I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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I don't have cheat days often, less than once a month maybe and I go over by maybe 200-400 calories nothing extreme. my levels were checked 2 months ago and again last week but haven't gotten results yet, so maybe that could be it. is there anyway to prevent water weight gain? oh, also restaurants maybe twice a month, I hate going cause I always gain weight the next day and everything is so many calories and it's hard to know what is what especially when not a chain and they don't have calories listed...
Normally when people aren't having good results eating what should be few enough calories to cause them, I say look to accuracy of tracking. I see you are weighing thing. This is good. How about cheat days? How often do you have them. Don't say never because we ALL have them. What about eating at restaurants of with friends and family when you don't prepare the food? As far as the thyroid goes, when was the last time your levels were checked? Were they within normal range? If not, this could be a big contributor to your problem. As far as your period goes, it's water weight. Unless you are eating more calories to gain fat during your period, it can't be anything other than water weight. Rapid weight gain is much like rapid weight loss, unless your calories are extreme, its almost always water.justjack18 wrote: »I have been reading all the pages the last few days and you are such an inspiration. You look amazing! You should be so proud of yourself congrats!!! I started reading this because I've hit a plateau and it started after I gave birth to my son who is now 2. Its Basically taken me 2 years to lose 15 pounds, but let me start from the beginning. My starting weight was 279 in 2007. I got down to about 190 in 2010 just by eating less, I was doing nothing formal, just small portions. Then in 2012 I decided I wanted to lose more so I started myfitnesspal. I was very strict and lost about 40 pounds in 3 months, so I got down to about 150 and kept it off until I got pregnant. I only gained about 30 pounds during the pregnancy and lost about 20 of it right after giving birth but since then I've been playing around with the same freaking 10 pounds for 2 years. I want to get down to 139 as my goal, and right now Iam 163. for 2 years I've been doing 1200 calories to no success really, or slow. like 1/2 pound a month. I've been weighing everything in grams and started excersizing again. I feel like I have no metabolism if that makes sense. the only way I really lose is when Iam eating like 700/900 calories a day and it's just not doable for me most days. I do have a thyroid condition but Iam on medicine for it so I see no reason why my weight is stalled so much, do you have any advice for me? Iam desperate as I would love to get this extra weight off before I have another pregnancy/ child. Also, maybe your fiancé deals with this, during my period I will gain like 4 pounds and then it takes me week to lose it, it's a never ending cycle, I thought it was just bloat, water weight but it doesn't easily come off.....thanks for any advice you could give, keep up the amazing work!!!!!!
Need more information. How much have you lost, how long have you been tracking things? Typically it takes a least a month to notice a real difference in the mirror.JonasLifts wrote: »Hellllooo please replyy to me i need to get my mind right i have been doing IIFYM my weight has been going down on the scale but not much body change in visual is that normal?
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how did you avoid loose skin? or is it just your genetics. You've lost a whole lot of weight man, well done0
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Hi! I have a iifym question for you. I hope you can shed light on this for me... when I entered my current weight/ht future goals, etc it automatically split my macros to 50C/20P/30F is this standard? Ive been counting macros religiously for 10 days and been under my caloric intake each day ...not by much, but never over...what gives? The scale AND measuring tape arent moving? (I do INSANITY max :30 & T25 5 days a week and build a better booty 25 min of lower strentgh workout 3 days a week.
Thanks so MUCH and you look incredible! Great job inspiring all these people! Youre a true inspiration!0 -
I would certainly be interested in hearing your blood test results. This could be a MAJOR component of the problem. There is no way to prevent water weight. It doesn't matter either because it's just water. You shouldn't be concerned with water weight. Worry about fat gains and losses, not water. I think it would help if instead of looking at daily/weekly weight fluctuations weigh like this:justjack18 wrote: »
I don't have cheat days often, less than once a month maybe and I go over by maybe 200-400 calories nothing extreme. my levels were checked 2 months ago and again last week but haven't gotten results yet, so maybe that could be it. is there anyway to prevent water weight gain? oh, also restaurants maybe twice a month, I hate going cause I always gain weight the next day and everything is so many calories and it's hard to know what is what especially when not a chain and they don't have calories listed...
