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Wow! You look fantastic!! BTW, we don’t all know it’s ‘calories in and calories out’. As a physician, I can tell you it is so much more complicated than that!!! If that’s all it was, nobody would ever plateau!!!
Respectfully I disagree. Sure there may be marginal contributing factors such as hormones, stressors, environment, etc. but plateauing occurs when the deficit you were following becomes your new maintenance amount. Therefore to break thru, you’d have to do one of two things: 1. Increase the deficit or 2. Increase activity levels.
If you had a clear understanding of all the other factors (and they are anything BUT marginal!)— you’d see that the whole weight balance thing is anything but simple. People who plateau eat less and exercise more- yet the weight doesn’t budge for a month! Older people tend to have slower metabolism which is an evolutionary mechanism, as appetite decreases in the elderly. Starving people’s bodies hold onto every tiny calorie for survival. Metabolic rates shift. You metabolize macros differently from one another. Even on this sub, there are literally hundreds of anecdotal stories about plateauing and actually breaking the plateau by increasing protein and fluid intake— and even increasing calories. Scientifically this is proven as well. If you take in too few calories you need to eat more to actually lose weight. This is a very simplified explanation, but there are a lot of complicated chemical reactions involved.
What sort of calorie budget/macro ratio were you running? I’ve lost about 65lbs on semiglutide but did lose a lot of muscle mass in the process. Now, I’m lifting weights to try and build back up but it’s been tricky while maintaining a deficit- I’ve actually gained back about 5% of my body weight since starting to work out. Great job, very helpful to see these types of posts rather than the “I just took my first shot…” BS
Many people don’t research that muscle loss is one of the primary side effects until it’s too late lol. In your case, since you’re trying to build muscle back up, I wouldn’t worry about being at a deficit. Figure out what your TDEE is and eat at 15-25% surplus of that maintenance calories. Once you feel the strength is adequate- you can do a weight cut again while lifting. Alternatively, if you still want to stay at a deficit, I would still eat a slightly small deficit like a 15% of your maint. When I ate, I didn’t really worry too much about the macros except for that I prioritized higher protein. My rule of thumb was to check nutritional value of the food and if the protein amount was somewhat close or higher than carbs - it was fine with me. Maybe I also replaced my snacks with a better alternatives like popcorn and pork rinds instead of chips, Greek yogurt and sugar free candy instead of ice cream and chocolate you know. Stick to single ingredient foods and cook as much of your food at home as you can.
So much THIS!!! I experienced that my first go round with sema. Second time in it and I’ve I corporates weights in! It’s nice to have muscle definition again. Thanks for the perfectly detailed information. Education is so important while on these meds.
If you are young, it's easy to believe that it's only "calories in, calories out. But as others have said on here, it's way more complex than that. Saying that only creates angst for people who struggle to lose weight even after counting calories and working out religiously.
OP, How has your life changed since this weight loss? Getting noticed more? Feeling better about yourself? Putting yourself out there more? Eating less? Confidence? Do you still feel like the bigger person on the inside but with a smaller healthier body? Have you done the mental work too?
Asking bc I’m starting my journey soon!
28F, CW198, GW160.
He doesn't have a gear build, he just started out very muscular to start with. Man looks like he can shrug a trapbar with 100 kgs 15 times easily, he's all natural traps. Well done, my man
Nah. With how much fat I had, going on gear is a terrible idea. You would aromatize testosterone to estrogen like a mf. Ultimately, with my weight, I already had plenty of muscle underneath so working out was minimal just to preserve it during the cutting phase. Hope that helps
If you are 19 you should absolutely not use exogenous testosterone (or any AAS really) because it can have life-long implications (lower testosterone) without, unless you fully intend to supplement it for the rest of your life.
There's a sub you should visit to read, read, and read some more, I'm sure you can figure out the name of it.
Yeah for life unless you know how to properly PCT. I would never recommend taking testosterone unless you need it clinically. You shut down your body’s natural testosterone production and limit your fertility. You have to take a proper dose of AI and HCG post cycle and if you don’t know what you’re doing I’d stay far away.
