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Ok, so my gym had a table where they were doing "free" body fat measurements with a handheld device. Well not suprisingly, my body fat was well into the obese category. The personal trainer asked me about my eating and workout plan and how they were going. I told him they were going great and that I had already lost about 25 pounds. Anyways, he said that it was rare for a person to have a body fat percentage as high as mine and therefore would be extremely rare to have an even higher body fat percentage before the weight loss. He seemed to be concerned that I was losing muscle instead of fat.
Now here's my question. How could I be losing muscle if I'm eating right and exercising? I don't think I'm overtraining because I only do cardio 3 times a week and I take a weightlifting class once a week. I'm on the south beach diet, which I should add is low glycemic NOT "low carb". I get most of my carbohydrates from whole grains, beans, and fruits.
I lost the 25 pounds over a period of three months. This averages to a little over 8 pounds/month. As far as I'm concerned, I'm right on track. My clothes are looser and I can feel my body firming up.
So was I right to call BS on this one, or should I really be concerned about losing muscle?
Ok, so my gym had a table where they were doing "free" body fat measurements with a handheld device. Well not suprisingly, my body fat was well into the obese category. The personal trainer asked me about my eating and workout plan and how they were going. I told him they were going great and that I had already lost about 25 pounds. Anyways, he said that it was rare for a person to have a body fat percentage as high as mine and therefore would be extremely rare to have an even higher body fat percentage before the weight loss. He seemed to be concerned that I was losing muscle instead of fat.
Now here's my question. How could I be losing muscle if I'm eating right and exercising? I don't think I'm overtraining because I only do cardio 3 times a week and I take a weightlifting class once a week. I'm on the south beach diet, which I should add is low glycemic NOT "low carb". I get most of my carbohydrates from whole grains, beans, and fruits.
I lost the 25 pounds over a period of three months. This averages to a little over 8 pounds/month. As far as I'm concerned, I'm right on track. My clothes are looser and I can feel my body firming up.
So was I right to call BS on this one, or should I really be concerned about losing muscle?
You're doing great. Keep it up. Those handheld devices are far from accurate.
Ok, so my gym had a table where they were doing "free" body fat measurements with a handheld device. Well not suprisingly, my body fat was well into the obese category. The personal trainer asked me about my eating and workout plan and how they were going. I told him they were going great and that I had already lost about 25 pounds. Anyways, he said that it was rare for a person to have a body fat percentage as high as mine and therefore would be extremely rare to have an even higher body fat percentage before the weight loss. He seemed to be concerned that I was losing muscle instead of fat.
Now here's my question. How could I be losing muscle if I'm eating right and exercising? I don't think I'm overtraining because I only do cardio 3 times a week and I take a weightlifting class once a week. I'm on the south beach diet, which I should add is low glycemic NOT "low carb". I get most of my carbohydrates from whole grains, beans, and fruits.
I lost the 25 pounds over a period of three months. This averages to a little over 8 pounds/month. As far as I'm concerned, I'm right on track. My clothes are looser and I can feel my body firming up.
So was I right to call BS on this one, or should I really be concerned about losing muscle?
Have you noticed any degradation of your performance since the weight loss? What I mean is, do you feel tired, low energy, having difficulty in your cardio classes, or are not able to lift the amount of weight you lifted at the beginning of working out?
If you were losing muscle, you would definitely feel it during your workout sessions and you would definitely feel less energetic. You definitely do NOT want to lose muscle mass if you're trying to get healthy. Ask if your gym can do a water displacement test to gauge your body fat percentage. Or even a body fat caliper test which is waaaaaay more accurate than those hand held machines.
Its possible due to your lack of weightlifting. Typically people who are trying to lose weight lift 3 times a week minimum to retain lean mass. With all that cardio you could very well be burning off muscle.
I'd up weights to 3 or 4 times a week. Also be sure you are getting the proper amount of protein.
Have you noticed any degradation of your performance since the weight loss? What I mean is, do you feel tired, low energy, having difficulty in your cardio classes, or are not able to lift the amount of weight you lifted at the beginning of working out?
If you were losing muscle, you would definitely feel it during your workout sessions and you would definitely feel less energetic. You definitely do NOT want to lose muscle mass if you're trying to get healthy. Ask if your gym can do a water displacement test to gauge your body fat percentage. Or even a body fat caliper test which is waaaaaay more accurate than those hand held machines.
No I don't feel tired or have low energy. In fact I haven't felt this good in quite awhile. I do notice that I'm getting stronger. Probably not as fast as I have in the past though. I'll have to check into the caliper test. Money is tight and the water displacement test sounds expensive.
Its possible due to your lack of weightlifting. Typically people who are trying to lose weight lift 3 times a week minimum to retain lean mass. With all that cardio you could very well be burning off muscle.
I'd up weights to 3 or 4 times a week. Also be sure you are getting the proper amount of protein.
I do eventually want to add more weightlifting days to my routine. I'm still relatively new to the weightlifting class so I'm often too sore to add another day in. By the time I'm not sore, it's almost time for my class.
I get plenty of protein. I usually have eggs for breakfast; chicken, fish, or beef with a green vegetable for lunch; yogurt for a snack; and for dinner, the same thing as lunch with the addition of fruit. Also for dinner I add either beans or whole grains but rarely both.
Just to echo other sentiments, don't worry about it. Some personal trainers know what they're talking about, others don't. Just keep eating right and training hard and you'll be fine.
Ok, so my gym had a table where they were doing "free" body fat measurements with a handheld device. Well not suprisingly, my body fat was well into the obese category. The personal trainer asked me about my eating and workout plan and how they were going. I told him they were going great and that I had already lost about 25 pounds. Anyways, he said that it was rare for a person to have a body fat percentage as high as mine and therefore would be extremely rare to have an even higher body fat percentage before the weight loss. He seemed to be concerned that I was losing muscle instead of fat.
Now here's my question. How could I be losing muscle if I'm eating right and exercising? I don't think I'm overtraining because I only do cardio 3 times a week and I take a weightlifting class once a week. I'm on the south beach diet, which I should add is low glycemic NOT "low carb". I get most of my carbohydrates from whole grains, beans, and fruits.
I lost the 25 pounds over a period of three months. This averages to a little over 8 pounds/month. As far as I'm concerned, I'm right on track. My clothes are looser and I can feel my body firming up.
So was I right to call BS on this one, or should I really be concerned about losing muscle?
If you don't eat enough protein you will loose muscle, eat some nuts and chicken breast.
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