My proof you can go from fat to having abs! Motivation for beginners. Before/After

[LetsGetBig165]

edited to make the pictures easier to understand and put all my diet info in the OP

Fat (July 4th, 2009) Green bathing Suit (July 4th, 2012)
In 2010 I dieted from 213 lbs to 160 lbs without exercise, diet only (not paying attention to macros b/c I didn't care/know how about it.). I started working out February 2, 2012. I did a bulk until April 1, 2012 and then did a low carb cut until the week of July 4th. In the picture with green bathing suit is when I carbed up. The first picture is just a picture of me when I was fat from 2009 and a picture of me at my leanest. The second picture is a comparison from the 1st day I started lifting to the same day a year later.


July 4th 2009 213 lbs. (fat) - July 4th 2012 156 lbs. (green bathing suit)




First day of working out Feb. 2nd 2012 164 lbs - 1 Year later Feb. 2nd 2013 178 lbs.



Just finished bulking from the August 20th 2012 - Feb. 1st 2013. 156-178 lbs

Today (173 lbs.)
I started cutting Feb. 1st and this is how I look today, I'm cutting eating 2700 calories a day, I tend to keep my carbs low about 100g-125g and will start a low carb diet (less than 30g daily) April 1st-June 1st and then do a low carb maintenance or very clean bulk to look as cut as I can for the summer, hoping to be around 170 8%BF. It may be a long shot but I like to set my standards high but the goal is to be as close to 170 as I can get while staying as lean as possible.

[shawntoronto]

amazing transformation

[LetsGetBig165]

amazing transformation

thanks man, seems like were in the same boat from the looks of your sig. keep up the hard work you look good in progress pics

[neophytou]

amazing transformation bro!

I have a question for you - I used to be very overweight as a kid, (22 now and been lifting seriously for 2 years) and it seems like I can never get rid of the flab from my body?

Im still no where near as lean as I should be, but did you find that as you lost weight, that the fat started to feel very loose and wobbly?

Im hoping it goes away in time... but its weird!

[LetsGetBig165]

amazing transformation bro!

I have a question for you - I used to be very overweight as a kid, (22 now and been lifting seriously for 2 years) and it seems like I can never get rid of the flab from my body?

Im still no where near as lean as I should be, but did you find that as you lost weight, that the fat started to feel very loose and wobbly?

Im hoping it goes away in time... but its weird!

Im still going through the same problem, lower abs have flab I feel like I have the abdominal muscles for an 8-pack but as you can see the arent visible. Unfortunately I think the only solution is a tummy tuck or to try and grow into it. Personally I'm going to just keep getting bigger until I fill it up.

I have the lose skin look of say a woman who gave birth lol. It's not visible while standing but it is when I sit down or bend over, it's pretty embarassing. I call them my battle wounds haha

[James199117]

Im still going through the same problem, lower abs have flab I feel like I have the abdominal muscles for an 8-pack but as you can see the arent visible. Unfortunately I think the only solution is a tummy tuck or to try and grow into it. Personally I'm going to just keep getting bigger until I fill it up.

I have the lose skin look of say a woman who gave birth lol. It's not visible while standing but it is when I sit down or bend over, it's pretty embarassing. I call them my battle wounds haha

Go on a pre competition bodybuilding diet for 15 weeks and that thin layer will start to disappear I'm in the middle of contest prep and starting to get really lean, weighed in today at 179.5 I'm 6'0 guessing around 10%bf. used to weigh in at 247 lbs 18 months ago haha. I was a fat phucker

[LetsGetBig165]

Go on a pre competition bodybuilding diet for 15 weeks and that thin layer will start to disappear I'm in the middle of contest prep and starting to get really lean, weighed in today at 179.5 I'm 6'0 guessing around 10%bf. used to weigh in at 247 lbs 18 months ago haha. I was a fat phucker

Nice man thats awesome to hear! I have been worried about this for so long. Where can I find a pre competition bodybuilding diet I've been trying to find what to do I'm not interested in competing right now but I love being shredded for the beach lol. I kind of followed what I read was a precomp diet for that pic in the green bathing suit. I was doing low carb for 2 months before vacation I did high sodium for like a week and then I dropped to as low sodium I could do with low carb and then I carbed up 2 days before I took that pic.

