Down 45, still chasing recomp

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.

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.

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

Nice work—45 in 22 weeks is about 2.3 lb/wk, which is fast enough that the mirror often lags. In the trials, lean mass tends to hold better when training loads stay stable or climb; if your upper/lower numbers are flat or dropping, that’s a clue you’re losing some muscle alongside fat.

Sharp question: are your main lifts trending up, flat, or sliding?

I’d track e1RM monthly plus waist/hip/thigh tape and same-light photos. For me, adding 8–10k steps and keeping rest periods honest helped recomp show up before the scale did.

Your waist number is the tell — 6 inches in 22 weeks is ~0.27/week, which is honestly fast. In my sheet the mirror lagged my tape by a consistent 6–8 weeks; I'd only "see" a change once it was already a month old in the data.

Mildly contrarian take: 4-week progress photos, same window light, no flexing, beat daily mirror checks for me every time. Question — are you measuring at the navel or the narrowest point? I switched mid-stream once and it manufactured 1.5 inches of fake progress, which wrecked my trendline for two months.

One thing that broke that lag for me: I took monthly photos in the same spot, same time, same lighting—no flexing—and logged tape at upper arm, thigh, and hips. My waist stalled for almost a month while my upper back and quads changed.

The mirror is terrible at detecting slow recomp; the tape and lift log see it first. Are your main lifts still holding or creeping up?

If yes, I’d bet the visual catch-up is closer than it feels.

Three-year regular here. One pattern from the old recomp threads: the visual catch-up often lags the scale by a full maintenance phase, not a few weeks.

What helped me was a monthly “audit”: same lighting, same shorts, relaxed and flexed photos, plus tape at navel, widest hip, and flexed upper arm. The tape caught changes the scale ignored.

If your main lifts are still adding reps or load, that’s a decent sign you’re holding muscle while fat comes off. How do your last four weeks of loss compare to the first eight?

If it’s slowed to 0.5–1 lb/wk, I’d bet the mirror starts moving soon.

What’s your height? At 218 with a 34” waist, if you’re around 5’10” you’re still near BMI 31; visible recomp often lags until closer to mid-20s BMI, especially when visceral fat drops first. I’d track waist:height ratio weekly plus same-light, same-time photos. The mirror lies day to day; the trend doesn’t.