I’ve just gotten back in the gym after about 10 years. I been working out using a 5x5 rountine and the t-dawg diet for almost 2 months. I am starting to feel much better and have lost 15 lbs so far. Now the bad news, I only got about 100 lbs to go. My stats are 36 years old, 5’-6" with a medium build and a bonified 300 pounder. My long term goal is to get back to 185 w/ a six pack. (It’s been 15 years since I was that size). My question is that I do not want this to take a year to lose this weight, and was thinking of doing the steriod diet using mag 10. Should I just keep on the t-dawg diet or would you recommend the steriod diet. I would at least like to be down to 200 by the summer.
Congrats and good luck in the future. What about your cardio?
If you want to drop it fast as possible try the Fat Fast for as long as you can stand it, then maybe go back to T-dawg, etc.
Be sure to get your fish oils…this will go along way.
forget the Mag-10, you don’t need that to lose the weight. If you really want assistance then a fat burner like hot rox, xenadrine maybe, But becasue you have so much weight to lose a good diet and training regime will just melt that fat.
Diet is key, concentrate on protein, good fats and reduce those carbs
Hoope this helps
I would try the fat fast diet. I used it before, and it worked great. I lost ~60lbs in two months (from 270 to 210). I am sure you will have great results with it, if you do it correctly.
5X5 is for people under 12% BF
you need meltdown training or other type of bodycomp training.
check out t-mag articles
good luck!
Congrats on your progress. 100 lbs is going to take 50 or so weeks unless you get some radical stuff happening in the short term. I think when you are very overweight you can lose a lot more than 2 lbs a week without losing muscle. 15 lbs in 2 months is pretty good and it should just continue to happen the more you do your exercising and dieting.
rcliff, You joined T-nation over a year ago and you’ve been lifting for almost two months, is that right?
Well congratulations on getting your butt in gear. You’ve got a long haul in front of you. Don’t give up.
What are you doing for fat loss? Cardio?When I decided I was sick of wheezing going up stairs I dropped 30lbs in 2 months using weights and HI treadmill running. (I started at 215lbs, you might want to walk fast uphill.)
Getting that six pack will be hard work but if you work your ass off (literally) you can have it.
If you haven’t read it, look up Shugsy’s “Set Yourself on Fire”
Billy
rcliff1, congratulations on your success so far and on setting yourself goals! But what’s the rush? I know when I start to diet, I too want to lose the fat immediately. But think about how long it took to put it on. I am personally learning the value of patience and the power of consistently making progress over time. What if it takes 2 years to reach your goal? Those 2 years are going to pass whether you’re making yourself miserable with the Fat Fast or dropping fat slowly, but far more healthfully, with the Don’t Diet approach. And in the long run, will it really matter how long it took, as long as you maintain your result for the long haul?
"5X5 is for people under 12% BF
you need meltdown training or other type of bodycomp training.
check out t-mag articles
good luck!"
no it isn’t. joel has said numerous times on the forum that 5x5 is not just for people under 12% bf.
5x5 and cardio would suit him fine. so would meltdown. i’m just pointing out he doesn’t ahve to do meltdown to lose fat
i say stick to what your doing and keep in mind this is a LONG TERM goal. it is probably going to take you a year to lose all of that weight. hell, it probabaly took 10 to put it all on.
if you go at it to hard with something like fat fast you risk burn out. when i diet hard i always have a rebound and eat like shit for a few months until i can re-focus again.
i like the 5x5 stick with it. also try maximal weights, big boy basics, and abbh. these strength based programs will ensure that you dont lose a bunch of strength and muscle while dieting.
I’m currently training a guy and he’s lost about 60lbs in 9 months. Go slow and steady, look at this as a long term project/lifestyle change.
Burn baby. Burn.
Stay focused dude
You still don’t want to lose all of it to fast. A buddy of mine went from 280lb to 160lb in a little less than a year (became anorexic) and he has the nastiest skinfolds on his abdomen and sagging sumobreasts made strictly of skin. You have to give your skin some time to catch up. Either way, best of luck losing the fat.
Thanks for all the replies,
As far as cardio goes, I do 20 minutes of bike riding after my workouts. I’ve tried to start jogging again but my knees really hurt the next day, guess I weigh to much right now.
Yes I did join T-mag about a year ago, but it seemed everytime I started to go to the gym, something would happen to derail the progress. But it will not happen this time!
As far as wanting to lose weight fast, I just remember what I used to look like and really want to be back there.
But it will take as long as it takes.
Thanks again for the encouragement.
T-mag rocks.
Definitely listen to fjolnirg.
I’ve been going down the same route since I started college at 300 lbs about two years ago. Although I’m just under 230 lbs right now, I still think I lost more fat than 70 lbs since I did add on quite a bit of muscle mass. Plus the fact I’m more athletic than lots of people lighter than me really adds to the self esteem.
I find sticking with routines of about 5x5 or just generally lifting heavy with HOC, Running Man, HIIT, or GPP tends to be the kicker for keeping the gains permanent. If you can learn them, olympic lifts and variants (especially the one-armed dumbell/k-bell versions) OWN for dropping weight and adding strength at the same time.
Just make it a lifestyle instead of a hard goal, and you’ll get great results.
answering your original question of whether or not to use mag-10 or not, i would say do it if can afford it. results will come much quicker. second, i recommend to you the modified cheaters diet by joel marion. do this diet until you reach your goal. remember that you need to boost your metabolism so stick with big compound lifts and HIIT as well as some regular cardio at the end of your workouts. Simply put the more time you put in the gym and the more discipline you have in your diet will dictate how fast you get your results. Focus on maintaining and improving your overall strength in all your lifts. just because you are loosing fat does not mean you should get weaker. also check out the beast evolves articles from CT. stay focused and have patience, laters pk
john222:
I disagree. 5X5 goes for limit strength while reducing fat. at 300 you cany afford the luxury of having more then one goal - and thats body composition. from ancetodal evidence that I have the more fat% you have, hte more meltdown you should go, esp if youre not an advanced trainea and dont have any strength to lose.
my 0.02$
S-man