With weight loss comes muscle loss?

Haley0888
Haley0888 Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'3.5" and started at 210lbs. Currently I'm at 163lbs and my goal weight is 135lbs. I've noticed that since my weight loss, my once very muscular bottom is starting to lose its perkiness! I've done a lot of "leg days" and "Butt days" but not using any weights, just body weight. Would it be a good idea for me to finish my loss, then start lifting?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Lift now to preserve as much muscle as you can. Also make sure you're getting enough protein to help retain it.
  • cwang125
    cwang125 Posts: 76 Member
    Congrats on your progress so far.

    You can incorporate strength training with weights now. Strength training will help increase lean body mass. There's not much downside to including weight lifting in your exercise routine.
  • rennickm1986
    rennickm1986 Posts: 70 Member
    Generally you won't gain muscle while losing weight unless you're very overweight or taking "supplements". People past the beginner phase do cut and bulk cycles to gain muscle then cut cycles to trim fat while losing as little muscle as they can (some is inevitable)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Lift now to preserve as much muscle as you can. Also make sure you're getting enough protein to help retain it.

    This ^^

    If you lose more than a few lbs you will most likely lose muscle along with fat. You simply don't need as much muscle to carry around 135 lbs as you do 210 lbs. But you can minimize it with proper exercise and diet.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    To maintain as much muscle as possible (you will still lose some...its impossible not to), eat plenty of protein (.8-1gram per pound of lean body mass) and strength train while you are losing weight.
  • hulk666
    hulk666 Posts: 11 Member
    Kudos Haley on your amazing progress. I am from a male perspective but I think it can be helpful. You will speed up fat loss by gaining more muscle. Try to do weight training a couple of times a week start with a total body routine. When, I started back at 395# I jumped right into a keto diet which didn't work but once I added weight training into the mix I started dropping. Now, at 353# in less than 3 months, I do a keto diet for a week if start to plateau again. NO CARBS (or less than 30g per day) is tough but it works as long as you supplement with fiber. When weight training go with lighter weights you can do for over 10 reps. Light weight training to fatigue will still build muscle without giving you bulk. Get to work!
  • Haley0888
    Haley0888 Posts: 29 Member
    Thank you all for your input! Sounds like I needs to start some light weight lifting!. Cant have a saggy booty! :wink:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Haley0888 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your input! Sounds like I needs to start some light weight lifting!. Cant have a saggy booty! :wink:

    Not light weight lifting, heavy (for you) progressive lifting focusing on compound lifts. With the goals you mentioned, I would suggest you check out the program Strong curves. http://www.strongcurves.com

  • sonnydaniels
    sonnydaniels Posts: 33 Member
    edited June 2016
    Squats is the King of lifts if you want to preserve or develop that booty!!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    cwang125 wrote: »
    Congrats on your progress so far.

    You can incorporate strength training with weights now. Strength training will help increase lean body mass. There's not much downside to including weight lifting in your exercise routine.

    not likely in her situation...perhaps small noob gains but nothing substantial.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Haley0888 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your input! Sounds like I needs to start some light weight lifting!. Cant have a saggy booty! :wink:

    You don't have to use light weights. You can do it with light weights but you'll need to do more reps to get to failure. Or you can do it with bodyweight.

    I personally like walking lunges for my booty and thighs.
  • cwang125
    cwang125 Posts: 76 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    cwang125 wrote: »
    Congrats on your progress so far.

    You can incorporate strength training with weights now. Strength training will help increase lean body mass. There's not much downside to including weight lifting in your exercise routine.

    not likely in her situation...perhaps small noob gains but nothing substantial.

    You're right, I was talking very generically. Accretion of muscle is unlikely while maintaining a caloric deficit. Strength training will help her generally speaking though.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Whenever you lose weight, it will always be a mixture of both fat and other tissue (including bone and muscle). Someone who doesn't pay attention, they might lose 1 lb of "lean mass" for every 3 lbs of fat they lose. Lifting (heavy) weights helps make it so you lose something closer to 1 lb of lean mass for every 10 lbs of fat loss, or something like that.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It would be a good idea to lift now to help preserve more muscle. When you lose weight you will always have a combination of muscle and fat loss...resistance training combined with adequate protein and nutrition in general will mitigate those losses. Also, steep deficits also tend to lead to more muscle loss than smaller deficits.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    hulk666 wrote: »
    Kudos Haley on your amazing progress. I am from a male perspective but I think it can be helpful. You will speed up fat loss by gaining more muscle. Try to do weight training a couple of times a week start with a total body routine. When, I started back at 395# I jumped right into a keto diet which didn't work but once I added weight training into the mix I started dropping. Now, at 353# in less than 3 months, I do a keto diet for a week if start to plateau again. NO CARBS (or less than 30g per day) is tough but it works as long as you supplement with fiber. When weight training go with lighter weights you can do for over 10 reps. Light weight training to fatigue will still build muscle without giving you bulk. Get to work!

    sometimes it takes longer to enter ketosis than a week,so why do a keto diet for only a week? and no carbs at all is not healthy. thats not what a keto diet is. plateaus are normal and what is causing the weight loss from the keto is water weight loss,its not true fat, not in a week. as for weight lifting even if she were to lift heavy she still will NOT bulk up being female. it takes a woman to be in a caloric surplus to gain a good bit of muscle and it also takes time. you dont gain muscle in a deficit except for a small amount of newbie gains. I have been lifting heavy almost 4 years and Im not bulky at all. women dont bulk like men unless they use supplements that are basically outlawed.fat loss comes from a deficit. so when you are gaining muscle you are gaining fat especially in a surplus.when doing a keto diet you are also supposed to up your fat and sodium as well. lighter weights wont get you very far,. why not lift heavy with less reps to failure instead of light weights,many many reps to failure? heavy weights are better and no bulk
  • Haley0888
    Haley0888 Posts: 29 Member
    erickirb wrote: »
    Haley0888 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your input! Sounds like I needs to start some light weight lifting!. Cant have a saggy booty! :wink:

    Not light weight lifting, heavy (for you) progressive lifting focusing on compound lifts. With the goals you mentioned, I would suggest you check out the program Strong curves. http://www.strongcurves.com

    Lol I didn't mean "light weight lifting" with light weights. I meant "light weight lifting" as in lightly adding it to my week of workouts.
  • Haley0888
    Haley0888 Posts: 29 Member
    I appreciate all your help! I didn't mean "light weight lifting" with light weights. I just meant adding a little weight lifting in to my work out schedule. I guess I could have said that better. But I've never weight lifted before (except in high school) but I have some family members that have offered to help me start. I've always worried about "bulking" so I've always turned them down. Any advice for a newbie to start lifting? If you need to know what my diet looks like as well, my diary is open.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
    edited June 2016
    Lift heavy chit.....now!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Haley0888 wrote: »
    I appreciate all your help! I didn't mean "light weight lifting" with light weights. I just meant adding a little weight lifting in to my work out schedule. I guess I could have said that better. But I've never weight lifted before (except in high school) but I have some family members that have offered to help me start. I've always worried about "bulking" so I've always turned them down. Any advice for a newbie to start lifting? If you need to know what my diet looks like as well, my diary is open.

    You wont bulk in a caloric deficit, so don't worry about that.

    I would suggest you check out the programs strong curves, New Rules of Lifting, Starting strength, or stronglifts 5x5

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