[PsYcNeT]

Depends on the degree of strength training ultimately.

During COVID, I decided to lose some weight. So over about a year between Aug 2020 and Aug 2021 I tracked calories and did 30m of Elliptical every day. Went from around 235lbs to 195lbs (6'1") and kept doing cardio until the end of 2022. In January this year, I pivoted to strength training 5-6 days a week (with a skip day or cardio day filling in on day 7) and counted macros instead of calories. I started going to the gym twice a week and lifting at home the other 3-4 in late March, and it's been really interesting to see how the body effectively "looks the same" while my weight marches back up.

I'm currently sitting at 210lbs, but I did Body Composition testing in late April and then again in late Oct, and according to the tables so far this year I've lost 10lbs of Body Fat Mass and gained 25lbs of Lean Body Mass (includes about 12lbs of Skeletal Muscle Mass). Between Apr and Oct, my Body Fat % went from almost 22% to 18% just from strength training.

Cardio is a good start, but Strength Training has some pretty wild effects. My knees are no longer sore (I did physio for them a couple years ago) and my balance is so much better. I'm still the old guy who wears knee braces on leg days and elbow braces on upper body days, but the longer I do this, the less and less I need them.

There's something crazy about going through the effort to lose 40lbs and then watching yourself slowly gain 15-20lbs back, but not see your gut grow at all.