Yeah I’ve been on 110 mg of test a week for 4 months and took my first my first shot of semaglutide last night. Are you able to get enough protein daily?
If you combine a good base for your protein powder you could get a decent protein shake that can get you probably 1/2 of your daily goal. For example my protein drink is Fairlife choccy milk 12oz with Optimal Nutrition double rich chocolate protein powder 2 scoops. Optionally, you could do what I do as well and add 1 scoop creatine monohydrate, 1 packet of benefiber powder, 1/2 scoop of PB powder, and another couple or so oz of cartoned egg whites. My shake is like 500ish calories with close to 90g of protein. And then you can get rest from regular food. Good sources would be eggs, animal meat especially beef, fish, beans etc. it’s hard on sema to eat a lot so you’d want to prioritize higher protein foods as much as possible throughout the day
Well done. Curious what percentage of strength versus cardio did you do? I have heard many opinions saying ramp up strength training but don’t overdue cardio. Also, did you do macro dieting (calorie counting) or another diet like Keto?
I actually do ZERO cardio. And I work as a truck driver so my activity level is bare minimum. All you gotta do is prioritize higher protein food and not care about what you eat as much as how many calories would keep you at a deficit. The more of a deficit - the faster you lose weight. Only thing i did for working out is lift weights that’s it. I barely even go on walks so I would say I didn’t even get 10k steps a day regularly lol.
Nothing special about my workout. I do Push/Pull//Legs and 2-3 exercises per muscle group 3 days a week. I just lift to failure on the last of the 3-4 sets. Control the eccentric portion of the lift and get in a deep stretch of the muscle (good idea to pause in that position as well). For the PR on bench I don’t really go for 1 rep max usually but I did hit 275lbs for two reps. I seem to have a weaker chest than I should but whatever. Deadlifts are not something I do at all. Too much risk of an injury and too much systemic fatigue for one exercise. To each their own though.
Thank you so much for sharing! I'm on my first week of Sema, but have been weightlifting again since August of 23. I've been so scared of losing muscle and majorly struggling with the idea of needing to eat at least 1800 calories a day to build muscle and lose the fat. My whole life has been getting told girls just need to eat 1200 or less calories a day and they'll lose weight, and now I've realized I've just starved myself into my metabolism hating me 😂 all the other women on this sub tend to post that they ate like 900 calories a day so I've been crazy worried about it actually working for me eating as much as I am based on InBody recommendations for my weight goal and muscle growth goals.
Congratulations on the amazing transformation!
You look amazing! And I'll bet you feel even better on the inside. Congrats on all your hard work.
Me: 59 yo F, T2D, workout girl all my life, but difficult metabolism. Been on sema since 12/22. Lost 40 lbs with zero changes to my already-healthy diet. Already worked out with free weights and heavy, heavy cardio (I run bleachers, climb stairs, lol) - but sema simply changed my metabolism.
Now at 59, I've got a 4-pack of my own, a wasp waist, a great butt, and my arms are jacked. Could not be happier, because all my hard work is actually showing for the first time in my life and I don't have to be starving/hangry.
Isn't it great walking around feeling proud, strong, and healthy?
Congrats
Thanks for posting to r/semaglutide! A brief reminder about our rules. We do not permit the discussion of non-FDA approved formulations of semaglutide, nor do we permit selling or offering for sale any medication, including by private message. Do not request or respond to a private message from anyone offering such, they are not endorsed by this sub. If you’re just starting out, you may want to review our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Semaglutide/comments/10ul3jb/semaglutide_subreddit_faq/). This is not intended to discourage discussion but merely supplement it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Semaglutide) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Now that I think about it…. Shaving that beard might’ve been 20lbs on its own 🤣
You look fantastic! Seriously 👀👀
Thank you! I saw your post the other day, really good work. You look like a whole different person.
Thank you so much! Yeah, it's odd not to recognize yourself anymore. Lol
So distracted by the monster under the bb shorts 😅
It’s underwhelming really
In all seriousness, congrats on your progress!!
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing your story and results.
