Exactly Marcus. Therein lies the dilemma. I have a number of specialists (and I have some significant clinical knowledge as well
) telling me I might put off a knee replacement if I drop 40lb or so, which implies muscle mass as well. In my first post I mentioned my reluctance because even though I'm not built like you guys, I have worked my arse off just to get some shape and underlying muscle and to think of sacrificing that is really hard. It's a gamble as well, because no guarantee the knee feels better. But the surgery means a lot of down time, especially for legs, which I've only worked a month in the past 10. So that's the dilemma.
I decided today maybe I would compromise and try to retain as much lean mass as possible and lose body fat at a reasonable pace. If knee doesn't improve I'll go ahead with surgeries. This seems like the best approach, most common sense and best outcome.
Of note, about 8 years ago when I was lifting really heavy and cycling my ex wife said she hated the way I looked...like a big [ugly] football player. Nice. My fiancé now says she loves my broad shoulders and thinks my chest is sexy.
She even knows my lagging areas and compliments me on those - "your biceps look like they are getting bigger" haha. So I want to stay attractive for her and not just get shaped for vanity. I just feel better knowing I am improving my vehicle.
Off for arms, hella day so far. Hope everyone is having a good day!