Cutting question need help

[mjh090489]

This is my first post and also my first time trying to eat right and lose body fat.

A little background on me. I am an ex college athlete, 6’2 and currently 197 pounds. I just did an “in body” and my lean body was 165 pounds. Just one month ago. I was 210 pounds, BUT had 174 pounds lean muscle mass.. is this even possible??!! I lost 9 lbs of muscle and only 2-3 pounds of fat!

I drink a 400 calorie protein shake in the morning, eat chicken and vegetables for lunch, protein shake in the afternoon and more chicken and vegetables at night..


I started about 8 weeks ago and although I have made significant progress with weight loss, I wasn’t expecting to lose that much muscle. Was the test reading inaccurate?? I used the same machine for both tests. Is my diet killing my testosterone? I haven’t noticed much change with my strength (just a little decline). And I lift weights 6 days a week for over an hour each day. Does anyone have any valuable insight into what could be going on?? I am very disappointed.

[SuffolkPunch]

Those devices cause us no end of problems. It absolutely is not accurate and you should ignore all such readings. Think about it logically - wouldn't you have lost a tremendous amount of strength if you had lost that much muscle? Strength is quite a reliable guide to muscle gain / lost/

[illpinoise]

Numbers fluctuate when you get measured hydrated vs dehydrated.

Assuming you're using one of those electric machines

[Mikeez0]

Great example why all those scales are stuped

[thegymbum]

I’d say don’t let the results get you down- there’s a very good chance the results are inaccurate. That drastic of change so quickly (given you’re not on bedrest, that is!) is very unlikely. Honestly your best bet might be to keep doing what you know you need to do, and look for a new system of measuring your progress (even looming in the mirror might be a better way to monitor your progress!).

Personally, when I try to focus on more physical goals vs just the numbers (strength/fitness goals vs weight/measurements), I have much better results, to be honest!

[mjh090489]

Thanks guys!

[AdamWW]

I have a bathroom scale which I believe uses the same type of measurement system, and although it reads consistently the same (and I mean to the .1%) bodyfat reading every morning, it claims i'm 5% bodyfat regardless of whether or not I just chugged water, exercised, or ate food.

So, I think it's fair to say, you can just ignore this stuff.

As much flack as calipers gets, to be honest I feel like they might be the best option for people who want a convenient test of how their changes in weight/fat reflect on how you LOOK.

With DEXA, underwater weighing, and any other methods which doesn't rely on visual indicators, you may get a reading that say X%, but if you have deep, defined abs and you look super lean, does it matter if a machine says you're 15% vs 7%? Not to me...



Even then, I think trying to KNOW your bodyfat % vs just using visual estimates based on the mirror is kind of pointless because of the multitude of factors that impact the results. A free and more helpful approach is to simply reach a bodyfat level you're comfortable with, whether thats in a super lean, more moderate, or higher limit (say for when you're gaining), and use visual cues like how thick your skin feels at certain spots, how vascular you are, etc, as a guide.

For me, for example, if I get veins in my lower abs when I wake up, I know I'm getting to ~10% or below... if I have all my abs visible but my torso isn't very dry/vascular, i'm closer to 13-15%... then if I still have definition between my abs, but when I sit I have more noticeable folds in my skin, i'm getting closer to the high teens.

If you can just operate within ranges (<10%, 10-15%, 16-19%), you'll have an easier to time just hovering in a healthy range while also performing well.