I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
Replies
-
Must be nice to be able to sit down and not have your pants digging into your fat stomach underneath.
I sometimes have that problem and I'm not even that fat lolSo do you not put in any exercise at all? I'm curious, because my fitness class doesn't fit anything specific, I just took an average of what machines I used in cardio for the time period I'm on them.. added them together to get a decent estimate.I also work in healthcare as an ICU RN doing 12 hour shifts. I went from nights to days a while ago thinking "Oh, I'll lose weight so easily with all of the energy I'll have." How wrong I was :-).
1. Any advice on how you get your meals in when working 12 hr shifts? I want to eat when hungry but rarely can - I have to go when I can go, when my roommate can cover my patients, whenever that is. I know you'll understand this. I often go way too long without eating in the afternoons and then am starving when I get home (which leads to overeating a bunch of sugar).
2. I also find that with an hour commute I am dead tired on my work days. I cant even imagine working out on work days. Do you?
3. Do you really truly get more energy from exercising? I have never exercised consistently enough to notice that positive change. It usually gives me temp energy, and then I need a nap. I almost dont even care if I lose the @ 30 lbs I need to lose, I just want more ENERGY!
Fyi 42, female, 2 kids, always tired
Thanks in advance! :-) You're very inspiring.1 -
great results! i started out at 367 ish and now am at your starting weight. I am excited to be where you are down the road! I believe lifting is the key to my success so far, but after reading some of the answers you have given I may need to change my workout to ICF 5X5. thanks for the inspiration!1
-
In for answers.
You have done amazing btw!!1 -
In. Was lurking before, but now in. Great job, great transformation, and very inspiring. Just all around great job at creating a new you.
But really I am in beacuse I want to call out and praise (as others have) your attitude and approach to forum conversations -- freaking awesome! Honest; sincere; not taking bait offered up here and there; not being drawn into side discussions; encouraging to others; polite; gracious.
Your physical transformation is wonderful and inspiring; your online demeanor and presence is even more inspiring, and certainly more unusual. Thank you!4 -
Dude, I just want to say holy crap that is beyond awesome! That is amazing work my hat goes off to you.0
-
You look great!
How has getting down to this weight and building up muscle impacting your life? The good and bad of it.
The bad: I'm kind of a pain about going out to eat certain places. I don't much like eating food I didn't prepare unless its on my very few and far between free days. Don't get me wrong I eat treats and snacks all the time but I weigh/prepare them myself so I can account for it. I will always feel the need to better myself. When I was fat I didn't care. Sometimes this can be mentally exhausting. But the bads don't even begin to compare to all the goods.
WOW! You are such an inspiration. And pretty hot too, if you don't mind me saying! Well done you0 -
Hi you look fantastic!!!! Well done on such an amazing transformation and thanks for spending so much time sharing all your secrets!!!
Can I ask, did you find to lose 1lb of weight you need a calories deficit of 3500 - did you find this true in practice? Was your weight loss as steady as that or did it vary more? I find it disheartening as being 5ft3 and on 1200 kcal a day the max I can lose according to Mfp is 0.9lb a week and to lose 2lb a week I would need a 1000 kcal day deficit which seems impossible!
Any advice?0 -
[/quote]I have tried several in the past (Hydroxycut, ephedrine, VPX meltdown, etc). Here's my theory on them. They don't actually burn fat. They blunt appetite and give you energy. If taking the pill allows you to eat less then I guess it "works". I have reached a point where hunger is no longer relevant to me. Hunger does not sway me or cause me to break. It's just a feeling, it's temporary, and if your goals are big, its sometimes necessary. Because these pills are mostly unregulated by the fda I will not recommend any of them, and I'd speak with a doctor before taking one.
[/quote]
Regarding ...... I have reached a point where hunger is no longer relevant to me. Hunger does not sway me or cause me to break. It's just a feeling, it's temporary..... ETC ETC"
I just wanted to comment that this is the attitude to make us succeed.....in so many areas of life where we all struggle.0 -
Amazing work, transformation and advice - go you!
.....and your diary's open for pinching food also, can't see your loose skin - looking great!0 -
Hello! Question-- I drink a LOT of water on a daily basis. As in, probably around 12-16 glasses of water a day. I do not do this consciously I just am always thirsty. Is this inhibiting weight loss?0
-
You look friggin incredible!!!! Congrats on your success. Hard work will always pay off.0
-
One very impressive transformation!!!!0
-
What kind of exercise would you recommend for someone who doesn't have equipment. I can neither afford equipment or pay for a gym membership at this time. I walk 4 miles 3x a week and 8 miles 3x a week with one day off on Wednesdays. I would like to do strength training, but don't know what to do. I want to possibly tighten up the loose skin that is hanging around my belly.0
-
Questions:
You don't log exercise, don't know cals burned from it, basically create your cal deficit via food, any extra you may burn from exercise is just a boost. So ... net calories are not relevant? (net calories continue to confuse me, as I've never considered them before reading about them at mfp).
