Losing lbs but not much body fat

drkim86
drkim86 Posts: 17
in Fitness and Exercise
Last year I started strength training to build muscles but my body fat was preventing me from seeing all the hard work so I started counting calories. This was is Feb and I have lost 6 lbs so far. The thing is, I saw a picture of what 5 lbs of fat looks like and I for sure did not lose that much fat. If I did I would be ripped since I didn't have all that much fat on me to start. I work out every other day (mostly body weight/light barbell) for 45 mins to ensure I don't lose that much muscle mass. But I'm starting to get discouraged with my results. Don't get me wrong, I do look different and am starting to see the beginnings of little baby abs. Even still, at this rate the amount of body fat I want to lose will be reached by this winter. I also don't want to lose the muscle i've built up the last half year. Is there anything else I could do to ensure most of the weight I lose is fat and not muscle? I really don't want to go on a bulk because summer is right around the corner.

Replies

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    A healthy loss is .5–2 lbs. per week, and the less you have to lose the more slowly it comes off. Your initial 6 lb. loss was mostly water & glycogen reserves.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • drkim86
    drkim86 Posts: 17
    Your initial 6 lb. loss was mostly water & glycogen reserves.

    Actually I lost like 3 lbs of water weight the first week I started and gained it back the following couple weeks. I've been counting calories for 2 months now and the 6 lbs have been a steady loss. I've also lost inches in my thighs so I know it's not just water weight. My main concern is losing muscle mass which I'm about 90 percent sure is mostly what I have lost since counting calories.
  • KyliAnne26
    KyliAnne26 Posts: 209 Member

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I'm going to reiterate this ^^^^^^^^^
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
    A) are you working in some cardio? And B) have you tried heavy lifting? Body weight and light weights is great to learn proper form but for max results, check out heavy lifting. You'll never go back.
  • drkim86
    drkim86 Posts: 17
    A) are you working in some cardio? And B) have you tried heavy lifting?

    I don't really do any cardio. My running shoes fell apart and I need to get some new ones but I've been stalling. I only ran every few weeks anyway since I don't particularly enjoy it.

    I am not lifting heavy for a couple reasons; 1) I don't have a gym membership and only have the few light weights laying around at home. I have been upping weights gradually with what I have but nothing extreme- which ties into reason 2) I'm eating at a 20% deficit from TDEE and I don't want to overwork myself. I'm already feeling extra tired from upping my weights this last week. Just extra sluggish in the mornings and maybe a bit more hungry than usual.
  • drkim86
    drkim86 Posts: 17

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I'm going to reiterate this ^^^^^^^^^

    I have read it and I think you may have missed my question. I already follow all of the guidelines given. I'm just having trouble with losing more muscle mass than I would like instead of body fat.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    How do you know you're losing muscle mass? I'm incredibly confused by what you're asking.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Ignore the pictures of what 5 pounds of fat "looks like." The truth is that it is going to be different for every person. You don't lose it all in one place, of course, and the proportions of where it comes off will depend on your genetics.

    That said, even those who eat plenty of protein and lift heavy weights will likely lose some muscle while at a calorie deficit. To prevent this, you want to lose slowly (1/2 to 1 pound per week, depending on how much you have to go). It's true that exercise, especially weights, will help reduce the amount of LBM lost, but it won't guarantee that all you lose is fat. That's why a lot of people go through bulk/cut cycles. You may want to cut your deficit down to 15% to reduce muscle lost. And while I agree that heavy lifting is best, I know that there are some good body weight exercises you can find online (I don't remember what they're called, sorry)

    ETA: it's also going to take patience. Body recomp is a rather slow process, and it will be even slower without access to heavy weights. Look around, maybe you can find a gym for not too much? (I pay $10 a month, and there's no lunk alarms). And if done well, you don't need to do weights workouts every day ... 3 days a week of whole-body workouts should suffice.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    How do you know you're losing muscle mass? I'm incredibly confused by what you're asking.
    ^^^This.

    Preserve lean body mass (muscle) by lifting weights.
  • drkim86
    drkim86 Posts: 17
    Ignore the pictures of what 5 pounds of fat "looks like." The truth is that it is going to be different for every person. You don't lose it all in one place, of course, and the proportions of where it comes off will depend on your genetics.

    That said, even those who eat plenty of protein and lift heavy weights will likely lose some muscle while at a calorie deficit. To prevent this, you want to lose slowly (1/2 to 1 pound per week, depending on how much you have to go). It's true that exercise, especially weights, will help reduce the amount of LBM lost, but it won't guarantee that all you lose is fat. That's why a lot of people go through bulk/cut cycles. You may want to cut your deficit down to 15% to reduce muscle lost. And while I agree that heavy lifting is best, I know that there are some good body weight exercises you can find online (I don't remember what they're called, sorry)

    ETA: it's also going to take patience. Body recomp is a rather slow process, and it will be even slower without access to heavy weights. Look around, maybe you can find a gym for not too much? (I pay $10 a month, and there's no lunk alarms). And if done well, you don't need to do weights workouts every day ... 3 days a week of whole-body workouts should suffice.

    I think I will have to find an affordable gym membership and increase calories a bit then. Thank you for your thorough answer!
  • drkim86
    drkim86 Posts: 17
    How do you know you're losing muscle mass? I'm incredibly confused by what you're asking.

    I'm basing it off of the pictures floating around of what 5 lbs of fat actually look like. If I were to guess from that alone I would concluded I only lost about one pound of fat which would mean 5 lbs of muscle mass.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    How do you know you're losing muscle mass? I'm incredibly confused by what you're asking.

    I'm basing it off of the pictures floating around of what 5 lbs of fat actually look like. If I were to guess from that alone I would concluded I only lost about one pound of fat which would mean 5 lbs of muscle mass.

    That really is a very inaccurate way to estimate your body fat. I have picked up a pair of Accu-measure calipers and use those to track any changes in my body fat. You can get them on ebay for just a few dollars.
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
    Stop envisioning a giant blob of fat and instead imagine it as a fluid. Imagine if you melted off 5 lbs of fat across the entire surface of your body...it would be very difficult to notice that 5lbs if it was well spread out. When I started losing weight it took some time before it was measurable because it came off in areas that I wasn't measuring, like my back and just above the knee etc. I seriously doubt your body is losing muscle mass when our systems will look for energy in our fat stores first.
  • drkim86
    drkim86 Posts: 17
    Stop envisioning a giant blob of fat and instead imagine it as a fluid. Imagine if you melted off 5 lbs of fat across the entire surface of your body...



    This makes sense.

    I also found an article regarding protein intake while at a calorie deficit. I haven't been eating nearly enough protein thus far. I've been going by the .7 grams per body weight and added a bit more so 90 grams per day. But that's still not enough according to this article, especially since I'm eating at a deficit and I'm do high intensity training. Article for the curious: http://evidencemag.com/dieting-protein-needs/

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