Fat loss vs. Muscle loss

Frumpy2Fit · June 2011

I have been a yo-yo dieter for a few years now and I always seem to be able to lose 15-30 lbs and then I gain it right back. When I lose the weight it is because I commit to a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise. However, this time I am taking it a little slower as I am trying to make a PERMANENT lifestyle change. I know if I just dive into this and overwhelm myself that the odds of sticking to things are slim to none so I decided to start by just altering my diet. I have been eating less and losing weight at a slow but steady pace. I plan on getting exercise into the mix soon but I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if my weight loss up until this point is likely to be fat or muscle considering my lack of exercise? Thanks in advance for any responses!!!

trainguy917 · June 2011

It's probably been mostly fat since you've done it slowly, but it's probably a little bit muscle since you aren't working out.

olag00 · June 2011

I was going to say it could be a little of both also. The best way to find out is to get a scale that can tell you your body fat %. This will help keep track and let you know if you are headed in the right direction. Sometimes the scale will not move and get you discouraged but if you have the body fat % option you will see your % drop even if the weight stays the same.

KeyMasterOfGozer · June 2011

If you weren't working out before, I don't see why you should be losing muscle now, as long as you are eating enough calories and don't have a huge deficit.

erickirb · June 2011

I have been a yo-yo dieter for a few years now and I always seem to be able to lose 15-30 lbs and then I gain it right back. When I lose the weight it is because I commit to a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise. However, this time I am taking it a little slower as I am trying to make a PERMANENT lifestyle change. I know if I just dive into this and overwhelm myself that the odds of sticking to things are slim to none so I decided to start by just altering my diet. I have been eating less and losing weight at a slow but steady pace. I plan on getting exercise into the mix soon but I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if my weight loss up until this point is likely to be fat or muscle considering my lack of exercise? Thanks in advance for any responses!!!

If you are not doing strength training and/or not eating enough protein you will lose a higher % of muscle than you would if you did strength training and ingested enough protein. The less you have to lose the more likely you are to burn muscle, which is why losing slow is the best way. Since you only have 20 lbs to go, I would suggest setting your weekly loss goal for no more than 1 lb/week to ensure you don't lose much muscles, and you should eat back your exercise calories for this reason as well. Once you get to your last 10-15 you should switch it up to 0.5lbs/week.

peggy1209 · June 2011

Jillian Michaels talked about this in a recent podcast.

there was some study study with 3 groups - all groups "dieted", one group also did cardio activity, and one group did cardio and weight training

all the groups lost an average of 21lbs

the only diet group - lost fat and muscle
the cardio group - last fat and muscle, but lost less muscle that the diet only group
the weight training group - lost all fat (and "gained" muslce)

Just sharing - she's got a pretty good podcast, I recommend it

bizco · June 2011

If you are operating at a calorie deficit (eating below maintenance) then you are losing both fat and muscle. Gaining lean muscle mass is nearly impossible when operating at a calorie deficit. The most you can hope for is to minimize that loss by eating enough protein (25-35% of total calories) and lifting weights, not cardio.

jeffkussman · June 2011

The most important factor to consider is whether you are eating enough complete protein every day. When a lot of people diet, they don't pay as much attention to protein as they should. If you get enough protein, muscle wasting should slow down or stop if it is happening because your body wants to keep it, when given enough resources.

Studies have shown (sorry I don't have a link to them) that it takes more than a year of disuse for muscles to begin to break down, and if you work out shortly after that it builds back up faster than it took to build the first time. Just something I consider with my own life. I always ask myself, "How long has it been since I hit the gym really hard for a few months?" If it's been more than 6 months, I hit it again for a while to keep what I've got.

Chuckw40 · June 2011

Jillian Michaels talked about this in a recent podcast.

there was some study study with 3 groups - all groups "dieted", one group also did cardio activity, and one group did cardio and weight training

all the groups lost an average of 21lbs

the only diet group - lost fat and muscle
the cardio group - last fat and muscle, but lost less muscle that the diet only group
the weight training group - lost all fat (and "gained" muslce)

Just sharing - she's got a pretty good podcast, I recommend it

This is interesting since the prevailing theory is that you can't gain muscle while eating at a caloric deficit.

erickirb · June 2011

Jillian Michaels talked about this in a recent podcast.

there was some study study with 3 groups - all groups "dieted", one group also did cardio activity, and one group did cardio and weight training

all the groups lost an average of 21lbs

the only diet group - lost fat and muscle
the cardio group - last fat and muscle, but lost less muscle that the diet only group
the weight training group - lost all fat (and "gained" muslce)

Just sharing - she's got a pretty good podcast, I recommend it

This is interesting since the prevailing theory is that you can't gain muscle while eating at a caloric deficit.

You can in 3 situations
1. you are a genetic anomaly
2. You are new to strength training (may gain at first even in a deficit, will stop gaining muscle relatively quick)
3. You have a lot to lose (you body can use the surplus energy in fat stores to assist in building muscle (rare and need to have a lot of excess weight, once you keep losing, you may lose muscle when your fat stores get smaller)

Fat loss vs. Muscle loss

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