muscle loss during diet

"determined" <determined.TakeThisOut@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:9aOdnR0-LbuBas3YnZ2dnUVZ_vCdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> I'm a 30 yr old woman recovering from the ravages of having a baby... I
> guess that sounds a little dramatic, but that's how it feels! My goal is
> to achieve 20-22% bodyfat. I do cardio 4 times a week, and weights 3
> times a week. My eating is clean. My goal obviously is to minimize
> muscle loss during this time. I have had my bodyfat tested 3 times over
> the course of about 4 months, and my ratio is about 3 lbs of fat to 1 lb
> of muscle. Is this ok, or could I do better at minimizing the muscle
> loss?
>
> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the people
> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing, and
> that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight loss
> down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than 1lb a
> week. Do I really need to eat more?

Yes. I just posted a response to you over at asd.

ep
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"determined" <determined DeleteThis @comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:9aOdnR0-LbuBas3YnZ2dnUVZ_vCdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> I'm a 30 yr old woman recovering from the ravages of having a baby...
> I guess that sounds a little dramatic, but that's how it feels! My
> goal is to achieve 20-22% bodyfat. I do cardio 4 times a week, and
> weights 3 times a week. My eating is clean. My goal obviously is to
> minimize muscle loss during this time. I have had my bodyfat tested 3
> times over the course of about 4 months, and my ratio is about 3 lbs
> of fat to 1 lb of muscle. Is this ok, or could I do better at
> minimizing the muscle loss?
>
> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have
> been eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by
> the people at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm
> doing, and that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the
> weight loss down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing
> more than 1lb a week. Do I really need to eat more?

The slower you lose the extra weight, the more likely it is to stay off.
If you are losing 1 lb. per week, I would continue with your current
program until your weight loss slows or stops before changing anything.

Congrats on your progress thus far.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

Dnia 2006-11-07 determined napisa³(a):
> week. My eating is clean. My goal obviously is to minimize muscle loss
> during this time. I have had my bodyfat tested 3 times over the course of
> about 4 months, and my ratio is about 3 lbs of fat to 1 lb of muscle. Is
> this ok, or could I do better at minimizing the muscle loss?

I remember reading about a study where people simply gained weight.
The ratio was 2 lb of fat to one pound of LBM, so you are doing better
than that. Slowing things down might be hypothetically best, but in
practice do what works. Makes no sense to fix obviously working
solution,

> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the people
> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing, and that
> I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight loss down to
> .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than 1lb a week. Do I
> really need to eat more?

Maybe. 1 lb a week isn't drastic, so you might keep at what works.

--
Andrzej Rosa 1127R
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"determined" <determined.DeleteThis@comcast.nest> schreef:

> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the people
> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing, and
> that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight loss
> down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than 1lb a
> week. Do I really need to eat more?

Hello, Betsy...

----
Pete
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"determined" <determined.RemoveThis@comcast.nest> schreef:

> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the people
> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing, and
> that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight loss
> down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than 1lb a
> week. Do I really need to eat more?

I think so.

A diet of 2500-3000 Kcal, mostly fat and carbs is excellent for preserving
lean body mass while trying to lose fat.

Stop doing cardio, and focus on heavy basic movements, for about 3 exercises
a day, 5 sets of 5 repetitions.
Focus on lower body and back muscles.

This kind of stimulation will get your body into this "fat burning while
retaining LBM-mode."

But it only works if you stop doing cardio and dramatically increase your
caloric intake.

----
Pete
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

Pete wrote:
> "determined" <determined DeleteThis @comcast.nest> schreef:
>
>> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
>> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the people
>> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing, and
>> that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight loss
>> down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than 1lb a
>> week. Do I really need to eat more?
>
> I think so.
>
> A diet of 2500-3000 Kcal, mostly fat and carbs is excellent for preserving
> lean body mass while trying to lose fat.
>
> Stop doing cardio, and focus on heavy basic movements, for about 3 exercises
> a day, 5 sets of 5 repetitions.
> Focus on lower body and back muscles.
>
> This kind of stimulation will get your body into this "fat burning while
> retaining LBM-mode."
>
> But it only works if you stop doing cardio and dramatically increase your
> caloric intake.
>
> ----
> Pete

I agree. Train like you want to build muscle at any cost
and let the diet strip the fat. To do that the cardio
has to go. As for the diet, experiment until you find
the calorie level and macronutrient ratio that works best
for you as an individual. My preference is cyclical
ketogenic (basically low carb with carb level modulated
to support heavy training).
--
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"determined" <determined.RemoveThis@comcast.nest> schreef:

> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the people
> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing, and
> that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight loss
> down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than 1lb a
> week. Do I really need to eat more?

You allready forgot what Lyle told you 3 years ago?

----
Pete
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"Pete" <phoutstra.TakeThisOut@wanadoo.nl> wrote in message
news:45521dfe$0$92065$dbd43001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> "determined" <determined.TakeThisOut@comcast.nest> schreef:
>
>> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have been
>> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the
>> people at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing,
>> and that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight
>> loss down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than
>> 1lb a week. Do I really need to eat more?
>
> You allready forgot what Lyle told you 3 years ago?

