel like.

valcala23 wrote: »

vismal wrote: »

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.

What were your workouts like? How many minutes did you run?

I ran between 30-45 minutes. My workouts were as I described in the section you quoted.

smarvel01

I'm am 62 and morbidly obese too at 5 7. Can u really do this. Exercise, except mild treadmill is almost impossible at this point but it am desperate to lose 80 lbs. If am proud of ya buddy.

vismal

siuvai wrote: »

Question.. As a women starting my weight loss journey. I want to get toned I'm 244 lbs would it be wise for a women to do the 5X5 PROGRAM? I do not want to bulk up from lifting weight but also do not want hangy skin..

Toning does not exist. Women do not "bulk up" like men. They lack the hormones. To become toned you must do 2 things, build a muscular base (the 5x5 will achieve this), and lose enough fat for the muscular base to be visible (the 5x5 will prevent losing the muscular base during this process). This video will explain things in more detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4smQf8MrZEg

nicolebabcock95 wrote: »

That's great, I have been trying to live a healthier life style myself. I quit drinking pop about a month ago and that huge for me considering that was the only thing I drank. I finally signed up for the gym been doing 30 min cardo and about 30 min weights. I feel like I'm not getting results as of yet but I know it takes time any suggestions you can give me to help me get the results I want?

Diet is going to be the most important part of your progress. Without proper diet, even if you exercise, your results will probably be sub-par. Once your diet is on point, you should look to optimize your exercise protocol. I'd probably do cardio either at a separate time as weights, or after it. As for a weight routine, I would not do it based on time. I'd get on a proven beginners lifting program. My favorite is the ICF 5x5 but starting strength and stronglifts are also both good ones.

nahnalockhart wrote: »

Any suggestions for me. My last and current weight it 219. My first goal is to get out of the 200s. My long term goal is to reach my goal weight of 150. I'm eating 3 times a day pulse a snack or two in between, and I'm currently doing Shawn Tsvangirai hip hop bad, started last week and on top of that I'm doing the Squat, ab and butt 30day challenge I'm on day 3 of that. I do my first weigh in tomorrow. Any advice for me? I'm doing 1000 to 1300 calories a day.

I'd focus on diet first. It's going to be the most important part of your success. The number of times you eat is irrelevant. 1000-1300 is calories is probably way to low. If you are not making results on that, there is a VERY good chance you are eating more then you think. Give this guide a read to examine how accurate you are really being: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
As far as squat or ab challenges, I hate those. It's silly to do the same exercise every day. You need to rest body parts after exercising them. There is no earthly reason to do an ab workout every day. It's best to do it 2-3 times a week. That's how often you should exercise ALL your muscles. I usually recommend getting on a proven beginners lifting program.

beargirl69 wrote: »

I'm going to start the 5X5 training --I'm a beginner mid-aged female very heavy now 25 BMI-- did lift seriously in my early 20s and was fitter than ever at that time so I know lifting is the way to go but when i was young we did 5 sets of 10 alternating larger muscle groups daily. Questions 1. I must use all free weights? Can I use machines or will that alter the effectiveness? Also what weight difficulty should I start at -- i.e. easy to do five reps, moderately hard to do five reps or Can only just manage five reps without difficulty?

Thanks

I don't like to modify beginner routines unless it is absolutely necessary. For that reason, I'd use free weights. After you move on to a more intermediate program (usually after about a year), you can start to make changes. I'd start the weights at something you can easily finish for 5x5 with good form. Starting to heavy will cause stalls to happen early and often.

vismal

holybell wrote: »

siuvai wrote: »

Question.. As a women starting my weight loss journey. I want to get toned I'm 244 lbs would it be wise for a women to do the 5X5 PROGRAM? I do not want to bulk up from lifting weight but also do not want hangy skin..

I personally think you would be fine doing that program, but know your limits. On the topic of bulking up and loose skin, two things.

1. Women do not have the necessary amount of hormones needed to "bulk up." By lifting, you will get that fit look that most people want.
2. Lifting will somewhat help with the prevention of loose skin in my opinion, but it also depends on your body.

So all in all, try the 5x5 and see if that what fits for you. And don't worry about loose skin, getting healthy is the main goal.

Hope this helps.

I don't think that lifting really helps as much with loose skin as is often reported. You simply do not build muscle at a rate to ever come close to filling in all the space the fat once took up. Time, age, and genetics will be the much more dominate factor in determining how much loose skin you develop and how much it will recover.

antwanettey wrote: »

Congratulations that's awesome one day I hope to be a success story !!! I'm just starting any advice ?

Get extremely accurate at counting calories. It is the single most important thing I ever learned to do.

cmlivsey wrote: »

Hey u look great! Congrats. How did u do it?

This entire thread is about how I did it.

laurajune72 wrote: »

Hello there. I have read I think most of your posts. And I saw one I think that says you read a bunch on the science of nutrition and dieting. I am a reader and believe knowledge is power. Recommended reading? I am female looking to lose a bunch of weight currently doing strength training and cardio and eating "clean". But in my 40's so it is slow going and frustrating. Yup... Weighing and measuring.

My two favorite authors are Lyle McDonald (www.bodyrecomposition.com) and Alan Aragon (alanaragon.com/). They both have written several books and have lots of free reading material on their websites.

Oldbitcollector wrote: »

@vismal -- Checking in! Down 21lbs today thanks in part to your inspiration and some really great food ideas!

Thanks man! See you at the next 20..

Awesome work! Keep it up!

artlover47

This is truly awesome. I understand what you mean about the person you are with having to at least understand your fitness goals and health needs, and about you not wanting to eat out or eat what others have prepared. My husband is not a fitness or food fanatic because he has always been a normal weight, but he has been very supportive of my efforts. Many people don't understand why I pack my own cooler of snacks or meals when I go to someone's house to visit because they don't believe it will be a long term thing that I will always do. They don't view it as reasonable and would rather be more social than healthier. They are almost all overweight, so their priorities are different. I just tell them, don't get offended if I don't eat your food, it is something I just have to do for myself. Luckily, my in-laws understand and my husband supports me in this.

javenharris2015

What is your most effective workout? I plan on running 3-5 miles 3 times a week.

vismal

smarvel01 wrote: »

I'm am 62 and morbidly obese too at 5 7. Can u really do this. Exercise, except mild treadmill is almost impossible at this point but it am desperate to lose 80 lbs. If am proud of ya buddy.

Concentrate on your diet first. Exercise is great for some added calorie burn and doing things like walking on a treadmill or walking outdoors helps, but diet is going to be the key. You can lose 80 lbs through diet alone if you are consistent and dedicated.

javenharris2015 wrote: »

What is your most effective workout? I plan on running 3-5 miles 3 times a week.

Kind of a broad question. Most effective for what goal?

khaled3006

Hello,awesome progress ,Keep going!!..wish you best of luck .. i have one question .. how you lost the last inches of stubborn fat that hide abd this my problem right now i tried everything but i can't see anychanges ?
Thank you.

vismal

khaled3006 wrote: »

Hello,awesome progress ,Keep going!!..wish you best of luck .. i have one question .. how you lost the last inches of stubborn fat that hide abd this my problem right now i tried everything but i can't see anychanges ?
Thank you.

You just have to keep eating in a deficit until it goes away. That's the area men store their fat the longest.