Gym 74
Losing weight without losing muscle
When you lose weight you want to lose fat and keep your muscle. This article explains what matters most for that: a moderate deficit, enough protein, carrying on with strength training and a pace you can keep up. And how to follow that in Gym 74.
What this article is about
When you eat less than you burn you lose weight, but not just fat: your body can also break down muscle. This article is for anyone who wants to lose weight and keep their strength and shape. It builds on 'Setting a good goal': that article gives the numbers, this one explains why they are what they are.
After reading you will know
- Why muscle is vulnerable in a deficit
- The four things that matter most, and how fast is too fast
- How to see in Gym 74 whether you are on the right track
Why muscle is vulnerable in a deficit
In a deficit your body takes energy from its stores. That is mostly fat, but muscle is expensive to maintain. If your body is given no reason to keep it, it gives up part of it sooner. Hard training and enough protein are that reason.
The four things that matter most
You do not need to follow a complicated plan. These four things do most of the work.
- A moderate deficit: 15 to 20 percent below your maintenance, as in 'Setting a good goal'. A bigger deficit costs muscle faster and almost nobody keeps it up.
- Enough protein: 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilo of body weight, at the upper end when losing weight.
- Keep doing strength training and try to hold on to your weights and repetitions. In a deficit you do not need to grow; holding on is the goal, and that is the signal that your muscles are needed.
- A pace you can keep up: 0.5 to 1 percent of your body weight per week. If you lose weight faster you lose more than just fat.
What to expect
Not every drop on the scale is fat. If you know what is normal, a bad week is less alarming.
- In the first week your weight often drops fast. That is largely fluid, not fat.
- Your strength may drop slightly, especially with little sleep. If it drops fast or far, the deficit is probably too big.
- Look at the average over a week, not at a single day. Water and salt easily shift your weight by a kilo.
How to follow it in Gym 74
Three places in the app show whether you are on the right track.
- The goal: set a number of calories per day and a split in percentages. The calculator on the website gives you a first suggestion that takes your resting energy as a lower limit.
- The diary: it shows your protein against your goal per day, and the overviews show the average per week and month. Reaching your protein is the most important number.
- The progress page: the weekly average of your body weight and your circumference measurements, such as your waist, show whether you are losing fat. Measure consistently, see the article about that.
- Your workouts: if your records and weights stay roughly the same, you are probably keeping your muscle. If everything drops fast, the deficit is too big.
When to adjust
A goal is a starting point. Review it every two to three weeks, on the weekly average.
- If your weight has not dropped for more than two to three weeks, take roughly 5 to 10 percent off your calories.
- If you feel exhausted, sleep badly and your strength drops fast, eat more or take a few weeks at maintenance as a break.
This is general information and not medical advice. If you have a condition, take medication, are pregnant or are recovering from an eating disorder, talk to a doctor or dietitian first.
Further
Read how to choose your goal, what macros do and how to build up your weights progressively.
Setting a sensible goal What macros do for your body Progressive overload