Lost 29 pounds but 7 of lean muscle???

Elo_getsfit

Hey there!
So I am so frustrated because the last time I went in for my measurements and fat loss I was told that I am actually losing lean muscle mass! I lift weights 4 times a week and have a trainer once a week. I eat plenty of protein and little carbs. I’m not sure what I’ve been doing wrong help!! Any ideas?

Meelisv

Some muscle mass loss is inevitable when in coric deficits. To minimize muscle mass loss you need to keep you calorie deficit as small as possible, while lifting heavy weights and making sure you're getting adequate amount of protein.

L1zardQueen

To add to the advice above. How are you measuring this fat loss and muscle loss? Most importantly, those machines are inaccurate.

Elo_getsfit

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

To add to the advice above. How are you measuring this fat loss and muscle loss? Most importantly, those machines are inaccurate.

They used my measurements and a fat percentage loss device

Elo_getsfit

Meelisv wrote: »

Some muscle mass loss is inevitable when in coric deficits. To minimize muscle mass loss you need to keep you calorie deficit as small as possible, while lifting heavy weights and making sure you're getting adequate amount of protein.

I still have like 60 pounds to lose. Won’t a small calorie deficit lead to less fat loss as well?

L1zardQueen

Eloisa85 wrote: »

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

To add to the advice above. How are you measuring this fat loss and muscle loss? Most importantly, those machines are inaccurate.

They used my measurements and a fat percentage loss device

read this

https://weightology.net/the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-part-2/

Cheer up, you are on the way!

Meelisv

Eloisa85 wrote: »

Meelisv wrote: »

Some muscle mass loss is inevitable when in coric deficits. To minimize muscle mass loss you need to keep you calorie deficit as small as possible, while lifting heavy weights and making sure you're getting adequate amount of protein.

I still have like 60 pounds to lose. Won’t a small calorie deficit lead to less fat loss as well?

Slower, no less. And with fat loss slower is usually better anyway, just needs decent amount of patience.

I lost ~160 pounds in total, at the beginning without any problems xcercise. I don't even want to think about how much muscle mass I lost along the way. If I had to do it all over again, I would approach it differently for sure.

tomtaylor239

Hey there. So, anything short of a Dexa scan will inevitably give inaccurate numbers as far as actual body fat versus muscle gains/losses are concerned. Do not get frustrated at muscle loss, this can't be stressed enough. Muscle loss during a calorie deficit is a sign of a healthy metabolism (Unless you're losing insane amouunts in short periods of time) because your body uses carbohydrates, fats, and protein all at the same time for energy. Though, since you are eating low in carbs, your muscle catabolism will actually be accelerated because your body will turn your proteins into sugar. This can be mediated by actually upping your fat intake and lowering your carb intake to a bare minimum to switch your body into a ketotic state were its main source of energy is fat. I would advise against this however, because there is a pretty nasty adjustment period. Long story short, don't be bummed about muscle loss. Focus on fat loss, forget about actually building muscle because that's really a lie (their's no free lunch, you can't make a window if you need the sand for bricks). Weight train to keep your muscles from further atrophy.

Azdak

There are a lot of things to unpack here. First of all, without knowing a lot more details about the type of testing and the conditions under which you had your body fat tested, we are left to do a lot of speculating.

So allow me to speculate.

First: to lose 7 pounds of “muscle mass” out of 29 lbs lost is not unheard of, but it is not customary, in my experience. Usually I only have seen that level of actual “muscle” loss with someone who has been doing a very low (e.g. <800 kcal/day) and no strength training. If you do not fall into that category, then the next place to look is the test itself. (The only other condition I have seen with a large decrease in lean mass is someone who manages to lose weight but maintains a high intake of alcohol).

Next: “lean body mass” does not necessarily mean “muscle mass”. Lean mass includes water and stored glycogen, among other things. If you are doing the test after exercise, after a meal, etc, it can skew the results, especially if you are doing bioimpedance testing.

So, you have to look at how you did the tests. It is important to have consistent testing conditions for each test. That means no exercise for 24 hours before, no food or caffeine within 2 hours, no large volume of fluid intake of any take right before the test. The test should be done at the same time of day.

