What happens when you lose muscle and fat?

rk_19
rk_19 Posts: 92
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep hearing people say "you will lose muscle and fat" or "you will lose a lot of muscle and not fat" if they do certain things. I want to understand what that means in physical terms. What do they mean when they say that? What physically happens to your body - the visible outwardly look of it? Just curious since I read that so often but never know what It really means haha.Thanks in advance

Replies

  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Um...it means exactly what it is. Muscle loss. Basically you won't have that "toned" look when you reach goal weight. You will still be a flabby, smaller version of yourself.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    So I lost 100 lbs back in 2006-08. I lost 70 lbs of fat and 30 lbs of muscle. Meaning, when I was at my goal weight, I could barely stand or keep my balance. If you lose weight without thinking about HOW you're losing the weight, you will probably lose both fat and muscle, the way I did.

    There's certain things you can do to minimize muscle loss while losing weight -- and therefore mainly only lose fat.

    Things like: eating enough protein, lifting weights, losing the weight slowly.
  • blb85
    blb85 Posts: 187 Member
    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/women-lose-weight-without-exercise

    Someone posted this article in another thread... This is why.
  • rk_19
    rk_19 Posts: 92
    Oh my.. Thanks all! :) I eat a lot of protein and I lift 2-3 times a week so hopefully I'll keep the muscle and drop the fat
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    If you lose muscle, you will be what they call "skinny fat". You will have a high percentage of fat even though you are skinnier and weigh less. People generally do not like they way they look at are still unhappy.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    It depends...

    The worst case scenario is you can get pretty sick, if you weren't getting any exercise, not eating protein and losing weight.

    The more common scenario is that you end up at a lower body weight, but you still have a high body fat %. This is what is going on with many of the people who are average or even low weight for their height, but still don't like the way their body looks.

    Basically, you can end up squidgy.

    Unfortunately, I was looking for images the other day and didn't find them. What you would need to visualize this are pictures of people who are the same height and weight, but with different body fat %.
  • rk_19
    rk_19 Posts: 92
    No I already know that bc I am that "skinny fat" I'm low weight high fat, I'm trying to become leaner by minusing the fat and retaining the muscle so I was just curious about the whole "don't lose muscle" thing
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    Look to 3rd world countries where starvation is an issue. Their physiques emulate what happens to a body that has little to no fat, and minor muscle.
    It's not the same here in the US or other developed countries as long as the calorie deficit isn't that extreme. People suffering from anorexia will exhibit the same look though.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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