Client with a LOT of fat to lose

[HALTEH]

I posted this in the personal trainer section, but i guess its not busy enough in there lol. No replies. Sooooo

Alright, here's the deal. I've just hooked up with a client who weighs 350 lbs and stands at a height of 6'1. He wants to drop down to 220.


I'm much more specialized in training others when it comes to muscle building and strength training. That being said, I do know how to help other lose weight, but frig...120 lbs is a big job to take on. I've never had anyone that heavy or want to lose that much weight.


I know a lot it has to do with a huge change up in a his diet, lots of different kinds of cardio and maybe some interval training.


Now, my two questions:

-Does anyone else have any pointers/tips on how to speed this proccess up for him?
-Also, hes want a time frame as to long thing could be done in? I assumed about a year? maybe a little less. (correct me if im wrong)


WILL REP FOR ANY HELP!!

thanks,
Matt

[thecheezman]

honestly. if you push him in the muscle building direction with a healthy diet and some cardio. the weight will melt off. just eating right and lifting good will help tremendously. especially if he doesnt do it currently.

supplement him with green tea caps if he doesnt want a fat burner.

[HALTEH]

honestly. if you push him in the muscle building direction with a healthy diet and some cardio. the weight will melt off. just eating right and lifting good will help tremendously. especially if he doesnt do it currently.

supplement him with green tea caps if he doesnt want a fat burner.

thx, repped.

[thecheezman]

120lbs might be a big task, but itll just take a long time. probably around a year atleast. but once the guy starts seeing results hell be motivated to keep moving forward. hope everything works out good

all of it is depending on his motivation level. you can only show him what to do and what to eat. he has to actually do it

[Dallas_15]

For someone that big just be sure to keep him moving throughout the entire session - give him diet advice and try circuit style training. The fat WILL melt off! - Just make sure you don't cut his cals to low to begin with.

[Haveboards]

Go and check out

Rapid fat loss by Lyle Mcdonald.

Lyle is the man.

I would be careful with the intervals.

Maybe try and ease him into exercise. Monitor the heart rate. Don't want to over do it too soon for him.

You can help him train but he will need to help himself when it comes to diet.

Good luck.

[surfergirl36]

I posted this in the personal trainer section, but i guess its not busy enough in there lol. No replies. Sooooo

Alright, here's the deal. I've just hooked up with a client who weighs 350 lbs and stands at a height of 6'1. He wants to drop down to 220.


I'm much more specialized in training others when it comes to muscle building and strength training. That being said, I do know how to help other lose weight, but frig...120 lbs is a big job to take on. I've never had anyone that heavy or want to lose that much weight.


I know a lot it has to do with a huge change up in a his diet, lots of different kinds of cardio and maybe some interval training.


Now, my two questions:

-Does anyone else have any pointers/tips on how to speed this proccess up for him?
-Also, hes want a time frame as to long thing could be done in? I assumed about a year? maybe a little less. (correct me if im wrong)


WILL REP FOR ANY HELP!!

thanks,
Matt

I dropped about 140 lbs over the space of 2 years and got a trainer at the 50 lbs down mark. The BEST thing he did for me was teach me how to lift weights. Being fat and in the gym is a pretty uncomfortable feeling but as time went on, knowing I had proper form and knowing how to put a workout together was invaluable. We did a lot of interval/ circuit type workouts..some with just body weight and others with either machines or dumbbells. As I progressed, we moved more towards the traditional bodybuilding type training, as I wanted to make sure I knew how to do everything.

I would talk to him about cardio and do it with him if he needs it but I personally felt like I could do cardio on my own and wanted to get the most bang for my buck with the time I had with the trainer.

Obviously, the biggest thing is diet. I never really got that at first but the trainer used to tell me all the time...you can't out train a bad diet. Eventually, it sunk in as I stalled out at about 90 lbs down for a long time before I really cleaned it up. If he stuck to it and made the big changes, especially in his diet, he'd be seeing some drastic changes within that year. I'd also not recommend supplements/ thermogenics at this point. Diet will show drastic improvements.

The biggest thing was having someone to hold me accountable. Making changes that big takes time and patience and more often then not, I wanted to quit and not go back. I was too tired or too sore and couldn't imagine being there again!! lol He pushed me when I needed it, listened when I needed it but mainly told me to suck it up and reminded me why I was there in the first place. It was a love/ hate relationship but I wouldn't have made it without him.

