RANT: I look worse than I did before at this weight

J

joyce65714

New member
I don't think anything can be done about this, I just need to get this out somewhere.

Been a big boy my entire life. Got up to 240 lbs in college. I got down to 203 in 2019 at 23 y/o and felt and looked great.

I went through an incredibly tough time in 2021 and ballooned my weight to 255.

Over the past year, I've been losing weight again and I've been lifting for 5 months. I'm 204.5 as of this morning.

I look worse than I did in 2019, even though I'm healthier than I was at that point due to actually working out this time. I have visible biceps and triceps. I can see my chest muscles (only near the armpit, but I still have too much bf). My thighs and quads have definition that they've never had before. But, I have belly overhang that I didn't have back then. My moobs are bigger. Back then, I couldn't even do 5 pushups, but I could get down and crank out 20 right now without breaking a sweat. Overall, I look worse now than I did when I was weaker.

The reason I know I look worse is because I have shirtless photos of myself from 2019 that I saved because I was proud. I'm proud of it now, too, but I decidedly look worse now than I did.

It's absolutely infuriating. At 6'1, I'm only 14 lbs away from no longer being overweight. I still look like I weigh 230. Fucking shit cock motherfucking assblasting FUCK.

That is all.
 
@joyce65714 Don’t get discouraged!! You can have a better body composition. I’m 41 in the best shape of my life. First of all check your protein- shoot for 1 gram per pound of body weight per day. Eat the protein on your plate first. Incorporate HIIT cardio 2-3 times per week(either 8-10 intervals on assault type bike-15 second sprints/45 second back off). Finally: Walk fasted (morning before food). Give it a shot. Keep in mind finding a good coach can help keep you motivated and help adapt your plan if/when needed.
 
@harko There are a lot of variables to consider but there is no question HIiT is less likely to eat into muscle than long medium/minimal intensity sessions. HIIT sessions continue to burn calories up to 72 hours after as long as the intensity is high enough(95% VO2 max+), while longer steady state cardio only burns during the time it’s being done.
 
@thecoldbike It's false. It's long been known that LISS is better for recovery and hypertrophy granted it's not taken to the extreme. The afterburn effect is vastly over stated.
 
@harko I go partly on research but mostly on experience. I was never able to lean out til starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which is basically 5 minute bouts of intervals and we all know skinny fat jogger/runners. I will a say fasted walking is great for fat loss and preserves muscle, I agree. However it takes much longer to burn calories than much shorter HIIT sessions. At the end of the day people have to do what works for them, I’m sure that we can agree on.
 
@harko I challenge anyone to follow the protocol I lad out in my original post for a month plus and tell me there’s no improvement in body composition.
 
@joyce65714 Haha, don't feel too bad. I noticed that as I got older my body composition totally changed even though I have been the same weight for years, 6'4" 225.

Been lifting and watching diet for over a decade and notice little things here and there that over time add up. Like you said, looking at photos confirm this and yeah it's depressing as hell.

For example, somehow, despite not changing my diet or routine, my 6 pack is a 4 pack now! Wtf! I didn't even notice until my wife said something. Now I'm all fucking paranoid and hitting it extra hard but I think I'm starting to come to the conclusion that we just get older and it's harder to get the same results from the same input.

Hope that helps you somewhat.
 
@joyce65714 Well yeah bro, you're getting older. This should motivate you to lose even more weight because it doesn't get easier from here and if you don't put the work in now it's going to require even more work down the line when you're even more tired and it's harder to do.
 
@joyce65714 You lost weight and likely have loose skin. It may tighten up some over time. You can also minimize loose skin by focusing on hypertrophy and muscle building.
 
@joyce65714 20 push-ups with forearms perpendicular to the ground at 204 and you feel badly about yourself? This I got to see.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1738627113127752160

Real push-ups. Have only ever done 2 at a time, but maybe could have done 15 at 136 pounds. Well, those are narrow stance, so not perfect real push-ups like you can do.

Also, we don't see ourselves in 360, maybe it's an exceptionally good photo, and your awareness of your body is now more accurate.

I think you have body dysmorphia, and if you make the vid, you might get chicks. Just trying to help. Also, getting over oneself is a good part of maturing, this was part of that for both of us...I think? Oh, and I hope you are the chill kinda dude who hates his body because he loves the feminine form and not the d-bag kind who wants to look good because he thinks that somehow makes him better able to attract a different kind of woman. Because LOL.

Your character is your character, obviously you are more than one post on Reddit. Sorry for the subtle troll, be happy you've done so much man! You look 20 pounds lighter, people notice that.
 
@joyce65714 You’re just at a stage of your body changing where some parts are more toned than others. Keep targeting the trouble zones and don’t look at progress for some weeks/months. When you go back and do a comparison you will see the change and this will help with your frustration.
 
@joyce65714 Fair enough - totally valid to be angry and frustrated, but as others have said trust the process. It will improve. More importantly - focus on the incredible improvement to your health. I get it - we all want to look better and it is the motivation for 99% of us, but being healthier is soooooo much more important than superficial looks.
 
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