What does lean body mass loss look like relative to protein intake?

(Skip to 3rd paragraph if TL;DR)

Right now I'm a 21M 6'0 @ 230lb looking to make some changes. I've been living off McDonalds, pizza, and other junk food during college and since ill be busy and living at home I decided to try to fix my diet to eat more organic foods to eventually cut to 200lb at some point of the year.

Throughout the years I've heard different figures for protein intake, most notably the 0.8-1g/lb figure. However, while trying to eat 190g+ of protein while eating 2000-2200cal is doable (I'd say my maintaince is around 2800-3000) I'd find it much easier to eat at <0.8g/lb (back when I tried eating high protein in high school while on a cut it was a pain in the ass that added more stress than need be)

My issue is that I don't know to *what extent* muscle loss is at below 0.8g/lb. If I eat for instance at 0.7g/lb will I lose a significant amount of lean mass compared to 0.8g or only a little? How about 0.6? Is there a point where lean mass significantly drops, or is it linear? Etc.

I'm asking this because im not trying to be "shredded" or "buff". Mostly just wanna rid of my current beer belly while gaining some definition while getting rid of my bad habits, so I don't care about losing some lean mass, but I also want to find a proper balance in perserving some of it while being able to be consistent and not stress so much about having EVERY dish be high in protein like I have with pervious weight loss.

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Loose Skin is Killing Me

Not literally killing me, but mentally it's exhausting. I've lost around 60 pounds so far and have another 30-40 to go. I'm proud of the weight loss, don't get me wrong, but the loose skin makes it hard for me to enjoy it. I very much have an apron belly, so it feels like nothing fits or sits the way it's supposed to. I know it can take a while for loose skin to "retract" (I don't know the exact term I'm looking for, sorry!), but for those who have lost a good amount of weight, is there a relative timeline I can expect? And is there something I can do to help? I've been working on my stretch marks, and I think they look a lot better, but at some point, being able to wear a two-piece without half of it disappearing under my stomach would be nice too lol

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HELP! Losing muscle

Hey everyone! I am currently struggling to eat my protein goal and calories too really, due to a combo of starting a new medication and quitting THC.

I feel so full from one piece of avocado toast for example which is very unusual for me. I genuinely enjoy my reduced appetite bc I feel normal now, like I can eat “normal” portions.

*HERE IS THE PROBLEM:*
I am visibily losing muscle mass from my shoulders/upper body (also have an injury so I can’t actively work to grow them at the moment). I had decent traps and round shoulder and I woke up this morning it was like wtf where did they go. It’s ruining my whole aethetic bc it’s accentuating my belly more despite my weight loss.

Idk if I should just push thru the injury and try doing low weight high reps, would that help? I typically also do ALOT of calisthenics. Planks, push ups, pull up machine (working my way to multiple pull ups but I do the negatives). Pilates and yoga are also hard bc of my shoulder injury it’s hard for me to do a push ups for example without pain in the rotator cuff area

TLDR;
Losing muscle mass. Can’t eat enough food/protein. Can’t do too much exercise on the area that losing mass due to an injury (possible right rotator cuff idk) -unless there are way to do it that’s why I am asking.

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How has your weight loss affected your friendships?

If you’ve lost a noticeable amount of weight how did that affect your friendships?

I’m just curious because I had a very awkward experience yesterday and now I’m questioning if I should continue nurturing the small group of newish friends I have made over the last four years.

It was a friends baby shower yesterday and it became very awkward after my family showed up. When we all get together everyone is normally happy to see each other and we all start sharing what’s being going on and whatnot. It’s been a solid month and a half since I’ve seen everyone.

When we got there it was very awkward no one said hi to me (except the men they just did their normal waves and hi’s). I greeted everyone (asked how they were doing and gave complements nice hair, pretty dress etc normal things) and put the food in the oven becaue that’s what the hostess wanted me to do. I was ignored for a solid hour. I don’t know what they were chatting about because I don’t speak their language so I just watched the kids play and teased them when they came over to me. Once they started talking to me it was just awkward. Like they didn’t know how to talk to me anymore but had to? If that makes sense. Then when they asked what I did I kept it super short because it’s not a day about me and they gave me blank stares. “What did you do?” “Just tracked my calories” blank stare “how have you been?” Long pause then whatever answer.

Then we all went to the pool. The hostess wanted it to be a pool party. I wasn’t completely certain if the ladies would be getting in or not but I’ve got two under four. My husband isn’t the most attentive especially when he’s around his friends so I’m absolutely getting in so they are safe and can have fun. I was left alone in one corner of the pool with my toddlers. I kept trying to join the guys because they had all the kids with them and they kept scooting away. I didn’t wear anything crazy. My husband said they were giving me space so I wasn’t uncomfortable I said bull and he change it to so no one thinks they are messing around with me. WTF? Who tf is gonna think that? I was just trying to make sure my kids were included. And frankly sitting on the side of the pool fully dressed in almost 90 degree weather and yelling at my husband to eat j the kids and my kids to not run sounded miserable.