Hope that helps a bit.

[the3dwizard]

I am 6' 2" and when I started I was 300 lbs which I am ashamed to admit. I have lost over 50 so far. I lost about 30 and plateaued for a while. One thing that really got me back on track was doing at least 20 mins of treadmill after lifting for about 30 mins. If have seen others recommend this and I think it helps.

You didn't say how old he was. Older people tend to become insulin resistant. So it is more important to watch the carbs and avoid spikes. Almost need to adopt the eating habits of a diabetic. Have his doctor check his A1C (blood test) to see were he is at, (truer picture than fasting glucose).

I would think a year is possible if he is really dedicated to it. I tend to go off my diet on weekends and travel a lot so it has taken me longer.

[janovas]

I am in where I have to lose 200 or so pounds. I would kill to be able to hire someone to push me and work me. I just can't afford it.

Good luck in your venture man. I have little doubts you will be able to help him get better.

[robbie_vlad]

Go and check out

Rapid fat loss by Lyle Mcdonald.

Lyle is the man.

I would be careful with the intervals.

Maybe try and ease him into exercise. Monitor the heart rate. Don't want to over do it too soon for him.

You can help him train but he will need to help himself when it comes to diet.

Good luck.

This is terrible advice...they guy doesn't need to lose the fat rapidly (and yes, I have actually read Lyle's book and done a short stint on PSMF). It didn't take him a few months to get that much fat on his frame, so he shouldn't expect it to leave in just a few months. Get him on a good, balanced diet. Help teach him how to lift weights and do some moderate cardio. A lifestyle change is what this guy needs most, not some crash diet that doesn't teach him how to live a sustainable and enjoyable life (PSMF is NOT enjoyable in the least haha).

[zoso7982]

I was probably close to his composition at 6'4" and 333 lbs. Diet like you mentioned has been the biggest learning for me. At that weight or BF% I don't think the norm -500 cal deficit is what is necessarily true. I cut down to about 2200 cals, kept protein up for this as high as possible without feeling like **** cutting too many carbs, supped a multi and fish oil and will do a small 'carb up' eating very clean carbs while keeping my def. Seems to help me with the 'fog'.

I lift heavy (5x5) compounds and med iso's (6-8) 3-4 days/wk and supplement cardio a few days. My joints hurt a bit at first but have improved.

This has worked relatively well so far for me. I'm not a noob at lifting but an expert in yo-yo'ing. All because I did way too much cardio at way too big of a deficit with way too many reps previously. With my current routine I have seen about a 50 lb weight loss with some strength gain in approx 3-3.5 months. This is just what has worked for me this far.

[Haveboards]

This is terrible advice...they guy doesn't need to lose the fat rapidly (and yes, I have actually read Lyle's book and done a short stint on PSMF). It didn't take him a few months to get that much fat on his frame, so he shouldn't expect it to leave in just a few months. Get him on a good, balanced diet. Help teach him how to lift weights and do some moderate cardio. A lifestyle change is what this guy needs most, not some crash diet that doesn't teach him how to live a sustainable and enjoyable life (PSMF is NOT enjoyable in the least haha).

I agree in part and thanks for the negs.

I agree that for any dieting approach (fast or slow) to be successful in the long term it must help someone educate and help themselves.

Along with generating quick weight loss, the diet should work to help the person learn good long term eating habits.

Lyle does more than this in The Rapid Fat Loss manual. He explains the importance of macros and how to use them.

This book like his others are educational on any level.

Yes the book is based on Rapid fat loss but he also gives you a couple of approaches you can use to maintain the loses and to continue to lose the fat at a more moderate pace. He also talks about mandatory diet breaks and free meal days.

So, be prepared to think about rapid fat loss in a different light.

Why do people assume that losing weight slower is superior to a slower rate of loss?

Thanks again.

[robbie_vlad]

I agree in part and thanks for the negs.

I agree that for any dieting approach (fast or slow) to be successful in the long term it must help someone educate and help themselves.

Along with generating quick weight loss, the diet should work to help the person learn good long-term eating habits.

Lyle does more than this in The Rapid Fat Loss manual. He explains the importance of macros and how to use them.

This book like his others are educational on any level

Yes the book is based on Rapid fat loss but he also gives you a couple of approaches you can use to maintain the loses and to continue to lose the fat at a more moderate pace. He also talks about mandatory diet breaks and free meal days.

