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

vismal

jace1100 wrote: »

I plan on making that kettlebell, and the heavier ones to follow, my best friends. Getting to the gym is a bit rough because of my work (I drive a truck 10 hours a day, which doesn't help at all).

If you don't mind, I had some more questions for you! I checked out your dumbed-down video on macros, but I'm still just a little confused. I weigh around 390 right now, and according to MFP I should be intaking about 2460 calories a day, based on my job which is sitting a lot. I went for the Sedentary because I figure my workouts don't really count.

Now, if I go by your numbers, it's like over 3k calories a day, which seems much, while 2460 seems low. Any thoughts?

(In case you need aditional info)

I'm 33, male, 390, 6ft 1inches, and a gemini. My heaviest was 427 and I've gotten back down to about 369, before cake.

Thanks again for any advice, it's greatly appreciated!

My formula for calculation of macros gets slightly skewed if you have around 50lbs or more to lose and very skewed if you have 100 or more to lose. Anywhere between 2500-3000 is probably okay for you to start. As time goes on the number will have to get reduced so I wouldn't advise starting extremely low at first. Also, you will probably end up needing less protein and fat grams than my formula will recommend, I'd make your minimums around 200 and 70 respectively.

amandalola98 wrote: »

Congratulations! Thats one hell of a transformation!
Questions: Is it true that no matter how many core workout you do won't help unless you have less that 0.7% body fat? And how do you lose all those body fat?

0.7% body fat is not compatible with life. If you meant 7% body fat, than that is much lower than I am in my pictures or have ever been in my life. If you are talking about having visible abs, most men have a decent 6 pack between 10-12% body fat. No amount of core workouts change the fact that you must remove the abdominal fat in order to have visible abs.

gagan91

Im.struggling please help me

KristenMarie1181

Hi! Congrats! I am not gonna read through 48 pages of this thread. So if the question I ask is already answered I am sorry. lol

Anyways.
1.How long did it take you to lose weight (yes I know guys are much different and lose weight faster then girls) Someone told me this if its wrong please say it is so i really know..)
2.What did you eat to lose the weight?
3.Did you still eat your favorite foods. Like candy, junk food?
4. What type of work outs did you do? Did you really run being that heavy when you first started? Or did you walk then work up to running??

nicolet789

Very good job! You look amazing!

Here my questions:
1. How do you deal with it when you start feeling hungry?
2. Do you ever experience low blood sugar levels, e.g. shivering? Does that happen more often when on a diet? How to avoid?
3. How do you avoid feeling too obsessed with the weight loss process? Leaving mental space for other things?
4. Did you notice feeling cold more easily? Needing to wear more clothes?
5. When was the moment you started to feel really content with what you achieved?

bigdaddy_sam

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!

There is HOPE!!! You don't have skin wings like a bat!!! That's my biggest fear

pookey_bear

I need advice or help or something, I'm not sure. Lol
Female, 36, 5'3. I am on day 25 of my "diet" and exercise, I have been expecting to loose weight and when I stepped on the scale today I had gained 5lbs (I went from 170 to 175, and for my height, that's no good), right now I have been trying to focus more on cardio than strength, not that I don't lift weights every couple days (10 lbs), but anyways, I do a lot of walking (brisk walking), and I am on my elliptical for anywhere between 10-40 minutes a day depending on whatelse I'm doing and the resistance on it, I'm using from 1-3 (my elliptical goes up to a resistance of 10). I eat pretty much whatever I want as long as I don't go over my calorie goal, which is 1260, but I've lowered it to 1180, I drink plenty of water, and aside from my weight, I think I'm pretty healthy.
I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if I'm just being too impatient about seeing results.

Fitlifestyle4life

Nice man! Yo what did you do for the abs to show more or lose the lower belly fat? What was your workout and eating like?

amandaiams

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!

Wow! Just wow! That's an incredible journey you've embarked on! Great job my friend.

My question is, what were your beginning steps? How did you motivate yourself to continue when you became discouraged?

You look great. Proud of you

LilyBeeMe

Hello Vismal and other fitness chums,

I have a question concerning exercise for weight loss.

I basically try to eat healthy and stay in the green in regards to calorie consumption. As for exercising, I've bought myself an apartment bike and do about 1200kcal in around 2hours. I have a couple of 0.5kg weights that I try to use now and again while I'm on the bike as well.

My question is, is cycling enough or do I have to do more?

To be honest I don't know what it means when people say cardio or strength training or what not.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

vismal

gagan91 wrote: »

Im.struggling please help me

You'll need to be more specific.

