Can super morbidly obese lose enough weight training and eating like a bodybuilder?

[bigyellafella]

I am super morbidly obese (over 600lbs) i have taken the advice of bodybuilding.com and have been eating and training using the program from the site to lose weight but have gained about 6lbs. i believe this is muscle weight not fat and have been training for 2 months, feel great and i get around better now than i have in over a year but at what point do i actually start to lose weight? need help am confused.

[Dewey99]

I am super morbidly obese (over 600lbs) i have taken the advice of bodybuilding.com and have been eating and training using the program from the site to lose weight but have gained about 6lbs. i believe this is muscle weight not fat and have been training for 2 months, feel great and i get around better now than i have in over a year but at what point do i actually start to lose weight? need help am confused.

Losing fat boils down to creating a calorie deficit - plain and simple! Whether you create that deficit by eating better, exercising more, or both, it really all comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned.

Be careful following all of the advice that you see on BB.com. Much of it is for healthy individuals that weight train regularly. Someone like that has different nutritional needs than you do. As far as supplements go, you should talk to your doctor about what you can and can't take. I would imagine a good thermogenic like OxyElite Pro or even the newest Hydroxycut would be beneficial as long as your doctor says it is ok. Beyond that, you will really need to focus more on your food intake and cardio regimen. The good news for you is that supplements probably won't make a huge difference but other changes to your diet and exercise plan will.

I would recommend low impact cardio such as walking or riding a recumbent bike to get started. Diet wise I would try to eat every couple hours so you never get very hungry. High-fiber, low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables will help you feel full without needlessly adding tons of calories. I'm sure you already know this, but do whatever you can to avoid foods that are chock full of sugar or saturated fats.

Stick with it man and you will start to see a difference. The key is to start small and stick with it. Don't get derailed if you aren't seeing results right away.

Good luck!

[Mammals]

I am super morbidly obese (over 600lbs) i have taken the advice of bodybuilding.com and have been eating and training using the program from the site to lose weight but have gained about 6lbs. i believe this is muscle weight not fat and have been training for 2 months, feel great and i get around better now than i have in over a year but at what point do i actually start to lose weight? need help am confused.

good luck in your goals to lose weight! I definitely want to see your results later on, I bet you could be a huge inspiration.

[etherwar]

Hey Bigyellafella,

It's great to hear that you've started down the path to getting healthy. I've experienced a great deal of weight loss recently, and thought I might be able to help you out with your question.

As of today I've lost 52 lbs since last July. I started out at 340, and when I began working out, my weight shot up 8 lbs over the first 2 weeks. I thought it was ridiculous too, and wondered if I was doing anything wrong, because I still had not lost any weight after the first month.

I'm not an expert, but I believe that you are correct about the issue being rapid muscle gain. When you begin working out after being almost completely sedentary, your body has to adapt to the new lifestyle.

My advice, and my experience has been, wait 6 weeks before you change anything regarding your workout plan or your diet. Your body is telling you that you are feeling better, listen to it. Keep up the good work.

Like I said, I lost 0 lbs over my first month (even gained up to 10 lbs over my first 2 weeks), but I kept going to the gym and eating within the guidelines of my new diet, and by the end of the 2nd month I had lost just over 20lbs. This process of not losing weight to beginning to see losses may well take a bit longer for you. But, if you can keep it up, I guarantee you it will just start to "fall off" and then people will start to notice. Use willpower and your dedication to get over the first hump and start losing some real weight, then use the compliments of others as additional motivation to keep it up or even increase your training regimen.

Best of luck.

[risingcougar]

Losing fat boils down to creating a calorie deficit - plain and simple! Whether you create that deficit by eating better, exercising more, or both, it really all comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned.

Be careful following all of the advice that you see on BB.com. Much of it is for healthy individuals that weight train regularly. Someone like that has different nutritional needs than you do. As far as supplements go, you should talk to your doctor about what you can and can't take. I would imagine a good thermogenic like OxyElite Pro or even the newest Hydroxycut would be beneficial as long as your doctor says it is ok. Beyond that, you will really need to focus more on your food intake and cardio regimen. The good news for you is that supplements probably won't make a huge difference but other changes to your diet and exercise plan will.

I would recommend low impact cardio such as walking or riding a recumbent bike to get started. Diet wise I would try to eat every couple hours so you never get very hungry. High-fiber, low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables will help you feel full without needlessly adding tons of calories. I'm sure you already know this, but do whatever you can to avoid foods that are chock full of sugar or saturated fats.