So, be prepared to think about rapid fat loss in a different light.

Why do people assume that losing weight slower is superior to a slower rate of loss?

Thanks again.

I still wouldn't recommend that he read Rapid Fat Loss, purely because it would more than likely introduce some urge to try and follow it. Instead, you could recommend another one of Lyle's books (which I've also read) "A Guide to Flexible Dieting" which would be much more useful.

[Brian94]

By my calculations 120 lbs can take 60 weeks, so 1 year and 8 weeks or so---IN Ideal conditions. This is if he continuously lost 2 lbs/week.

Of course ,there could be plateaus, setbacks, and/or rapid fat loss areas. So it's possible it could take 10 months with difficult diets (more chance of him quitting).

I say change his lifestyle but not so much that he can't adjust.

Start off with a log of his diet... Open an account on fitday or livestrong.
Try to at least get him to write down exactly what he ate within one week period.

Switch out all junk food first. That's the biggest challenge, cutting things like soda, cigars, alcohol, sugar treats...

Then weight training at least 3 times a week. Cardio you could do but this depends on whether he actually has a good diet already, or if simply cutting the bad stuff is enough.

Someone mentioned green tea... Yes, some research suggests that it helps metabolism and destroys fat (one guy claims it burns calories).

If in 2 weeks, you start seeing a 3-4 lb weight loss... You're on track...

Plus since you're a trainer, I don't even think we can tell you anything you don't know.

[zoso7982]

I am definitely no trainer and can respect your question from personal experience. I think your client should see ALOT more weight loss than the typical 2 lbs/wk if he's dieting and training correctly for the first few months without the typical concern with muscle retention. That'll be an adjustment later in his journey.

[Brian94]

I am definitely no trainer and can respect your question from personal experience. I think your client should see ALOT more weight loss than the typical 2 lbs/wk if he's dieting and training correctly for the first few months without the typical concern with muscle retention. That'll be an adjustment later in his journey.

It's probably true. At his weight... 300+lb, you can lose anywhere from 4-10 lb per week. Though who knows, some may have had even sharper declines.

[Haveboards]

I still wouldn't recommend that he read Rapid Fat Loss, purely because it would more than likely introduce some urge to try and follow it. Instead, you could recommend another one of Lyle's books (which I've also read) "A Guide to Flexible Dieting" which would be much more useful.

I still wouldn't recommend that he read Rapid Fat Loss, purely because it would more than likely introduce some urge to try and follow it. Instead, you could recommend another one of Lyle's books (which I've also read) "A Guide to Flexible Dieting" which would be much more useful.

A guide to flexible dieting is also a great book.

Rapid Fat Loss actually leads into more moderate approaches to dieting. It actually helps you set up a more moderate approach.

I have read studies that show that faster rate loss for the obese can actually lead to better long term body composition.

Crash diets as you put it are only bad in that most dieters go back to their old habits and invariably put the weight plus some right back on.

So it's definately not for anyone but the dedicated.

Rapid fat loss actually promotes good long term eating habits. It is a great way to kick off a more moderate dieting approach.

Watching the pounds melt away faster which is easily acheivable at his size will have a lot of positive psychological effects as well.

The diet is hard to stick too and not for everyone. Flexible dieting is probably a better choice in hind sight.

[rel83]

IMO it is more than possible as long as your client's dedication to turn his life around is there.

I lost over 130lbs in a year so I know it's possible as long as the dedication is there:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=125921723

Things will suck at first since results might not seem that noticeable, the longer your client continues though the sweeter things will become. I'd encourage your client to take progress pictures and keep an ACCURATE count of the calories being consumed.

Honestly there were days when I wanted to call it early at the gym since I was tired or just didn't have the motivation that day. That's when I would look at a picture of when I was at my fattest on my mp3 player and that put my ass into gear once again and kept me going on strong. Maybe you can do something like that with your client, finding a source for motivation that will keep him going strong even when he might want to go off track.

[bd8802]

-Does anyone else have any pointers/tips on how to speed this proccess up for him?
-Also, hes want a time frame as to long thing could be done in? I assumed about a year? maybe a little less. (correct me if im wrong)

292 at my heaviest, 215 right now. so I kinda know what he is thinking right now.