How did you determine your calorie deficit number?
Do you always eat the exact same number of cals/day? Don't you ever have days where you're less hungry or more hungry? Wouldn't eating within a range (zig-zagging cals), as long as your average for the week was your cal deficit #, also work for losing weight?
I've been focusing on cardio the past 7 weeks, mostly because I was a lead weight (see my profile page for why). I am ready and able to move beyond this. As a female, 53, with 30 lbs to lose ... where/how do I start with weights? I have 5, 8, 10, 15 lb dumbbells, 10 lb kettlebell, have no problem adding to this. Hubs has a Total Gym that is collecting dust. Any advice is appreciated.
I watched some of your youtube vids ... you write exactly as you speak! Lots of great info, looking forward to learning a lot from your experience. Thanks for this thread!0 -
OK...so based on your answer to my last question, could you confirm the following:
1. Do you think eating below your BMR could cause your metabolism to slow down?
2. Do you believe in metabolism resets?
3. Did you ever eat under your BMR?
Thanks!0 -
Sorry, a few more questions:
1. How long do you suggest eating at a certain cal level before determining that you are losing weight at this cal level or not and it's time to switch it up?
2. Do you think taking a break from a deficit every 6 to 8 weeks, for say, a week, is a good idea? Does it help your body to NOT adjust metabolism down to your deficit cals and cause plateau?
Thanks!0 -
In. Was lurking before, but now in. Great job, great transformation, and very inspiring. Just all around great job at creating a new you.
But really I am in beacuse I want to call out and praise (as others have) your attitude and approach to forum conversations -- freaking awesome! Honest; sincere; not taking bait offered up here and there; not being drawn into side discussions; encouraging to others; polite; gracious.
Your physical transformation is wonderful and inspiring; your online demeanor and presence is even more inspiring, and certainly more unusual. Thank you!Dude, I just want to say holy crap that is beyond awesome! That is amazing work my hat goes off to you.
WOW! You are such an inspiration. And pretty hot too, if you don't mind me saying! Well done you0 -
OK...so based on your answer to my last question, could you confirm the following:
1. Do you think eating below your BMR could cause your metabolism to slow down?
2. Do you believe in metabolism resets?
3. Did you ever eat under your BMR?
Thanks!
Depends what you mean by metabolic reset. If your metabolism has slowed from some prolonged dieting and you add a 100 calories a week back in to your diet slowly does the slowdown reverse? Yes. If you think by adding 100 calories a a week slowly you'll magically be able to eat way more then before you started dieting, no way. There are a lot of people that think reverse dieting can fix metabolic damage. I don't really think a lot of people actually eat low enough for long enough to have metabolic damage. Those with severe under eating disorders might be the select few who do and they should consult a physician and dietitian. For your average MFPer who lost big weight from sensible calorie counting or even if your calories were fairly low, a simple slow return to normal should be all you need.
I don't regularly eat under my BMR. It might happen once in a while if I am really banking calories for the next day. Every now and then I fast a day simply to prove to people that a 24 hour fast will not cause all your muscles to fall off. But I don't eat that low for say, a week. There are safe, and efficient ways to go about doing very low calorie dieting but I still don't recommend it. It makes you feel awful and makes your very binge prone. The only reason people even consider it is to lose weight faster. I know everyone wants the weight off right now but that's not the best strategy. You can lose 100 lbs a year losing 2 lbs a week. I spent a quarter century getting fat and lost it in a years time. When you look at it in that perspective, it seems pretty fast!1 -
After another evening of reading/mulling over, I came to ask the questions that chelleymae110 has just so nicely typed in. LOL!0
-
Sorry, a few more questions:
1. How long do you suggest eating at a certain cal level before determining that you are losing weight at this cal level or not and it's time to switch it up?
2. Do you think taking a break from a deficit every 6 to 8 weeks, for say, a week, is a good idea? Does it help your body to NOT adjust metabolism down to your deficit cals and cause plateau?
Thanks!
I am a huge proponent of diet breaks. By diet break I mean you remove the deficit and eat at maintenance. You still have to track everything and hit goals, you simply increase the calorie goal. I would take a 2 week maintenance break every 8-12 weeks of dieting. How often depends on how lean you are. If you have low BF and are trying to get super low do every 8 weeks, average body fat do every 10, high body fat do every 12. It can prevent metabolic slowdown, yes.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 415 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions
Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!