A Sad Realization.

Findekano

The first time I weighed myself at my heaviest, I was 180lbs, 35%bf.

I lost the weight, but I did it the stupid way - cardio, cardio, cardio, more cardio, and eating - total, not net - between 500 and 1500 calories per day, depending on how idiotic I was being at the time.

Current stats - 117 pounds, 23%bf.

This means I went from having 117lbs of lean mass to having just 90. I lost 27 pounds of muscle being an idiot.

Now I have the difficult task ahead of putting muscle back on, when it probably would have been 1000 times easier to preserve what I had and lose the fat more slowly and sensibly.

Take this as a cautionary tale. If you lose weight stupidly, it doesn't matter how much you lose, you won't look good naked, you won't be strong, and you'll have a hell of a lot more work ahead of you after reaching your goal weight once you realize that you are a pathetic pile of skinny-fat squish.

Findekano

The first time I weighed myself at my heaviest, I was 180lbs, 35%bf.

I lost the weight, but I did it the stupid way - cardio, cardio, cardio, more cardio, and eating - total, not net - between 500 and 1500 calories per day, depending on how idiotic I was being at the time.

Current stats - 117 pounds, 23%bf.

This means I went from having 117lbs of lean mass to having just 90. I lost 27 pounds of muscle being an idiot.

Now I have the difficult task ahead of putting muscle back on, when it probably would have been 1000 times easier to preserve what I had and lose the fat more slowly and sensibly.

Take this as a cautionary tale. If you lose weight stupidly, it doesn't matter how much you lose, you won't look good naked, you won't be strong, and you'll have a hell of a lot more work ahead of you after reaching your goal weight once you realize that you are a pathetic pile of skinny-fat squish.

Man, this is the third forum topic I've killed in the last couple of days, and I started it!

FlannelMothman

That's what I'm doing. Cardio, cardio, cardio. I know I should lift... But I'm scared to, I think.

emily356

Wow... so true!!! Everyone should read this!!! It is SO much harder to gain that muscle back. You can certainly do it, though!!

DaBossLady24

You're not an idiot, you were just ill-informed. I lost weight this way years ago and then my weight ballooned when I went to college. I'm finally back to eating healthily and working out (cardio with weight lifting and other exercises). I have my slip ups every so often, but I've lost quite a bit of weight the "sensible" way this time.

If you need motivation or just some support, feel free to add me. Good luck with your goals! :flowerforyou:

MemphisKitten

Sorry you had to learn the hard way, I had to do that too. I'm sure a lot of people will benefit from your warning though.

reasnableblonde

My pics in my profile depict a VERY similar story. I could drop weight (by barely eating), but I still didn't look very good and my endurance was total *kitten*. I'm a pretty smart girl, but damn I was stupid.

I met with a nutritionist (a registered dietitian), eventually got a personal trainer, and started gaining weight.... I managed to gain 4 pounds. I was bummed until I found out that it wasn't 4 pounds I'd gained... it was 14 pounds of muscle! I lost 10 pounds of fat in the process. Noooowwwww we're getting somewhere!

The number on the scale is something to watch, but the real number to monitor is body fat. My BMI never raised red flags, but my body fat told a completely different story. I was actually obese without ever being labeled "overweight."

liznotyet

You have time to rebuild. Nutrient dense foods and power yoga. I have the opposite problem - cannot get myself to do the cardio because each time I start I blow my knees out. If you tell me how you got compulsive on the cardio maybe it will help us both.

VelociMama

*hugs*

I'm sorry you went through this.

You CAN get some of that lean mass back with time and a solid bulking and lifting program though so don't give up just yet. I wish you all the best and thank you for your bravery in posting this.

bumblebums

And yet I see this all the time--people say they want to lose "weight" first, then gain muscle. Glad to see others agree that it should be about fat loss, not weight loss.

EstiloPanama

This is a very honest post...
Thanks for sharing your story. I too lost weight stupidly when I was about 18. I think I completely jacked up my metabolism by not eating and doing lots of cardio as well. It was ridiculous and I gained it all back.

Strength, good heart, pliable lungs, and healthy muscle mass/fat ration is essential...Finally at 27 I understand that ! Well don't worry, don't let your past dictate your future.....do what you need to do the right way to get to where you need to be. You can do it : )

mituk

Your story sounds much like the beginning of this inspirational tale, which I've seen linked elsewhere in the forums. She is where I'd love to get to, and her story might offer you some hope too.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

cwolfman13

I truly hope others that are netting well below their BMR will read this and take heed. I don't really understand it, but it seems to be pretty common, particularly with women.

Net between your BMR and TDEE people and you will lose...if you're doing a gagillion hours of cardio, you really are going to need a lot more food to lose weight in a healthy way and protein, protein, protein to preserve that lean muscle.

Aviva92

meh, i lost weight the same way. i'd rather be 115 pounds than the 140 i was. i don't really look at it as losing muscle. my body looks the same, only smaller. that's fine. i could still gain muscle. it's not as though i looked much different before i gained the weight in the first place.

i was never muscular.

Yanicka1

What is done is done.

Now I would suggest eating at maintenance and lifting heavy. It will take work but you can do it. Ditch the scale for now.

Good luck

onyxgirl17

It's sad that you realized it when it was late in your weight loss journey but better late then never. I certainly hope you will start strength training, upping your calories, and eating the appropriate protein to gain some muscle.

Aviva92

oh and 23% body fat is fine for a woman.

Mighty_Rabite

It is definitely tough to gain back, but personally.. I think if you had enough determination and grit to go from 180lbs all the way to 117lbs the cardio/light eating way, you most certainly can get some muscle put back on!

cmriverside

Such a great post! Sometimes they just get shuffled down the list quickly, and "A Sad Realization" could have been a real downer, if you think about it.

You can recover, good for you for caring enough to try to do something about it and for bringing it to the attention of the community. I'm sure you will help a lot of people.

Aviva92

http://www.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/body-fat-percentages.jpg

according to this you're in the fitness range. not sure why that is considered bad.

Aviva92

also, before you gained the weight in the first place were you actually a lower body fat percentage than you are now? this is assuming you were 117 pounds at some point in the past. i'm not completely convinced that you did any real damage.