Context: Five years ago I was a fat loser with no muscle. Found TRP and devoted myself almost autistically to the gym for four years, and built a really great physique. Now I'm a marathon runner who lifts 6 days a week. There's always room for improvement, but I can confidently say I reached the point where if a woman rejects me, it's not because I'm not fit enough.

Anyhow, fitness has been pretty easy for the past year or so. I've basically been in maintenance mode, and the only goals I pursued were personal ones (bigger compound lifts, faster miles, etc.). I had the body I wanted. But this fall, faced with the prospect of having too much time on my hands and not approaching many women due to COVID, I decided to do a bulk. I cut back on the running and started lifting more and heavier, and I put on even more muscle. But I also put on some bodyfat and probably went up to 14-15%. I don't think I look that great (not sweating it, because I'm moving to a new city early next year, so I'll just do a cut before then).

But then something interesting happened. Even though I think I look like shit due to having more fat, I'm getting more compliments and interest from women in my life. It's too anecdotal to draw conclusions from (especially since I'm only seeing women I already knew), but I'm curious if anyone else has similar stories about women's reactions to you being big vs. being lean.