Normally when people aren't having good results eating what should be few enough calories to cause them, I say look to accuracy of tracking. I see you are weighing thing. This is good. How about cheat days? How often do you have them. Don't say never because we ALL have them. What about eating at restaurants of with friends and family when you don't prepare the food? As far as the thyroid goes, when was the last time your levels were checked? Were they within normal range? If not, this could be a big contributor to your problem. As far as your period goes, it's water weight. Unless you are eating more calories to gain fat during your period, it can't be anything other than water weight. Rapid weight gain is much like rapid weight loss, unless your calories are extreme, its almost always water.justjack18 wrote: »I have been reading all the pages the last few days and you are such an inspiration. You look amazing! You should be so proud of yourself congrats!!! I started reading this because I've hit a plateau and it started after I gave birth to my son who is now 2. Its Basically taken me 2 years to lose 15 pounds, but let me start from the beginning. My starting weight was 279 in 2007. I got down to about 190 in 2010 just by eating less, I was doing nothing formal, just small portions. Then in 2012 I decided I wanted to lose more so I started myfitnesspal. I was very strict and lost about 40 pounds in 3 months, so I got down to about 150 and kept it off until I got pregnant. I only gained about 30 pounds during the pregnancy and lost about 20 of it right after giving birth but since then I've been playing around with the same freaking 10 pounds for 2 years. I want to get down to 139 as my goal, and right now Iam 163. for 2 years I've been doing 1200 calories to no success really, or slow. like 1/2 pound a month. I've been weighing everything in grams and started excersizing again. I feel like I have no metabolism if that makes sense. the only way I really lose is when Iam eating like 700/900 calories a day and it's just not doable for me most days. I do have a thyroid condition but Iam on medicine for it so I see no reason why my weight is stalled so much, do you have any advice for me? Iam desperate as I would love to get this extra weight off before I have another pregnancy/ child. Also, maybe your fiancé deals with this, during my period I will gain like 4 pounds and then it takes me week to lose it, it's a never ending cycle, I thought it was just bloat, water weight but it doesn't easily come off.....thanks for any advice you could give, keep up the amazing work!!!!!!
Need more information. How much have you lost, how long have you been tracking things? Typically it takes a least a month to notice a real difference in the mirror.JonasLifts wrote: »Hellllooo please replyy to me i need to get my mind right i have been doing IIFYM my weight has been going down on the scale but not much body change in visual is that normal?
A good technique is to weigh daily at the same time each day and record the result (but don't focus on it because it's essentially meaningless). At the end of the week, average the results. At the end of the month, compare the averages. This is where things become much more meaningful. There should be a downward trend (not necessarily a linear drop). If after 4 weeks or more you are consistently maintaining or gaining, consider reducing calories or examine how accurately you are counting them0 -
This has been asked and answered many, many, times in the thread. Look back a few pages. I posted a video about this topic.shabazhussain522 wrote: »how did you avoid loose skin? or is it just your genetics. You've lost a whole lot of weight man, well done
MFP's automatic goals do not work very well if an IIFYM approach. They generally have you eating too little protein. I have a video playlist called "Intro to IIFYM". You should check out. I'd also trade insanity for a barbell/dumbbell program if that's an option.Hi! I have a iifym question for you. I hope you can shed light on this for me... when I entered my current weight/ht future goals, etc it automatically split my macros to 50C/20P/30F is this standard? Ive been counting macros religiously for 10 days and been under my caloric intake each day ...not by much, but never over...what gives? The scale AND measuring tape arent moving? (I do INSANITY max :30 & T25 5 days a week and build a better booty 25 min of lower strentgh workout 3 days a week.
Thanks so MUCH and you look incredible! Great job inspiring all these people! Youre a true inspiration!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyksDdsXhT8&list=PLbEgu0XFSZk4GwFcWQhpauajCf9ryxB5g
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Hi Vismal...I'd first like to say that this thread is amazing! You have clearly done an incredible job at reaching and maintaining your goals...you're truly an inspiration. On top of that, you're giving such fantastic advice just to help others, and that should really be commended!
I've recently returned to MFP after about a year or so of falling off the wagon. Prior to that I went from 195lbs to 148lbs (I'm 5'7) mostly with a mix of dance (primarily ballet), cycling (I bike to work), and a bit of Taekwondo (which I had to stop because it really messed with my body). Unfortunately I found that unsustainable and exhausting. Also, even close to the weight I wanted to be, I still felt like my muscles were weak and I didn't look how I wanted. I also was only eating around 1500cal a day, and felt hungry and energy-sapped all the time.
