I am concerned about my lean mass loss while trying to lose weight and could use some advice.

xproofx

As the title suggests, I am concerned about my lean mass loss while on my current change in diet.

A little history first. I have been obese my entire adult life. No doubt about it, I *kitten* up. I ate whatever the hell I wanted and didn't give a crap. I was dumb. Perhaps I still am.

I tried to lose weight once in my late 20s but I couldn't sustain my calorie restrictions and one pizza destroyed me, threw me off my diet and I gained all my weight back in a year.

Now, at 45 I am trying to make the changes I need to, to become the healthiest version of my that I can be. I know I will never be Mr. Atlas but I am tired of being fat.

That being said, I started trying again in June of 2017. My weight when I started was 319.67lbs, 44.8% body fat and a 44.7 BMI and a lean mass of 176.45lbs.

Since that day I've made some progress but I am growing increasingly concerned about my lean mass loss.

When I first started out all I did was cardio. A lot of walking. That was for the first month or so. Since then, I joined a gym and I am also doing strength training at least 3 times a week.

I usually check my stats on one of those higi machines weekly and though I figured there would be some muscle loss with the calorie deficit I was one, I am now wondering if I am doing more harm than good.

My current stats are 225lbs, 28.5% body fat, 31.5 BMI and I calculated my lean mass currently at 160.875lbs.

By my calculations, I have lost roughly 16lbs of lean mass and 80lbs of fat mass. I would like to not lose any lean mass but maybe I am unrealistic in that regard. Have I lost too much already?

My diary is open should anyone want to take a look:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/xproofx

I am looking for some kind souls here to give me some advice on what I can do to mitigate my lean mass loss.

I am 5'11" in case that is necessary to know.

Thanks for any input you can provide!

Fflpnari

i honestly wouldnt worry about the 16lbs that doesnt seem like that much. good nutrition and heavy lifing will do you wonders

NextRightThing714

A few thoughts:

How did you gather your stats? BF% is nearly always inaccurate, particularly if you got the number from an at-home scale.

I took a look at your diary. I would focus on hitting your protein goals. This won't have any impact on your weight loss, of course, but it may help you preserve lean mass.

Keep lifting.

Great work thus far!

kimny72

So first off I have no idea how much LBM loss is to be expected considering your starting stats.

I can say the best way to preserve as much muscle as possible while losing weight is to make sure you get enough protein and do some resistance training. And regardless your number one priority is to get down to a healthier weight, so I feel confident saying you are not doing more harm than good

I'm sure others will be along with more info. Just wanted to get the ball rolling and wish you good luck!

usmcmp

The method you use to track your body fat stats is one that is highly inaccurate. Take the numbers with a grain of salt. Some of your lean mass loss will be supportive tissues, which is normal and not bad because you are moving less weight and don't need it.

xproofx

Fflpnari wrote: »

i honestly wouldnt worry about the 16lbs that doesnt seem like that much. good nutrition and heavy lifing will do you wonders

I will keep this in mind. Thanks!

NextRightThing714 wrote: »

A few thoughts:

How did you gather your stats? BF% is nearly always inaccurate, particularly if you got the number from an at-home scale.

I took a look at your diary. I would focus on hitting your protein goals. This won't have any impact on your weight loss, of course, but it may help you preserve lean mass.

Keep lifting.

Great work thus far!

I use one of those machines at the grocery store. Perhaps it has not been calibrated lately. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

kimny72 wrote: »

So first off I have no idea how much LBM loss is to be expected considering your starting stats.

I can say the best way to preserve as much muscle as possible while losing weight is to make sure you get enough protein and do some resistance training. And regardless your number one priority is to get down to a healthier weight, so I feel confident saying you are not doing more harm than good

I'm sure others will be along with more info. Just wanted to get the ball rolling and wish you good luck!

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

usmcmp wrote: »

The method you use to track your body fat stats is one that is highly inaccurate. Take the numbers with a grain of salt. Some of your lean mass loss will be supportive tissues, which is normal and not bad because you are moving less weight and don't need it.

