Losing weight - but could it be muscle?

mcgeevercaitlin

Hi everyone-

Since the quarantine I have been off my normal gym routine. Usually doing at least an hour of strength training / weight classes at the gym everyday. Since the gym is closed now here in Philadelphia i have been trying to stay active by doing alot of walking 5-7 miles a day with keeping to my diet. I have lost about 4 lbs so far since the gym closed on March 15 but i am worried that it is muscle cause although I feel good I'm still feeling fluffy. LOL Could i be losing muscle?

janejellyroll

In a deficit, you're going to lose a combination of fat and muscle. Even while you're losing fat, it's possible to still feel "fluffy." Is 4 pounds a reasonable rate of loss for you since March 15th? In general, you can reduce muscle loss by keeping your rate of loss reasonable and including resistance activity (you don't need a gym for this, even body weight resistance exercises done at home will work).

AnnPT77

You won't have lost 4 pounds of muscle mass in roughly 6 weeks, while eating nutritiously (especially protein), staying active, and only losing 4 pounds total** . . . unless you have some kind of horrifying medical condition, which it doesn't sound like you do, since you're walking 4-7 miles daily!

You may feel a little squishier now, if you're used to strength training, as that slight water retention in the muscle (when strength training) can give muscle tissue a bit more visual definition and a taut feeling that influences how we feel about our "look".

** In case of misinterpretation: 4 pounds in roughly 6 weeks is a very sensible, good loss. My point is that if you lost, say, 18 pounds in 6 weeks, odds become much higher that 4 pounds could've been muscle. Losing slowly usually means a lower fraction of lean-tissue loss. It's probably not impossible to lose 4 pounds of muscle.

Could you have lost a little muscle mass? Possible. Meaningful amount? Probably not likely, while healthy, active, losing at a sensibly gradual rate. If you're worried, adding some bodyweight exercises at home might suit you.