Moving forward, I would like to get into a grove where I can lose weight, get stronger, and maintain those habits in perpetuity. The more research I do, strength training sounds like where it's at! I'm currently back up to about 170/175 lbs. I would prefer to be somewhere around 135/140 but having strong lean muscles is what's the most important to me.
My questions though....
1) I'm a vegetarian, and getting 1gm protein/lb lean mass is VERY difficult for me. Is there a somewhat lower range that would still be acceptable for muscle retention/building? If I'm really careful I can get around 80/90 gm/day but I've never gotten any higher than that without more than one protein shake a day which I'm not convinced is healthy and is really expensive.
2) Is there an amount of cardio that will adversely affect this type of strength training or that should be compensated for etc.? I still love to dance, and want to keep going to ballet once a week. I've never considered it cardio really, it's more strength based, but is really a combination. Additionally, my primary method of commuting 7 months of the year is biking to work. Round trip is 14.5km (9 miles) 3-5 times a week (depending on weather), each round trip is about 50 min. How does this work in with the idea of strength training 2-3 times a week without burning out or doing too much cardio?
I could ask a million more questions, but I'm sure you've had enough
Thanks again for all of the work you've put into this for the rest of us, it's really appreciated!
-C0 -
Iam going to dr Friday so I will let you know! There is a downward trend monthly but it's so slow like 1/2 pound. I just started 30 day shred and Iam walking everyday again. We shall see!
I would certainly be interested in hearing your blood test results. This could be a MAJOR component of the problem. There is no way to prevent water weight. It doesn't matter either because it's just water. You shouldn't be concerned with water weight. Worry about fat gains and losses, not water. I think it would help if instead of looking at daily/weekly weight fluctuations weigh like this:justjack18 wrote: »
I don't have cheat days often, less than once a month maybe and I go over by maybe 200-400 calories nothing extreme. my levels were checked 2 months ago and again last week but haven't gotten results yet, so maybe that could be it. is there anyway to prevent water weight gain? oh, also restaurants maybe twice a month, I hate going cause I always gain weight the next day and everything is so many calories and it's hard to know what is what especially when not a chain and they don't have calories listed...
Normally when people aren't having good results eating what should be few enough calories to cause them, I say look to accuracy of tracking. I see you are weighing thing. This is good. How about cheat days? How often do you have them. Don't say never because we ALL have them. What about eating at restaurants of with friends and family when you don't prepare the food? As far as the thyroid goes, when was the last time your levels were checked? Were they within normal range? If not, this could be a big contributor to your problem. As far as your period goes, it's water weight. Unless you are eating more calories to gain fat during your period, it can't be anything other than water weight. Rapid weight gain is much like rapid weight loss, unless your calories are extreme, its almost always water.justjack18 wrote: »I have been reading all the pages the last few days and you are such an inspiration. You look amazing! You should be so proud of yourself congrats!!! I started reading this because I've hit a plateau and it started after I gave birth to my son who is now 2. Its Basically taken me 2 years to lose 15 pounds, but let me start from the beginning. My starting weight was 279 in 2007. I got down to about 190 in 2010 just by eating less, I was doing nothing formal, just small portions. Then in 2012 I decided I wanted to lose more so I started myfitnesspal. I was very strict and lost about 40 pounds in 3 months, so I got down to about 150 and kept it off until I got pregnant. I only gained about 30 pounds during the pregnancy and lost about 20 of it right after giving birth but since then I've been playing around with the same freaking 10 pounds for 2 years. I want to get down to 139 as my goal, and right now Iam 163. for 2 years I've been doing 1200 calories to no success really, or slow. like 1/2 pound a month. I've been weighing everything in grams and started excersizing again. I feel like I have no metabolism if that makes sense. the only way I really lose is when Iam eating like 700/900 calories a day and it's just not doable for me most days. I do have a thyroid condition but Iam on medicine for it so I see no reason why my weight is stalled so much, do you have any advice for me? Iam desperate as I would love to get this extra weight off before I have another pregnancy/ child. Also, maybe your fiancé deals with this, during my period I will gain like 4 pounds and then it takes me week to lose it, it's a never ending cycle, I thought it was just bloat, water weight but it doesn't easily come off.....thanks for any advice you could give, keep up the amazing work!!!!!!
