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

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  • Sovi_
    Sovi_ Posts: 575 Member
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    Just here to drool.
  • chele1028
    chele1028 Posts: 248 Member
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    Wow you look awesome, congrats!!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Amazing job! Congrats and tagging for my feed :)
  • DeathListFive
    DeathListFive Posts: 29 Member
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    So. When are you selling tickets to that gun show? :laugh:
  • minireeree
    minireeree Posts: 3
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    Looking great!!!

    I've not long started using MFP (2weeks) and just getting used to the way it all works.
    I've been on a diet and fitness journey for the last 8 weeks. I've done many things in the past to try lose weight, not eating, raspberry ketones, detox etc etc. Its always taken me a while to lose any weight.

    I've been given 1200cals to eat every day by MFP. I'm doing at least 3 exercise days per week, this is mixed up by normal cardio, circuits, hill climbing, spinning, some weights, aerobics classes, and walking, as I thought this would give my body a challenge. I have noticed a huge improvement in my fitness, and loving it. But the lack of weight loss is a tad frustrating.

    In the 8 weeks of watching what I'm eating and exercising I've actually put ON 5lbs :(((
    So last week I changed my macros so the protein was the higher one.

    Do you have any suggestions how I can get the scales moving in the right direction?
    My problem areas are my thighs, hips, and *kitten*. lol, but ideally I want to tone all over.
    My exercise buddy has been doing the same as me, shes taller, but she has lost over a stone. I just don't know where I'm going wrong.
    What exercises should I be focusing on?
    Should I be eating back my exercise calories?
    Does it matter what the macros are set at?
    Should I be focusing on just diet, until i get to goal weight and then tone?

    Just really needing help to get me going in the right direction............
    Any advice would be much appreciated :D
  • ClaphamCommoner
    ClaphamCommoner Posts: 5 Member
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    That's really impressive, congratulations.

    Just one question...

    I assume there were times when you really struggled to motivate yourself to go the gym, or not eat something that would set you back? Was there a self-affirming message you would say to yourself to get over the cravings or drag yourself out of bed?

    Ta x
  • BKNeenz
    BKNeenz Posts: 17 Member
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    Congratulations, that's an amazing transformation. What do you think are the top 5 things that led to your success?
    1. Myfitnesspal of course. It wasn't until I began tracking my intake that my success really started to take off
    2. Understanding that "eating clean" is meaningless and that in order to have true life long success I had to eat foods I enjoyed (ice cream, cookies, etc) on a regular basis but in moderation
    3. Lifting heavy weights
    4. Not listening when people say "you lost enough already" or "you are getting too skinny"
    5. Learning as much about the science behind nutrition and dieting as possible. There is more pseudoscience and myths in this field then any other on earth! So much BS to cut through to find the truth.

    This is awesome motivation to those of us starting on the path to a healthier life. I've also been trying to read about health & nutrition to understand how all of these things affect your body. Everything from super foods, veggies, how your heart rate is related to calorie burn, etc. It's all been very informative and helps me to stay focussed if I understand them properly.

    Looking forward to when I get to hear #4!

    Thank you for sharing!
  • ms_lindsay
    ms_lindsay Posts: 22 Member
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    I think it would be to lose the last 5-10lbs then work towards gaining muscle. I would still like to continue on the same routine as I like weight training combined with cardio, I just know that I do have a few more pounds to shed. I am also recently learning more about macros and right now mine are set to 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat, Im not sure if that is reasonable for a weight lost goal, I believe that with my daily calorie intake is a .8 lb per week loss, which is fine for me, I'm not in a rush, im just unsure if I am going in the right direction. It seems that it is much harder now that I am closer to my goal. I am 34yrs, 5ft5 and currently flucuate between 132-134lbs. I had a goal in mind of 125-127lbs.

    Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, really appreciate the help!
  • cad39too
    cad39too Posts: 874 Member
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    No question, just wanted to say amazing transformation. Well done.
  • ms_lindsay
    ms_lindsay Posts: 22 Member
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    Is your current (immediate) goal to lose the last 5-10 lbs or gain muscle? You can't do both at once and the answer is dependent on which you choose.

    *Sorry I don't know how to do this quote thing, lol. And it seems to have posted twice and incorrectly
    :/

    I think it would be to lose the last 5-10lbs then work towards gaining muscle. I would still like to continue on the same routine as I like weight training combined with cardio, I just know that I do have a few more pounds to shed. I am also recently learning more about macros and right now mine are set to 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat, Im not sure if that is reasonable for a weight lost goal, I believe that with my daily calorie intake is a .8 lb per week loss, which is fine for me, I'm not in a rush, im just unsure if I am going in the right direction. It seems that it is much harder now that I am closer to my goal. I am 34yrs, 5ft5 and currently flucuate between 132-134lbs. I had a goal in mind of 125-127lbs.

    Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, really appreciate the help!
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    How did you break your plateaus?
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    Great transformation!
    I wouldn't call that morbidly obese... but really good job, you should definitely be proud of yourself!

    I think he qualifies. It's if you're over 100 pounds above the ideal weight for your height and he was well over that for someone who is 6'1".

    That's obese, not morbidly obese :)
  • lrob79
    lrob79 Posts: 16 Member
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    OK its a pretty basic question, how do you lift and still maintain weight loss?

    What I mean by that is, how do you eat enough to gain muscle while losing weight? or do you not gain muscle, rather just keep the muscle you have lean?

    What are the key macros in your diet if you want to lift and still lose, I would assume protein is key, if so how much protein? I am currently 340 lbs male and 34 years old if that helps!

    Final question, how old were you when you started?

    Great job truly inspiring!
  • melnorwich
    melnorwich Posts: 60 Member
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    Hi
    Congratulations on what must be a life changing achievement. It always amazes me how weight loss can completely change someone's face and you've definitely made yourself into a handsome chap. Your transformation is very inspiring.

    Recently I emptied out my freezer and I've re-stocked it with core things that I eat every day (e.g frozen berries for smoothies, bagels, microwaveable jam roly poly for extreme sugar cravings). I'd love to know what essentials you keep in your fridge/freezer.

    Mel
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    Fantastic!
  • Karabobarra
    Karabobarra Posts: 782 Member
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    [/quote]I accepted the fact that the journey is never ending. I can always be better. When there is no end point, there's no rush to get there!
    [/quote]

    Love this! ^^^^^It's goin on my motivation wall ....you rock!
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    But if I were to purchase it what weights etc? Is it the ones with a bar which you lift or hand lifts I literally have no idea and cant seem to find the answers online. I obviously will need a bench press but what else cheers
    I think you would end up spending quite a bit of money. A full set of dumbbels from 5lb to 50 will cost hundreds, and eventually 50's won't cut it. A barbell bench press and squat rack with weights will run you in the thousands. I did the math on setting up a home gym and I wouldn't start to recover my money vs. a gym membership fee for around a decade. A gym membership just makes more sense IMO. Is that not an option for you?
    Do you think that if you had been lifting from the beginning your skin may have stayed tighter???

    Did you have any stretch marks at the beginning?? If so, how have they changed??
    Yes, and yes. Stretch marks were horrible at first and virtually invisible now. They got better with time and a tan. (No I don't go tanning, I'm pale in the winter and tan in the summer).
    You look so so so great!! Great job on your progress, you are absolutely amazing!
    My jaw literally dropped when I saw this, haha

    Anyway - I have ~100 more lbs to lose. I'm super scared of loose skin, and I saw you said heavy lifting helps?
    The thing is, I unfortunately don't have enough money for gym membership, and I only have 2lb dumbbells at home. :P Are there other exercises that I could do at home, maybe work out using my own body weight?

    Thanks in advance! Amazing job once again!
    Home workouts won't really compare to using barbells and dumbbells. Do you have a YMCA around you? Many of them have a policy to never turn people away due to cost. They will work with you. My buddy was allowed to join for 5 bucks a month.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    I hate to disagree with OP, but a sufficient home setup doesn't *have* to cost a lot of money. A decent cage can be had for $350ish (http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/92563.html) and a cheap bar and iron plates for a couple hundred. Add a flat bench for another hundred and you have a workable setup for $700 that will give you decades of use (or at least mine has...and yeah, that cage I linked is the one I bought ~20 years ago). Pick some of this up on craigslist, garage sales, or a secondhand store and it's even cheaper.

    That said, there are things you can do in a gym that you can't do at home...and some people really prefer the atmosphere of a gym compared to lifting alone in their basement...so I'm not saying a gym membership is the *wrong* approach...but just saying that many may find a home setup preferable for a lot of reasons.

    (Also, if you go the home route, you may find yourself buying a dozen horse stall mats and an expensive set of bumper plates and a better bar...and lighting and a better sound system and on and on. Hypothetically speaking, of course...not like I'm actually actively shopping for these things currently. =\ )


    ETA: I do agree about the dumbbell comment. I wish I would have went with a pair of oly dumbbell handles and a stack of 5s and 10s instead of the fixed hex dumbbells. Sure, there are variations I can still use to make the 55s work, but some 60s would be nice (~$100)...and then some 65s (>$100)...and each jump is another not-insignificant chunk of change. With the handles, I could just add a couple of 2.5s/5s and have the next increment.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
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    Damn! Very nice.
  • GreatDepression
    GreatDepression Posts: 347 Member
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    You look obese in the first picture but not morbidly obese. I don't see loose skin on you at all. I'm amazed at your progress and am quite envious. Gosh, I wish I am at your progress. Urgh.

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