Why do people think you will lose muscle if you lose more than 2lbs a week?

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  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    harmar21 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    isulo_kura wrote: »
    You will always lose some muscle when losing weight that's just what happens . It's minimising that loss that you want to do. Those in the morbidly and super morbidly obese losing some muscle is not a big issue initially. You only have 20 pounds in weight to lose so for a start what's the rush?

    What makes you think you will lose muscle automatically no matter what? If you get enough protein and exercise your muscles regularly you won't.

    because physics and that's just how it happens. oy.
    Then how come I havent according to both my scale which tells me my body fat percentage, as well as skin fold test? (I know neither are 100% accurate, but they both have been giving me fairly consistent readings with each other)

    330 lbs both tests indicated 45% BF
    300lb both tests indicated 39%
    and did a test today at 282lb scale said 35% and callipers said 33%.

    So it appears I been maintaining LBM or possibly even slightly increasing it all while losing an average 2lbs/week for the past 6.5 months

    Scale is totally inaccurate, calipers are inaccurate as well, and you can lower your body fat % while also lowering your lean body mass at the same time. Do you only gain muscle when eating at a caloric surplus and lifting weights? No? Then why woudl you only lose fat while eating at a deficit. Same logic.
  • harmar21
    harmar21 Posts: 215 Member
    edited March 2015
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    harmar21 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    isulo_kura wrote: »
    You will always lose some muscle when losing weight that's just what happens . It's minimising that loss that you want to do. Those in the morbidly and super morbidly obese losing some muscle is not a big issue initially. You only have 20 pounds in weight to lose so for a start what's the rush?

    What makes you think you will lose muscle automatically no matter what? If you get enough protein and exercise your muscles regularly you won't.

    because physics and that's just how it happens. oy.
    Then how come I havent according to both my scale which tells me my body fat percentage, as well as skin fold test? (I know neither are 100% accurate, but they both have been giving me fairly consistent readings with each other)

    330 lbs both tests indicated 45% BF
    300lb both tests indicated 39%
    and did a test today at 282lb scale said 35% and callipers said 33%.

    So it appears I been maintaining LBM or possibly even slightly increasing it all while losing an average 2lbs/week for the past 6.5 months

    Scale is totally inaccurate, calipers are inaccurate as well, and you can lower your body fat % while also lowering your lean body mass at the same time. Do you only gain muscle when eating at a caloric surplus and lifting weights? No? Then why woudl you only lose fat while eating at a deficit. Same logic.

    Well do the math. 45% BF at 330 lbs = 181.5lb LBM
    35%BF at 282 = 183lb LBM

    Sure they might be inaccurate, but they both are giving me similar results. I also tried those online calculators that take measurements from hips, waist, arm, wrists, thighs, neck and give you estimated body % and fairly close to what the scale and callipers stated.
    Sure I know it isnt very accurate, but I find it interesting how all 3 of those things are all within a couple percentage points of eachother.
    Ill just have to see once I get closer to my goal, maybe ill spring for a DEXA scan
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,945 Member
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    [/quote]
    I'm not sure I understand all of what you're saying but thank you. I probably have about 40 stored up as I am 190 and am about 20-22% fat at the moment. And I don't think muscle loss doesn't happen, I just think its preventable. But good job on only losing 1.2 of muscle or whatever!
    [/quote]
    I am not sure I understand your original post and question then.

    If you do believe that muscle loss happens during weight loss, then you would probably realize that it is something that you can MITIGATE against.

    And there are currently several common methods that people use to mitigate against muscle loss during weight reduction: high protein, heavy lifting, and smaller deficits.

    You've chosen to implement 2 out of 3. Great. Maybe it will work out for you as well as you hope, and maybe it won't!

    Since you are monitoring things I am sure you'll be able to adjust without a problem based on your body's reaction!

    By the way, are you using a reliable method to measure you body composition?


  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    harmar21 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    harmar21 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    isulo_kura wrote: »
    You will always lose some muscle when losing weight that's just what happens . It's minimising that loss that you want to do. Those in the morbidly and super morbidly obese losing some muscle is not a big issue initially. You only have 20 pounds in weight to lose so for a start what's the rush?

    What makes you think you will lose muscle automatically no matter what? If you get enough protein and exercise your muscles regularly you won't.

    because physics and that's just how it happens. oy.
    Then how come I havent according to both my scale which tells me my body fat percentage, as well as skin fold test? (I know neither are 100% accurate, but they both have been giving me fairly consistent readings with each other)

    330 lbs both tests indicated 45% BF
    300lb both tests indicated 39%
    and did a test today at 282lb scale said 35% and callipers said 33%.

    So it appears I been maintaining LBM or possibly even slightly increasing it all while losing an average 2lbs/week for the past 6.5 months

    Scale is totally inaccurate, calipers are inaccurate as well, and you can lower your body fat % while also lowering your lean body mass at the same time. Do you only gain muscle when eating at a caloric surplus and lifting weights? No? Then why woudl you only lose fat while eating at a deficit. Same logic.

