Did I screw up? Losing muscle and not fat?

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helaurin
helaurin Posts: 157 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Comparing scale results from six weeks ago to today:

Weight was: 176.6 lbs..... is now 164.2 lbs.

So, I should be happy - but I'm not so sure, and here's why:

At 176.6 lbs, the scale said my body fat % was 38.4% and my muscle % was 22.9

At 164.2 lbs, the scale said my body fat % was 40.6% and my muscle % was 21.8

So - I'm actually FATTER now than before, and figure I've lost muscle as well

Fat: (176.6*.384=67.81 lbs fat six weeks ago, vs. 164.2*.406 = 66.67 lbs fat = 1.14 lbs fat lost)

Muscle: (176.6*.229= 40.44 lbs muscle six weeks ago, vs. 164.2*.218= 35.80 lbs muscle = 8.64 pounds of muscle gone).

Am I correct in my logic? If so, I am going to need to rethink about how to lose weight, because the idea isn't for me to lose mostly muscle - if 88% of the weight I'm losing is muscle, and only 12% of the weight I'm losing is fat, this is a problem.

Replies

  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    Scales are not very good at accurately measuring BF%. They are easily led astray by water weight fluctuations and how your fat is distributed in your body. I wouldn't lose sleep over it!

    To spare muscle as you lose weight:
    1. Avoid losing weight at an aggressive pace
    2. Eat enough protein (general recommendation is 0.8g of protein per lb of your goal body weight)
    3. Incorporate strength training

    Thanks - I have been putting some strength training in. And no, I'm not very strong yet at all, but I am improving, however slowly :)
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
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    tcunbeliever wrote: »
    My scale is drastically impacted by my hydration and recovery.

    If I take my measurement on the day AFTER lifting my muscle percentage will be higher (strength training recovery triggers water retention in the muscle and impacts the bioimpedance measurement)

    If I drink alcohol my muscle percentage will be lower (dehydration impacts the bioimpedance measurement)

    For me, I can get pretty stable body fat results if I measure on the same day of the week, first thing in the morning,after using the toilet, before showering, eating, or drinking. But generally I prefer to measure 3 days in a row and then take an average of the days.

    14 lbs in 6 weeks is a lot to lose in a short time, generally, I think you can lose a max of 1% of your body fat in any given week...but that's an average...maybe consider increasing the calories and slowing down the rate of loss, plus strength training is awesome for helping to retain or even grow muscle.

    Thank you for the comment, especially about losing 1% body fat per week (versus 1% total body weight). Several years ago (2012), my then-employer had some of us go into a short-term weight loss program. The trainers they hired said we should aim to lose 1% of our body weight each week. Since I was restarting six weeks ago at 176.6 lbs, using that 1% rule applied to total body weight... at the end of six weeks, the goal would be to weigh 166.3 pounds, with a six-week weight loss of 10.3 pounds. In theory, using the trainer's guideline, in about one year I would be right in the middle of the perfect weight goal range... although how I would create a 3,500 calorie deficit a week if/when I approach my goal weight..kind of tough.

    Aiming for 1% of body fat weight sounds more easily doable... assuming there's a reliable way to measure body fat.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
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    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,966 Member
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    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    More weights, less reps!
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Options
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    More weights, less reps!

    Yeah I personally don’t do more than 12, if I can do 12 easily then I up the weight. Was wondering if there was a reason why they’re doing 30 reps?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    Good question.

    Apart from the peculiar rep ranges (if it's the entirety of the workout) it's also missing an upper body push movement.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
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    TrishSeren wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    More weights, less reps!

    Yeah I personally don’t do more than 12, if I can do 12 easily then I up the weight. Was wondering if there was a reason why they’re doing 30 reps?

    I'm not necessarily doing the sets easily - some are definitely easier (or harder) than others. I'm slowly adding in different exercises. I'm looking for a combination of both strength and endurance.

    When I met with the personal trainer to get started, she had me start with just three machines/exercises (Leg press, Leg Extension, and Leg Curls). Of those three, the extension is hardest for me, and definitely causes pain in my left knee (which has almost no cartilage left in it, and the joint has "moderate" permanent damage from rheumatoid arthritis as well as previous injuries (bursitis, torn meniscus, fractured kneecap, etc. - those all healed to some degree). And she knew that I was just graduating from walking with a cane, as well.