Stick with it man and you will start to see a difference. The key is to start small and stick with it. Don't get derailed if you aren't seeing results right away.

Good luck!

This. Best of Luck OP. Stick to your healthful changes and the progress will occur.

[Vajrasattva]

The advice that you must consume less calories than you take in is outdated and fundamentally flawed, yet it is the same advice you will hear over and over from nutritionists, magazines, most trainers, and even our government when trying to lose weight. The problem is that your body doesn't metabolize the different nutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) in the same way. For example, eating complex carbohydrates like whole grain bread or pasta, or starches like potatoes and corn, create a fast spike in blood sugar. To respond to this, your body produces the hormone insulin, which efficiently converts these sugars into fatty acids to be stored in your fat cells. This is a double-edged sword, because once the sugars are stored in your fat cells, it is very difficult to burn them for energy again if your intake of sugars (starches, whole grain breads/pastas or refined breads/pastas) is at levels typical of the American diet.

The most efficient way to lose fat is to dramatically reduce or eliminate grains and wheat in your diet, and replace them with fat and protein. Several studies have shown that this results in greater fat loss for obese people than the standard "eat less, exercise more" mantra, and that it has beneficial effects on cholesterol, blood sugar, high blood pressure, etc. When your insulin response to what you eat is lessened dramatically, your body is forced to adapt to burn fat rather than glucose as its primary fuel source. I could go on and explain how fats (and particularly saturated fats) are not detrimental to your health, and in fact are quite good for the body, how cholesterol is not actually the demon it's been made out to be, etc, but this is outlined in several excellent resources.

First and foremost: head on over to MarksDailyApple.com and possibly pick up a copy of his book "The Primal Blueprint." Check out the success stories on the blog and use the search feature to find posts he's written on weight loss, the dangers of grains, and metabolic syndrome. Then check out the following:

"Good Calories, Bad Calories," a book by Gary Taubes
"Fat Head," a humorous documentary, by Tom Naughton

I am emphatically NOT recommending a low-carb diet fad like Atkins or South Beach. Vegetables and fruits should be the foundation of the diet. Meats, fats, eggs, nuts, seeds, and some oils should also be present.

I agree with other posters about exercise: walking or a recumbent bike, or swimming if you're so inclined, are great low-intensity activities that can help you become more fit and increase your endurance. Strength training 2-3 times a week is great for the body, and you could gradually work up to doing 1-2 more intense workouts each week.

Congratulations on beginning to take charge of your health! I wish you luck and I hope you find this information helpful ... I've dropped nearly 40 lbs in 3 months of following this (just 15 more until my goal weight), have put on lean muscle, eliminated my depression symptoms and sleep disturbances and have great energy for life!

[Celtic8Laoch]

Ive lost 70lbs since january on a 20 gram carb diet. now in april i bumped it up to 25 and now 30 but its definately the way to go. Its the atkins diet and if you can stick to it u will see massive loss. This is my second time on it and it definately works. you can dowload his book for free off the internet. hope this helps.

[ShootemTex]

He is absolutely right, it is important to pay attention just as much, probably more to what you eat vs. the final calorie count. and in regard to the overall question, yes weightlifting is a good way for an obese person to loose weight. Simply because a person who builds more muscle will use more calories at rest and during any form of exercise. So if by weight lifting you increase your overall metabolism by ten to twenty percent, then the total calories burned in every form of exercise, including cardio, will also increase. this is simplifying a very complicated science but you get the point. Weightlifting is always better than not weightlifting, to any degree. The only thing different is you would eat the way bodybuilders do during a cutting phase, but you have probably already realized that. I lost seventy pounds by weightlifting and cardio as well as diet, you can succeed too![QUOTE=Vajrasattva;899462661]

[llllern]

congrats to all of you who have been trying and have lost.weight

I think it is possible to loose the weight if and I say IF you have a proper diet. High protein tapering off your carbs Monday thru Thursday then no carbs on friday _sundays with NO sugar in your diet . You don't have. To starve to loos weight

[Sami76]

The most efficient way to lose fat is to dramatically reduce or eliminate grains and wheat in your diet, and replace them with fat and protein.

It can't hurt the OP to try this, but just my 2 cents...I did this for a month and a half (and had dramatically reduced grains for the month prior). Even kept dairy to a bare minimum. Stayed in a calorie deficit. Carbs around 100g. I'm now up 3 lbs. So this doesn't work for everyone. It is helpful for limiting calories, though. Hard to overeat when the mainstay of your diet is vegetables, meat, and fruit.

