I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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Hiii, congrats, of course, on being very freaking amazing and accomplishing what you have.
I was hoping you could demystify everything around a caloric intake below 1000. My BMR is of 1878 and MFP says I should be eating 1350 but more often then not I get full on 700-900 calories. I feel like there's a lot of information on this but not as much as misinformation. I just dont know what to really believe. I'm not really on board with the starvation mode thing. But does it slow down your metabolism?
Thanks you for answering! What you're doing, the support you're offering, is cool af.0 -
Good job man, that is a seriously impressive. No questions because you have answered a ton in this post, which in itself is a great thing. Nice to see people being helped out.
I thought I would just add if people are looking at starting a 5x5 strength routine, one of the best is "starting strength by Mark Rippetoe". It gives you great details on the routine themselves but also a lot of information on why you do a certain lift and how to do it correctly.
You can just get the actual routine off the net for three, but if you are just starting out with lifting it may be worth looking for a copy of the book as know HOW to lift correctly is probably the most important thing about lifting.0 -
Thank you for sharing all of this!!! I wish I would have known this years ago! Heading to bodybuilding.com NOW!! (& I've had 2 trainers in that time that I paid good money to mind you, in which I was trying to get info like this from, who kept putting me on 3 sets of 12. Thanks again and congratulations on your accomplishments!!1
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With arthritic knees and your medical history, a physical therapist might be a good choice for you. They can personally assess your individual needs and help design an exercise routine that you can complete safely. Normally I tell people to just do a 5x5 routine but this might not be appropriate for you.I just love your attitude, kindness, and dedication. You certainly deserve this result. Just started mfp and I have started to exercise, after years of inactivity, to help lose my padding ,
( about 40+ pounds). I am walking, and doing some stretching, but at 64 with arthritic knees I am limited as to what I can do.14 years ago, I lost 20 kilos because of NHL and the treatment. Any muscles I had - melted then. When I regained the weight it was flab! I havent really researched weight training but would be willing to try anything within my ability. Any ideas? You have inspired me. Thanks for that.
Starvation mode, as many people tout it, does not exist. When you eat very low calories, for a long period of time, you do see metabolic slowdown. Not enough to stop losing weight though. The idea that you body stores everything because it thinks it's starving sounds like it makes sense, but when you look at the physiology side of things, it's simple not possible. Your body requires fuel to function. Humans get that fuel from food. When we don't eat enough fuel, we used stored fuel (glycogen, fat, muscle tissue). If the body started storing the little fuel we were taking in while eating very low calories, what would it use to function. The body cannot run on unicorn tears, good intentions, or rainbow kittens. The starvation mode people forgot this fact. In some of the most extreme studied examples of starvation, a slowdown of around 15% in bmr occurred. While significant, it's not enough to halt weight loss. Not even close. And that degree of slowdown was from an extreme case.nouriapolis wrote: »Hiii, congrats, of course, on being very freaking amazing and accomplishing what you have.
I was hoping you could demystify everything around a caloric intake below 1000. My BMR is of 1878 and MFP says I should be eating 1350 but more often then not I get full on 700-900 calories. I feel like there's a lot of information on this but not as much as misinformation. I just dont know what to really believe. I'm not really on board with the starvation mode thing. But does it slow down your metabolism?
Thanks you for answering! What you're doing, the support you're offering, is cool af.
To your personal situation, 7-900 calories is not enough food. However, I question how accurate that count is. I'd say the majority of people would be incredibly hungry eating so little after just a few days. After a week or two most people would crack and binge or have to increase calories. Are you weighing everything you eat on a scale (not using measuring cups or estimating portion size)? Cheat days? Eat out at restaurants? All these things need to be considered. If you are indeed eating that little, its a bad idea. Not because of starvation mode, but because of recovery. You will be unable to get in good workouts or have decent energy if you keep your intake that low for too long. There are certain situations where eating that low can be appropriate for short periods of time, or when monitored by a physician, but it should not be the norm. Again, I would examine your calorie counting methods extremely closely first.2 -
I've been reading through all your comments, questions and answers so all my questions I could possibly have are already answered but I just want to say congrats and great job!!! You are a huge motivation and inspiration to me!!! This is only my 2nd week in my weight lose journey but seeing success like yours is truly amazing and I will forever keep your story in my mind throughout my journey so THANK YOU!!! You are amazing!!!
