Understanding weight loss

[Whatzup]

How come some people say they've lost 10 lbs but gained muscle when you can't really tell how many pounds you lost since the scale stays the same or possibly goes up with the muscle gains?

 

[Renman23]

There are several ways.

I have lost inches in my waist and neck but not lost much on the scale.
I measure my BMI with calipers and seen fat loss.
My gym has a Dexa scan, which accurately measures body fat.

 

[Whatzup]

There are several ways.

I have lost inches in my waist and neck but not lost much on the scale.
I measure my BMI with calipers and seen fat loss.
My gym has a Dexa scan, which accurately measures body fat.

I measured my fat with a caliper many months and no change ago yet my clothes fit better.

 

[Renman23]

For me, Clothes fit is my #1 indicator.
When my waist size reduced and i had to buy new jeans.... I almost cried... LOL

 

[madman]

How come some people say they've lost 10 lbs but gained muscle when you can't really tell how many pounds you lost since the scale stays the same or possibly goes up with the muscle gains?

At home use of calipers, tape measure, how you visually appear in front of the mirror (naked) are all ways to get an idea of body composition changes (muscle gain/fat loss).

Even though 1lb of fat and muscle weigh the same, muscle tissue (actin/myosin) is more dense/compact and takes up less space than adipose.

 

[Whatzup]

At home use of calipers, tape measure, how you visually appear in front of the mirror (naked) are all ways to get an idea of body composition changes (muscle gain/fat loss).

Even though 1lb of fat and muscle weigh the same, muscle tissue (actin/myosin) is more dense/compact and takes up less space than adipose.





View attachment 5514

Thanks for the pic. It is a good illustration of fat vs muscle. In my case my biceps for example are the same size as a year ago with the caliper the ab fat is the same yet my clothes fit better. I don't know!

 

[Cope]

People hold fat in different places. Some guys can have a six pack at 15% BF, yet most people will tell you a six pack isn't visible until 10% or less BF. That's why looking in the mirror and the fit of clothes give a good indication of how we are doing.

 

[Will Brink]

How come some people say they've lost 10 lbs but gained muscle when you can't really tell how many pounds you lost since the scale stays the same or possibly goes up with the muscle gains?

The scale is the least valuable tool for feedback on changes in body composition. It's not going to tell you what you have gained or lost other than weight.

 

[Whatzup]

The way it works I guess is. If all you do is cardio and clothes fit you and the scale drops you've lost weight.
Now if you do cardio and weights and shirts fit while the scale stays the same or increases you then lost weight and gained muscle, yes?

 

[Renman23]

I think you're confusing weight loss with changing body composition.

If you think about the average person. their TOTAL weight is composed of many things.

Bones, skin, hair, organs, muscle and fat are among them. In an "average" person (male)
18-24 % of the total weight is fat. 30-35% muscle.

Now if you just want to lose weight, Diet and cardio will burn fat and get you there.

If you want to get stronger, improve performance, look more athletic.... Cardio, diet and resistance training will get you there AND will change your body mass composition.

An average guy weight 200 lbs
if 20% is fat and 35% is muscle then 40lbs is fat and 70 is muscle.
If he loses weight he'll have 30lbs of fat 70 of muscle and weigh 190
If he changes body comp by lifting and diet...
the same guy will still weigh 200 lbs
but now 15% fat 30lbs and 40%muscle 80.lbs

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Whatzup]

I think you're confusing weight loss with changing body composition.

If you think about the average person. their TOTAL weight is composed of many things.

Bones, skin, hair, organs, muscle and fat are among them. In an "average" person (male)
18-24 % of the total weight is fat. 30-35% muscle.

Now if you just want to lose weight, Diet and cardio will burn fat and get you there.

If you want to get stronger, improve performance, look more athletic.... Cardio, diet and resistance training will get you there AND will change your body mass composition.

An average guy weight 200 lbs
if 20% is fat and 35% is muscle then 40lbs is fat and 70 is muscle.
If he loses weight he'll have 30lbs of fat 70 of muscle and weigh 190
If he changes body comp by lifting and diet...
the same guy will still weigh 200 lbs
but now 15% fat 30lbs and 40%muscle 80.lbs

Hope this makes sense.

Yes makes sense. I guess that is why I still weight 169 lbs after lifting and cardio for 14 months now. In the past when all I did was cardio and diet the scale would drop. Shirts fit better now including one from 20 years ago that never fit even at 155 lbs but fits at 169 lbs.

 

[Cope]

That’s real progress!!

 

[MarkM]

The scale is the least valuable tool for feedback on changes in body composition. It's not going to tell you what you have gained or lost other than weight.

Will,

I have tremendous respect for you and your knowledge but I am going to disagree with this.

