Losing lean body mass while losing weight?

amsparky

Hey all!

I just finished up a fitness assessment and while most of it was good (Down 4% body fat and 12 lbs in 2 months) it also said that I lost 5# in lean body mass. I know this is not good, but I'm not sure what caused it. Too much training? I strength train 3-5 days a week, jog 4 days a week and usually burn 4500+ cals a week as verified by my HRM.

Any input is appreciated!!

JennLifts

Anytime you lose weight, a portion is lbm and a portion is fat. Strength training helps lessen the amount of lbm being lost, but you're going to lose some. So I'd say you're doing it right Just make sure you're fueling your workouts!

maheengull

Well done for you. I really admire you and want to be like you. Its great to love one's self because from here love for others begins. Cheers!

cmw72

It's nearly impossible to not lose some LBM while trying to lose weight.

I think the best you can do is to keep up (or increase) the strength training, and adjust your macro nutrients to include more protein.

jg627

What kind of strength training routine are you doing? reps / sets / % of max / isolation & body part split or compound muscle group exercises? Do you track all your macronutrients? Do you get enough fat along with your protein? Gaining / retaining / recovering muscle isn't as simple as calories in vs. calories out like losing & gaining fat. But there are a lot of myths surrounding muscle growth. Most people just don't know how or they're afraid they'll get bulky and turn into a 300 lb lunk. Unless you're really overweight, trained before but lost it, or taking steroids (I've got 2 out of 3 of those covered) then you're probably going to lose muscle when you diet and do a lot of cardio. You're not really going to be able to stop that from happening. The idea is to build it back. There is hope though. Unless you're a huge bodybuilder, you probably don't need to eat more calories than you use in order to produce the intensity required to trigger muscle growth.

Some tips that I've picked up from reading:
Polyunsaturated fats help regulate hormone levels including the growth hormone, which you need for muscle growth; walnuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts are good for that. Get your dietary fat from equal amounts of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunaturated fats
Forget body part split routines and isolation exercises. The more muscles you overload at once, the larger the burst of growth hormone you're going to get.
Forget low weight / high rep. The more you overload your muscles in a shorter amount of time (using higher weight vs low weight high reps) the larger the burst of growth hormone. Growth hormone is attenuated by greater lactic acidosis (the burning feeling).
Rest between sets so you can perform the highest intensity with each set.
Your legs make up the majority of the muscles in your body and they will recover faster than your arms, so do some squats.
Practice progressive loading. If you can't finish your reps and constantly deloading then you're not eating enough. If you are then you're eating enough. Balance that with your weight loss goals.

xraychick77

what sort of fitness assement?

unless you went and got a dexa scan, then i wouldnt believe anything else.

if you lift heavy then you shouldnt worry too much about losing muscle mass..every thing i've ever seen says that if you get enough protein around 60 grams and lift heavy and dont lose weight too fast (meaning eating enough) u wont lose muscle

amsparky

Thanks for the quick replies guys! I think what concerned me was that I lost 12 total and 5 lean body. I know its not a direct relationship, so thanks again!