Lost some muscle/water mass in 5 days

S_Arr_Uh
S_Arr_Uh Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, I've been using MFP for almost a month now, and basically weight loss was going well for the first three weeks (I lost 4.5 pounds). During these three weeks, I gained a few pounds of muscle, lost a few pounds of fat and even dropped one level of visceral fat (5 down to 4). I use a MyZone monitor belt that my gym recently introduced to calculate all this.

I last weighed myself last Wednesday and I was the equivalent to 84.7kg and today I am 84.4kg (186.07lbs). However my muscle mass has gone from 113lbs to 108lbs and this seems quite a lot. My BF% is 38.8, coming up from just over 36% last week (I was originally at 39.9%) and visceral fat has gone back up to 5.

Basically my question is, what have I done wrong? I'll be first to admit that I haven't been eating 100% healthy but my diet isn't too much different than it was for the first three weeks of this month. I'm not sure whether to be eating more or not.. MFP tells me I should be eating 1740 and I've been struggling to reach this (disregarding NET) on some days. I've been almost double 3500kcal In deficit each week in NET calories, is this too large of a deficit?
I've read the road map etc. but can't quite see the benefit in eating 2000+ calories on the days that I burn 1000 calories spinning.

In case: I'm 19 and 5'7.

And side question, by the end of each week I'm usually a few % over my fat allowance, is it OK to eat a few more carbs/protein just to even it out more? I'm usually under by a few percent on carbs.

Replies

  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    how much protein are you eating?
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    never mind, your diary is open. Looks like you average about 50g of protein/day and net about 500 calories a day...

    You are losing muscle.
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
    Hi all, I've been using MFP for almost a month now, and basically weight loss was going well for the first three weeks (I lost 4.5 pounds). During these three weeks, I gained a few pounds of muscle, lost a few pounds of fat and even dropped one level of visceral fat (5 down to 4). I use a MyZone monitor belt that my gym recently introduced to calculate all this.

    I last weighed myself last Wednesday and I was the equivalent to 84.7kg and today I am 84.4kg (186.07lbs). However my muscle mass has gone from 113lbs to 108lbs and this seems quite a lot. My BF% is 38.8, coming up from just over 36% last week (I was originally at 39.9%) and visceral fat has gone back up to 5.

    Basically my question is, what have I done wrong? I'll be first to admit that I haven't been eating 100% healthy but my diet isn't too much different than it was for the first three weeks of this month. I'm not sure whether to be eating more or not.. MFP tells me I should be eating 1740 and I've been struggling to reach this (disregarding NET) on some days. I've been almost double 3500kcal In deficit each week in NET calories, is this too large of a deficit?
    I've read the road map etc. but can't quite see the benefit in eating 2000+ calories on the days that I burn 1000 calories spinning.

    In case: I'm 19 and 5'7.

    And side question, by the end of each week I'm usually a few % over my fat allowance, is it OK to eat a few more carbs/protein just to even it out more? I'm usually under by a few percent on carbs.

    I don't think you've done anything wrong. No body fat measuring device is going to be 100% accurate and it sounds like you are probably using a less accurate method. My body fat % can change as much as .5% on a daily basis. I look at it on a month to month basis. Do I weigh less this month than I did last month and is my body fat % lower? If yes, then it's working. I think what went wrong for you is that you said you gained some muscle at first. You probably didn't really gain muscle that quickly, so it was probably water weight which was then lost and caused your body fat % to go up.

    It looks to me like you have dropped 1% body fat in about a month, which I think is great! Focus on that and realize that it is going to fluctuate from day to day just like weight will. Eating dietary fat will not make you gain body fat. If you are higher fat/protein and lower carb, you may see more water weight loss which could falsely change your body fat % measurements, but over time it should even out and you should see a downward trend.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    there is no way she gained muscle at first based on her diary. It was a water change.
  • Summer_Lunatic
    Summer_Lunatic Posts: 543 Member
    Mark is right.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    never mind, your diary is open. Looks like you average about 50g of protein/day and net about 500 calories a day...

    You are losing muscle.

    This guy is right!!!

    OP, you are LOSING muscle.. you aren't gaining any. With only 50g of protein a day and netting around 500 calories there is no way you can be gaining any muscle.

    The devices used to measure things like muscle mass and body fat are not 100% accurate.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    there is no way she gained muscle at first based on her diary. It was a water change.

    Bingo! A female eating at a severe calories deficit gaining "a few pounds of muscle" in 3 weeks?? Physiologically impossible. Heck most body builders would love to gain a few pounds of muscle in 3 weeks while eating a surplus.
  • laccy40
    laccy40 Posts: 136
    If you are eating 50g protein a day on a calorie deficit you will lose muscle. It will then get much harder for you to lose weight and maintain it. Well done for seeing this so early on. I am 5'7" 36% body fat ( reducing lol) and I am aiming for 100g protein a day. This is nothing compared to some people but is a realistic aim for me. Eat more protein for a week or 2 and see if you notice a difference. And do those squats and lunges :laugh:
  • S_Arr_Uh
    S_Arr_Uh Posts: 77 Member
    I know they're not 100% accurate and I didn't say I was gaining muscle >_>; but thanks for the replies!

