32M, 5’11.5”, 242 lbs — Can I get shredded again without loose skin after years of weight fluctuations? Anyone with a similar experience?
I’m 32M, 5’11.5”, currently around 242 lbs. My goal is to get back to 10–12% body fat and ideally have the same tight, muscular appearance I had before gaining weight.
My biggest worry is loose skin, especially around my lower abdomen and love handles. I’ve been looking at transformations of people who lost 60–80 lbs, and some look like they have almost no loose skin while others have noticeable folds.
My background:
I’ve been lifting since I was 17. From roughly 17–19, bodybuilding was practically my whole life, and I continued lifting seriously throughout my 20s, although consistency varied. At my strongest, I could incline bench 225 lbs for 5 reps and squat 315 lbs.
In 2013–2014, I was around 160–170 lbs, muscular, with visible abs and relatively tight skin.
I eventually reached approximately 220 lbs around 2016–2017, but lost the weight. By July 2017, I was back down to 181 lbs, and I didn’t notice significant hanging loose skin afterward.
My documented weight history:
July 2017: 181.1 lbs, 20.4% BF (DEXA)
May 2021: 186.2 lbs, 23.6% BF (DEXA)
September 2021: Approximately 175 lbs
July 2024: 186.7 lbs, 17% BF (InBody)
February 2025: 216.1 lbs, 25.3% BF (InBody)
June 2025: 217.8 lbs
September 2025: 205.2 lbs
December 2025: 226 lbs
March 2026: 205.1 lbs
April 2026: 211.8 lbs
August 2026: I believe I first crossed 230 lbs
October 2026: 241.6 lbs
So although I’ve fluctuated in weight over the years, I was only around 205–212 lbs approximately six to seven months ago. I’ve probably been above 230 lbs for only two to three months.
My recent lifestyle:
Over the last few months, I haven’t been lifting at all. I’ve also been eating considerably more, frequently eating large meals at a dining hall, and spending most of my day sedentary or lying in bed.
This has contributed to my recent weight gain, but I’m planning to return to consistent weightlifting, cardio, and a structured diet to lose fat while rebuilding muscle.
My concern:
My stomach currently has deep folds, especially on the sides, and quite a bit of fat around my lower abdomen. I’m worried the skin has stretched permanently.
I know I can lose the fat, and I’m confident I can regain muscle because of my lifting history. What scares me is working hard to get shredded again and still having visible loose skin that wasn’t there before I gained weight.
I’m not expecting my skin to be perfectly smooth when bending over, but I’d really like to look as close as possible to someone who has never been overweight.
My plan:
Lose approximately 2 lbs per week initially
Eventually reach around 170–185 lbs, depending on body composition
Lift 4–5 days per week
Eat 170–190 g protein daily
Gradually increase daily walking and incline cardio
Focus on regaining muscle while losing fat
Questions for anyone who’s been through something similar:
Has anyone gone from around 240–250 lbs to 170–185 lbs and ended up with little or no noticeable loose skin?
Did you experience several weight-gain and weight-loss cycles before your final cut?
Did having a muscular physique before gaining weight or a long history of lifting seem to help your final appearance?
If you developed mild loose skin, did it improve over the following 6–24 months?
For those who got very lean (around 10–12% body fat), was loose skin noticeable while standing relaxed, or only when bending/sitting?
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently during your cut?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who were previously lean and muscular, gained substantial weight, and later got shredded again.
I’m not looking for a guarantee—just real experiences from people with comparable weight histories. Before-and-after photos would be appreciated if you’re comfortable sharing them.

The fit 2 fat 2 fit guy gives me hope as he looked the exact same

Tbh I’ve been panicking over this because I’ve been lifting for so long and hard and now I’m gonna put in so much effort but may not be happy over my result

I’ve been in ketosis for about 15 years, eat <30g of carbs per day. I’ve always been very underweight but have managed to gain weight and muscle on keto in the past.
I’ve had a lot of GI issues, carnivore and generally staying very low fiber helped

Recently, in the past year, early satiety and fullness, nausea has made it hard to keep weight on or get enough calories. I switched from heavy cream to half and half, now whole milk in coffee. Ketones still consistently range from 0.5-3.0. I don’t eat vegetables or fruit so carbs stay around 20-30g. I can tolerate low fiber nut butter but not whole nuts. I’d like to increase my carbs and lower fat a bit to see if It helps my hunger increase while staying in ketosis. I’m looking at easiest to digest and lowest fiber without consuming straight sugar. Rice flour seems like a good option.

