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Help with Fat vs Muscle Loss?

olympicathlete
olympicathlete Posts: 15
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I know body fat is hard to calculate, but I'm using this as a relatively rough guide. When I started, I was 150lbs with an approximate body fat percentage of 30%. Three weeks later, I'm 146.4lbs with an approximate body fat percentage of 28.7%, meaning I've lost 3lbs of fat and 0.6lbs of lean mass, i.e. 20% of the weight I've lost has been muscle.

Is this alright/typical? I really want to maximise fat loss and minimise muscle wastage as I do a high intensity extra-curricular activity that means I need to preserve as much muscle as possible while I lose weight.

I was previously eating 1200 and eating back exercise calories (typically 400-600), but I've now upped that to a base of 1400 (burning and eating back 500-700). Do you think the extra calories will slow my weight loss down and aid me in preserving my muscle? I've also been trying to fit more protein into my diet.

Replies

  • olympicathlete
    olympicathlete Posts: 15
    bump
  • indrani1947
    indrani1947 Posts: 178 Member
    bump
  • peaceinside
    peaceinside Posts: 272
    bump
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    To be honest, there is no measuring technique available that can measure precisely enough to say those are accurate numbers. Nothing can detect a 0.6lb difference in fat free mass, so your numbers could just as likely be due to random variation. Not to mention that 3 weeks is not enough time to detect any changes at all. In our facility, we feel we are pushing the issue when we do follow-up measurements at the end of our 12 Week weight loss program. We usually advise members to wait 6 months before doing follow up measurements.

    I am not sure what physical issues you have or how much weight you need to lose, but increasing your calories was probably a good idea.
  • olympicathlete
    olympicathlete Posts: 15
    I thought it might have been too small a difference really to tell. I guess I'll just have to wait it out and see where I am in a few months. Thank you for the answer!
This discussion has been closed.

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