Maybe this will be valuable to someone?

I had my check in with my trainer this morning. Adding protein really helped with my numbers I think, and she agrees. I lost 6 lbs since 11/20 but 8 lbs of body fat. I lost another 3.7 inches overall and my lean mass went up a little and fat mass went down by that 8 lbs. My BF% went down by almost 3% points.................yay. All in all a great check-in. She was shocked at some of the calibrated numbers and took a couple of them twice to make sure she was right..................LOL. For those of you working out hard and restricting your calories to a pretty large deficit I would recommend increasing your protein to at least 100g or more if you're well under that. I lost 35 lbs last year when I was sick but it was all lean mass and it's really difficult to recover from that and not put the weight back on when you go back to eating normal again. Just my thoughts for whatever they're worth.

Replies

  • GoldwingGrandma
    GoldwingGrandma Posts: 81 Member
    Great results! Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work. And thank you for the info about added protein. Sounds like a good plan.
  • I completely agree with you on the protein. I had a contest with a few co-workers to lose 20 pounds in a month. I did it alright, but when I looked at my upper arms... holy moly! Goodbye muscle! It wasn't a pretty sight! Learned my lesson there.
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    I completely agree with you on the protein. I had a contest with a few co-workers to lose 20 pounds in a month. I did it alright, but when I looked at my upper arms... holy moly! Goodbye muscle! It wasn't a pretty sight! Learned my lesson there.

    I never had a clue about macro's before MFP. All I ever tried while dieting was low cal/low fat. Now, between MFP and my trainer, I've really learned a lot about losing weight in a healthy way. At 63, it's better late than never. My results today were much better than they were a month ago, even though I didn't lose quite as many pounds. The only thing I did differently was lower my carbs and increase my protein. Of course, what's working for me may not work for everyone. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

    I still struggle some days getting enough protein but I've definitely improved over November's numbers.
  • Joanne_happygramma
    Joanne_happygramma Posts: 207 Member
    This is great information - thanks for sharing. My chiropractor is always on me about my protein levels and when my brother lost all his weight earlier this year he also lost a ton of muscle mass. He is working on gaining his muscles back. We never think about it any other way except what the scale says to us during each weigh in. My gym did a body analysis of me and my husband I actually have a huge skeleton and even though he is several inches taller than me our recommended weight is only 12 pounds apart.

    Thanks
    Joanne
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    Joanne, I know how your brother feels. I lost 35 lbs. really fast because I literally couldn't eat and it really screwed up my metabolism and my body composition. It's taken me a little over a year to get back to normal and then begin the process of losing the weight the right way. I have a large skeleton also. My ideal weight is about 160 at 5'7", anything less and I look sick. My husband has now lost more weight than I have on this journey and he's 6'1" and only weighs about 25 lbs. more than I do.
  • ReginaM49
    ReginaM49 Posts: 65 Member
    Great advice here on adding protien. Thanks for the reminder. Kissing 50 myself... its great to see someone (not a youngster) working out and working on gaining muscle. It will help us bigtime as we age. Its also nice to see someone else who isn't looking to be super skinny. Below 150 and I look sickly. Congrats on your success!
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    Great advice here on adding protien. Thanks for the reminder. Kissing 50 myself... its great to see someone (not a youngster) working out and working on gaining muscle. It will help us bigtime as we age. Its also nice to see someone else who isn't looking to be super skinny. Below 150 and I look sickly. Congrats on your success!

    A lot of my friends here are over 50 and I've been amazed at how well some of them are doing. My trainer told me the other night in our circuit class that I shouldn't even bother trying the "Silver Sneakers" class, I'd be bored to tears................LOL. My goal is to be in the best health I can for my age and not be a burden on anyone. If I lose some weight and look better along the way.................fabulous!
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    Another 50 something here who has been doing weight training. It is lovely when people start commenting on the results and it is a great confidence builder. I am trying to up my protein levels without having to resort to protein powder so work in progress for now. Good luck!
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    Babs, I bought some whey protein, a recommended brand, and I really can't drink it. I'm better off with a little extra chicken, some egg whites or non-fat cottage cheese (not one of my favorites either). Good luck to you!
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    Thanks for that - can't stand non-fat cottage cheese either. yuk! Trying to up chicken, fish and eggs so will see how that goes.