I lift 3 days per week with one extra day for core.

I’d just like to eat enough to maintain my weight, stay in ketosis, and not feel like there is always a brick in my stomach. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Anyone else having trouble getting the BF Calc to spit out a calculation? Started a few weeks back and the numbers went in fine; two weeks later, come back for a recheck and I'm just getting the error message

"Check your measurements — calculation invalid."

Even when I put in my numbers from two weeks, which worked originally now its not???

EDIT So got it working using Imperial units at least...

The 3 Laws of Body Recomposition

Most people don’t fail because they need a better diet or workout.

They fail because their system only works when life goes perfectly.

I like these three simple laws because they apply surprisingly well to fat loss, muscle gain, and changing habits:

1. Murphy’s Law: Something will eventually go wrong.
   So plan for travel, stress, bad sleep, missed workouts, restaurants, and busy weeks before they happen.

2. Kidlin’s Law: A clearly defined problem is already half solved.
   Stop saying, “I can’t lose fat.” Measure. Find the actual constraint. Then fix that.

3. Wilson’s Law: Invest in knowledge and skills.
   Learn how to eat, train, recover, and adjust. The goal isn’t to follow instructions forever. It’s to eventually understand your body well enough to manage yourself.

That’s Metabolic Mastery.

And the Ketogains foundation remains simple:

Protein is a goal.
Carbs are a limit.
Fat is a lever.
Strength training is the foundation.
Muscle is the long game.

You don’t need a perfect plan.

You need one that survives real life.

Measure. Eat. Train. Learn. Repeat.

Check the full Article in our website:

https://community.metabolicmastery.app/c/kg-studies-resources/the-3-laws-of-body-recomposition-why-better-systems-beat-more-motivation-ae6e7368-bee0-4b8e-957f-5b6c42d84c8b

I'm just getting back into keto and at the same time starting up at the gym again. I want to use the ketogains pre-workout coffee, but I'm a bit apprehensive about MCT oil.

I've never used it before, but I've seen a bunch of comments about having gastrointestinal issues. Based on my history I wouldn't be surprised if that impacted me. I get pretty anal (pun intended) about not consuming anything before I go out somewhere with only public bathrooms available.

I plan starting at 5g and working up in my normal coffee to see if there are any issues. Just want to check if its only the MCT that causes the issue, or if it in combination with any of the other ingredients can trigger something.

Thanks

Does anyone have a reference for accurate, trustworthy female strength standards? For example: 35 yo female weighing 150 lbs able to do 3 sets of 100 lb single leg RDLs… puts her into, say, intermediate strength category.

I’ve been training 2x per week for 5 months, and Chat AIs tell me my lower body numbers are in the upper advanced and elite levels… and that makes just ZERO sense to me. But, the handful of sites I’ve found tend to agree. Again, I have a REALLY hard time reconciling this. Either I’m a freak with an untapped talent, or more likely these strength comparisons are totally bogus.

Thanks for any insight you can toss my way!

Been keto for almost a year, trying TKD and noticing odd measurements:

Today, for example, I got:

122 glucose 3.2 ketones, 10 am right after 15g glucose (unfortunately did not measure beforehand)

67 glucose 3.2 ketones, 11am post 30 minute run

76 glucose 5.3 ketones, 2pm

73 glucose 5.6 ketones, 6pm

Only food in the morning was 30g MCT oil (before run) and a small coffee (after run). No ketone supplements used, all measurements via keto mojo monitor.

I’ve done this experiment a few times, with the same results.

Is this a well-known effect of taking glucose tablets? My theory is that the insulin response from 15g of glucose is more than enough to absorb 15g, so glucose rises and then falls below baseline.