IMO, you handle bigger people different than you handle smaller people. Big people are big for a reason, and I bet most of them have tried and failed so many time, that even though they trust you they will be skeptical of anything you say. i know I was (still am).

1) Food, not activity, is probably his biggest flaw. Get his food in order. Find out what his biggest issues are, and try to modify them. Protein shakes, smart meals, real food. 4 or 5 times a day. (I know I am not telling you anything you don't know) Show him what a proper day of real calories look like, and he will be shocked at how much he can eat. If I big guy thinks they are starving, they won't stick to it.

2) Get him moving. I resisted weight lifting, rather focused on calories and cardio. He might be different, the key is to do something he will keep doing. I cared about the scale and the heart attack around my belly. I plan on lifting, but dammit, I wanted to lose this fat.

3) Quick and real changes on the scale will motivate him. When they keep happening, they will motivate him more. I have averaged 2.3 pounds a week. It keep me motivated to see real movement on the scale. Whatever you can do to help him keep seeing movement will be a wonderful positive feedback.

4) Right now he thinks 220 is impossible, but he really wants it. Always focus on that end game, but find out what his mental blocks are. Mine was 250. I hit it 3 times in the last 3 years before I finally busted through it this year. It was in my head, when I finally saw a number in the 240's ... i just killed the next 10 pounds. A weight was lifted off my shoulders that day. It was when i KNEW i could do this.

5) I think he can do 2+ pounds a week if he is dedicated and does the right stuff. Probably closer to 2.5 pounds. 10 pounds a month. Realistic, and had a pretty awesome ring to it.

Cliff Notes: Motivation is probably as important (if not more important) than the actual workouts you will be helping him with. Its an every day frame of mind. If you keep him motivated, he will be 220 in no time.

[bigfish1]

I'm on the same process, my weight 300 pounds and want to drop down to 210 started lifting weights and doing cardio but I got some friends that tell me I'm doing it wrong that I should only be doing cardio to burn all the fat first and then start weight lifting I'm alittle confused, if u have any info that can help me out would really apreciate it thanxs

[Kelvandros]

Body weight exersizes and some weight training will be a great addition to proper diet. Have him track what he eats in a day and try to find foods that will allow him the same volume, with drastically reduced calories.

As a side note to that, make sure to tell him that flavor isn't the enemy. I've seen a lot of big people being told that they should be eating 99% fat free, boneless, skinless chicken breast, and they think they have to eat it plain. Suggest getting a spice rack if he doesn't have one and getting a book about seasoning. The goal is to get him to enjoy new foods that will keep him full, while still cutting his calories.

If he needs help with eating the right foods, the pill Alli can "force" him to clean up his eating, which will last long after he stops taking it.

[bd8802]

I'm on the same process, my weight 300 pounds and want to drop down to 210 started lifting weights and doing cardio but I got some friends that tell me I'm doing it wrong that I should only be doing cardio to burn all the fat first and then start weight lifting I'm alittle confused, if u have any info that can help me out would really apreciate it thanxs

You can do it either way. I did it with no lifting, but you will find many people here that did it just lifting. I like doing cardio, so that worked for me. I'm looking forward to lifting very soon.

I started by eating the following calories:

290lbs: 2200
270lbs: 2100
250lbs: 2000
230lbs: 1900
220lbs: 1800

I got on a stationary bike 30-45 minutes 3 to 5 times a week. I hit my calories, and didn't eat junk. I lost weight. Listen to your body. It will tell you what is working.

I could go into more detail if you wanted, but I don't think what you are doing "wrong". It is preference.

/bd

[CRP4321]

I was 305lbs but in 3 weeks I have lost 10 lbs and I can see muscle popping up through the fat(legs/delts) which is very encouraging to me. I suggest cardio on stationary bike(I like watching TV) and dumbbells. My goal is a year and 2lbs/week feels doable for me.

If he can email you for support that might help him, my friend tells me to keep it up and he's proud, keep at it, and such and it does help. Send him a link to all the transformations on this site so he can see it's possible. It makes me try harder when I get home.

Tell him to prepare all his meals for the day in the morning so it's ready for him and snack on apples when a meal isn't enough.

[calle13]

I lost 100 lbs since January, still 20 to go. What worked for me? Eating small portions, low carbs, low fat but everything was natural, zero processed food.

One hour of cardio every day and one hour lifting weights, 6 days a week.

