Fat vs Muscle Weight - scary numbers

[Zen]

Hello Mr. Silver!

You ate egg whites and thought they were mashed potatoes?
Either there's something wrong with your taste buds or she was a lousy cook

For your protein consumption I recommend real food. Chicken breasts, non fat dairy and as you said good quality lean red meats.

I think you're doing fine. At some point in time you just have to stop counting the numbers all together.

[Triskeliongirl]

And don't forget fish and seafood as another good source of lean protein. But, I still wouldn't believe the scale. Yes the trend is downward, meaning you have lost body fat, but you can't use those numbers to reliably say that you lost muscle mass too. Boca burgers are good too. CHicken is great, and leaner cuts of red meat include pork tenderloin and beef tenderloin. Try substituting ground turkey in dishes you would do with ground beef, like chili.

[Mr. Bloom]

Good advice...tomorrow is another day and a return to really sensible eating!

[lph]

Besides, I wouldn't worry that much if you like the way you're feeling, looking and functioning. You need less muscle to power a lighter body.

[RoadRaven]

Hi there Mr Silver
My partner has been on a dramtic weight loss regimen too... going from a lean cyclist to a skinny one. Before cycling he was a marathon runner.

Just my observations about the changes in his muscle (though we have not used anything to measure his muscle mass).

As a runner he had solid thighs, no fat really, well shaped calves and his arms were muscly also from the work he does outdoors.

When he started cycling, no running and less walking, his legs lost muscle mass... but not power.

With his weight loss goals his muscles have changed again, even leaner, his upper arms look less muscly, his calves and thighs less too - but he is stronger than ever in his cycling (he has just started racing again - conclusively won and interclub time trial by a minute, and is getting placed in hilly road races - hills have not been his forte as he is so tall - "big" for a cyclist).

So - what is the point of this post when yours and his weight loss reasons are different at the moment? When your cycling goals are different at the moment?

To try and help you see that loss of muscle does not necessarily mean loss of power or fitness. If you spend more time cycling, and less walking or whatever, your body will recognise that and respond to it. It adapts and focuses on the work you are asking on it and refines its muscles for that.

Rejoice as you achieve your overall goals, and if you want to build back muscle, then you need to think where, and most importantly why and then perhaps do specific exercise alongside cycling.

I think LPH said this FAAAAR more succintly!!!

[lph]

In rockclimbing it's very obvious - over a certain body weight and they have to bulk up a lot more muscle to carry their own weight. The lightweighters get by with very little muscle by comparison.
My dh is very skinny and very light, but he has me beat hands down on power-to-weight ratio. Which also means he needs a LOT less training to be in good climbing shape. I'm built heavier, and have to keep up regular workouts to schlep myself up the rock.

[Mr. Bloom]

RR & lph: These are good points. Thanks for challenging me to clarity in my goal. That is, at the end of the day, I want folks to describe me as "lean" and not "muscly". Otherwise, folks might not see me as the intelligent person that I am

Hmmm "muscly"...that may belong on the "favorite words" post.