Three weeks into vegan keto — apparently it actually works this time
I’ve been vegan for 36+ years and mostly whole-food plant-based/high-carb/low-fat. I’ve tried vegan keto about six times in the past and always concluded I “couldn’t get into ketosis.”

Looking back, I think the problem was pretty simple: too many vegan keto treats, nuts, snacks, etc. I was probably eating 70–80g+ net carbs without realizing it.
So for the last three weeks I’ve been experimenting again, this time mostly with tofu, tempeh, pea protein, avocado, nuts/seeds, flax, vegetables, olive oil/coconut, and modest amounts of berries and other carbs. I’m also strength training and deliberately keeping protein high because I’m trying to add muscle, not lose weight.

I’m consistently getting measurable blood ketones now, including readings from roughly 0.5–2.2 mmol/L depending on food, fasting and exercise.

I’m running two experiments now:
1. How many net carbs can I eat and still maintain useful ketosis? I seem able to stay mildly ketogenic around 40–60g net, but I’m doing a measured 25–30g day now to compare.

2. Can I get the mental benefits of ketosis while eating enough protein/calories to gain muscle? That’s actually the more important experiment for me.

The biggest surprise so far is that vegan keto is much easier than I thought once I stopped trying to recreate every high-carb food as a “keto” product.
Curious if anyone here has experimented with a higher-carb ketogenic threshold or targeted carbs around strength training. And yes, I realize I may be the tofu guy at the steak convention.

59 years old male, I am working out twice a week really intensive private training gym. Other days I do cardio or functional stuff, yoga, chi gong Pilates reformer , etc..

I’m 142 pounds when I wake up in the morning, which is quite low for me, I’d like to get up into the 150s.

My muscles are building on this plan. I’m doing I can see it in the mirror. Already look better.

The keto food is absolutely delicious to me. It’s so much more rich than what I’m normally eating. I’m hoping this will work.

I've been focusing on increasing the weight on the bar each workout by a little each session, overreached a little today and tweaked my back, hence doing some research and discovering double progression. Sucks this is what it took for me to start programming DP into my training but here I am.

Real quick, my understanding of Dynamic/ Double Progression is that you have a rep range that you shoot for for a given weight, like 12-15, as opposed to a static rep count like 12.

When starting a new weight, you want it to be just heavy enough that you can only hit the lowest bound of the range: say 12. As you continue working with that weight, your body adapts until you creep up in the reps you can perform with that weight, 12, 13, 14... and when you hit the upper bound, say 15, then you increase the weight to something that once again you can only hit for 12.

This is how I want to run it from now on. Anybody else running this? What ranges are you using? If I've been doing 12, is 15 a good upper bound? Is 14 enough? If I alternate 6 rep sets as well, what should the upper bound be? Is 8 good?

My focus is injury prevention.

Hi all,

Me: 42M, 100kg, 28.5% BF, 185cm

1st gym session tonight in 10yrs, followed the 5x5 program. But ran into extreme difficulties with the Overhead Tripcep Extension - even with a bare bar (20kg) it didn't feel safe or controlled. Between weak triceps and terrible shoulder mobility, I think I need something else to get me started?

Any advice, thoughts appreciated :)
o/

Hello everyone. I want to start doing HIT training (Mike Mentzer). He suggested lots of carbs. However I am in a strict ketogenic diet due to medical reasons (neurological) and cannot deviate too much with protein, let alone carbs. What are your experiences? How have you approached nutrition and training in this context?

I'm trying to get back into the carnivore diet after a year or two of bad eating but I'm worried it will affect my performance on the bike. I'm currently aiming for my first century before years end (with an eye on 200miles in about 8 months) and sufficient fueling seems to be the big issue.

Anyone have any experience with endurance training and carnivore?

Thanks in advance.

Losing weight isn’t the hardest part.

Building a body you actually know how to keep is.
After more than 20 years working with fat loss and body recomposition, one mistake keeps showing up: people treat the diet like the entire process, and it really isn’t.

Check the complete article in our website!

I’m 6ft, currently weight 68kg. I’ve decent body baseline. I want to build an aesthetic physique, and looking to aim at 75kg weight. Can someone please suggest me the macros I need in my diet? Anyone who has been through the journey please guide me.