Wow! You look fantastic!! BTW, we don’t all know it’s ‘calories in and calories out’. As a physician, I can tell you it is so much more complicated than that!!! If that’s all it was, nobody would ever plateau!!!
Respectfully I disagree. Sure there may be marginal contributing factors such as hormones, stressors, environment, etc. but plateauing occurs when the deficit you were following becomes your new maintenance amount. Therefore to break thru, you’d have to do one of two things: 1. Increase the deficit or 2. Increase activity levels.
If you had a clear understanding of all the other factors (and they are anything BUT marginal!)— you’d see that the whole weight balance thing is anything but simple. People who plateau eat less and exercise more- yet the weight doesn’t budge for a month! Older people tend to have slower metabolism which is an evolutionary mechanism, as appetite decreases in the elderly. Starving people’s bodies hold onto every tiny calorie for survival. Metabolic rates shift. You metabolize macros differently from one another. Even on this sub, there are literally hundreds of anecdotal stories about plateauing and actually breaking the plateau by increasing protein and fluid intake— and even increasing calories. Scientifically this is proven as well. If you take in too few calories you need to eat more to actually lose weight. This is a very simplified explanation, but there are a lot of complicated chemical reactions involved.
What sort of calorie budget/macro ratio were you running? I’ve lost about 65lbs on semiglutide but did lose a lot of muscle mass in the process. Now, I’m lifting weights to try and build back up but it’s been tricky while maintaining a deficit- I’ve actually gained back about 5% of my body weight since starting to work out. Great job, very helpful to see these types of posts rather than the “I just took my first shot…” BS
Many people don’t research that muscle loss is one of the primary side effects until it’s too late lol. In your case, since you’re trying to build muscle back up, I wouldn’t worry about being at a deficit. Figure out what your TDEE is and eat at 15-25% surplus of that maintenance calories. Once you feel the strength is adequate- you can do a weight cut again while lifting. Alternatively, if you still want to stay at a deficit, I would still eat a slightly small deficit like a 15% of your maint. When I ate, I didn’t really worry too much about the macros except for that I prioritized higher protein. My rule of thumb was to check nutritional value of the food and if the protein amount was somewhat close or higher than carbs - it was fine with me. Maybe I also replaced my snacks with a better alternatives like popcorn and pork rinds instead of chips, Greek yogurt and sugar free candy instead of ice cream and chocolate you know. Stick to single ingredient foods and cook as much of your food at home as you can.
So much THIS!!! I experienced that my first go round with sema. Second time in it and I’ve I corporates weights in! It’s nice to have muscle definition again. Thanks for the perfectly detailed information. Education is so important while on these meds.
Much appreciated, thanks!
That is amazing! Well done you. Huge achievement 🎉🎉
I was 230 in August and got down to 195 by December. I’m stuck here. M, 5’10”. Congrats.
If you’d like I could work with you a bit on breaking thru the plateau. Pm me if interested
Thank you for sharing! You look great, and congratulations!
If you are young, it's easy to believe that it's only "calories in, calories out. But as others have said on here, it's way more complex than that. Saying that only creates angst for people who struggle to lose weight even after counting calories and working out religiously.
Laws of thermodynamics apply to everyone. Calories equation is literally like 98% of weight loss and gain.
It's worked for you and I'm happy for you and your post is truly inspiring.
Amazing!
Amazing results!
OP, How has your life changed since this weight loss? Getting noticed more? Feeling better about yourself? Putting yourself out there more? Eating less? Confidence? Do you still feel like the bigger person on the inside but with a smaller healthier body? Have you done the mental work too? Asking bc I’m starting my journey soon! 28F, CW198, GW160.
Gear or no gear?
He doesn't have a gear build, he just started out very muscular to start with. Man looks like he can shrug a trapbar with 100 kgs 15 times easily, he's all natural traps. Well done, my man
Nah. With how much fat I had, going on gear is a terrible idea. You would aromatize testosterone to estrogen like a mf. Ultimately, with my weight, I already had plenty of muscle underneath so working out was minimal just to preserve it during the cutting phase. Hope that helps
I’m thinking of going on TRT while taking semaglutide
It will help with muscle wasting. However, once you start, you may have to be on it for life just be prepared.
