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

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Replies

  • jee_nee_us
    jee_nee_us Posts: 107 Member
    A wonderful thread.

    You are such an inspiration.

    I started my weight loss journey roughly 3 months ago. I started at 251 lbs and now I weigh 212 lb. I have done this with cardio and calorie deficit. Definitely the muscles are also taking a hit as I am doing no strength training.

    Now my question is If I start strength training , will the weight loss rate be decelerated? I mean right now I am losing both muscle and fat and if I start weight training the muscle loss will be reduced. Or will I lose the same amount of weight but the percentage fat loss will be higher?

    I am sorry If you could not understand the question , I do not have complete command over english language,

  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    EstherOrtizLaw wrote: »
    Wow, this "bulking" response was just what I needed! I've lost about 30 lbs and have been lifting for about 10 months now and have not been able to get rid of the last 8 lbs. By the way, 8 lbs is a lot when you're only 5'2. Anyway, ... I'm very strong and my body is hard because I lift heavy about 5 to 6 days a week for at least an hour and sometimes 2 hours a day. I also add 30 minutes of cardio. I'm in great shape but I'm not a fan if how "thick" I've become. You've probably already answered this question (sorry but I've been reading this thread from the start..it's quite long)...my question(s) are/is: Once you build or gain your muscle, how does your lifting regime change? Do you decrease your reps? Decrease the lbs you lift? Do you add more cardio? Or do you decrease your calorie intake ? Or all of the above?
    Once you have finished a bulking phase and wish to remove added fat and get lean, you reduce calories. Your exercise program doesn't need to change completely. You still want to do the same exercises. What you will have to do is over time, reduce frequency (number of times per week you hit a muscle) and or volume (sets/reps per muscle). What you do not reduce is intensity (weight on the bar). For someone going 5 days a week, doing mostly sets of 4 I'd reduce to 4 days a week and mostly sets of 3 to start. You can ultimately reduce frequency and volume by 60% when in a deficit. How much less you should do will depend on how you are recovering. Start by reducing a little bit and reduce more as you go. Again, DO NOT reduce intensity. The last thing you want to do is take weight off the bar!

  • ShapingTheLaw
    ShapingTheLaw Posts: 65 Member
    vismal wrote: »
    EstherOrtizLaw wrote: »
    Wow, this "bulking" response was just what I needed! I've lost about 30 lbs and have been lifting for about 10 months now and have not been able to get rid of the last 8 lbs. By the way, 8 lbs is a lot when you're only 5'2. Anyway, ... I'm very strong and my body is hard because I lift heavy about 5 to 6 days a week for at least an hour and sometimes 2 hours a day. I also add 30 minutes of cardio. I'm in great shape but I'm not a fan if how "thick" I've become. You've probably already answered this question (sorry but I've been reading this thread from the start..it's quite long)...my question(s) are/is: Once you build or gain your muscle, how does your lifting regime change? Do you decrease your reps? Decrease the lbs you lift? Do you add more cardio? Or do you decrease your calorie intake ? Or all of the above?
    Once you have finished a bulking phase and wish to remove added fat and get lean, you reduce calories. Your exercise program doesn't need to change completely. You still want to do the same exercises. What you will have to do is over time, reduce frequency (number of times per week you hit a muscle) and or volume (sets/reps per muscle). What you do not reduce is intensity (weight on the bar). For someone going 5 days a week, doing mostly sets of 4 I'd reduce to 4 days a week and mostly sets of 3 to start. You can ultimately reduce frequency and volume by 60% when in a deficit. How much less you should do will depend on how you are recovering. Start by reducing a little bit and reduce more as you go. Again, DO NOT reduce intensity. The last thing you want to do is take weight off the bar!

  • ShapingTheLaw
    ShapingTheLaw Posts: 65 Member
    Thanks Vismal. I REALLY appreciate your response. I like the idea of not reducing intensity (weight on the bar example) because I don't want to lose the hard earned muscles I have but I want to lean out. I'm going to choose dropping a lifting day and replacing it with cardio. I also intend to decrease my calorie intake--mostly by not replacing the calories I burn, thereby creating a larger deficit in my calorie intake. Thanks again. By tbe way, I enjoy reading your honest posts. They help keep things simple. I hate it when people complicate things!
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    jee_nee_us wrote: »
    A wonderful thread.

    You are such an inspiration.

    I started my weight loss journey roughly 3 months ago. I started at 251 lbs and now I weigh 212 lb. I have done this with cardio and calorie deficit. Definitely the muscles are also taking a hit as I am doing no strength training.

    Now my question is If I start strength training , will the weight loss rate be decelerated? I mean right now I am losing both muscle and fat and if I start weight training the muscle loss will be reduced. Or will I lose the same amount of weight but the percentage fat loss will be higher?

    I am sorry If you could not understand the question , I do not have complete command over english language,
    Your calorie deficit will determine your rate of loss. Starting to strength train will cause an initial accumulation of water weight. so that might cause a short term stall or slowdown, but in the long run, the size of the deficit will determine the rate of loss.

  • kpodaru
    kpodaru Posts: 133 Member
    i love it! keep up the amazing work :)
  • helenlovesruby
    helenlovesruby Posts: 39 Member
    Amazing!
  • KelleyKeigley
    KelleyKeigley Posts: 2 Member
    You look amazing what foods did you eat because I've plateaued out on them not losing the weight it's frustrating and how many calories did you eat per day? I don't know what else to do
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    You look awesome!

    Can I ask if you had a big change in energy?
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    KelleyKeigley wrote: »
    You look amazing what foods did you eat because I've plateaued out on them not losing the weight it's frustrating and how many calories did you eat per day? I don't know what else to do
    The types of foods you eat don't matter in terms of weight loss, that's all about calories. I tend to eat foods that keep me full. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, etc. Less filling, less nutritious foods are eaten in moderation.
    galgenstrick wrote: »
    You look awesome!

