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CharmanderInDisguise

CharmanderInDisguise

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I kept second-guessing whether I was really getting anywhere, and then some encouraging news finally came through. A recent scan revealed meaningful gains across my workouts, diet, and "research". 5'7" 39M. Seeing these figures has given me the push to stay on track. Things have slowed down a bit lately. Still, I now believe I can continue, even after I'd begun to doubt myself and wonder about my resolve. My start date was January 2026, which works out to roughly 4 months of progress. I began with Tirz, later adding Reta to it, both taken weekly at low doses. These days, I'm only using Reta at 3mg/week.

I also owe a big thank you to this forum! Everything I've learned here, plus the vibe, meant I never had to take this journey by myself.

Start:

Weight: 220.8

Body Fat: 38.7%

Muscle Mass: 71.4 lbs

Current:

Weight: 188

Body Fat: 32.2%

Muscle Mass: 71.7 lbs
 
Nice work, dude! That's real progress. Don't stop. Where are you trying to land weight-wise? You've got no cause to second-guess yourself, since all it takes is a look at the hard proof and the evidence — the numbers — and they're obviously trending down. Another thing that keeps motivation up is progress pictures, because you feel like nothing has changed, but then you check yourself from a month back, or even 2 months or 3 months back, and the visual difference is always drastic. So keep at it!
 
Crowreap said:

Nice work, dude! That's real progress. Don't stop. Where are you trying to land weight-wise? You've got no cause to second-guess yourself, since all it takes is a look at the hard proof and the evidence — the numbers — and they're obviously trending down. Another thing that keeps motivation up is progress pictures, because you feel like nothing has changed, but then you check yourself from a month back, or even 2 months or 3 months back, and the visual difference is always drastic. So keep at it!
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Appreciate it! I'm aiming for somewhere between 155 and 165. My wife has been snapping progress photos for me, but maybe I'm just not seeing the changes I'm hoping for in them? Still, the numbers are undeniable. I'll stay positive and stick with my routine. To be honest, it feels like this is turning into more than just a phase—it's becoming a lifestyle. And that's the point, isn't it? Once I hit my target weight, I figure maintenance eating will either be a real struggle or a total pleasure... possibly both at once.
 
Great work. 32lbs lost in just 4 months, and you haven't lost any muscle! What method are you relying on for tracking your weight and BF %? Stay the course. Also, try not to get discouraged when things slow down, or if you put on a couple pounds now and then. Just stay consistent and results will follow. Congrats!
 
MikeyMike said:

Great work. 32lbs lost in just 4 months, and you haven't lost any muscle! What method are you relying on for tracking your weight and BF %? Stay the course. Also, try not to get discouraged when things slow down, or if you put on a couple pounds now and then. Just stay consistent and results will follow. Congrats!
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Much appreciated!

Back in February I had an inBody scan, then another one earlier this week. During the stretch between them, I kept using my Garmin scale to get rough readings as I continued along.

Protein is my main focus (165g each day). A few times a week I run short distances (1.5-4 miles), and on the other days I do strength training. Taking fiber supplements plus magnesium glycinate daily has eased the mild blockages caused by the GLP-1s.
 
CharmanderInDisguise said:

Crowreap said:

Nice work, dude! That's real progress. Don't stop. Where are you trying to land weight-wise? You've got no cause to second-guess yourself, since all it takes is a look at the hard proof and the evidence — the numbers — and they're obviously trending down. Another thing that keeps motivation up is progress pictures, because you feel like nothing has changed, but then you check yourself from a month back, or even 2 months or 3 months back, and the visual difference is always drastic. So keep at it!
Click to expand...
Appreciate it! I'm aiming for somewhere between 155 and 165. My wife has been snapping progress photos for me, but maybe I'm just not seeing the changes I'm hoping for in them? Still, the numbers are undeniable. I'll stay positive and stick with my routine. To be honest, it feels like this is turning into more than just a phase—it's becoming a lifestyle. And that's the point, isn't it? Once I hit my target weight, I figure maintenance eating will either be a real struggle or a total pleasure... possibly both at once.
Click to expand...
At the beginning, the issue is that when you've got a lot of weight to drop—and even after you've already dropped a lot—the change in how you look is real, but it's not that obvious. Then, as you continue downward, once you finally hit that 155 goal, the appearance will be pretty wild, since the leaner you get, the more extreme and strange the visual result becomes. And yeah, eating at maintenance will definitely be brutally difficult. Here's the wild part: right now I'm only taking in 1500 calories, which for me is a really harsh deficit. Yet this current cut is actually simpler than when I was at 2500 calories a day during maintenance. Why? Back in maintenance I wasn't on reta, so the food noise stayed and I'd be hungry the whole day lol. It's so nuts that I have to push food down my throat because hunger never shows up and I fill up right away, so it feels like I'm bulking while really I'm cutting and dropping weight lol
 
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