I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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Hi! How are you doing in 2017? I see this original post was from 2014.
What has been the biggest challenge to making fitness a lifestyle?
I'm just starting out (24% body fat) & really struggling with eating & making consistent healthy choices. I'd like pointers to switch my mind to this is a lifestyle, rather than a short term goal.
Congratulations on your progress & thanks in advance!1 -
Amazing, good work0
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Vismal, I did read that when you started to workout, you did do a lot of cardio first, reached a level and than started to lift. YOu said that you regret this and prefer to combine, like cardio and lifting. Can you explain to me, why you do regret this.
I am doing the same, lots of cardio, to reach a certain fat percentage and weight, and after I like to build some muscle. I read, and people tell me this isn't the correct road to take, though I like to hear it from someone like you.
And I salute you with a lot of kuddo's, the way you looked and look right now.0 -
Thank you Vismal for your response about the Jason Blaha’s issue.0
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Originally, the biggest challenge was internalizing everything and making it routine. Consistency is the key to success and many folks can be consistent for a given period of time. For me that was always a few weeks, maybe a few months at best. Forcing myself to be consistent long enough that it just became internalized was difficult. It's the hardest part for anyone I think. At the end of the day, the actual process of losing weight on paper is quite simple: Track everything you eat with a high degree of accuracy, follow your long term weight trends, if you don't lose weight eat less/move more until you do. The hard part is making that a part of your life. Once you've lost all the weight the process only changes slightly: Track everything you eat with a high degree of accuracy, follow your long term weight trends, if you are losing weight eat more, if you are gaining weight eat less.sdancer2017 wrote: »Hi! How are you doing in 2017? I see this original post was from 2014.
What has been the biggest challenge to making fitness a lifestyle?
I'm just starting out (24% body fat) & really struggling with eating & making consistent healthy choices. I'd like pointers to switch my mind to this is a lifestyle, rather than a short term goal.
Congratulations on your progress & thanks in advance!
As far as focusing on long term lifestyle changes versus short term goals, I actually think both are important. Thinking only in the "long term" can be discouraging because long term goals take time. I prefer to set a long term lifestyle change and then set several 3-4 month short term goals that work to achieve the long term change. It might be something as simply as "weigh all my food, log it all into MFP, and weigh myself daily for 3 months without missing a day". That is a good short term goal that works towards the long term goal of lifestyle changes.
Because doing lots of cardio with a large calorie deficit and no resistance training causes muscle loss. Fortunately, the more fat you have to lose the less likely you are to lose muscles, but if I would have started lifting from day one my initial end results would have been superior to what they were. I spent a lot of time regaining lost muscle that I could have preserved better with lifting right from the get go. Building muscle isn't an easy process at all so it makes lots of sense to preserve as much as possible when losing weight, resistance training is the best way to achieve this.Burton_Bmc wrote: »Vismal, I did read that when you started to workout, you did do a lot of cardio first, reached a level and than started to lift. YOu said that you regret this and prefer to combine, like cardio and lifting. Can you explain to me, why you do regret this.
I am doing the same, lots of cardio, to reach a certain fat percentage and weight, and after I like to build some muscle. I read, and people tell me this isn't the correct road to take, though I like to hear it from someone like you.
And I salute you with a lot of kuddo's, the way you looked and look right now.
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Happy New Years everyone who's following along! Probably going to switch the diet back around to a weight loss phase within the week. That means new progress pictures roughly by May lol. Stay tuned...10
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Wow you look amazing0
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What are your thoughts about eating back exercise calories ?0
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Fivefootcaloriecounter wrote: »What are your thoughts about eating back exercise calories ?
I do not eat back exercise calories. I also do not use MFP's suggested calorie intake. I make my calorie goal assuming that I will do my regular exercise routine so it is already accounted for. I explain it better in this video:
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Why is it that you appear wider on the last pic than the middle, but weigh alkost the same? Did u increase intake of protein on the third pic?0
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Ok I just want to say I am reading all of your answers right now. I can't believe you are still answering them. Thank you for sharing thank you for the knowledge, and the positivity.
I am always on a journey, I never stop, I am on my second week on New Rules of Lifting for Women and I am starting 2nd Semester of Nursing Program next week, and I have three little ones.
im gönna read through all the Q&A and gain some knowledge
Awesome Thread!!!!!!!!!1 -
You are my real life hero!!!
I am 232 lbs I'm 5"6.
I have lost 79lbs. I haven't changed much of eating habits just smaller portions. Eating instead of drinking calories mainly water or zero cal drinks and walking. I would like yo go carb free but the way my blood is setup " Blame something".
Okay seriously...
I'd like to go to the gym because I don't like the fact that I'm losing my "womanly" figure if you get my drift how can I maintain fullness in my woman areas and tone. As you can imagine I still have a stomach, rolls on back and arms and legs need toning.
In my mind I'd like to take off 60 more lbs
What would you suggest I do for weights and reps after cardio lift or before lift.
