5 Signs You’re Losing Muscle, Not Fat 

Cut the fat! 

Losing weight is hard, right? From amped-up workouts to a complete diet shift, losing weight takes a dedicated overhaul of your current lifestyle to see the desired outcome. 

And while your main goal might be to lose weight, you’ll want to maintain as much muscle as possible. When you lose muscle as opposed to fat, your strength and endurance will be negatively affected, leading to decreased performance. So, how can you tell if you’re losing muscle and not fat? Here are 5 signs to beware of.

Sign #1: Rapid Weight Loss

Who would think this is a bad thing? It is! 

For starters, rapid weight loss isn’t sustainable. Healthy weight loss requires a long period of time and a huge amount of patience. Losing 1-2 pounds per week is universally considered a safe and sustainable goal, since your body can only shed a certain amount of fat before it turns to muscle.

When you lose weight too quickly, you may struggle to keep it off. According to research, after rapid weight loss, about 66 percent of dieters gain even more weight than they initially dropped. 

Some side effects from rapid weight loss include:

• Missing out on key ingredients, especially since many diet plans cut out entire food groups which provide vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. 
• Slowed metabolism due to extreme calorie deprivation, which causes your body to go into starvation mode. When this happens, your metabolism slows down to help you conserve energy. This state causes your body to hang on to more fat. 
• Breaking down muscle for energy and fuel instead of fat. Since muscle is more metabolically active than fat, a loss in muscle significantly slows down your metabolism. One pound of muscle burns more calories a day than one pound of fat. So, a loss of muscle mass means you’ll burn less calories per day. 

For tips from real people who lost significant amounts of weight, check out our list of the most inspiring weight loss transformations.

Sign #2: Too Little Protein 

If you’re not consuming enough protein, you’re not giving your body the nutrients it needs to build muscle efficiently. A recent study found that people who ate 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram body weight lost 27 percent more fat and gained 8 times as much lean muscle mass. 

That’s because complete proteins like eggs, meat, dairy and poultry offer all 9 essential amino acids—the ones your body can’t produce on their own—to build muscle. Without enough protein, you aren’t giving your body the nutrients it needs to build muscle. So, you may end up losing weight rapidly, but it’s actually muscle that you’re losing. 

Sign #3: A Sedentary Lifestyle 

Use ‘em or lose ‘em! Sedentary lifestyles cause your muscles to waste away. But it’s never too late to do something about it. Start strength training at least 3 times a week to build muscle and cut fat. 

The more muscles you target at once, the better. Add compound (multi-joint) movements to your strength training routine, such as squats, lunges, push-ups and deadlifts.

And because muscles burn more calories than fat, strength training is the perfect exercise regimen to grow muscle while aiding in weight loss. 

Sign #4: Not Enough Sleep 

Not getting enough shut-eye raises cortisol levels, which disrupts growth hormone production, making it easier for your body to store carbs as fat. 

And if you’ve ever tried hitting the gym after a late night out, you already know how it affects your performance. You simply can’t go as hard. Over time, your muscles won’t repair as quickly, resulting in muscle loss or even injury.

 Sign #5: Not Intaking Enough Calories

There’s no question, to lose weight you must maintain a calorie deficit—consuming fewer calories than you burn. However, cutting calories too drastically leads to significant muscle loss. If you’re counting calories, aim to cut no more than 500 per day. Beyond this number, your body turns to muscle as its main fuel source instead of carbohydrates and fats. 

Takeaway

It’s important to note that muscle is not lost before fat. So, if you’re attempting to lose weight by not eating enough calories, you may start to lose weight in muscle before fat. 

A balanced approach to diet is crucial as opposed to restricting food or taking extreme measures. And when it comes to exercise, make sure to include strength training at least 3 times a week to ensure you’re maintaining muscle mass. These factors, coupled with a good night’s sleep, increased protein consumption and staying active will help you reach the goals you’ve set for yourself. 

Need more weight loss inspo? Check out our top weight loss tips here. 

Ready to take your workouts to the next level? Try some of our workouts and see how Gymondo can be a part of your daily routine. 

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