Protecting muscle during fatloss?

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Plonki

New member
I've been doing an hour of cardio 5x a week for the past 3 weeks coupled with a decreased caloric intake in my diet, in addition to avoiding syrupy-beverages.

I've lost a fair bit of weight, but I am curious as to whether or not there is something I can do to protect my muscles from decreasing in mass more than they have to?

I do steady state cardio while keeping my heart rate at about 160-165bpm. If there is a way to lose a greater proportion of fat to muscle while decreasing body weight I'd like to hear about it. If muscle loss is just a part of the fat loss process, i'd be comforted in hearing about that too.

My original plan was to drop down to 200 lbs and then focus on gaining muscle mass. I've been losing 2-3lbs a week and I've got about 12 lbs to go. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Plonki:hat:
 
strength training is how you preserve the muscle you have..

muscle loss while eating at reduced calories causes muscle loss -it's just how the body works - you won't bulk up unless you are in caloric surplus..
 
So would you suggest I strength train one out of five days a week to preserve my current lean mass, while continuing my aerobic routine on the other four?

Plonki:hat:
 
I'd strength train twice per week, full body.

And eat protein. Enough of it. Which is discussed in the stickies.
 
Should I alternate between strength/aerobic exercise then? (e.g. monday, wednesday, friday aerboic; tuesday, & thursday strength)

Additionally, I'm trying to do calorie deficit, so how much protein can I get away with minimally? If I go 1g/lb that adds up to about 900kcal a day or so... which is much in addition to a regular diet.

Plonki:hat:
 
Plonki said:
Should I alternate between strength/aerobic exercise then? (e.g. monday, wednesday, friday aerboic; tuesday, & thursday strength)
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Doesn't matter. I'd try your best to space your strength training out as much as possible. So maybe something like Monday and Thursday. When you do your cardio doesn't matter.

Additionally, I'm trying to do calorie deficit,
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That's pretty obvious. The only way to lose fat is trigger a deficit of calories.

so how much protein can I get away with minimally? If I go 1g/lb that adds up to about 900kcal a day or so... which is much in addition to a regular diet.
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I'm not sure I understand here. Have you read the stickies?

Protein is part of a regular diet.

Protein, fats and carbs. Unless you want to count alcohol too. These are the primary nutrients that provide your body energy.

Protein should always be the foundation of a nutrition plan. 1 gram per pound of goal body weight is an okay estimation of requirements for muscle maintenance.
 
Well, I mean if I were to consume a diet with good proportions (35/40/35) at 210g of protein I would be ingesting roughly 2400kcal a day (800kcal protein/ 900carb/ 800kcal fat e.g.)

My question is this. I'm currently consuming ~1000-1500kcal a day. How can I supplement my diet with 200g of protein without just chugging down an insane amount of shakes? (e.g. maintaining 1000-1500kcal consumption while incorporating 200g protein.)

Thanks in advance,

Plonki:hat:
 
Where did the 200g of protein come from? I read that 1g of protein per pound of LBM. Thats what I'm going by and I only need 160 g of protein a day.

Its hard to fit into lower calorie diets. I think your best bet is to eat foods high in protein and accept that you are gonna lose SOME muscle. You can just maintain as much as you can.
 
watch how low your caloric intake goes 1000 to 1500 kcals a day would be on the low side for someone that didnt excercise regularly, the reason you might be losing more muscle mass than needed is because your deficit is too great. You said before that your losing 2 to 3 lbs a week, that might be a little too much weight to fast. For a better fat loss ratio i would try to stick with a 3500-5500 cal deficit a week (1-1.5lbs)
 
Right.

You're having trouble understanding the protein intake not b/c the recommendation is too high, but b/c your intake is too low given your stats.
 
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