when do you know you have lost too much muscle, during weight loss?

If you are eating plenty of protein, and it sounds like you are, and lifting weights, which you didn't mention, then you are doing all that you can do to preserve muscle while losing. Your caloric deficit sounds reasonable and your rate of loss isn't extreme. IMO you just have to tell yourself that you are doing things right and then move on.

snowy0wl wrote: »

I've been dieting for 73 days and lost 14.8lbs about 50% of my goal . If I use a scale over that period I've lost 11lbs of fat and 4ish pounds of muscle. I've been eating moderate caloric deficit of about 500-600 for the last 16 days, eating about .9 grams of protein per LLM. I realize scales are really inaccurate so what other metrics can I use other than measuring or when I should be concerned?

Pinch yourself...
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-measure-your-body-fat.html

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keithcw_the_first wrote: »

I think the strength training issue needs to be addressed.

^ agreed. If you work on building more muscle while dieting you won't lose so much

holly55555 wrote: »

keithcw_the_first wrote: »

I think the strength training issue needs to be addressed.

^ agreed. If you work on building more muscle while dieting you won't lose so much

It's hard, if not impossible to build muscle while eating at a deficit

Not accurate, but accurate enough.
I use the INBODY machines.
They calculate how much fat, bone mass, water, and muscle the user has.

MrM27 wrote: »

You won't know 100% for sure. All you can do is get your nutrition right, training properly and try to give your body as much potential to do what you want it to do and to avoid what you don't want it to do. Adequate protein, proper training.

Those machine or calipers are no reliable. Don't worry about a pound or 2.

Hate to be pedantic, but.....

There are no completely accurate methods that one can rely on for body composition testing and assessment. DEXA or Bodpod can be somewhat more accurate depending on where your BMI falls, however, there are costs and scheduling involved with those methods and at best are still extrapolations. What is nearly 100% accurate is to have the visceral fat butchered off of you and weighed on a scale, but you'd be dead.

Calipers are cheap and effective and once you learn how to use them, are reasonably reliable.

IMO, as long as one is consistent month to month in whatever method chooses, then it doesn't really matter. That being said, I'd recommend to anyone avoiding bio electric impedance as a form of testing.

I guess if your lifting weight and are going backwards?

Say you can like 40kg on some machine or free weights and then week after week you find it harder and harder to complete your set/reps and find your self having to drop to 35 then 30 etc