Need more information. How much have you lost, how long have you been tracking things? Typically it takes a least a month to notice a real difference in the mirror.JonasLifts wrote: »Hellllooo please replyy to me i need to get my mind right i have been doing IIFYM my weight has been going down on the scale but not much body change in visual is that normal?
A good technique is to weigh daily at the same time each day and record the result (but don't focus on it because it's essentially meaningless). At the end of the week, average the results. At the end of the month, compare the averages. This is where things become much more meaningful. There should be a downward trend (not necessarily a linear drop). If after 4 weeks or more you are consistently maintaining or gaining, consider reducing calories or examine how accurately you are counting them
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I am 5'2 130 pounds.. of fat. I was to lose the fat and gain the muscle I do not care what the scale says but my BF% is super high. Do you suggest I lose the weight first then build on muscle and how would you go about that since I am not really that far from my goal.0
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Mind blown
your dedication is commendable. 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!
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Like someone earlier said, I've learned a lot from reading this whole thread. I love it. I came across someone who said they were skinny fat and you advised them to do a lean bulk. I've been wondering if that is something I need to do. I would consider myself as skinny fat, since I don't weigh very much but I have what I call a fat belly for my proportions. I've struggled to get lean in the last 2-3 years. I don't have a high calorie diet, but my diet certainly needs work. I'm a sugar-addict. I'm slowly trying to change to better eating habits and trying to get my protein intake to where it needs to be (avg 90-100 grams daily) I've never done a bulk before. Right now, I'm lifting 3x per week. Cardio 3-6x per week. In reading your previous answers you said to aim for a slight surplus in calories while keeping your protein level .8 per pound. For females, you said to aim for gaining very slowly (one pound per month?). Do I have everything right? What's a good rule of thumb to gage how you're doing? Any further advise? One more question... Is it realistic to expect to lose fat in my stomach while doing a lean bulk?0
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1 gram per lb of lean mass is the recommendation for a reason. Eating less then that won't kill you or give you terrible results, but it won't be optimal. Fortunately that recommendation is probably a bit higher then needed for a "I'd rather overshoot then undershoot" type of reason. There is nothing unhealthy about taking in 2 protein shakes a day, or 4 for that matter. Expensive? You bet! But not unhealthy. Not sure if dairy is an option for you but fat free Greek Yogurt and low/no fat cottage cheese have almost as much protein as a shake does.commotionstrange wrote: »Hi Vismal...I'd first like to say that this thread is amazing! You have clearly done an incredible job at reaching and maintaining your goals...you're truly an inspiration. On top of that, you're giving such fantastic advice just to help others, and that should really be commended!
I've recently returned to MFP after about a year or so of falling off the wagon. Prior to that I went from 195lbs to 148lbs (I'm 5'7) mostly with a mix of dance (primarily ballet), cycling (I bike to work), and a bit of Taekwondo (which I had to stop because it really messed with my body). Unfortunately I found that unsustainable and exhausting. Also, even close to the weight I wanted to be, I still felt like my muscles were weak and I didn't look how I wanted. I also was only eating around 1500cal a day, and felt hungry and energy-sapped all the time.
Moving forward, I would like to get into a grove where I can lose weight, get stronger, and maintain those habits in perpetuity. The more research I do, strength training sounds like where it's at! I'm currently back up to about 170/175 lbs. I would prefer to be somewhere around 135/140 but having strong lean muscles is what's the most important to me.
My questions though....
1) I'm a vegetarian, and getting 1gm protein/lb lean mass is VERY difficult for me. Is there a somewhat lower range that would still be acceptable for muscle retention/building? If I'm really careful I can get around 80/90 gm/day but I've never gotten any higher than that without more than one protein shake a day which I'm not convinced is healthy and is really expensive.
2) Is there an amount of cardio that will adversely affect this type of strength training or that should be compensated for etc.? I still love to dance, and want to keep going to ballet once a week. I've never considered it cardio really, it's more strength based, but is really a combination. Additionally, my primary method of commuting 7 months of the year is biking to work. Round trip is 14.5km (9 miles) 3-5 times a week (depending on weather), each round trip is about 50 min. How does this work in with the idea of strength training 2-3 times a week without burning out or doing too much cardio?
I could ask a million more questions, but I'm sure you've had enough
Thanks again for all of the work you've put into this for the rest of us, it's really appreciated!
