Big deficits and lean mass loss
michellekicks
Posts: 3,624 Member
I wrote this on my own wall the other day, but thought I'd mention it here too (with more detail) for those I'm not friends with:
I have lost a significant amount of weight twice. I'm a huge advocate of small deficits because the first time I did it - in 2002/03 with Weight Watchers - I lost a total of 60 lbs. While doing the program I ate every single "point" I was allowed: every daily point, every weekly point, every activity point. My intake was still somewhere between maybe 1400-1800 calories daily depending on my workouts. Even occasionally I'd blow it entirely and have a big cheat meal/evening or whatever. I actually noticed my losses were better on the weeks I ate more; sometimes I even had an excellent 2-3 lb loss right after a "binge" or "cheat day". While I did get to my goal weight and achieve Lifetime Member status, I lost over 13 lbs of lean mass in the process. While I had 133.5lbs of lean mass before starting, I was left with 120lbs LBM at the end of it. That's almost 25% of my total loss. Now some of that is water, but imagine if I still had another 8-10 lbs of muscle on my body!
In 2012 (10 years and 2 pregnancies later), I lost 35 lbs with a further LBM loss of 4.6 lbs including water. My average deficit was roughly 300 calories daily. That is obviously a better result.
Now if I want to replace those pounds of muscle I'll have to bulk up. It's way easier to retain LBM than it is to go through the process of building it.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a personal experience. Other than these two weight loss attempts I have never been on VLCDs or any other weight loss methods, so I think I probably don't have quite the hormonal struggle that some of you do from years of yoyo-ing. Please trust in this process, though, and let my experience help to keep you moving in the right direction here. The EM2WL philosophy is so much healthier than any other diet industry "tricks" you hear about.
Eat the food. Move the body. Lift up the heavy things. Rest. Enjoy.
I have lost a significant amount of weight twice. I'm a huge advocate of small deficits because the first time I did it - in 2002/03 with Weight Watchers - I lost a total of 60 lbs. While doing the program I ate every single "point" I was allowed: every daily point, every weekly point, every activity point. My intake was still somewhere between maybe 1400-1800 calories daily depending on my workouts. Even occasionally I'd blow it entirely and have a big cheat meal/evening or whatever. I actually noticed my losses were better on the weeks I ate more; sometimes I even had an excellent 2-3 lb loss right after a "binge" or "cheat day". While I did get to my goal weight and achieve Lifetime Member status, I lost over 13 lbs of lean mass in the process. While I had 133.5lbs of lean mass before starting, I was left with 120lbs LBM at the end of it. That's almost 25% of my total loss. Now some of that is water, but imagine if I still had another 8-10 lbs of muscle on my body!
In 2012 (10 years and 2 pregnancies later), I lost 35 lbs with a further LBM loss of 4.6 lbs including water. My average deficit was roughly 300 calories daily. That is obviously a better result.
Now if I want to replace those pounds of muscle I'll have to bulk up. It's way easier to retain LBM than it is to go through the process of building it.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a personal experience. Other than these two weight loss attempts I have never been on VLCDs or any other weight loss methods, so I think I probably don't have quite the hormonal struggle that some of you do from years of yoyo-ing. Please trust in this process, though, and let my experience help to keep you moving in the right direction here. The EM2WL philosophy is so much healthier than any other diet industry "tricks" you hear about.
Eat the food. Move the body. Lift up the heavy things. Rest. Enjoy.
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Thank you for sharing this. I recently posted in this group about my recent struggles with getting out of my 160s because I had been eating too little. Although in the process, I have lost roughly 14lbs (I have 19 more to go) the scale has been barely and I do mean BARELY moving. The only time I would notice there was a loss was if I ate like crazy the day before my weigh in which I would find so odd. It made it seem like if I was counting the calories, I wouldn't get a loss but when I ate more, that's when I would lose. So this ultimately led me to this program and I'm hoping it works for me. Again, thanks for posting this.0
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thank you very much for this. i needed to hear this today0
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Thanks for posting this! I finally got a body media fit to encourage me to eat more. I think I'm close to my target calories, but I really need the reassurance of a third, fourth, and maybe fifth party. I've also been such a careful calorie watcher for so long, it's really hard to break the cycle.0
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my highest weight was 200lbs when I was 14~15 years old. I am almost 19 now and weigh ~108-110 lbs.I lost the weight by developing anorexia, so most of my loss was LBM. I have to WORK to keep my preferred athletic figure because I lost so much muscle. It is sad, I wish I could have done it right the first time, been the same size I am now, but about 10~15lbs heavier and very lean.0
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How is that lifting going on anyway - doing a bulk yet? Doing so much weight your family spotters can't handle it?0
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How is that lifting going on anyway - doing a bulk yet? Doing so much weight your family spotters can't handle it?
lol no. Since I replaced my smith with a power rack, I've started Stronglifts 5x5 over again... only because I'm only squatting 70 lbs at the moment I'm doing 5x10 haha. Will get back up to the big weights. I'm not sure I'm going to actually bulk because I can't imagine eating the amount of calories I would require to do so, mind you, it would be more like my current maintenance because I'd be cutting out the running... so still undecided. If I do, it will be in October after all my races.0