    So I need to up my protein? How about my net calories, do I need to start eating more of my exercise calories? Or at least getting to approx 1700cal a day?

    EDIT: What on earth can I eat that has more protein in?? Oh and I did say I gained muscle. Oops. Apologies
  • laccy40
    laccy40 Posts: 136
    I know they're not 100% accurate and I didn't say I was gaining muscle >_>; but thanks for the replies!

    So I need to up my protein? How about my net calories, do I need to start eating more of my exercise calories? Or at least getting to approx 1700cal a day?

    EDIT: What on earth can I eat that has more protein in?? Oh and I did say I gained muscle. Oops. Apologies
    Greek yoghurt, nuts, meat and fish if you're not veggie, protein shakes and Greek yoghurt again!
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    I know they're not 100% accurate and I didn't say I was gaining muscle >_>; but thanks for the replies!

    So I need to up my protein? How about my net calories, do I need to start eating more of my exercise calories? Or at least getting to approx 1700cal a day?

    EDIT: What on earth can I eat that has more protein in?? Oh and I did say I gained muscle. Oops. Apologies


    Eat more eggs, yogurt,nuts, nut butters, lean meats, beans, legumes, quinoa, protein powders/bars, etc to get more protein in. If you do want to preserve muscle than you should eat at a smaller deficit (netting 500 cals is not healthy and doesn't give your body enough to run on). Netting only 500 cals and being so low on protein will cause you to lose more muscle than you already have. To try and retain muscle get in more calories, more protein and lift heavy weights.
  • portergolf
    portergolf Posts: 40


    EDIT: What on earth can I eat that has more protein in??

    CHICKEN BREAST!!! And lots of it.
  • S_Arr_Uh
    S_Arr_Uh Posts: 77 Member


    EDIT: What on earth can I eat that has more protein in??

    CHICKEN BREAST!!! And lots of it.

    Haha I've been eating that almost everyday since Jan 1st :P apparently still not enough though!
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Based on what you have told us, your BMR is 1683 calories per day. You should not NET below that amount. So, if you are really burning 1000 calories spinning, then you really need to eat at LEAST 2683 calories in food - probably a little more. Of course, this can average out over a few days, so if you only exercise every other day, you can add 500 calories to two days instead of 1000 in one day - your preference.

    Based on your BF%, your lean body mass is about 119 lbs if I use 36%. A rule of thumb is to eat 1g protein per lb of lean body mass to minimize muscle loss. So, you would need to eat about 119g protein daily.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Yes eat more protein and lift heavy. While on a deficit all you can hope to achieve is to actually maintain muscle mass that you already have. I was doing cardio and losing weight but to my horror I lost .5kg of muscle in a 2 week period. I am now just lifting every second day and in the last month I have lost 1.3 kgs in fat and maintained my muscle mass.
  • S_Arr_Uh
    S_Arr_Uh Posts: 77 Member

    Based on your BF%, your lean body mass is about 119 lbs if I use 36%. A rule of thumb is to eat 1g protein per lb of lean body mass to minimize muscle loss. So, you would need to eat about 119g protein daily.

    You've got to be kidding me. As much as being able to eat chicken each day to my hearts content sounds amazing, that's a lot. Looking at my diary, the max I've ever had is about 80 :/

    I think a problem I have is being over-sensitive about how many calories I'm eating. 2600 is a scary number! I could easily get a few hundred in the form of liquid calories (OJ, fruit smoothies etc.) but other than that, it's a toughie. Think I'll start eating more back though, if not all.

    Speaking of BMR, why is MFP telling me to eat 1740 if my BMR is approximately 1650-1700?
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    MFP telling you to eat 1740 sounds good to me. Why do you think it doesn't?

    Your BMR is how many calories your body needs just to simply be alive - it is actually slightly less calories than you would need to lay in bed all day and not move. Whenever you move, even to type this, you are burning calories that get added to your BMR as how many calories your body needs.

    So, we make a few generalizations to estimate activity level since you don't just lay in bed all day. These generalizations at the questions you answered when you set up your goals (sedentary, desk job, lightly active, etc). Each activity level has an assigned multiplier that you multiply the BMR with to get a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). The TDEE is how many calories your body needs on a typical day to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat less than your TDEE. However, you want to eat more than your BMR so you make sure your body is getting enough energy.

    1740 is in between your BMR and TDEE, so it sounds OK to me. However, being that close to your BMR, you need to eat back at least most of your exercise calories - especially those 1000 calorie exercise sessions.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    oh, and not kidding... 119g protein isn't that much. To put it into perspective, that is 13.8 oz of cooked chicken breast. That is about 2 large fillets.

    Here are a few food items out of my diary that also have high protein:
    cal c f p
    50 1 3 6 Sargento - String Cheese - Mozzarella, Light, 1 piece (0.74 oz )
    120 17 0 13 Fage - Total 0% Greek Strained Yogurt With Cherry, 5.3 oz (150 g)
    98 4 0 20 Stop and Shop - Liquid Egg Whites, 3.94 Egg (3 tbsp)
    85 0 1 18 Shrimp - Cooked, moist heat, 86 g

    pair the list I just made with 1 large grilled chicken breast for dinner and you hit your goal.

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