I'm losing the wrong weight

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I got one of those Omron scales recently that measure all kinds of things, including body fat % and skeletal muscle %.

After using it for a little more than a month, I'm seeing some slight downward trends on total weight, as expected. I calculated the percentages times the total weight, and it looks like my body fat is growing while my skeletal muscle is shrinking. It is small enough amounts that I don't know if I should be worried without another month of data or not. This is based on several measurements over the last month, and only 1 of them was out of line with the others as far as trends.

I am very busy, so I'm trying to lose weight by eating healthier because I don't have time to exercise much. Some weeks (last week and this week, for example), I will not have time to exercise at all beyond what I walk as a part of other activities that I'm doing... which isn't that much.

I had planned to start with just trying to cut fat, starting at 201 lbs. When I got to 175, I had planned to start lifting weights in addition to trying to lose some remaining fat... right now, I just want to focus on cutting fat.

I'm hoping some experts on here can offer advice. Please understand that starting to lift weights now is just simply not an option. The earliest that could be possible is November. So which of these should I do?

A. Continue trying to lose weight and collecting data to see if this continues and then check back in another month if the data continues to show fat gain and muscle loss.
B. Stop trying to lose weight until November, and then start trying to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time, at a higher weight than planned.
C. Something else (remember, no weight lifting until November at the earliest).

BigT555

keep losing weight and start doing some bodyweight exercises like pushups and whatnot, and keep protein intake high

keep in mind that bf% calculators are hella inaccurate, i personally wouldnt trust anything other than dexa or maybe bodpod

Kalikel

C. Ask a doctor

If visiting a doctor seems impossible, I vote for A.

Mohana94

I vote A. The first time I tried to lose weight by cutting calories and little exercise and I had to stop because my doctor said I was losing more muscle mass than fat... I think exercise is necessary in cutting fat. try walking more. for example, on days I don't have time to exercise I walk from one faculty to another for my uni classes and I walk to and from school. Best of luck! if the trend continues, consult a physical therapist and/or doctor.

SeptemberLondon

keep losing weight and start doing some bodyweight exercises like pushups and whatnot, and keep protein intake high

keep in mind that bf% calculators are hella inaccurate, i personally wouldnt trust anything other than dexa or maybe bodpod

This, for sure.

Mr_Knight

...I will not have time to exercise at all beyond what I walk as a part of other activities that I'm doing... which isn't that much.

Nonsense. It takes 2 minutes before you go to bed or after you wake up (or both) to start knocking out pushups.

Nobody is so busy they can't find 2 minutes for something important.

QueenBishOTUniverse

keep losing weight and start doing some bodyweight exercises like pushups and whatnot, and keep protein intake high

keep in mind that bf% calculators are hella inaccurate, i personally wouldnt trust anything other than dexa or maybe bodpod

This, for sure.

I would also go with this. Body weight work and high protein to try and maintain as much muscle as you *can* while still getting some of the fat off until you are ready to incorporate weights.

I also couldn't use free weights at first when I started a year ago, but I did other things to compensate and it worked well overall.

ETA: also, by starting with body weight work now you'll have a better strength foundation overall for when you're ready to move to free weights.

parkscs

As someone who stays very busy and has used that as an excuse in the past, I'd say to stop making excuses and find a way to do some resistance training if preserving muscle and adding strength are truly your goals. At a minimum you can start doing some body weight exercises, but I'd wager you could find time to get to the gym if you really wanted to. It will likely take some sacrifices, but it's doable if you really want it.

nutmegoreo

If part of your concern is the time commitment of going to a gym, look up convict conditioning or you are your own gym. Fit in a few things throughout the day. While waiting for a phone call, do something. TV commercials, do something. If you absolutely cannot find a few minutes for yourself, personally, I would continue with the diet but with a more modest calorie cut. So instead of aiming for 2lbs per week, reduce it to 1lb per week.

I suspect the reason you are displeased is that you are cutting too low, and without exercise, you are losing both muscle and fat (which will happen anyway). As previously mentioned, those scales are not particularly acurate, they have a pretty big margin of error. Try searching your brand along with margin or error, you might be surprised. Certainly no need to give up altogether until November.

wibutterflymagic

...I will not have time to exercise at all beyond what I walk as a part of other activities that I'm doing... which isn't that much.

Nonsense. It takes 2 minutes before you go to bed or after you wake up (or both) to start knocking out pushups.

Nobody is so busy they can't find 2 minutes for something important.

I agree. Doing some squats and pushups takes no time at all. If you really want to preserve your muscle mass 5-10min a day is nothing that can't be done. Saying you have no time because you're thinking gym routine or long workout is just an excuse not to exercise at all.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

OK, So I just want to clarify a few things:

1. I truly do not have time right now. I could try to convince you, but I don't feel like I have to. Just know that I am ignoring any "You can find the time if you really want to" comments. While I really wish that were the case, it just isn't right now. I can prioritize this in November, but for now there is nothing I can prioritize lower in order to find time to work out. That includes working out at home, which is more likely than working out at a gym (I live in a rural area where the nearest gym that has reasonable hours is 1 hour round trip by car). I have about 5 min. of spare time each day... it is really tough, but if you have specific suggestions for that time, let me know exactly what you suggest without equipment (pushups, jumping jacks, etc. and how many of each).

