Losing fat without losing muscle
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amandaleigh5181
Posts: 1 Member
Hello everyone—
Looking for advice to fine-tune my diet based on my most recent body composition analysis. I had my body comp done at my Orangetheory studio and it showed that my body fat was above average (51%😬) which I knew and expected but also that my muscle mass was also above average. My metabolic rate was 1635. I’ve lost about 25 pounds since June eating a balanced diet but now I’m really interested in how to lose this fat while not sacrificing the muscle I have. Should I be focusing on a high protein diet? Would Intermittent fasting be helpful? I wish I could meet with a dietitian but we just don’t have the money for that. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about nutrition but I just wanted to check in on this. I also wanted to check in about the daily calories I should be consuming now that I know my metabolic rate. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!
Looking for advice to fine-tune my diet based on my most recent body composition analysis. I had my body comp done at my Orangetheory studio and it showed that my body fat was above average (51%😬) which I knew and expected but also that my muscle mass was also above average. My metabolic rate was 1635. I’ve lost about 25 pounds since June eating a balanced diet but now I’m really interested in how to lose this fat while not sacrificing the muscle I have. Should I be focusing on a high protein diet? Would Intermittent fasting be helpful? I wish I could meet with a dietitian but we just don’t have the money for that. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about nutrition but I just wanted to check in on this. I also wanted to check in about the daily calories I should be consuming now that I know my metabolic rate. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!
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Replies
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Three significant aspects to achieving your aspiration:
- A sensible and not excessive calorie deficit.
- Good level of protein.
- Resistance training.
Your rate of loss over an extended period of time is your best guide to your calorie needs.
Even if your RMR test is accurate it's only part of the overall picture - activity and exercise also need to be taken into account.
10 -
Snap!! Lose fat, maintain (build more even) muscle!
I’m doing it...it’s working! I’m almost 6 weeks in... nearly 7kg lost.
40,30,30 macro split... the highest being protein.
I’m 38,m... eating approx 140-150 grams of carbs daily which is no longer an issue for me.
Even though the scale coming down, all my lifts have gone up!!
All is not lost... I promise! 👌🏽0 -
Snap!! Lose fat, maintain (build more even) muscle!
I’m doing it...it’s working! I’m almost 6 weeks in... nearly 7kg lost.
40,30,30 macro split... the highest being protein.
I’m 38,m... eating approx 140-150 grams of carbs daily which is no longer an issue for me.
Even though the scale coming down, all my lifts have gone up!!
All is not lost... I promise! 👌🏽
increasing your lifts does not prove your muscle mass has increased.6 -
Three significant aspects to achieving your aspiration:
- A sensible and not excessive calorie deficit.
- Good level of protein.
- Resistance training.
Your rate of loss over an extended period of time is your best guide to your calorie needs.
Even if your RMR test is accurate it's only part of the overall picture - activity and exercise also need to be taken into account.
100% this ^^^^^^.
IMO, "a good level of protein" would be 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight as a minimum.
For more personalized assessment, this is a good reference:
https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/
Good overall nutrition (enough healthy fats, enough varied & colorful veggies/fruits) is also a plus.
If you need help figuring out resistance training, there's good info in this thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Meal timing (like intermittent fasting) is largely irrelevant, strictly speaking, to weight loss or muscle maintenance/gain, unless a particular eating schedule (such as IF) makes it easier for you personally to comply with a calorie goal.6 -
amandaleigh5181 wrote: »Hello everyone—
Looking for advice to fine-tune my diet based on my most recent body composition analysis. I had my body comp done at my Orangetheory studio and it showed that my body fat was above average (51%😬) which I knew and expected but also that my muscle mass was also above average. My metabolic rate was 1635. I’ve lost about 25 pounds since June eating a balanced diet but now I’m really interested in how to lose this fat while not sacrificing the muscle I have. Should I be focusing on a high protein diet? Would Intermittent fasting be helpful? I wish I could meet with a dietitian but we just don’t have the money for that. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about nutrition but I just wanted to check in on this. I also wanted to check in about the daily calories I should be consuming now that I know my metabolic rate. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!