KristenMarie1181 wrote: »

Hi! Congrats! I am not gonna read through 48 pages of this thread. So if the question I ask is already answered I am sorry. lol

Anyways.
1.How long did it take you to lose weight (yes I know guys are much different and lose weight faster then girls) Someone told me this if its wrong please say it is so i really know..)
2.What did you eat to lose the weight?
3.Did you still eat your favorite foods. Like candy, junk food?
4. What type of work outs did you do? Did you really run being that heavy when you first started? Or did you walk then work up to running??

All of these questions have been answered. Most of them pretty early on. I'd give the thread a read. It's full of valuable information.

nicolet789 wrote: »

Very good job! You look amazing!

Here my questions:
1. How do you deal with it when you start feeling hungry? I do what I can with food selections to minimize hunger but still feel hungry plenty of times during my weight loss phases. You just recognize that hunger is a feeling. It won't hurt you, it has no real power over you. Sometimes I feel like I don't want to go to work, I go anyways. Sometimes I want to sleep in but I have something to do so I get up. Hunger is the same way. We don't get everything we want on a pretty routine basis. Food is the same for me. If I'm out of calories, I don't eat, period. I'll live.
2. Do you ever experience low blood sugar levels, e.g. shivering? Does that happen more often when on a diet? How to avoid? No. Low blood sugar is not common among non diabetics, even when dieting. You body should be able to regulate your blood glucose levels pretty consistently unless something is wrong. I'd get checked out by a doctor if this happens to you frequently.
3. How do you avoid feeling too obsessed with the weight loss process? Leaving mental space for other things? There's a fine line between extremely dedicated and obsessed. When the process starts negatively effecting your friends, family, and life in general its usually time to take a step back and evaluate things. Usually the things we obsess over are nit picky things. If you focus on the basic concepts, I think you are less likely to get obsessed.
4. Did you notice feeling cold more easily? Needing to wear more clothes? Always. My patients at work think I'm a vampire not only because I am always drawing their blood, but because my hands are as cold as ice!
5. When was the moment you started to feel really content with what you achieved?Never. I've felt accomplished, proud, grateful, happy, but never content. The job is never done. I can always improve upon something. This is true about life general, not just weight loss and physique.

Answers in bold.

vismal

pookey_bear wrote: »

I need advice or help or something, I'm not sure. Lol
Female, 36, 5'3. I am on day 25 of my "diet" and exercise, I have been expecting to loose weight and when I stepped on the scale today I had gained 5lbs (I went from 170 to 175, and for my height, that's no good), right now I have been trying to focus more on cardio than strength, not that I don't lift weights every couple days (10 lbs), but anyways, I do a lot of walking (brisk walking), and I am on my elliptical for anywhere between 10-40 minutes a day depending on whatelse I'm doing and the resistance on it, I'm using from 1-3 (my elliptical goes up to a resistance of 10). I eat pretty much whatever I want as long as I don't go over my calorie goal, which is 1260, but I've lowered it to 1180, I drink plenty of water, and aside from my weight, I think I'm pretty healthy.
I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if I'm just being too impatient about seeing results.

My guess is that you are eating much more than you think. This is a very common problem. It comes down to accurate tracking. Give this thread a read and see if you are doing all the things mentioned: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
At your height and weight, 1200 calories is pretty low. You should most certainly be losing weight. If you really are doing all the things mentioned in the calorie counting guide, I'd get your hormones checked out by a doctor. I'd say 99% of people not losing weight on 1200 calories are eating more then they think, while 1% have a legitimate medical reason. Again, don't be discouraged. I'd list inaccurate tracking as the number 1 problem people, especially beginners, face when using MFP.

Fitlifestyle4life wrote: »

Nice man! Yo what did you do for the abs to show more or lose the lower belly fat? What was your workout and eating like?

There is no way to spot reduce fat. You simply lose fat in general and it will eventually leave your abdominal area. You can exercise your abs all you want, but if you still have too high of a body fat percentage, they simply will not show. My workouts are an upper/lower split 4 days a week. Mostly compound movements. My diary is open to view what I eat.

amandaiams wrote: »

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!

Wow! Just wow! That's an incredible journey you've embarked on! Great job my friend.

My question is, what were your beginning steps? How did you motivate yourself to continue when you became discouraged?

You look great. Proud of you

In the beginning I simple just ate less junk and started exercising. As time when on I began tracking and weighing everything I ate and doing more thought out exercise routines. Focusing on results and remembering my goals kept me motivated. Eventually the motivation becomes internal and isn't really an issue.

LilyBeeMe wrote: »

Hello Vismal and other fitness chums,

I have a question concerning exercise for weight loss.

