Losing fat without losing muscle

BrianD3

I am naturally skinny and find it difficult to put on weight. For nearly a year, I have been making a determined effort to gain weight (in the form of muscle) I have been doing weights and taking in an awful lot of calories and protein in my diet.

I've had a bit of success with the muscle building. I gained about 1.75 stone and I reckon that most of it was muscle. However, I also gained some flab around my belly.

This wasn't acceptable to me so I decided to do something about it. I altered my diet to take in less calories, less carbs, less fats - while continuing to do the weights and take in as much protein as possible.

Result is: I have lost weight. About 5-6 pounds.in the last month. My belly is no longer flabby and I can see my six pack once again

However, I have also definitely lost some muscle mass too. I notice some shrinkage of my pecs and lats. It took me ages to build the muscle in those areas, now it looks like I'm losing the muscle at a rapid rate.

Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to allow me to lose fat without losing muscle. Or vice versa - gain muscle without gaining fat. Is this actually possible?

Also, can anyone answer this: if you don't get enough calories per day does your body start to burn fat or muscle or both? Does muscle waste away if you don't get enough calories? Or is protein more important than calories for maintaining muscle mass?

Thanks for any advice
BrianD3

rs

> Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to allow me to lose fat without losing
> muscle. Or vice versa - gain muscle without gaining fat. Is this actually possible?

I don't think there is a way to lose only fat, certainly once you have a decent amount of muscle mass anyway. You have the method correct. High protein, low carbs and low fats.

You will always end up losing some muscle size when you go on a diet. If you keep your protein intake fairly high then it will be minimized. But it will always happen.

Have you lost much strength?

If you have not lost much strength or better yet have gotten stronger, then I would not worry about it too much. Once you start eating more carbs, you should notice that you muscles fill out again. If you are losing strength week to week, your diet might be going too far.

I believe it has to do glycogen storage within your muscles. When you cut you carbs, the glycogen is depleted and your muscles flatten out. When you increase your carbs the glycogen is restored and the muscles fill out again.

You will always have to expect some loss in muscle size and perhaps even strength when you diet, but usually it all comes back once you start eating properly again.

tunney

I believe it has to do glycogen storage within your muscles. When you cut you carbs, the glycogen is depleted and your muscles flatten out.

Very true, but there is the additional fact that when the body stores gylcogen in the muscles for each gram of glycogen it stores it also stores 2 grams of water.

Corksham

I was in a similar situation, I was always skinny but hit the weights and protein and bulked to about 13 stone plus (did have a bit of a belly and excess fat but was quite muscular). In training for the marathon I am now under 11 stone and have lost pretty much all the fat and alot of muscle and strength as well so I personally lost muscle while loosing the fat (but then again I no longer pump iron) but I am happier at 11-11.5 than I was at 13-13.5