[redexadieu]

hiow long did u cut for initially? i presume u had a bulk then another cut? or u had some pretty nice mass under the initial fat

[LetsGetBig165]

hiow long did u cut for initially? i presume u had a bulk then another cut? or u had some pretty nice mass under the initial fat

from 213 i cut for about 4-5 months and dropped down to 160. i didnt workout or care about what my body looked like i just wanted to lose weight so i basically ate 1200 cals a day then whatever i wanted.

if you look at my second comparison pic that is when i started lifting in feb. 2012 i started bulking right away with an eat as much protein as possible diet lol around 3500 cals.
bulked for 2 months and then started cutting april 1st.

fortunately i have great genetics from both sides, my dad was huge and his sister was a power lifter haha. my mom was just naturally toned i had a 6 pack my whole life until i was in 10th grade in high school. i worked out on and off in high school but nothing serious. my fam always brings up how i had a 6 pack as a baby. also played sports my whole life until high school i had decent mass and strength just never stuck with it.

[tepee007]

diet and routine?

[LetsGetBig165]

diet and routine?

40/40/20 currently cutting. will get into a low carb cut in april and then do a low carb maintenance throughout summer.
my current routine is kelei's intermediate routine in the sticky's and for my first 2 months i did all pros beginner, then i did ripptoes program with a few tweaks until 3 months ago when i switched to kelei's. every 2 months i take a week off to let my body heal.

[deltpecx]

Great Transformation!

repped!

[hcoyle545]

In that last pic, did you simply lean bulk for a year or was that a number of cut/bulk cycles?

Great transformation btw.

[philribeiro1]

i like the outcome pretty good goal body

[Chubbs8]

Very nice! That gives me a lot of hope. I still have good amount of fat to rid of but anytime I try and see my strength drop I always get discouraged. Do you have any tips to deal with that, or is it just an unavoidable consequence of losing weight?

[nic9212]

LetsGetBig165 nice job man! Keep it up and you will reach you goal

[LetsGetBig165]

In that last pic, did you simply lean bulk for a year or was that a number of cut/bulk cycles?

Great transformation btw.

the pictures are actually pretty confusing.

the first picture is me when i was fat and me at my most defined. The fat picture is from 2009, the picture in green is from July 2012. I started lifting in Feb. 2012.

The second set of pictures is Feb. 2 2012 my first day of lifting, and the second picture is what i looked like exactly a year later (Feb. 2, 2013)

edited op.

[hcoyle545]

the pictures are actually pretty confusing.

the first picture is me when i was fat and me at my most defined. The fat picture is from 2009, the picture in green is from July 2012. I started lifting in Feb. 2012.

The second set of pictures is Feb. 2 2012 my first day of lifting, and the second picture is what i looked like exactly a year later (Feb. 2, 2013)

I got that, but i'm asking between Feb. 2 2012 and Feb. 2 2013, how many bulk and cut cycles did you do? What was the layout, i.e. bulk for 3months/cut for 2 or just a straight bulk?

[LetsGetBig165]

I got that, but i'm asking between Feb. 2 2012 and Feb. 2 2013, how many bulk and cut cycles did you do? What was the layout, i.e. bulk for 3months/cut for 2 or just a straight bulk?

Feb 2. 2012 I bulked until April 1st then did low carb cut until 4th of july picture. From 156 I bulked from August 2012-Feb. 2013 and weighed 178 on the final day of my bulk.

[LetsGetBig165]

Very nice! That gives me a lot of hope. I still have good amount of fat to rid of but anytime I try and see my strength drop I always get discouraged. Do you have any tips to deal with that, or is it just an unavoidable consequence of losing weight?

I got stronger during my first cut but I had only been lifting for 2 months when I started cutting and my diet was on point, low carb and some days I consumed 350g-400g on protein. I am starting a cut now I'll let you know what happens to my strength.

