How to lose fat and not muscle ?

Options
So I've been dieting for 2 weeks and I lost between 2-3 pounds (I'm 5'8 170 guy buy the way) but I feel like I'm losing muscle. My strength is not so great and my waist is still 30 inches just like when I started. I'm usually eating milk and biscuits in the morning, white meat at lunch, fruit in the afternoon and salad with fish or meat at dinner, and some days I allow myself some white bread, like 50 grams. Any advice ?

Replies

  • VitaminAmy
    VitaminAmy Posts: 130 Member
    Options
    Have you tried lifting weights or calisthenics (body weight exercises)?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    2 weeks isn't long enough to notice much of anything that you could discern anything from.
    Except - if calories are too low for level of activity, your body can respond fast and slow you down to conserve calories.
    So you can get tired that quick.

    That doesn't mean you are losing muscle yet, just as getting stronger doesn't mean you are gaining muscle either.
    But, if that is indeed the reason for being tired - yes you will lose muscle mass. Probably the normal 15-25% of weight being that.

    How do you lose just fat and not muscle?
    1 - Eat at reasonable deficit. More you have to lose, faster you can attempt with bigger deficit. With 20lbs to go, you should be at max 1 lb weekly if you exercise 3-4 days at least, if less than that, then 1/2 lb weekly.

    2 - Get in enough protein. 0.82 grams per pound of body weight. Fat is 0.35 g / lb bw. Carbs gets whatever is left of your calories.

    3 - Resistance training of some sort. What's used is maintained. In a diet, what's used most is maintained.

    Those 3 things each by themselves has shown to retain muscle mass in research setting with lab measurements and constant Dr supervision. You don't have that - so do all 3 things.

    To the end of keeping that reasonable deficit, MFP estimates what you'd burn with NO exercise - and then gives you an eating goal.
    That is ONLY when you do NO exercise.

    If you burned more in the day because you exercised, then you take off the same amount of deficit - you eat more.
    So MFP just adds your exercise calories to your eating goal - you eat more.
    But you are still eating less than you burn - you lose weight.

    So use the tool right. Tools used wrong at best don't help you, at worst they can hurt you.
    Log your strength training as that if it is indeed weight lifting with sets and rests. If it's fast machines or circuit style training, log it right that way.

    2-3 lbs is normal water weight lost when you start watching sodium and eat in a deficit.
    So you might also confirm you are logging food correctly - by weight, not measurements, which is for liquids only. Calories is per weight - grams.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    Options
    2 weeks is nothing, you just lost some water weight.
    I don't know portions, but it seems you aren't eating that much, and also not so much nutrient dense foods.
    Do the milk and biscuits in the morning give you enough energy?
    Just meat at lunch?
    A salad for dinner?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    Not eating enough would cause loss of energy. Can you open your diary?
  • MsHarryWinston
    MsHarryWinston Posts: 1,027 Member
    Options
    The two best and most straight forward pieces of advice for this that I can tell you are
    1) Eat protien
    2) Lift weights!
  • runningjen74
    runningjen74 Posts: 312 Member
    Options
    No one else has posted link, so here you go...how to get you started on your path to sexypants. I go back to this on a regular basis.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • redfisher1974
    redfisher1974 Posts: 614 Member
    Options
    No one else has posted link, so here you go...how to get you started on your path to sexypants. I go back to this on a regular basis.

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

    Thanks for the link, Good reading indeed.
  • astroophys
    astroophys Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    If you truly are losing strength (though, I would argue that 2 weeks is too short a time period to come to any conclusions), you need to eat a bit more.
  • becess96
    becess96 Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    Thank you so much for the answers ! May I ask you one more thing ? So I know most of the weight it was water weight because of course you can't lose that much fat in so little time, but will I gain this water weight back ? I basically started drinking from half a gallon of water per day to 1+ gallon right now.
  • NYfirefighter
    Options
    If you're not allergic to lactose (milk) you can give proteine shakes/bars a try to preserve muscle mass
  • Screwedntattooed
    Screwedntattooed Posts: 238 Member
    Options
    Lift while eating at a moderate deficit
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
    Options
    You'll have lost mostly water so far but don't fear the carbs. MFP gives you a guide to what macros to hit. Exercise will help you retain muscle. How much are you looking to lose?
  • SilentDrapeRunners
    Options
    You will lose a little muscle over time while eating at a deficit, but you won't lose much if the deficit is small-moderate (a deficit not greater than around 25%), you're lifting heavy weights, and you're eating enough protein (1.2-1.5 g/lb body weight).
  • KaterinaTerese
    KaterinaTerese Posts: 345 Member
    Options
    The two best and most straight forward pieces of advice for this that I can tell you are
    1) Eat protien
    2) Lift weights!
    Glozell-Preach.gif
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    Thank you so much for the answers ! May I ask you one more thing ? So I know most of the weight it was water weight because of course you can't lose that much fat in so little time, but will I gain this water weight back ? I basically started drinking from half a gallon of water per day to 1+ gallon right now.

    Eventually, some of it.

    When you finally eat at maintenance, your muscle carb stores can finally top off, that attaches with water. 1-2 lbs possible.

    That's the reason why it should be a goal weight range - not number. Go nuts trying to keep to a number - even on valid weigh-in days.