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Outstanding. Well done mate.0
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how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach0 -
Your road is really amazing and inspirational.
I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.
I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)
How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?
Thanks a lot. 0 -
How did you tdeal with the mental issues relating to weight gain after loss. Ive lost about 80kg so far, and feel like im skinny fat. I work hard to maintain weight and re-comp, but if my weight goes up i freak out. I also struggle on occasions with binge eating, which never happened before my fatloss. Did you devellop an eati Ng disorder during your transformation, how did you avoid making a negative relationship with food??
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Thank you for posting such detailed steps of your journey. I lost a lot of weight in 2009 but gained it back over the next several years. Recently, my wife and I have re-committed ourselves to getting healthier. We've been at it almost a month with great results, both through caloric deficits in our consumption and increased expenditure. Threads like this, with such an amazing transformation and better information, are few and far between. I've read nearly every post and will use you as a model for a long time.
Again, thank you, as your transformation is truly an inspiration for me.0 -
I would say that is way too low. I would do 2000 to start. This only applies if your counting is extremely accurate and you don't do cheat/free meals/days. If you aren't weighing all your food and doing a fair bit of estimating, it's likely that you are eating much more then you think. Give this thread a read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101BelieveNurSELFIE wrote: »How many calories would you suggest a 23 year old woman consume at 325lbs 5'11? I at leat work out 5 days a week for an hour and strength train 2-3 times week as well. Lately I've been consuming anywhere between 1200-1500. I'm wondering if that's enough or to little?
If you are doing these things, then yes 1200 calories is way too low. If you aren't, start doing them and increase your calories a bit.
The only way to reduce fat in a specific area is do reduce fat overall. There is no way to spot reduce fat. If you simply have fat in your chest area, it will eventually fall off as you lose fat all over. If you have actual gynocomastia, you should speak with a physician. Usually surgery is the only method to remove it. Fortunately, most of the time it's just fat loss that is needed.Hello I am a 24 year old male. I am 6ft2, started at 244lbs and currently 201 lbs. My question to you is.. What would you recommend to lose moobs? They are smaller now but id like them gone if thats possible.
Thanks
I would have him do a beginners 5x5 program. My favorite is the ICF 5x5 (you can google that). As for an ab routine, I don't do any direct ab work. Heavy squats, deadlifts, front squats, glute-ham raises, etc all build a very strong core. It would be okay to do something like planks of cable crunches. I can't do crunches because of a back injury.sarahjean987 wrote: »Hello asking for my boyfriend, he is 174 pounds is diabetic and wants to get down to 150 and wants to start weight training, any recommendation weights for beginners? He wants to know what is your abs routine. Thank you and congratulations you look great.
I do the same now. Back hurt. Insisting on planks. Strentgthens your core more than any crunches0 -
If you know there is no spot reduction, then I don't understand the question. There is no way to flatten your stomach other than to lose enough fat in your abdomen so it becomes flat. Since you cannot spot reduce the fat in your abdomen, you must lose fat all over until it is flat.shaddowstorm wrote: »how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach
A 500 calorie deficit seems appropriate. Macro ratios are old school. I base my macros on my weight. I explain how this is done in the video on macros I posted on page 37. Lifting 4x a week, hiit twice, with liss 6 times a week is probably too much for someone in a deficit. I would lift total body 3x a week. HIIT once, then liss once or twice. When you eat carbs is meaningless. Having protein right before or right after workouts is also meaningless. Not eating carbs at night doesn't do anything.Your road is really amazing and inspirational.
I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.
I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)
How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?
Thanks a lot.
You are concentrating on a lot of things that won't actually help you reach your goals. They won't necessarily hinder your efforts (though the over training may if it impairs your recovery), but they are by and large unnecessary. For you dietary intake, worry about your totals for the day, not what foods you eat when.