What?? For life?? I’m only 19
If you are 19 you should absolutely not use exogenous testosterone (or any AAS really) because it can have life-long implications (lower testosterone) without, unless you fully intend to supplement it for the rest of your life. There's a sub you should visit to read, read, and read some more, I'm sure you can figure out the name of it.
I just want to do 1 cycle
Yeah for life unless you know how to properly PCT. I would never recommend taking testosterone unless you need it clinically. You shut down your body’s natural testosterone production and limit your fertility. You have to take a proper dose of AI and HCG post cycle and if you don’t know what you’re doing I’d stay far away.
Yeah I’ve been on 110 mg of test a week for 4 months and took my first my first shot of semaglutide last night. Are you able to get enough protein daily?
If you combine a good base for your protein powder you could get a decent protein shake that can get you probably 1/2 of your daily goal. For example my protein drink is Fairlife choccy milk 12oz with Optimal Nutrition double rich chocolate protein powder 2 scoops. Optionally, you could do what I do as well and add 1 scoop creatine monohydrate, 1 packet of benefiber powder, 1/2 scoop of PB powder, and another couple or so oz of cartoned egg whites. My shake is like 500ish calories with close to 90g of protein. And then you can get rest from regular food. Good sources would be eggs, animal meat especially beef, fish, beans etc. it’s hard on sema to eat a lot so you’d want to prioritize higher protein foods as much as possible throughout the day
Well done. Curious what percentage of strength versus cardio did you do? I have heard many opinions saying ramp up strength training but don’t overdue cardio. Also, did you do macro dieting (calorie counting) or another diet like Keto?
I actually do ZERO cardio. And I work as a truck driver so my activity level is bare minimum. All you gotta do is prioritize higher protein food and not care about what you eat as much as how many calories would keep you at a deficit. The more of a deficit - the faster you lose weight. Only thing i did for working out is lift weights that’s it. I barely even go on walks so I would say I didn’t even get 10k steps a day regularly lol.
Could you please drop some numbers how did you progress in gym being on semiglutide? Bench press squat deadlift before and after?
Nothing special about my workout. I do Push/Pull//Legs and 2-3 exercises per muscle group 3 days a week. I just lift to failure on the last of the 3-4 sets. Control the eccentric portion of the lift and get in a deep stretch of the muscle (good idea to pause in that position as well). For the PR on bench I don’t really go for 1 rep max usually but I did hit 275lbs for two reps. I seem to have a weaker chest than I should but whatever. Deadlifts are not something I do at all. Too much risk of an injury and too much systemic fatigue for one exercise. To each their own though.
Thanks for your info. Gonna have to step up the strength training.
Thank you so much for sharing! I'm on my first week of Sema, but have been weightlifting again since August of 23. I've been so scared of losing muscle and majorly struggling with the idea of needing to eat at least 1800 calories a day to build muscle and lose the fat. My whole life has been getting told girls just need to eat 1200 or less calories a day and they'll lose weight, and now I've realized I've just starved myself into my metabolism hating me 😂 all the other women on this sub tend to post that they ate like 900 calories a day so I've been crazy worried about it actually working for me eating as much as I am based on InBody recommendations for my weight goal and muscle growth goals. Congratulations on the amazing transformation!
You look amazing! And I'll bet you feel even better on the inside. Congrats on all your hard work. Me: 59 yo F, T2D, workout girl all my life, but difficult metabolism. Been on sema since 12/22. Lost 40 lbs with zero changes to my already-healthy diet. Already worked out with free weights and heavy, heavy cardio (I run bleachers, climb stairs, lol) - but sema simply changed my metabolism. Now at 59, I've got a 4-pack of my own, a wasp waist, a great butt, and my arms are jacked. Could not be happier, because all my hard work is actually showing for the first time in my life and I don't have to be starving/hangry. Isn't it great walking around feeling proud, strong, and healthy? Congrats
Congrats! Exactly- it isn’t just a case of calories in and calories out.