God, was I talking about this 3 years ago? I guess I did forget...
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

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 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"DZ" <9620 DeleteThis @2062315736.58336340.3068.14576.11949> wrote in message
news:15980@3006817496.694831638.8713.13786.3279...
> Edna Pearl wrote:
>> "determined" wrote:
>>> I'm a 30 yr old woman recovering from the ravages of having a
>>> baby... I
>>> guess that sounds a little dramatic, but that's how it feels! My
>>> goal is
>>> to achieve 20-22% bodyfat. I do cardio 4 times a week, and weights
>>> 3
>>> times a week. My eating is clean. My goal obviously is to minimize
>>> muscle loss during this time. I have had my bodyfat tested 3 times
>>> over
>>> the course of about 4 months, and my ratio is about 3 lbs of fat to
>>> 1 lb
>>> of muscle. Is this ok, or could I do better at minimizing the
>>> muscle
>>> loss?
>>>
>>> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I have
>>> been
>>> eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been told by the
>>> people
>>> at my gym that is much too low with the amt of exercise I'm doing,
>>> and
>>> that I should eat more to preserve muscle loss and slow the weight
>>> loss
>>> down to .5 of a lb per week. I am currently not losing more than
>>> 1lb a
>>> week. Do I really need to eat more?
>>
>> Yes. I just posted a response to you over at asd.
>
> Nearly all responses here suggested increase in calorie intake under
> the assumption that she wants to add muscle effectively.

Perhaps nearly all, but at least two of us have suggested she's doing
well and she should continue as she is.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com


> But that's
> not the same as "minimizing muscle loss". Why is there a problem
> simply watching what happens with the body composition when the weight
> training is added? It's not like she'd wake up one day and all the
> muscle is gone.
>
> OTOH, all responses at a.s.d. were supporting the mistaken idea that
> at too low calories she'd go into the "starvation mode" - that she
> "would lose faster if she ate more". Does the metabolic rate decrease
> under starvation? Yes, but that is nearly completely accounted for by
> the decreased calorie intake and the resulting lower weight. Larger
> body exerts more heat, but not necessarily per pound of body mass. In
> any case, whatever metabolic adaptation may result, it cannot
> overcompensate the decrease in calorie intake. That have been studied
> in detail and discussed over and over, yet people somehow hold to the
> ideas they like.
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

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 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"DZ" <246.TakeThisOut@8019467.1342111221.11404.467.3937> wrote in message
news:6606@1024511227.145363751.17049.32445.28036...
> Steve Freides <steve.TakeThisOut@fridayscomputer.com> wrote:
>> "DZ" wrote:
>>> Edna Pearl wrote:
>>>> "determined" wrote:
>>>>> I'm a 30 yr old woman recovering from the ravages of having a
>>>>> baby... I guess that sounds a little dramatic, but that's how it
>>>>> feels! My goal is to achieve 20-22% bodyfat. I do cardio 4
>>>>> times a week, and weights 3 times a week. My eating is clean.
>>>>> My goal obviously is to minimize muscle loss during this time. I
>>>>> have had my bodyfat tested 3 times over the course of about 4
>>>>> months, and my ratio is about 3 lbs of fat to 1 lb of muscle. Is
>>>>> this ok, or could I do better at minimizing the muscle loss?
>>>>>
>>>>> Also, I am 5'3" and currently weigh 129 lbs at 26% bodyfat. I
>>>>> have been eating around 1200-1400 calories per day, but I've been
>>>>> told by the people at my gym that is much too low with the amt of
>>>>> exercise I'm doing, and that I should eat more to preserve muscle
>>>>> loss and slow the weight loss down to .5 of a lb per week. I am
>>>>> currently not losing more than 1lb a week. Do I really need to
>>>>> eat more?
>>>>
>>>> Yes. I just posted a response to you over at asd.
>>>
>>> Nearly all responses here suggested increase in calorie intake under
>>> the assumption that she wants to add muscle effectively.
>>
>> Perhaps nearly all, but at least two of us have suggested she's doing
>> well and she should continue as she is.
>
> Since the number of responses cannot be a fractional number, "nearly
> all" implies AT LEAST one, with two being the next good
> possibility. Go back studying microtonalism in Ligeti
>
> DZ

Whatever ...

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet 

"DZ" <246.TakeThisOut@8019467.1342111221.11404.467.3937> wrote in message
news:6606@1024511227.145363751.17049.32445.28036...
> Steve Freides <steve.TakeThisOut@fridayscomputer.com> wrote:
>> "DZ" wrote:
>>> Edna Pearl wrote:
>>>> Yes. I just posted a response to you over at asd.
>>>
>>> Nearly all responses here suggested increase in calorie intake under
>>> the assumption that she wants to add muscle effectively.
>>
>> Perhaps nearly all, but at least two of us have suggested she's doing
>> well and she should continue as she is.
>
> Since the number of responses cannot be a fractional number, "nearly
> all" implies AT LEAST one, with two being the next good
> possibility. Go back studying microtonalism in Ligeti
>
> DZ

All I know is what I've seen; I don't and won't pretend to be a scientist.
I suspect this person does, indeed, have some starvation mode issues
based on her long-term diet and exercise patterns. She has also mentioned
enough body-image issues that I am concerned about the possibility of a
borderline eating disorder. I'm more inclined to suggest that she eat than
not. To the extent that people who do profess to understand the
ever-changing scientific theories back me up on that, great, but I'm just
one voice among others on Usenet. I have more experience than some and less
experience than others when it comes to eating disorders, muscle building,
and weight loss, but, again, I don't pretend to be an expert (or, for that
matter, a die-hard fanatic about any way of eating or lifting).

http://www.trygve.com/mfw_faq.html#eattoloseweight
http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displaysection.php?sid=4

Based on what I've read, I don't see how she can be as active as she is and
eat as few calories as she does, without burning up some muscle mass. If
that's the case, her cardio work-outs and calorie-deprivation would be
pushing her a step back in terms of muscle-growth and -retention for every
step forward she takes with muscle-building exercises (lifting). If she
could get some extra calories with EFA oil supplements and protein, it would
probably do her some good, and I don't see how it could do her any harm.

ep
 >> Stay informed about: muscle loss during diet