Help! Too much muscle
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FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »I'm so glad I posted cause I was actually debating stopping since I don't want to get any "bigger" but it sounds like I should be safe for a while. If any of you are curious, pm me and I'll give you the password for my diary.
Lifting while eating in a deficit preserves that precious lean mass you've already got, ensuring that a greater portion of the weight you lose is fat. Lose the fat, see the awesome muscles.
You can gain strength while eating at a deficit, but not appreciable muscle mass. That's for later, when you decide to bulk
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Strength gains =/= muscle gains
If you're looking to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss, then continue eating at a moderate deficit, lifting progressively heavy and eating enough protein. That's what I'm doing right now.
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arditarose wrote: »
That is the thread that got me wanting to lift. It would be neat if there were some process by which helpful, informative threads like that one could somehow be given a permanent spot on the top of the boards...oh, wait...0 -
arditarose wrote: »
That is the thread that got me wanting to lift. It would be neat if there were some process by which helpful, informative threads like that one could somehow be given a permanent spot on the top of the boards...oh, wait...
Ugh. I know
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80 lbs down. Slimmer and sleeker than I've EVER been. Oh yea - almost 52. STRENGTH TRAINING. STRENGTH TRAINING. STRENGTH TRAINING. Developing and maintaining your lean body mass is what kicks FAT to the curb. What solidified my decision to start strength training for the first time ever @ age 47? Staci's story @ NerdFitness.com0
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arditarose wrote: »
That is the thread that got me wanting to lift. It would be neat if there were some process by which helpful, informative threads like that one could somehow be given a permanent spot on the top of the boards...oh, wait...
I haven't looked at that thread in a long time. Wow.0 -
It sounds like you've gotten a lot of good answers in here. I'm just going to add, in a 16 week bulk I gained only 8 pounds, probably 2-4 of them probably fat. That was on a 500-700 calorie per day surplus and following a linear periodization bulking routine. The "larger" appearance of your arms is absolutely a combination of fat loss and water/glycogen retention. Good luck!
Edited to add that people are constantly saying I look bigger lately even though I'm cutting. Fat loss just lets your muscles show!0 -
Okay I have a few more questions then:
1- How long should I wait till I start seeing loss again?
2- I run about 3-4 miles on the off days as cross training- does that help/
3- Is it just fact that I lose muscle if I'm eating at a deficit? There's no way for the body to say "okay, fat time"?0 -
FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »Okay I have a few more questions then:
1- How long should I wait till I start seeing loss again?
2- I run about 3-4 miles on the off days as cross training- does that help/
3- Is it just fact that I lose muscle if I'm eating at a deficit? There's no way for the body to say "okay, fat time"?
You should see a loss soon as long as you're logging correctly. Weight loss is not always linear so you might not see the scale go down for a week or two, then you might drop a pound or two all at once. And you don't lose just muscle. It's mostly fat, along with muscle.
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FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »Okay I have a few more questions then:
1- How long should I wait till I start seeing loss again?
2- I run about 3-4 miles on the off days as cross training- does that help/
3- Is it just fact that I lose muscle if I'm eating at a deficit? There's no way for the body to say "okay, fat time"?
1. It depends. Personally, I went up 4lbs or so and stayed there for a whole month before I started seeing scale losses. I didn't even see much in the measuring tape. But the pictures, I could see losses in places you don't measure, my face, the area between my hips and waist, etc.
2. Any type of exercise will affect glycogen stores. If you increase training, you will increase glycogen store.
Does it help you - it does increase the calories you burn, so it can help to create a deficit but that also goes hand in hand with keeping track of what is coming in.
3. Yes, losing weight inevitably will mean losing some muscle. How much depends on a number of factors including genetics, your diet, your exercise, etc. If you are eating a decent amount of protein, weight training, and don't have a huge calorie deficit, you are doing the best you can to minimize it.0 -
FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »Okay I have a few more questions then:
1- How long should I wait till I start seeing loss again?
2- I run about 3-4 miles on the off days as cross training- does that help/
3- Is it just fact that I lose muscle if I'm eating at a deficit? There's no way for the body to say "okay, fat time"?
1. If it's been a month, you should start seeing a loss about now. How is your logging? Do you weigh your solids and measure your liquids?