Love you
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Why do you consider not lifting from the beginning to be your #1 mistake?
Personally, I've done things a couple different ways. I lost probably 25-30 lbs doing mostly cardio and some resistance training but nothing too heavy. After a while I was able to run for miles at a time and the lbs started to melt off easily. I felt great and had more energy, but lost a lot of muscle too. So while I was thinner I still didn't have the toned look I wanted.
A while after that I eventually gained most of the weight back and got on a kick again and decided to try a 5x5 program instead. The results were great as far as gaining strength and muscle, but I just wasn't burning as many calories as before and found it a lot harder to stay in a deficit. So I never really lost much "weight" but did put on a good amount of muscle and dropped my body fat %. I looked better but didn't really feel better and could barely run a mile.
So I guess my question is would you have just gotten rid of cardio altogether or just combine the two? And do you do cutting and bulking cycles now?0 -
The third picture represents over a year of bulk/cut cycling. During a bulk the goal is to gain lean mass and keep fat gains to a minimum. During a cut the goal is to remove fat mass while preserving as much lean mass as possible. If you do it right, the net result after a bulk cut cycle is to end up with more lean mass and less fat mass. That is exactly what happened to me. While my weight is the same in both pictures, I am clearly leaner and more muscular in the 3rd picture. Protein intake should be kept moderate to moderate/high year round. Fat loss phases actually demand more protein then muscle gaining phases. Less protein is required to grow new lean mass than to preserve existing mass during a prolonged calorie deficit. I keep my protein high enough as it is year round so I really don't pay much attention to it.johnfranklin2018 wrote: »Why is it that you appear wider on the last pic than the middle, but weigh alkost the same? Did u increase intake of protein on the third pic?New_Atti2ude wrote: »You are my real life hero!!!
I am 232 lbs I'm 5"6.
I have lost 79lbs. I haven't changed much of eating habits just smaller portions. Eating instead of drinking calories mainly water or zero cal drinks and walking. I would like yo go carb free but the way my blood is setup " Blame something".
Okay seriously...
I'd like to go to the gym because I don't like the fact that I'm losing my "womanly" figure if you get my drift how can I maintain fullness in my woman areas and tone. As you can imagine I still have a stomach, rolls on back and arms and legs need toning.
In my mind I'd like to take off 60 more lbs
What would you suggest I do for weights and reps after cardio lift or before lift.
Love you
I always recommend doing weights before cardio. There are a couple reasons. First, weight training is ultimately more important unless you have specific goals that require cardiovascular training (endurance athlete, training for a race, etc). Secondly, I firmly believe that a cardio session done first is more likely to negatively affect a lifting session then a lifting session done first is going to affect a cardio session.
Because you cannot spot reduce fat your entire body will shrink as you lose fat, including your boobs, butt, and other parts you might not want this to happen to. What's even more unfortunate is that sometimes these parts shrink first before parts like the stomach "catch up". There isn't much you can do about this. "Toning" is basically a made up phenomena. You cannot really "tone" a muscle. Muscles either get bigger or smaller. To achieve a "toned" look two conditions must be met. You must have a muscular base, and you must reduce fat enough for the muscular base to show. This is why it is critical to engage in a good weight training program. One that focuses on low weight and high reps is no good. You must utilize progressive tension overload (this means that you increase the amount weight you lift as time goes on). All the good beginner programs have this built in (greyskull LP, stronglifts 5x5, starting strength, etc). All of those programs also utilize squats and deadlifts. This should allow you preserve lean mass in some of the areas that you want to maintain for your figure. Unfortunately, if you are losing weight, you are likely shrinking as a whole, but with a comprehensive lifting program, you should at least be able to maintain muscle mass in the important areas with breasts being the exception. It's just an unfortunate fact for women that if you lose a bunch of weight, you will also lose a few bra sizes...such is life...
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You mostly answered the question for me. Like you I initially lost a lot of weight doing lots of cardio. Unfortunately a lot of muscle was likely lost too. If I had been lifting I could have preserved more lean mass and gained strength at the same time. I'd say only the genetically blessed will look "toned" through weight loss alone and that resistance training is absolutely necessary for everyone else. There's no reason you can't do lifting and cardio though. In fact, if you are moderately to very overweight, doing both is probably a good idea. It's when you are already lean and trying to get leaner that you have to be careful on how much and what kind of cardio you do as it can affect your strength and muscle retention. There's nothing wrong with doing a 5x5 3 days a week and doing some running, biking, etc two days a week. Also LISS cardio (walking) can basically be done on an unlimited basis without really interfering with muscle and strength. Remember, walking 3 miles burns fairly close to as many calories as running 3 miles, it just takes longer to do.Roadie2000 wrote: »Why do you consider not lifting from the beginning to be your #1 mistake?
Personally, I've done things a couple different ways. I lost probably 25-30 lbs doing mostly cardio and some resistance training but nothing too heavy. After a while I was able to run for miles at a time and the lbs started to melt off easily. I felt great and had more energy, but lost a lot of muscle too. So while I was thinner I still didn't have the toned look I wanted.
