Gaining muscle, but not losing mass
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Serendipity1517
Posts: 18 Member
Hello everyone! I am looking for some fresh, new ideas - I have been doing Crossfit for 12 months now, and have built some amazing muscle and lost a little over 20 pounds. However, I've been at a plateau since February. I continue to see new and stronger muscles, but haven't really lost any more weight or "mass". My pants are baggy, but I'm not down another size yet. Any tips? Tricks? Secrets? Any help is appreciated - thank you!
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Replies
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You are eating at maintenance calories but since February. That is a long time to not being reaching closer to you goals. Have you changed anything since February?0
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Serendipity1517 wrote: »Hello everyone! I am looking for some fresh, new ideas - I have been doing Crossfit for 12 months now, and have built some amazing muscle and lost a little over 20 pounds. However, I've been at a plateau since February. I continue to see new and stronger muscles, but haven't really lost any more weight or "mass". My pants are baggy, but I'm not down another size yet. Any tips? Tricks? Secrets? Any help is appreciated - thank you!
Not sure what exactly you're looking for. But we do need to clear up a couple misconceptions:
You're not 'building amazing muscle" and "losing over 20 lbs" at the same time. The two are polar opposites. Building muscle (as in building new muscle mass) requires eating at or above maintenance calories. Losing weight requires eating below maintenance calories.
I don't doubt that you've built some strength, and the fat loss probably makes the muscles you had previously become more visible. But you didn't build substantial new muscle mass.
If you're at a plateau, then you need to eat less calories if you want to continue to lose weight (you didn't state that specifically, but I'm assuming that's your goal). Since you've lost 20 lbs, you probably need to re-run your numbers and set a slightly lower calorie goal than you previously had.0 -
If your fat deposits are getting smaller, you are physically more toned, and stronger, why do you care what the scale says?0
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One other thing I'll add...if you're eating close to maintenance calories (as evidenced by no weight loss since February) it is possible you're (unintentionally) doing a recomp, which may have allowed you to build a small amount of muscle. If you're content at your current weight, you can continue this process, though it can be very slow to see results.0
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I set my goal at 1300, but I'll eat around 1500 daily. 1300 leaves me hungry, it's no lie... I'm currently at 190 lbs, and a size 16 - I'd like to get to a size 10-12, but weight really doesn't matter to me. I do consume a healthy amount of sugar (its my Achilles heel), so I am trying to slowly eliminate it from my daily intake... I just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced this, changed something specific, and kick started their weight loss again. I do CF three times per week, and try to squeeze in a run on my other 2 week days. Thanks for the feedback so far!0
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If weight loss is your goal and you haven't lost any since February, you're eating too much.
Also, kudos on your choice of city.0 -
Serendipity1517 wrote: »I set my goal at 1300, but I'll eat around 1500 daily. 1300 leaves me hungry, it's no lie... I'm currently at 190 lbs, and a size 16 - I'd like to get to a size 10-12, but weight really doesn't matter to me. I do consume a healthy amount of sugar (its my Achilles heel), so I am trying to slowly eliminate it from my daily intake... I just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced this, changed something specific, and kick started their weight loss again. I do CF three times per week, and try to squeeze in a run on my other 2 week days. Thanks for the feedback so far!
Don't try to eliminate sugar entirely - cut it down if you want, but don't try to completely get rid of it!
I had a look through your diary, looks like you're measuring things with cups and spoons, and you have a few entries like 'large egg' and things like that. This is probably your problem - you're eating a lot more than you think. Measuring cups aren't a reliable way of knowing how many calories you're eating. Start using a food scale, it's the only way to be sure how many calories in an amount of food. This is especially the case with eggs - 1 'large' egg in the database is 90 calories, I wouldn't say my eggs were particularly large but they're always around 120-130 calories when weighed out.
Getting a food scale and figuring out exactly how much you're eating is probably the best thing for you to do.0 -
Are you using a food scale to weigh everything you eat? 1500 should still have you losing, but not if you aren't accurately logging.0
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It does sound like you are recomping right now, so eating really close to maintenance. If you are fine with continuing to do that, you can continuing eating the way you are and lifting, which will work on your body composition. If you would prefer to lose fat more quickly, you'll have to eat less. It's a really personal decision. You'll read a lot that recomping is slow but once you get close to goal, losing weight is slow as well and, as a woman, you likely have enough water weight fluctuation that it can seem painfully slow.
Something I've noticed about recomping is that even though I can't really see changes in the mirror at this point, other people seem to notice them a lot. If you do stick with recomp, take tape measure measurements and look at those as a way to measure progress more than looking at the scale for it.0 -
ceoverturf wrote: »Serendipity1517 wrote: »Hello everyone! I am looking for some fresh, new ideas - I have been doing Crossfit for 12 months now, and have built some amazing muscle and lost a little over 20 pounds. However, I've been at a plateau since February. I continue to see new and stronger muscles, but haven't really lost any more weight or "mass". My pants are baggy, but I'm not down another size yet. Any tips? Tricks? Secrets? Any help is appreciated - thank you!
Not sure what exactly you're looking for. But we do need to clear up a couple misconceptions:
You're not 'building amazing muscle" and "losing over 20 lbs" at the same time. The two are polar opposites. Building muscle (as in building new muscle mass) requires eating at or above maintenance calories. Losing weight requires eating below maintenance calories.
I don't doubt that you've built some strength, and the fat loss probably makes the muscles you had previously become more visible. But you didn't build substantial new muscle mass.
If you're at a plateau, then you need to eat less calories if you want to continue to lose weight (you didn't state that specifically, but I'm assuming that's your goal). Since you've lost 20 lbs, you probably need to re-run your numbers and set a slightly lower calorie goal than you previously had.
This!
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This is seriously almost always the answer. 1500 should spur plenty of weight loss at your current h&w. If it isn't, you are either eating more than you think, or have a fairly rare medical disorder (hint, it's probably not the rare medical disorder).Are you using a food scale to weigh everything you eat? 1500 should still have you losing, but not if you aren't accurately logging.
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Serendipity1517 wrote: »I set my goal at 1300, but I'll eat around 1500 daily. 1300 leaves me hungry, it's no lie... I'm currently at 190 lbs, and a size 16 - I'd like to get to a size 10-12, but weight really doesn't matter to me. I do consume a healthy amount of sugar (its my Achilles heel), so I am trying to slowly eliminate it from my daily intake... I just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced this, changed something specific, and kick started their weight loss again. I do CF three times per week, and try to squeeze in a run on my other 2 week days. Thanks for the feedback so far!
You really are not building muscle if you are really eating at a deficit. However, if you're not losing weight, then you are unintentionally eating more than you realize.
Why are you trying to eliminate sugar? Why not just moderate since you like it so much?
There is no "kick starting" weight loss. If you're not losing, and you do want to lose weight, you need to eat less.0 -
Alrighty, so I am hearing.... start using a food scale, and measure/weigh EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth! DONE! Thank ya'll so much! Now... any suggestions on a good/cheap food scale to purchase? Digital? Old school? What works best for you guys? :-)0
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Serendipity1517 wrote: »Alrighty, so I am hearing.... start using a food scale, and measure/weigh EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth! DONE! Thank ya'll so much! Now... any suggestions on a good/cheap food scale to purchase? Digital? Old school? What works best for you guys? :-)
Definitely digital. I don't have any recommendation for brands, but I really can't see it making much difference - I have two scales (one at home and one at work), both are different brands because I bought them at different times from whatever shop was closest when I decided to buy one, and both work fine.0 -
The consensus answer is to eat a little less (calorie wise) than you are doing now.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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