Lean and obese people have very different weight loss responses regarding body composition. The initial ratios of lean body mass to fat mass can alter how a person responds to a diet. As a diet continues, lean mass and fat mass decrease, resulting in a decline in metabolism. A lean individual starting a diet has less body fat.
HOW DO BODYBUILDERS LOSE FAT WITHOUT LOSING MUSCLE SUMMARY
- Bodybuilders consume high protein with a calorie restricted diet in conjunction with resistance exercise which enables them to lose fat without losing muscle.
- People with more body fat can use a greater caloric deficit, whereas lean individuals need a lower caloric deficit to minimize muscle loss.
- Gradual weight loss is better for preserving lean muscle loss.
Introduction
One of the biggest issues when figuring out the appropriate caloric deficit for online caloric expenditure equations is calculations don’t account for lean mass and body fat. Online caloric expenditure equations use the generic height, weight, and type of activity you do throughout the day, but starting body fat is a key factor determining a caloric deficit. Some better diet calculations account for lean mass and percent body fat to be in the metabolic equation when starting a diet.
WHY AM I LOSING MUSCLE MASS EVEN THOUGH I WORK OUT?
Some people following a diet may wonder, “Why am I losing muscle mass and weight?” Lean and obese people have very different weight loss responses regarding body composition. The initial ratios of lean body mass to fat mass can alter how a person responds to a diet. As a diet continues, lean mass and fat mass decrease, resulting in a decline in metabolism. A lean individual starting a diet has less body fat. How fast you lose fat without losing muscle depends on your initial body fat levels. Those with more body fat will have greater fat loss without muscle loss compared to a leaner individual.
YOU CAN USE A GREATER CALORIC DEFICIT WITH MORE BODY FAT
Body fat buffers the severity of protein breakdown in a calorie restriction. There is an inverse relationship between body fat and protein breakdown (i.e., the more body fat, the less protein breakdown).(1)
Kevin Hall recently developed a modification of the Forbes equation. The proportion of weight loss accounted for by lean body loss was affected by the magnitude of the weight loss and the initial fat content. (2) Bodybuilders wanting to know how to go on a cut without losing muscle should first determine their initial body fat and then, depending on how much body fat they have, determine the magnitude of how many calories they can cut.
An obese person can have a much larger caloric deficit and lose less mass because of excess body fat. Thus, a lean person may lose more lean muscle mass than an obese person on the same diet. Women with more body fat than men of similar body weight lose weight more slowly for an energy deficit. (3) Thus, the higher the initial body fat, the greater the energy deficit required to produce optimal weight loss.
In a study of bodybuilders dieting for a show, those who had the lowest body fat and lost the greatest amount of weight also lost the leanest muscle mass. (4) The losses in lean muscle mass were suggested to be caused by decreased insulin and IGF-1 levels. No significant changes in testosterone or cortisol occurred during the diet.
How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle
Many dieters often desire a rapid loss of weight. It’s rewarding to see a drop in scale weight, which can be positive feedback that the diet is working, despite the psychologically rewarding benefits of seeing rapid weight loss.
Some rapid weight loss studies, but not all, have found suboptimal decreases in lean mass compared to gradual weight loss. (5,6) A recent review found that slow weight loss is better for long-term body composition. The review article found the following benefits for slower weight loss compared to faster weight loss:
1. Gradual weight loss was associated with greater body fat loss and % body fat loss.
2. Gradual weight loss was associated with greater preservation of RMR.
3. Rapid weight loss resulted in a 2.2-pound greater lean mass loss than gradual weight loss.
If you are asking yourself, “Why am I losing muscle during this diet?” It very well could be that you cut your calories too fast.
KEY POINTS
· People with more body fat can use a greater caloric deficit, whereas lean individuals need a lower caloric deficit to minimize muscle loss.
REFERENCES
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