I would not be doing a cutting diet if I was you though. You are 5'7 and 60kg. You are attempting to chisel a foundation that hasn't been built. There is not enough muscle to cut down to. Many women are lean at 5'7 60kg. So for a male, If you are not lean at that height and weight, then you are probably not going to get lean this go around. I would do a lean bulk, at least a year long. Shoot to gain about a kg a month. At that point, you should have a muscular base in which to cut down to. I also have a guide on bulking video posted on page 37. Give that a watch.0 -
Don't try and recomp. It just isn't efficient. If you feel skinny-fat, you should do a lean bulk. Yes it means the scale will go up. But it doesn't mean you will get fat again. If you gain the weight slowly, you won't. Plus after a good 4-6 months of bulking, you can transition back into cutting mode to reduce any fat gained over the bulking period. You just have to trust in the process. Tons of people have done it before you without getting fat again. Just trust in that, and do it. The best part is, seeing as you've lost 80kg (congrats on that!) you know how to lose fat. Even if you gain a little more fat then planned on your bulk, which most of us do our first time, you have all the tools needed to cut it off. I can be scary the first time you intentionally try and gain weight, but it's simply a necessary part of the process, and the best way to deal with a skinny-fat problem.How did you tdeal with the mental issues relating to weight gain after loss. Ive lost about 80kg so far, and feel like im skinny fat. I work hard to maintain weight and re-comp, but if my weight goes up i freak out. I also struggle on occasions with binge eating, which never happened before my fatloss. Did you devellop an eati Ng disorder during your transformation, how did you avoid making a negative relationship with food??
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No questions on my end. I love seeing this kind of stuff on this site! Keep it up!0
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I watched your YouTube video on how to calculate calories and macros and I have a question about your formula you use when determining the recommendations for calories/fat/protein. Is that amount to lose or to maintain? I am a pretty short (5'1" 52 year old) so I used the smallest numbers but I am not sure if I should subtract from that to lose.0
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If you know there is no spot reduction, then I don't understand the question. There is no way to flatten your stomach other than to lose enough fat in your abdomen so it becomes flat. Since you cannot spot reduce the fat in your abdomen, you must lose fat all over until it is flat.shaddowstorm wrote: »how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach
A 500 calorie deficit seems appropriate. Macro ratios are old school. I base my macros on my weight. I explain how this is done in the video on macros I posted on page 37. Lifting 4x a week, hiit twice, with liss 6 times a week is probably too much for someone in a deficit. I would lift total body 3x a week. HIIT once, then liss once or twice. When you eat carbs is meaningless. Having protein right before or right after workouts is also meaningless. Not eating carbs at night doesn't do anything.Your road is really amazing and inspirational.
I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.
I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)
How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?
Thanks a lot.
You are concentrating on a lot of things that won't actually help you reach your goals. They won't necessarily hinder your efforts (though the over training may if it impairs your recovery), but they are by and large unnecessary. For you dietary intake, worry about your totals for the day, not what foods you eat when.
I would not be doing a cutting diet if I was you though. You are 5'7 and 60kg. You are attempting to chisel a foundation that hasn't been built. There is not enough muscle to cut down to. Many women are lean at 5'7 60kg. So for a male, If you are not lean at that height and weight, then you are probably not going to get lean this go around. I would do a lean bulk, at least a year long. Shoot to gain about a kg a month. At that point, you should have a muscular base in which to cut down to. I also have a guide on bulking video posted on page 37. Give that a watch.
Thanks a lot for your advice. It is really useful. I may train too much, but I think I will take a rest when I feel not so well. I will follow your advice and pay mainly attention to the total macros other than when for eating them.
Btw, I think you've just been confused of shaddowstorm and me. I'm not 5'7'' and 60kg. My stats are 5'9'' (175 cm) and 74.5 kg (and I'm a male). My body fat is high (about 16%). That's why I decide to cut body fat first to get lean before bulking. I've been also do bulking for four months, and but it was dirty bulking and at that time I had no idea about macros and calories (all I do was workout and eating). I gained five kg, and also a remarkable increase in my waist. Then I realized that what I did was inefficient and I'd better cut before bulk (and most of fitness pages I've read also told that having high percentage of body fat will hinder the efficiency of bulking, that I will gain more fat rather than muscles).0 -
The video specifically was for fat loss. If you used the low end of the numbers, it should be a good starting point. You may have to adjust the calories based on your own results.lorisavage13 wrote: »I watched your YouTube video on how to calculate calories and macros and I have a question about your formula you use when determining the recommendations for calories/fat/protein. Is that amount to lose or to maintain? I am a pretty short (5'1" 52 year old) so I used the smallest numbers but I am not sure if I should subtract from that to lose.
