What happens to muscle(if you lifted a lot)and no longer do?

Well, hopefully someone can support what I have said with a little more science, BUT here's the basics...you have probably retained SOME of that muscle, but not all of it. And now that you are on MFP you are probably eating a calorie deficit which can actually also deplete muscle. If you are not already lifting as a part of your exercise, you should start.

:flowerforyou:
Hi all -
I Did tons of weight lifting shortly after I graduated from High School. At the time I was thin, and I did enough
that I had 6 pack abs and decent biceps.
Unfortunately, that was in the late 80's
I quit doing that around 1990, and have really struggled with my weight most of my adult life.
My Highest was 309 lbs(about a month ago).

So...my question..what happens if you built up a lot of muscle and dont use it? It defintely
hasnt gone anywhere, its there somewhere under my flab.

How does that relate to bmr/tdee/metabolism?

Thanks,
Lisa

It gradually reduces and wastes away, hence why if somebody has, for instance, their arm or leg in a plaster cast after having been broken, when that cast is removed that limb is smaller than the other one, by quite a bit.

Muscle needs to be used regularly, if you do not, it withers and shrinks, it does not remain. The upside to this is that it builds up again once you start using that muscle.

It will go away. The rate at which it does depends on a lot of factors.

you probably still have some muscle but over time it will just go away.

Muscle is actually easier for your body to break down than fat - but it's denser so by volume it doesn't recess as quickly. Muscle goes under that saying of "if you don't use it, you lose it". Your body will break down muscle to be used for energy and nutrients. In some (and sometimes many) cases a body will break down muscle over fat, which is why exercise is important part of losing 'weight' - to make sure you keep the muscle.

You probably actually have MORE muscle mass now, but that muscle isn't being utilized properly and isn't as conditioned as it was, or as it will be if you start lifting again.

How can the OP actually have more muscle mass if they have not been working out as they used to?

Just like weight loss isn't 100% fat, neither is weight gain. Some of that gain is going to be muscle. Plus, carrying around an extra 100+ pounds isn't exactly easy.

If you're (going by the OP's goal weight and starting weight, and guessing estimates of bf%) 175 and 25% body fat, you would have a lean body mass of about 131 lbs. At 305 lbs and 50% body fat, that's a lean mass of 152 lbs. 152 is more than 131.

However if the muscle does not get used, it goes into atrophy, therefore if the OP is not working the muscles they will decrease.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/22291-muscle-wasting-causes/

I could, however go with the BF bit, if we knew for definite the actually BF the OP has, but we don't.

However if the muscle does not get used, it goes into atrophy, therefore if the OP is not working the muscles they will decrease.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/22291-muscle-wasting-causes/

I could, however go with the BF bit, if we knew for definite the actually BF the OP has, but we don't.

There's nothing in that article about the effects of significant weight increase, though. The muscles would decrease without use, of course, and she's not going to have the same strength as she had when she was lifting and the muscles won't be conditioned (ie, not as responsive when flexing), but mathematically, there's going to be more lean body mass.

For instance, assuming I'm at about 22% body fat, my lean mass is about 105 lbs. I lift weights now, but I haven't put on a great deal of muscle mass, if any. I'm more likely to have lost some while losing weight. But in college 20 years ago, my TOTAL body weight was 105 pounds; my lean mass was maybe 90 pounds then. I've put on significant amount of lean mass over the years while gaining a moderate amount of weight and living a normal life.

However if the muscle does not get used, it goes into atrophy, therefore if the OP is not working the muscles they will decrease.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/22291-muscle-wasting-causes/

I could, however go with the BF bit, if we knew for definite the actually BF the OP has, but we don't.

There's nothing in that article about the effects of significant weight increase, though. The muscles would decrease without use, of course, and she's not going to have the same strength as she had when she was lifting and the muscles won't be conditioned (ie, not as responsive when flexing), but mathematically, there's going to be more lean body mass.

For instance, assuming I'm at about 22% body fat, my lean mass is about 105 lbs. I lift weights now, but I haven't put on a great deal of muscle mass, if any. I'm more likely to have lost some while losing weight. But in college 20 years ago, my TOTAL body weight was 105 pounds; my lean mass was maybe 90 pounds then. I've put on significant amount of lean mass over the years while gaining a moderate amount of weight and living a normal life.

The significant weight increase is not muscle, it will, unfortunately be fat. The OP said that she had had a significant increase, also we are forgetting that she quit weights around 1990, that is 22 years ago. If she continued to eat the same amount of calories (did you OP?) after stopping weights the excess calories would have been stored as fat, the muscles would have atrophied unless she starts weights again, nothing will change.

Sorry OP don't mean to talk about you as if you are not here x

haha!!
Still trying to figure who OP is..lol

That would be you.

OP is original poster.

Weight gain is not going to be pure fat. That's what I'm saying. A percentage of it is going to be lean body mass, whether or not someone is lifting weights, unless they're completely bedridden. I don't know what that percentage is. I know if someone is in a bulking phase of bodybuilding and eating at a surplus, they can expect to gain about 0.3 pounds of fat per pound of muscle gained. I don't know what the fat to muscle ratio is when someone is not lifting.