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Lose Weight Without Losing Muscle?

Rajions
Rajions Posts: 128 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I've recently started my journey to lose 100 pounds and so since then I've been doing A LOT of research on how I should start. One thing I read first was to create a calorie deficit. I learned that I burn 1800 calories a day and so creating a 500 deficit would mean I would eat 1300 calories a day to lose weight. I noticed that I barely eat 1000 calories a day.. not intentionally plus I do INSANITY. I try to get as much protein as I can but I don't get the amount recommended for my activity level. Can I still build my muscle or at least keep it on this "diet"?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If you want to minimize your muscle loss, don't underfeed yourself. 1,000 calories a day is a surefire way to burn up a ton of muscle.

    If you truly can't eat more than 1,000 calories, then you've probably cut too much out of your diet.

    Ways to help preserve muscle are: a reasonable deficit, getting enough protein, and resistance training.
  • Rajions
    Rajions Posts: 128 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you want to minimize your muscle loss, don't underfeed yourself. 1,000 calories a day is a surefire way to burn up a ton of muscle.

    If you truly can't eat more than 1,000 calories, then you've probably cut too much out of your diet.

    Ways to help preserve muscle are: a reasonable deficit, getting enough protein, and resistance training.

    Okay, so I'm 228 pounds, does that fat burn first? And then as the fat decreases then the muscle starts to burn off? I'm really trying to focus on losing the weight and then focus on weight training and building my muscles.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    When you lose weight you lose both fat and muscle. Lifting NOW will help you retain as much muscle as possible and not have you looking "skinny fat" when you reach your goal weight.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Your calorie deficit is too big. You need to eat more. Also, start incorporating weight lifting into your workouts. That will preserve the muscle you have while you lose weight.
  • Naruya
    Naruya Posts: 81 Member
    No, your body won't burn fat first, muscle is fair game if you don't get enough food in your system. I lost nearly 10kg in 3 months but more than 1kg of that was muscle mass. It sucks, but it couldn't be avoided because I lost the weight too quickly.

    You're better off starting weight training now if at all possible, because it also helps preserve your muscle mass, along with proper nutrition.
  • Rajions
    Rajions Posts: 128 Member
    Naruya wrote: »
    No, your body won't burn fat first, muscle is fair game if you don't get enough food in your system. I lost nearly 10kg in 3 months but more than 1kg of that was muscle mass. It sucks, but it couldn't be avoided because I lost the weight too quickly.

    You're better off starting weight training now if at all possible, because it also helps preserve your muscle mass, along with proper nutrition.

    INSANITY is already kicking my butt, but I think I can do weight training before I do INSANITY that day. How often do I weight train? I don't have a gym membership, so I can only do at home workouts.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Rajions wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you want to minimize your muscle loss, don't underfeed yourself. 1,000 calories a day is a surefire way to burn up a ton of muscle.

    If you truly can't eat more than 1,000 calories, then you've probably cut too much out of your diet.

    Ways to help preserve muscle are: a reasonable deficit, getting enough protein, and resistance training.

    Okay, so I'm 228 pounds, does that fat burn first? And then as the fat decreases then the muscle starts to burn off? I'm really trying to focus on losing the weight and then focus on weight training and building my muscles.

    You will lose some fat, but there is a limit to how much stored fat your body can burn each day. If you have a very large deficit (let's say, for example, you were eating only 1,000 calories a day), then once you have used all the fat you can, your body will need to run on something. That "something" will be muscle. That's why you don't want to eat only 1,000 calories.
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