I don’t know to was just a lonely situation. I tried to join but was brushed off more than usual. I’m not the best at making friends so I’m trying really hard here.

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Weight Loss from Muscle or Fat

My overall goal is to mainly reduce my bodyfat and maintain or even add a little bit of muscle.
I had a DEXA scan about 4 months. Good lean body mass; not so good bodyfat level.
I’m going to go back in about one month for a follow up scan. Question is (I know this is likely just opinions) but since I’ve gotten back into training and nutrition, for the first time ever I am seeing veins in my arms. And when I say ever, I mean ever and I am a 52yr old male. Out of curiosity, what do you think the likelihood is that since last DEXA scan, I’ve lost bodyfat and also maybe even added some lbm.
My fear has always been when I drop weight it’s due to my calorie restriction being too much so I lose muscle and fat, just shutting down my metabolism.

In fact, when I did have my DEXA scan 4 months ago, I had lost 11lbs since my last DEXA. Now the prior one was pre-covid and since Covid I did zero resistance training. Just started back doing that about 6 months.

So anyway, seeing veins makes me hopeful I’m losing fat and not muscle; was just curious to get others thoughts. I will ultimately get the info when I redo DEXA.

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Snack/ meal suggestions for on the road please?

Hey all!

I’ve been on a weight loss journey for a while now, and so have my parents, who live nearby. We’ve all been trying to make healthier choices and keep moving in the right direction.

We’re taking a road trip soon to see my niece graduate. She’ll be the first of the next generation to do so, which is a pretty big deal and absolutely worth the miles.

And by miles, I mean miles. Roughly 2,400 miles in 3 days, stay for 4 days visiting and watching celebrating, then another 2,400 miles in 3 days coming back. With 3 drivers, we’re hoping to survive with both our sanity and lower backs intact.

Before anyone asks: yes, we did the math. Driving + hotels is still cheaper than flying + rental car.

So here’s my question: for those who’ve done long road trips while trying to lose weight or maintain healthier habits, what are your go-to snacks/meals? We’ll have a medium cooler for cold items, a case of water, and hotels with free breakfast. I’m hoping to save money, avoid turning gas stations into snacky buffets, and keep from undoing progress with convenience food.

Would love ideas for healthier snacks that travel well, are filling, and help avoid the “I’ve been in this car for 8 hours and the others are still alive, therefore I deserve 14 mozzarella sticks as a reward” mindset.

Thanks in advance!

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The power of counting your workouts and journaling them in a minimalistic way

I started keeping a count of my workouts since I began exercising 4 months ago on January 16th 2026.

It started as a challenge. I was motivated to reach or surpass how many workouts I had done consistently last time I tried to lose weight which was August 2024. I had done 18 workouts then and the point was that after many you start to feel and see results and that’s the way to get things going.

➡️to pause your expectations for x amount of workouts or days so that your body has time to change and your patience is grown or you’re able to postpone gratification.

➡️To accept that it’s *a group* of workouts that will change your body shape. Like knitting a blanket: eventually all the stitches make something.

When I began I started just including that I went to the gym with some emojis and the day count. I was using a gratitude app but it lost my data so now I’m just using my iPhone notes app. Last night was my 63rd workout so I write it like this:

Gym #️⃣6️⃣3️⃣🚨🚨🚨🚀🚀🚀🚀🥰
I change the emojis depending on the day.
And recently I’ve begun listing what I got done. Last night looked like this:

Gym #️⃣6️⃣3️⃣🚨🚨🚀🚀🚀🚀🥰😍
Stretch 🪩
Yoga 🪩
Abs🪩
Legs 🪩
Didn’t do abduction induction (reminder)
Chest press 🪩

It’s a great activity to log what you got done- there’s a dopamine and reward effect. And counting how many workouts you’ve done also motivates you to keep going. I was excited to get to 10 then 20 then 50 workouts, for example. Now I’m excited to reach 70.

It’s another way to think 🧠 about time passing and celebrating your effort and consistency. Traditionally diets counted weeks and months…. So breaking free from that association is good… and I like the idea that I’m counting and tracking my effort of showing up and the message that it’s the exercise that will change the shape of my body and that I’m building something: a project, a habit, a new body.

I’ve had great gains since my first few workouts and am excited about the future. How will I feel and look at 100 workouts? And 200?

My goals are body recomposition and weight loss and well being and health and flexibility. I’m especially excited though to lose abdominal fat and to get off of cpap after being on it for 9 years after an mva. 🤿🙄

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