Losing fat and gaining muscle

[Bubbles254]

If you have been exercising and/or dieting for a while can I ask how much your lean mass vs fat has decreased.

Since February I have lost 10kg but according to my scales (no idea how accurate this is) my lean mass decreased by 4.7kg (47.3kg to 43kg) and my fat decreased by 5.3kg (13.8kg to 8.5kg).

Is this a high % of lean mass to lose? I have been doing some strength training at home with kettle bells and body weight exercises but have not had much noticeable muscle growth so far although do feel a bit stronger and am better able to complete my exercises.

No idea, sorry....... but try Caroline Girvan. You'll be amazed at your muscles!

Those scales are totally inaccurate. The only slightly reliable way to measure body fat and muscle is via a proper dexa scan. Ignore the stats and go by how your body looks and feels

No they are not accurate but can show a trend.

Like you I have been exercising since mid Mar. My body fat % has gone down from 35% to 25%.

I had 41.3kg muscle on 30 Mar, and last week it was 43.kg. I had lost .2kg by 5 May and only then started taking strength training seriously. I got to 42kg with 2 gym machine sessions a week, plus 2 classes (body con and legs bums tums with weights) and 1 spin class.

I then got a personal trainer on 19 May and since then increased 1.3kg. She gave me a programme 3 x a week for 1 hour a time (including rest between reps). There is 2 all over sessions and 1 glute focus session. I train with her 1 session a week and she has me do up to 3x what I thought I was capable of.

I stopped doing any fasts around when we started to train and eat maintenance calories or just below now (I still want to lose more 2lbs). I've lost 2lbs since mid May.

So in answer to your question, it's hard work.

Also! Make sure you are eating enough protein. You need 50g a day just to function, and if you want to build muscle probably 90g-130g a day. 30g per meal is ideal, plus snacks like yoghurt and cottage cheese with nuts.

Thanks all. @Outofthemoonlight funilly enough I have been doing a Caroline Girvan arm workout with dumbells and my arms are the one area where I can now see noticeable muscle. Will try some of her other ones.

@tilestoclean I agree the scales are pretty inaccurate but I assume they are ok at showing a trend. Since feb they say my body fat had decreased from 22.6% to 16.5%. I tried the army calculator using measurements I think it is about 24% currently so about 8% above what the scales are saying.

@Mistyskiestrains wow that is a lot of muscle. I have no idea how much muscle I have but suspect not much. My scales only give me total lean mass. I do feel more toned on the legs and arms but yet to see any abs. I have been doing crunches and planks but yet to see much of a difference. I do still have a bit of lower belly fat though so maybe they are hiding.

80% of abs are said to be made in the kitchen, @Bubbles254...

But try doing the following for a month;

Bowflex 3-minute plank every day
On alternate days:
Rebecca Louise's Best Abs
Caroline Girvan's Braced Abs and Core

After one month you may be fit enough to have a go at Caroline's 15 minute plank workout. And you'll never look back, because a strong core is the key to everything else.

Given the caveats about the scales that you are obviously aware of, I would say that is about normal. At least that is what I generally find if I am in a calorie deficit big enough to lose meaningful amounts of weight. You will certainly not put on much, if any, muscle in a calorie deficit so the aim is to keep what you have by working hard so the body sheds fat rather than muscle. I find a calorie deficit of around 300 per day is the sweet spot for me, but obviously any weight loss is painfully slow. Plus making sure I have plenty of protein in my diet.