How do I know if I'm losing fat or muscle?

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  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    If your belly bottom is shallow you're losing weight.

    :huh:
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
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    If your belly bottom is shallow you're losing weight.

    :huh:

    ^lmfao. That was my face tooooo! Wut?
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Eating sufficient protein (prob about 1g per pound of estimated lean body mass, more for resistance-trained individuals), doing regular "heavy" resistance training, i.e., lifting weight (where "heavy" means at a weight where you can do no more than 10 or 12 reps of the exercise before failing), and losing at a moderate rate (not trying to lose 3lbs per week), will greatly reduce and in some cases just about eliminate losses of muscle during your calorie deficit.
    To the OP, one of the easiest ways to check for muscle loss is to keep track of your strength levels. If the weights you are lifting aren't going down, then you aren't losing muscle.

    That's not really true, especially for those new or returning to lifting (like those folks you were referring to in your first paragraph that I omitted from your quote). You can make regular strength gains during a deficit while maintaining and even losing some muscle mass. A relative newbie experiences tremendous strength gains, the vast majority of which comes from neuro-muscular adaptations -- i.e., your body is learning how to more effectively recruit and use existing muscle fibers, resulting in regular strength gains without adding an actual muscle mass.

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