    Well do the math. 45% BF at 330 lbs = 181.5lb LBM
    35%BF at 282 = 183lb LBM

    Sure they might be inaccurate, but they both are giving me similar results. I also tried those online calculators that take measurements from hips, waist, arm, wrists, thighs, neck and give you estimated body % and fairly close to what the scale and callipers stated.
    Sure I know it isnt very accurate, but I find it interesting how all 3 of those things are all within a couple percentage points of eachother.
    Ill just have to see once I get closer to my goal, maybe ill spring for a DEXA scan

    Inaccuracies means you could have actually been 43% BF when you started, meaning 188lb LBM. Then if you actually were 35% BF at 282, that's a 5lb difference in LBM.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    harmar21 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    harmar21 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    isulo_kura wrote: »
    You will always lose some muscle when losing weight that's just what happens . It's minimising that loss that you want to do. Those in the morbidly and super morbidly obese losing some muscle is not a big issue initially. You only have 20 pounds in weight to lose so for a start what's the rush?

    What makes you think you will lose muscle automatically no matter what? If you get enough protein and exercise your muscles regularly you won't.

    because physics and that's just how it happens. oy.
    Then how come I havent according to both my scale which tells me my body fat percentage, as well as skin fold test? (I know neither are 100% accurate, but they both have been giving me fairly consistent readings with each other)

    330 lbs both tests indicated 45% BF
    300lb both tests indicated 39%
    and did a test today at 282lb scale said 35% and callipers said 33%.

    So it appears I been maintaining LBM or possibly even slightly increasing it all while losing an average 2lbs/week for the past 6.5 months

    Scale is totally inaccurate, calipers are inaccurate as well, and you can lower your body fat % while also lowering your lean body mass at the same time. Do you only gain muscle when eating at a caloric surplus and lifting weights? No? Then why woudl you only lose fat while eating at a deficit. Same logic.

    Well do the math. 45% BF at 330 lbs = 181.5lb LBM
    35%BF at 282 = 183lb LBM

    Sure they might be inaccurate, but they both are giving me similar results. I also tried those online calculators that take measurements from hips, waist, arm, wrists, thighs, neck and give you estimated body % and fairly close to what the scale and callipers stated.
    Sure I know it isnt very accurate, but I find it interesting how all 3 of those things are all within a couple percentage points of eachother.
    Ill just have to see once I get closer to my goal, maybe ill spring for a DEXA scan

    that will give you an accurate picture of current body fat, but it will do nothing to *kitten* starting point vs current point, as you did not do a DEXA scan when you started.

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Got to love when 18 year olds think they know everything!! LOL
  • therooster5
    therooster5 Posts: 14 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I'm not sure I understand all of what you're saying but thank you. I probably have about 40 stored up as I am 190 and am about 20-22% fat at the moment. And I don't think muscle loss doesn't happen, I just think its preventable. But good job on only losing 1.2 of muscle or whatever!
    [/quote]
    I am not sure I understand your original post and question then.

    If you do believe that muscle loss happens during weight loss, then you would probably realize that it is something that you can MITIGATE against.

    And there are currently several common methods that people use to mitigate against muscle loss during weight reduction: high protein, heavy lifting, and smaller deficits.

    You've chosen to implement 2 out of 3. Great. Maybe it will work out for you as well as you hope, and maybe it won't!

    Since you are monitoring things I am sure you'll be able to adjust without a problem based on your body's reaction!

    By the way, are you using a reliable method to measure you body composition?


    [/quote]

    All I have is a scale that tells me my percentage
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I think people say that as an excuse as to why they're not trying to lose more. This is nothing against someone who only wants to lose 1-2 pounds a week. But if you want to lose more weight and fat than that, you can. I am currently losing 3-3.5 pounds of fat a week on an accelerated diet because I hate losing weight so much I just want to get it over with. I exercise my muscles and eat my protein goal and I feel stronger than I did before even though supposedly I'm losing a ton of muscle along with my fat. If anyone has any concrete evidence that I'm wrong I'll be glad to hear it.

    Because numerous scientific studies show it to be a fact.

    All I have is a scale that tells me my percentage

    Those scales are wildly in accurate.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    RHachicho wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    I think you are making a huge generalization without being here long enough to do so.

    Sooo .. being a long term member of Myfitnesspal somehow makes you an authority in the matter? And being new means your talking trash?

    So are you saying that it's NOT a huge and invalid generalization to claim that people only say it's better not to lose at too aggressive a rate because they need an excuse for losing more slowly?

    Nah it's a pretty huge generalization. I'm just saying that calling him out because he "hasn't been on the board long enough to know better" Is also .. a huge generalization. And therefore a rather silly rebuttal. That's all.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,945 Member
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    [/quote]
    All I have is a scale that tells me my percentage[/quote]

    And the fat % measurement the scale gives you is ?

    My Fitbit Aria says I've moved from 26.4% body fat to 25.5%.

    According to the Fitbit web-site, based on the Aria's info, I've moved from 53.7lbs of fat to 50.8lbs.

    So, I can either go into abject panic mode and believe the scale's assertion that I am losing fat and muscle on a 1:1 ratio.

    [yes, my body fat % dropped while, according to the scale, I lost more muscle than fat. do the math. it works]

    Or I can recall that my DXA scan two weeks and less than 2lbs before the 26.4% body fat measurement was... 32.8%.

    And that during the previous 3 months I've been losing at an approximately 9:1 ratio eating and exercising in a relatively similar manner.

    So, you know what? I am actually NOT going to go into abject panic mode!

    <whew. panic averted. must keep remembering that not accurate sometimes means utterly useless>