I lost 120 pounds total but I also lost my "fat guy strength"

I read an interesting article (though I cannot remember where, maybe on Breaking Muscle?) that higher bodyfat content forces muscles to attach at angles that are more physically advantageous for lifting higher proportions to your bodyweight. Hence, heavyweight and ultra heavyweight oly and power lifters look the way they do and can crush it in the gym.

jquijas wrote: »

In one year you lost over 100 lbs! First Congrats!!!! Second during that time you have lost muscle, no way around that, losing that much weight resulted in muscle lost. The "muscle gain" you see is the fat that you have shed allowing the muscle that is left to come through. My recommendation is to start putting muscle back on, get off the "maintenance" thing. Unless you are happy with the loss in strength and your overall appearance. I'm not saying you need to add muscle or look different, so please don't take this the wrong way. If you want to put muscle back on and gain strength you need to hit heavy weights, low reps, try a program like stronglifts 5X5. Again this is my opinion and only that an opinion, from what I can see/tell in the picture you look great!

Perfect answer here^^!!! I totally agree and can relate, I went from 200 to 145 and felt it was too thin for me, although it was what BMI charts said I should weigh for my height. More than one person asked if I was okay. Been maintaining at 155 for a year and LOOK more muscular but agree that's just the muscle showing better now with less fat cover.

I lost muscle in the process for sure, can be helped when in a deficit. I struggle with tasks at work that used to be easy, also you have less mass behind you when moving something or like another poster said, when your dog is pulling on the leash.

We need to push past the maintenance phase and start doing some strength training and heavy lifting as suggested. We will put on weight, and some of that will be fat but that's part of the process. We lost fat before and we know how and can do it again! Time to move forward with the next stage of the fitness journey.

I'm going to start Stronglifts 5x5 program, cut my cardio back to walking only on my rest days (I run a lot now) and go into a caloric surplus as soon as I get back down to 145. Only doing that because of recommendations from people here that starting a bulk at a lower body fat percentage makes the gains more efficient.

Good luck to you, and friend request sent. Hopefully we can work through it together.

All I know is that you have done an incredible job of getting healthy and fit! Congratulations!!!

Well done on your weight loss. I think Jchite is correct though - when you look at the physique of power lifters they don't have the muscles of body builders, but they have huge bulk. Obese women get less osteoporosis than thin women because carrying say, an extra 100lb around is equivalent to doing a great deal of weight bearing exercise, which keeps bones strong.

You may be lifting less but you must be so much healthier than you were, which as you say is a much better place to be.

So often when people talk about losing weight they say they want to get in a bikini or 32" pants, which is fine, but for you to want to get healthy so you can see your daughter grow up is the most worthwhile thing there is. Well done.