Years ago I went out and bought one of those higher end scales that uses the bio-electric impedance technology that measure not only your weight, but % body fat, muscle mass, % body water, visceral fat, daily caloric intake, etc......

We can argue about how accurate these things are but for me, at least it gave me a tool to use to track progress. Even if they were off, they would probably be consistent in their readings. That is what I was looking for. I was pretty skeptical but when taking the readings and comparing them against calipers it was amazing how close they were in most cases.

They helped me see my progress as I watched my body fat decrease and my muscle mass increase. My business background has taught me to establish goals and then track your progress against those goals if one expects to see progress. No goals, no tracking = no progress.

For me it was not about tracking my weight, I learned to care less about the actual weight and to focus on the muscle mass, body fat, and bone mass. Over the years my weight has made little change, just a few pounds, but I have lost a great deal of body fat and substantially increased the muscle mass. It is easily seen in my body composition. I have lost 22.8 lbs of body fat, increased muscle mass 18.9 lbs, and increased bone mass 1.1 lbs. The net result is only a loss of 2.8 lbs but with the changes in body composition I lost 3 inches in my waist.

 

[Will Brink]

Will,

I have tremendous respect for you and your knowledge but I am going to disagree with this.

Years ago I went out and bought one of those higher end scales that uses the bio-electric impedance technology that measure not only your weight, but % body fat, muscle mass, % body water, visceral fat, daily caloric intake, etc......

Who said anything about BIA scales? Unless I missed it, he was talking about basic scale that gives you your weight, and nothing else. On that, I'm 100% correct. Apples and oranges to the extreme.

 

[MarkM]

Everyone is different and has different preferences and goals. Without question, increasing strength is a top priority, but for me, I want to increase the strength and improve my body composition. I've never been on a dedicated weight loss program or diet of any kind however I do take a few supplements. I started this a couple of years ago and it has been a lot of fun both getting stronger and improving composition. I'm not sure if I have plateaued or not to be honest. At my age, with the improvements I've made, I am happy to focus on maintaining the improvement now.

 

[Will Brink]

Everyone is different and has different preferences and goals. Without question, increasing strength is a top priority, but for me, I want to increase the strength and improve my body composition. I've never been on a dedicated weight loss program or diet of any kind however I do take a few supplements. I started this a couple of years ago and it has been a lot of fun both getting stronger and improving composition. I'm not sure if I have plateaued or not to be honest. At my age, with the improvements I've made, I am happy to focus on maintaining the improvement now.

There's various ways to objectively measure improvements based on your personal goals. I too am mostly in maintaining mode with some small improvements here and there.

 

[Nashtide]

I began using a BIA scale to help monitor my progress as I am trying to lean bulk. I would like to add some muscle while keeping fat gain to a minimum. I don't like counting calories so the feedback I get from the scale helps me to know if I'm on the right track.

 

[Whatzup]

This may be the most dumb question ever. How come guys in prison are really buff and lean when they lack protein or do not consume as much protein? Plus I am sure they are on a calorie deficit since they have scheduled meals and I am sure do not eat as much.

 

[DragonBits]

This may be the most dumb question ever. How come guys in prison are really buff and lean when they lack protein or do not consume as much protein? Plus I am sure they are on a calorie deficit since they have scheduled meals and I am sure do not eat as much.

I am not sure they are still buff and lean.

In 1996, an amendment to an appropriations bill expressly prohibited the federal Bureau of Prisons from purchasing "training equipment for boxing, wrestling, judo, karate, or other martial art, or any bodybuilding or weightlifting equipment of any sort." Many states, including California, made the same decision, either by statute or policy. These days, whatever free weights you'd still find in U.S. prisons are decades old. (These are often chained to the walls, to deter thieves and prevent inmates from beating each other with barbells.)

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...lly_spend_all_their_time_lifting_weights.html

But I am sure having nothing to do all day but eat and sleep makes one bored and working out lifts the boredom. Also, it helps to be big and bad when you are surrounded by violent men.

 

[Whatzup]

I am not sure they are still buff and lean.

In 1996, an amendment to an appropriations bill expressly prohibited the federal Bureau of Prisons from purchasing "training equipment for boxing, wrestling, judo, karate, or other martial art, or any bodybuilding or weightlifting equipment of any sort." Many states, including California, made the same decision, either by statute or policy. These days, whatever free weights you'd still find in U.S. prisons are decades old. (These are often chained to the walls, to deter thieves and prevent inmates from beating each other with barbells.)

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...lly_spend_all_their_time_lifting_weights.html

But I am sure having nothing to do all day but eat and sleep makes one bored and working out lifts the boredom. Also, it helps to be big and bad when you are surrounded by violent men.

Well not necessarily lean but big. It takes lots of calories and protein to gain muscle size. I've wondered how the can get huge with such little protein and calories.