That thought had not even occurred to me. Thanks for weighing in, no pun intended.

NextRightThing714

Yup. The only reliable way to calculate BF% is with a DEXA scan or something similar. (Even DEXA has been found to be somewhat unreliable). I wouldn't sweat it!

ETA: typo.

xproofx

NextRightThing714 wrote: »

Yup. The only reliable way to calculate BF% is with a DEXA scan or something similar. (Even DEXA has been found to be somewhat unreliable). I wouldn't sweat it!

ETA: typo.

Thanks! I will try not to worry about it too much.

PAV8888

Assumption: that your lean to fat calculations are accurate. (Hint:: they aren't due to measurement errors that are beyond your control)

Six months and 100lbs is a tad too fast and certainly exceeds a conservative 0.5% to 1% of body weight loss per week. Might even exceed the 1.5% that might be tolerated without too many adverse effects by a morbidly obese person.

You might have achieved an 8:1 or 10:1 ratio had you gone at it a bit slower, still, you achieved something close to a 5:1. It is still a victory and, so far, a very minor price to pay for the results.

As you progress into low obese / high overweight the ratio will swing against you even more. Smaller deficits, adequate protein and/or carbs and/or combination thereof, and strength training will preserve the most lean mass.

Some lean mass is inevitable to be lost and of no concern as discussed above.

You've already gone the route of rapid loss and regain in the far past.

To maintain your loss you will have to be cognizant of your eating and activity levels for many years to come.

6 months out of 40 years is not yet enough time for you to have established a solid enough foundation for the many more years you will have to keep at it.

Slow down. Enjoy the ride. And realize that this is not a quick process of sacrifice and effort and then basking in the glow of "I am done".

Use the time to explore strategies behaviors and attitudes that will help you next year and next year and next year.

You cannot rely on continuous high level effort for the rest of your life. You have to figure out a way that you can include the occasional pizza without only moving to eating pizza and beer everyday.

All you're doing right now is buying a ticket that will allow you to play the maintenance game. Stack the deck as best you can.

That said even at 5 to 1, you're achieving an excellent ratio.

People in the normal weight range may end up looking at results that are as bad as 2:1, 1.5:1 or even 1:1 (or worse)

Since people, overall, have more lean than fat mass, accepting such results may be an option for them depending on goals.

For you... start looking at sustainable strategies.

Your current daily deficits of over 1,500 [and possibly almost 2,000 calories a day based on your results] are probably not going to be sustainable much longer and just like last time if you push until you break... the break will be spectacular!

Expect scale weight changes when you start eating more, and if you've been relying on daily scale feedback like many people do when losing rapidly you will be in for unpleasant fluctuations, thus I strongly suggest the use of a weight Trend application such as happy scale, Libra or Trendweight or weightgrapher.

xproofx

PAV8888 wrote: »

Assumption: that your lean to fat calculations are accurate. (Hint:: they aren't due to measurement errors that are beyond your control)

Six months and 100lbs is a tad too fast and certainly exceeds a conservative 0.5% to 1% of body weight loss per week. Might even exceed the 1.5% that might be tolerated without too many adverse effects by a morbidly obese person.

You might have achieved an 8:1 or 10:1 ratio had you gone at it a bit slower, still, you achieved something close to a 5:1. It is still a victory and, so far, a very minor price to pay for the results.

As you progress into low obese / high overweight the ratio will swing against you even more. Smaller deficits, adequate protein and/or carbs and/or combination thereof, and strength training will preserve the most lean mass.

Some lean mass is inevitable to be lost and of no concern as discussed above.

You've already gone the route of rapid loss and regain in the far past.

To maintain your loss you will have to be cognizant of your eating and activity levels for many years to come.

6 months out of 40 years is not yet enough time for you to have established a solid enough foundation for the many more years you will have to keep at it.

Slow down. Enjoy the ride. And realize that this is not a quick process of sacrifice and effort and then basking in the glow of "I am done".

Use the time to explore strategies behaviors and attitudes that will help you next year and next year and next year.