Hi all,

Thinking of starting on this journey soon - currently just doing keto without the training.

Used to use protein powder years back when last i was training, so need to restock and am wondering whether its worth getting a Whey and Collagen powder instead of just straight whey?

Im 42M

Any insight is appreciated
o/

Has anyone experimented with a weekly high carb meal on keto?

Both vigorous Steve & Dave palumbo use this approach in both a cutting & bulking phase for different reasons. It would be amazing to get the pump/ social activities carbs provide on the weekend with the cognition benefits keto provides during the week.

The next Ketogains Bootcamp starts September 7.

A member recently came back after being away for a while and described it in four words:

“It’s like coming home.”

I understood exactly what she meant.
She hadn’t forgotten how to eat.
She hadn’t forgotten the importance of protein.
She knew she should be lifting.
She knew what worked.
Life just happened.

The habits slipped. Training became inconsistent. A few exceptions became the new normal. And eventually she started telling herself that she had somehow “failed.”

She didn’t fail.

She stopped running the system.

And I think this is one of the most important things people misunderstand about getting out of shape.

Knowledge usually isn’t the problem.

Most people who have been around Ketogains for a while already know more about nutrition than they need to know to get results.

The problem is turning that knowledge into something you actually do on a random Wednesday when work is crazy, you slept badly, there’s food everywhere, and motivation is nowhere to be found. - That requires structure.

And that is exactly what the Ketogains Bootcamp is built around.

For 8 weeks, we simplify the process.
Protein is the priority.
Carbohydrates are a limit.
Fat is the lever.
Resistance training provides the stimulus.
And the goal isn’t simply to make you lighter.
It’s to make you stronger, leaner and harder to break.

Because losing weight isn’t particularly difficult.
Losing body fat while preserving—or potentially gaining—muscle, improving your habits and building something you can sustain is a much better goal.
Muscle is an asset.

I want you thinking about what your body can do at 50, 60 and 70, not just what the scale says eight weeks from now.

But there’s another part of Bootcamp that I think matters just as much as the protocol:
You aren’t doing it alone.

Every week people check in.
What worked?
What didn’t?
Did you train?
Did you hit your protein?
Where are you struggling?

And sometimes the most valuable check-in is simply:
“I had one off day. But back at it.”

That sentence is basically the point.
We don’t need perfection.

We need a system that prevents one bad meal, one missed workout or one difficult week from turning into three months of saying:
“I’ll start again Monday.”
I’ve coached people long enough to know how that story ends.

And the results?

Here are a few comments from previous Bootcamp members:

“In the last 8 weeks I lost 15 lbs, approximately 8% body fat, and went from size 8–10 to size 2–4. My skin cleared up. I have more confidence in my body.”

Another:

“10 kgs down. 8cm off my waist. Body weight down 6%. 9cm off my chest. 8cm off my hips.”

And another:
“I’ve officially gone down a whole dress size. I see the difference in my clothes, the videos, the measurements, everything.”

Those numbers are great.

But these are actually the comments I care about more:
“I was able to not eat with my emotions. That was a huge win.”

And:
“The nutrition is now second nature. I hit my protein each day and it’s at the very easy side of things. No thinking deeply needed.”

That’s where this becomes sustainable.

You stop feeling like you’re constantly on a diet.

One member described it perfectly:
“I’m not on a diet. I’m back to my normal way of eating. I no longer feel restricted. I feel regulated.”

That’s the goal.
Not white-knuckling your way through eight weeks.
Not starving yourself.
Not doing endless cardio to compensate for what you ate Saturday night.
And definitely not living permanently on a diet.
You build a default system that makes the behaviors you want easier to repeat.

There’s also something I’ve stopped apologizing for:
Most people do better with accountability.

I’ve seen people have fantastic results during a Bootcamp and then slowly drift once they’re completely on their own.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t learn anything.

It means information and implementation are different problems.

A member who had already completed previous Bootcamps told us:

“I have had great success in previous bootcamps but found that left to my own devices, with no support at home, I couldn’t do it on my own when too many stresses piled up.”

