Down 45 pounds, still chasing visible recomp

Saturday at 4:22 AM 1467 views 4 posts

Checking in from a rainy European city. I started at 263 lbs in early February and hit 218 this morning, so about 45 lbs in 22 weeks. I lift four days a week on an upper/lower split, aim for 160-180g protein, and guard sleep like it's part of the program. The scale is moving, but the mirror is slower. Shirts are looser, waist down from 40 to 34, but I still look softer than I want in the midsection. I'm not chasing shortcuts or weird hacks; I'd rather keep strength and add muscle slowly. My main frustration is deciding whether to keep cutting a bit more or shift to maintenance for a few months and push recomp harder. For those who've done this: when did you stop caring about the scale and just let the tape measure and lifts guide you?

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Fellow cafe owner here—the croissant tray is my final boss. What helped my mirror lag was tracking non-scale recomp markers: same lighting, same time, monthly photos + tape at navel, and logging top sets (e.g., squat 135x5 -> 185x5). The scale and waist moved slower than strength. I also started measuring the little tastes—half a scone broken over a shift is 150-200 cal, not “nothing.” Question: are your lifts going up while weight drops? If yes, you’re probably recomping even if the mirror is late. Congrats on 45 down, that’s huge.

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Hi, brand new here—only week one, so I’m mostly lurking and taking notes. This is really encouraging. Quick question: with the scale moving but the mirrr slower, have your main lifts been going up? I’m trying to pick one non-scale win to track since I’m nervous I’ll spiral over daily weigh-ins. Did strength or how clothes fit in certain spots change before photos caught up? Also, rainy European city sounds perfect for cozy lifting days.

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Nice work—45 in 22 weeks is no joke. One thing I’d track beyond scale/waist: your top sets

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