You cannot rely on continuous high level effort for the rest of your life. You have to figure out a way that you can include the occasional pizza without only moving to eating pizza and beer everyday.

All you're doing right now is buying a ticket that will allow you to play the maintenance game. Stack the deck as best you can.

That said even at 5 to 1, you're achieving an excellent ratio.

People in the normal weight range may end up looking at results that are as bad as 2:1, 1.5:1 or even 1:1 (or worse)

Since people, overall, have more lean than fat mass, accepting such results may be an option for them depending on goals.

For you... start looking at sustainable strategies.

Your current daily deficits of over 1,500 [and possibly almost 2,000 calories a day based on your results] are probably not going to be sustainable much longer and just like last time if you push until you break... the break will be spectacular!

Expect scale weight changes when you start eating more, and if you've been relying on daily scale feedback like many people do when losing rapidly you will be in for unpleasant fluctuations, thus I strongly suggest the use of a weight Trend application such as happy scale, Libra or Trendweight or weightgrapher.

Thank you for this invaluable wealth of information. I am working on upping my calories and I have been doing better with that recently.

I still enjoy the occasional pizza now and again, I am not a savage, lol. What good is living if you can't enjoy the foods you love. That being said, the meals I have made recently, I have found to be very satisfying. My last attempt at weight loss was calorie restricted with a VERY limited menu. I pretty much at the same thing every day.

This time is very different. Even when I do enjoy my occasional pizza or sweet treat, I don't allow it to cause me to ride off the rails. I know what it takes now and my willpower to succeed is stronger than anything else that could be put before it.

I appreciate your insight as well as the insight the members of this community has already provided and I am sure will continue to provide.

the_prez3

PAV8888 wrote: »

Assumption: that your lean to fat calculations are accurate. (Hint:: they aren't due to measurement errors that are beyond your control)

Six months and 100lbs is a tad too fast and certainly exceeds a conservative 0.5% to 1% of body weight loss per week. Might even exceed the 1.5% that might be tolerated without too many adverse effects by a morbidly obese person.

You might have achieved an 8:1 or 10:1 ratio had you gone at it a bit slower, still, you achieved something close to a 5:1. It is still a victory and, so far, a very minor price to pay for the results.

As you progress into low obese / high overweight the ratio will swing against you even more. Smaller deficits, adequate protein and/or carbs and/or combination thereof, and strength training will preserve the most lean mass.

Some lean mass is inevitable to be lost and of no concern as discussed above.

You've already gone the route of rapid loss and regain in the far past.

To maintain your loss you will have to be cognizant of your eating and activity levels for many years to come.

6 months out of 40 years is not yet enough time for you to have established a solid enough foundation for the many more years you will have to keep at it.

Slow down. Enjoy the ride. And realize that this is not a quick process of sacrifice and effort and then basking in the glow of "I am done".

Use the time to explore strategies behaviors and attitudes that will help you next year and next year and next year.

You cannot rely on continuous high level effort for the rest of your life. You have to figure out a way that you can include the occasional pizza without only moving to eating pizza and beer everyday.

All you're doing right now is buying a ticket that will allow you to play the maintenance game. Stack the deck as best you can.

That said even at 5 to 1, you're achieving an excellent ratio.

People in the normal weight range may end up looking at results that are as bad as 2:1, 1.5:1 or even 1:1 (or worse)

Since people, overall, have more lean than fat mass, accepting such results may be an option for them depending on goals.

For you... start looking at sustainable strategies.

Your current daily deficits of over 1,500 [and possibly almost 2,000 calories a day based on your results] are probably not going to be sustainable much longer and just like last time if you push until you break... the break will be spectacular!

Expect scale weight changes when you start eating more, and if you've been relying on daily scale feedback like many people do when losing rapidly you will be in for unpleasant fluctuations, thus I strongly suggest the use of a weight Trend application such as happy scale, Libra or Trendweight or weightgrapher.

This is a very well written and informative post. I completely agree. Nice job!