    Can I ask if you had a big change in energy?
    HUGE

  • italiangurl1972
    italiangurl1972 Posts: 14 Member
    just wow! congrats and im originally from canton/massillon
  • dayviewing
    dayviewing Posts: 2 Member
    4. Not listening when people say "you lost enough already" or "you are getting too skinny"

    Awesome points! How has losing weight and getting ripped affected your relationships with friends and family? The good ? The bad?
  • new_me_9_67
    new_me_9_67 Posts: 369 Member
    Amazing job sir.
    Congratulations and thanks for the tips
  • clarkstant
    clarkstant Posts: 3 Member
    Hey man, Congrats. I am 45 days into using MFP and have really settled into it. I'm 6'2 and started at 266 and am down to 241.5. I have a very large frame, so 215 is a good weight for me and my goal weight of 200 would be very light. I have done a little jogging, but mostly just MFP and Fitbit (10k steps everyday) are doing the weight loss trick for me. I feel great, but I also am feeling weak at times. I was an athlete in my younger days, and eventually I would much rather be strong and explosive than skinny and weak. I always enjoyed lifting, but for some reason while I am restricting calories I just can't seem to get in that lifting mode, and other times when I have been on a lifting kick I can't seem to control my diet well enough to get in the shape I want to. Regardless, I have been considering starting a 5x5 workout. I read in your post that you are a fan. I would rather be strong than pumped up and I like the efficient use of time that it offers. I have 3 young boys, so I don't have a lot of gym time to burn. Would you recommend starting that now, even though I have no intention of increasing my calorie intake until I get at least in the 215 range. I am considering doing a relatively low intensity circuit training (I like the Abs Diet workouts) because it is easy to accomplish and would fit well with my MFP and Fitbit autopilot weight loss strategy at the moment. However, I am torn between that and 5x5. I am worried it would be a waste at such low calorie intake. Lastly, regardless of your answer to the 1st question, which 5x5 program would you recommend? Thanks for the inspiration and I love the Idea of doing your own AMA. Very cool.
  • pawlita_1
    pawlita_1 Posts: 2 Member
    Hey! My name is Paula and I'm from Argentina. I would like to congratulate you and tell you I'm really happy for you. Sorry for my English, it's not my mother language
  • thuautumn
    thuautumn Posts: 6 Member
    You look awesome! well done!
  • chiefdave74
    chiefdave74 Posts: 1 Member
    Hugely inspirational stuff. I've watched the video on calculating calories and macros. I have a couple of quick questions.

    I'm at 350 pounds, being 6' tall and 41 years old. I've got a hell of a lot of weight to lose. When I calculate calories I get 3150 (350 x 9). I get that is the amount to maintain so my calories consumed need to be less but how much less. I've been messing around on here today putting in what I could eat in a day and struggle to hit 2500 let alone 3150. Is that too low, how low would be too low?

    It mentions in one of the videos not being OCD about how close to hitting the target for each macro you are. How close would you class as acceptable. I've put in what I think I could consume on a 'typical' day and I come out at 2500 calorie goal I come in 300 calories short but also 7g protein and 4g fat short? Is that close enough or do I need to add something else in. Seems a bit counter intuitive to add more food when trying to lose weight so I wanted to check if it was needed!
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    dayviewing wrote: »
    4. Not listening when people say "you lost enough already" or "you are getting too skinny"

    Awesome points! How has losing weight and getting ripped affected your relationships with friends and family? The good ? The bad?
    Didn't really change much. My family and friends have always been very supportive. Sometimes I'm sure its annoying that I prefer to go out to eat to certain restaurants vs other, but I am flexible enough with my dieting that it usually doesn't interfere.
    clarkstant wrote: »
    Hey man, Congrats. I am 45 days into using MFP and have really settled into it. I'm 6'2 and started at 266 and am down to 241.5. I have a very large frame, so 215 is a good weight for me and my goal weight of 200 would be very light. I have done a little jogging, but mostly just MFP and Fitbit (10k steps everyday) are doing the weight loss trick for me. I feel great, but I also am feeling weak at times. I was an athlete in my younger days, and eventually I would much rather be strong and explosive than skinny and weak. I always enjoyed lifting, but for some reason while I am restricting calories I just can't seem to get in that lifting mode, and other times when I have been on a lifting kick I can't seem to control my diet well enough to get in the shape I want to. Regardless, I have been considering starting a 5x5 workout. I read in your post that you are a fan. I would rather be strong than pumped up and I like the efficient use of time that it offers. I have 3 young boys, so I don't have a lot of gym time to burn. Would you recommend starting that now, even though I have no intention of increasing my calorie intake until I get at least in the 215 range. I am considering doing a relatively low intensity circuit training (I like the Abs Diet workouts) because it is easy to accomplish and would fit well with my MFP and Fitbit autopilot weight loss strategy at the moment. However, I am torn between that and 5x5. I am worried it would be a waste at such low calorie intake. Lastly, regardless of your answer to the 1st question, which 5x5 program would you recommend? Thanks for the inspiration and I love the Idea of doing your own AMA. Very cool.
    A 5x5 will be superior to circuit training in my opinion. You won't gain muscle while in a calorie deficit, but you will prevent the loss of lean tissue. A 5x5 accomplishes that quite well. I recommend the ICF 5x5.
  • TreseaMyers
    TreseaMyers Posts: 2 Member
    Wow that is truly amazing! A brilliant achievement!

  • TreseaMyers
    TreseaMyers Posts: 2 Member
    What diet did you use?

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