[Sami76]

OP, taking pictures of your progress should help you see changes if the scale isn't on your side right now. Are you keeping track of calorie intake and making sure you're in a moderate deficit?

[Celtic8Laoch]

Im telling you guys atkins diet is the way to go, ive lost 70lbs in 5 and a half months, with exercise obviously, but low carb is a winner and you never feel hungry so i think its the perfect solution for OP. Good luck with it man, you can do it, just set your mind to it!

[svfloyd]

dont get me wrong , you will lose weight on atkins diet, but when you get tired of it, and you will,you will gain back all the weight plus. i lost 40 pounds and gained back 70. it is very hard to stay on this diet for a life long commitment.

[mauro2]

go for it

[hight3chredneck]

the grain thing might be true, but calories in vs. calories out is way way more important than the quality of food you intake. I am never really hungry and trying to gain weight. I think you are exactly the opposite, so i would suggest eating less, weighttrain, with cardio.

weight train 6 days a week, rest on sunday. do a different body part each day of the week. do cardio at the end for 20 mins each day to start with, go up from there when you get more comfortable.

Eating less is going to be hard. Apparently really fuking hard, from what i understand. Well, if you can't do this step, forget everything else, you are going to fail. Eat less, you don't have to count, just eat less. You can weight yourself every day at the same time, I would suggest in the morning after you piss. write your weight down every day. Take a mental note throughout the day of how much you have eaten. You should be able to guess after a few weeks if your weight is going to go up or down day to day based on what you eat and how hard you worked that day. Once you understand that you can mentally tell yourself, "I need to stop eating for the day" you will be on the road to success.

Also, do everything consistently. Don't skip days and don't cheat.

[PPNCHER69]

losing fat boils down to creating a calorie deficit - plain and simple! Whether you create that deficit by eating better, exercising more, or both, it really all comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned.

Be careful following all of the advice that you see on bb.com. Much of it is for healthy individuals that weight train regularly. Someone like that has different nutritional needs than you do. As far as supplements go, you should talk to your doctor about what you can and can't take. I would imagine a good thermogenic like oxyelite pro or even the newest hydroxycut would be beneficial as long as your doctor says it is ok. Beyond that, you will really need to focus more on your food intake and cardio regimen. The good news for you is that supplements probably won't make a huge difference but other changes to your diet and exercise plan will.

I would recommend low impact cardio such as walking or riding a recumbent bike to get started. Diet wise i would try to eat every couple hours so you never get very hungry. High-fiber, low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables will help you feel full without needlessly adding tons of calories. I'm sure you already know this, but do whatever you can to avoid foods that are chock full of sugar or saturated fats.

Stick with it man and you will start to see a difference. The key is to start small and stick with it. Don't get derailed if you aren't seeing results right away.

Good luck!

when ur morbidly obese it isnt possible to do low cardio for a couple of months, weight is a better option.

[thatphatguy]

homie i was 367 pound when i joined less thn two months go, now 334 ish calorie intake between 1500-1900 daily and most is veggies, home made fruit smoothies and chicken lol

my cut is a little severe but us phat guys can tolerate a higher tdee , it sucks, but my always say tomyself if i dont do this , a year from now ill wish i started a year ago....all i take is 5-htp , melatonin, and caffeine

what guy above me said is correct about cardio, i work out every other day 20-30 min, low weight high reps on a piece of chit york home gym...better than nothing...i tried running on the spot once lol 2 min in i threw up LMFAO

[lethedethius]

Hey I wish you luck-Establish a few rules for yourself-Cut out soda 100% Cut out candy and junk food (chips, chocolates like reeses, etc). If you can cut out any/all fast food you'll see results, but don't focus on the numbers so much-they'll trick you. Look at yourself in the mirror, do you feel good after a workout? If you're tired and feel like having a nap then you did yourself some good in the gym.

Keep at it, you may gain some more weight before you're body is ready to shed fat... Your body is doing everything it can to hold unto that weight because that is what it knows... I'm just out of surgery and my body wants to hold on to it's body weight currently while I do cardio (I can't lift weights because of shoulder surgery haha)-It's struggling to hold onto that weight so I'm not seeing the numbers on the scale, but I'm feeling the change in how my shirt fits.

Again Good Luck!

