Losing weight without gaining muscle

You don't gain muscle unless you deliberately try.

Walking isn't enough alone and I've walked 4-7 km per day for the past 9 years and been everything from 130-165. You just need to monitor and control your calorie intake, too.

Are you in a calorie deficit? That's the only way you'll lose fat. Exercise isn't for fat loss.
If you aren't already, weigh all your foods on a food scale and log.

As for muscle...don't worry. It's very hard to put on muscle, even in a calorie surplus.

Losing weight is accomplished by eating at a calorie deficit. Most people won't gain muscle while eating at a deficit even if they do heavy lifting. Walking is great if you combine it with a calorie deficit.

I think the bigger question is, why would you not want to gain muscle? The more muscle you have, the leaner you body is going to be, the greater the definition and the stronger you will be. And even if you are following a progressive overload lifting program while in a deficit, it's very hard to maintain all your muscle, let alone gain it. And lets add in the fact, that if you working to maintain muscle, the majority of your loss will be fat loss, which means faster decreases in body fat % (which is what people actually tend to want).

sskly48 wrote: »

I disagree. I made most of my gains while in a deficit over the past year, and I'm one of the larger guys at my gym.
The part about majority of loss will be fat - there is no guarantee unless there is a well designed nutrition and workout protocol. If things aren't done properly you could easily lose half muscle, half fat in the process

If you were obese or very overweight and returning to a lifting regimen after a long lay off, you could essentially put on some muscle, but it's not that significant.
Gaining muscle means adding mass. Adding mass means adding weight and that doesn't happen in a calorie deficit. For many, just seeing definition of muscle gives them the idea that they gained muscle when in reality they're just revealing what they already have.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

sskly48 wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

sskly48 wrote: »

I disagree. I made most of my gains while in a deficit over the past year, and I'm one of the larger guys at my gym.
The part about majority of loss will be fat - there is no guarantee unless there is a well designed nutrition and workout protocol. If things aren't done properly you could easily lose half muscle, half fat in the process

If you were obese or very overweight and returning to a lifting regimen after a long lay off, you could essentially put on some muscle, but it's not that significant.
Gaining muscle means adding mass. Adding mass means adding weight and that doesn't happen in a calorie deficit. For many, just seeing definition of muscle gives them the idea that they gained muscle when in reality they're just revealing what they already have.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I was coming off a mini bulk, stayed in deficit for about 8 months. Lifts increased, weight increased, body fat decreased, definition increased. Perhaps newbie gains then?

There is a possibility to gain some muscle in a deficit, especially if you are newer to lifting, have a small deficit, adequate protein and continue to get stronger. And coming off a bulk may have influenced it as well.

Side note, how are you measure body fat? If it's outside of a Dexa scan, you would be measuring lean body mass, which would incorporate more than just muscle.

sskly48 wrote: »

I track it with caliper + calculating formula + experience.
I have not done anything professional such as DEXA scans - I will some day, it is intriguing to try.
Lifts increased, size increased (measurements), weight increased a bit, and body fat decreased. If it's not muscle moving the heavier weight then I'm at a loss

You can gain strength without gaining muscle mass.

sskly48 wrote: »

I track it with caliper + calculating formula + experience.
I have not done anything professional such as DEXA scans - I will some day, it is intriguing to try.
Lifts increased, size increased (measurements), weight increased a bit, and body fat decreased. If it's not muscle moving the heavier weight then I'm at a loss

Your body makes neurological adaptations to stress. Essentially, your muscles become more efficient; this especially holds true for those new to weight lifting.

Lean body mass is made up of everything in your body that isn't fat (this includes glycogen/water, skeletal muscle, bones, organs, tissue, etc. ). So if you were in a deficit and saw increases in lean body mass, it's a good chance it was a combination of a few things. Assuming all muscle would be incorrect. When using calipers, you have to take into consideration how many points are being tested, the amount of error in consistently testing the same points.

This doesn't mean that you didn't gain muscle, it just means it's probably not to the extent you think. But it really doesn't matter if you are happy with your progress.