Hi! I have been dieting and working out for several months, and Intermittent Fasting (16:8) for the past month. I enjoy IF as it doesn’t even feel like I’m really restricting my calories much, the problem is I’m losing muscle even though I’m working out 3-5 days a week. I have one of those scales that tells you your muscle mass and body fat % and I know I shouldn’t put to much weight on the readings every day, but instead look at the big picture over several weeks. However, I’m trying my best to hold onto what muscle I can while I’m slimming down.
The last two days I have lost muscle mass, even though I am eating a gram of protein per lb of weight and my caloric intake is aiming at a 400 calorie deficit every day. Yesterday I even managed to gain a slight bit of body fat while losing muscle! Any ideas of things I need to be watching?
Thanks!
Your scale cannot adequately tell the difference between water, fat, and muscle mass. Differences in hydration levels can throw off these scales. If you’re worried about muscle mass, do some lifting. Otherwise you really do need to ignore those values on the scale. Even DEXA has issues, not sure how a $50 scale can do better.
I think your strength at the gym is a better gauge of your muscle mass than the scale. I’ve lost 60 lbs. and my scale says I’ve lost about 10 pounds of muscle. But I’m getting stronger with my weight training. It’s hard to gain muscle in a cut but I’m pretty confident I’m at least maintaining and I certainly don’t look emaciated. My $.02, hope it’s helpful.
I have one of those scales. I find that the values given appears to be mainly programmed to give a percentage. For example as my weight fluctuate (with water) some of the values always give the same result for a certain weight number.
So, those values are nice to see trends, but not necessarily accurate.
I loved 6 kg of weight because COVID, the scale said that was 4 kg of fat and 2 of muscle, and indeed I think it is accurate, but this measure is tricky, let me explain it.
It supposed (if I am wrong let me know) that there is two kind of hypertrophy, one is when you take your muscle to a metabolic stress so tired your muscle, so the body adaptations increasing the amount of energy to be used in the muscle, this is accomplished by increasing glucogene in the muscle and so increasing the volume of it, this is the kind of muscle of people in Mr Olympia and so.
But there is another type of hypertrophy, when you train for strength and you no gain a lot of glucogene so neither a lot of mass because what is happening is you are gaining more contractile tissue not glucogene.
You can not switch to one type to another, but you could prioritize glucogene or strength.
The problem with traditional body building and if is the next, in if your body eats the energy reserves in your body, so it is great to eat your own fat, but the problem is that the body is very lazy, and start with the more easy to transform in energy, so in order of consumption is glucogene, fat and later on your own tissue or muscles (but when you really ended your other reserves, because as your could imagine, transform real.muscle to energy is very difficult).
Thats the reason body builders eats all the time, to no have a minute without glucose so the body never touch their glucogene in muscle.
Si yes, sadly you would loss glucogene in if, but that’s not the same to loss muscles, if you goal is to look like a gym bro, if is not for you, if your goal is healthy and even strength and longevity if will be great and you will gain real muscle that will last even when you are elder (if a gym bro no lift in a moth they return to be normals).
But it is no so easy, I am doing if but also not gaining muscle, strength yes but as I said to another here is not the same as muscle, so I really do not know, but I will prioritize health over muscle.
First of all it is highly likely that whatever you are using to measure isn’t actually accurate enough to determine this. But beyond that, your protein intake is primary. Not just how much per pound but the quality and ability to be used by your body. Your body is only able to use approximately 45 g of protein at one sitting so eating mass quantity at one meal is not ideal. You need to be sufficient in other nutrients to process your protein and you will cannibalize your existing protein structures if you don’t have enough often enough.
Intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone, personally I’ve slowly adjusted my times to a more “regular” routine after I lost weight and started getting heartburn.
If you don’t feel right see a doctor or stop IF. There are many different diets in the world because the world has many different people - find what works for you. 😊
You have two goals that working at cross purposes- weight loss and muscle gain. Plus, you are employing two weight loss approaches that are working at cross purposes.
Staying with a 16/8 without dieting in your eating window (eating what you like) you will reach your weight goals over time. Know that the key to all interval eating programs is the brain “reset” that happens when you force your brain to function with an empty stomach. Dieting during the eating interval is really gilding the lily- not necessary.
Regarding muscles and strength, people have reported GAINING strength on a lifting program that is coordinated with an interval eating program. You lift in the fasted state at the end of your fasting period (hydration is important, of course) and then down a protein shake with carbs and amino acids which you need to build muscle. The only way to build strength is through an increase in muscle mass, but on the program, over time the fat is replaced with additional muscle mass.
So I would think long term- months to years- with a strict observance of the fasting interval, eating what you want in your eating interval, and institute a lifting program just before your eating interval starts- over time you will achieve your goals and notice remarkable changes about yourself.