    Other joints and tendons also have varying degrees of damage; I've been avoiding foot surgery now for nearly two years (surgeon said the total recovery time would be close to a year!), add in two herniated lower back discs, a couple bulging as well (not my fault - I was at a red light and a "distracted driver" rammed into my car, not noticing the light was, and had been, red). That required nearly 18 months of physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, and finally shots directly into the spine. (not fun). And I was still pretty weak after all of that... enough so that one day, I reached back for the shoulder seat belt and damaged my tendon. Just by reaching for the driver's seat belt, something I've done multiple times a day for the last 35+ years of driving. That required more PT to build up the muscles surrounding the tendon :(

    At some point, the trainer had suggested that if a particular exercise is very hard, to try sets of 5, then work up to sets of 10, and then if sets of 10 become easy, to either make it a set of 30 at the same weight, or to up the weight and drop down on the number of reps, depending on how my body is feeling. My joints often feel the pain long before my muscles do. I was finally switched from 2,400 mg. of ibuprofen daily to Humira to try to stop the ongoing joint damage from the rheumatoid arthritis, just this week, in fact.

    Since that initial meeting with the trainer, I've added on the Lat Pulldown, Ab Crunch, Hip Abduction, Back Extension, and this morning I added in the Hip Adduction (OMG, that was hard).

    I guess I'm being conservative (possibly overly so) about risking too high a weight on each exercise before increasing the weight, only because any injury will set me back pretty far. I'm not worried about muscle aches, those I can manage. It's tendon, ligament and joint damage that I'm wary of.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    sijomial wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    Good question.

    Apart from the peculiar rep ranges (if it's the entirety of the workout) it's also missing an upper body push movement.

    Good point about missing an upper body push movement! I'm sure I'm missing a LOT of different areas. Since just this past May, I was walking with a cane, we started on my legs as being the weakest area of my body. I've been slowly adding in other exercises :)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    helaurin wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    Good question.

    Apart from the peculiar rep ranges (if it's the entirety of the workout) it's also missing an upper body push movement.

    Good point about missing an upper body push movement! I'm sure I'm missing a LOT of different areas. Since just this past May, I was walking with a cane, we started on my legs as being the weakest area of my body. I've been slowly adding in other exercises :)

    Shoulder press as an "opposite" to your lat pulldowns would make sense.
    As would a pairing of an upper body row (also missing from your workout) with the "opposite" of chest press.

    I have multiple chronic knee injuries including a missing cartilage - leg extension can be dreadful for injured knees, for the same muscle activation it puts a lot more torsion on your knee compared to leg press. As it's causing you pain suggest you stop and get advice from a physical therapist whether it's sensible for you to do.

    If your Ab Crunch is on a machine also be very careful - my Osteopath calls that machine "the Osteopath & Chiropractor's Pension Plan" as it puts so much business his way. Good core strength is a huge part of how I manage my damaged lumbar discs but I wouldn't go near that piece of equipment.

    Personally I think your progression should include all major muscle groups (and their joints) with appropriate weight rather than just some but I understand your need to prioritise. Congrats on your progress so far but be cautious.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Options
    helaurin wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    More weights, less reps!

    Yeah I personally don’t do more than 12, if I can do 12 easily then I up the weight. Was wondering if there was a reason why they’re doing 30 reps?

    I'm not necessarily doing the sets easily - some are definitely easier (or harder) than others. I'm slowly adding in different exercises. I'm looking for a combination of both strength and endurance.

    When I met with the personal trainer to get started, she had me start with just three machines/exercises (Leg press, Leg Extension, and Leg Curls). Of those three, the extension is hardest for me, and definitely causes pain in my left knee (which has almost no cartilage left in it, and the joint has "moderate" permanent damage from rheumatoid arthritis as well as previous injuries (bursitis, torn meniscus, fractured kneecap, etc. - those all healed to some degree). And she knew that I was just graduating from walking with a cane, as well.

