Is 1% body fat loss a week sustainable without huge muscle loss?

[nigeltheoutlaw]

I know there have been tons of threads about fat loss, and I searched through some key words trying to find a thread that covered this topic, but I didn't see any that addressed this exactly. So, my question is: is 1% body fat loss a week sustainable without huge muscle loss? I have read some sites in the past when I first started working out (I can't remember their names now) that said that 1% was the upper safe limit of fat loss, but I don't recall it addressing any possible muscle loss.

I'm 6' 1", 200 pounds, 20-25% as best I can figure, with the goal to drop to 10-12% body fat. I've been lifting maybe two and a half months now. My lifts are as follows:

Bench: 160 lbs 5RM
Squat: 225 lbs 3RM
OHP 95 lbs 5RM
Deadlifts: 245 lbs 5RM (close to squats since I just started doing them and haven't advanced much)

What do you guys think? 1% body fat loss a week sounds appealing since it would only take a little over three months maximum to hit my goal body fat percentage with about a 2 lb a week fat loss per week (I would adjust this to a more exact value every month of course). However, I think it would be a pointless accomplishment if my lifts dropped to worse than they were when I started lifting and I was just a skinny fat blob instead of looking lean and sleek. Any responses are appreciated, thanks.

[nigeltheoutlaw]

Bump.

[Maverick2015]

I know there have been tons of threads about fat loss, and I searched through some key words trying to find a thread that covered this topic, but I didn't see any that addressed this exactly. So, my question is: is 1% body fat loss a week sustainable without huge muscle loss? I have read some sites in the past when I first started working out (I can't remember their names now) that said that 1% was the upper safe limit of fat loss, but I don't recall it addressing any possible muscle loss.

I'm 6' 1", 200 pounds, 20-25% as best I can figure, with the goal to drop to 10-12% body fat. I've been lifting maybe two and a half months now. My lifts are as follows:

Bench: 160 lbs 5RM
Squat: 225 lbs 3RM
OHP 95 lbs 5RM
Deadlifts: 245 lbs 5RM (close to squats since I just started doing them and haven't advanced much)

What do you guys think? 1% body fat loss a week sounds appealing since it would only take a little over three months maximum to hit my goal body fat percentage with about a 2 lb a week fat loss per week (I would adjust this to a more exact value every month of course). However, I think it would be a pointless accomplishment if my lifts dropped to worse than they were when I started lifting and I was just a skinny fat blob instead of looking lean and sleek. Any responses are appreciated, thanks.

It depends on your current percentage and weight. You say sustainable, so obviously not talking about starting at a low %. You are 200 lbs, so not starting at a low weight. To answer your question, no.
1% weight loss is definitely sustainable though. This would include losing some lean body weight as well as fat. I suppose if you were on some crash program like in the Biggest Loser, it is possible. But you would lose muscle along the way.

[Norvie360]

From a personal trainer/nutrition consultant point of view, it's all about positioning your body within your own body chemistry. In order to burn fat, you must be in an environment that puts you at your highest fat loss potential. In other words, getting stronger and lifting heavy helps with fat loss but not at the rate where you want it. Majority of fat loss comes from a system of nutrient density and eating habits. So your weight lifting program is stellar but your complementary eating sucks, don't expect much results. Fat loss, like building muscle, is a system of lifestyle habits. The more nutrient upkeep you do, the greater the gain of lean muscle and fat loss. It doesn't matter if you do Crossfit, Boot Camps, German Volume Training, it all comes down to your nutritional approach. Check out my ebook in my signature to learn about it.