Assuming you're eating at least 20-25% protein, strength training would be more useful for retaining muscle than other dietary tweaks.2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Snap!! Lose fat, maintain (build more even) muscle!
I’m doing it...it’s working! I’m almost 6 weeks in... nearly 7kg lost.
40,30,30 macro split... the highest being protein.
I’m 38,m... eating approx 140-150 grams of carbs daily which is no longer an issue for me.
Even though the scale coming down, all my lifts have gone up!!
All is not lost... I promise! 👌🏽
increasing your lifts does not prove your muscle mass has increased.
Lynn and your point is??? The poster doesn’t want to sacrifice losing muscle. I never said my muscle mass has increased...
I’m simply stating stating that my strength has not decreased with my calorie deficit and therefore offering the poster hope.
If you’re just going to post just to contradict... why bother? 🤔
3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Snap!! Lose fat, maintain (build more even) muscle!
I’m doing it...it’s working! I’m almost 6 weeks in... nearly 7kg lost.
40,30,30 macro split... the highest being protein.
I’m 38,m... eating approx 140-150 grams of carbs daily which is no longer an issue for me.
Even though the scale coming down, all my lifts have gone up!!
All is not lost... I promise! 👌🏽
increasing your lifts does not prove your muscle mass has increased.
Lynne and your point is??? The poster doesn’t want to sacrifice losing muscle. I never said my muscle mass has increased...
I’m simply stating stating that my strength has not decreased with my calorie deficit and therefore offering the poster hope.
If you’re just going to post just to contradict... why bother? 🤔
My point is that, as you acknowledge, the poster doesn't want to lose muscle while losing fat, and your response was "I'm doing it ... it's working!" with 1 kilo+ a week weight loss (not a muscle-sparing rate) and offering as proof that it's working that your lifts have gone up while the scale has gone down. The fact that your lifts have gone up does not prove that your approach is muscle-sparing or that you haven't lost muscle.
My post pointed out a fallacy in your argument that weakens the value of your advice, which OP might otherwise take to heart. ("Wow, I can lose more than a kilo a week and still spare muscle!")
If you're just going to post to advocate non-muscle-sparing tactics, why bother?5 -
Ok Lynn whatever. You are clearly unable to build muscle or whatever else hence your negative approach. That’s fine.
Some of us can be constructive with our own experiences unlike Lynn. Amanda google search the subject area and and the possibilities are there for you to see.
Good luck.-1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Snap!! Lose fat, maintain (build more even) muscle!
I’m doing it...it’s working! I’m almost 6 weeks in... nearly 7kg lost.
40,30,30 macro split... the highest being protein.
I’m 38,m... eating approx 140-150 grams of carbs daily which is no longer an issue for me.
Even though the scale coming down, all my lifts have gone up!!
All is not lost... I promise! 👌🏽
increasing your lifts does not prove your muscle mass has increased.
Lynne and your point is??? The poster doesn’t want to sacrifice losing muscle. I never said my muscle mass has increased...
I’m simply stating stating that my strength has not decreased with my calorie deficit and therefore offering the poster hope.
If you’re just going to post just to contradict... why bother? 🤔
My point is that, as you acknowledge, the poster doesn't want to lose muscle while losing fat, and your response was "I'm doing it ... it's working!" with 1 kilo+ a week weight loss (not a muscle-sparing rate) and offering as proof that it's working that your lifts have gone up while the scale has gone down. The fact that your lifts have gone up does not prove that your approach is muscle-sparing or that you haven't lost muscle.
My post pointed out a fallacy in your argument that weakens the value of your advice, which OP might otherwise take to heart. ("Wow, I can lose more than a kilo a week and still spare muscle!")
If you're just going to post to advocate non-muscle-sparing tactics, why bother?
The OP stated they were 51% bodyfat which in in the morbidly obese range. For someone in that situation, losing a kilo a week and not losing muscle mass is a lot more likely/doable than someone looking to lose 10-20 pounds.
Hopefully they are working with a team of healthcare professionals.6
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