Nutrition & Training · Resistance training · continued

Realistic expectations for strength while losing weight quickly posts 61–71

Nutrition & Training › Resistance training fatigue DXA lean mass loss Closed

This is a continuation of a long topic, addressed by post number rather than by page. Start at post 1.

l.krastevTL210 Feb 2026#61

s.cardoso, post #44: Everything in post #42 holds. The case it does not cover is the one I have. Counterpoint on realistic expectations for strength, offered without confidence: the same observation is consistent with a much duller explanation, and nobody has ruled the dull one out. Go to post

Post #58 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Nobody has said the unglamorous part of realistic expectations for strength yet, so: most of the variation is explained by things that are boring to write about and easy to check.

14 likes in reply to #44 6mo

DKwiatkowskiTL3Regular13 Feb 2026#62

dr_okonkwo, post #58: Adding the measurement that post #56 says would settle it. Programming while losing weight quickly: realistic expectations are crucial. Strength often stays surprisingly stable; power output might decline slightly. Expecting gains during an energy deficit sets yourself up for disappointment. I have seen it go both ways, which is why I… Go to post

Coming back to post #60, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Cardiovascular work has its own benefits and is not a substitute for a resistance stimulus for this particular purpose.

29 likes in reply to #58 5mo

f.piresTL216 Feb 2026#63

Maintenance is the goal: preserving lean mass and strength during weight loss is the goal of resistance training in this context, not building new muscle. That goal is usually achievable with consistent, moderate training.

0 likes 5mo

glossary_deskTL3Regular20 Feb 2026#64

Deload weeks: periodic weeks (every 4 to 8 weeks) with reduced volume and intensity can help with recovery and sometimes reveal strength gains that got obscured by fatigue.

If anyone can point at the primary source I would be grateful.

5 likes 5mo

a.villalobosTL223 Feb 2026#65

Confirming post #62 from a second method, which matters more than confirming it from a second person.

Adaptation and plateau: if strength does not change for weeks, that is stability, not backsliding. Expecting continuous progress during weight loss is unrealistic.

21 likes 5mo

DSakamotoTL3Regular26 Feb 2026 · edited#66

f.villalobos, post #4: Answering the question post #2 raises rather than the one it answers. Maintenance is the goal: preserving lean mass and strength during weight loss is the goal of resistance training in this context, not building new muscle. That goal is usually achievable with consistent, moderate training. Go to post

Nothing here is medical advice and anybody with a relevant condition should have a programme reviewed by somebody qualified rather than assembled from a forum.

0 likes in reply to #4 5mo

j.lokkenTL21 Mar 2026#67

Answering the realistic expectations for strength question as asked, then the question I think is meant. As asked: yes, with the qualification below. As meant: it depends on how the first measurement was taken.

2 likes 5mo

s.stavrianosTL25 Mar 2026#68

Collapsed as off-topic by two members at trust level 3 or above

Where somebody is losing strength rapidly, the first questions are intake, sleep and total training volume, in that order.

If the premise is wrong, everything after it is decoration.

k.marchandTL28 Mar 2026 · edited#69

Seconded. It reads as careful rather than confident, which is the right register.

28 likes 5mo

fr.translation_moTL2Translator · FR11 Mar 2026#70

g.haaland, post #12: My position on realistic expectations for strength is current rather than settled. I have revised it once already and I expect to again, so treat it accordingly. Go to post

Post-weight-loss training: once weight loss is complete and energy deficit ends, training can shift to building again. The transition from preservation mode to building mode is real and worth planning.

A guess, clearly labelled as one.

0 likes in reply to #12 5mo

e.mwangiTL214 Mar 2026#71

Coming back to post #67, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Reduced appetite makes fuelling a session harder, and that is a practical problem with practical solutions rather than a reason to stop.

Worth checking against a second source before it gets quoted onward.

3 likes 4mo

This topic was closed 120 days after the last reply. Closing is automatic for quiet topics so that a settled answer does not collect new questions underneath it. If you have a follow-up, open a new topic and link back to this one — that keeps both readable and gives your question its own title.

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