Maintaining muscle while losing weight

katorihanzo

I’ve got about 20-25 lbs to lose. I’ve lost 70-80 lbs before and I know it’s inevitable that I’ll lose some muscle while in a calorie deficit. I also know it’s possible to gain muscle while losing weight if I were to do a keto diet but I’m not interested in that.

I’m just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to lose *as little* muscle as possible while losing weight. I walk and do yoga and don’t have access to a gym. Is there a certain amount of protein I should eat/will that make a difference while I’m eating at a deficit?

Realistically, does it make any sense to try to maintain muscle or should I just focus on losing the weight and then switch my focus to building back that muscle afterwards?

Thanks!

sardelsa

The best thing you can do to minimize muscle loss while losing weight:
- Following a properly designed progressive lifting program (if you don't' have access to a gym there are some bodyweight programs available) https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
- Adequate protein intake, I would say at least 1g per lb goalweight/leanbody mass minimum (you can get away with 0.8g per lb goalweight but I always aim higher for more insurance)
- Not having an aggressive deficit where you are run down and your lifts are suffering
- Diet breaks as needed especially as you get leaner

I would 100% recommend doing resistance training/lifting while you lose to maintain muscle as this will make a huge difference in your body composition when you get to goal. More defined, more strength, more muscle. Winning all around.

Buff_Man

Main-gaining is the way to go 👍🏼

heybales

Whole lot easier to keep it then to build it.

Reasonable rate of loss, enough protein, resistance training - 3 things needed to keep it while fat is lost.

And studies have shown you can keep it all.

LBM is loss, but that is everything not fat, muscle included. Water included.

sijomial

I know it’s inevitable that I’ll lose some muscle while in a calorie deficit.
Not actually true as some people add muscle in a deficit (especially untrained or under-trained people).

I also know it’s possible to gain muscle while losing weight if I were to do a keto diet but I’m not interested in that.
You must have got that from a keto-vangelist!
It's possible with lots of diets (especially small deficit, high'ish protein diets) and keto is probably a sub-optimal choice as carbs help with exercise and recovery.

Realistically, does it make any sense to try to maintain muscle or should I just focus on losing the weight and then switch my focus to building back that muscle afterwards?
It makes sense to at the very least try to maintain what you have as it's far more efficient than risking losing muscle unnecessarily and then face the slow process of regaining it. The nothing wrong with the ambition of trying to add muscle while losing weight, even if you don't succeed there's a good chance you have done the best you could have done. It would be a real shame to get to goal weight and be disappointed that you look like a deflated version of the current you. Resistance training while losing is a huge signal to your body that it needs to keep your muscle mass - it's also a great thing to do whether losing, maintaining or gaining weight.

katorihanzo

Thanks everyone! I’ll look into that body weight program and definitely up my protein. Good to know it’s not inevitable that I’ll lose it all.

deepsea117

When I was hardcore lifting, I dropped from 285 not much muscle, to 245, and with the arms and chest and legs to boot. I wasn't bodybuilding/bodysculpting...but strength training. I know I gained muscle with the weight loss, because I went from benching 200lbs to 300lbs.

So I'm here to say you CAN lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. It just depends on how hard you're willing to work. And when I was 285, I wasn't strong but I was trained. Sports all through high school and lifting.

lorrpb

strength training

AnnPT77

deepsea117 wrote: »

When I was hardcore lifting, I dropped from 285 not much muscle, to 245, and with the arms and chest and legs to boot. I wasn't bodybuilding/bodysculpting...but strength training. I know I gained muscle with the weight loss, because I went from benching 200lbs to 300lbs.

So I'm here to say you CAN lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. It just depends on how hard you're willing to work. And when I was 285, I wasn't strong but I was trained. Sports all through high school and lifting.

Sure, it's possible.

Still, early strength gains typically come in large part from neuromuscular adaptation, basically more effectively/efficiently recruiting and using existing muscle fibers. If you've been trained, but taken a hiatus in training, strength recovery can also be pretty speedy, for similar reasons.

While I agree with you that mass gains are possible in some cases even in a calorie deficit, increased strength is not necessarily proof that that's happened. Size changes can be misleading, too, unfortunately. DEXA, maybe?

As a side note, muscle gains under any conditions tend to be faster on average for men, slower for women, and OP is female.

Runninggrl67

You guys this thread has so helped me understand. Just reading it gives me encouragement.

cwolfman13

katorihanzo wrote: »

I’ve got about 20-25 lbs to lose. I’ve lost 70-80 lbs before and I know it’s inevitable that I’ll lose some muscle while in a calorie deficit. I also know it’s possible to gain muscle while losing weight if I were to do a keto diet but I’m not interested in that.

I’m just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to lose *as little* muscle as possible while losing weight. I walk and do yoga and don’t have access to a gym. Is there a certain amount of protein I should eat/will that make a difference while I’m eating at a deficit?

Realistically, does it make any sense to try to maintain muscle or should I just focus on losing the weight and then switch my focus to building back that muscle afterwards?

Thanks!

Reasonable calorie deficit, good amount of protein, resistance training...you don't lose what you use, but if you don't use it, you lose it. It is far easier to maintain the muscle mass you already have than to build it back later...building muscle mass is hard and takes a lot of time.

cgvet37

You can lose fat and gain muscle. Especially the more excess fat you have. As you get leaner, it will be harder. The more you lift and the stronger you get. The slower you'll be able to gain muscle and strength.