How to lose fat rather than muscle?

prawnista

After doing no exercise for around 3 years I have just completed a runner's 8 week training programme for beginners from the runner’s world website and eating more healthily, i.e. eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting out junk and cutting down on booze, and have lost 18 lbs, which I am very pleased with. I have been attending a weekly weight loss challenge through work and had my final review last week. I was weighed using Tanita scales and was told I'd lost 10 lbs of muscle and almost no body fat at all (it’s currently 28.1%). I am slightly worried as this was not the plan. I'm eating more protein than I usually would; wholewheat pasta, brown rice and millet and no bread, plus loads of fruit and veg. I am 5'6 3/4." and now weigh 9 1/2 stone. I'm consuming around 1,400 calories a day. Any tips on how can I loose fat rather than muscle?

arhzon

Hmm, that's an odd one. I have heard that running can make you lose muscle, although I'd think you would lose fat in the process. I do body weight exercises (plyometrics, calisthenics, isometrics). That, coupled with watching my diet, has helped me immensely to lean out and get a more muscular figure. Check out bodyrock.tv or look up Zuzana on YouTube. She's a great place to get some exercises that will help you keep muscle on, and build some new. Hopefully that helps; best of luck to you.

megruder

You need to add some strength training.

WarEagle007

See if you can get your doctor to measure your body composition using body calipers. Tanita scales are BS, like the body mass index. A couple people I at my CrossFit gym who are super athletes weighed in on a Tanita scale and were told they were obese. So take those results with a grain of salt.

marianne_s

Even if it turns out that you haven't lost any muscle, you really should consider adding strength training to your exercise schedule.


It is quite benficial for women....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/osteoporosis1.shtml

prawnista

Thank you so much for your advice everyone. I will certainly check your ideas out. Thanks again.

jayb0ne

There's a very good post over on the Mens Health forum (don't worry, it applies to women too)

http://forums.menshealth.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/63310347/m/474106321

Also includes a strength training program which is easy enough to work into a daily routine but hard enough to maintain lean muscle and keep the metabolism running for a post workout burn.

nickyevans

I have recently started running and read women's running mag every month as well as a couple of other health and fitness mags, I seem to remember reading in one of them that when you initially start running you lose more muscle than fat but that once you are running regularly it reverses and you start burning fat rather than muscle.

mir7x

Hi
I think everything was said in the previous postings, you need to add some kind of weight training, and limit how much you run to about 20min at a time, if you run longer you definitely start losing muscle, to burn the calories you could do interval training and I would also take protein supplements before and after workout

prawnista

Once again, thanks everyone.