My wife started lifting weights 4 months ago, and was surprised by the results when we took a progress photo of her yesterday.
With her permission, I'm linking a timeline of her progress. If you're offended by the sight of humans in underwear, don't click it.
4 years of progress, 4 months of liftingA few facts about her progress:
* Even though the first picture is from 2008, she started changing her diet around late 2009 or early 2010.
* Before August of this year, the changes were just dietary - we would take walks during the warm months, but she did no other exercise. No jogging, no stationary bike, no lifting. Just diet changes.
* She does not count calories.
* She does not avoid any foods. The entire time, her diet has included ice cream, pizza, steak, lots of fried egg and bacon sandwiches, and even some fast food. Everything in moderation though, and in smaller portions.
* She does not low-carb, low-fat, juice fast, or anything so structured. She eats out less, generally limits the processed treats, gets more protein, and tries to emphasize whole foods in the diet.
* She drinks a
lot of diet soda.
* She had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago. Her chronic pain levels have decreased dramatically.
* She lifts 3x per week, for about an hour at a time.
I think the last 3 progress pictures are interesting - imo, the changes from 4 months of weightlifting with just 3 pounds of weight loss are more dramatic than the change from the preceding 10 pounds of weight loss, without training. While the scale stayed mostly constant, she has clearly replaced a fair amount of fat with muscle. It's a good reminder than weight is not that meaningful of a number - body composition is probably even more important.
...and to end on a less clinical note, I'm very proud of her commitment and dedication. And thrilled about how much her health has improved. I hope all of this effort will pay off in many healthier, happier, more active years together for us!