[kenethleclair]

Yup! You did it!

[eyeguy]

Green bathing suit looks the best no homo

[LetsGetBig165]

thanks for all the positive comments hope you all reach your goals as well. never give up!!

[Chubbs8]

I got stronger during my first cut but I had only been lifting for 2 months when I started cutting and my diet was on point, low carb and some days I consumed 350g-400g on protein. I am starting a cut now I'll let you know what happens to my strength.

Thanks, I've been going for 9 months now and I don't think I've had a dedicated bulk period. I've done a low calorie diet for my initial big loss and then did a steady decline at a slower rate. but to give you and idea, May last year I was 320ish ( dont know precisely as I hated scales) and now I am 225, stronger and faster than ever.

[transformerchad]

Im still going through the same problem, lower abs have flab I feel like I have the abdominal muscles for an 8-pack but as you can see the arent visible. Unfortunately I think the only solution is a tummy tuck or to try and grow into it. Personally I'm going to just keep getting bigger until I fill it up.

I have the lose skin look of say a woman who gave birth lol. It's not visible while standing but it is when I sit down or bend over, it's pretty embarassing. I call them my battle wounds haha

amazing transformation bro ... im also strulling with the lower abs loose skin , plan is to grow into it ... if i reach a certain lbm and still have the loose skin its just a matter of getting a mini tummy tuck . battle scars ftw ! good job

[VegetarianBB]

Awesome transformation man! Im sort of in the same boat here! I was very fat over 300 lbs, And im on my final cut! Im at 174, check out my thread and my goal to get abs by summer for my big family reunion, let me know what you think! again amazing job op!
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=151816503

[OneLastChance]

So, low carb seemed to work extremely well for you. Do you personally reccommend it? I heard you lose tons of energy and a little strength.

[godevs4ever]

edited to make the pictures easier to understand and put all my diet info in the OP

Fat (July 4th, 2009) Green bathing Suit (July 4th, 2012)
In 2010 I dieted from 213 lbs to 160 lbs without exercise, diet only (not paying attention to macros b/c I didn't care/know how about it.). I started working out February 2, 2012. I did a bulk until April 1, 2012 and then did a low carb cut until the week of July 4th. In the picture with green bathing suit is when I carbed up. The first picture is just a picture of me when I was fat from 2009 and a picture of me at my leanest. The second picture is a comparison from the 1st day I started lifting to the same day a year later.


July 4th 2009 213 lbs. (fat) - July 4th 2012 156 lbs. (green bathing suit)




First day of working out Feb. 2nd 2012 164 lbs - 1 Year later Feb. 2nd 2013 178 lbs.



Just finished bulking from the August 20th 2012 - Feb. 1st 2013. 156-178 lbs

Today (173 lbs.)
I started cutting Feb. 1st and this is how I look today, I'm cutting eating 2700 calories a day, I tend to keep my carbs low about 100g-125g and will start a low carb diet (less than 30g daily) April 1st-June 1st and then do a low carb maintenance or very clean bulk to look as cut as I can for the summer, hoping to be around 170 8%BF. It may be a long shot but I like to set my standards high but the goal is to be as close to 170 as I can get while staying as lean as possible.

Awesome job and reps for such good progress man keep it up.

[godevs4ever]

So, low carb seemed to work extremely well for you. Do you personally reccommend it? I heard you lose tons of energy and a little strength.

low carb is ok if you do it for a little bit as I've done it multiple times and you do lose a little energy but only until your body starts to feed on the stored carbs in your body, then you get a jolt of energy and after a little bit more time letting your body eat away the stored carbs inside you, should you start introducing carbs back into your diet slowly to keep the energy levels where they are at, however if you DONT do this then you will notice a big energy drop and it will be hard to go through your workout with high intensity and you will start to feel lethargic at some points.....i did this when I took keto too far and did it for a month or two end-to-end and was wondering why my workouts were lacking in energy/intensity....other than that its ok.

[nick87c]

great work! Looking really good!