How can you tell if it's fat loss vs. muscle loss?

GhostlyGoat37

I've been out of town for a month where I had no access to a gym. I've been lifting weights (2 times a week) for a year before I left. When I returned, I lost 5 pounds according to the scale. Eating patterns haven't changed, but I've been walking a lot more than usual while I was on vacation. Is it possible this is just muscle loss or a combination of both?

ninerbuff

You lose fat and muscle when losing weight. Based on the info you've given, no lifting will result in a reduction of glycogen and water retention in your liver and muscle cells. It may be some fat, but you'd have to had measured that before to be sure.
I'd go with the reduction of glycogen and water in your system. Common occurrence if you haven't lifted weights for a couple of weeks or more.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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MKEgal

Put your before & after numbers into a calculator like this one:
http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy

Compare lean body mass & body fat between the 'before' and 'after' results.

It's not as accurate as one of those bod-pod type tests, but it's free and a reasonable approximation.

Pinnacle_IAO

I measure certain body parts to determine this.
I took a tape measure and recorded my neck, biceps thigh and calf.
That gave me an idea of muscle loss.

Further, I measure my belly where I store the most blubber.
My weekly goal was to retain muscle and lose fat.
As Niner mentioned, when we lose weight, we lose both muscle and fat. That's reality, and I wanted to see this in a way that was definitive, so I took those measurements.

And though I lost muscle, I retained much of it while losing the fat aggressively.
I wanted to be fit and athletic with a nice build for a guy. I am happy with the results.
The key is adjusting your training and diet based on what works given your measurements.

Good Luck!

pmm3437

Without before and after numbers, there is no way to answer the question accurately.

An educated guess, based on the information you provided, would lead me to believe you've lost at least some muscle mass. A month long complete layoff is almost like starting over.

The combination of more exercise ( walking everywhere ) and even slight nutrition changes ( carbs and sodium predominantly ) can cause your water retention to change, as can a lower need to retain for muscle repair, because you weren't lifting anymore.

In the absence of a large change in your nutrition plan, I would expect that most of what you have seen is a temporary fluctuation, not a permanent reduction.