Losing weight/inches without losing muscle

for_ever_young66

About 5 months ago, I had an unfortunate accident which caused me to break my ankle which resulted in surgery. As a result of being pretty immobile, I gained some unwanted pounds (I also admit that I wasn’t eating very healthy). My weight before the accident was 202 lbs but then it peaked to about 225 around Christmas. Since then, It dropped to about 218. At 6’2,” I’m not extremely overweight but I do want to get back to around 205. My ankle is healing well and I can now do some cardio but am pretty limited. I’m not quite able to do anything like HIIT or P90X or any exercises that require jumping just yet. I will also add that I never really stopped training my upper body while I was injured and my arms, shoulders, chest and back are probably stronger now than they have ever been. I brought my crutches into the gym and still kept working what I could. I also did lots of push-ups. My fear is that once I lose lbs, I might lose some of my muscle definition and I don’t want to do that. Any ideas on how to manage that balance between keeping your muscle gains but still losing weight? Maybe I should be looking at doing something from a dietary standpoint? In particular, I want to lose inches in my waist since I’m in no mood nor do I have the budget to go out and purchase a bunch of slacks and/or jeans.

DopeItUp

Generally speaking, getting adequate protein (roughly 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass), keeping the rate of loss reasonable (1% or bodyweight or less a week) and keeping the weights heavy (say, 90-95% of max effort) is your best bet to maintain muscle while losing body fat.

canadianlbs

ymmv from mine, since i'm a woman and in my 50's. but i've had quite a few setback/comeback cycles over the past couple of years, and ime so far it's always been much harder to lose fat that i've gained, than it is to regain muscle i've lost.

i'm not saying go ahead and let the muscle go . . . just sayin'.

Cylphin60

Keep training and hit your daily protein numbers. I'm 57, and my muscle loss has been pretty minimal with a combination of strength and Bodyweight training. About 14 lbs lost so far, which puts me pretty close to my goal.

for_ever_young66

I have upped my protein levels as of late, averaging from 130-150 grams though it would help to ingest a bit more. I'm only eating good carbs now and try to keep my proteins really lean (skinless chicken breast, tuna, etc). Maybe it's just a vanity thing on my part. Wife says she likes me how I am but I know that I'll feel healthier if I'm down 12-15 more lbs. I am 215 as of this morning. Yay!

Cylphin60

for_ever_young66 wrote: »

I have upped my protein levels as of late, averaging from 130-150 grams though it would help to ingest a bit more. I'm only eating good carbs now and try to keep my proteins really lean (skinless chicken breast, tuna, etc). Maybe it's just a vanity thing on my part. Wife says she likes me how I am but I know that I'll feel healthier if I'm down 12-15 more lbs. I am 215 as of this morning. Yay!

It's not all vanity...I don't think lol. I know what you mean. A small a gain as 8-10 lbs really throws me off my game. One other thing that made a marked difference in how I felt and how my body responded to work outs was making sure I got enough fat.

When I began this journey I came from the "fat bad" crowd, and restricted it in every way possible. I couldn't understand why I wasn't seeing the results I thought I should. Someone here suggested upping fats, and that made all the difference for me personally. Today I shoot for 35%carbs/fats, the remainder in protein. That's at 5'9" and 178lbs.

Good luck on yours

for_ever_young66

Cylphin60 wrote: »

for_ever_young66 wrote: »

I have upped my protein levels as of late, averaging from 130-150 grams though it would help to ingest a bit more. I'm only eating good carbs now and try to keep my proteins really lean (skinless chicken breast, tuna, etc). Maybe it's just a vanity thing on my part. Wife says she likes me how I am but I know that I'll feel healthier if I'm down 12-15 more lbs. I am 215 as of this morning. Yay!

It's not all vanity...I don't think lol. I know what you mean. A small a gain as 8-10 lbs really throws me off my game. One other thing that made a marked difference in how I felt and how my body responded to work outs was making sure I got enough fat.

When I began this journey I came from the "fat bad" crowd, and restricted it in every way possible. I couldn't understand why I wasn't seeing the results I thought I should. Someone here suggested upping fats, and that made all the difference for me personally. Today I shoot for 35%carbs/fats, the remainder in protein. That's at 5'9" and 178lbs.

Good luck on yours

Thanks, sounds like you're doing just great. I'll admit that I got a bit of a scare around Christmas when I peaked to 225. All through high school and college, I was always known as the "skinny nerdy" friend. lol I recently got married in November and then went on a cruise; and we know how great that cruise food can be. Thanksgiving and Christmas soon followed and it was a perfect storm to gaining unwanted pounds. But I'm making decent progress so far.

Cylphin60

for_ever_young66 wrote: »

Cylphin60 wrote: »

for_ever_young66 wrote: »

I have upped my protein levels as of late, averaging from 130-150 grams though it would help to ingest a bit more. I'm only eating good carbs now and try to keep my proteins really lean (skinless chicken breast, tuna, etc). Maybe it's just a vanity thing on my part. Wife says she likes me how I am but I know that I'll feel healthier if I'm down 12-15 more lbs. I am 215 as of this morning. Yay!

It's not all vanity...I don't think lol. I know what you mean. A small a gain as 8-10 lbs really throws me off my game. One other thing that made a marked difference in how I felt and how my body responded to work outs was making sure I got enough fat.

When I began this journey I came from the "fat bad" crowd, and restricted it in every way possible. I couldn't understand why I wasn't seeing the results I thought I should. Someone here suggested upping fats, and that made all the difference for me personally. Today I shoot for 35%carbs/fats, the remainder in protein. That's at 5'9" and 178lbs.

Good luck on yours

Thanks, sounds like you're doing just great. I'll admit that I got a bit of a scare around Christmas when I peaked to 225. All through high school and college, I was always known as the "skinny nerdy" friend. lol I recently got married in November and then went on a cruise; and we know how great that cruise food can be. Thanksgiving and Christmas soon followed and it was a perfect storm to gaining unwanted pounds. But I'm making decent progress so far.

That's what matters. I wouldn't turn down cruise food either lol, but I think we all do the 2 steps forward and 1 back from time to time. You're on your way now, and it sounds like you know the road. You'll hit your numbers, it just takes a little patience.