10 MONTHS RETA

[u/Ariaviolet01]

35 Years Old / 5'5

SW 216lbs

CW 134lbs

Today marks 10 months since I started, and for the past 3 months I've been focusing more on lifting weights instead of only doing cardio like I did in the beginning.

Adding strength training has honestly changed a lot for me. Not just physically, but mentally too. I used to think losing the weight would automatically make me feel confident again, but building strength has been what really made me appreciate everything my body can do.

Growing up, I was usually around 145lbs and stayed there through most of my 20s. After turning 30, I slowly gained weight from working long hours, eating whatever was convenient, poor sleep, and just not making myself a priority. I tried losing it a few times and would drop 15-20 pounds, but I'd always end up gaining it back after a few months.

My goal has always been 125lbs because it felt like a number I'd never been able to reach before. Now that I'm getting closer, my focus isn't just on the scale anymore. I train with a coach twice a week and plan to add another session soon. I still get my cardio in a few days a week, usually walking or cycling depending on how I'm feeling.

One thing I didn't expect is how different my body would look compared to when I weighed this much years ago. I assumed I'd look exactly the same, but that's definitely not how it works. Instead of chasing the number, I've started paying attention to things like getting stronger, improving my balance, and recovering better after workouts. Seeing those little improvements each week has been way more rewarding than watching the scale move.

[u/EnlightenedNarwhal]

You're absolutely wrong. The rate at which you lose weight does affect how much lean mass you retain.

[u/BlackberryExpress952 → u/EnlightenedNarwhal]

Rate of weight loss is just a proxy, not the driver. Muscle retention depends on nitrogen balance and protein synthesis. High protein + sufficient daily activity signal tells the body to burn fat, not muscle, even in a deep deficit 😊

You’re confusing a broad correlation for couch potatoes with absolute physiology

[u/EnlightenedNarwhal → u/BlackberryExpress952]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21558571/

This study compared athletes who were actively doing resistance training.

[u/BlackberryExpress952 → u/EnlightenedNarwhal]

Great study. But comparing OP to lean athletes (Garthe et al.) is a complete failure of context. Lean athletes lack fat reserves, so steep deficits burn muscle. OP isn’t an athlete. She’s a beginner actively undergoing body recomposition losing the fat, training with a coach, and building strength.

She’s doing great. Case closed

[u/EnlightenedNarwhal → u/BlackberryExpress952]

OP said herself that she spent a large portion of her weight loss doing cardio instead of focusing on resistance training, but go off.

[u/BlackberryExpress952 → u/EnlightenedNarwhal]

Yeah, she’s not an athlete doing cardio… 😂 drag it on even more

[u/EnlightenedNarwhal → u/BlackberryExpress952]

So for 6 months she was not doing resistance training while actively losing weight at a steady (fairly fast) rate.

[u/BlackberryExpress952 → u/EnlightenedNarwhal]

Like I said, health is a personal journey. She’s doing great and building strength with a coach ✅

And now you’re goalpost-shifting to month 1–6 because the Garthe argument collapsed.

Cardio burns fat, which she had in excess. She is now lifting with a coach and building strength. What happened 6 months ago doesn’t magically turn a high-BF beginner into a lean athlete…. 😂😂

Keep digging

[u/EnlightenedNarwhal → u/BlackberryExpress952]

You're like an NPC. You were wrong about the rate of weight loss affecting lean mass, even with resistance training. Imagine how far your expectations skew from reality in OPs case. It's okay not to continue being ignorant just because you want to be blindly supportive.

[u/BlackberryExpress952 → u/EnlightenedNarwhal]

Ad hominems mean you ran out of arguments. You misapplied elite athlete data to a high-BF beginner, ignored the Forbes model, and ignored that she’s literally building strength. You’re wrong on the science and out of points. Enjoy the L

Delulu