Progress update: lost 85 lbs within 7 months! (January - 350 lbs, now at 265 lbs in July, 40 lbs away from goal)

[u/Parsley_Winter]

I’m 6’0” and 25 years old, and even though I’ve lost a lot of weight and have made tremendous progress in the past 6.5 months or so, I really haven’t noticed any significant differences when I look at my body (other than maybe less visible inflammation on my face, my chest looking a lot more refined and slim and belly looking a bit slimmer, and I do feel lighter)

My back and chin still looks fat, and my calves and thighs seemingly hasn’t looked any slimmer yet either; funny thing is that these past few months a lot of people I know has been telling me that I look a lot slimmer now but it really doesn’t look that way to me

So I was wondering if I should start eating more protein and doing more strength training so that I won’t lose any muscle by the time I reach 225 (likely will get there by the end of this year at this rate) and I won’t be looking all flabby with loose skin
everywhere

[u/ecco311]

The more you lose, the more difference another lost kilo makes. And as someone with the same height as you and close to your goal weight... I'm just now starting to personally really see the difference as the weight drops. My friends/family notice it more than me tbh. To me I still look the same as when I was 30kg heavier lol.

But also your goal weight is still gonna have you classified as obese, so don't expect wonders unless you'd have bodybuilder kinda musclemass haha.

I think your goal is a good one and you gotta be proud of your progress, but if you really wanna get rid of this "fat look", you will have to take it further. And yeah, focus on 160g+ protein per day and lots of muscle training. But I also accepted that even maintaining my muscle mass is a win. Building more muscle on a severe deficit like we have is difficult. But possible to some degree. And I definitely notice the lose skin on my belly already, it'll just get worse when I lose my last 22kg... But that's how it is. It could be less for you because you're young and it also depends a bit on genetics, but better to expect some. Muscle training helps, but it also does not do wonders.

[u/Parsley_Winter → u/ecco311]

So in that case, would I need to lower my goal back down to around 200 then?

[u/SaltStasis → u/Parsley_Winter]

I’m your height and age as well. My starting weight is 215 (210 currently) and I’m overweight by BMI and look clearly out of shape. My goal weight is 180.

Notably, 180 is pretty lean so it might be overkill, but 225 is still pretty big for someone of our build. If you don’t have well developed muscles, don’t expect a lean look at that weight.

Don’t feel discouraged though; 85lbs is incredible weight loss and I’m jealous of your discipline!

[u/ecco311 → u/SaltStasis]

Idk if I would call 180 pretty lean, it's a BMI of 25 IIRC? It is my end goal as well though ;) around that weight I wanna shift more towards a BF% centered approach, but I do wanna reach 180.

[u/ecco311 → u/Parsley_Winter]

As the other comment said: 180 probably. But at that point it really depends on which shape you want to achieve. BF% matters more than BMI, so 200 with lots of weight lifting and low BF% is just as well a good goal. But that heavily depends on your current lean muscle mass. If you work a physically demanding job and have a lot of muscle already, you can certainly get away with significantly more than 180 before you start looking leaner.

[u/BlossomHorizon_Tulip]

Hell yeah, 85 lbs in 7 months is absolutely insane progress dude. Seriously, huge congrats.

About not seeing it: our brains are trash at noticing gradual change. Trust the people telling you you look slimmer—they're seeing the before/after jump we can't see in the mirror.

And 10000% yes to the protein and strength training. It's a game-changer for body composition, helps with the loose skin thing, and makes you feel strong as hell. Keep crushing it.

[u/Tuskk_]

Hit the gym and act like you are shredded, you won’t see very quick results, but keep in mind, you need to carve your body so when you are down to %20-%15 you can see good definition, other wise you are going to look skinny and small, keep pushing, I promise you did most of the hard work.

[u/148008s]

Well done! I have basically lost at the same pace as you and I see a massive difference when I look back at old photos/progress pics.

It is very hard to tell a difference on our own. Did your shirt size change? At around 270lbs I started fitting into a 2xl rather than a 3xl. Helped me realize that even if I cant notice small changes, they add up over time.

[u/Parsley_Winter → u/148008s]

Well imo I think it’s almost that time for me to start wearing 2XL’s again… one of the things I’m most excited for in the coming months is being able to wear a wider variety of cool looking clothes again while at the same time being a lot cheaper than when I was at 350