It may be that you haven’t been “doing anything wrong” other than getting unhelpful advice from a trainer and people at the club.

I’ll never understand how people who represent themselves as “fitness experts” could give you a set of test results like that without any explanation. If I one of my clients experienced a 7 lb loss of muscle mass while working with me, the alarm sirens would go off immediately and I wouldn’t rest until I figured out why (which is how I found out about the effects of alcohol and VLCDs).

For now, I would stick with your program, since you are losing weight. Unless you are drinking every day and eating less than 800 calories, I suspect your test results may be affected by these other factors and you may not be losing as much muscle as you think. Don’t overreact to one test.

Elo_getsfit

Azdak wrote: »

There are a lot of things to unpack here. First of all, without knowing a lot more details about the type of testing and the conditions under which you had your body fat tested, we are left to do a lot of speculating.

So allow me to speculate.

First: to lose 7 pounds of “muscle mass” out of 29 lbs lost is not unheard of, but it is not customary, in my experience. Usually I only have seen that level of actual “muscle” loss with someone who has been doing a very low (e.g. <800 kcal/day) and no strength training. If you do not fall into that category, then the next place to look is the test itself. (The only other condition I have seen with a large decrease in lean mass is someone who manages to lose weight but maintains a high intake of alcohol).

Next: “lean body mass” does not necessarily mean “muscle mass”. Lean mass includes water and stored glycogen, among other things. If you are doing the test after exercise, after a meal, etc, it can skew the results, especially if you are doing bioimpedance testing.

So, you have to look at how you did the tests. It is important to have consistent testing conditions for each test. That means no exercise for 24 hours before, no food or caffeine within 2 hours, no large volume of fluid intake of any take right before the test. The test should be done at the same time of day.

It may be that you haven’t been “doing anything wrong” other than getting unhelpful advice from a trainer and people at the club.

I’ll never understand how people who represent themselves as “fitness experts” could give you a set of test results like that without any explanation. If I one of my clients experienced a 7 lb loss of muscle mass while working with me, the alarm sirens would go off immediately and I wouldn’t rest until I figured out why (which is how I found out about the effects of alcohol and VLCDs).

For now, I would stick with your program, since you are losing weight. Unless you are drinking every day and eating less than 800 calories, I suspect your test results may be affected by these other factors and you may not be losing as much muscle as you think. Don’t overreact to one test.

Thank you for your comment.
I do not drink alcohol and I do a low calorie intake but not that low and I do lots of weight training. I also weigh in the same time and day of the week each month. I may drink more or less water but never eat before.
The test was done by calculating my inches lost and the fat percentage which was calculated by a handheld device. I was told to try heavier weights and less reps but not much more.

Francl27

I stopped going to be measured at the gym after they told me that the 3 lbs I lost over 3 months (while doing strength training) were only lean mass, while I lost inches all over. I called total BS, and it just wasn't worth getting frustrated about (also they claimed that my bf was 22%, which was extremely hard to believe when I looked in the mirror).

Bottom line, that test is extremely inaccurate and I think it's a shame that gyms actually use that on their clients, and claim that it's actually accurate...

So don't worry about it. That being said, yeah, heavier weights help, and enough calories (if your deficit is too big, you're more likely to burn lean mass).

gamerbabe14

Sounds like whomever is performing test and telling you these things may be pushing you into spending more time and money at their gym. Also, losing muscle is inevitable when in a calorie deficit. Your trainer should know this but if they're causing you to panic, I maybe would consider someone new.

sgt1372

If you are eating at a deficit, it is almost impossible NOT to lose some LBM along w/the fat. Exercise and weight lifting just help to reduce the rate/amount of loss.

However, after you reach your goal weight, you can regain some LBM by recomping while eating at maintenance and continuing to lift and exercise.

At least that's tbe way it worked for me.

Azdak

Eloisa85 wrote: »

Azdak wrote: »

There are a lot of things to unpack here. First of all, without knowing a lot more details about the type of testing and the conditions under which you had your body fat tested, we are left to do a lot of speculating.

So allow me to speculate.

