I need to lose muscle weight...how can I achieve this?

cecebrite · January 2014

I need to lose some muscle weight along with a lot of fat weight, but I'm clueless. Any suggestions out there? I've heard of people needing to gain muscle, but I'm the opposite. Thanks!

TavistockToad · January 2014

a massive calorie deficit with no exercise.

jstout365 · January 2014

Can I ask why you need to lose muscle? Is there a medical reason for it? If it is just to see a particular number on the scale, I would recommend researching the benefits of maintaining lean muscle mass. It helps support your body and muscle helps you burn calories.

ETA: And the scale is just a number. It is not the end all to how you will look. Body composition is key and having a good body fat to lean mass ratio will help you look good regardless if the scale is a number higher than you want it to be.

Ninkyou · January 2014

Why would you want to lose your muscle? That's like the one thing you should be keeping.....?

ndj1979 · January 2014

why do you want to lose muscle?

SezxyStef · January 2014

why would you want to lose muscle weight?????? seriously???????

I read your intro post and you want 50lbs by april...10 weeks..makes 5lbs a week...yah no...1lb a week would suffice and definately more doable and a lot healthier....you are setting yourself up for failure. Motivation is lost when you do this...set unreasonable goals and limit yourself to very few calories and eliminate foods you love or want to have.

in your profile you say

If you want the above losing muscle with get you the complete opposite of this.

Why not set reasonable goals, educate yourself on how to acheive them and then just do it.

This is not a sprint it is a marathon.

jeffpettis · January 2014

:huh: I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone say they want to lose muscle...

There are so many reasons why you should not try to lose muscle, I am interested to hear the reason behind this...

vjohn04 · January 2014

:huh:

msf74 · January 2014

If you are in any kind of calorie deficit over time you will lose muscle as well as fat.

The ratio is mostly determined by genetics but certain things (adequate protein, sensible calorie deficit and resistance training) can help reduce it.

Personally I wouldn't get too hung up about it. Just follow any kind of sensible plan and you will probably end up pleased with your results.

Yanicka1 · January 2014

You want to lower your metabolism?

Insane

LishieFruit89 · January 2014

Get a wheelchair and never leave it.
You'll lose muscle that way.

But you'll jiggle.

TaurusV · January 2014

Well, I know some women that dont want to be muscular because they think is a male characteristic, but I would love to have more.

Mischievous_Rascal · January 2014

Why on earth would you want to lose muscle mass? Please do some research on healthy and sustainable weight loss before you set yourself up for failure and possibly long-term health problems. At least go and see your GP and run all this by them.

livingleanlivingclean · January 2014

The only people I've ever heard say they want to lose muscle is figure competitors who have trained seriously for years, who have decided they want to be bikini competitors instead

Unless you've been training ridiculously hard for years, it's unlikely you have too much muscle!!
Is there a medical reason you need to lose muscle? I'd be trying to keep as much as possible...unless you'd like to be skinny fat, with a thigh gap, bikini bridge, and whatever the next silly fad is...

cecebrite · January 2014

I honestly am confused with this. I started a statewide weightloss program/contest called Geauxlite Louisiana and they did a full body analysis on me. My print out showed that my muscle mass and fat mass was over the normal range. My muscle was just over so I don't think I need to lose much. I was told that I should bring these numbers down. We have our first meeting tomorrow and I plan to ask them to fully explain it to me because I dont understand it. I am considered obese so I do have a lot of fat mass too lose which I understand that. I am just clueless when it comes to muscles. Thanks.

AllieGeorge23 · January 2014

Bump for OP reply.

ndj1979 · January 2014

OP eat in a 1000 calorie daily deficit and run three miles a day ..you will burn through all that muscle in no time...

ndj1979 · January 2014

the last thing you want to do is lose your hard earned muscle and end up skinny fat….

if you want to lose the fat mass eat in about a 500 per day calorie deficit and keep working out with weight to retain as much lean muscle as possible….you will lose body fat and look great….

LishieFruit89 · January 2014

You want and need the muscle mass.

By lowering your muscle mass, you're lowering the amount of calories you burn at rest. Which then in turn lowers your BMR (basically the amount of calories to keep you alive in a coma).

More muscle mass means more food you can eat.
Food is delicious.
Unless is a cauliflower substitution

Kitteeee · January 2014

idk...your mindset seems unhealthy, on the other post you wrote that you'd like to lose 50 lbs by April if possible...:O, so basically you are trying to lose the weight as fast as possible regardless the health consequences..well good luck...

edited: I can see a lot of people wrote some great advice above, so here's hoping you can take their sound advice.

Shreddingit84 · January 2014

Thank you for the morning Joke!!:laugh: :laugh:

msf74 · January 2014

Don't worry about it.

Seriously.

Obese people tend to carry a fair amount muscle (as well as fat of course) simply because there bodies are exposed to so much resistance during the day (given their weight) to conduct their activities of daily living. You results are not surprising.

Follow a sensible plan which includes a suitable calorie deficit and regular exercise and you will be fine. I promise

Greytfish · January 2014

This. Seriously.

SezxyStef · January 2014

If your goal is weight loss......don't exercise just eat at a deficet...

I personally would never join a contest about weight loss because there is no way I would win because I personally don't give a crap about the number on the scale.....it is a piss poor way to measure success (excuse the language).

Lowering BF% with fat loss is more important for health.

I think it would be great to have an above average muscle mass. Win for me.

Most definately ask those questions about "getting those numbers down" and if they tell you to lower your muscle mass run away as fast and as far as you can...because they are idiots.

cecebrite · January 2014

Thanks for all your replies. Thats why I came back to MFP. I don't plan to quit in April, this is just when the program ends. My liftime goal is to lose about 50 lbs so I'll work at it for however long it takes. Thanks.

TavistockToad · January 2014

your heart is a muscle... still think you want to lose some!?

BeachGingerOnTheRocks · January 2014

This is something that comes up way too often on this site. It is not something you want to do.

Just strength train, do cardio, eat at a reasonable calorie deficit and concentrate on losing the fat pounds. Strength train to keep as much muscle as you can. Did I mention you should strength train?

When you're significantly overweight, you have more fat mass, obviously, but many people have additional muscle mass as well. When you lose weight the HEALTHY way, you're going to lose a little muscle mass along with the fat mass. The trick is to not lose on a 50/50 basis because the end result will be your goal weight with a high body fat percent.

Strength train, do cardio, and eat less.

3laine75 · January 2014

Big deficit and loads of cardio should do it. Bear in mind though that your calorie intake to maintain, one you've lost the weight, will be lower.

Yanicka1 · January 2014

If they want you to lose muscle mass, ditch them. It is normal to have more muscles when you are overweight because you have to haul your mass around all day. Muscle mass is good and should be maintained as much as possible.

Homemaker57 · January 2014

Don't worry, there is no such thing as an unhealthy amount of muscle. Seriously! Muscle is never bad for your health, that I know of. Yes it's dense so it might put you over some arbitrary weight limit, but your weight does not matter AT ALL if you are LEAN. Excess fat is unhealthy! Extra muscle increases your metabolism, helps prevent injuries, and is just the most healthy and natural thing in the world.

Definitely ask them what they mean, but even if they say you need to lose muscle... just giggle and walk away.

Weight is neither healthy nor unhealthy. Too much fat is unhealthy. Reduce your amount of body fat, and don't worry about your weight!

susannamarie · January 2014

Don't worry about the muscle. Just work on losing fat. You will probably drop a bit of muscle anyway while losing fat, but if you don't, and you lose 50 lbs and think you have too much, worry about it then.

I need to lose muscle weight...how can I achieve this?

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