[kstan10]

really wish you all the best in your goal. big inspiration to a lot of people on here. hope to see some results. remember to stay true to who you are and not take criticism as a bad thing but make it work for you. you will go far my friend keep up good work

[Neverstopsmilin]

Im telling you guys atkins diet is the way to go, ive lost 70lbs in 5 and a half months, with exercise obviously, but low carb is a winner and you never feel hungry so i think its the perfect solution for OP. Good luck with it man, you can do it, just set your mind to it!

Hey There, I'm new to bodybuilding.com but from what I've heard in the past cutting out carbs isn't healthy fou your muscle mass and brain function - this is just what i've heard. I'm trying to cut down my fat percentage but this so hard. I have lost 10 kilos so far since last year but I feel i've hit a platue

[kennedyronna]

Thats 's fantastic !!!

[SpencerSpencer]

. As far as supplements go, you should talk to your doctor about what you can and can't take. I would imagine a good thermogenic like OxyElite Pro or even the newest Hydroxycut would be beneficial as long as your doctor says it is ok.

I totally agree with you Dewey. OP definitely check with your doctor before you start taking any supps. I imagine the valves of your heart are both significantly congested and enlarged at this point in time.

Low impact cardio and clean eating should really jump start the weight lost.

Don't forget to intake a lot of water! I'm not sure how much water a 600lb individual should drink per day, but I'm assuming its a lot.

[TyJax81]

If you are this heavy, you should be consulting with a doctor or a real nutritionist, not peoples opinions on bodybuilding.com. This is a serious matter for you. You should first get a calorie watch such as Polar heart rate monitor and go from there. Put it on, wear it for 24 hours. this will give you exactly the amount of calories you should consume in 1 day. Then you have to subtract calories to get your deficit. I wouldnt eat like a bodybuilder in your situation. I would make better choices and start there. Gradually letting things go until your body reaches its equilibrium. Eating like a bodybuilder is going to cause you to do nothing but binge eat. And I would imagine that you arent moving too much. You need find some type of personal trainer to help you from home. Check out my website. There are helpful tips on there as well as some foods that you can eat for weight loss.

http://www.isefitness.com/eating-clean-healthy--meals

I am super morbidly obese (over 600lbs) i have taken the advice of bodybuilding.com and have been eating and training using the program from the site to lose weight but have gained about 6lbs. i believe this is muscle weight not fat and have been training for 2 months, feel great and i get around better now than i have in over a year but at what point do i actually start to lose weight? need help am confused.

[SqueezeMe]

Good luck big yella!

[BigBearFit]

Hey big man, we have a client who was 400LBS and now he is down to 250LBS he looks awsome, hes worked hard and its taken him 21 months. He followed our fat loss guide and workout programme and has dropped an amazing 150LBS. It all boils down to cutting your calories majorly and your weight will drop significantly because your so heavy. When at the gym or home workout work as hard as your body will go this is ensuring that you are burning the carlories. Its understandable at the start you arnt going to burn more calories than you eat but it is very much achievable. Please send us a private message and we might be able to assist you more.

Team Big Bear

[iWantaSixPack00]

I am super morbidly obese (over 600lbs) i have taken the advice of bodybuilding.com and have been eating and training using the program from the site to lose weight but have gained about 6lbs. i believe this is muscle weight not fat and have been training for 2 months, feel great and i get around better now than i have in over a year but at what point do i actually start to lose weight? need help am confused.

It's all about consistency man. Some days you do better than others. At that weight I wouldn't lift too much. Stick with low impact cardio and try take in as little sugar and sodium as you can. You'll start to lose weight in no time.

[maxmuscleseeker]

There are many variables you can play with to lose weight right now. Weighing over 600lbs, much of that will come off easily (since the caloric requirement to maintain that weight is massive, and deficits are easy to create), for now, up until the point of maybe 300lbs. If you're given the clear from your doctor, indeed a thermogenic would be invaluable in your efforts, since every little bit counts.
As for diet, make veggies your base right about now. why? because you can load up on as much as you like, while still incurring just a tiny caloric debt. The second most important aspect would be protein, since it will additionally raise your metabolism, and prevent breakdown of your existing muscle tissue.
By the way; something you may be interested to know--- you probably have more muscle mass than a lot of us, since higher body mass mandates that your muscles be bigger and stronger than a 150 lb guy (no offense guys )
You will do well to restrict carbs about now, as insulin is the man we need to get a handle of. Everytime you eat carbs, you cause a spike in insulin levels and shutdown of fat burning. You do not need to do low carb forever; it's more about carb timing.
Stick with it, results will come to you