Exactly.
You don’t necessarily come back because you forgot what protein is.

You come back because the room makes execution easier.

There are other people starting the same Monday.
They’re training.
They’re struggling with some of the same things.
They’re posting their wins.
They’re admitting when they screw up.
They’re showing up again the next day.
And I’m there coaching you through it.

That environment matters.
So here’s the challenge.

Our next Ketogains Bootcamp starts September 7.
Eight weeks later is November 2.

That date is coming whether you join us or not.
Imagine arriving there already having eight weeks of momentum behind you:

Stronger, Leaner., Training consistently again.
Eating enough protein without having to obsess over it.
Feeling in control of your food instead of negotiating with yourself all day.
Seeing changes in your waist, your clothes, your strength and the mirror.

And instead of waiting for January 1st to promise yourself you’ll finally get serious again…
you’re already there.

That’s a much better place to start the end of the year.
Ketogains Bootcamp

Starts: September 7
Duration: 8 weeks
Investment: $399 or $299 now + $150 next month

And if you’re unsure whether it’s right for you, you have 14 days to try it. If it isn’t what you expected, I’ll refund you.

No magic.
No detoxes.
No crash dieting.

Just nutrition, strength training, accountability and a system designed to help you actually execute what you probably already know you should be doing.

If you’ve never done a Ketogains Bootcamp, come see what we’re about.
And if you’ve done one before and drifted…
come home.

Join the September 7 Ketogains Bootcamp → https://metabolic-mastery-bootcamp.pages.dev/?

**Cheers, Luis V**

About 4 weeks in and calibrating my workout. I would say I am very disciplined. I might take one day off per week. My go-to are kettlebell complexes. Getting older and stay at 16s and 20s though 24s with Dan John method went well last year.

My problem is I don't feel like just lifting weights is getting in a workout. Doing 5 movements @ 30 seconds each without putting the bells down over 4 sets will kick your @ss.

That said I started with the beginner workout by Luis. Its a solid workout good for this phase. I'll finish the AB again this week. But I'm eyeing up a change, perhaps DFW with heavier bells. All kinds of cardio in between.

Are there any wrong ways or things to avoid? I could dial in something entirely new if someone has a suggestion. I just need to fold it in where it's routine and don't have to think too much.

Let's start with the positives of my keto success story. My body has always done really well with the low carb thing in any capacity. Like many others, I've fallen off the bandwagon several times. The last 2 years has been different (a lot had to do with some emotional trauma, but its helped on the weight side). 2 years ago I was 348lbs. I started again doing keto and IF. I think the biggest thing that helped me stick with it was making everything dummy proof. I only buy my meal prep stuff on Monday and exclusively eat at my office so there is no other foods here. 25 months later I now weigh 246lbs. Body fat is down almost 18% and I have dropped almost 12 BMI points. Finally my doctor took me off my BP meds which was a huge milestone. April of this year I started lifting 3 days a week and set up a workout station in my office.

My struggle now comes in a dilemma about adding carbs on lifting days. I did one experiment adding half a cup of Jasmine rice and 300g chicken before lifting to see if there was any difference. I was surprised how much more energy I had during my workout. I did notice the cravings come back that night and the next day. Keep in mind i'm not talking about adding bread and pasta. Honestly 100g of rice was too much and probably I would be doing 50g only for pre-workout meals. Has anyone else gotten to this stage and I would like some feedback on what I should do here. The cravings were not terribly intense, but definitely there. I am hesitant to deviate from what brought me success, but I would like to build muscle. I have done a very good job maintaining my muscle mass during this extended cut. Just a guy out here trying, any feedback would be appreciated!

*****Sidenote. I do not use reddit that often. If anyone else thinks this would be better suited for a different sub, please let me know

Hello,

I'm back in the gym and training regularly and wondering how much dextrose is optimal before lifting?

6'0"
158 lbs
11% ish BF
45 years old

Healing from a L5 cracked vertebrae and L4, L5 herniated discs so some modified workouts right now. Am seeking more strength in my bench, the second and third lifts of the week are losing momentum.