    Other joints and tendons also have varying degrees of damage; I've been avoiding foot surgery now for nearly two years (surgeon said the total recovery time would be close to a year!), add in two herniated lower back discs, a couple bulging as well (not my fault - I was at a red light and a "distracted driver" rammed into my car, not noticing the light was, and had been, red). That required nearly 18 months of physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, and finally shots directly into the spine. (not fun). And I was still pretty weak after all of that... enough so that one day, I reached back for the shoulder seat belt and damaged my tendon. Just by reaching for the driver's seat belt, something I've done multiple times a day for the last 35+ years of driving. That required more PT to build up the muscles surrounding the tendon :(

    At some point, the trainer had suggested that if a particular exercise is very hard, to try sets of 5, then work up to sets of 10, and then if sets of 10 become easy, to either make it a set of 30 at the same weight, or to up the weight and drop down on the number of reps, depending on how my body is feeling. My joints often feel the pain long before my muscles do. I was finally switched from 2,400 mg. of ibuprofen daily to Humira to try to stop the ongoing joint damage from the rheumatoid arthritis, just this week, in fact.

    Since that initial meeting with the trainer, I've added on the Lat Pulldown, Ab Crunch, Hip Abduction, Back Extension, and this morning I added in the Hip Adduction (OMG, that was hard).

    I guess I'm being conservative (possibly overly so) about risking too high a weight on each exercise before increasing the weight, only because any injury will set me back pretty far. I'm not worried about muscle aches, those I can manage. It's tendon, ligament and joint damage that I'm wary of.

    I see! So you can’t up the weight yet (due to joints) so the trainer has you doing more reps instead to challenge yourself.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    sijomial wrote: »
    helaurin wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Random question, is there a reason you're doing 30 reps in a set?

    Good question.

    Apart from the peculiar rep ranges (if it's the entirety of the workout) it's also missing an upper body push movement.

    Good point about missing an upper body push movement! I'm sure I'm missing a LOT of different areas. Since just this past May, I was walking with a cane, we started on my legs as being the weakest area of my body. I've been slowly adding in other exercises :)

    Shoulder press as an "opposite" to your lat pulldowns would make sense.
    As would a pairing of an upper body row (also missing from your workout) with the "opposite" of chest press.

    I have multiple chronic knee injuries including a missing cartilage - leg extension can be dreadful for injured knees, for the same muscle activation it puts a lot more torsion on your knee compared to leg press. As it's causing you pain suggest you stop and get advice from a physical therapist whether it's sensible for you to do.

    If your Ab Crunch is on a machine also be very careful - my Osteopath calls that machine "the Osteopath & Chiropractor's Pension Plan" as it puts so much business his way. Good core strength is a huge part of how I manage my damaged lumbar discs but I wouldn't go near that piece of equipment.

    Personally I think your progression should include all major muscle groups (and their joints) with appropriate weight rather than just some but I understand your need to prioritise. Congrats on your progress so far but be cautious.

    Thanks! I was surprised when the personal trainer wanted me to do the leg extension... by far, it is the most painful of all the exercises I'm doing. I don't think there's much cartilage remaining in my left knee - about 28 years ago, the surgeon said the cartilage in that knee was like wet toilet paper and he removed pretty much all of it, along with "flotsam" floating in the joint space and he tried to repair an old dime-sized hole in the meniscus at the same time. I do think I should either stop it, or I might just let my right leg do it, and leave my left leg out of that exercise.

    I feel that I have very little core strength, so I'm only doing a very light weight to start on the abdominal crunches and definitely will proceed very cautiously on that. I'm in the slow-and-steady-wins-the-race camp right now :)

    Thanks for the supportive words - it's hard to carve out time for the gym (working full-time, raising a child, multiple pets, household chores both inside the house and in the yard). And when I do the exercises, I am doing each one SLOWLY, giving myself time to feel how my body is reacting to each and every rep. I saw another woman today who was flying through the reps on the machines, I don't think she could have move any faster if someone had a gun to her head.... I think I had done two sets of ten on the hip abduction machine, and in that time, she went through all her reps on three different pieces of equipment.

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