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

Thanks for the reply Vismal. I just thought of another one..

I'm starting a cut phase after about 8 months of very nearly maintenance, I was eating around 2000 - 2400 cals / day (net 1400). I'd like to start cutting again and have decided that 1200 NET should be good. I was wondering about the Macros.. I 'heard' that carbs are not good for cutting? I would think that a 'cut' is just weight loss no? Do I need to do something special with my macros? I normally shoot for 200g carbs/ 60 fat & 110 protein. I had a trainer at the gym suggest that I look into some 21 day cleanse / sugar fast but it seemed a little odd to me. Thoughts?

The trainer at your gym is wrong. A sugar fast won't accomplish anything other then having you not eat sugar for a month. Last I checked fruit had sugar in it. I see no good reason to not eat fruit. Even refined sugar will not halt weight loss. It's all about the calories. Carbs are fine on a cut so long as you still get in adequate protein and fat.

As far as macros go, this is how I calculate them: http://youtu.be/7cc18wLJW3k

Okay first congrats on your health progress that is amazing! I have a question I have been walking 5 miles a day playing tennis and swimming twice a week, and trying to do T25 in the mornings or evenings. Yesterday I felt so tired and fatigued that I almost didn't make my swim class till I sat in the whirpool and felt tons better. My question for you is how do I get my body to recover better, I really need to lost this weight but I am so fatigued.

Lastly, can I add you as a friend? Then you can view my diary and see what I am doing wrong.

It looks like you are doing quite a bit of activity. There comes a point when you simply will get tired from doing all that. I know if I walked 5 miles every day, then played tennis for 2 hours every day, then did lifting and swimming I'd be fatigued too! The best way to recover from physical activity is to rest. I'd maybe cut back a bit and have some more time dedicated to recovery.

Hey! Firstly, I'd just like to say congrats on the transformation, it is simply amazing. I have three questions:

1) I noticed that many times in this thread you wish that you had started weightlifting from the beginning, but I was wondering...Why? What difference do you believe it would have made if you started from the beginning, or how do you believe you would be different now if you had started weightlifting earlier?

2) I actually want to start lifting myself, however I have no weights at home, and there are no gyms nearby. The only exercise equipment I have at home is a treadmill. Do you think body-weight exercises are a good/effective? What about for a beginner (I have never done any sort of weight lifting program ever before)? What would you recommend?

3) You said you wish you had started weightlifting from the beginning, but how would this work? If you can't really build muscle and lose weight at the same time, then can't you technically say that that time when you lost 60 pounds before exercising was your cutting phase, which would thereafter have been followed by your bulking phase?

Thanks for the help, advice and inspiration!

To answer both you 1st and last question, I wish I would have started lifting for a couple reasons. First off, I would likely have maintained more overall muscle mass at the completion of my initial weight loss. While you are correct in that you do not build lean mass while losing fat, you can however preserve it. Also I could have spent those early days building more strength and perfecting form.

To answer your other question, if you do not have access to any weights or a gym a body weight program would okay. While not as optimal as a barbell/dumbbell routine it is still WAY better then nothing. I can't really recommend one as I've never done one personally. I like to have at least tried something before I recommend it.

To all the people who just stopped in just to say something nice to me, THANK YOU! You guys really all brighten my day when I read those comments!

What are your thoughts on KETO?

Ketosis is a poor choice for a diet IMO. As pointed out, you will only lose weight on a KETO diet if you are in a caloric deficit. The size of the deficit determines weight loss. Keto will not cause extra weight loss compared to a normal diet if the deficit is the same. I don't like ANY restrictive diets. Your diet should involve you eating in a manor you can do for the rest of your life. Flexible dieting allows you to eat the food you like in moderation. If you do keto, lose 50 lbs, then switch back to a regular method of eating, I fear the odds of you regaining most or all of your weight lost, are VERY good.

When you were overweight, was it a chore to just get out of bed?

Not to get out of bed, no. But many simple things were. Mowing the lawn might as well have been running a marathon. I worked on the 3rd floor of my hospital and entered on the 2nd, I always took the elevator up 1 floor. Simply walking a decent distance would fatigue me. I had much less overall energy, low sex drive, and I slept a lot more then I do now.

wow that's an dramatic change, congrats.

how did u do it what did ur diet consist of?
what was ur workout routine thanks in advance.

I answered this in detail earlier in the thread. The short version is the diet is calorie and macro nutrient counting. Workout routine would be a 5x5 lifting routine.

If your washing machine breaks can you just do your laundry on your abs?

Perhaps my favorite question asked in this entire thread!