How to Lose Fat but not Muscle

Edphil2
Edphil2 Posts: 21
in Fitness and Exercise
I need some serious advice. I am really watching what I eat. I am 52, male, and currently weigh 173 lbs. I also do weight training 3 days a week, run one day a week, maintain about a 1600 calorie intake, carb, fat and sugars under my goals and try to intake 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (175 grams). I have lost 20 pounds since the first of the year. I take body measurements monthly and have noticed that I am losing lean muscle along with the fat. What can I do to keep losing the fat without losing the lean muscle mass? HELP!!!
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Replies

  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    As far as I understand it, you will always lose some muscle mass along with the fat, it's the way the body works. The trick is to minimise the proportion of muscle loss to fat, and it sounds like you're going the right way about it with strength training. Lift heavy, low reps for maximum results. Good luck!
  • Edphil2
    Edphil2 Posts: 21
    I have changed my lifting routine to 5 sets of 5 reps each to be able to incorporate heaver weight. I've only been doing this routine about 2 weeks, as opposed to the old standard 3 set of 10 reps.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Are you taking caliper measurements to calculate bodyfat or just measuring everthing with a tape measure? If it's the tape measure tnen fat comes off from everywhere on the body and a bodypart could get smaller without any loss of lean muscle.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    you need to eat at maintenance or just under
  • Edphil2
    Edphil2 Posts: 21
    OK, another thought. Once I get all the fat off, how would I be able to gain the muscle mass back without also gaining the fat back also? Dang, this is hard!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Like Berry said, some muscle is often lost, but your calorie intake is pretty low for a guy. Have you already reached your goal weight?
  • Edphil2
    Edphil2 Posts: 21
    Lisa, I set my goals to maintain body weight, thinking if I stay under, I should be good.

    Scott, I'm just using a tape. I never would have thought I was carrying fat in my arms or chest, but I guess it's possible.
  • Edphil2
    Edphil2 Posts: 21
    Lorina, I still have a little belly fat I want to lose. I want to see them abs. I'm starting to just get a hint of them.
  • vancil01
    vancil01 Posts: 70 Member
    Change your lifting routine, not just the sets and reps, but do different exercises. I love this program: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/hardcore-look-at-jim-wendlers-5-3-1-powerlifting-system.html it helped me increase my maxes in bench, squat, mil.press and dead lift significantly in a short amount of time. These are all exercises that will help you gain muscle throughout your entire body, focusing on core.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Have you been getting stronger with the weight lifting? If your weight room performance is improving then I doubt you are losing any significant amount of muscle. On the other hand, if it is steadily getting worse . . .
  • DaveRCF
    DaveRCF Posts: 266
    What you are going through is a carbon copy of my own experience. Difficult to lose weight and build meaningful muscle mass at the same time.

    My advice is to not worry about it too much until you reach your goal weight. That is when I'd really focus on adding muscle. And at the end of the day, it should really be about how you look and feel, not about the numbers.

    You seem to be doing everything right; I bet that by continuing with a 5X5 program after you hit your target weight and you can eat more calories, the muscle mass will come.

    Good luck!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    A few comments, just my opinion:

    1) I agree with Lorina. I also stared at her pic for a while, for the record. I'd consider upping your calorie intake. How tall are you or do you know your bodyfat%? You should be able to slow the cut down and that should help things a bit.

    2) You can have fat on your arms and chest.

    How long have you been lifting for and are you using a pre-written program? Curious what your training volume is like. It's possible that you would benefit from adding volume.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    Came in to see lifting routine.


    Sidesteal is gonna have good advice on this. So I'll let him handle it.
  • Edphil2
    Edphil2 Posts: 21
    Scott, Dave and Side:

    I haven't really noticed any max lift gains...kind of staying stable. I've been lifting for about a year. When I started (and was not worrying about fat loss) I was improving max lifts steadily and gaining mass. I'm 6 foot tall but dont know my percent body fat.

    Monday is chest: flat bench 5X5@185, Flat flys 5X5@30, incline bench 5X5@135, incline flys 5X5@30, decline bench 5X5@185
    Tuesday is legs and back: squats 5X5@155, machine press 5X5@225, leg extensions 5X5@85, leg curls 5X5@85, upright rows 5X5@55, shrugs 5X5@135
    Wednesday id running: 5K
    Thursday is bicep and tricep: overhead press 5X5@95, curls 5X5@65, cable tricep extesions 5X5@45, reverse incline curls 5X5@25. push-downs 5X5@60, preacher curls 5X5@30.

