Burning muscle not fat

[helen3418]

I have just weighed in and lost a stone in six weeks but my read out shows that i have lost quite a bit of muscle, have any of you experienced this and how can i prevent it happening in the future. I am fairly active, swim twice a week and walk quite a bit.

[OlsBean]

I lost a massive amount of muscle myself, especially on my legs, I've regained it now but it took a lot of hard work, I wish at the time that I had been more aware.

The most obvious thing that springs to mind is are you eating enough protien? If you are unsure there are online calculators that work out your RDA based on your activity level etc.

[helen3418 in reply to OlsBean]

Thanks for the reply,the diet i am following says two portions of protein about size of pack of playing cards but i am 18stone and my RDA at the moment is nearly 2000 cals, I am losing 2lbs most weeks so maybe i do need a bit more protein maybe a bit less carbs. Hopefully that will sort it

[burntsun Maintainer Restart Feb 2024 6kg in reply to helen3418]

Hi, I'd second the protein suggestion. That, in combination with weight lifting, worked for me. The weight lifting is a great way to combat loose skin (another unpleasant side effect of weight loss). If you're struggling to fit protein into your diet, then maybe consider a protein powder? Good luck!

[SurreyMan]

When I started my diet, I worried about what the fat will be replaced by. So I tried to eat two eggs (26g protein) every day as I found this to be a good way to have regular low calorie protein that is filling.

I also changed my exercise to focus more on weights instead of cardio as muscle helps burn calories long term.

Good luck with your diet!

ps. Out of interest how can you be sure that you are losing muscle instead of fat?

[helen3418]

hi, thanks for your reply, we are weighed on a body composition analysis scale, does weight, fat mass, water mass, muscle etc etc, clever if its accurate.