I'm not sure how you are going at them, but I can tell you how I got mine moving. I was intially going balls out on 3 sets and trying to get as many as I could each set. Basically going to failure...
The thing that you are not thinking about is that if you have a high % of bodyfat, you are carrying your caloric excess around with you because you have already indulged in having a large food...
I think the GM's do well for me doing them in that manner. The 225 recommendation is because no matter how strong you are, your form will tend to break down at weights higher than that.