2. I am not losing BOTH muscle and fat. I am losing muscle and I am gaining fat. While I realize there is some risk of inaccuracy of the electrical impedence scales, I'm seeing this as a trend, not just a couple of values. I would hope that the same scale is off with some consistency, so the trend would be concerning regardless. Still, I'm willing to keep on doing what I'm doing and continue to monitor if there are no other options. BTW, I'm using the Omron HBF-516B.

BigT555

i doubt that you cant find a half hour in your day to exercise in one way or another. but thats up to you to find that time, whether its a half hour less of sleep or becoming more organized so you can fit it in without sacrificing that crucial shut eye

if you are losing muscle and gaining fat then there is some messed up stuff happening in your body. are you not eating at a calorie deficit?

T1DCarnivoreRunner

i doubt that you cant find a half hour in your day to exercise in one way or another. but thats up to you to find that time, whether its a half hour less of sleep or becoming more organized so you can fit it in without sacrificing that crucial shut eye

if you are losing muscle and gaining fat then there is some messed up stuff happening in your body. are you not eating at a calorie deficit?

I am eating at a calorie deficit, with the exception of 1 cheat day during that time, where I ate at a surplus.

BigT555

i doubt that you cant find a half hour in your day to exercise in one way or another. but thats up to you to find that time, whether its a half hour less of sleep or becoming more organized so you can fit it in without sacrificing that crucial shut eye

if you are losing muscle and gaining fat then there is some messed up stuff happening in your body. are you not eating at a calorie deficit?

I am eating at a calorie deficit, with the exception of 1 cheat day during that time, where I ate at a surplus.

Im at a loss as to how that could happen. your scale has got to be off man, i dont see how you could lose weight but gain fat. have you been to the doc to rule out any thyroid issues and complications of that sort?

alison067

Bought a scales which measures body fat % among other things and I wouldn't trust it. I started at 31% body fat which was probably about right, but have lost 11 kg and am down to 46.7kg which is 102.74lb and it is still showing 30%! I did the measuring tape to calculate and it came up 25%. As my chest bones are now showing and my *kitten* has all but disappeared I am inclined to believe the inch tape. My BMI is showing 20.2 so is it possible I have that much fat?

jeffpettis

While losing weight you must give your body a reason to hold onto lean muscle tissue. Your body doesn't care where it gets it energy from so it will readily use muscle right along with any fat if it is not getting it from food. That's probably not what you wanted to hear but that's the way it works.

Also you said something about losing muscle and gaining fat. If you are truly in a deficit you are not gaining anything, muscle or fat. You could be losing one quicker than the other which would change the composition of everything but if you are in a deficit you are not gaining fat.

If you care at all about maintaining muscle while losing the fat it is very important that you are getting plenty of protein and doing some form of resistance training. This is the only thing that will tell your body not to use muscle for energy.

__freckles__

I'm no expert, but it sounds like your body fat percentage may be increasing because you're losing LBM. You're not gaining fat while eating in a deficit, but the percentage can increase if you're losing more LBM. This can happen when someone eats a deficit that is too aggressive and/or doesn't stimulate their muscles (i.e. lifting weights, resistance training, etc) in order to retain the muscle they have.

How much of a deficit are you eating? How much protein are you consuming a day?

ukaryote

If you do not work out at all, the body tends to take away from muscles first, leaving fat behind as a hedge against lean times for our prehistoric ancestors. Perhaps the BIA impedance measurement is measuring the difference between your previous and current muscle-to-fat ratio.

Do what you have time for. Run a mild calorie deficit till November, then include resistance exercises. It is only two months away.

Guns_N_Buns

How do you fit in those unexpected bathroom trips that exceed 5 minutes?

parkscs

People have told you all there is to say:
- scales like that are not sufficiently accurate for drawing conclusions like this one
- if you want to retain more LBM, you need resistance training and adequate protein

That's really all there is to it. There's no superfood you can eat that will put muscle on your body, and while getting adequate protein is important, it's really only half of the equation. You really need to do some resistance training if you want to maximize your LBM retention. If you're convinced you can't make any time for resistance training, then just deal with the consequences and work to add LBM back on sometime in the future.

beachbodyproject

Ok this may sound funny but.... a little while ago I was doing my finance degree full time while working full time so you can imagine that I really didn't have anytime for actual workouts. So my trick was that I was wearing the 5 pound Velcro weights on my ankles and two pound Velcro weights on my wrists while I was at home. So I was cooking with those weights, I was doing my cleaning with them, I was even studying with them ! It might not sound like a lot of weight, but spending a few hours with those definitely burned extra calories!!!!