2. Cardio gives you a great calorie burn and increases your deficit. A deficit is how you lose the weight so yes, if you like it, keep doing it. But it's not required by any means.
3. All weight loss is a combination of fat, muscle, and water. To make sure a greater portion of that is fat, lift weights and eat enough protein.0 -
arditarose wrote: »
Oh my gosh!! This gives me SO much hope. I always get self concious because I weigh more than some "flabbier" girls and actually, more than some boys my age.... but it gives me a great perspective that it truly is a good weight.0 -
FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »arditarose wrote: »
Oh my gosh!! This gives me SO much hope. I always get self concious because I weigh more than some "flabbier" girls and actually, more than some boys my age.... but it gives me a great perspective that it truly is a good weight.
Yep, I have to remind myself that my scale weight doesn't matter all that much at this point. It can be hard, but progress pics are a great thing.0 -
FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »Okay I have a few more questions then:
1- How long should I wait till I start seeing loss again?
2- I run about 3-4 miles on the off days as cross training- does that help/
3- Is it just fact that I lose muscle if I'm eating at a deficit? There's no way for the body to say "okay, fat time"?
1. If it's been a month, you should start seeing a loss about now. How is your logging? Do you weigh your solids and measure your liquids?
2. Cardio gives you a great calorie burn and increases your deficit. A deficit is how you lose the weight so yes, if you like it, keep doing it. But it's not required by any means.
3. All weight loss is a combination of fat, muscle, and water. To make sure a greater portion of that is fat, lift weights and eat enough protein.
I don't weigh solids because I'm in the midst of an intercontinental move and my scale is on the way elsewhere... btu I try to overestimate the foods and I log every single thing I eat so I should at least be close...0 -
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When you start resistance training, your body has to store glycogen to be able to fuel the workouts. 1 gram of glycogen is stored in 3 grams of water in the muscle. You have gained glycogen and water, not muscle. Keep going and the body will stabilize how much glycogen you store and the fat loss will catch up with the glycogen and water gain, and eventually you will start losing. I tell my clients all the time that we don't weigh for at least 6-8 weeks because I know they are going to go up on the scale before they go down on the scale. The scale doesn't matter when you are losing body fat and storing the right fuel for the workouts, anyway. Trust me, I've been doing this for a living for 19 years. When you are doing it right, you will gain on the scale first. Embrace it and look forward to that fat loss. ;-)0
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TrainingWithTonya wrote: »When you start resistance training, your body has to store glycogen to be able to fuel the workouts. 1 gram of glycogen is stored in 3 grams of water in the muscle. You have gained glycogen and water, not muscle. Keep going and the body will stabilize how much glycogen you store and the fat loss will catch up with the glycogen and water gain, and eventually you will start losing. I tell my clients all the time that we don't weigh for at least 6-8 weeks because I know they are going to go up on the scale before they go down on the scale. The scale doesn't matter when you are losing body fat and storing the right fuel for the workouts, anyway. Trust me, I've been doing this for a living for 19 years. When you are doing it right, you will gain on the scale first. Embrace it and look forward to that fat loss. ;-)
Phew, that's makes me feel GREAT! "doing it right, you'll gain first". That's a hugh weight off my shoulders... ha.
So another quick question- I'll be away from facilities for about a month. Will hard core body weight exercise help maintain it? Or will I be bound to lose some progress.0 -
FitnessasmyWitness wrote: »Phew, that's makes me feel GREAT! "doing it right, you'll gain first". That's a hugh weight off my shoulders... ha.
So another quick question- I'll be away from facilities for about a month. Will hard core body weight exercise help maintain it? Or will I be bound to lose some progress.
Depends on how hard core. Generally, body weight exercises are more cardiovascular than strength building because you do a lot of repetitions and not as much weight as when you do more traditional weight training. So you will keep up the fat burning, but may not keep the glycogen stores needed for the resistance work you've been doing. Which means that you will probably lose on the scale during that month dramatically but then put some weight back on in glycogen and water when you start weight training again. That glycogen and water storage is necessary though before you can ever hope to actually gain muscle fibers or muscle fiber density.0 -
Okay. To be honest I don't really mind not gaining any more muscle seeing as I already have a pretty large amount. My goal is mainly to lose the fat and gain the definition, so it sounds like that month shouldn't do too much damage.0
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