Tracking a 19 Year Old Female's Weight Loss Journey Through Reddit Posts

Introduction

Reddit user sbiggers has been chronicling her weight loss journey through posts on the site's progresspics community board. Her experience offers insight into building muscle while losing weight and how the scale is not the only way of measuring progress.

Body Composition Changes

Throughout her journey, sbiggers has focused on building muscle as well as losing fat. She credits much of her success to her adherence to the Stronglifts 5x5 heavy lifting program to see significant muscle development. Sbiggers' emphasis on strength training, mixed with limited cardio, highlights a common issue in the fitness industry, a belief that long-distance cardiovascular training is the key to weight loss. Focusing on body composition changes can give you a better indication of progress than the scale alone.

Dietary Changes

As with most weight loss journeys, sbiggers has made significant dietary changes. According to her, she follows a keto(ish) lifestyle that is low in carbs and high in protein and fat, with a focus on veggies. She has also made sure to avoid counting calories, instead of prioritizing the addition of muscle through strength training – allowing the muscle to burn off more calories than the fat. Her success indicates that what you eat is just as essential as how much.

Positive Reinforcement

The Reddit forum's supportive environment has encouraged sbiggers throughout her journey, with users commenting on her appearance and progress pictures, and showing an interest in how she has achieved her results. Small, off-topic comments, like one complimenting sbiggers' makeup, reminds her of the strides she has made, even when the scale doesn't show a significant change.

Takeaway

While sbiggers' journey is her own, it offers lessons and wonders for anyone looking to lose weight while building muscle. A program like Stronglifts 5x5 alongside a low-carb, high-protein diet is a great way to see progress in muscle gain while losing fat. Leaving the need for cardio, so often thought necessary in weight loss regimes, can be beneficial for some users. Most importantly, sbiggers' experience highlights the importance of monitoring body composition changes instead of solely relying on the scale for feedback—showing that even small changes can create significant changes over time.