I basically try to eat healthy and stay in the green in regards to calorie consumption. As for exercising, I've bought myself an apartment bike and do about 1200kcal in around 2hours. I have a couple of 0.5kg weights that I try to use now and again while I'm on the bike as well.

My question is, is cycling enough or do I have to do more?

To be honest I don't know what it means when people say cardio or strength training or what not.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Diet will drive weight loss results. You can do all the cardio in the world and if you eat too much, you won't lose weight. Think of cardio as burning extra calories. It adds to the deficit you create from your diet. Strength training doesn't burn as many calories but that should not be the motivation for doing strength training. We lift weights to prevent the loss of muscle during diets. This will help your overall physique dramatically when you eventually reach your goal.

yugevorgsum

Inspirational.

ShapingTheLaw

vismal wrote: »

Great thread and congrats on all of your success! II started my journey at 290lbs and am currently down to 247. My goal is around 190. I am 42 years old.

My question is in regards to lifting. When I hit my goal of about 190 I want to start trying to put on muscle mass. I currently lift weights but I understand that I cannot build mass while on a deficit and the lifting at this stage is only so my body doesn't burn my muscle mass. I'm of average size right now, slightly muscular but definitely not huge. I lifted weights in my teens and 20's but from there on I didnt do much up until about a year ago when I began my weight loss journey.

When I hit my goal how much should I increase my calorie intake and for how long? weeks or months? I'm currently on a 1000 cal a day deficit and eat about 2600 cals a day. As I get closer to my goal my cal intake should be around 2000 taking in consideration recalculating my TDEE as my weight drops. I dont want to gain too much weight and erase my months of progress. Thats a bit scary to think about happening but I want to get more muscle mass.

I was watching a great new bodybuilding documentary called Generation Iron and some of the bodybuilders said they eat well over 7000 cals a day to bulk up. I understand that a professional bodybuilders diet to gain mass will be different than an ordinary person who wants to make quality mass gains. In your opinion what would be a respectable caloric increase to build mass once I hit my goal? Also should I slowly increase my calories or jump all in at once?

Thanks!

Ahh the first bulk.. It scared the hell out of me to actually set a goal of gaining weight. I had worked so hard and the simply though of ruining all that work was horrifying. Fear not though, when executed correctly you can gain quality mass while keeping fat gains minimal. 1st you must except that you will gain some fat, albeit a small amount. But that's fine because at that point you should be pretty darn good at losing fat! The key to keeping lean while bulking is to GO SLOW! I cannot tell you exactly how many calories you will need. But you can figure it out through trial and error. First, whatever your calories are set at when you stop losing fat, add 500 to that. Give it two weeks, a month even if you have been dieting for a long time. You will gain some weight at that point but it's not fat, it's water and glycogen. Don't worry about it. After that initial water weight ceases you want to slowly add about 100 calories to your daily total each week until you get to a point where you are gaining around 0.5 lbs a week. That's the magic rate of gain that seems to keep the muscle coming but the fat at bay. Bulking is SLOW. I personally don't bulk for less then 4 months at a time and prefer to go for 6. You might find your weight stalling from time to time. If 2 weeks go by with no increase in weight, add in another 100 calories. I usually start my bulks at 3300 calories and end up eating 3500 to 4000 by the time the bulk is through. The other important thing is to train HARD. Your strength should be increases. You need to increase the weights you lift over time. That's the key to gaining mass. If you do the same weights for the same reps every time you train, you will not gain strength. Keep pushing the weights up any chance you get (but form most also remain good. It's not a true weight increase if form decreases). I guess that's bulking 101! Enjoy the extra calories!

ShapingTheLaw

Wow, this "bulking" response was just what I needed! I've lost about 30 lbs and have been lifting for about 10 months now and have not been able to get rid of the last 8 lbs. By the way, 8 lbs is a lot when you're only 5'2. Anyway, ... I'm very strong and my body is hard because I lift heavy about 5 to 6 days a week for at least an hour and sometimes 2 hours a day. I also add 30 minutes of cardio. I'm in great shape but I'm not a fan if how "thick" I've become. You've probably already answered this question (sorry but I've been reading this thread from the start..it's quite long)...my question(s) are/is: Once you build or gain your muscle, how does your lifting regime change? Do you decrease your reps? Decrease the lbs you lift? Do you add more cardio? Or do you decrease your calorie intake ? Or all of the above?

jee_nee_us

A wonderful thread.

You are such an inspiration.

I started my weight loss journey roughly 3 months ago. I started at 251 lbs and now I weigh 212 lb. I have done this with cardio and calorie deficit. Definitely the muscles are also taking a hit as I am doing no strength training.