    I also do pull-ups every workout 3 sets of 6, and push-ups 3 sets of 15.

    Any comments welcome, and my diary is open. Thanks to all.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    Its pretty normal that we lose fat & muscle at the same time but with weight lifting helps minimize muscle loss while in calorie deficit and at the same time losing the fat but it doesn't guarantee that you will not lose any muscle unless you start to eat a bit above your maintenance calories. Also consider taking skinfold caliper test to measure body fat% from time to time so you will know exactly if you're losing fat or muscle.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Scott, Dave and Side:

    I haven't really noticed any max lift gains...kind of staying stable. I've been lifting for about a year. When I started (and was not worrying about fat loss) I was improving max lifts steadily and gaining mass. I'm 6 foot tall but dont know my percent body fat.

    Monday is chest: flat bench 5X5@185, Flat flys 5X5@30, incline bench 5X5@135, incline flys 5X5@30, decline bench 5X5@185
    Tuesday is legs and back: squats 5X5@155, machine press 5X5@225, leg extensions 5X5@85, leg curls 5X5@85, upright rows 5X5@55, shrugs 5X5@135
    Wednesday id running: 5K
    Thursday is bicep and tricep: overhead press 5X5@95, curls 5X5@65, cable tricep extesions 5X5@45, reverse incline curls 5X5@25. push-downs 5X5@60, preacher curls 5X5@30.

    I also do pull-ups every workout 3 sets of 6, and push-ups 3 sets of 15.

    Any comments welcome, and my diary is open. Thanks to all.

    Random thoughts, this is just my opinion:

    I would consider looking at a few different pre-written programs.



    But honestly, to say that this is what is causing your problems would be guessing on my part. The FIRST place I would look would be your diet, by increasing calories and slowing down the losses a bit.

    If you don't change programs, at the very least I'd ramp up your back lifts as that's lacking pretty badly IMO. If you don't plan on doing deads, at the very least consider consolidating your pullups onto back day and hit them hard, and add some type of bent row (yates/barbell/db).

    If you look at it, you're doing a total of 25 sets of chest, and 10 sets of back and the exercises you chose for back are upright rows and shrugs (whereas deadlifts and pullups would hit a larger area).



    I would expect lifts to still increase while you're cutting weight. They won't go up as fast as they would during a bulk but you should still get some increases.
  • Edphil2
    Edphil2 Posts: 21
    Thanks Side. I have had some lower back issues, and deadlifts seem to aggrivate them. I have tried bent-over rows and they dont seem to bother me, so I will add them as a regular. Any other ideas for the back?

    One thing I left out was that I also take a one hour yoga class after my workout on Tuesdays. I love that class.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Thanks Side. I have had some lower back issues, and deadlifts seem to aggrivate them. I have tried bent-over rows and they dont seem to bother me, so I will add them as a regular. Any other ideas for the back?

    One thing I left out was that I also take a one hour yoga class after my workout on Tuesdays. I love that class.

    Assuming that yates/barbell/pendlay rows would also cause lower back problems, I'd add a DB bent row, a seated type of row (either a low cable row or a chest supported row) and consider sticking all of your pullup work on your back day as well. Doing it this way I'd start with the pullups first and hammer the balls out of them (consider adding weight as well).

    But again, I doubt this is a big contributor to your issue, it's just something sort of glaring that I noticed when looking at the program. There's other areas for improvement and a pre-written one would do you well, but the above changes should help a bit. As it is now you're hammering chest pretty good and severely neglecting the lats.

    Ultimately I think raising calories will be the biggest contributor though. Find a sweet spot so you can slowly lose weight but get enough calories in to keep strength gains going. I think 1600 is pushing it too low.
  • mexy04
    mexy04 Posts: 96
    bump
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,905 Member
    Right up my alley. You'll ALWAYS lose a little muscle when lowering fat. It's inevitable, however it can be minimized by HEAVY *kitten* lifting and good nutrition.
    Body fat is burned more from your RMR than any cardio activity, so raise your RMR with HIIT cardio and intense lifting.

    If you want to gain muscle, you need surplus, and just like losing a little muscle with fat, the opposite happens. You gain a little fat with muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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