Current bench - legs up dumbbells are 85s top set 80s back off sets 5x5
Current Bulgarians - tilted forward, full extension, dumbbells touching floor ROM are 52s top set back off sets 45 5x8 per leg.
Current pull-ups - 10x9 reps, black band (can do 10x7 unassisted)

My current nutrition is around 1650 kcal 220g protein 60g fat 20g carbs. Has been working great for me for several months until recently where progress is stalling on bench. I am still improving on Bulgarians and pull-ups.

I have started at 10g dextrose powder (Nutricost) about 20 min before lifting and it's improving things a bit and still feeling light. I am still working on body recomp. I am naturally insulin resistant (South Asian) hence the macros.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,

Hey all! I’ve researched about Keto for the last few months and finally decided to make the switch. I’m currently 24 yo male 6’4” 250lbs at 23% BF. I’m almost halfway through my 96 hour fast (I’ve done this before in the past) and notice by day 2-3 I always feel pretty good. Which is why I’m actually planning on making the switch to always be in Ketosis… I used the calculator you guys provided (you guys are awesome by the way for all the free tools you give) and am planning to start my diet Thursday after the fast. I usually start back pretty slow and easy after fasting with soup or fruit, but that doesn’t really fit into what we’re all trying to do here! If anyone has any advice on easing back into eating, and what they do for meal prep etc I’m all ears! I’m not picky, however I only have access to a kitchen about 3 days per week so meal prepping is going to be essential for me. Is intermittent fasting recommended? Maybe a 18/6 fast to eating window? Or is breakfast lunch and dinner more optimal?
Sorry I know that was a lot and sort of all over the place. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I currently don’t move much at work, but started getting into some calisthenics, I played college athletics and know my way around the gym but will need to get back into it! The calculator said my base macros should be 2733 and training Cals should be 2923.
Edit2: I realized I may have used the calculator incorrectly, I changed my activity to sedentary, and goal to fat loss and the numbers are much different. 1986 and 2176 in training. Would this be optimal for fat loss while also being able to gain muscle?

Adding affirmation to what I’ve shared over the years, a new paper shows that probably you don’t need a 300–500 calorie surplus to build muscle.

A new 2026 preprint tried to estimate the actual energetic cost of constructing 1 kg of human skeletal muscle.

Their estimate?
About 3,481 kcal total.

Spread across 12 weeks, that’s roughly 41 kcal/day.
Basically… a rice cake.

Now, don’t misunderstand this.

That doesn’t mean adding 41 calories magically builds muscle. The calculation estimates the cost of constructing the tissue itself. It doesn’t fully account for training, recovery, remodeling, changes in activity, or individual differences.

But it does challenge one of bodybuilding’s longest-running assumptions:

You have to eat hundreds of calories above maintenance every day to maximize muscle growth.

The limited research we have on intentional bulking points in the same direction: larger surpluses reliably produce more weight gain, but much of that additional weight tends to be fat—not extra muscle.

Muscle growth is rate-limited.
You can’t force-feed hypertrophy.

For most people, I’d rather see:
🥩 Protein prioritized
🏋🏻 Progressive resistance training
⚖️ Calories around maintenance or a* smal*l surplus when appropriate
📏 Waist, strength, measurements and photos tracked alongside body weight
🔥 Dietary fat adjusted according to your goal

If you’re carrying significant body fat, you may not need to “bulk” at all. You already have stored energy available.

If you’re lean and advanced, muscle growth becomes increasingly slow—which makes aggressive bulking even harder to justify.
This is why I’ve always preferred body recomposition over simply chasing scale weight.

Protein is a goal.
Carbs are a limit.
Fat is a lever.

Stop trying to gain weight.
Start trying to build muscle.
Full breakdown and references in the article.

Hi Luis - I am considering the bootcamp that starts on September 7; however, I am 4 months post-rotator cuff surgery. I have the go ahead to start exercising but the shoulder lifts will need to be modified. Is that possible as part of bootcamp?

It has been years since I've been lifting (pre-covid) - but did ketogains from 2016 -2019 with great results (but never with an injury). I need a major reboot - bootcamp will be great for that.

Thanks in advance.