100% of weight loss from muscle

DaddyMantz

I agree emphatically with the poster. Resistance training should be a part of everyone's weight loss routine if they want to keep their lean body mass. I personally lost about 37 pounds in the first three months. 5-7 of that was muscle loss. I was doing some resistance training but not quite enough. Then for the last 7 or so pounds, I got more intense with my training and diet and the bodyfat started coming off while the muscle stayed about the same. Finally, for the last month, i really stepped up the weight training and cardio and diet. I actually added back the 5 pounds of muscle that I lost without gaining any weight. I'm just saying that resistance training and diet are key components.

marianne_s

And I think for most of us, we are elated when we see progress on the scale, and down on ourselves and discouraged when we gain weight. But ultimately, I cannot feel happy about my weight loss, because I sacrificed something more important to attain it. As for my MFP community, of course I want to see you happy with your progress and seeing the scale number going down, but please don't lose sight of the more important health outcomes such as strength, well-being, energy level, and body fat percentage. Also, be careful about making drastic changes to your caloric intake and be thoughtful when setting your weight loss and exercise goals.

Here's to a healthier and stronger us!

Thank you for your helpful & thoughtful post....

claire_b79

This is a great post! I make sure I incorporate strength training into all of my workouts. Cardio never makes me feel as good as lifting. I can feel myself getting stronger and that's exciting!

Hopefully once you start strength training again you will start to gain back the muscle you lost.

pandafoo

What is your protein target set at? How close were you to it last month? I personally aim for 1g/lb BW but I am very active. Do you resistance training and keep the protein up and you should minimise muscle loss when losing weight.q

I let MFP automatically determine my protein level but I'm usually over by at least 30 or 40 g -- I try to eat lean protein at every meal, such as fish or chicken. I notice that when I record exercise calories, MFP also increases the recommended macronutrient levels so that's good. I just haven't made resistance training a priority- I love my gym's cardio classes, and the DVDs that I follow at home are also cardio. But with this recent check-in test, I'm going to make sure to eat almost all my exercise calories back, and do a lot more strength training. I also am planning to eat more carbs because i'm usually under by a lot, and I've read that as well can cause muscle loss.

Thanks for everyone's support!

chrisdavey

Sounds like your basically on the right path nutritionally. When you say, "eat more carbs" it really does depend on what you have currently been eating and what you plan to go to % wise. Carbs are required to build muscle but in a calorific deficit if the goal is fat loss (that is weight lost with the majority being fat and minimal muscle loss) then I don't think higher carbs would necessarily be required. For me, when I was in fat loss mode, I just keep my protein up at 1g/lb BW minimum, 500cal deficit and consume the majority of carbs around workout time (or breakfast). That is what has worked for me. And I do resistance training 3 times per week with progressively heavier loads.

seventysix06

this thread motivated me to go buy The New Rules of Weightlifting for Women...we'll see how it goes but i'm excited! thanks hsinster :0)

beckyboowoo

Ladies, I consume 130 g protein per day strength train 5 days per week, and after a minor adjustment of DOUBLING my carb intake for breakfast have been losing FAT (not muscle) like mad. If in doubt, speak to a nutritionist, it's invaluable

claire_b79

Ladies, I consume 130 g protein per day strength train 5 days per week, and after a minor adjustment of DOUBLING my carb intake for breakfast have been losing FAT (not muscle) like mad. If in doubt, speak to a nutritionist, it's invaluable

How do you consume that much? What are you eating? I'm only ever able to get up to 85 or 90 grams.

rileysowner

The big issue is the last of resistance training. Aerobics don't get rid of fat. Look at the difference between a long distance runner and a sprinter. While long distance runners are generally skinny, if you look at their body composition you will find even though they are skinny, they are still pretty high in body fat %. Their training is all aerobic type training. Sprinters on the other hand are usually very low in body fat % and while slender, are rarely skinny. Their training includes running, but they also do lots of weight training, and even their running training is usually more like resistance training because it is a lot of sprinting. If you are only doing or primarily doing long duration aerobic, cardio type training, you will eventually find it doesn't help get rid or fat and save muscle. Resistance training is a must.

Having said that, you don't need a Gym or even weights to do resistance training. There are a huge number of body weight exercises that will give your muscles a wonderful muscle building workout no matter where you are.