-C
You certainly can negatively impact strength training with too much cardio. If I was you, I wouldn't do anything in addition to the biking and dance you are already doing. It's not excessive but to do much more might start to impair your recovery for strength based workouts. There is no definitive amount of cardio that is right for everyone. Some people can tolerate much more then others without impairing recovery so you'll have to just gauge how you personally feel and adjust based on that.
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You won't really be able to gain significant amounts of muscle while losing fat so you'll need to approach your goals 1 at a time. I generally tell people to focus on fat loss first. This does not mean that you shouldn't do strength training. You absolutely should. It will allow you to preserve what muscle you do have during that fat loss phase. Maybe try and lose 10 lbs then evaluate where you are at. I have trouble correlating weight and body composition for very petite women so you may need to lose more. Just lose 10 lbs then if you feel like another 5-10 will be necessary go for it. After you have cut the fat you can shift into slowly (SLOWLY) gaining weight in the form of lean mass. I'd say no more then 1 lb a month on average. Regardless of what phase you are in, you want to be lifting weights on a proven beginners program. The ICF 5x5 is my favorite but there are plenty of good ones.I am 5'2 130 pounds.. of fat. I was to lose the fat and gain the muscle I do not care what the scale says but my BF% is super high. Do you suggest I lose the weight first then build on muscle and how would you go about that since I am not really that far from my goal.
You pretty much have the general idea of a lean bulk. I will warn you though, I feel like at least half the people I encounter that think they are "skinny fat" are actually are not. Skinny fat is a spot you get into where losing any more fat would actually make you look worse. This is a good example of skinny fat:Like someone earlier said, I've learned a lot from reading this whole thread. I love it. I came across someone who said they were skinny fat and you advised them to do a lean bulk. I've been wondering if that is something I need to do. I would consider myself as skinny fat, since I don't weigh very much but I have what I call a fat belly for my proportions. I've struggled to get lean in the last 2-3 years. I don't have a high calorie diet, but my diet certainly needs work. I'm a sugar-addict. I'm slowly trying to change to better eating habits and trying to get my protein intake to where it needs to be (avg 90-100 grams daily) I've never done a bulk before. Right now, I'm lifting 3x per week. Cardio 3-6x per week. In reading your previous answers you said to aim for a slight surplus in calories while keeping your protein level .8 per pound. For females, you said to aim for gaining very slowly (one pound per month?). Do I have everything right? What's a good rule of thumb to gage how you're doing? Any further advise? One more question... Is it realistic to expect to lose fat in my stomach while doing a lean bulk?
She cannot lose any more weight in the first picture. It will not help her cause. Despite weighing 80 lbs, she has no abdominal definition. Nearly all of her body fat has landed in her midsection. She needed to build muscle before she was ever going to have abs. This picture on the other hand is not, IMO, skinny fat:
This women could first lose a bit of weight before concentrating on the lean bulk. Simply starting weight training is going to do her worlds of good. If you want to share some pictures I can give you my best opinion on what you should focus on first. But for when it is time for you to do a lean bulk, you have it down correctly!
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Thanks so much for your reply, I appreciate it 0
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I want to thank you for sharing your story and the lessons you have learned along the way. I am just getting my own story going and I plan to share yours with my son. At 17, he is much like you were in high school. The big guy the coaches put on the line for football. I am hoping he will see that he can make the changes he wants to make, but there are no shortcuts. Many thanks, once again.0
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thank you for the help! that was really great advice its hard to not want to do it all at once.0
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Started my day reading emails...this was such a better replacement lol especially when I'm getting geared up for the gym. Great job man keep up the great work (the inspiration and motivation work that is) ...add me as a friend 0
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Uuggghhh!!! why do i want to eat more on my off days i feel like im starving i mean like belly button touchin my backbone, should i eat or stay with my deficit i havent lost any pounds i dont understand, my body has plenty of stores (im doin 5x5 nd 1600 cals )0
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I would try and eat more satiating foods. Things with higher volume and lower calories. Vegetables, salads, fat free Greek yogurt/cottage cheese, fiber one cereal, certain fruits (berries for the most part), and lean meats like chicken breast, tilapia, turkey breast, etc. I wouldn't eat more if you are currently not losing weight.0
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Ok thanks0
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Great transformation dude.im on the same journey myself. Hope to get into the same shape as yourself at sme stage0
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