[jmartina42]

OK i joined a gym and hired personal trainer my self, im 6'2 and on August 4th i weighed 384 , Im eating CLEAN i started eating 2900 cal a day only clean foods. trainer told me to eat 3124 cal but i wanted a little faster at the beginning to get me going, im staying at this calories as long as i can, i work out 3 times a week 2 of them with him, Before actual lifting i do 10-15 min treadmill as a warmup! We do light weights LOTS of reps, body weight stuff, i couldnt do a push up on August 4th, nor some other body weight stuff and now can, and as of August 24th 20 days later i weigh 369 , im doing great. Eating CLEAN is key to it and working out. I feel so much better already now they did test before and after through BF% tool and supposedly im lost 18lbs of fat and gained 7lbs of muscle , its melting away fast! If you dont EAT right then a personal trainer isnt going to help you.

This is all over these forums and its sooooo true!

Eat Clean
Eat 1gram protein per lean mass
drink water
work out 3 days a week

[FatZillllla]

Clean diet and calorie deficit + 5 days of cardio per week is what worked for me


I do my cardio on the rowing machine so my upper body gets worked and I also do incline walk/jog and the treadmill so my bottom half gets worked as well

[NvrAgn548]

I'm no preofessional by far, but I do have expierence. I have dropped 270 pounds in about 22 months and have done it without a trainer. I could only imagine where I would be with professional help. 17 of those months were in a gym killing it twice a day for at least 5 days a week.

My suggestion would be a very clean diet and cardio based training. Light weight, more reps and cardio in between and "homework" cardio for him to get on his own. Encourage the calorie defecit at the end of the day. I kept my defecit around 1700-2000 calaroies versus my intake. I agree muscle building will also melt the fat. It has slowed down my actual weight loss but I am DROPPING my BF tremendously.

Hope I was helpful...

[harshathlete]

At the risk of getting negative reps let me state this, if you make too many changes to his diet ( clean eating as most seem to advise here ) AND exercise, it can backfire.....

I would suggest first you teach him to sticking to *a* calorie total. Even a halfway decent diet will work as long as the calorie total of the day is creating a 500-1000 cal deficit.
In fact, since he is much heavier, he can have a much higher deficit.
But if he changes his diet completely it can backfire since the timeframe to lose weight is going to be close to a year or more.

As long as he is eating in deficit and working out at least 3-5 times a week ( weights and cardio ) and he can SUSTAIN that level of effort he will see results and can stick to them.

I am with everyone else about the eating clean part...however, once we start losing weight, we automatically tend to gravitate to eating cleaner. So I suggest that you focus on getting him to create a calorie deficit through eating less ( of the same foods he is eating now ) and working out more.

Even a simple 30-45 minute walk everyday can be his cardio and it will be enough to get him going.

[surfergirl36]

At the risk of getting negative reps let me state this, if you make too many changes to his diet ( clean eating as most seem to advise here ) AND exercise, it can backfire.....

I would suggest first you teach him to sticking to *a* calorie total. Even a halfway decent diet will work as long as the calorie total of the day is creating a 500-1000 cal deficit.
In fact, since he is much heavier, he can have a much higher deficit.
But if he changes his diet completely it can backfire since the timeframe to lose weight is going to be close to a year or more.

As long as he is eating in deficit and working out at least 3-5 times a week ( weights and cardio ) and he can SUSTAIN that level of effort he will see results and can stick to them.

I am with everyone else about the eating clean part...however, once we start losing weight, we automatically tend to gravitate to eating cleaner. So I suggest that you focus on getting him to create a calorie deficit through eating less ( of the same foods he is eating now ) and working out more.

Even a simple 30-45 minute walk everyday can be his cardio and it will be enough to get him going.

I agree with you. If you know nothing about clean eating, calorie counts, working out etc etc...it can be very overwhelming and discouraging. It's like learning a new language and a new culture. I know for me, it was a process and an evolution. Just exercising 2-3 times a week was where I started and it grew from there. Baby steps can sometimes be more maintainable. I think that's what makes a great trainer...being able to judge your client's abilities and readiness and work with them.

[bwoh]

Well wouldn't he be able to lose fat faster than other people since he is obese? If you start him off strong with a good diet and cardio/weight training plan. He should be able to do amazing. It's really up to him on how he wants his diet to change.