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

TylerWhiite wrote: »

What would be your best advice for someone looking to get to 9-10% body fat? Count calories?

The best advice I can give is to make sure you have built enough lean muscle mass to support a low body fat first. While calorie counting and eating in a caloric deficit will certainly take anyone to a low body fat level, many people find well before they reach their goal that they are not going to look like what they had in mind. I have met very few individuals who were happy with the result of achieving single digit body fat and never undergoing a few "bulking" cycles in order to build lean mass. This is goal dependent and if your goal is simply the number a calorie deficit will work. If aesthetics are the real motivation for the low body fat then I would approach it differently. I would lose enough fat to be relatively lean (ambiguous term I know but I feel like most people know when they are "relatively lean"). At that point I would do a slow and controlled muscle gaining phase of at least 6 months, possibly an entire year. A calorie deficit can be reintroduced after that to achieve the low body fat percentage goals. It's a very lengthy process to achieve single digit body fat and gain the appropriate amount of lean mass to look good there. A quality weight lifting routine that focuses on progressive tension overload is needed throughout the entire process.

aki7861 wrote: »

Hey I want to lose body fat and gain muscle any suggestions ??

Pick one goal to focus on. Trying to do both at once usually leaves people spinning their wheels. Most people will benefit from fat loss first unless you are naturally lean. To lose fat you must eat in a caloric deficit. Keep protein relatively high and use resistance training to maintain muscle mass. If gaining muscle is your goal you must eat in a small calorie surplus. Protein can be a bit lower but should still be moderately high. Attempt to gain around 2 lbs a month in order to keep fat gains at a minimum. Again, a lifting program that focuses on progressive tension overload is necessary in order to build muscle. Alternate these two phases and the net result is muscle gained and fat lost. I usually never do a muscle building phase lasting less than 12 weeks, though I typically stretch them out to about 6-8 months. Fat loss phases can be as long or as short as they need to be to achieve the desired level of leanness.

TylerWhiite wrote: »

Now when you say controller bulk, would you advise I go about 200 cals above TDEE?

To start, yes. You may find that your TDEE rises a bit in a calorie surplus so try and target in a 2lb a month gain in weight. You may find that you need to add calories as the months go.

doggerland wrote: »

Have you ever tried Lyle McDonald's RFL, or any kind of PSMF plan?

No. I've read the book and understand the diet but Lyle himself will tell you how difficult the diet can be. It's safe, the science behind it is sound, and if you can adhere to it, it works. I would struggle greatly with compliance. I think after the first few days I would no longer be able to keep up the steep calorie deficit and I'd either binge or abandon the diet. That's not to say someone else wouldn't be able to have great success with RFL.

butcher494 wrote: »

Congratulations on your success you look incredible I'm on a journey myself to get lean I have been in the past but then I met a man and got comfortable relaxed my eating and training slowly iv gained 20lbs!! over 1 year I was always able to eat what I wanted and stay lean however iv been over eating due to meals out ect and drinking more wine than I should with less exercise. I want to ask you, do you think when it comes to fat loss it's calories that matter most? at least untill your below say 20% for a woman? iv got a decent amount of muscle and don't really need to gain any for the past two weeks iv been doing body weight cardio/ plyo with ankle and wrist weights on to make it harder will this help me shed fat? Thanks from Hannah

Calories matter most no matter what your body fat percentage is. The only way to lose body fat is to consume fewer calories per day then you burn. Paying attention to things like macronutrients and micronutrients are also important but if a calorie deficit is not in place, you simply will not lose fat.