While your low calories may have had something to do with it, the lack of resistance training likely had as much or more to do with it.

downtome

Thanks for sharing! I just started weight training twice a week and I ordered a couple of weight training Dvd's from Kathy Smith to follow so hopefully this will work for me. I recently bought a weight bench and weights for home for myself and my sons to use, so glad I invested the money now! I have read in so many articles, the importance of weight training to keep and gain muscle to aid in losing fat, now I am a beliver. I was going to initially wait and not start lifting until I lost at least 100 pounds but I have recently changed my tune and have started already! Again, thanks for the eye opening information! Good luck!

pandafoo

YAY!!!! I had my weigh-in today, and I lost 6 pounds since last month, with most of it coming from fat!! 4.8 lbs fat lost, and 1.2 lbs muscle. I'm still slightly chagrined that some loss did come from muscle, but this is so much better than 100% loss coming from muscle for the previous month!

So, looking at my printouts since 1/8, which was my first weigh-in at the gym, I have lost 18.7 lbs fat, and lost 0.3 lbs muscle, for a total loss of 19 lbs. My body composition is now 7.3% more in muscle!!

I think this last month's progress is from upping my strength training and also eating more calories so I'm going to continue on this path! My trainer also said compared to when he first saw me, I look a lot leaner in my legs and arms, my face is a lot thinner, and my neck even looks longer.

For those who read my post last month (1st one in this thread), did you increase your resistance training workouts and/or calorie intake? Seen any great results from it? Let's celebrate each other's successes!

mamagooskie

Thanks for sharing, this is a really great post.

hroush

Didn't realize this was an update from a month ago, but I think I'm in the same boat you were then. I think I may have even put some fat back on. I've actually found I can lift slightly less when I'm doing my arm workouts and my legs definitely seem smaller. I'm thinking I am going pure strength training in the summer.

callipygianchronicle

Fantastic update, Hsin. Those numbers are really impressive. I missed this post originally, and have just started to really focus on adding weight training to my strength routine (which up until now has mostly consisted of yoga class 3-times a week). It is really hard for people to not only consider the scale when it comes to a weight-loss journey. But body composition is truly the more important factor when it comes to overall health and being able to maintain at a smaller size.

Thank you for sharing all this powerful information with us. This, along with the dietician information you are sharing, is very helpful to the rest of the MFP community, especially any who might not have the same access to the professionals you do. You are truly generous to allow us all to learn along with you like this.

tiggy73

Very informative and insightful! I have recently incorporated heavier weights into my workouts. I have been sore as hell, but from the research I've been doing, it will be worth it in the long run.

I will be very interested to see how your next follow up goes. I am requesting you as my friend!

shreddingit

too much cardio and not enough food does that!
My husband weight trains for 3 hrs and has to eat close to 4000 calories a day to gain muscle....slowly...
weight training is the best way to burn fat and gain muscle, it will be slower progress but great results....anything cardio needs to be 2x a week no less than 25min no more than 45 and keep heart rate low...
good luck on getting that muscle back!

think48

YAY!!!! I had my weigh-in today, and I lost 6 pounds since last month, with most of it coming from fat!! 4.8 lbs fat lost, and 1.2 lbs muscle. I'm still slightly chagrined that some loss did come from muscle, but this is so much better than 100% loss coming from muscle for the previous month!

So, looking at my printouts since 1/8, which was my first weigh-in at the gym, I have lost 18.7 lbs fat, and lost 0.3 lbs muscle, for a total loss of 19 lbs. My body composition is now 7.3% more in muscle!!

I think this last month's progress is from upping my strength training and also eating more calories so I'm going to continue on this path! My trainer also said compared to when he first saw me, I look a lot leaner in my legs and arms, my face is a lot thinner, and my neck even looks longer.

For those who read my post last month (1st one in this thread), did you increase your resistance training workouts and/or calorie intake? Seen any great results from it? Let's celebrate each other's successes!

That is great news!!! Way to go! Out of curiousity, what gym do you go to? Just wondering where you get such a great trainer!

janruffin

Great information. You have convinced me of the importance of weight training... I'm in.

giggles007

Hey I'm tagging to this as I feel there are many invaluable information shared which is useful to me. I've always known the importance of strength and weight training but for some reason that treadmill will pull me in to carry out that run. I love the feeling of adrenalin after good cardio session which is why I easily miss is out weight training. But the few weeks I did strength work out I did lose weight. This thread has got me thinkin again so thanks for helping me to change my priorities. Good luck in your journey.

pandafoo

@yolanda, thanks for such the kind words! i enjoy sharing with others what i've learned.

@think48, i go to lifetime fitness gym and my trainer is good, but there are probably many gyms that offer weigh-ins with analyses on fat/muscle composition. plus, as helpful as my trainer is, in the end it comes down to our motivation and discipline. i've had two other trainers in different cities who were also great, but i wasn't consistent in my eating and exercise, so the results didn't last. this time i am completely committed to my health, which makes all the difference. but great resources like my trainer and dietician, and knowledgeable people on mfp, definitely make a journey easier and i've learned so much from them.