A while after that I eventually gained most of the weight back and got on a kick again and decided to try a 5x5 program instead. The results were great as far as gaining strength and muscle, but I just wasn't burning as many calories as before and found it a lot harder to stay in a deficit. So I never really lost much "weight" but did put on a good amount of muscle and dropped my body fat %. I looked better but didn't really feel better and could barely run a mile.
So I guess my question is would you have just gotten rid of cardio altogether or just combine the two? And do you do cutting and bulking cycles now?
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Hello again.
I commented before but I want to say thank you so very much for all of your knowledge.
And I am so happy to find out you are a fellow nurse. SO cool.
I am a nurse tech going to school to be an RN.
I am reading your answers and all of these posts everyday, I have a lot to go through. I did see that you helped a member calculate his calories and macros that has the similar height and weight as me but do not know if he had the same goals as me.
I used various amounts of TDEE calculators and I hope I am doing this right.
35 yrs old
I am 5'8"
180lbs
My goals to lose weight. Everything has changed since I have had my third child. I know its possible for me to get to my goal of 160lb but it just seems to be taking so much longer than ever this time around.
BMR 1564
TDEE 2422 or 2446
Daily Calories-1934-1996
So if I am correct. I should eat my daily calories.
How about Macros.?
I am currently doing New Rules of Lifting for Women. I do some yoga a couple times a week, but just stretching and cardio 1-2xa week.
I just need help really narrowing down a set number of daily calories and figuring out Macros.
Again thank you so much. and I am gonna keep reading.
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I just went through some more pages on here and I watched your video on how to calculate calories and macros. So I was able to answer the questions I had.
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Bravo!1
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Great job,Man! Thanks for sharing your success story.Very impressive and inspiring.Stay strong,peace.0
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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!
CONGRAGULATIONS!! What are your best tips to staying constant in what I want to achieve? 25-30kgs to lose. Thank You1 -
You look amazing! Did you follow the macros set by MFP or you adjusted the macros yourself?2
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Love it. Just sent you an FR0
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Nice job my question is what kind of diet you followed? And what is your start workout before lifting weights?0
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OK started at 260 at 201 I have maybe a 4 pack lol or less. Best way to help get 6 pack0
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How long did it take you to ride yourself of the "fat person" mental image? (Or do you still question your size). I've been maintaining a size 8 for nearly a year, I was morbidly obese, and sometimes I still question chair size (the arms), pants size (no way I can fit these tiny things, but I do). I'm now back on losing for my surgery scheduled for Aug. 2.0
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I'm fighting a losing battle with binge eating for years now. The cycle is always the same, I workout and diet, one day I break down and eat like monster and there goes my motivation. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?
Really impressive transformation though. I really admire your will power and consistency!0 -
Sorry it took so long for replies. I used to get notified on my phone when someone posted here and apparently that stopped happening! I'll have to check manually more frequently!
Logging food! That's the single best way to be consistent. Create your goals and log every single day. Even if you miss your goals it's important to still log, especially at first. I've been doing it for so many years now I don't log on days I know I won't come close to my goals but if you're new, I'd log those days too!.
CONGRAGULATIONS!! What are your best tips to staying constant in what I want to achieve? 25-30kgs to lose. Thank You
I make my own. MFP has a different approach. MFP assumes you are going to exercise and will give you more calories based on if you log your exercise. I build exercise into my goals so I don't log it. Also, the MFP goals are based on the RDA set by the government which in my opinion sets protein too low. If you want to follow my method I explain it in this video:omalichand1 wrote: »You look amazing! Did you follow the macros set by MFP or you adjusted the macros yourself?
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I didn't follow a set diet. I simply counted calories and macronutrients. Before I started lifting I did cardio only which was a mistake. I should have started lifting from the very beginning.Sajafitness wrote: »Nice job my question is what kind of diet you followed? And what is your start workout before lifting weights?
Keep losing fat. You can do ab workouts ad nauseam and it won't help if there is still too much fat present in the abdominal area. Also, some men are just genetically predisposed to carry fat on their abdomen worse than others. For some people a 6 pack isn't functionally realistic. What I mean by that is, that it's achievable but not without getting so lean that it isn't practical or healthy. Don't immediately assume that's why you can't though, that vast majority of people just need to lose more fat.OK started at 260 at 201 I have maybe a 4 pack lol or less. Best way to help get 6 pack
I never really had that problem. The opposite occurred for me. I have trouble identifying/remembering what it was like to be obese. I remember my eating behaviors and habits but when I look at old pictures I feel like I'm looking at a different person.How long did it take you to ride yourself of the "fat person" mental image? (Or do you still question your size). I've been maintaining a size 8 for nearly a year, I was morbidly obese, and sometimes I still question chair size (the arms), pants size (no way I can fit these tiny things, but I do). I'm now back on losing for my surgery scheduled for Aug. 2.
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