First: to lose 7 pounds of “muscle mass” out of 29 lbs lost is not unheard of, but it is not customary, in my experience. Usually I only have seen that level of actual “muscle” loss with someone who has been doing a very low (e.g. <800 kcal/day) and no strength training. If you do not fall into that category, then the next place to look is the test itself. (The only other condition I have seen with a large decrease in lean mass is someone who manages to lose weight but maintains a high intake of alcohol).

Next: “lean body mass” does not necessarily mean “muscle mass”. Lean mass includes water and stored glycogen, among other things. If you are doing the test after exercise, after a meal, etc, it can skew the results, especially if you are doing bioimpedance testing.

So, you have to look at how you did the tests. It is important to have consistent testing conditions for each test. That means no exercise for 24 hours before, no food or caffeine within 2 hours, no large volume of fluid intake of any take right before the test. The test should be done at the same time of day.

It may be that you haven’t been “doing anything wrong” other than getting unhelpful advice from a trainer and people at the club.

I’ll never understand how people who represent themselves as “fitness experts” could give you a set of test results like that without any explanation. If I one of my clients experienced a 7 lb loss of muscle mass while working with me, the alarm sirens would go off immediately and I wouldn’t rest until I figured out why (which is how I found out about the effects of alcohol and VLCDs).

For now, I would stick with your program, since you are losing weight. Unless you are drinking every day and eating less than 800 calories, I suspect your test results may be affected by these other factors and you may not be losing as much muscle as you think. Don’t overreact to one test.

Thank you for your comment.
I do not drink alcohol and I do a low calorie intake but not that low and I do lots of weight training. I also weigh in the same time and day of the week each month. I may drink more or less water but never eat before.
The test was done by calculating my inches lost and the fat percentage which was calculated by a handheld device. I was told to try heavier weights and less reps but not much more.

Then your results are almost certainly due to methodological error. I would not be concerned.

AnvilHead

Azdak wrote: »

Eloisa85 wrote: »

Azdak wrote: »

There are a lot of things to unpack here. First of all, without knowing a lot more details about the type of testing and the conditions under which you had your body fat tested, we are left to do a lot of speculating.

So allow me to speculate.

First: to lose 7 pounds of “muscle mass” out of 29 lbs lost is not unheard of, but it is not customary, in my experience. Usually I only have seen that level of actual “muscle” loss with someone who has been doing a very low (e.g. <800 kcal/day) and no strength training. If you do not fall into that category, then the next place to look is the test itself. (The only other condition I have seen with a large decrease in lean mass is someone who manages to lose weight but maintains a high intake of alcohol).

Next: “lean body mass” does not necessarily mean “muscle mass”. Lean mass includes water and stored glycogen, among other things. If you are doing the test after exercise, after a meal, etc, it can skew the results, especially if you are doing bioimpedance testing.

So, you have to look at how you did the tests. It is important to have consistent testing conditions for each test. That means no exercise for 24 hours before, no food or caffeine within 2 hours, no large volume of fluid intake of any take right before the test. The test should be done at the same time of day.

It may be that you haven’t been “doing anything wrong” other than getting unhelpful advice from a trainer and people at the club.

I’ll never understand how people who represent themselves as “fitness experts” could give you a set of test results like that without any explanation. If I one of my clients experienced a 7 lb loss of muscle mass while working with me, the alarm sirens would go off immediately and I wouldn’t rest until I figured out why (which is how I found out about the effects of alcohol and VLCDs).

For now, I would stick with your program, since you are losing weight. Unless you are drinking every day and eating less than 800 calories, I suspect your test results may be affected by these other factors and you may not be losing as much muscle as you think. Don’t overreact to one test.

Thank you for your comment.
I do not drink alcohol and I do a low calorie intake but not that low and I do lots of weight training. I also weigh in the same time and day of the week each month. I may drink more or less water but never eat before.
The test was done by calculating my inches lost and the fat percentage which was calculated by a handheld device. I was told to try heavier weights and less reps but not much more.

Then your results are almost certainly due to methodological error. I would not be concerned.

"methodical error" - i.e., using a BIA device. It's a shame that somebody who purports to be a trainer doesn't understand the inherent inaccuracy in such a device and actually trusts the readings to show anything useful.

I'd agree that I wouldn't be concerned.