Lose the fat & keep the muscle?

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Loralrose
Loralrose Posts: 203
in Health and Weight Loss
Just like the title says. I went in for a body composition test today. Although my BF% was pretty darn high (around 35), apparently I've also got quite a bit of lean body mass.... about 130 lbs worth. Which actually makes sense - I've always had a pretty sturdy build and although I'm overweight I never stopped working out.

Can any of you recommend ways to lose fat but keep the muscle? Because if I can do that I'll hit my goal body fat percentage long before my goal weight, which would be awesome! So if you've done it I'd really appreciate some tips :) Right now I'm just trying to clean up my diet and keep up enough of a deficit to lose around a pound per week.
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  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Strength train and adequate protein.
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
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    Strength train and adequate protein.

    Thanks! Can you point me to reliable info on protein requirements? There's a lot of contradictory stuff online so I'm not sure where to look....
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    If you want to lose a pound a week, you're going to lose muscle.

    Your body deals in mass. If you are catabolic, you lose mass, simple as that. If you are anabolic, you gain mass.

    To try to keep as much muscle as possible, you need a progressive heavy lifting program. So heavy, you can only do at max 5 reps at a time.

    And eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Good luck!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    If you want to lose a pound a week, you're going to lose muscle.

    Your body deals in mass. If you are catabolic, you lose mass, simple as that. If you are anabolic, you gain mass.

    To try to keep as much muscle as possible, you need a progressive heavy lifting program. So heavy, you can only do at max 5 reps at a time.

    And eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Good luck!

    I disagree that the outlook of fat loss while retaining muscle is that dire.

    Yes you should keep your protein levels high, 1g per pound of bodyweight is a good number and yes you should strength train with weights (not sure you need to do super heavy lifting but don't do just very high volume with light weight either). You can lose a pound of fat a week and not lose muscle I've done that in the past, it just means with the caloric restriction and high protein that something like 50% of your calories end up coming from protein.
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
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    Wow, 1g per pound is an awful lot - that would more that triple my current amount. What kind of foods do you eat to get that much without going to high in calories?
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    1g per lean mass. So 130g would be more accurate.
  • jaya_lakshmi27
    jaya_lakshmi27 Posts: 50
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    Try doing cardio and eating a lot of protein (: Cardio pretty much MELTS fat all over, and protein gives you energy and nutrients.
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
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    1g per lean mass. So 130g would be more accurate.

    Ah, ok. That's a much more reasonable number.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Strength train and adequate protein.

    Thanks! Can you point me to reliable info on protein requirements? There's a lot of contradictory stuff online so I'm not sure where to look....

    http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Adequate protein as ones mentioned, 1 g per lb LBM is just fine. If you want more, won't hurt, won't help either.

    Strength train.

    Most important - reasonable deficit.
    If more than 40 lbs to lose, 20% off estimated TDEE.
    If 20, then 15%.
    If 10, then 10%.

    And you will lose LBM - since that is everything NOT fat mass.
    You'll need less blood for less volume of you.
    You'll need less carb stores to get you around since not doing endurance cardio, which attaches to water.

    But you can retain muscle mass if the top 3 things are done.

    Some will say impossible, because you are in a catabolic state.

    Well, not all the time, you are slightly more catabolic than anabolic, make it slight enough, and only fat is catabolized extra.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    My mistake yes 1g protein per pound lean body mass. Also what heybales said which is you can't be overly aggressive with your weight loss. Cardio is good for fitness and weight loss but weight training is important to retain your muscle. Sources of lean protein like chicken breast and tuna can up your protein intake without upping your calories much.
  • kitlynnJ
    kitlynnJ Posts: 78 Member
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    What kind of foods do you eat to get that much without going to high in calories?

    Chicken breast no skin, tuna, low fat greek yogurt, 1% cottage cheese, and a little bit of protein powder are the main sources I use.

    Eggs and egg whites and other meats are also good.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Wow, 1g per pound is an awful lot - that would more that triple my current amount. What kind of foods do you eat to get that much without going to high in calories?

    1 gram per lb of lean body mass is plenty, so 130 grams/day in your case
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
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    Well .. I have been at this for 8 months now and I have successfully met my goal weight, body fat goals and am now in maintenance.

    But tips .. lots of protein, and yes 1g for every lb of lean body mass is the goal here. And .. resistance training on a regular basis.

    I personally .. lost 49 lbs of body fat and gained 10 lbs of muscle and lost 8.5 inches at my bellybutton in my journey. It was done by being consistent every week .. and not doing anything too crazy, so yes it is very possible and many people here have been successful at doing so.

    Good luck.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,659 Member
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    Try doing cardio and eating a lot of protein (: Cardio pretty much MELTS fat all over, and protein gives you energy and nutrients.
    Cardio doesn't "melt" fat. Calorie deficit does. Cardio just burns more calories per duration vs resistance training with the same intensity. Doing just cardio alone DOESN'T help to retain lean muscle.
    One could just do resistance training alone with no cardio, be in calorie deficit and lose weight along with keeping muscle loss to a minimum.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
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    Yep, everyone above me has it right. Strength train (heavy), get adequate protein, and keep a slight deficit.

    I'm shooting for 1g protein per pound of body weight, but it isn't easy, and more often than not, it puts me over in dietary fat - not calories, just fat, so I still consider it a victory! I know you only need 1g per lb of lean body mass, but if I shoot for body weight I usually get at least lean body mass (my bodyweight is 135 and LBM is 108)

    It's the little changes that made the most difference. I try not to eat too many grains but I do really love them. High-protein cheeses like parmesan, asiago and skim mozzerella make good choices, and on a bread with some protein (or at least is whole grain) a grilled cheese isn't a bad option. I now make my mac and cheese with plain nonfat greek yogurt instead of milk or butter (and it's AMAZING). Chicken salad made with greek yogurt and a bunch of mustard is yummy too. Eggs are a good snack choice, egg whites if your calorie goal is low. If you look around the forums you'll find tons of advice on getting enough protein.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    If you want to lose a pound a week, you're going to lose muscle.

    Your body deals in mass. If you are catabolic, you lose mass, simple as that. If you are anabolic, you gain mass.

    To try to keep as much muscle as possible, you need a progressive heavy lifting program. So heavy, you can only do at max 5 reps at a time.

    And eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Good luck!

    I haven't lost much muscle..maybe a lb or two...

    1g per lb of LBM and a progessive load lifting program like stronglifts or starting strength is a good way to go.

    don't go to agressive with the weight loss and be patient.

    I eat a lot of fish/seafood, greek yogurt, meat, cheese, eggs, skim milk.

    I am for at least 1/2g of protien for every 10 calories for decent ration but prefer 1g per 10calories.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Bump!!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Everyone else has it right -- lots of protein, and lift heavy things. Take it slow and steady, and don't get too hung up on the scale number. Make sure you're taking pictures and recording your measurements! If you're doing it right and losing fat while keeping your LBM, you may see slower losses on the scale, but you'll shrink.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Try doing cardio and eating a lot of protein (: Cardio pretty much MELTS fat all over, and protein gives you energy and nutrients.
    Cardio doesn't "melt" fat. Calorie deficit does. Cardio just burns more calories per duration vs resistance training with the same intensity. Doing just cardio alone DOESN'T help to retain lean muscle.
    One could just do resistance training alone with no cardio, be in calorie deficit and lose weight along with keeping muscle loss to a minimum.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    QFT

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