Looks like I got you two mixed up. At 5'9 74.5 you could probably lose a bit more if you want. Again, you may not be able to get abs lean the first time. I couldn't, and neither could most people I know who have attempted. I would say most people need at least one proper cut/bulk/cut cycle to do it.
If you know there is no spot reduction, then I don't understand the question. There is no way to flatten your stomach other than to lose enough fat in your abdomen so it becomes flat. Since you cannot spot reduce the fat in your abdomen, you must lose fat all over until it is flat.shaddowstorm wrote: »how do u flatten your stomach?
I know there's no spot reduction.
i'm 5'7, 60kgs and all I want to do is flatten my stomach
A 500 calorie deficit seems appropriate. Macro ratios are old school. I base my macros on my weight. I explain how this is done in the video on macros I posted on page 37. Lifting 4x a week, hiit twice, with liss 6 times a week is probably too much for someone in a deficit. I would lift total body 3x a week. HIIT once, then liss once or twice. When you eat carbs is meaningless. Having protein right before or right after workouts is also meaningless. Not eating carbs at night doesn't do anything.Your road is really amazing and inspirational.
I'm in the way of cutting. I was overweight previously, then I tried a lot of way to lose my weight (running, low carb dieting, workout..) It worked, and I then have normal weight, but 6-pack is by far a dream for me. I still have much body fat (more than 16%) and just decent amount of muscles.
I've just found MFP two weeks ago and started tracking calories for cutting. I have dropped 1 kg and I intend to continue until my body fat is really low (maybe under 10%). But one of my concerns is how to lose body fat while maintaining most of muscles. Here is my way, I just ask for some advice from you about that:
- Dropping about 500 kcal per day
- Eating macros by the ratio 40P:30C:30F. Not so strict, but I try to get enough protein (about 1g per pound) per day.
- Lifting weights four times a week and cardio (HIIT) for two days. After each workout, I also do about 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (mainly walking). I am fear that medium intensity cardio (like running at moderate pace) will burn my muscles instead of fat.
- Most of carbs are eaten pre- and post- workout. I eat almost no carb in the evening.
- Eating protein 45 minutes before and 30 min after the total workout (mainly whey shakes)
How do you think about that? And when did you start bulking after cutting? How do you know that it's time for doing that?
Thanks a lot.
You are concentrating on a lot of things that won't actually help you reach your goals. They won't necessarily hinder your efforts (though the over training may if it impairs your recovery), but they are by and large unnecessary. For you dietary intake, worry about your totals for the day, not what foods you eat when.
I would not be doing a cutting diet if I was you though. You are 5'7 and 60kg. You are attempting to chisel a foundation that hasn't been built. There is not enough muscle to cut down to. Many women are lean at 5'7 60kg. So for a male, If you are not lean at that height and weight, then you are probably not going to get lean this go around. I would do a lean bulk, at least a year long. Shoot to gain about a kg a month. At that point, you should have a muscular base in which to cut down to. I also have a guide on bulking video posted on page 37. Give that a watch.
Thanks a lot for your advice. It is really useful. I may train too much, but I think I will take a rest when I feel not so well. I will follow your advice and pay mainly attention to the total macros other than when for eating them.
Btw, I think you've just been confused of shaddowstorm and me. I'm not 5'7'' and 60kg. My stats are 5'9'' (175 cm) and 74.5 kg (and I'm a male). My body fat is high (about 16%). That's why I decide to cut body fat first to get lean before bulking. I've been also do bulking for four months, and but it was dirty bulking and at that time I had no idea about macros and calories (all I do was workout and eating). I gained five kg, and also a remarkable increase in my waist. Then I realized that what I did was inefficient and I'd better cut before bulk (and most of fitness pages I've read also told that having high percentage of body fat will hinder the efficiency of bulking, that I will gain more fat rather than muscles).
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thanks for sharing all your knowledge! I have felt like I have learned a ton just from reading a few responses. I'll def check back for more updates and if I have any questions. 0
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First of all congrats!! That's really fun to see that your hard work and dedication paid off:)
I read in one of your comments that you feel bad about eating some types of food and I feel the same way so I'd like to know if you had cheat meals during the process or even now? and if so how often and how much calories?
Thank you!0 -
Im on my 3 week of 5x5 i really like is it normal for the scale not to move in the begining im just now gettin my cals under control so im aware i cant expect miracles but im gettin it together 0
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