Now my question is If I start strength training , will the weight loss rate be decelerated? I mean right now I am losing both muscle and fat and if I start weight training the muscle loss will be reduced. Or will I lose the same amount of weight but the percentage fat loss will be higher?

I am sorry If you could not understand the question , I do not have complete command over english language,

vismal

EstherOrtizLaw wrote: »

Wow, this "bulking" response was just what I needed! I've lost about 30 lbs and have been lifting for about 10 months now and have not been able to get rid of the last 8 lbs. By the way, 8 lbs is a lot when you're only 5'2. Anyway, ... I'm very strong and my body is hard because I lift heavy about 5 to 6 days a week for at least an hour and sometimes 2 hours a day. I also add 30 minutes of cardio. I'm in great shape but I'm not a fan if how "thick" I've become. You've probably already answered this question (sorry but I've been reading this thread from the start..it's quite long)...my question(s) are/is: Once you build or gain your muscle, how does your lifting regime change? Do you decrease your reps? Decrease the lbs you lift? Do you add more cardio? Or do you decrease your calorie intake ? Or all of the above?

Once you have finished a bulking phase and wish to remove added fat and get lean, you reduce calories. Your exercise program doesn't need to change completely. You still want to do the same exercises. What you will have to do is over time, reduce frequency (number of times per week you hit a muscle) and or volume (sets/reps per muscle). What you do not reduce is intensity (weight on the bar). For someone going 5 days a week, doing mostly sets of 4 I'd reduce to 4 days a week and mostly sets of 3 to start. You can ultimately reduce frequency and volume by 60% when in a deficit. How much less you should do will depend on how you are recovering. Start by reducing a little bit and reduce more as you go. Again, DO NOT reduce intensity. The last thing you want to do is take weight off the bar!

ShapingTheLaw

vismal wrote: »

EstherOrtizLaw wrote: »

Wow, this "bulking" response was just what I needed! I've lost about 30 lbs and have been lifting for about 10 months now and have not been able to get rid of the last 8 lbs. By the way, 8 lbs is a lot when you're only 5'2. Anyway, ... I'm very strong and my body is hard because I lift heavy about 5 to 6 days a week for at least an hour and sometimes 2 hours a day. I also add 30 minutes of cardio. I'm in great shape but I'm not a fan if how "thick" I've become. You've probably already answered this question (sorry but I've been reading this thread from the start..it's quite long)...my question(s) are/is: Once you build or gain your muscle, how does your lifting regime change? Do you decrease your reps? Decrease the lbs you lift? Do you add more cardio? Or do you decrease your calorie intake ? Or all of the above?

Once you have finished a bulking phase and wish to remove added fat and get lean, you reduce calories. Your exercise program doesn't need to change completely. You still want to do the same exercises. What you will have to do is over time, reduce frequency (number of times per week you hit a muscle) and or volume (sets/reps per muscle). What you do not reduce is intensity (weight on the bar). For someone going 5 days a week, doing mostly sets of 4 I'd reduce to 4 days a week and mostly sets of 3 to start. You can ultimately reduce frequency and volume by 60% when in a deficit. How much less you should do will depend on how you are recovering. Start by reducing a little bit and reduce more as you go. Again, DO NOT reduce intensity. The last thing you want to do is take weight off the bar!

ShapingTheLaw

Thanks Vismal. I REALLY appreciate your response. I like the idea of not reducing intensity (weight on the bar example) because I don't want to lose the hard earned muscles I have but I want to lean out. I'm going to choose dropping a lifting day and replacing it with cardio. I also intend to decrease my calorie intake--mostly by not replacing the calories I burn, thereby creating a larger deficit in my calorie intake. Thanks again. By tbe way, I enjoy reading your honest posts. They help keep things simple. I hate it when people complicate things!

vismal

jee_nee_us wrote: »

A wonderful thread.

You are such an inspiration.

I started my weight loss journey roughly 3 months ago. I started at 251 lbs and now I weigh 212 lb. I have done this with cardio and calorie deficit. Definitely the muscles are also taking a hit as I am doing no strength training.

Now my question is If I start strength training , will the weight loss rate be decelerated? I mean right now I am losing both muscle and fat and if I start weight training the muscle loss will be reduced. Or will I lose the same amount of weight but the percentage fat loss will be higher?

I am sorry If you could not understand the question , I do not have complete command over english language,

Your calorie deficit will determine your rate of loss. Starting to strength train will cause an initial accumulation of water weight. so that might cause a short term stall or slowdown, but in the long run, the size of the deficit will determine the rate of loss.

kpodaru

i love it! keep up the amazing work