How to lose fat vs muscle-need advice

MicheleWE

Since mid January I have lost 12 lbs, according to my scale that measures body fat % (which I know isn't completely accurate) about 7 lbs of that has been fat, and 4.5 has been LBM-if I am calculating right. Is that an acceptable ratio? I don't want to lose any LBM, but is that even possible? I am eating a minimum of 1 gram of protein for each pound of LBM and usually more. Since I finished a 12 week weight lifting program two weeks ago I've only been doing 30 Day Shred with a 2 or 3 days of extra cardio (30-45 mins), mostly because it's been a busy two weeks so I haven't had as much time to work out, but I have started losing faster. Is 30 Day Shred enough to keep/maintain my muscle? I am starting to see more definition in my arms and abs, but maybe that is because of losing weight also. What do you think?

neanderthin

I doubt it. You have to remember if your glycogen is in a depleted state for one reason or another (underfed, low carb diet, just worked out) when you measured, it will show less lean mass. I was going to say look in the mirror but you've already confirmed that you look more lean, which really is the only measure I look at........Your looking awesome btw.

michellekicks

I would not trust the scale measuring your BF%.

I was kind of bummed when 4.6 lbs of 20 I lost was lean mass. I chalk it up to not lifting and not eating enough protein. I have since remedied both of those things. But yeah, I don't think you've 4.5 lbs out of 12 as LBM. The home machines are heavily influenced by hydration levels.

Having said that, you can lose a higher percentage of your weight from LBM when you a) don't lift, b) don't eat enough protein, and c) have too large a calorie deficit.

SanteMulberry

The higher the ratio of fat to lean body mass, the more likely you are to shed fat and gain muscle--even on a deficit. I remember reading about this study that they did in a nursing home where they had the residents lift weights (and I believe they were taking supplemental protein, because they had poor appetites). They lost, on average, 4 pounds of body fat and gained 4 pounds of LBM. So it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, if you have a high proportion of body fat. With seniors, that is a major problem. Even if they do not gain any scale weight, the insidious process of shrinking lean body mass and growing fat stores is on-going--unless a program is undertaken to fight it.

Those whose body fat is already at a lowish level would be more likely to lose LBM at a caloric deficit. I know a woman (she's an EMT) who must work very hard to keep muscle on. She has a very low level of body fat. She is one of those people who doesn't have much of an appetite and tends to under-eat (she is also one of those people who don't eat when they are under stress). And unless she works out a lot, she gets weaker (and you can imagine how this would produce problems for an EMT---especially one who works in a resort area where they have to do a lot of rescue work).

BusyRaeNOTBusty

30 day shred is probably not enough to maintain muscle while losing weight.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Cut the cardio and lift

krhn

30 day shred is exactly what it states... it 'shreds' your body no matter the type (fat or muscle) - though you could potentially build some muscle if you aren't use to bodyweight exercises!

SarahSmilesCA

There is a lot of discussion on the web on this, especially on BB.com. Some I think is just BS and some is pretty grounded in science. I can only tell you about my own experience.

I only lost 4 lbs the first month, but now I have losses in the 6-8 lb category each month. I know the first month before I lifted I lost lean tissue, I saw it and I felt it. I had no strength and no energy even though I was biking 20 miles 5x a week. One day I got on the bike and just could not go. I had to go home and rest. That experience pushed me to get more info on strength training and muscle retention. This doesn't happen to me anymore except when I over train, and I am pretty careful to listen to my body now.

Since the second month I started to do a few things differently which increased my weight loss but reduced my muscle damage. I know I may still lose some lean tissue, because I have a lot to lose and that just happens if you are losing more than 40-50 lbs.

What I have learned is It is ok to lose SOME lean tissue while cutting (losing fat) because I will break down the tissue and rebuild it leaner and stronger. Once I make goal I will be much more concerned about lean tissue loss but I can still protect myself if I do a few things to help reduce the damage:

1. Lift heavy. This helps to build muscle. No girls do not get huge mucles, just huge results. Google it
2. Eat more protein now, this protects and stimulates muscle synthesis
3. Take BCAA supplements. This reduces muscle atrophy during fasted training as well as helps with muscle soreness and a lot of other technical things that you can Google to get more info about .

I lift heavy 3x a week and I still do cardio for 90 minutes 3x a week. I do cardio because I still have a lot of fat to cut and I love the stress reliever, but if I was closer to goal I would probably reduce my cardio down to 2 times a week for no more than an hour. The lifting though is what is causing the increased success. I know I say this alot but I have curves and muscle where I had fat a few months ago...It is really cool.

MicheleWE

I doubt it. You have to remember if your glycogen is in a depleted state for one reason or another (underfed, low carb diet, just worked out) when you measured, it will show less lean mass. I was going to say look in the mirror but you've already confirmed that you look more lean, which really is the only measure I look at........Your looking awesome btw.

Thank you-work in progress!

MicheleWE

I would not trust the scale measuring your BF%.

I was kind of bummed when 4.6 lbs of 20 I lost was lean mass. I chalk it up to not lifting and not eating enough protein. I have since remedied both of those things. But yeah, I don't think you've 4.5 lbs out of 12 as LBM. The home machines are heavily influenced by hydration levels.

Having said that, you can lose a higher percentage of your weight from LBM when you a) don't lift, b) don't eat enough protein, and c) have too large a calorie deficit.

I guess it's time to get some calipers! I do believe I've got enough protein on board-funny it's much easier to get after doing a two week push of really high protein (230 g per day-don't judge-I was following a carb cycling portion in the weight program I was doing but decided that wasn't good for MY body). My calorie deficit is TDEE -20% at least if I am figuring it out right it is. AND back to lifting it is, do you think 2-3 days per week of a full body routine is sufficient? It is such a change from the 6 day per week split I did before.